is with them there Deut. 20. 4. The Lord your God is he that goeth with you to fight When God sayes I am with you you may write down what you will to make up this promise a compleat one for your safety and comfort As thus I am with you to assist you I am with you to direct you I am with you to encourage you to blesse to save you to comfort you to reward you c. I am with you saies God This is as it were a piece of a line that our faith must make up If we once have this promise got into our hearts whatsoever we want we may adde to it and then our peace and joy may be full We reade Judges 4. 8. Barak would not goe into the field except Deborah would goe with him It is ill going into the field except God goe with you but if you have this promise in your hearts you cannot but have strength in your hands Zac. 10. 5. They shall be as mighty men which tread downe their enemies as mire in the streets in the battell and they shall fight because the Lord is with them and the riders on horses shall be confounded 7. God is not onely with his people in their fight but he goes before them as their Captain to lead them That one place will suffice for all Josh 5. 13. Joshua saw a man with his sword drawn in his hand and Joshua went to him and said Art thou for us or for our adversaries And he said Nay but a Captaine of the host of the Lord am I now come It is apparent this was Christ for Joshua fell on his face and worshipped and said What saith my Lord unto his servant And the Captaine of the Lords Host said unto Joshua Loose thy shoes from off thy feet for the place where thou standest is holy 8. God condescends lower even to be the Trumpeter in the wars of his people It is accounted too mean a work for a Generall to blow the Trumpet to his Armie but this great Generall The Lord of Hosts that he might encourage his people the more in his battels he blows the Trumpet himselfe to them Zach. 9. 14. And the Lord shall blow the trumpet and shall goe with the whirle-winds of the South Why of the South Those winds are hottest and therefore swiftest If ye see the South-wind ye say it will be hot sayes Christ and so it commeth to passe Luk. 12. 54 55. If we think our General follows too slowly this great General The Lord of Hosts follows swiftly enough In the words before The arrowes of the Lord are said to goe forth like lightning Swiftnesse in an Army is of great consequence it hath been a special advantage to our adversaries We doe little except in this we equall them 9. God is the Rereward of his people in times of Battail Isa 52. 12. Ye shall not go out with haste nor by slight for the Lord will goe before you and the God of Israel will be your Rereward Not the Reward but Rereward the guard defence behind When an Army is strong in the Rereward as wel as in the Front it is safe God is both before and behind in the Armies of his people 10. Gods providence in Wars works in the continuance of them How long they shall abide in a Land and when they shall cease is wholly from the appointment of the Lord of Hosts He workes in the upholding parties bringing in supplyes breaking asunder treaties c. We are ready presently to cry out How long shall the sword devour but when God gives Commission to the sword it must stay it must goe on devouring till the Commission be out Jer. 47. 6 7. Oh thou sword of the Lord how long will it be ere thou be quiet put up thy self into the scabbard rest and be still The answer is there How can it be quiet seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Askelon against the sea shore there hath he appointed it Hos 11. 6. The sword shall abide on his cities and consume his branches and shall devour them because of their own counsels We are troubled at the sword comming neare our Cities but how sore would the misery be if it should come into our Cities but if abide in our Cities what miserable spoile and ruine would there be If wee would be delivered from so great an evill let us take heed of our own counsels If God leaves Parliament or City to their own counsels the sword will abide amongst us longer time then we for the present imagine even until it hath devoured God usually is a long time before he draws his sword he is whetting preparing delaying it but when it is once drawn he many times will not put it up again untill it bee bathed filled fatted satiated drunke with blood All these expressions we finde in Scripture Esay 34. 5 6. My sword shall be bathed in heaven it shall come downe upon Idumea upon the people of my curse When Gods sword hath to deale with the people of his curse then it shall be bathed indeede And surely God hath a people of his curse amongst us this day who they are is easie to know You may know them to bee cursed of God by the horrid blasphemies and hideous unheard-of curses that come out of their mouthes The earth was never stained with such dreadfull execrations and blasphemies since man lived upon the face of it as now it is by these men Surely the brand of Gods curse is upon them feare them not Ver. 6. it is said The sword of the Lord is filled with blood it is made fat with fatnesse and Jer. 46. 