For the fift part, When sentence is paffed upon any perfon, God requireth two things.

First, Agnitionem culpa, whereunto two things belong: That is, Promißio pænitentia, as Ezekiah promifeth, That he will walk all the dayes of his life, in the bitterneffe of his foul, in the thirty eighth chapter of Ifaiah, and the fifteenth verfe; And the Apoftie faith, That the true tokens of Godly forrow, are to be angry, to be afraid of himself afterwards, and to be revenged of himself for the finne committed, in the second epiftle to the Corinthians, the leventh chapter,and the eleventh verfe. And Deprecatio pana, that is, petition for forgiveneffe, as, The Lord be mercifull to my finne, and forgive me my finne.

Secondly, God requires juftificationem juftitia, that is, declare that the fentence is paft upon us justly, as David doth, Pfalm the fifty firft and the fourth verle, Against thee only have I finned, that thou mayeft be just when thou speakest, and clear when thou judgeft. And this likewife hath two parts.

First, That we think well of God, faying with the Prophet, in the one hundred and ninteenth Pfalm, and the feventy fifth verfe, 1 know, Lord, that thy judgements are right, and that thou of very faithfulneffe haft afflicted me.

Secondly, To bear quietly and meekly the punishment that he layeth upon us, by David's example, in the thirty ninth Pfalm, Tacut Domine, quia tu fecifti. But as for Cain, we fee on his part, neither promife of repentance, nor petition for forgiven ffe: he confeffeth his fault indeed, (My finne is greater) but it was no true confeffi.

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First, That it was too late, it should have stood in the ninth verse, for Ajuft man will be firft in his own cause to accuse himself, Proverbs the eighteenth chapter, and the feventeenth verfe; but he denyed it proudly, and fo was farre from making any promife of repentance.

Secondly, No true confeffion, becaufe without any petition of forgiveneffe, for he concieved this foolish opinion, That his finne could not be forgiven; as ifthe Womans feed bad not Power to break the the Serpent's head, or the blood of Chrift crying for mercy of God, did not crie louder than Abels did for juftice, which the Apoftle faith speaketh better things than the blood of Abel, Hebrews the twelfth chapter. But as for his opinion touching Gods juftice, both Cain and all others ought with David to acknowledge in every punishment that he layeth upon them, Pfalm the one hundred and nineteenth and the one hundred and thirty feventh verfe, Righteous art thou o Lord in all thy judgments: They ought to judge themselves worthy to be destroyed, Ezekiel the thirty fixt chapter, for fo did the better Theet, Luke the twenty third chapter and the fourty first verfe, We indeed fuffer righteously, for we receive things worthy of that we have done, but this man hath done nothing amiffe. But as for Cain he maketh no fuch acknowledgment of Gods juftice in punishing him; whereas he fhould have confeffed he was worthily caft out of the earth, because he had bereaved the earth of one of her Children, killed a

man

man, an innocent, and not only to, but a Saint, that he was worthily caft out of Gods prefence being defiled with blood; even as Foab was pulled from the Altar, in the firft of Kings the fecond chapter, as if he would pollute the Altar: For as the Apostle faith, in the first to the Corinthians the fift chapter, the reason why the Corinthian was excommunicated, was because by a little leavent he whole lump should be leavened. The other was juftly punished with a life of forrow and fear, because he had been a cause of sorrow and fear to many; yet Cain doth none of all thefe, but infteed of acknowledging Gods juftice in regard of his defert, he makes it strange and wonders at it (Behold) but we are taught to think otherwife, that how grievous foever God punisheth us, yet he dealeth not with us after our deferts, Pfalm the one hundred and third; We must not think Strange concerning the fiery triall, as if some frange thing were come to us, in the first epiftle of Peter, the fourth chapter and the twelfth verle: We must not make an ecce of Gods Judgments as Cain doth,for God is wife, and albeit the party punished be innocent, yet we are to think that God will fuffer no punishment to come to him without juft caufe, much more ought we to juftific him when he punisheth a notorious Offender. But from this word (ecce) it appeares that Cain did not fo much as conceive a right of Gods juftice.

