Be you entreated to admit so much Consideration here as Common Prudence will suggest I have heard of a man in the West-Indies a little while ago who being in a Boat with another when a High Wind made a rough Sea at his Companion 's Expressing some Concernment about the Issue which he was disturbed at The Wretch flew out into this out-rage of Blasphemy Let God Almighty blow let Him blow if He list I fear Him not And behold the words were but just out of his mouth when he was blown over-board and drown'd while the other gatt safe to shoar All Deliberate Sinning soameth out such a Contempt of God and verily the Event is like to be 〈◊〉 better 〈◊〉 the black dead Sea of God's Wrath will swallow up such Despisers till they perish it is written concerning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…mb 32. 31. that when he saw a Fâ—…ming Swoâ—…d in the hands of an Angel châ—…cking of his motions it put him to 〈◊〉 â—…and Oh 〈◊〉 durst you go on in a Course of â—…in when you â—…erceive tâ—… great GOD with Flaming Swordâ—… and â—…ott Thunder-bolts oppâ—…ng of you Lâ—… it not be fâ—…d that your sturdy Obstinacy in Sâ—… out-goes the stout Stomach of the very Devilâ—… themselves who believe and tremble whiâ—… you sin and tremble not It is no less thaâ—… an Omnipotent Enemy whom by Unforsakeâ—… Sin you 〈◊〉 the just Revenges of and wiâ—… the sorry 〈◊〉 of the Earth make light of His horâ—…dous Indignation It is the Exclamation of the Psalmist in Psal. â—…6 7. Wâ—…â—…ay stand in thy sight when once thou art angâ—… O Lord O No more No More Harden yâ—… selves against this GOD It is impoâ—… that you should prosper if you do You 〈◊〉 â—…he Lord of Hosts against you and while yâ—… have all the Hosts of the Lord are up in Aâ—… against you too While you are thus unâ—…â—…he Curse of God every Creature of Goâ—… hath been crying unto him against you aâ—… 〈◊〉 King â—…to the Prophet about the 〈◊〉 Syrianâ—… Shall I smite them O Lorâ—… 〈◊〉 I 〈◊〉 them The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall I swallow them up alive as I dâ—… Corah and his Company The Seâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord shall I run over the heads of 'em as I did to Pharaoh and his Followers The Clouds have rumbled Lord shall we showre down fierce Lightenings upon them as we did upon Sodom Gomorrah Thus are even all the Creatures of God only staying for that Word Fall on and upon that Signal given they would all joyn to Plague you more than the Sun and Moon did Sisera of Old when by producing the Inundations of Kishon they did in their courses fight against him But there is that which is more tremendous yet You must expect that if Repentance prevent it not you will at length fall into the Hands of the everliving GOD Himself whose Hands it is 〈◊〉 fearful thing to fall into And O how caâ—… you bear the Gripes of those Iron Arms 〈◊〉 â—…e Immedeate stroaks where-with he will one day dispense his fiery Fury in those Ovens of Hell the Souls of his Enemies Can your hands be strong or can your heart endure in the day that I shall deal with you saith the Lord The Hands of God! Alas those Irâ—…ful Hands â—…o splitt the Everlasting Rocks and make the very Pillars of Heaven Tremble I Knew 〈◊〉 very stout man who in the Angâ—…ishes of Death thus express'd himself I have â—…een said he among drawn Swords and Armed Souldiers I have stood before the mouths of roaring Canons from whence thâ—… Bullets have flown about my ears and yet I never knew what it was to be afraid but now I am apprhensive of my being exposed to the everlasting Anger of GOD my heart shivers fails-within me at the thoughâ—… of that Sometimes when my Visits have been call'd for by men on their Death-Beds perceiving themselves on the Borders of Eternity I have found them quaking and there very Beds shaking under them and their first Speech has been to this purpose O Sir the Wrath of a dreadful GOD makes me tremble I tremble I tremble at it How full of Hellish Dimness and Darkness and Bitterness will Presumpteous Transgressors then be in the Day of God's Unmixed Wrath in the Day when He shall fulfil that Threat in Psal. 50. 21. I will reprove thee and set thy sins in Order in Battle-Array before thine eyes Now let every hitherto-unchanged Sinner count himself concerned to put a penitent Period unto the dangerous deadly Warfare wherein he is warring and fighting against the Almighty God. In this case the Teaching which you have from God is Lay down your Arms O war and fight no more All the Powers of your souls all the Members of your Bodies have hitherto beeâ—… 〈◊〉 t is said in Rom. 6. 