In which sentence we have an Ecce of Gods Severity in his Juftice, and of his Bounty in Mercy.

For firft, This is a great mercy to Cain, that where God did not take this judiciall course with Kerah, for refifting the Magistrate of Gods people, but caused the earth presently to fwallow him up, in the fixteenth chapter of Numbers, and punished Ananias with fude den death, for that he lyed not to men but to God, acts the fifth chapter, and never stayed either to see whether he would confeffe, or to convince him, yet he will not proceed against Cain, till he have proved him guilty, and condemned him accordingly.

Of Gods proceeding in juftice againft Cain, there are three parts. First, the fpirituall part,againft his foul. Secondly, the Oeconomicall parr, against his labour bestowed in tilling the earth. Thirdly, his Politicall punishment, which standeth herein, That he shall be an exile and Vagabond on earth.

The first part of his punishment is in these words (Curfed art then from the earth :) for Gods meaning herein (as Cain himself doth apprehend it, verse the fourteenth) is, that Cain is caft out from the earth, and from the prefence of God; that is, God doth inflict upon him an Ecclefiafticall fevering from Gods prefence, not from the prefence of his Providence, for of that,Pfalm the one hundred thirty ninth, Whither fhall I goe from thy presence? but from the presence of Gods favour and grace, of which the Prophet prayeth, Caft me Prefence of not from thy prefence, Pfalm the fifty firft, from the fellowship of the Gods favour. Saints, as in saying, Curfed art thou from the earth, he pronounceth upon him the fentence of Banishment out of the fociety of men. As God doth feparate Cals out of the family of Adam, which was an Image of the Church, wherein he heard Gods word, so also he doth baniish him out of the company of men.

Touching the first point, we know that it is the highest punishment that can be inflicted, to be curfed of God; for in the third of Genefis, and the fourteenth verfe,the fentence pronounced upon the Serpent was, Curfed art thou; if there had been any punishment more grievous, doubtleffe God would have laid it upon him. And in the end of the world, the last and most fearfull punishment, or fentence upon the Devill and his Angels, is, Ite maledicti, Matthew the twenty fift chapter: Efpecially, when the curfe is directed to the perfon, maledictus tu, as if it were fhot out of purpose against hims fo he directed the curfe to the Serpents perfon, Genefis the third. chapter and the fourteenth verse, Curfed art Thow above all cassel : But when God came to Adam, he spared his person, and laid the curfe upon the earth, Maledi&ta terra propter te, Genefis the third chapter and the feventeenth verfe: But here we fee the fentence is pro nounced against Cain's perfon, (as it was against the Serpent,) Carfed art Thou from the earth: Wherein we may fee that Cain's finne is another manner of fin than Adam's, and therefore is more grievously punished, as it ftandeth with juftice, Quia ad rationem peccati cris plagarum modu, Deuteronomie the twenty fourth chapter.

Hhh

But

1

The goodness
of a finner.

But Cain's finne is greater than Adam's, five wayes.

Firft, Adam's finne proceeded out of concupifcence, but Cain's came of malice, which deferveth no mercy, as the Prophet fheweth, Pfalm the fifty ninth, Be not mercifull to them that finne of malicious wickednesse.

Secondly, Adam's fiane was committed upon a fudden, and did not take root as Cain's did; for his finne was a long time hatching and breeding; for all Gods preaching to him, yet he went forward in finne, albeit he had long admonition from God to keep him from

it.

Thirdly, Adam having committed his finne, was taken with fear, and fled to hide himself if he could, but Cain was not a whit afraid, but faced it out, and never thewed any forrow for it.

Fourthly, when Adam was examined he confeffed his finne willingly, but Cain obftinatly denyed it, and would not be brought to confeffe it, though God had three times laboured to make him con. feffe: He denieth his fault, non tam audacter quam procaciter. Wherefore Adams finne and Cains are not both of one regard or nature, and therefore muft not be punished alike, but the one more grievoufly than the other. So yet we fee here is a great correspondencie between the Serpents finne and Cain's; for as the Serpent of envy murthered our firft Parents; fo Cain is here the inftrument of the Serpent to kill Abel, for that he envyed him: And therefore the Wife-man faid, Invidia Diaboli intravit mors.

Fiftly, As the Devils finne is pride, Ero fimilis altißime, Isaiah the fourteenth chapter & the fourteenth verfe; fo Cain thewed his pride by his contempt of Gods word & command, who forewarned him, not to kill his Brother, as alfo by his faucy anfwer to God, Am I my Brothers keeper? Wherefore as Cain's finne is equall to the Serpents finne, fo he hath the fame punishment that the Serpent had, Maledictus tu. In regard of which likeneffe of their fiane, the Apoftle faith, Cain is ex maligno illo, in the first of Fohn the third chapter and the twelfth verfe; that is,rather the Son of the Devill than of Adam : and therefore the Son is punished with the like punishment that was laid upon the Father.

