loosed and thy Knees to smite one against another to consider How many thousands of Souls are now crying under the Altar against thee saying How long O Lord Holy and True dost thou not judg and avenge our Blood on that cruel Tyrant that dwells on the Earth who hath spilt it like Water on every side Oh will it not once be Rev. 6. 10. Secondly from the Testimony of his Holy Spirit which declares plainly That in vain is Salvation hoped for from the Multitude of Men or Ships from the Hills or from the Mountains or from any human Force or Power for truly in the Lord our God is the Salvation of his People And says the Prophet David The Lord is my Light and my Salvation whom then shall I fear The Lord is the Strength of my Life of whom shall I be affraid When the Wicked even my Foes came upon me to eat up my Flesh they stumbled and fell Psal 26. 1 2. c. Now to shew this great Truth That when once the Lord is departed from any Nation or People Fleet or Army it cannot prosper or stand We may take notice of God's own People themselves the Children of Israel who when they tempted and provoked the most-high God to Anger and so caused him to depart from them and forsake his Dwelling place how unsuccessful they were then in all their Wars being commonly discomfited of their Enemies As by Chushan-rishathaim King of Mesopotamia whom they served eight Years And by Eglon King of Moab whom they were subject to eighteen Years and the cause you read was by reason the Lord was departed from them Judg. 3. 8 12. Moreover we find such another Passage between Israel and Amalek as long as Moses that familiar Friend of God held up his Hand and thereby caused the Lord to be with his People Then they prevailed over their Enemies But as soon as Moses's Hands were let down and the Lord was departed from the People of Israel then Amalek prevailed over them Oh where the infinite Majesty of the living and true God is present there it cannot go any otherwise but well whether it be Fleet or Army for every thing that 's done there shall prosper But where the most-high is not present or among them there be sure it cannot be well or prosper be their Power outwardly never so great and their Forces never so strong An Example of this we may see in Zerah the King of Ethiopia who came against Asa with the greatest Army that ever we read of in sacred or prophane History Even an Host of a thousand thousand and three hundred Chariots And Asa cryed unto the Lord his God and said Lord it is nothing with thee to help whether with many or with them that have no Power Help us O Lord our God for we rest on thee and in thy Name we go against this Multitude O Lord thou art our God let not Man prevail against thee So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judas and the Ethiopians fled 2 Chron. 14. 11 12. Alas It is not a vast and well disciplin'd Army altho' God knows most Men now have an Eye to that chiefly nor the Strength of Ships nor the Skill of Seamen nor the Courage and Conduct of Officers no nor yet the greatness and goodness of Artillery that gains the Victory but it s the Lord of Hosts himself that fights the Battel and gives the Victory to whom he will altho' it cannot be denied but that all these fore-mentioned Things are absolutely needful and as the secondary Causes of Victory David tells Goliath thus saying Thou comest to me depending altogether on thy own Strength and well furnish'd and prepared for Battel as with a Sword with a Spear and with a Shield But now I come to thee otherwise not so much confiding in my own Strength as on Gods And indeed I am sure my Strength will not fail me and therefore I will smite thee and give thy Carcass unto the Fowls of the Air That all the World may see and know that thou O Lord whose Name is Jehovah art the strongest and highest over all the Earth And where God taketh the part and is present among an Army then there all the Enchantments Plots diabolical Arts or Conspiracies are altogether invalid and ineffectual And he who is the Eye of his own People will soon discover them and bring the Plotters to shame and confusion as Balak told Balaam concerning Israel saying Surely there is no Enchantment against Jacob neither is there any Divination against Israel for the Lord his God is with him And it shall be said in the Lord 's due time of our Fleet and Army What hath God wrought Oh what a Victory was this When the strong holds are surpriz'd and the mighty Mens Hearts in Moab who have magnified themselves against the Lord and his Truth and have worship'd other Gods Wood and Stone shall tremble and be as the Heart of a Woman in Pangs Be still then ye Adversaries of God and Traytors to the best of Princes speak no more so proudly against the Heritage of the Almighty For know you assuredly that God even our own God will find an occasion to bring down the Arrogancy of the Proud and will lay low the Haughtiness of the Terrible So much then for Confirmation of our first Lesson Let us in the next place sincerely endeavour to improve this to our selves that so the Lord our God may be glorified in our Body and Spirits which are his that we being deliver'd out of the Hands of her Enemies may serve him without fear Here is then first an Inference of no small Comfort unto the Church of God militant here on Earth in this crooked and perverse Generation wherein all manner of Vice and Wickedness abounds daily and Piety and Righteousness are such Strangers To consider That altho' War be risen against the People of God yet he is in the midst of his Church to defend and keep her that she shall not be moved by all the Storms