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things fpeak which are dumb, as he heard Mofes though he ipake not a word, Exodus the fourteenth chapter. Man cannot fee in the dark without the light, But the darknes and the light are all one to him, Pfalm the one hundred and thirty ninth, All things are naked and bare before his eyes, Hebrews the fourth chapter, fo that he needs no Accufer. Secondly, the other fenfe is the fuller and the more generally embraced, which is this, though the perfon guilty being arraigned will not confefs himfeif, and albeit there be none to accule him, yet he escapes not; as for the Acculer there could be none, for there were now but three perfons upon earth, Cain himfelf, and his Father and Mother; as for Cain he denyed the deed, as for Adam and Eve, who were his Parents, fuch was their naturall affection, that they could not finde in their hearts to accufe their Son, though it were for killing a Child,that was more deer to them than he was: Of which compaffion we have a like example in the Widdow of Tekoah, in the fecond of Samuel the fourteenth chapter; and therefore as Ambrofe faith, qui potuit alter occidere Abelem; though there be neither confeffion nor accufation, yet God proceeds to convince him, and grounds himself upon the grievoufnefs of his finne, The voice of thy Brothers blood cryeth to me. This kinde of proceeding in Judgment is ufuall, though Fuda (pake not a word himself, and there was none to accufe him, yet he was convinced by those tokens which he left with Thamar, Genefis the thirty eigthth chapter and the twenty fixt verfe: And the Garments of Fofeph which he left with his Miftris when the enticed him, was thought evidence enough, Genefis the thirty ninth chapter; fo we fee that albeit there be neither confeffion nor accufation, yet God proceeds against Cain by conviction, and he doth convince him not by the voice of perfons which is the more ufuall witneffe, but per vocem fanguinum.

The Leffons to be learned hence are, Firft matter of Faith, for the ancient Fathers upon thefe words, The voice of thy brothers blood cryeth, compared with the Apoftles, Hebrews the cleventh chapter and the fourth verfe, by the which Abel being dead yet (peaketh, doc ground the immortality of Abel, nam qui loquitur vivit, of which we are to be perfwaded in regard of the truth of Gods promises made; for God in his firft Sermon faid, If thon doe well, fhalt thou not be rewarded? As for Abel albeit he did well, yet he was not rewarded in this life; therefore it followes there is another life wherein Abel must have his reward for his good fervice to God; For it is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble the godly, and to the afflicted reft, when the Lord fhall fhew himself from heaven, in the fecond epiftle to the Theffalonians, the firft chapter and the fixt verfe, And God is not unjust to forget our works and labour of love, Hebrews the fixth chapter and the tenth verfe. And for a third proof, if God be the God of Abraham, as he affirmeth him felf to be the God of Abraham Ifaac and Facob, then no doubt but Abel liveth no leffe than Abraham, becaufe as Chrift affirmeth, deus non eft mortuorum dem,fed viventium, Luke the twentieth chapter. Secondly, hence

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we have commended to us morall doctrine, against those which
doubt not without all fear to dispatch and rid out of the way what-
foever is a stay or let to them, because as they speak, mortui non mor-
dent; but fuch are to learn from hence, that albeit they whose blood
they doubt not to fpill doe not bite, yet they crye out to God for
revenge even when they are dead, as Abel, for if they crie nor, the
ftones in the street will crie, as Chrift speaks, as albeit Abel be dead,
yet the voice of his blood cryeth to God for
vengeance.
Concerning which, fix points are to be noted.

First, It is true that the fouls of them that are deceased are brought in,crying for vengeance, Revelations the fixt chapter, How long Lord? but it is not here affirmed of Abel, that his foul in heaven cryeth for vengeance as he kept innocency, fo no doubt he kept a brotherly affection to Cain, though he deserved it not at his hands. As Stephen did not crie for vengeance, but prayed, Lord lay not this finne to their charge, As the feven h chapter, and our Saviour, Luke che twenty third chapter, Father forgive them, they know not what they doe, but it is his blood that cryeth, and his blood, not de corpore, bui de terra, that is, though the foul out of heaven complain not, yet his blood out of the earth fhall crie to God for vengeance.

Secondly, His blood though it be feparated from his body, and concorporate with the duft of the earth,shall'crie and speak to God, & if the blood of beafts offered in Sacrifice doe fpeak to God, so as they make him answer by fire, in the fift of Kings the eighteenth chapter,then much more fhall the blood of man when it is thed have a voice to fpeak to God for revenge, and fo forcible is the vocie of that blood, that there is no expiation but by blood, and the land cannot be cleaned, but by the blood of him that hath fhed blood, Numbers the thirty fift chapter: If the blood of them crie the blood of Innocents fhall fpeak to God for vengeance; and fo when the Ifraelites offered their Sonnes and daughters and shed innocent blood, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against them, Pfalm the one hundred and fixt and thirty seventh verfe, but the blood fhed by Cain was the blood of an Innocent, even of righteous Abel, Matthew the twenty third chapter, and therefore muft needs receive an answer fooner from God than the blood of beasts, Revelations the fixteenth chapter and the fixt verse, and the ninteenth chapter and the second verse.

