was great upon earth, and the earth was filled with cruelty, and all flesh had corrupted his way; and all this proceeded from his example; for he gave the world a pattern to give the reins to lufts,and make no confcience of bloodshed, which brought deftruction upon

them.

Thirdly, When as he had contrary to Gods Ordinance taken two Wives, Adah and Zillah, the one that let her felicity on painting of her face, like Fezabel, in the fecond of the Kings the tenth chapter, the other to be to him as Herodias was to Herod, Matthew the fourteenth chapter. When God for all this fpared Lamech, and did not punish him as he deserved, but rather bleffed him with Children and earthly profperity; yet he is not any thing the better for Gods mercy, but growes from one finne to another, till his fini became as the Apostle fpeaketh, Romans the seventh chapter, Out of measure finfull, and till the chief finne appear in him, which is even the head of the Serpent: In whom we finde that verified which the Preacher faith, Ecclefiaftes the eighth chapter and the eleventh verfe, that if God presently punish any finne, he is counted cruel, But when fentence against an evill work is not executed speedily, then the hearts of the children of men are fully fet to doe evil as the Apostle alto fheweth, That whereas Gods patience and long-fuffering fhould lead us to repentance, the wicked abuse his goodness, and take occafion thereby to add finne to finne, and fo to heap up wrath for themselves against the day of wrath, Romans the fecond chapter and the fourth and fift veries. The discovering of thefe finnes is plainly opened in this oration which Lamech makes to his Wives; for finne difclofeth it felftwo wayes, either by Cains way, that is, by the eye or countenance; as Cain when his heart grew malicious, fhewed it presently in his countenance, verse the fifteenth, or elfe Lamechs way, that is, by the ⚫ fome or froth of the mouth; for we fee here according to Chrifts rule, Matthew the twelfth chapter, That Lamechs mouth (peaketh from the abundance of his heart, for the tongue is the Trumpet of the minde; and as a Galilean may be known by his speech, Matthew the twenty fixt chapter, so by a mans talk it will appear how his heart is affected. His fpeech confifts firft of a preface (Heare my voice ye wives of Lamech, hearken to my words.) Secondly, the body of his oration, (I have killed [or will kill a man in my wound, and a young man in my hurt.) Thirdly, If Cain fhall be avenged Seven times, then Lamech feventy times feven times. In which words he faith in effect, that he will neither doe right nor fuffer wrong.

His Preface we see is a folemn and grave Speech, as if Solomon himself were delivering fome great piece of wifedome, or as if fome Prophet were to declare fome weighty matter in the name of the Lord. That we may fee, that the wicked are as carefull in ftirring up the hearers to hear their blafphemies, as the Prophets and Saints of God are to crave attention to their heavenly do&trine.

They are like the words of Facob to his Children, Genefis the

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fourty ninth chapter and the fecond verie, Hear ye Sonnes of Facob, hearken to Ifrael your Father: where, to hearken is more than to hear, and the fpeech is more than the voice; whereby Lamech wil leth his Wives with all attention to bow their eares to that which he faith, which fheweth that he imagined that which he spoke was fome great matter, whereas indeed it is nothing but a vain boafting of his power, that he can doe mifchief, Pfalm the fifty fecond, for the Prophet faith, That the great men speak out the corruption of their hearts, and they wrap it up, Micah the feventh chapter and the third verfe; and fo doth this great Gyant Lamech we fee by his words he hath this opinion, that he ought to be heard being a man of this power. For as the Wife-man faith of the practife of the world, If the rich man fpeaks, all must hearken to his word, but the poor when he fpeaks cannot be heard: but fee what is the effea of his fpeech for all his good preface; therefore we must not presently impute wifedome to every one that beginneth in this folemn manner.

Of the body of his Oration be two parts, Firft a proclaiming to the world what he will doe if he be touched, Secondly, If Cain be avenged feven times, then Lamech feventy times feven fold. Ofthe former there are two readings; the one is, I have flain a man being but wounded, and killed a young man in my hurt. The latter is, I would kill a man. If it be the former, it is a Commemoration; If the latter a Commination, wherein he breatheth forth threatnings, as Saul did As the eighth chapter, against any that should doc him wrong: The one is a bragging of his ftrength, that he feels himself so strong, as if he were wounded, yet he is able to be avenged of him that fhall touch him. The other fhewes his vindicative spirit, that is fo far from fuffering, that if he be but touched, he will kill: he threa tens pro vulnere mortem.