of Trouble and fierce Darts of the Devil which are bent wholly against her Nor by all the Plots and Conspiracies of the Children of Darkness because the eternal God will keep her safe from the Snare of the Fowler and Malice of evil Spirits Oh what a Comfort is this unto every true Believer and Child of the most-high to ponder with it self That tho' the Adversaries of the Lord and his Church may be far more in number and much stronger in outward appearance yet when the Captain of the Host of the Lord stands ready with his Sword drawn in his Hand to fight for his People then they signifie nothing at all and he can smite 'em down even at one Blow as he did unto the great and mighty Armies of the King of Canaan And the People of the ever-blessed Jehovah have with them always whole Hosts of glorious Angels and invisible Spirits for to take their
Rebel not ye against c. The Words do naturally teach us these three Lessons 1. That when once the Lord is departed from a Nation or People Fleet or Army it cannot prosper or stand Their Defence is departed from them 2. That God only is the best and safest Defence of his Church against her Adversaries And the Lord is with us 3. That to fear the Lord of Hosts himself and not the Arm of Flesh or to be very Couragious in Fighting God's Battel is a Duty required of all his People but especially of those which are called thereunto by lawful Authority and a principal means for to keep the Lord with or among such a People or Army For says the Text Fear them not Of these in their order by the assistance of the Holy Ghost which openeth and no Man shuts and shuts and no Man openeth who can shew forth the Praises of the Most-high out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings and whose Grace is sufficient to enable the weakest Instrument First That when once the Lord is departed from a Nation or People Fleet or Army it cannot prosper or stand The truth of this I shall endeavour God willing to make out two manner of ways 1. From the Nature of God And 2. From the Testimony of his Holy Spirit First From the Nature of God who is the Fountain and Original from whence springs all our Happiness and Comfort and from whom alone every good Gift and every perfect Gift comes As Health Strength Grace Meekness Goodness Faith Prosperity and Plenty It is he that gives us such fruitful Seasons and fills our Hearts with Joy and Gladness It is the Lord Jehovah alone that giveth Salvation unto Kings and delivers his Servants from the hurtful Sword It is that Almighty and Eternal Essence who is the great and glorious Creator of all things and Judg of all Men and Searcher of all Hearts and Rewarder of such as diligently seek him who preserves maintains and upholds all other Beings whatsoever both in Heaven above in the Earth beneath and in the Water under the Earth by his most infinite and unlimited Power and Omnipotency And therefore he will have Mercy on whom he will have Mercy he hath the same Soveraignity and Power of us and over all Kingdoms and Nations as the Potter hath over the Clay of the same Lump to make one Vessel unto Honour and another unto Dishonour He removes and sets up Kings and disposes of Kingdoms and changes Times and Seasons according to his Pleasure For the Earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof the World and they that dwell therein So that he can do whatsoever he will with the World He hath founded the Earth upon the Seas so that 't is easily sunk being a bad Foundation and establishes it upon the Flouds and that 's as dangerous a Situation according to human Sense and external Appearance But yet by the infinite Power of that Almighty God who laid the corner Stone of the World and hath set due Bounds Bars and Doors unto the proud swelling Sea whose Waves roar and toss themselves yet can they not prevail but dash themselves into pieces it is that this mighty Mass is supported It is he alone that makes the Earth bring forth that our Garners may be full affording all manner of Store and our Sheep may bring forth thousands and our Oxen strong to labour and gives us all things liberally and upbraids not Oh there 's nothing can prosper without his Blessing who is the Foundation of all Blessings neither can any thing be done without his Providence over us his Spirit to guide us and Grace and Strength to enable us who measureth the Waters in the hollow of his Hand and meeteth out Heaven with a Span and comprehendeth the Dust of the Earth in a Measure and weighs the Mountains in Scales and the Hills in a Ballance Isa 40. 12. Therefore if this most blessed and omnipotent God once but gather unto himself his Holy Spirit his Breath Protection and Preservation from a Nation If he once depart from a Fleet or Army then that Nation Fleet or Army which is without God with or among them cannot but sink and perish because the very Elements in their kind will then Fight against them as the Stars in their Courses fought against Sisera When the Lord Jehovah is departed from a People then its Courage and Strength its Rock of Salvation and Defence its Refuge Sanctuary and Fountain of Blessing its Giver of Grace and Safety yea it s only Friend and Giver of Victory in Battel is gone away and there can be no prospect to such a People but Ruin and Destruction This we find in the Case of all the Kings of Canaan tho' they were mighty and had vast Armies Yet notwithstanding when they once perceived that the great God the supream Majesty of Heaven and Earth was departed from them and with the Israelites and assisting them wonderfully in all their Undertakings and in drying up the Waters of Jordan for them to enter the Land of Canaan Then presently all their Hearts melted within them for Fear and there was no more Spirit in them because of the Children of Israel Josh 5. 