13. The Weapons of unrâ—…ghteousness O find out now a better a fitter employment for them otherwise your only Wages or Stipend will be as the Apostle â—…aith alluding to the military Stipends of old Death Death forevermore Wherefore â—…ere make a Pause O Commune with your selves about what you have been and done Now Confess now Bewail before the Most High all your past miscarriages entreating that thro' the Prince of Peace they may be all forgiven and the Breach be made up between God and you promising there-withal that for the fuâ—…ure it shall be your hearty study to have no more to do with Idols O say It is enough Lord I have done Iniquity and I will do so no more But so much may suffice to bâ—… 〈◊〉 unto them who have not yet known thâ—… 〈◊〉 of Canaâ—…n More Briefly in what remains RULE II. Become furnished with that Armour for your Warring and Fighting which God in His blessed Word hath provided for you There is a Tower of Solomon wherein God hath hanged up Thousands of Shields all the Weapons of strong men See to thiâ—… that you do only put on the ARMOUR OF GOD and that you have all your Armour to be both of God's Institution and of God's Constitution also Let GOD be Acknowledged as the Appointâ—…r of all your Weapons The Will-Worship the fond Amulets and Penancesâ—… of the Papists no less than the Pâ—…ylacteries of the Iewes are to be exploded as most trifling Insignificancies and the Ridicules of those very Enemies whose Terror they are calculated for A funeral Elegy for those wretched Warriours we have in Fzek. 32. 27. They go down to Hell with their Weapons of war they have laid their Swords under their heads but their Iniquities shall be upon their bones You have no need to go down to the Forges of the Philistines for the Weapons of youâ—… Souls Whatever shall be offer'd as a serviceable Weapon for you which you have not the Warrant of GOD for the using of throw it by as David rejected Sauls cumbersome useless Armour Let God also be Accknowledged aâ—… the Bestower of all your Weapons It is affirmed concerning one eminent
Roll Nothing has done so much wrong to GOD or to me or to all Heaven and Earth aâ—… Thou Speak and think the worst of it Moreover Did they offer unto our Lord Jesus Christ all the Indignityes that possibly they could devise Binding of Him Spitting on Him Jeering at Him preferring a barbarous High-way man before Him and at last hanging Him up naked between the worst of Malefactors In like manner do you cast heaps of Shame upon your Lust Upbraid it as the Quintessence of Madness as the Exaltation of â—…lly as a most Loathesome Object worthy to be Buffetted by all Hands to be abhorred by God and man for ever and a Swine in no wise sit to lodg'd in the Parlour of youâ—… Souls Once more Did they with-draw all Refreshment from our Lord Jesus Christ in His ruefuâ—… Agonies and count a Cup of Gall good enough for Him Just so Do you withhold from your Lust that Sustenance which may enable it to hold out in its Insurrections Be sure to make no provision for this Flesh to feed upon Starve it out and so Tame it Keep it under and keep it bare of those things which you see to be the Support or Fuel of it To say no more Did they Torture our Lord Jesus Christ until by the Dolonrs of His Wounds they hunted that Hind of the morning his precious Soul out of His Body Agreeably to this Do you make your Lust undergo the Pains of an evil and a bitter thing Let it Cost you those Prayers and those Tears and manifold Austerities which may meerly â—…tire it out and Discourage it from haunting of you By these means cripple that Delictum dilectum which is your most Darling Iniquity And while you are thus in the Field derive all the Virtue which may be from abundant Thoughts on the Death of Jesus Christ. DeDevout Nazianzen said that when his Lusts gave too busie molestations to him he would by reading the Book of Lamentations quickly quell curb those troublesome Guests How much more mortifying a Spectacle would the Man who is God's Fellow hanging on a Tree be unto us Let your Thoughts often carry you to Mount Calvary and for your War-fare you will soon be among the Worthyes of David RULE IV. Cry mightily to GOD in CHRIST that by Strength from Him you may be made Conquerers and more than Conquerers over the Enemies of your souls When the Apostle had Arm'd his Christian Souldier from head to foot he then concluded Pray alwayes and watch thereunto a military Order take not a wink of sleep with all Perseverance O cry mightily to God for the Weapons of your War-fare are mighty thro' God alone The best posture for you wherein to War and to Fight against your Soul-Enemies is that wherein a wounded thought-dead Souldier once gave a mortal stab unto a proud Conquerer that was pleasing himself with a View of them whom he had slain upon your Knees In the midst of your Encounters use to do as the Emperour Theodosius did in the Extremities of a furious dubious Battel betake your selves to importunate Prayers for Succour from above be praying Iacobs and you shall be prevailing Israels If any Temptation be more than or dinarily violent in besieging of you do like those Warriors in 1. Chron. 5. 20. Cry to God in the Battel and therewithall put your trust in Him do as Paul saith he did in such a case in 2. Cor. 12. 