In the first, by that which the Apostle faith, in the fecond to the Corinthians the tenth chapter, That if God give ftrength and power so any man, it is not to deftroy, but to edifie: We fee it is no true boasting which Lamech makes, he doth not boaft aright that faith, he is of ftrength to dos hurt: the commendation of ftrength is not in killing and wounding, but in faving and defence.

For the fecond interpretation we are to know it is no juft dealing, to kill him that hath but inflicted a wound, for juftice is, there should be tallo, wound for wound, and not death for a wound. If it be read as the Fathers read it (I have killed a man in my wound) then it is a confeffion. Now we know confeffions proceed of repentance, but that was not the caufe of Lamechs confeffion, for then he would not have chosen these confeffions, but it is in the fpirit of arrogancic that he confeffeth to his wives what he hath done: He faith that when he had killed one man in his wound, then he proceeded to kill a young man, that is, he added blood to blood. It is enough for a man to finne, though he doe not brag of it, but when they doe as the Sodomites did, that is, pradicare peccata fua, Ifaiah

the

the third chapter and the niach verfe, then they are come to the pitch of wickedness, if they brag of their finns, and are so far from forrowing for their fione, that they feek applause for it, as if they had done well. This preaching of finne, and that rejoycing in wickedness, which the Wife-man speaks of, Proverbs the fecond chapter and the fourteenth verfe, exultat in rebus pesimis, falls upon none but such as are in profundo peccatorum, that is, grievous fins, and at the pitch of all naughtiness. Naturally men are afhamed of fione, and it is a figne of grace fo to be affected, therefore the Lord faith, Feremiah the eighth chapter and the twelfth verse, Were they afhamed when they had committed abomination? but where inftead of Covering their faces with fhame for finne, Men have Harlots foreheads, and will not be ashamed, Feremiah the third chapter and the third verfe, that is a finne out of measure finfull; for shame is a figne of that fingultus cordis, that is, of that inward grief of heart,in the first of Samuel the twenty fift chapter, which they conceive that they have offended God; but when instead of forrow and shame, there is an exaltation, or rejoycing, of the evill they have done, and a hardness of heart, fo as they cannot be touched with any grief of their finnes : These are the tokens of one that is paft grace, and these appeared in Lamech, of whom the Apoftles words are verified, That his fhame is hu glory, Philippians the third chapter: In both these he justifieth Cain, for he was afhamed to confeffe that he had killed Abel, and therefore answered the Lord, I know not, am I my brothers keeper? and after he is very sorry and greatly caft down, and therefore faith My finne is greater than can be pardoned. This is it we learn in the first part.

The second is worse, for where there is no fhame there may be fear; He that hath loft shame for finne is like the beast, Pfalm the fourty ninth, for the beaft is not ashamed of any thing: but though bruit beasts be without shame, yet they have fear, for they will not willingly run into the fire, it is fo terrible to them; therefore he that feareth not when he feeth the danger of fin,he is worse than a beast, yea, than the Devils themselves, Who beleeve and tremble, Fames the fecond chapter: Therefore where as Lamech is not afraid to kill and murther him that should but wound him, having not only heard That if a man doe evill finne lyeth at the dore, but fecing an example of Gods wrath upon Cain for murther, that is a sign that his heart is greatly hardened. A man would think the very name of Cain should be odious confidering his horrible finne, and the grievous punishment which God laid upon him for it; but here we fee Lamech names Cain himself, as before he called his Sonne Tubal-Cain, shewing that he is not defirous that the name of Cain should be buried, fo that he is without all fear of the example of Cains punishment, for he treads it under foot; and this is a figne of great wickedneffe, when exemplary punishments will not make a man afraid. But yet we fee not the height of his finne, for having both caft off fhame, and buried all fear, both of God and man, he scoffs at Gods words,

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and contemns them, (If Cain be avenged feven fold,then Lamech (eventy times feven fold) which being the very words of God as we fee verse the fifteenth, as God bimielt fpake to the wicked, Pfalm the fiftieth, why dost thou preach my law, and take my covenant in thy mouth? fo it may be faid, what should Lamech doc with Gods words in his mouth? it he did call them to minde to the end they might convert him, it were well, but he perverts the words of God, and fcoffs at them. (If Cain be avenged seven times, then Lamech feventy times feven times) Wherein firit he faith he will be revenged; Secondly he argues, if Cain, then much more he; Thirdly, he goeth further, and because fome might fay to him, why? you may be killed your felf, you are but a man, therefore he anfwers, let him kill me that will, he that kills me fhall be avenged Seventy times. If Cain shall be avenged Seven times, then Lamech feventy times (even times, as if he fhould fay, now is the feventh generation ended. Though Cains pofterity be most prophane, yet it doth as well as Seths, for we are Great Grafiers of Cattel, we have Inftruments of mufick; there fore that which God faid of Cains punishment (If thou doe evill finne lyeth at the dore) is nothing so; Lamech doth, like an lafidel, say, all that God faith is nothing.