1. And therefore our Church prays Wilt not thou O God go forth with our Hosts Give us help from trouble for vain is the help of Man without thee Through God our Forces both by Sea and Land shall do valiantly and 't is he alone that shall tread down our Enemies 'T is said of Sampson that after his Head was shaven he became weak and like another Man and he said I will go out as at other times before and shake my self Observe For he wist not that the Lord his Strength was departed from him Judg. 16. 20. In like manner the Adversaries of God and his true reform'd Church may yea and do take Counsel together against our Sovereign Lord and Lady King William and Queen Mary as they have done at other times against Queen Elizabeth of blessed Memory but it shall come to nought and their Strength like Sampsons shall deceive 'em because the Lord is departed from them The common Enemy of Truth and Oppressor of Righteousness and Peace in Europe may vaunt himself as at other times and say Is not this great Babylon that I have built Have not I overthrown Towns and laid waste fenced Cities Have not I expell'd from my Kingdom all those that would not obey me rather than God By the might of my Power and for the Honour of my Majesty because I must and will be obey'd else I will set my Blood-thirsty Dragoons upon them But he considers not that the Lord is departed from him and that his vast Army shall be smitten with Terror Look well then O thou Enemy of Truth and Peace upon the Hand-writing on the Wall for it may well make thy Countenance change and thy Thoughts to trouble thee and the Joynts of thy Loyns to be
we shall see him Face to Face Oh what Fleet or Army is there on Earth or in the whole World that can harm you if ye be Followers of God as dear Children and Doers of that which is good and well-pleasing in his Sight What human Force or Power can possibly be able to stand before or against you if your Hearts are but perfect towards God For the Eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole Earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose Hearts are perfect towards him and who sincerely endeavour to walk in his Laws which he set before us 2 Chron. 16. 9. Therefore let me desire of you all for to take heed now above all other Times that your Hearts be perfect towards God and his Church towards our most gracious Sovereign Lord and Lady King William and Queen Mary towards the good and welfare of our Land and Nation and in the last place towards one another that Officers may love the Soldiers under their Command and the Soldiers be obedient and faithful unto their Officers And then the Lord of Hosts will bless and prosper you whithersoever ye go and in whatsoever you do But on the other Hand if ye Backbite and Quarrel and prove Treacherous one to another ye shall be destroyed one of another For they are the Words of none other but our great Lord and Master himself That a Kingdom a House or Army or Fleet divided against it self cannot stand but must fall into Desolation And hence we find that the Children of Israel said unto Joshua their Captain and Governour That whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy Commandment and will not hearken unto thy Words in all that thou commandest him he shall be put to death Josh 1. ult Whosoever he be that proves treacherous to our blessed Governors and present Government and will not obey their Majesties order in all Punctilio's he shall be dealt with as a Rebel and Traytor and no regard had to his Commission because he hath proved disloyal to his Prince This is the Law of the most high God concerning this Matter Therfore Rebel not ye against the Lord neither fear ye the People of the c. Thirdly and Lastly That to fear the Lord of Hosts himself and not the Arm of Flesh or to be very Couragious in fighting God's Battel is a Duty required of all his People but especially of those which are called thereunto by Lawful Authority and a principal means for to keep the Lord with or among such a People or Army The truth of this Lesson we may see confirm'd to us in the case of the Israelites here in this Chapter of our Text. For we read that they by their Fear and Faint-heartedness by their Unbelief and Cowardise when God had commanded them not to fear or to be affraid at the outward Strength and Power of their Enemies the Amorites and Canaanites thereby tempted the Lord and provoked him to Wrath because he was their Strength and Defence and fought all their Battels insomuch that he forsook 'em and departed Whereupon the Prophet Moses tells them that they should not prosper For the Lord is not among you and therefore go not up against the Enemy says he lest you be smitten of them And so they were indeed when God their Helper and Defender was not with them see vers 41 42 44 45. So the Lord of Hosts the mighty God and terrible sent his Spirit upon Jahaziel and commanded him to tell Jehoshaphat saying Thus saith the Lord unto you be not affraid nor be dismayed by reason of this great Multitude for the Battel is not yours but Gods To morrow go out very Couragiously against them for the Lord will be with you 2 Chron. 20. 1â— 17. Again the Almighty tells Joshua not to fear saying Have not I commanded thee Be strong and of good Courage be not affraid neither be thou dismayed for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest Josh 1. 