10. The sword shall devoure it shall be satiate and drunke with their blood And when God is pleased to give the word hee makes wars to cease Psal 49. 9. He makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth he breaketh the bow and cutteth the speare in sunder he burneth the chariot in fire Of Gods worke in stilling wars we have a most admirable example 1 Kings 12. 21. we have not the like in all the Booke of God neither was there ever the like before or since in the world King Rehoboam was incensed against the ten Tribes falling off from him he was in as great a heat and rage against them as we can imagine a man could be put into This fire of his rage was blowne up to the height by those young daring Cavaliers that were about him he had got an Army together strong enough an hundred and fourescore thousand men a mighty force and it was but to bring the Kingdome to the house of David Well their power was great their rage was fierce their cause they questioned not they were going forth with a high hand with cruel and bloody intentions How was all stilled now You shall find that The word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the Prophet saying Speak to Rehoboam Thus saith the
that God hath chosen such wisps and clots to scoure us with Secondly God suffers this because his people are not humbled throughly The want of through humiliation before God cost the lives of forty thousand men Iudges 20. although in that battel they had a good cause A good cause is not enough for safety in time of battel there must be humiliation before this great God Thirdly the adversary may prevaile because the Saints doe not awaken the Lord of Hosts by Prayer Psal 59. 9. Thou therefore O Lord God of Hosts the God of Israel awake to visit all the heathen be not mercifull to wicked transgressors Esay 51. 9. Awake awake put on strength O arme of the Lord awake as in the ancient dayes as in the generations of old Art not thou he that hast cut Rahab and wounded the dragon We have here in one verse three times crying to God to awake God hath strength enough to help his people There is an Arme of the Lord but yet this Arme of the Lord may be for a time as it were asleep therefore the Church cryes Awake O Arme of the Lord And that shee may be sure the Lord should heare she cries again and again Awake awake O arme of the Lord put on strength We are now to look back to former times to see how God hath manifested himself The Lord of Hosts and to cry to him that now in our dayes hee would shew forth the glory of this glorious title of his as he hath done in the generations of old Lastly God hath many secret passages of his providence to be brought about which in after times we come to see clearely but for a time are hidden and therefore the adversary is suffered to prevaile The 46. Psalme speakes much about the fury of the adversary and of this Title of the Lord and the Title of that Psalme is A song upon Alamoth which word signifies secrets because of the hidden counsailes of God in wars Thus you have had the doctrinall part of one branch of this glorious title of the Lord presented to you The application neerely concernes us in these times First it beseemes then those who are in Armies to be godly because their great Generall is The Lord of Hosts and this Lord of Hosts is likewise The holy one of Israel Even in this verse holinesse is joyned to his warlike greatnesse And Exod. 15. he is magnified as a man of war overthrowing the enemy and ver 11. hee is said to bee glorious in holinesse and Esay 6. 3. where the Cherubims and Seraphims are magnifying his glory they cry out Holy holy holy Lord of Hosts It is very observable that Gods holinesse is joyned with this title of his The Lord of Hosts surely then holinesse and valour in us are not onely consistent one with another but subservient one to another It it is an abominable maxime of Machiavil that Religion makes men cowards the most valorous souldiers in the world have beene the most eminent in Religion Souldiers use to endeavour to be like their Generall in any thing yea in their naevis Alexanders Souldiers accounted it a gracefull posture to hold their heads aside because Alexander their Generall did so surely then to be like the Lord of Hosts in that which is his excellencie and glory must needs put a lustre upon those who are his souldiers Plutarch reports of a Theban Band of souldiers which they called the Holy band in which there was more considence put then in any because they prospered above others The Lord of Hosts who is holy will delight to be amongst them that are godly to blesse them in their way Deut. 23. 9. When the Host goeth forth against the enemy then keep thee from every wicked thing yea they must keep from outward bodily uncleannesse they must carry a paddle with them to cover it ver 14. the reason is there given For the Lord thy God walketh in the middest of thy Campe therefore shall thy Campe be holy that he see no uncleane thing in thee and turne away from thee It is true God lookes more at the cause then at the instrument yet he rejoyceth most to use instruments that are fitted to give him the praise of his worke One day the Lord will convince the world that the strength of Nations and Kingdomes consist in the interest that the godly have in this Lord of Hosts Zach. 12. 