The third point is, that the word blood is expreffed in the plurall number fanguinum clamantium, to note that in killing Abel, he did not only fhed his blood, but the blood of all thofe that might have proceeded of Abel, it he had lived and married, whereby his fact is the more grievous in that it is committed in tantâ paucitate generis humani: Others fay it is expreffed plurally, because every drop of Abels blood did crie for vengeance; fo there was blood crying with many voices for revenge.

Fourthly, This voice is not every ordinary voice, but vox clamantis, which theweth that murther is no light finne, but great and hainous; for as the Heathen man faith, leves loquuntur, ingentes clamants

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Our teares and fighs cric for Vengeance.

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peccatum cum voce is nothing but ordinary finne, but peccatum cum clamore is ἁμαρτία καθ ̓ ὑπερβολίω ἁμαρτωλός, Romans the leventh chapter, ic is one of those finnes which crie,and therefore fhall have vengeance. They are in Scripture four. Firft wilfull murther, as Cains in this place. Secondly, the finne of Sodom against nature, which cried to God for vengeance,Genefis the eighteenth chapter;which by the qualitie of the punishment appeareth how filthie it was, for it was punifhed with ftinking brimftone, as the fin it felf above all others doth most stinck before God. Thirdly, the oppreffion of the poor,Ex. odus the fecond chapter and the twenty third verfe, which crieta to God for as God plagued the Egyptians for oppreffing the poor Ifraelites, fo he will plague them that opprefs the ftranger and poor, Exodus the twenty fecond and the twenty firft verfe. The fourth is Deuteronomie the twenty fourth chapter and the fourteenth verfe, that of other poor,the poor Labourer must not be oppreffed,nor his hire delayed from him when he hath taken pains ; for as the Apostle faith, James the fift chapter, ecce merces operantis clamat in auribus domini. Thefe are the finnes that fpeak not, but crie to God for vengeance. Fiftly, for the nature of the crie it is in Hebrew, vox preconis or proclamantis, of fuch a one as hash ftrong fides, of which we have an example,Genefis the fourty first and the fourty third verfe, where Pharoah causeth one to crie with a Trumpet before fofeph Abreck, fo forcible was the crie of the blood of Abel in the cares of God. The fixt point is that which maketh it up fure, for where there is no voice of any Cryer, be he never fo ftrong, that can be heard up to the top of high hills or fteeples, the voice of this crie is heard higher than any hill or tower whatsoever; it is heard de terra ad me, faith God, it pierceth the very heavens; ecce quoufq; volat vox fanguinis.

That which we are to learn from hence is, Firft matter of comfort to thofe of Abels fide that fuffer wrong. Abel faid never a word though his Brother flew him,neither doth his foul from heaven,it is his blood from the earth that crieth for vengeance; for as the Prophet faith, our ftrength is in filence and quietness, Ifaiah the thirtieth chapter, Though we poffefs our fouls in patience, as Chrift willeth, Lake the twenty first chapter, yet God will fay mibi vindicta, Deuteronomie the thirty fecond chapter, and as I am Judge of the world, fo I will be revenged of them that doe wrong: Therefore the Apoftle willeth not to feck revenge, because God challengeth that as a thing proper to himself, Romans the twelfth chapter. Hebrews the tenth chapter, taceat os, loquitur fanguis, which is a point neceffary to be urged, and teacheth us that we need not to be Gods remembraucers in this point, for the revenge of injury, for as he heareth the voice of blood, fo the voice of our weeping and teares, Pfalm the fifty fixt and the eighth verfe, he heareth the fighes and griefs of the heart, Pfalm the thirty eighth and the ninth verse, and the inward defire of the heart though it be not uttered, Exodus the fourteenth chapter and the fifteenth verse, as in Moses: Therefore Fob faith terra ne operiat meum fanguinem, neque clamores meos intercipiat, Fob the tenth

chapter

chapter and it he keep a veffel to put our teares in, much more may we perfwade our felves that our blood is presious in his fight, Pfalm the one hundred and fixteenth and the fifteenth verfe ; which point miniftreth great comfort to them that fuffer wrong.