9. So in the Words of our Text Rebel not ye against the Lord neither fear ye c. We might bring in a multitude a Texts to the like purpose But we shall content our selves with one or two more out of the New Testament And the first is that of our Lord and Saviour unto his Disciples then and to us even us now saying Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in â—ill Matth. 10. 28. The same Charge is given to Paul Act. 18. 9 10. Be not afraid for I am with thee c. Rev. 2. 10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer c. I suppose these Texts are a sufficient Testimony to prove That Courage and Valour in Times of War when God calls us to fight his Battle is not only commended but also required of all his People and especially of those appointed thereunto by lawful Authority and a principal means to keep the Lord of Hosts with and among such a People It now remains that we sum up all and bring it somewhat nearer unto our selves in this pusillanimous and Faithless Generation What then must we say unto very many in this Age who are afraid at the very shaking of an Aspen-leaf and hide themselves at the beat of a Drum or sound of a Trumpet Let me ask them if they think such Pusillanimity is decent in any one who is called a Man much more whether it be consentaneous to one that nameth the Name of Christ to fear and be dismayed where no fear is And at the same Time to stand in no awe of the mighty God and terrible the supreme Governour of Heaven and Earth who is glorious in Holiness fearful in Praises doing Wonders Alas Alas this cowardise or timidity of Spirit is a grand Shame for any Soldier of Christ the Captain of our Salvation to be guilty of and it commonly hinders those from the punctual Performance of their Duty who are such fearful Hearts as we may see in Nicodemus a Ruler of the Jews who for fear durst not openly confess Christ or come by Day lest he should be seen of the Jews to be taught in that heavenly Doctrin of Regeneration or the new Birth by him who had the Words of Eternal Life and spake as never Man speaketh But on the other Hand the true fear of God and Christian Courage in the Heart of a Believer maketh him in Solomon's Phrase to be as bold as a Lion and puts him upon any thing even the most perillous Attempts in Obedience to Gods Holy Will and Commandments and in Duty and Allegiance to his Prince This was it which moved little David to encounter with the Giant Goliath the Champion of the Philistines he heard his words how he defied Israel and saw they were all afraid and dismayed and therefore he resolves with himself to go and Fight him and
Solemn Fast Days and wrestle with God by Prayer as Jacob did with the Angel and not let him go until he had blessed us and our Forces I would to God I could prevail with you all for to consider the case of the Murmuring complaining unbelieving Israelites and so to be warn'd and repent For doth not the Apostle tell us in most plain Words That these things happened unto the Israelites for Examples and are Written for our Admonition upon whom the ends of the World are come Mark That we should not be Idolaters as were some of them That we should not commit Fornication as did some of them and fell in one Day three and twenty Thousand That we should not swear or take the Name of God in vain as did some of them and were destroyed of the destroyer That we should not have in us evil Hearts of unbelief and so provoke the Majesty of Heaven to refuse to go forth with our Hosts 1 Cor. 10. 6. to 12. There are three Vices or Sins especially above all others noted by Historians which bring danger and publick Punishment and Calamity unto a Kingdom or People viz. Ungodliness Injustice and Luxuriousness Ungodliness troubleth the Church Injustice the vulgar People and Luxuriousness private Families And the hurt in special redounds to the whole Nation Therefore Salmoxes Counsel is not amiss saying that these Things should by all means be avoided by every one that fears God namely Sluggishness from the Body Ignorance from the Mind Gluttony from the Belly Sedition and Faction from the Church and Nation Discord from the Family Disloyalty and Treachery from the Governours and Government Intemperance from all things and above all other Sin and Iniquity from every true Christian Oh that these Rules were but generally followed and practis'd throughout our whole Nation that so the everlasting Father of Lights might prosper us in our Labours and Arms. But let me address my self in a more especial manner unto you who are gone forth to warr against the Enemy You have heard here how the People of Israel provoked the infinite Majesty of Heaven and Earth to Wrath by their evil Ways and sinful Actions and caused the most Great and Terrible God who was their Helper and Defender to depart from them and leave them to the will of their Enemies insomuch that they were smitten of them sundrie times Oh! that this may be a warning unto all from the highest to the lowest And an effectual argument to prevail with every one of you both Officers and Souldiers for to leave off your most horrid Oaths your prophane Speeches your dissolute Actions your intemperate drinkings c. And to give your selves wholly unto the contrary Virtues As to the denying all Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts And to live soberly Righteously and Godly the remainder of your Days And if you do thus then you may justly hope for the Blessing of God Almighty upon your endeavours and upon good Ground expect to prosper in that employment whereunto ye are called But if you still do wickedly If you still continue in Sin and disobey the Commandments