5. And the Governours of Judah shall say in their hearts Our strength is in the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the Lord of Hosts their God Oh that this prophesie were fulfilled it begins to be more now then ever in our dayes or our forefathers Even those who have beene accounted hypocrites factious heretofore yet now even the Governours of Judah begin to see their strength is in them Who hath the burden of the great worke in this State layne upon but the Religious party hath it not beene published in your City by chiefe men in the Army that the great things in the Army were done by those that are called Round-heads We hope our Governours will every day be more and more convinced that their strength is in these Revel 17. 14. Hee is the Lord of Hosts the King of Kings and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithfull and therefore it is said the Lamb shall overcome They are not such as are called faithfull but such as are called and faithfull There was one in our Army whose name was Faithfull that turned head against us but these that are with the Lamb are called and faithfull It is a blessed thing for a Kingdome when their Army may be said to be as it was said of that Army Luke 2. 13. a heavenly Host This great Lord of Hosts who is the God of Heaven will certainly doe great things by such an Host Secondly If God be the Lord of Hosts if this be one of Gods glorious titles then the worke of a souldier is an honourable imployment As the estate of marriage is much honoured in that Christ is pleased to expresse the great mystery of the Gospel the blessed union betweene him and his Church by it which is a great engagement to those in such a condition that they walke so as their lives may put in minde of the excellencie of Christs Communion with his Church So the calling of a Souldier is much honoured in this that God himselfe will set forth his glory by this title The Lord of Hosts or The Lord of Armies Psalm 24. 10. The Lord of Hosts is the King of glory surely some beame of this glory must needes shine upon souldiers that serve under him The Romans honoured a Souldier much The Latine expresses a souldier and a Knight by the same word Miles The serving under this or that Captaine they expressed by this phrase Mereri sub hoc vel illo duce Hence miles emeritus for an old souldier that was to take his ease In any
wisely who have bin the cause of this disturbance Puritanicall Preachers are cryed out of So Elijah was said to be the troubler of Israel Amos was said to speak such words as the Land could not bear Paul was accounted a pestilent fellow a mover of sedition They cryed out of the Apostles that they turned the world upside down Luther in his time was called Tuba Rebellionis the very trumpet of rebellion But if men wil not shut their eyes and stop their ears they cannot but know the cause of our disturbance hath been the pride and cruelty of Prelates forcing illegall things both upon our brethren in Scotland and upon us Is it not as clear as the Sun that the disturbance began with their imposition of their own Service-book upon them Have not they their Preachers sought to infuse such principles into Kings that all is theirs to dispose on as they please That they are bound to no Laws A doctrine condemned by the Heathens We reade of Trajan the Emperour when he ordained any Pretor giving him the sword he would bid him use the sword against his enemies in just causes and if he himselfe did otherwise then Justice to use then his power against him also And as Ministers so people that have been most conscientious they have been cryed out of as disturbers Thus it was in the Primitive times if there were any evils upon the Countries where the Christians dwelt they cryed out of them as the cause of all the voice presently was Christianos ad Leones bring forth the Christians to the Lyons so now the Round-heads the cause of all Men that will examine things and are not mad with malice wonder how such an apprehension can arise They suffer the wrong and yet they are accused for the trouble of the Kingdom by reason of their sufferings they are more in the view of people then other men and therefore when men are in a rage they fall upon them that are next hand They indeed will not yeeld to such illegall things as others will they think themselves bound what lies in them to keep the Kingdome and their posterities from slavery and for this good service although it cost them deare they must be accounted the cause of all the evill in the Kingdome Did they ever plot any Treason as Papists have done from time to time Did they even in times of Popery ever seek to blow up Parliament houses as Papists have done There is a great deale of stir about these men but what have they done the very foundations of this our Land are out of course but what have the righteous done So far as they can they yeeld active obedience to what