Wise. I think I may say, that nothing was more frequent in his mouth, and that upon the least provocation. Yea he was so versed in such kind of language, that neither [35d] Father, nor Mother, nor Brother, nor Sister, nor Servant, no nor the very Cattel that his Father had, could escape these Curses of his. I say, that even the bruit Beasts when he drove them, or rid upon them, if they pleased not his humour, they must be sure to partake of his curse. [35e] He would wish their Necks broke, their Legs broke, their Guts out, or that the Devil might fetch them, or the like: and no marvel, for he that is so hardy to wish damnation, or other bad curses to himself, or dearest relations; will not stick to wish evil to the silly Beast, in his madness.
Atten. Well, I see still that this Badman was a desperate villain. But pray, Sir, since you have gone thus far, now shew me whence this evil of cursing ariseth, and also what dishonour it bringeth to God; for I easily discern that it doth bring damnation to the soul.
Wise. This evil of Cursing ariseth, in general, from the desperate wickedness of the heart, but particularly from, [36a] [36b] 1. Envie, which is, as I apprehend, the leading sin to Witchcraft. 2. It also ariseth from Pride which was the sin of the fallen Angels; 3. It ariseth too from Scorn and contempt of others: 4. But for a man to curse himself, must needs arise from desperate Madness.
The [36c] dishonour that it bringeth to God, is this. It taketh away from him his Authority, in whose power it is onely, to Bless and Curse; not to Curse wickedly, as Mr. Badman, but justly, and righteously, giving by his Curse to those that are wicked, the due Reward of their deeds.
Besides, these wicked men, in their wicked cursing of their Neighbour, &c. do even Curse God himself in his handy work. Man is Gods Image, and to curse wickedly the Image of God, is to curse God himself. [36d] Therefore as when men wickedly swear, they rend, and tare Gods Name, and make him, as much as in them lies, the avoucher and approver of all their wickedness; so he that curseth and condemneth in this sort his Neighbour, or that wisheth him evil, curseth, condemneth, and wisheth evil to the Image of God, and consequently judgeth and condemneth God himself.
Suppose that a man should say with his mouth, I wish that the Kings Picture was burned; would not this mans so saying, render him as an Enemy to the Person of the King? Even so it is with them that, by cursing, wish evil to their neighbour, or to themselves, they contemn the Image, even the Image of God himself.
Atten. But do you think that the men that do thus, do think that they do so vilely, so abominably?
Wise. The question is not what men do believe concerning their sin, but what Gods Word says of it: If Gods Word says that Swearing and Cursing are sins, though men should count them for Vertues, their reward will be a reward for sin, to wit, the damnation of the soul.
To [37a] curse another, and to swear vainly and falsly, are sins against the Light of Nature.
1. To Curse is so, because, whoso curseth another, knows, that at the same time he would not be so served himself.