of God Can you reasonably think that the Lord of Hosts will abide with you or take your part against the Enemy Oh no he is a most just and Holy God who will by no means clear the guilty But will execute the fierceness of his Wrath against you until he hath destroyed you from off the Face of the Earth and blotted out your Names from under Heaven We have the Testimony of the Holy Ghost for this and many examples in the Sacred Scriptures As the old World which was drown'd Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed with Fire and Brimstone from Heaven The Galileans on whom the Tower of Siloam fell c. And then in Prophane History we Read that in the third Year after that Pompey had won Jerusalem Valerius Gracchus being President of Judea a certain Jew came to the Senate of Rome for to complain of the grievances and injustice done in that Country by their Magistrates c. And among other expressions he spake thus O Learned Fathers O happy People your Blessed Destinies that favour'd you and our angry God who hath forsaken us for our Sins hath now made the famous Metropolitan City of Jerusalem once the Commander of all Asia and Mother of the Jews Subject and Servant unto Rome and to you Romans Great indeed was the Courage and Power of Pompey and great was his Army that overcame us But I will tell you much greater was the Wrath and Fury of our God And without comparison the Number of our Sins for which we have deserved to be utterly overthrown It is worthy to be noted by you all that whatsoever People or Nation Fleet or Army doth press the Lord down most with the Weight and Burden of Sin That Nation or People shall be sure to feel most of Gods heavy Hand upon it Amos 2. 13. And thus the Justice of the most High will perform for it is gone out of his Lips and he cannot Reverse it That he will render unto a People according to its deservings Therefore it highly concerns the whole Nation in general and you of the Fleet and Army in particular for to give Glory to the Lord our God before he cause Darkness of Calamity or Captivity and before our Feet Stumble upon the Dark Mountains and while we look for Light Lest he turn it into the Shadow of Death and make it gross Darkness Jer. 13. 16. The Prophets meaning is thus according to Bishop Tayler upon it Repent of all your Wickedness before the Almighty come to search and find us out by his heavy Judgments And that while we have time and opportunity afforded us And this is the only means through the Blood of Jesus Christ for to appease Divine Wrath Revel 16. 9. And they repented not to give Glory to God Oh let us all then be perswaded to break off all our Sins by Righteousness for it may be a lengthening of our Happiness and an Infallible Means to cause the Lord to destroy our Enemies Rebel not ye against c. Secondly that God only is the best and safest defence of his Church against her Adversaries And this Truth may appear 1 From the Attributes and Titles of God in the Holy Scriptures and 2 By the manifold deliverances of his Church and People in all Ages of the World First from the Attributes and Titles of God He is most Holy and therefore in the first place we may with great safety trust in him and rely on his Word and Promise for help in time of trouble and he will deliver us For this is no mean Comfort unto his Church that the Lord is Righteous in all his Ways and Holy in all his Works And therefore he will not forsake a Holy Nation nor a Repenting Praying People He never leaves off a Kingdom unto it self until it first leaveth him by unholyness and filthy conversation and
no doubt by the Prince of the Power of the Air on behalf of his Children of Darkness to obstruct our Landing But the mighty God and terrible was with us and deliver'd us all from the Peril of the Seas bringing us back to Hell-voot Sluce And after that we had offer'd to him there the Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving for so merciful a Deliverance and tarried there about 11 days then did Almighty God send us a fair Wind which brought us all safely into Torbay where our most renown'd and blessed Prince landed And we were no sooner come into the Bay but the everlasting Arms were about us and changed the Wind which hindred our then Adversaries from pursuing us Who dares deny bu◠this was the Lords own doing and ought not to be forgotten of this Nation but to be marvellous in our Eyes For here was the Finger of God as our very Enemies confess'd And afterwards when we were come to Exeter how wonderfully did the Almighty turn the Hearts of this whole Nation and the opposite Army as the Heart of one Man towards this most valorous and mighty Prince insomuch that very little or no Blood was shed in this blessed and glorious Revolution Again was not the living and true God the best Defence unto our most gracious Sovereign Lord K. William and his Army when he passed the River at Drogheda vulgarly called the River Boyn when as the Enemy was so advantagiously encamped Yet how soon did the Lord strike Terror into all their Hearts and they fled before us Oh there is no question to be made but that the eternal Majesty of Heaven and Earth shelter'd our gracious King under his mighty Wings and encompass'd him about with his Favour and Protection and we hope and pray that he will still do so unto him for ever and ever Here is then a very sharp Reproof unto all wicked and unbelieving Hearts who are even distracted and at their Wits end at the very noise of a giddy Multitude As if the everliving and terrible Majesty of Heaven and Earth even the Lord Jehovah's Hand was shortned As if he was not as able to bless and preserve their most excellent Majesties in these days as he was in our Fore-fathers time Or as if he could not cover them and this Nation with the mighty Wings of his Providence from all Perils and Dangers of the Enemy now as he hath done all along Oh take notice then all ye faint-hearted faithlels and unbelieving Souls of those words of the Prophet Jeremiah Chap. 32. 