For the contents of the word Maledictus: The nature of a curic is, That the party upon whom it is pronounced must be evill, as the Prophet faith, Ifaiah the third chapter, and the eleventh verfe, Dicite jufto quia bene, va autem malo quia male, especially that party is curfed that hath no good in him, for wee fee, in the eighteenth chapter of Genefis, if there had been any good in Sodom, but five perfons, the Lord would have fpared it; but because there was no good in it, it was plagued with fire and brimstone, which doth most of all resemble hell. But on the other fide, because there was wine found in one clufter, the Lord faid destroy it not, Isaiah the fixty fifth chapter, and the sighth verse. In the new Teftament, God promifeth mercy to the Church of Philadelphia,quia modicam habes virtutem in the third of the Revelations, and the eighth verfe. But Cain had no goodneffe left in

:

him; for whereas the goodnels of a finner is fear, lame,compaffion
and repentance; Cain had none of these. Adam was afraid when
he had finned, but Cain was to little atraid that he faced out his fin,
and as for fhame it was with him as the Prophet fpeaks, Feremiah
the eighth chapter and the twelfth verfe, Were they afhamed when they
had committed finne? Nay, they were not ashamed; and for confeffion
he would make none, of whom that is verified, periit confeßio, Fere-
miah the feventh chapter and the twenty eighth verfe. Whereas the
patience & long fuffering fhould have lead them to repentance, Cain
found nothing in himfelt,but had an heart that could not repent, Romans
the fecond chapter, in regard whereof the fentence of God pro-
nounced upon him is juft. Secondly, it is juft in that it is a fevering
of Cain from Gods favour; for as Cyprian faith, amicitiam cum Ser-
pente,inimicitia cum Deo fequitur,for it is just that he should be delive-
red to the party with whom he was entred into league. Thus God
dealt with his people, Fudges the tenth chapter and the thirteenth
verse, They have forfaken me and ferved other Gods: Goe and crie to
them,let them deliver you; and as the incestuous Corinthian had made
a league with Satan,fo the Apoftles will is, ut tradatur Satana, in the
firft epiftle to the Corinthians, the fift chapter, and this feparation
from Gods favour is from his prefence, which he sheweth to his
people that meet together to praife and pray to him, and to hear his
Word, and be partaker of his Sacraments; of which prefence he
giveth this command; Seek ye my face; to which the Prophet faith,
Thy face Lord will 1 feek, Pfalm the twenty feventh and the eighth
verfe, wherewith agree the Apostles words, in the second to the
Corinthians, the fecond chapter and the tenth verfe, To whomsoever
I forgive any thing, I forgive it for your fakes in wesy Xpis, id eft, in the
face, fight, or prefence of Chrift and as he was curfed from the
prefence of God, fo we see he went out presently from the presence of the
Lord, and dwelt in the Land of Nod, Genefis the fourth chapter and the
fixteenth verfe. This is the effect and fumme of that of the
Sentence which is ecclefiafticall or fpirituall, touching his foul;
for all that remains, contains that part of the Sentence which is ter-
restrial, where we fee it was Gods will, that he which had fhewed
himself favage towards mankinde in killing his Brother, fhould be
banished from the company of men. So that when it is faid, Curfed
art thou from the earth which hath received thy Brothers blood from thy
hand: The meaning is, he shall be caft out of his own Country,
whereby God doth plainly expreffe thus much, That wilfull mur-
ther is to be punished by cafting out both from Church and Com
mon-wealth, both from the Communion of Saints and the Society
of men: For envv is a finne of fuch nature, that God thinking
hell not to be a fufficient punishment for it, caufeth Cain to confume
himself on earth with vexation of minde; for as the Wife-man
faith, The effect of envy is the rotting of the bones, Proverbs the four-
teenth chapter and the thirtieth verse.