Law requires of them in what they cannot yeeld active they yeeld passive and what can man require more of them Onely they wil not yeeld to mens wils and lusts beyond that authority they have over them and who wil that hath the spirit of a man in him But these are not friends to the King Surely those who obey so far cannot without extreme malice be accounted enemies to the King They pray more for the King then any people doe yea they do more for him and his in a right way then any people doe Who have ventured so much of their estates to reduce Ireland to the obedience of the King as those that are thus called Round-heads Will it not be found that some few of these in the City of London have disbursed more of their estates for the Kings service in this thing to keepe this his lawfull inheritance in his possession and for his posterity then all those thousands that are now with the King in his Army And heretofore who were the men that were most free with their estates to assist the Parl and to have recovered the Palatinate but these kinde of men Howsoever now God sees and the world sees they are ill requited at this day No no God and we hope in time Man also will find our other troublers of the Kingdom rather then these The Lord judge between us and our adversaries in this thing As for the great cost charge the Kingdom is at 1. We must know those who have done least in this kind complaine most those upon whom the weight and burden of the work hath layn you heare not to make such complaints of the charge 2. Better venture halfe then lose all In this thing that saying is true Dimidium plus toto If we be too sparing now it is the onely way to lose all it is better to have but a piece sure then by venturing to keep all to lose all If we will keep all we may soon lose all as many have done they have kept their estates for the spoilers Yea we were better to have lesse as our own with freedom then more with bondage at the wils of others Times of extreme danger are no times of complaining of charges If a mans house be on fire were it not absurd for him to cry out against breaking of the tiles because it wil put him to charges There is a story of a man who in discontent hanged himself his servant comming into the room at that instant seeing his master hanging he presently cuts down the rope so saves his life afterward this man being extreamly covetous wrangles with his servant because he would rather cut the rope then untye it so put him to more charges Doth not all lie at the stake is not the very life of the Kingdom in danger is it not time for us now to have our hearts raised above these things Let us take heed our covetousnesse be not our undoing and if our enemies find treasure with us then how justly may they mock and jeere us When Constantinople was taken in the yeer 1453. it appears by the Turkish History that it was lost through the Citizens covetousnesse The Citizens were full of gold and silver when it was taken but would not pay the souldiers that should have defended them and so their enemies made merry with their riches The like is reported of Heydelburgh taken by their enemies not many yeers since upon the like ground God hath been beforehand with us in many mercies and he hath yet more rich and glorious mercies for us that surely will pay for all at last over and over again We are unworthy of our liberties unworthy of the Gospell if we prize them at so low a rate as if they were not transcendently above all the costs we have been at or are like to be at We think these charges much but there is not one yeare wherein our neighbours in the Low Countries are not at far more charge then we have been at this chargeable yeare all our extraordinary charges are below their ordinary But although there is nothing can be said but God allows of these wars yet were it not better in prudence that I be not seen in them for if I be
The glorious Name of God The Lord of Hosts Opened in two SERMONS At MICHAELS Cornhill LONDON Vindicating the Commission from this Lord of Hosts to Subjects in some case to take up Arms. WITH A POST-SCRIPT Briefly Answering A LATE TREATISE BY HENRY FERNE D. D. BY JER BURROUGHES PSAL. 48. 8. As we have heard so have we seen in the City of the Lord of Hosts LONDON Printed for R. Dawlman 1643. To his Excellencie ROBERT Earle of Essex Viscount Hereford Baron Ferrars of Chartley Lord Bourchier and Lovaine one of His Majesties most Honourable Privie Counsel and General of the Army raised by the Parliament in defence of the true Protestant Religion His Majesties Person the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdom and the priviledges of Parliament THere is no man this day upon the face of the earth whom it more concernes to have this name of God The Lord of Hosts presented to him in the due lustre glory of it then your Excellencie whom the Lord hath not onely honoured to stand up even in the fore front to maintain his cause and the cause of his people but he hath even put upon you this his owne name he hath made you the Lord of his Hosts It is that which every Souldier may justly glory in that God himselfe seems to affect the glory of Arms when he causeth himselfe to be as it were sir-named THE LORD OF HOSTS The beams of this glorious name puts some lustre upon the meanest in an Army What a lustre then doth it put upon your Excellencie who stand so neare it Happy the time that ever you were borne to be made use of by God and his people in so noble and honourable a service as this We reade ZECH. 3. 