8. I besought the Lord thrice perhaps he kept three dayes of Prayer And O let the Spirit of Prayer cause you to fill your lives with frequent and servent Prayers unto God that He would gird you with Strength unto all your Battels and subdue under you those that rise up against you I would conclude my Sermon as the Mertyr usâ—…d his Letters O pray pray pray You cannot contrive a more effectual preservative from the Hurts of Temptation than Prayer daily wrestling Restless Prayer The infamous Day of Origen's foul Apostasy was a day whereon he had been remiss in his morning Prayers I will not tell you Nazianzen's Story of what a Devil was forc'd to own unto Cyprian about his inability to work upon a praying Soul in his dayes But this I am sure of The Trumpets of Gideon did not more fright the Midianites than the Prayers of the Faithful do all the Devils in the dark Regions The Devil roars about the Prayers of the Beleever as the Scotch Queen did about Knox's Prayers I am more affraid of those Prayers than of the biggest Armyes Accustom your selves to Every Sort of Prayer and so keep your Hands lifted up like Moses in the Mount until the Lord Deliver you from your strong Enemy and from your Haters which are to strong for you Often set apart Whole dayes for your thus rallying your disordered Forces against them and every day let your private and Secret Groans be sent up to your Eternal Helper on this Errand Yea let scarce one waking hour in the day pass you without Shooting over the Camp of them that are strictly beleaguring of you Requests ty'd to the Arrows of ejaculatory Prayer that God would not be farr from you Happy is the man that has his quiver full of these arrowes O Pray and plead as he in 2. Chron. 20. 12. Lord I know not what to do but my eyes are up unto thee And while you thus pray without ceasing Exercise a true Faith on the Bloud of Jesus Christ as the meritorious Cause of all your Successes which Bloud will more dismay and and confound all the Behemoths of Hell. than the Sight of Bloud could the Elephants in the Maccâ—…bees of old And exercise a strong Faith on the Grace of Jesus Christ as both enableing and enclining of Him to succour them that are Tempted as He once was Himself which Grace is engaged to be sufficient for you Thus Pray and Warr and Fight until you come to shout as dying disconsolate Mr. Welch did when the Word Victory came from the mouth of the person that pray'd with him and he catch'd hold on it with over-powering never-ending Joy Crying Victory Victory Victory now forevermore Yea leave not off till you come to say with Paul. I have fought the good Fight there is now laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness Amen And now Do thou grant unto us O Lord our God That we being delivered out of the hands of our Enemies might serve thee in Holiness and Righteousness all the dayes of our Lives Militat omnis homo qui dat sua nomina Christo Quique Deo fidit Militat omnis homo Books printed for and sold by Ioseph Brunning at his Shop at the Corner of Prison Lane next the Exchange A Discourse Concerning Comâ—…s wherein the Nature of Blazing Stars is enquired into by Mr. Increase Mather An Essay for the Recording Illustrious Providences The Mystery of Christ opened applyed The greatest sinners exhorted encouraged to come to Christ and that NOW without delaying Also the exceeding Danger of men's Deferring their Repentance Together with a Discourse about the Day of Iudgment And on several other Subjects The Doctrine of Divine Providence opened and applied To which is annexed A Sermon wherein is shewed That it is the Duty and should be the Care of Believers on Christ to live in the constant Exercise of Grace by Mr. Nathaneel Mather Minister of the Gospel at Dublin in Ireland A Practical Discourse Concerning the choice Benefit of Communion with GOD in His HOUSE witnessed unto by the Experience of Saints as the 〈◊〉 Improvement of Time. By Mr. Ioshua â—…y Minister of the Gospel Self-Employment in Secret containing Evidences upon Self-Examination Thoughts upon Painful Afflictions Memorials for Practice by Mr. Iohn Corbâ—… An Arrow against Profane and Promiscuouâ—… Dâ—…ncing Drawn out of the Qâ—…iver oâ—… 〈◊〉 SCRIPTURES by the Ministers of Boston ERRATA PAge 15. line 2. read English-man's p. 30. l. 12. r. Knighthood p. 64. l. 12. r. which are Smitten with them p. 70. l. 8. r. the worst Enemy ibid. l. 12. r. a srojan horse
Divine Treasure and the eloquent Chrysostom no less appositely reputed it as a Panoply for the Christian. From this Panoply from this well-furnished Armory give me leave to offer something for the Use of this Armed and much honoured Auditory For this cause the name which the Holy Spirit in a certain place in Col 3. 