The fecond point in juftifying Gods Juftice is, to bear quietly the punishment that he layeth uppon us, Leviticus the twenty fixt chapter and the fourty fift verfe, which Chrift calls the taking up of the Cross, Matthew the fixteenth chapter; for if we bear the punishof our iniquitie unwillingly, fuperimponitur non tollitur crux ; there fore first we muft acknowledge in regard of our finnes, that God dealeth more mercifully with us than we deferve. Secondly, We must bear quietly the punishment laid upon us, for out of affliction the godly gather matter of thanks. Fob having all taken from him faith, Fob the first chapter, benedictum fit momen domini, and David, Pfalm the one hundred & fixteenth, accipiam calicem falutis,he praiseth God for the cup of affliction as well as for the cup of falvation, & is as thankfull to God for the benefits which he by means of affliction beftoweth upon them against their will, as for those that come to them with their will and good liking, and this is the perfection that we are to ftrive unto; but if we doe not at all reckon them as benefits, yet we muft fay with Eli, in the firft of Samuel, the third chapter and the eighteenth verfe, Dominus eft, faciat quod bonum videtur in oculis fuis, therefore the Prophet faith of him that is accue ftomed to bear the yoke from his youth, Lamentations the third chapter and the twenty eighth verfe, fidebit & filebit, to must we doc and fay with David, in the fecond of Samuel, the fifteenth chapter and the twenty fixt verfe, Here am I, let him doe to me as feemeth good in his eyes: But Cain feemeth not thus to be affected, be cause he is altogether in the enumeration of his punishment; it is no quiet bearing, but odiofa repetitio. If this finne were fo great as he said it was, he fhould have done better to enter into the confide

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ration thereof as David did, Pfalm the fitty firft, My finne is ever before me, fo he should ever have thought of the grievousness of his fin. And touching the party killed; First it was a man; Secondly his brother, Thirdly an innocent. Again, in regard of himself, it was of envy that he killed him, not of a fudden, but by premeditation, after a trecherous manner, for he went with him into the fields, and there fell upon him; his finne was the greater, for that it was an offence to God who had preached along Sermon to him, that it was a grief to Adam and Eve, a fcandall and offence to all ages, who from his example might take a pattern to commit this finne; but Cain takes not this courfe, the confideration of his finne is difpatched in a word (My finne is greater) but he takes his punishment in peices, and thinks of it particularly, whereupon one faith of Cain and the wicked, that the repetition which they make is, eorum qua ferunt, non qua fecerunt, they are generall in their finne, but particular in their punishment; For as of the abundance of the heart the mouth peaketh, Matthew the twelfth chapter; fo we may gather by Cains words, that he thinks more of his punishment than of his fault, that which offends him, ftood more in his fight, and grieved him more than that which offended God; but the godly are of another minde, for they will be content to have the punishment remain upon them, fo that the guilt may be taken away. But there is a third point in this repetition, which is a perverting of the order which God fet down in giving the Sentence: God began with the & curfe ended with cafting out of the earth; but Cain beginneth with his cafting out of the earth, wherein he fheweth what is his grea teft grief, for if a man fuffer many pains, he will speak of that first which doth most pinch him, and complain firft of the loffe of that thing which he doth most of all affect; in that he first complaineth he is caft out from the face of the earth, he fheweth he took more care for the face of the earth, than the face and prefence of God, and it grieved him more to be deprived of the good will of men, than of the favour of God. It is otherwife with the Saints of God, for they crie, Pfalm the feventy third and the twenty fift verse, Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none in earth whom I defire befides thee, Pfalm the fixty third, Thy kindness is better than life it felf; and when they come to make compofition between heavenly things and earthly, we fee what David faith, in the fecond of Samuel, the fifteenth chapter and the twenty fift verse, If 1 finde favour in Gods fight, I will fee the Ark again, that is the prefence of God, and makes choice of that as his greateft felicity, not to enjoy his Scepter, or to be restored to his Wives and Children, which earthly men would make most account of; fo the Apostle, Philippians the third chapter and the eighth verfe, Efteeming all things as dung in respect of Christ. Whereby we fee that as Cains punishment grieved him more than his finne, fo the earthly part of his punishment offends him more than the heavenly.

One thing more is to be added, that is, Cains Commentary or interpretation

interpretation of Maledictus, for he faith that to be curled is to be caft out from Gods prefence. The prefence or face of God hath reference to the power of God, or to his favour, from the prefence of Gods power, knowledge, or spirit there is no efcaping, Pfalm the one hundred and thirty ninth, if I climb up to heaven, thou art there if I goe down to hell,thou art there alfa, of which the Prophet faith, Feremiah the twenty third chapter and the twenty fourth verle, celum & terram ego imples; but that is not his meaning, but that he is caft our from the prefence of Gods favour; fo are Pharaohs words to be taken to Mofes, Exodus the tenth chapter and the twenty eighth verle, Get thee from me, and look thou see my face no more, Pfalm the thirty first and the twenty fecond verfe, I said in my hast, I am cast out from thy prefence; and Pfalm the eightieth, Turn again O Lord, caufe thy face to fhine and we shall be faved; so that we must know, that albeit God be prefent every where with his power, yet he is not present with his favour, and not only that, but it fignifieth the place where the favour and grace of God is intailed, that is, his House and Church, of which the Prophet faith, Pfalm the minty fift, Let us come before his prefence (or face) with thanksgiving, When fhall I come and appear in the presence of God? Pfalm the fourty fecond, of which prefence Chrift faith, Matthew the eighteenth chapter, When two or three be gathered together, I am amongst them,and the Apostle,in the fecond to the Corinthians the fecond chapter, In the prefence of Fefus Christ forgive I them, that is, in the Church where God fpeaketh to us in his word, and we again fpeak to him by prayer, fo Cains punishment is both fpirituall and ecclefiafticall, for that he is not only thut out of Gods favour, but caft out of the place where the prefence of his favour and grace is fhewed; and the punishment was juftly inAlicted upon Cain, that durft commit fo great an offence in the preience and fight of God, and when it was committed, feared not Gods prefence, but denyed it as if God knew not of it.