3. of Joshua that great instrument of Reformation in the returne of JUDAH from her Captivity that he stood in filthy garments but the Angel spake to those who stood before him saying Take away the filthy garments from him and unto him he said Behold I have caused thine iniquity to passe from thee and I wil cloathe thee with change of rayment Those who stand up most eminent and forward in the cause of God and his people shal ever have some who wil seek to stain their glory by slanders and reproachfull names to put them into vile garments what viler garment can there be then the garment of Treason and Rebellion But the Angel stands by to take off these vile garments and to clense his servants even from this nominall iniquity he will put change of rayment upon them he will one day make it appeare that there were none so faithfull to God their King and Countrey as they The Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem saith the Text ver 2. wil rebuke them who thus stand up against his servants The Lord who hath set his heart to bring mercie to Jerusalem to his Church will certainly rebuke such as stand to resist the great instruments thereof Wherefore that which the Angel of the Lord protested to JOSHUA v. 6. I may in the name of the Lord with a little change protest unto your Excellencie Thus saith the Lord of Hosts if you will walke in my wayes and if you will keepe my charge then you shall have an eminencie in my house and I will give you places among these that stand by That is among the blessed Angels in the heavens If a cup of cold water shall not go without a reward surely then the venturing estate liberty limbes honour bloud life for the cause of Christ shall not goe without its reward Wherefore most noble Lord of our Hosts yea of the Hosts of God Goe on with true Heroicke magnanimity and prosper in the name of this glorious Lord of hosts The prayers of the Churches are for you the blessings of the Saints are upon you I beleeve never any Generall upon the earth hath been mentioned more in heaven then your Excellencie hath been and yet is in this cause That which is storyed of the Crosse appearing to CONSTANTINE with these words HOC VINCES I may with far more confidence apply to this name of God The Lord of hosts This I present unto your Excellence with this Motto Hoc vinces The name is in it selfe a box of sweet ointment give me leave to open it before your Excellencie that it may be fragrant indeed and adde quickning and strength To that true noble heroick spirit fit for great actions that God hath honoured you withall I here humbly present it opened and poured forth The blessing of it be upon you and those great things undertaken by you which is and shal be the prayer of Your Excellencies in all humble service and duty Jer. Burroughes To the Reader THe necessity of the time put me to preach upon this subject the City being in great feare of a great Army comming against it in the name of the King and the necessity of the subject for this time made me not unwilling to yeeld to the making my meditations upon this subject yet more publike Something I have enlarged especially in the argument of justifying the present taking up armes so much cryed down as if it were against the King to be by commission from the Lord of Hosts which is discussed page 27. and so on the satisfation of the consciences of men in this thing is of so great consequence in this time that every man is bound to afford what help hereunto he is able I should have had guilt lye grating upon mine own conscience if I had stifled what I might afford to the helping towards the satisfaction of others although therefore I am not ignorant but sensible enough that it is an argument wherein a man runs hazard enough yet whatsoever I suffer in it may I be usefull I have enough This I can say if I ever did or am like to publish any thing in the uprightnes of my heart aiming at the glory of God and thy good I blesse God I have comfort in this and in this whatsoever the issue be I shal rejoyce Certainly things had never come to that passe they are at if mens consciences had bin rightly informed in the liberties God hath given them The infusing contrary principles and making men beleeve that the subject must and would suffer any thing rather then rise up to maintaine his own right hath beene the cause of the bold adventures of many amongst us What I have said is breife comming to you as a Sermon it could not admit of larger discourse but if there be need it would not be very difficult to enlarge these things in another way Read for thy profit and I have my end Yours to serve for Christ Jer Burroughes IT is ordered this first day of December 1642. by the Committee of the House of Commons in Parliament concerning Printing That this Book entituled The glorious Name of God The Lord of Hosts be printed by Robert Dawlman appointed thereunto by M. Ieremy Burroughes the
