Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer
A soul murderer, as the Ethiopic version renders it; not only of
himself, for every sinner, by sinning, wrongs and destroys his
own soul; but of his brother whom he hates: he is a murderer of
him in his heart, even as he that lusts after a woman hath
committed adultery with her in his heart, out of which arise
murders, as well as adulteries; it is not only taking away life,
but also causeless anger, malice, and hatred, that is a breach of
the sixth command; see ( Matthew 5:21
Matthew
5:22 Matthew 5:28
) ( 15:19
) ;
and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in
him;
he has not the grace of life, or the beginning of eternal life in
him; he has no meetness for it, being unregenerate; and no right
unto it, being unrighteous; nor has he the earnest and pledge of
it, being destitute of the Spirit of God; all which a regenerate
man has, and has them abiding in him: not but that the sin of
murder may be forgiven; a man guilty of it may truly repent, and
have pardoning grace applied unto him, and enjoy eternal life,
through the grace of the Spirit, and the blood and righteousness
of Christ; but without these he is so far from having eternal
life, that he is not only punishable with a corporeal death,
according to the laws of God and man; but he is exposed unto, and
will die the second, or an eternal death.