16. putteth upon these Psalms is that of spiritual Songs partly because the Spirits of men are most singularly suited therein every man may conceive as Athanasius long ago observed That they speak de se in re sua to his own case directly T is to be hoped that the Spirit of the Souldier especially will anon herein meet with what shall not be impertinent unto him That inspired person whoever he were that marshalled the Psalms into the Method wherein we now enjoy them seems to have had some respect unto the Affinity of Subjects therein handled in his doing of it Hence this Hundred-and-forty-fourth Psalm with the rest unto the end of our Psalter is employ'd in that business which we expect at the end of our pilgrimage to be put upon even The magnifying of the LORD IEHOVAH The Pâ—…nman of this Composure is by the Title of it determined to be David the sweet singer of Israel Indeed some passages of it are by Him again repeated in both his first and his second Edition of the Eighteenth Psalm and if the Primitive Christians in their Publique Worship are reported to have had no common satisfaction when they heard Aliquid Davidicum any thing of David sounded among them t is to be suppos'd that we shall not therein come behind them But the Occasion of the Composure is to be variously guessed at as an unâ—… thâ—…g Those whom we upon uncertain grounds reckon the 〈◊〉 Greek Tâ—…anslators or rather Interpreters of the Old Testament have so inscribed it A Psalm of David against Goliah so the Ethiopic likewise and so the Vulgar Latin. And perhaps David's victory over Goliah may be one thing referr'd unto in this Song of Zion I find a Iewish Commentary particularly favouring such a Sentiment But good old Hilary for one justly and honestly declames against the foisting in of this clause where it should not be Thus much then is all the Conjecture for which we have room left unto us We may apprehend that the amiable David was now arrived thro an Iliad of Mischiefs and whole Seas of Difficulties unto a Settlement in his Kingdom over Israel and that hereupon he now presents unto the Lord both his Praises for the Vanquishent of the Enemies who had hitherto disquieted him and his Prayers for the Continuance of his Tranquillity maugre all future Opposition The Rapturous Thanksgivings of the PsalPsalmist begin as soon as was possible even at the verse now before us The gracious Saint is here uttering of his Wishes that the great GOD may forever be well-spoken of by all the world and this on a double account Something God hath been to him and something God had done for him Firstly For Something that God was to him He ascribes to the Lord that Title my Strength or Heb. Tzuri my Rock q. d. The Almighty God has afforded a better Defence to me in all dangers than the ragged Rocks and Caves and Thickets did unto my poor Countrey men before I by slaying the tall Pagan occasion'd the Routing of the Philistines who had driven them thereinto Nextly For something that God did for him He celebrates this Kindness of God unto him He teaches my hands to war and my fingers to Fight i. e. The good God enables me to go through the Military Performances which I am put upon These Hands of mine that were once wont to hold the Shepherds Crook and these Fingers of mine which were wont to solace me with their soft Notes upon my Harp are now expert in those Martial Aâ—…chievments which God hatâ—… bin my Teachâ—…r in There is a divine Teaching herein acknowledged and the Twofold Subject of it is taken notice of The Good man first declares the Subject which received this Teaching This was his Hands his Fingers These are by a Synecdâ—…che put for not only all the Members of his body but also all the Powers of his mind These may be singled out because there is a special Use of these parts in all warly Encounters There was so particularly first in Choosing and then in Casting the Stone which laid the Philistean Champion sprawling on the ground In the Hands also Strength is seated and Skill is shewed by the Fingers So both of those Qualifications may herein be glanced at The good Soul next declares the Subject which this Teaching was Occupy'd about This was Warring and Fighting The former Expression Lakrob comes from a Root that signifies to Draw near the Latter Lammilchama comes from a Root that signifies to Eat up because in Warly Engagements persons first Approach and then Devour one another From hence then the Doctrine which Summons our present Attention is DOCT. That The Almighty GOD is to be acknowledg'd as the Author of whatsoever Military SKILL or STRENGTH any Children of men do excel in THAT the Worthy Company who call'd me to this place and work may not be too long detained from the Field where no doubt they love to be all due Brevity shall be endeavoured in our present Discourse Only two Propositions shall be call'd upon to ripen this Doctrine for it's Application PROPOSITION I. It is the Priviledge of some Persons to excel in a Military Skill or Strength There is a two-fold Military Excellency which some in the world are so priviledg'd as to reach unto Firstly There are some persons excellent for their military SKILL There is such an happy unhappy Art used among Adam's wrangling Posterity in the world as that of Tactics or the Art of Warr and herâ—… and there we may find those who have the honour of being excellently well skill'd therein The politic and most peaceable Monarch of old made it one of his Aphorisms in Eccl. 9. 18. Wisdome is better than weapons of Warr. But some desireable persons there are meriting for this to be called Deliciae humani generis or Mankinds Delight who at once have Weapons in their hands and Wisdom in their Heads enabling them to manage the same unto very good account There are persons very notable for Feats of Arms like David of whom t is reported in 1. Sam. 18. 5. He behaved himself wisely and he was set over the men of war It seems he was so good a Souldier that he was made Captain of the Artillery at Gibeon Such brave men were those pious Trans-Iordanites of whom wee have that Description in 1. Chron. 5. 18. They were men able to bear Buckler and Sword and to shoot with Bow and they were skilful in war. And such a Character we also have of several Tribes who were mustered at Hebron to solemnize Davids Coronation there in 1. Chron. 12. At verse 33. it is