18 19 27. Behold I am the great the mighty God the Lord of Hosts is my Name I am the God of all Flesh great in Counsel and mighty in Work Is there any thing too hard for me Are you so foolish and unwise as to think that all the Plots Conspiracies and Devices which are against my faithful Servants who fulfil my Will shall ever prevail Do you imagine that I who am the most just and righteous Governor of the World do not regard those my Deputies which rule according to the Truth of my holy Word and are a Terror to the Evil and a Praise to them that do well I tell you plainly That no Weapon form'd against such holy Princes shall prosper For I who am the great King of Heaven and Earth will certainly pull down all such as walk contrary to my Laws and I will bring to nought the Adversaries of my Church like Lambs to the Slaughter And the mighty Men of Babylon shall tremble for fear and forbear to fight They shall remain in their Holds and in their Camps their Might and Strength shall fail 'em and they shall be beaten and destroyed One Post shall run to meet another and one Messenger shall hasten to meet his Fellow To shew the King of Babylon the great and terrible Works of the most high God what Desolations or what an Overthrow the Lord whose Name is Jehovah hath wrought for his own Heritage against their Adversaries And then shall Tidings be spread through the Earth that the Babylonish Forces by Sea and Land are utterly confounded For every purpose of the Lord against Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon shall be perform'd to make him know and feel that God alone is to be feared throughout the whole Earth And tho' he hath devour'd the Heritage of the Lord yet his Heart shall melt away for fear and for those things which are coming upon him Jer. 51. 30 31 33 40. Alas what if the Adversaries of the Lord have gotten a second Chrysippus among 'em which probably may be able to speak well of every thing Or what if they have a second Achitophel But to go higher What if they have a second Aristotle or a second Solomon Yet still so long as we have the Almighty most terrible and all wise for our Defence who is the Fountain of all Wisdom and Knowledg and the Giver of Courage and Strength Deliverance and Salvation we need not to care Suppose we want some of the Beams so we have but the Sun it self And what matter is it if we want some of the Streams when we have the pure Spring Nay corrupt Streams and muddy and deceitful Branches are very unwholesome and infectious unto the Body Politick and therefore if they are dryed up or wasted we need not to care But now for the Church of God to hold fast together and to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with one Heart in one place is a very good and joyful thing and no doubt exceeding acceptable in the sight of God our heavenly Father And I hope every one that hath the fear of God before his Eyes and the least regard to the welfare of their Majesties and their Kingdoms or to their own Salvation will not be remiss in joyning with the Church in Prayer upon our solemn Fast-days For tho' it cannot be denied but that the effectual fervent Prayer of one righteous Man avails much yet it must be granted that the joynt Prayers of a Congregation or rather of the whole Church prevail infinitely more One Stick may make a Fire but many Sticks put together will make a great and hot Fire One String of an Instrument may make a sound but many Strings a melodious Harmony One single Prayer in our Closets may be a Sacrifice but the Prayers of a whole Kingdom makes a Sacrifice to God of a sweet smelling Savour and therefore the Psalmist calls the publick Prayers of the Church a worshipping of the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness Psal 29. 2. We read of those Worthies how couragious they were for to keep Faith and a good Conscience Yea so valiant for the Lord's cause that they loved not their Lives unto Death Hence says that Champion of the Apostles None of these things move me neither count I my Life dear unto my self so that I may finish my Course with Joy c. Saviat persequendo nihil in me moritur nisi mortale erit in
me aliquid ubi persecutor pervenire non possit ubi Deus meus habitat Let Man be never so sharp in persecuting yet nothing dies in me but what is mortal Nevertheless there will be something in me at which the cruel Persecutor cannot come where my blessed God dwelleth Whom have I in Heaven but thee O Lord and there is none upon Earth that I desire beside thee But as this reproves all wicked and unbelieving Hearts so in the next place it is no small Encouragement unto all the Servants of the most high God for to fear him and serve him in Truth with a perfect Heart and willing Mind For it is an undeniable Assertion That such a Kingdom or People cannot be moved or shaken by any terrible Blasts of the Devil or his Instruments who hath the eternal Lord for its Strength and Defence And I may truly say that there are no times so very Perillous nor Days so very Evil but that they may be made easie and happy unto every Child of God and Believer in Jesus Christ I mean the dangerousness and badness of these times which many groundlesly and unjustly complain of may