part

Secondly, God fets down a reason why the earth should deteft

and

and abhor fuch perfons as Cain was, and the realon is double. Fuft, For that there is a wrong done to the earth when a man is wilfully murthered, that is, fhe is bereaved of one of thofe that should till and dreffe it, and of one of her Inhabitants. It is the reason why the Crowners fit upon those that wilfully make away themselves, for they are no leffe injurious to the earth than they that kill others. Secondly, Because the earth muft needs abhorre that which is contrary to nature, and doth violate the course of nature, for nature doth will all men to seek the fafety and prefervation of others, but Cain wickedly and unnaturall fheddeth the blood of his Brother, which God doth rhetoricall and pathetically expreffe thus; That blood which Cain doth unnaturally fhed, the earth doth kindely and lovingly receive, that it should not lie open in the fight of the Sunne which a is like to that of Rizpah, which David commended fo highly, that she took fackcloth and covered the dead bodies of them that were hanged, and fuffered neither the birds of the air to light upon them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night, in the second of Samuel, the twenty first chapter and the tenth verfe, wherein the earth it felf, void of fenfe, appeared more kinde to Abel than Cain, for as the Wife-man faith, God will arm his creatures to be revengea of his enemies, in the fift chapter of the Wifedome of Solomon and the tenth verse; omni creatura ingemefcit, Romans the eighth chapter, they fhall all grieve and abhorre that a✪ which is unnaturall. As before the blood it felf cried to God for vengeance, so here the earth it felf receives the blood into her bofom, which was fo unnaturally fhed, and these are two witneffes, by whole teftimony Cain is fufficiently convicted of his finne, and howfoever they be dumbin themselves, yet they have a voice which God heareth, fo that no man can keep his finne fo fecret but it will be revealed, as Fob confeffeth, Fob the thirty first chapter and the thirty eighth verfe, My land will crie againft me, and the furrowes thereof will complain together, if I have eaten the fruits thereof without filver.

Which deteftation conceived by the earth against the fact of Cain, is further fet forth in the next verfe, two waies, First negando cibum, Secondly negando fedem, for the firft it is faid, when thou tilleft the earth it fhal not yeeld her ftrength unto thee,to feed thee. Secondly, thou shalt be in contiuall feare, and it fhall deny it felf to thee, not affording thee any certain mansion, for thou shalt be an Exile and Vagebond upon earth. All that the catth affords us is, pabulum & lasibulum, that is, as the Apostle speaks, alcopa's xoxerouala, in the first to Timothy the fixt chapter, it doth both alere & fuftinere. Two things we defire on earth, fufficiencie of living and maintenance, and peace and reft against trouble. Against these two are fet for Cains punishment, First want, in that the earth shall deny its strength, and unquietnefs or restlefnefs, in that he fhal be an Exile and Vagabond.

For fufficiencie of feeding, albeit God before had curfed the earth, yet not fo, but that by labour it should yeeld to man bread but now God faith, if Cain labour and take never fo great pains in

cilling

1

tilling the earth, his labour shall be in vain, though he sweat and labour never fo much, yet it fhall withdraw that humor and fatnefs, whereby it is wont to fend forth corn for food; that is, her fruit fhall not make bread, and maintain the life of him that is a shedder of blood: So whatsoever Cain enjoyeth upon earth, is not of right, for except the earth be willing both to feed him and to sustain him, he hath no juft poffeffion or interest in it, & quod jure non poßidetur, furto & latrocinio ufurpatur; every peece of bread that Cain and all those that walk in his way doe eat, they eat it wrongfully, and shall make and an account for it, as if they had ftolen it. So that though Cain speak never lo much to the corn, and wine, and oyle, and they in his behalf call to the earth, and the earth to the heavens, and the heavens crie unto God, yet there shall be no answer for his relief, Hofen the fecond chapter and the twenty firft verfe, but they fhall all confpire and plague Cain for his finne. Fob faith, If I have eaten the fruit of the earth without filver, or grieved the foules of the Masters thereof, Fob the thirty first chapter and the thirty nin.h verfe, to fhew us there is a right, not only of labour, but of perfon, for Adam may cat of the fruits of the earth, by right of his labour bestowed in dreffing it; but Cain for that he is a perfon accurfed, cannot eat thereof. God gives Adam food upon condition of his labour, but food is denyed to Cain though he take never fo much pains; for that Cain is a perfon accurfed by God, and hath no part in that bleffed feed, in whom all the promises of God, touching this life and the life to come, are yea and amen, in the second to the Corinthians, the first chapter and the twentieth verfe.

Secondly, As we defire fufficiencie of living against want, fo we defire reft and quietness from trouble; and this we defire rather than the other, For a little with the fear of the Lord is better than great trea fure with trouble, Proverbs the fifteenth chapter aud the fixteenth verfe, but as the earth denyed him fufficiencie, lo it will not afford him a dwelling place to rest in.

Ofthefe words there are two constructions,and both profitable. First, The Septuagint tranflate these words (Vagabond and Runa. gate) gemens & tremens, that is in grief and feare halt thou be all the daies of thy life, without any certain dwelling to rest in. He that is in grief is heavie and burthenfom to himself, but he that is in fear is fufpicious of others, which is a great vexation, which kinde of punishment is laid upon them that keep not Gods Commandements, that they fhall be fmitten with fearefulness, they shall fly at the fhaking of a leaf, Leviticus the twenty fixt chapter and the fevententh verse, They fhall flye when no man purfueth, Proverbs the twenty eighth chapter. And albeit they gos from place to place fecking for reft and peace, yet non eft pax impiis, Isaiah the fifty seventh chapter. Of this Fear we have an example in Cain, who being guilty of the breach of Gods Command, confeffed, that he was now in that case, that whosoever shall finde him might kill him.

Iii

Secondly,