Author thereof John White The glorious Name of God The Lord of Hosts ESAY 47. 4. The Lord of Hosts is his Name IN this Chapter wee have Gods mercie to his Church threatning the destruction of Babylon When Babylon is used as Gods rod it is then cast into the fire If Israel when God was about to deliver from Babylonish Captivity should aske the Question that Moses thought would be asked upon his sending to be their Deliverer from the Egyptian bondage What is his Name Exod. 13. 3. The Prophet answers here The Lord of Hosts is his Name There his Name was I am Here it is The Lord of Hosts And if they should say But how can this deliverance be here Can Babylon bee destroyed Babylon is strong who shall bring downe her power Yes there is one can doe it The Lord our Redeemer The Lord of Hosts is his Name Here then we have this glorious title of the Lord for the comfort of his people in their distresse and the terrour of their enemies in their pride The Lord of Hosts The Lord of Armies The English word Hosts is from the Latine Hostis because an Army is either for defence or offence against enemies The Redeemer of Gods people is the Lord of Hosts The work then I have to do in this Sermon is to teach you how to sanctifie the Name of the Lord in this his glorious title The Lord of Hosts It is the duty of the Saints to observe what the way of God is in the times of their generation To see what name of God is most conspicuous in his administration accordingly to sanctifie that Name of his We may say of this Name of God The Lord of Hosts as God himselfe sayes of his Name Jehovah Exod. 6. 3. By my Name Jehovah was I not known to them So by this name The Lord of Hosts God hath scarce been known to us here in England but now he appears to us by this name in a glorious way And we shall not know how to sanctifie it except wee search into it to see how much of Gods glory there is in it which we shall find much more then at first view seems to be then most of us have ever thought All Gods titles are full of excellencie The excellencie of this I shall open unto you that this Name of God may not be taken in vain by you but be sanctified as it is worthy It is a title that God hath heretofore delighted much yea gloryed much in we find it not lesse then two hundred times in the Old Testament and most frequently in the Prophecie of Zechariah Chap. 1. ver 3. we have it three times in one verse and in one short Chapter Zech. 8. we have it there eighteene times But why is it used so frequently in that Prophecie more then others Because the scope of that Prophecie was to encourage the people of God in building up Ierusalem and the Temple in which work they had many enemies and therefore they had need of a spirit of magnanimity and fortitude in it Hence it was the Lord revealed himselfe to them so much by the name of The Lord of Hosts Times of Reformation Temple-work usually meets with much with strong opposition We had need therefore to have this name of God in our eye and sanctifie it in our hearts in such times while such work is on foot It is true God did this work without bloud-shed it was done not by power or by might but by the Spirit of the Lord as we have it Zech. 4. 6. but because the work was such as in regard of second causes needed an Army to effect it although God did it himselfe yet his Name was to be sanctified in it as the Lord of Hosts In the New Testament we seldome find this title it is but twice that I remember in all the New Testament and in one of those two places it is quoted out of the Old Testament Rom. 9. 29. There the Hebrew word is retained The Lord of Sabbaoth not of Sabbath as many take it There is a great difference between these two The Lord of Sabbath and The Lord of Sabbaoth The one is the Lord of rest the other is the Lord of Hosts those words come from a different root in the Hebrew The second place is James 5. 4. and there you have not the English word Hosts but the Hebrew word Sabbaoth likewise In the New Testament we have Gods Titles fuller of sweetnesse and grace as The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ The God of all consolation The Father of mercies The God of peace c. The more cause have we to be humbled who live in the times of the Gospel and yet are come to such times wherein God hath changed as it were his name and even in the times of the Gospel appears to us in this dreadfull name of his The Lord of Hosts This Title is in it selfe a very fearfull one and yet before we have done with it we shall find it like that name of Christ Cant. 1. 