The fecond point is Cains admonition, wherein the first thing to be observed is, how in this repetition it comes to pass, that Cain saith (whosoever fball finde himwill kill him) fecing in the fentence there is no mention of death? the reafon comes from the guiltiness of his confcience, feveriorum feipfo Fudicem habet nemo; whereupon it falleth out, that though the Judge abfolve, yet the party guilty addeth a fentence of condemnation upon himtelf, fo doth Cain condemn himself as worthy of death: God indeed afterward faith He that hedeth mans blood, by man fhall his bleed be fhed, Genefis the ninth chapter; but seeing Cain before God hath uttered his opinion of murther, that it is a finne mortall, it may be faid to him, ex ore tao te judico, Luke the ninteenth chapter, that men may know that wisedome is juftified of her children, Matthew the eleventh chapter, fo iniquity is condemned of her children.

Secondly, Where he faith he fhall be killed with a violent and bloody death; this is fecundum dictamen rationis, ut homicide, quod fecit expecter, Cain is told by his own confcience, that as he hath

murthered

murthered Abel, fo himself muft look to be murthered. This is that Lex talionis written naturally in the hearts of all men, which made the bretheren of Fofeph to fay, Genefis the fourty fecond chapter and the twenty first verle, We have finned against our brother,in shas we saw the anguish of his foul when he befought us, and we would not hear him; therefore is all this come upon us. By that Law it was just, that as Hammon had made Gods people afraid, fo he himfelt thould fear, and be dealt with as he had purposed to deal, Esther the feventh chapter and the fixt verfe; therefore the Prophet faith, Isaiah the thirty fift chapter and the first verfe, Woe be to them that spoile, for they fhall be spoiled, and our Saviour Chrift faith agreeably, Matthew the feventh chapter, With what measure ye meat, the fame shall be mea. fured to you again.

Thirdly, He faith, omni qui inveniret, there could but one kill him, and yet his confcience tells him, he deferveth to die at the hands of every man, even of every beaft, in as much as he hath first raught beasts to kill men by his own confeffion it is just, that as the Prophet fpeaks, Micah the seventh chapter and the fift verse, The Wife of his bojome and the Children of his loyns fhall break the bonds of nature with him as he before hath fhewed himself unnaturall to his brother. And this is a great part of Cains punishment, that albeit there be none to kill him, yet he fhall be in continuall fear of death, that a man fhall not only fear Gods threataing, but his own fancy; that he shall fear not one, but every one that meets him, as if every one knew his fault; that he shall fear not only where there is caufe of fear, as wilde beafts, but tuta timere, and this is a part of Gods curfe, that God will fend faintness into their hearts, so as they shall be afraid at the fhaking of a leaf, Leviticus the twenty fixt chapter and the thirty fixt verle as every shadow as the Midianites were of their dreams, Fudges the feventh chapter, and at every noise and rumor, in the fecond of the Kings, the feventh chapter and the fixt verfe: These feares are great punishments, and arguments of a guilty confcience; and this sheweth that albeit wickedness be fecret, yet it will not fuffer a man to be quiet : Wherein we are to observe how Cain defcribeth the ftate of them that are out of Gods favour, and caft from his prefence, that they fear either no fear, as Pfalm the fifty third. If the Prince frown upon a man, there is no hope of favour any where elfe; fo if God be once offended fo that a man defpair of his favour, he will fear every creature, the starres of heaven fought against Sifera, Fudges the fitt chapter and the twentieth verle, The ftones inthe street will cease to be in league and peace with him, Fob the fift chapter; therefore when God faich quarite faciem meam, Pfalm the twenty feventh, our foul must answer, thy face Lord will I Seek; For if we feek the Lord our God we shall finde him, Deuteronomie the fourth chapter and the twenty ninth verie, and that is so neceffary that the People fay, If thy prefence goe not with us, carry us not hence, Exodus the thirty third chapter, and the Prophet (peaketh, Caft me not from thy prefence, Pfalm the fifty firft; for without the affurance

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