and (for her own safety) draw that Sword of Justice which God
hath put into her hands, upon the heads of all implacable, proud,
obstinate Traytors; that they may not dare any longer to own any
Interest or opinion, that is opposite to her secure establishment.
Treason is no Trith to be dandled an dallied with;it should be crushe
in the egg; it should be destroyed in the root, the seed, the first
motion or conception. The very thought and intent of it ought to
be unpardonable, and could the secrets of mens hearts be arraigned,
even there it were punishable, because when it comes into act,
like gun powder, it blowes up all, and dissolves the whole Frame of
Humane Society.
If then the thoughts of Treason deserve punishment, much more
the Actions of an irrelenting Traitor, when they involve a Nation
in Blood, Warr, and misery, This was good Divinity once, a wel
as Policy, if you consult several Sermons of our London Ministry
preached and printed in the years 1644,45, and 46. and in particular
that Sermon of Mr. Lov's preached at the Uxbridge-Treaty, the
marterial Doctrines whereof are here meet to be inserted, for the
truth of our Assertion. He tells you in his Preface, there may be a
time when a man must not withold his hand from Blood, according
to that of jeremy, cap. 48 Cursed be he that keeps back his Sword from Blood.
In the Sermon it self he tells you, The Lord heals a land by cutting off
those distempered members that indanger the health of the Land. 'Twas the
Lord troubled Acan, and cut him off, because he troubled Israel. Oh, that
in this our State-Physcians would resemble God, to cut off those from the
Land who have distempered it. Melius est ut pereat unus quam unitas.
In another place he adds this; A second evil in a Physitian, which binders
the recovery of his Patient, is too much pitty or mercifulness, loth to put
him to pain, 10th to apply a corroding plaster, or to beve a limb cut off, though
it be to the saving of th wh le body: Too much pitty in some cases, may do as
much hurt as a merciless cruclty. I have sometimes feared, always prayed,
that too much mercy and pitty an our State Physitians, might not retard the
healing of the Land. If you handle a nettle gently, it will sting your hand;
if you wring it bard, it will not burt you; The more gently Malignants
are handled, the worse they are; the more burt they do; Crush them, and they
can do you no harm. I have often thought, that too much mercy to wards Malignants,
hath made more Delinquents than ever Justice hath punished. Mercy
should not weigh down Justice; in God they are both equal, why should it
not be so in man; Pitty to the bad, proved cruelty to the good; the sparing
of offenders, hath made many worse, few, or none better. To them thas
have shewed no mercy, Let Judgement be shewed without mercy: Guilt hath
be e n contracted, much innoncent b ood spilt, which must either be avenged on
us or by us Men who lie under the guilt of much innocent blood, are not meet persons to be at
peace with all the guilt of blood be expiated and avenged, either by the sword of the bim, or
the Low of the sword This (before Mr. [unr] became a Malignant) was good Divinity.