related of the Zebulonites that they were expert in warr with all Instruments of warr able to keep Rank At verse 35. it is related of the Danites and at verse 36. it is related of the Asherites likewise that they were expert in war. Some such Beauties is the face of the earth adorn'd withall Persons that understand well all the FIGURES or POSTURES which a Souldier is to use in the Handling of his Arms persons that are well acquainted with all the MOTIONS ORDERS which a Souldier may be call'd unto all the various FACINGS and numerous DOUBLINGS intricate COUNTER-MARCHINGS comely WHEELINGS which are customary and all the CHARGINGS which the many sorts shapes of BATTAILS do admit with innumerable STRATAGEMS of War persons in a word who can handsomely apply all the INSRUMENTS of Defence which a Souldier may Cap-a-pe be furnished with and all the INSTRUMENTS of Offence which a Souldiers hand can be put unto from the Half-pike unto the Granado and the roaring Canon Nextly There are some persons excellent for their Military STRENGTH also There is a Two-fold Strength which Souldiers are sometimes to be admired for Firstly Some Souldiers have an Admirable Strength of BODY Such a Souldier was that renowned Judge of Israel Sampson the History of whose Activity as well as the signification of his Name the Heathen have carried into their stories about their Hercules 'T is storied of Him in Iudg. 14. 6. That when a young Lion roared against him he rent him as he would have rent a kid tho the Oracles of the Lion's Maker have determined him to be the strongest among Beasts T is storied of Him in Chapt. 16. 3. That he took the Gates of a City Doors Posts Barrs and all and carried 'em away up an high Hill twenty miles off T is storied of Him in Chapt. 16. 27. that with main force he over-sett the two huge Pillars whereon lay the stress of a vast Temple containing many more than three thousand people There are Souldiers that for the Strength of their Limbs deserve the name wich once a King in England had even that of Ironside they may almost affirm what Iob deni'd My strength is the strength of stones and my flesh is brass We have read of a Scanderleg who had an Arm that could make his sword strike through thick Iron and who encountring a mighty wild Bull that had slain many wiâ—…h one onely Blow of his Cimitar cutt his head clean from his shoulders We have read of a Milo of a Maximus of some others men made up of Sinewes that would hold a club or keep a place in spite of all possible Assaults that would carry Burdens next to insupportable and in every peece of action scorn a Match Nextly Some Souldiers have an Admirable Strength of SPIRIT also their Courage is marvellous and invincible Such were those Captains which increased Davids Band 1. Chron. 12. 21. all mighty men of valour And such were the Simeonites ibid. v. 25. mighty men of Valour for the war and such the Ephraimites ibid. v. 30. mighty men of Valour famous throughout the house of their Fathers There are Souldiers that for their Valour deserve the name of Caleb which may signify All-heart and who like Caleb are not afraid to look a bigg son of Anak in the face They are as undaunted as the Leviathan the Crocodile which is made without fear it s a meer sport unto them to out-brave the King of Terrours to have Cannon Bullets flying hissing and drawn Swords clashing round about them and dischargdischarged Pistols hurled at their heads they are like fiery metal-fome War-Horses clothed with Thunder they go on to meet Armed men they laugh at Fear and are not affrighted neither turn they back from the Sword they shout among the loud Drums and the â—…hrill Clangors of the Trumpet Ha Ha! the Thuuder of the Captains and the Shouting only adds Fire to their Magnanimity and if they are threatned with such clouds of Arrowes as shall darken the very sky they make no more of it than the Persian who reply'd to such a Menace I am glad of that we shall then fight in the shade Yea almost every spot of ground affords a spectacle of more Fortitude than what appears in Fighting stoutly when Martial Noises do inspirit men We may see men whose Blood chills not when they are call'd out to dy alone in cold Blood men that with a steady Countenance can take grim Death arrayd with all its pompous Horrors by the cold clammy hand and cheerfully say Friend do thy worst Such skill and such Strength many mortals have PROPOSITION II. The Almighty GOD is to be acknowledged as the Author of these Excellences All that have such Excellencies are beholden to GOD for them and ought to own their being so Among the Romans there were those Officers who were called Campi Doctâ—…res the Doctors of the Field All true Christian Souldiers will acknowledge the Ever-living GOD for the supreme Teacher in the field unto them they say He hath his chair in the Heavens who is our Teacher Shall we speak of SKILL Behold the Blesseâ—… GOD the Father of Lights is the Bestoweâ—… of That The haughty Sennacherib is rebuked for saying of his military Exploits in Isa. 10. 