But if we yet look more narrowly into this fpeech of Lamech, there is a further thing in it; for if he argues thus, (if Cain be avenged Jeven times, then Lamech much more) What is his ground to make this conclufion? Surely this wicked periwafion, That the more a man finneth, the more he shall be refpe&ed of God: for Lamech was the greater finner; Cain conteared himself with one wife, but Lamech took a second; Cain killed but one, but Lamech first killed one, after he killed another, and therein juftifieth Cain as an Innocent, in refpect of himself Cains offence was fub lege occultâ, he heard no more, But that if thou doe evill finne lyeth at the dore, but Lamechs finne is fub lege manifeftâ, for he feeth an example of Gods punishment upon Cain for his murther; therefore feeing Lamech is the greater Offender, and seeing pro menfura peccati erit & plagarum modus, Deuteronomie the twenty fitt chapter, it ftands nor in reafon, that if Cain being a leffer finner, be avenged feven times, that Lamech being a greater offender, fhall be avenged leventy times leven times, therefore this is open blafphemie against the juftice of God, who, as the fin is greater, fo inflicts a greater punishment. He reasons thus, fecing God will avenge a murtherer it is a figae he loves them, therefore he will love me; for Cain was but a young murtherer, he killed but one, but I am an ancient practifer of this finne, I have killed two; therefore he will fee that I fhall be much more avenged; as if he should say, the more finner a man is, the more he shall be favoured of God. That is his reasoning.

One step further we are yet to arife in the confideration of his argument, for thus he faith, God hath prophefied concerning Cain, that he that killeth fhall be avenged feven times; and I will prophefie concerning my felf, if any kill me, he leaves not vengeance to

God,

God, but chooseth vengeance for himtelt: Cains leven times will not ferve him, but he must be avenged feventy times more.

If we lay thele things together, that is, his vain boasting and his threatning, with the irreligious and moft wicked confequence that he gathereth, that if God refpect Cain a finner, he will much more refpect him, because he is a greater finner This will hew that Lamech is not only paft fhame, but without all fear he is fo farr from shame and grieving for his finne, that he brags of it. If this be not the Serpents head, and the chief finne that can be; that is the breathing out of blafphemies against God, and threatnings ágainst man, I know not what is. It we compare Lamech, the Serpents feed, with Chrift the feed of the woman, we shall fee that he being asked of Peter, how oft he should forgive his brother, Matthew the eighteenth chapter, ufeth the fame ftiles concerning mercy and forgivenefs, which Lamech ufeth touching revenge, that is, to forgive till feventy times feven times: whereby he teacheth Peter to multiply forgivenets, because he himself shall need to have many finnes forgiven him, to teach us that in fhewing mercy, we must follow the rule which the wicked keep in revenge. We see Christs testament for the shedding of blood,that he will have mercy fhewed,but Lamech will have revenge extended to seventy times feven times, whereas Chrift will have mercy extended: The one is the corrupter of charity, the other the reftorer; therefore we must hearken to him; we see what became of Lamech and his pofterity. Fob faith of them, that as the floods of wickedneffe went over their foul, fo it brought upon them a flood of water, whereby the whole world was drowned, and then thofe mighty Gyants gemebant fub aquis.

These things being before us, ferve as they you ỳ karóg Dwow, to prove us, & corre& us, that we grow not paft fhame, paft grief and feeling, that we fall not into that day, Ephefians the fourth chapter, that is, without all feeling and fear to finne with greedineffe," for then are we worse than bruit beafts. We must therefore take heed of Lamechs example, in ufing Gods word, to jest and fcoffe at it. Though wee cannot bur fin, yet we must keep fhime in our cheeks, and blush at the confideration of our finnes, and not fear our confciences, as with a hot iron, inthe first epiftle to Timothie, the fourth chapter; but be forry that we have offended, and fear the judgments of God, which we fee fall upon others: But if these paffions of Lamech doe overtake us, we are in a defperate cafe, and in the depth of finne: We muft fhew our felves as mighty in doing good, as he boasted he was mighty in doing evil!.