be reduced to an equality with the Peace Safety and Comfort of better times Yea may be made equal unto the best of Days which this present World commonly affords unto the Church militant As the sharpness of a very cold and pinching Season may by a proportionable addition of warm Cloathes the use of good Fires and the like be made as little offensive to a Man's Constitution as a temperate Season is Or as a Man who is shut up close in a most strong or impregnable Castle and is there sufficiently provided and stored with all things necessary as Men Arms Mony Powder Ball c. Is in as much or rather more safety and freer from all danger altho' he be encompassed about and besieged by his inveterate and implacable Enemies at the same time than another Man is who hath no Enemies at all seemingly near him In like manner when once a Man hath the great and mighty God for his Defence and the covering of his Almighty Wings spreading over him and underneath him the everlasting Arms which Moses speaks of Deut. 32. 27. Then what Bullets soever are flying about him what Cannons soever are roaring against him what Storms soever are rising what Waves or Billows soever are raging what Enemies soever are Plotting yea what Perils or Dangers soever he may be seemingly in yet notwithstanding all he is most safe he is most secure in God who is a firm Rock near a most raging Sea a sure Shield amidst Showers of invenom'd Darts And 't is one and the same thing unto such a Man for to be in the very midst of a Battel either by Sea or Land among the thundring Guns and Showers of small Shot which falls round about him like Hail as to be in the Walks of a most pleasant Garden and hear the sweetest singing of Birds The sound of Alarum by a Drum or Trumpet is as acceptable to him as the voice of the Turtle Because he can always and in every place rejoyce in the Lord and joy in the God of his Salvation as the Church does Hab. 3. 18. Alas A Man can but be safe a Man can but be secure and at rest and ease in his Mind if he lived in those halcion Days or golden Times prophesied of by the Psalmist When the Mountains shall bring Peace to the People and the â—â—ttle Hills Righteousness Psal 72. 3. That is to say when neither High nor Low King nor People shall be troublesome one to another nor disturb each other But the Wolf also shall dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid and the Calf and the young Lion and the fatling together and a little Child shall lead them Verily the condition of a true Child of Light and Heir of Glory be he in the Wars either by Sea or by Land abroad or at home is always thus blessed and happy thus at ease and rest in his own Breast and Conscience because he is kept in perfect Peace by him who is the Prince of Peace Whereas 't is far otherwise with an ungodly wicked Man who is like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose Waters cast up Mire and Dirt. There is no Peace saith my God to the Wicked You then that are gone forth to War against the Enemies of the Lord and his Church whether you are by Land or by Water let me beseech you in Christ's stead and for his sake to receive this wholsome and profitable Advice and let it take deep Root in all your Hearts and be continually in your Mind Trust ye in the Lord Jehovah for ever for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting Strength for he bringeth down them that are Proud and exalteth the Humble and Meek Isa 26. 4. 5. What could you wish for more than Strength Yes but here is everlasting Strength What could you desire more than Defence Yes But here is Defence and Safety Courage and a Blessing Oh our gracious and merciful God hath always some Twigs left for to preserve and keep his elect People above Water when they suspect themselves to be most in danger For he hath either the Castle of his Providence the Ark of his Promise or the All sufficiency of his Grace and Goodness for the safety and retirement of his Children and Servants in the greatest of Storms How did he defend David and his little Company when Saul and his Army had almost encompassed him about Alas you must expect to meet with some rubs in your way towards the Celestial Canaan and through many Tribulations you must enter into the Kingdom of God Non est ad astra mollis e terris via all true Christians know well that the Church is militant here on Earth and therefore the Saints commonly sow here in Tears that they may reap hereafter in Joy We must all expect to fight the Lords Battel here on Earth which St. Paul terms a good sight that we may acquire the Victory and receive our Crown of Righteousness and Glory in Heaven where there is no Enemy or Opposition for all are there of one Mind and Heart praising God with Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost Here we must all run the Christian Race which is set before us by our Lord and Saviour with Patience and Alacrity that we may obtain the Prize or that Incorruptible Crown which the Lord the righteous Judg bestows on such Here is the place appointed for us to work in while it is day or rather the Lord's Vineyard But in the Kingdom of Heaven are we to expect and receive our Wages when our Work is done or our Course finished For there is the rest which remains for the People of God Wherefore then should any rational Soul think to find that in this World which God hath reserv'd for the World to come when