13. By my wisdom I have done them We are informed concerning the Husband-man by the princely Prophet His God doth instruct him to Discretion and doth teach him How fitly may that be said of the Souldier too There is a GOD that he hath his military Discretion from Shall we speak of STRENGTH Lo This also is to be ascribed unto God the Rock of Ages It was a check given to the Moabites in Ier. 48. 14. How say ye we are mighty and strong men for the war As for Strength of Body this is from God. The Psalmist does most ingenuously confess in Psal. 18 34. It is the Lord that teacheth my hands to war so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms As for STRENGTH of SPIRIT this too is from God. When Arrowes are to be made Bright and Shields to be gathered t is said in Ier. 51. 11. that The Lord raiseth the spirits of men That which makes this further evident is that the Almighty God takes away military Skill and Strength from men whensoever it pleaseth Him. This the poor Canaanites had experience of The Hundreds of Thousands of armed men in those mighty Nations advantaged with Chariots that were plated with sweeping slaughtering Hooks of Iron could not stand The Lord at once tormented them with great Wasps hideously stinging of their Bodyes and with black Fears weakning of their Spirits they could not stand before an handful of men to whom the Lord had promised in Exod. 23. 27. I will send my Fear before thee and will make thine enemies turn their backs unto thee The cruel crafty Indians among our selves were t' other Day an instance of this too at a time when we
requite it with a Well done good and faithful servant Then shall He as the Cheif the Standard-bearer as in Cant. 5. 10. He is dedenominated among many Thousands marâ—… before you up unto the Mountaines of spices and you shall in his blessed Army of Chosen and Galled and Faithful Ones with him enter into the coelestial Mansions where you shall be for ever with the Lord. On the other hand Be assured you must either Fight or Dye This Warr is like that of Death whereof t is said in Eccl. 8. 8. There is no Discharge in that warr When a person once confessed unto one of the Ancients Nihil Pugnae sentio in corde meo I don't feel that my soul is put upon Strugglings with any Enemies the good man made this Answer Alas then the City gates of thy soul are open so that thy enemies do what they will without controul Here indeed the Christian that is noâ—… a Souldier is a perfect Slave and what a deplorable thing is that It was the Speech of a famous Commander unto his Army when they were penn'd up with the Sea on one side of them and an huge Host of enemies on the other Fellow Souldiers you must 〈◊〉 â—…ither drink up this Sea or eat up these men Thus there is no escaping here you must either beat the Eemies of your souls or burn in a 〈◊〉 Ocean of God's Wrath for ever If tâ—…e Cut-throats of our souls are not resisted sted fastlâ—… in the Faith we shall become the Captives of those mighty ones and if they get us they will keep us if they subdue us they will torment us world without end There will be no Remedy but we must welter under the Anguishes the bitter Dolours of Everlasting fire with the Divel 〈◊〉 his Angels And which of us all is not now Awakened to ask of God to Teach us to warr and to Fight against those Canaanites which would keep us out of the Land flowing with milk and honey But for the Counsilling of you then RULE I. Let Unfeigned Repentance put an end unto your Warring and Fighting against the GOD of Heaven It is very proper to begin with the Caution which Doctor Gamaliel gave to the Iewish Sanbedrim in Act. 5. 39. Be not found to fight against God. Until men are brought unto the Experience of a Conversion to and a Covenant with God in Jesus Christ all the Affayrs of a Christian Warfare will be no less unsuitable than unacceptable to them All Unregenerate mâ—…n which live in KNOWN Sins are so farr from warring and fighting against the Armâ—… of Hell that they desperately set themselves in Battle Array against the infinite GOD. The black Description of every Impenitent Transgressor is that in Iob. 15. 