Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

IT may perhaps be deemed a little unfeafonable and impolite to handle a fubject of this kind, before a civilized and chriftianized affembly. Methinks, I hear fome of my hearers object, and fay, You pay 'us but a rude and unwelcome compli'ment, by even fuppofing us capable of 'committing fuch an atrocious and unnatural crime as this. Murder! The fhedding of innocent blood! Our blood runs chill and freezes at the very thought of it. No; GOD forbid! Our hearts are too tender and humane ever to harbor fuch a defign, or liften to fuch a temptation!'

There was a time, my bearers, when most murderers could doubtlefs have faid all this, with as much confidence and sincerity as any of us now can, and when their very fouls would have fhuddered at the thoughts

of committing fo great, a wickedness. But there was alfo a time when the increased ftrength of their corruptions hurried them on to commit it with greedinefs, and under the most aggravated circumftances of guilt.

Alas! we little know the deceitfulness and desperate wickedness of our own hearts, or the depth and inveteracy of our corrup tions, when we imagine ourselves above the danger or poffibility of committing the greatest and most atrocious crimes. The heart, (fays the prophet) is deceitful ' above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it? It ftarts afide like a 4 broken bow.'*

[ocr errors]

9

[ocr errors]

We look upon murder, (and justly) as the moft atrocious crime which can be committed by man....we have no compaffion for the perfons of murderers, but regard them as monsters of iniquity, who have even no claim to human pity :....But I am perfuaded, my friends, that nothing but the reftraining grace of Gon, prevents multitudes, who are thus merciless in their judgment of others, from committing the very fame crime. Cruel man!....Thou haft no mercy on thy fellow-finners! .....Thou thinkeft him unworthy the pity either of GOD or man!.... Thou deemeft it impoffible for thee to fall into the fame wickednefs!.... Yet thou art proud, impe

* Jer. xvii. 9.

1

'rious, intolerant and unforgiving! Yet "thy foul often boils, ferments, and • rankles with the paffions of anger, fury, revenge, envy and malice prepense against thy neighbor! Yet thou prayeft for his damnation, and divifeft evil against him, and wifheft him dead, because he ftands in the way of some gratification, or has 'wounded thy imaginary honor, or hurt thy pride! Be it known unto thee, O blind and merciless man, that thou art the very murderer whom thou condemnest without pity; and that nothing but fome prudential motive, or rather, the restraining grace of God, bridling thine outrageous paffions, for the fafety and fecurity of human fociety, prevents thee from perpetrating the very fact thyfelf, which thou thinkeft unpardonable in another."

[ocr errors]

<

Thou shalt not kill, fays GoD.

It would be paying a bad compliment to the understandings of my hearers, to take up much of your time in fhewing you.... That there are many circumstances, wherein the taking away of human life, is not to be deemed sinful or criminal ;.... fuch as chance-medley, when one man takes away the life of another, by mere accident, without any knowledge or design in the action; ...or man-slaughter, on one's own defence, when a man from a principle of self-preservation, is, as it were, compelled to take

away the life of another who affaults him unprovoked, in order to fave his own. The fame alfo happens in a lawful, defensive war, when men are forced to deftroy an invading enemy, in defence of their own lives, liberties and properties ;....or, lastly, when men have forfeited their lives, by fuch crimes as effentially affect the public good and fafety, and which are adjudged worthy of death, by laws buman and divine. In all these cafes, and perhaps in fome others, the taking away of human life, is fo far from being criminal, that it may be a duty which we owe to GoD, our neighbor and ourselves!

The crime therefore here forbidden by GOD, and which is emphatically expreffed in the English language by the word mur der, is the shedding of innocent blood;..... or wilfully and felonioufly killing of an'other, upon prepenfed malice; whether < fecretly or openly; whether ourfelves, or by others.' And this prepenfed malice, is either, (1.) Express, when it may be evidently proved, that there was ill-will;—or (2.) Implied; when one kills another fuddenly, having nothing to defend himself: For, in fuch a cafe, the law juftly prefumes, that there must have been malice. To this may also be added, the atrocious crime of suicide, or a man's laying violent hands upon himself ;—as also

duelling, which contains in it the effence and guilt of both the above crimes.

In farther improving this fubject, I shall, I. A little expofe the heinous and aggravated guilt of murder.-II. Shew you that it is a crime justly punishable by death. -III. Endeavor to expose those passions, tempers and practices which lead to it. I

am,

I. A little to open and expose the heinous and aggravated guilt of murder. And this may be shown lft, From the very nature and consequences of the crime itfelf; and 2dly, From the light in which both the word of God, and the consciences of men reprefent it. And,

1. From the very nature and confequences of the crime itself. (1.) Man is fearfully and wonderfully made; made, we are told, in the image and likeness of God. Man is God's offspring and representative on this earth. His body is, perhaps, the nobleft piece of divine workmanship; and Gop, when he had made it, breathed into it the breath of life, and made it a living and intelligent image of himself! Now to break to pieces this living temple ;—to deface, undo, and, as much as in us is, wantonly to destroy this workmanship of GOD;

to feparate this foul and body whom GoD hath joined together;-to disunite and take down this tabernacle, which God hath built and set up, by a miracle of his power,

« ForrigeFortsæt »