I require it, and at the hand of man: whoso Sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be fhed: for in the image of God made he man.

The fum of these three obfervations

amounts only to this, That the Divine Image in man, is to be looked for among the endowments of mind, now exifting in the human race, and not poffeffed by the brute creation.

Now in which of them foever this refemblance lies, or be it that it confifts in more particulars than one; whether it be placed in the reason of man, which raifes him fo much above the other creatures, and has been called even by heathens a ray of the Divinity; or in the neceffary.confequence of that reafon, confcience, the perception of moral differences, the power of difcerning what is right and wrong, a faculty, among all the creatures on earth, peculiar to man alone; or were it to confift in the dominion, delegated to him by

God

God over the earth and it's inhabitants, and poffeffed in a confiderable degree by means of his fuperiour understanding; let this Divine Image be placed in which of thefe particulars you pleafe, or all of them together, it will still conftitute, so long as it is still fubfifting, a juft argument against the commiffion of murder. The guilt is increased by this confideration; and the injury done to man, becomes also impiety against God. He who defaces the copy, would attack the original, we may prefume, were it placed within his reach: and it is not right, but power only that protects even the omnipotent upon his throne, when his reprefentative is affaulted with fuch audacious and profane outrage. Every fin is a violation of God's law, an act of difobedience to the Supreme Lawgiver; but this is an offence. that approaches nearer to him, and becomes, as it were, a perfonal indignity.

The injury which is done to man by the

fin

fin of murder, is of the largest fize; and in this refpect too, the horrid crime before us has many great, and fome peculiar aggravations.

In the first place, it is an offence against the state. The lofs of a citizen is a misfortune to the publick: the riches, ftrength, and glory of a prince confist in the number of his fubjects: and is it a wonder, if he is the most implacable in his refentment against thofe, who rob him of his principal treasure?

Murder is a difturbante of the publick peace; and the greatest invafion of thofe rights, which it is the very end of civil fociety to protect.

As the baleful influence of this crime extends to the prince and the state in general; fo it's venom is felt by many private perfons at once, with peculiar anguish; the wrong being by no means

con

confined to the unhappy person, who is the more immediate fufferer. He at least is out of the reach of further violence; and knows not the affliction of the widow, the orphan, or the childless parent, who furvive to more lafting forrow.

A fon, or husband, a father, or friend, taken away by the courfe of nature, by the hand of Providence, in fome diftreffful cafes, and to tender minds, has been found an affliction too heavy to be born; and a fecond funeral has followed, through exceffive forrow for the first. How greatly the anguifh must be aggra vated, and every sting of grief fharpened, when the stroke is unjuft and bloodymay we never know.

To the perfon himself who fuffers this extreme violence, the injury is the highest of all that can poffibly be offered. The murderer takes away all the bleffings of this world at once, and the time and

means

means alfo which God had graciously granted of making preparation for another. He cuts me off perhaps while my repentance is yet imperfect, in my moft unthinking hour; and with one blow configns, it may be, two immortal fouls to perdition.

Oh! let us be always ready; for at an Luke xii. hour when we think not, our Lord cometh.

40.

Let us be always ready; and leave it in the power of no man ever to do us fuch injury that our greatest enemies, when they have us moft in their hands, may be able only to kill the body. We Luke xii. take away the fting of death, and escape the cruelleft part of their malice, if we die prepared for judgment.

Let us be always ready; and reap this benefit even from the vices of men: let the wickedness of others induce us to be the more earneft and early in every VOL. II. thing

N

4.