25 26. He stretcheth out his hand against God and strenghens himself against the Almighty He runneth upon Him even upon his Neck upon the thick Bosses of his Buckler O that these foolish unwise kind of people would now be perswaded to bethink themselves What a prodigious Phrensy is this for them that lately came out of the Creating hands to cast themselves into the Avenging hands of God! The First and the best Direction that can be given to these Children of Folly is Oh Lay down your Arms and make your peace with that terrible God whom by your sin you have made your provoked Adversary The secure Sinner perhaps is not aware of his own makeing these daring Adventures But this must be plainly told unto every man that maintains a Trade of wilful Disobedience unto the Commandments of God Man thou art Sounding a Challenge against GOD Himself thou art every Day Bidding Defiance to the Eternal GOD Thou art certain of that which which was only a mistake in Ioâ—… of old God counteth me for His Enemy O that such hdâ—… less men and women would sit down in sobeâ—… sâ—…dness to think on the none-such Madness which hath possessed them Are you not every day Conscience do thine Office Are you not daily allowing your selves in those things for which you are not ignorant that the Wrath of God comes-upon the Children of Disobedience If you are not such hold Debaucheâ—…s as to live in Swearing in Uncleanness in Drunkenness in Sabbath-breaking and to make nothing of a vile Cheat or a flâ—…tt Lye yetdo you not make Light of a Prayer-less Life and so of a Faithless and a Christ-less Life Now every such Sin of yours has a Tongue in it a Blasphemous Tongue that talks against heaven and saith I am for the Waging a Warr a Fight with God. As they sometimes said in Isa. 5. 19. Let the Lord hasten his work that we may see Such an insolent Bravado do you affront the most High withall The faithful and holy God has said Cast away from you all your Idols or I 'le break you sore in the place of Dragons I will burn you in the fiery bottom of Hell for those Rebellions But every unreclamed Sinner now doth as bad as reply Let God do His worst His Darts are but Stubble and the shaking of his spear is but to be Laughed at Thus the unrepenting and unrelenting Sinner hâ—… knowes that he sins and yet with an high-high-hand he rushes on to the doing of those things whereof the Compassionate God saith unto him O do not those abominable things which my soul hateth But O venturesome unthinking Sinners consider the doleful plight which you are in Consider this ye that forget God lest He tear you in peices and there be none to deliver you The blessed God hath positively declared unto you in Psal. 7 12 13. that He has wheâ—… His sword and bent His Bow and ordained the Instruments of Death against the Sinners who Turn not from their evil wayes He hath declared upon the word of a GOD in Psal. 68. 21. that He will wound the Head of these His enemies and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in His Trespasses It was the short and smart Return which Iehu made unto Ioram in 2. King. 9. 22. Joram when he saw Jehu said is it Peace and he answered what Peace so long as the Whoredomes of thy mother are so many Thus if any unrenewed Sinner ask Is there not a Peace between God and me It must be said unto him No such sins as thine are inconsistent with Peace thy Sins render God thy dreadful enemy But O now turn from all Sin unto God in Christ Lest ye perish Cry for Quartor yea cry for Pardon and Agree quickly with your matchless Adversary Let that Question be put unto you 1. Cor. 10. 22. Do you provoke the LORD to Iealousy are you stronger than he Surely you cannot presume that you shall make your party good against God who can Thunder the whole world into nothing in a moment It is said in Luc. 14. 31. That one going to warr against another sitteth down first and consulteth whether hâ—… be able to meet him that cometh against him
expected utmost Ruin by their merciless hands They fell before us like the leaves in Autumn and themselves gave this reason of it laying their hands on their breasts Oh said they the Englisham's God makes us afraid here This there is no question to be made of no means or helps will make us succesful Souldiers if God deny His Smiles An Host of sorry Mice will render all our Bow-strings utteâ—…ly unserviceable if God say unto them Go 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We have cause to say after the Psalmist in Psal. 44. 6. I will not trust in my Bow neither shall my Sword save me But the Improvement of these things remains USE I. There is a strong Invitation to an Attendance on Military Discipline hence given unâ—…o all that are capable thereof This Truth should be as good as a Thousand Drums beating of a Troop in your heâ—…ing engageing of you to repair in your 〈◊〉 unto a peaceable military Rendezvous It 〈◊〉 lamentable to see how Military Discipline 〈◊〉 begun to languish among us to see how 〈◊〉 list themselves in military Societies and 〈◊〉 delinquent in military Services they that 〈◊〉 listed often are I would to God the Tâ—… were come wherein we might have 〈◊〉 seasonable Sermon on that Text Isa. 2. 4. They shall beat their Swords into Plow-shares and their Spears into Pruning-hooks for they shall learn warr no more When will men chuse David's Motto Anishalloâ—… i. e. I am peace When will those two make-bate Pronouns Meum and Tuum leave off to set mankind together by the Ears But surely till Gog and Magog are burnt up with flashes of hot Lightening as their predecessors the Assirians were of old a fitter Theme to be preached on will be that in Ioel. 3. 