Secondly, Hence we learn what is the nature of finne; before the Holy Choft called it peccatum cubans, that is, finne fast asleep; but here is peccatum clamans, not only finne awake, but crying out and warning; for finne enticeth gently at the first, but efter it will pull a man by the throat: Even as the Devill is tentator, Matthew the fourth chapter, he tempteth men to finne, by all the pleasant means he can, and when he hath prevailed with them, then he is accufator fratrum, Apoc. the twelfth chapter. Sinne is like the wife of Potiphar, which tempted Fofeph by all fair means to folly, and as it he had been guilty,did first accufe him,Genefis the thirty ninth chapter: And as one antwered Foab, when he would have had him fmite Abfalom, If I had done it, it would have been the danger of my life, yea thou thy felf which perfwadeft me to doe it, wouldeft have been the firft that should accuse me, in the fecond book of Samuel, the eighteenth chapter and the thirteenth verfe; fo finne hath no fooner with its deceitfulneffe allured a man to doe evill, but it will straight way call to God for vengeance against him: Which thing ought to make it odious in the eyes of all men. Though Abel complain not, Cain confeffe not, and Adam accuse not, yet we cannot fo efcape, for our own finne is as a Serjeant that will finde us out, Numbers the thirty fecond chapter, and the twenty third verfe, and when it hath found us, as a Goalor, it will hold and binde us with cords, Proverbs the fifth chapter, and the twenty fecond verfe: And as the Prophet fpeaketh, in the fecond chapter of Habakkuk, and the eleventh verfe, The Stone out of the wall and the beam out of the timber, shall cry to God for vengeance upon. ppreßions, though the poor whose faces they have ground fay nothing, Efay the third chapter and the fitteenth verfe. Touching which purfuit of finne, the Wife-man faith, in the tenth chapter of Ecclefiaftes Curfe not the King, no not in thy thought, neither curfe the rich in thy bedchamber, for the fowls of heaven fhall difclofe it: Tea a mans own fpirit will make him to confeffe his own finne, and if all means fail, yet the ftones in the street will cry for vengeance. And we fee that there is vox non folùm oris, fed operis, as the Prophet fpeaketh of Gods works, that the very heavens have a voyce, wherewith they doe enarrare gloriam Dei, Pfalm the ninteenth: And therefore the Heathen say, Res ipfa loquitur. Which as it miniftreth fear to Cain and to the wicked; to comfort to the Godly: For if as we fee in Cain, finne have a voyce to plead before God against a man; then no doubt Good works but the good works that a man doth, will fpeak to God for him, and crie to God. are remembrancers to put God in minde to be gracious unto him: As God heareth tears and putteth them in a bottle, as he heareth fighes and inward defires of the heart which speak to him, the Almes that Cornelius gave, had a voyce to plead unto God for him fo that of a heathen he was made a Christian, As the tenth chapHhh 2

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For as the concupifcence of evill is finne; fo the very defire of good, is a virtue that pleafeth God: And if the taking away of a mans life, doe pull down the vengeance of God, then the faving of a mans life, or of his foul, will be a forcible means to procure Gods favour.

To conclude: The last point to be obferved from hence is, That if the blood of Abel had a voyce to speak unto God; then the blood of Chrift Jefus muft needs have a more powerfull voyce, because it Spaaketh better things than the blood of Abel, Hebrews the twelfth chapter and the twenty fourth verfe; for the blood of Abel cryed for Juftice, but Chrift's blood cryeth for Mercy: If when we doc evill it will plead to God for vengeance; then if wee doe any good work, much more shall it fpeak to God for us. And God as he is inclined to mercy, rather than to vengeance, will rather hear the voyce of our good works, than of evill, because our good works fpeak better things than our wicked actions.

Geh. 4. 11.12. Nunc itaque tu maledictus esto: exful ab ifta terra, quæ aperuit os fuum ad excipiendum fanguinem fratris tui è manu tua. Quum bumum ipfam colueris, ne pergito edere vim fuam tibi : vagus infeftus agitationibus efto in terra.

Aug. 26.1599.

N these two verses is contained the fentence pronounced by God against Cain; for God having performed that which the Holy Ghoft telleth us in the thirty third chapter of Fob and the twenty ninth verse, that God will deal twice or thrice with a man, that he may turn back his soul from the pit : First in his examination, Where is thy Brother Abel? Secondly, in his fecond question. What haft thou done? Thirdly, in laying open before Cain his finne, Behold, the voyce of thy Brothers blood cryeth to me. Having fpared him for three tranfgreffions, he will no longer bear with him, but proceedesh to fentence against him, for the fourth, in the first of Amos, and the third verse; fhewing that as he gave sentence against Adam confeffing, to affure us that we may proceed likewife upon confeffion, fo we may dos in case of conviction: And that it is a good ground to pronounce fentence; not only when Parties are convicted upon witneffes, which is the more ufuall way, but when by manifeft arguments and proofs they are proved guilty: For fo in Cain, The falling down of his countenance, His going into the fields with his Brother, And he be ing found flain, thereupon are manifest tokens that he flew Abel, for there was none elfe to doe it: Upon those grounds God proceeds to give sentence against Cain.

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