Tempests raised by all the powers of Hell are presently Calm'd for ever doing such a one any Mortal hurt All the Creatures then pull in their Horns retire their Stings bite in their Poison Snubb'd and Awed by those Divine Impressions of their Creators Blessed Image stamp'd on such a Soul by the Holy Spirit of Grace and dare not offer any more Trouble or Vexation to it except it be upon a particular Dispensation for its Spiritual Good and Quickning than to the Apple of God's Eye hear his Holy Promise from his own Mouth Hos 2. 18. And in that Day I will make a Covenant for them namely his Servants with the Beasts of the Field and with the Fowls of Heaven and with the Creeping things of the ground And I will break the Bow and the Sword and the Battel out of the Earth and I will make them to lie down safely For I the Lord their God am their Confidence and I will keep their Foot from being taken For I will set every Man's Sword against his Fellow in the Camp of my Peoples Enemies as I did for my Servant Gideon and his Army Judges 7. 22. In the last place This ought to stir us all up in these times of War unto this grand Duty of Courage and Boldness in Fighting the Lords Battel and depending wholly and solely on him and Imploring his All-sufficient Aid and Almighty Help Oh let us down with the Mountains and up with the Valleys and know no Fears no Doubtings no Discouragements but like David's Worthies Which broke through the Host of the Philistines and brought him of the Waters of the Well of Bethlehem to drink So let us every one make our way through all the Reasonings and Disputings of Unbelief into those Everlasâ—â—â—â—â—rms of God's Free Grace and Endless Mercy in Jesus Christ For his Mercy and Assistance towards those that Fear him and Dread him is without all stint and limit like himself infinite so unmeasurable that it reaches from everlasting to everlasting So tender that it surpasses incomprehensibly the Compassionate Heart-Meltings of the Lovingest Mother Isa 49. 15 16. Can a Woman forget her Sucking Child that she should not have Compassion on the Son of her Womb Yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee Behold I have graven thee upon the Palms of my Hands thy Walls are continually before me Let me tell you then that it is far more Generous and Christ-like for to Die a Martyr in the Cause of God and for his true Protestant Church if we are called thereunto than to Live and Moulder away our Time and Strength without doing one tittle of Good in our Generation Alas Within a little while the Grinders will cease of their own accord and the Windows of our Eyes will be darken'd and the Doors I mean those Pipes wherewith we draw our Breath shut up fast Alas The Pusillanimous Man considers not how eagerly and with what Industry the old Sexton Time with his sharp Spade throws up the Earth and digs a Grave where we all that are now here must one Day lay our Sins and our Sorrows together and sow these Mortal Bodies till they rise again in a Glorious or an intolerable Eternity Every Revolution which the Sun makes about the World divides between Life and Death so that all those Days which we have lived already are dead to us and we shall never live them over again Currit mortalibus aevum nec nasci bis posse datur fugit hora rapitque Tartareus torrens ac secum ferre sub umbras siqua animo placuere negat Poor Mortals we form our very Words of that which is most near and dear to us even the Breath of our Nostrils and therefore we have the less to live upon for every word which we speak hence saith the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 2. ult Cease ye from Man whose Breath is in his Nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of The Philosophers Taught That there was no greater Encouragement against all fear of Death than to consider we must needs Die There is now an absolute Necessity thereof or else we cannot obtain Life Eternal or come to the Glorious God of Life And this was St. Paul's Argument for to prove the Resurrection That which thou sowest is not quicken'd except it die So these Natural Bodies must be dissolved into Dust and Corruption before they can be made Spiritual and like unto Christ's Glorious Body Oh remember then that the very Heathens Taught That it was no small Honour to Die for ones Country But we Christians must confess that 't is the highest Honour to Die for the Faith of Christ and a good Conscience towards God And therefore let me bespeak you all 〈…〉 in Their Majesties Fleet and Army in the words of Joab 2 Sam. 10. 12. Be of good Courage and let us play the Men for our King and Queen for our People and for our Church of England and the Lord do that which seemeth good Fear not nor be afraid but Sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your Fear and let him be your Dread and he shall be a Sanctuary to you But for a Gin and a Snare and a Trap to the Adversaries of his Truth Would you have the Crown of Life Oh be you Valiant and Faithful unto Death Would you have the Great and Terrible God among you as your Strength and Defence Oh then let not Vain Thoughts Lodg in your Breast But cease to do Evil and learn to do well Would you be esteem'd Worthies by God and Their Majesties then break through the Babylonish Army and sink their Idolatrous and Superstitious Fopperies into the bottom of the Sea Would you have your Memories Blessed and your Names to be had in Everlasting Remembrance and the Generations to come for to Praise your Glorious and Noble Deeds Then be sure for to pull down some Monuments of Idolatry and Raze out some Relicts of Popery for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake and with Sampson Aveng your selves of your Enemies at once before you go hence and be no more seen Rebel not ye against the Lord c. Amen Amen Amen FINIS