12. Beat your Plow-shares into Swords and your Pruning-hooks into Spears and let all the men of War draw near Thanks be to the God of peace for the Peace wherewith we enioy the Gospel of peace We have no occasion to kindle Becons or to stick up a Scoth Fire-cross for the Summoning of all between Sixteen and Sixty to oppose an invading enemy The thing which our Civil Authority puts us upon this day and all that I am concernd to speak a good word for is The regard to military Discipline which our peace does give us a most happy advantage for There is this Argument for the abundant use of military Discipline in the midst of us now giving Encouragement thereunto The Almighty GOD is the Teacher of it And what Will any of you be loth to go-to-School unto the Almighty GOD Will you play the Truant from the School of GOD Let the able Idle Spectators of military Exercises for shame count themselves concerned to rank and file with their honest and industrious Neighbours T is desireable that all our Trained Bands might flourish and become Terrible as an Army of Banners And it is particularly to be desired that our Artillery Companyes may be unto the utmost countenanced In Persia once they had an Artillery Company consisting of Ten Thousand which they called The Immortal Company because whenever any one was taken off another was still chosen to supply his place May THAT Artillery Company in special which I am now speaking unto in this sense become an Immortal Company CONSIDER I. That Military Discipline is a very lawful thing When the Souldiers satt under the Ministry of Iohn Baptist he said not unto them Lay down your Arms but as in Luc. 3. 14. Be content with your Wages which was as good as saying Be content to be Souldiers The believing CenCenturion did not look upon himself as obliged to throw up his Commission tho it had a Roman Original and yet of him it was said in Matt. 8. 10. I have not found so great faith no not in Israel as in him It is recorded of the Patriarch Abraham of that Father of the Faithful in Gen. 14. 14. that he had a kind of Artillery Garden at his house an Artillery Company was under his Conduct whereto about forty Files belonged Shall we imagine that GOD will teach any unlawful thing No The ever-glorious GOD Himself is called The God of Armies But He is never called The God of Theeves or The God of Murderers or the God of any thing that is to be thought sinful It is indeed said that They that take the sword shall perish with the sword But this refers to taking up the Sword without a right Cause and without a just Call. When men meddle with Swords without a sufficient Call from both God and man they are wont to come off like those Ephraimites which the seventy eighth Psalm singeth of among other ancient things who would needs break prison out of Egypt and sieze upon Palestina by Force of Arms before they had a good Warrant for it and were slain by the men of Gath to the great grief of their Fa-Father and the encrease of their Servitude It is also said Whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek turn to him the other also But private personal Revenge is the thing forbiden there T is to be suspected that the people who make Out-cries against all Use of carnal Weapons would as One ingeniously saith use the Weapons very carnally yea very bloodily if they had them in their own Hands CONSIDER 2. That Military Discipline is also a Needful thing It was a true Remark of the ancient Greâ—…ian That A Common-Wealth wherein there is not a plenty of Military men is as a Body without Sinews A Wall of Stones about a City or a Countrey is good for little without a Wall of Bones defending of it Hi sunt Spartae mâ—…nia It is threatned as a very direful Plague unto a Land in Isa. 3. 2. The Lord of Hostâ—… doth take away the men of War therefrom Why should any of us have an hand in bringing such a plague on the Land wherein we live ¶ Don't plead It s being a Time of peace may Excuse us from being in Arms while thesâ—… Halcyon dayes continue For a Time of Peacâ—… is the time to prepare for a time of Warr. The prudent King Asa thought so of old And the want of Preparation in us may sharpen the Edge of an Enemies Desire to our Land Some West-Indian might have been upon our skirts before now if the Military Appearances among us had not dampt them You are not ignorant of what befel the Inhabitants of quiet and secure Laish long ago Do not plead I can't spare the time to Train What! not spare time to go to School to GOD T is observ'd that the people in this Countrey with moderate Diligence make themselves capable of greater Leisures than many in the world Besides Would you serve God with that which costs you nothing Or would you be made Souldiers by a Miracle Do not plead There are enough to train withâ—…ut me How if every one should plead so Certainly people did not thus exempt themselves from the Artillery Company at