3. Thy name is as an ointment poured forth a sweet refreshing pleasant ointment In the 2. of Sam. Chap. 6. ver 2. the Lord speaks of this name of his set between the Cherubims Whose name is called by the name of the Lord of Hosts that dwelleth between the Cherubims Now you know the Mercy-seat was between the Cherubims and that which I shall endeavour this day is To shew you this name of the Lord of Hosts written upon the mercy-seat between the Cherubims Although it be dreadfull in it selfe yet all Gods Saints shall have it this day presented to them from the mercie-seat A name as full of goodnesse and mercy as our hearts can desire We have already seen in this Kingdom the Lord of Hosts upon his Mercy-seat making this his dreadfull title to be amiable and lovely to us from thence dispensing grace and abundance of mercy in the manifestation of this his glorious title It is comfortable to behold the Lord of Hosts sitting upon his Mercy-seat and thus am I to present him this day unto you Now God is called The Lord of Hosts in two respects First because all creatures in heaven and in earth are his armies He is the absolute great Lord over them all The Angels Sunne Moon Stars the Dragons the Deeps the Fire Haile Snow Wind the Mountains Trees Cedars the Beasts and all creeping things the flying Fowles the Kings of the earth and all people are the Hosts of the Lord. Psal 148. ver 2. c. Secondly in regard of that speciall providence of God in the great affaires of wars and battels in the world It is true the providence of God is over the least things in the world but God challengeth a more speciall and peculiar ackowledgment of his work of Providence about War-like affaires in regard whereof he takes this title to himselfe The Lord of Hosts If I should
Lord Ye shall not goe up to fight against your brethren returne every man to his house The Text sayes They hearkned to the word of the Lord and returned to depart according to the word of the Lord. What a mighty work of God was this what power hath God over the spirits of men yea of the greatest who think it an unsufferable dishonor to be controlled in any thing they have set their hearts upon Rehoboam a wicked man in the heighth of his pride and wrath thus strong apprehending himselfe exceedingly wronged so much of his Kingdome rent from him and there comes onely a poore Prophet and speakes to him in the name of This Lord of Hosts that hee should not fight against his brethren and all is stayed he returnes back again and sits down quiet Oh that now some Prophet of the Lord might have accesse to His Majesty and tell him that hee must not goe this way he doth that he is drawn aside by evill men about him that there is a misunderstanding betweene him and his people that nothing is done by us but according to the minde of God that we doe not endeavour to deprive him of any lawfull power he hath given him by God or man but onely to preserve our lawfull liberties as truly ours as he is born unto the Crown and that we might with peace enjoy the Gospell and serve the Lord and His Majesty in our own Land 11. The providence of God in war is great in removing it from one place to another The Lord of Hosts gives the sword commission to ride circuite from one Land to another Countrey and from one part of a Kingdome unto another Ezech. 14. 17. Or if I bring a sword upon that Land and say Sword goe through the Land so that I cut off man and beast in it The sword hath beene in many parts of our Land already even in the utmost parts Northumberland and Cornwall the two extremities of the Land as Dan and Bersheba in the Land of Canaan Just were it with God to give it commission to goe up and downe in the midst of it yea in great part hee hath done it already and how is it devouring even almost round about us the guilt of the misery our brethren have suffered the guilt of their blood is upon the whole Kingdome in as much as the whole Kingdome hath not risen even as one man to prevent it but wee suffer our brethren in severall places to bee devoured one after another one countrey hopes it will not come there and another countrey hopes it shall escape and in the meane time wee suffer our brethren to bee spoyled Jer. 12. 12. The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wildernesse They are come from the Countrey to the City the Countrey is to them but as a wildernesse in comparison of the City For the Sword shall devoure from the one end of the Land to the other no flesh shall have peace Jer. 25. 15. The Lord bade the Prophet take the cup of the wine of his fury and cause all the Nations to whom I send thee to drink it God hath given other Nations this cup of his fury France Holland Germany have beene drinking these 24. yeeres Spain Italy have had it a little of the top of it Scotland had we were afraid of it then here and they and we cryed to God If it be possible let this cup of blood passe from us and God in his great mercie caused it to passe from us but it went to our brethren in Ireland they have drunke deepe of it and still are drinking and whether God intends that wee shall drinke the dregs of it we know not wee had neede doe as Christ did in his Agonie Luk. 22. 44. yet pray more earnestly the second and third time If it be possible let this cup of bloud passe from us If an Agony cause Christs spirit to rise in Prayer it should then do ours it is a sad thing to have our spirits heavy dull and strait in such a time as this 12. The work of this Lord of Hosts in Warre is to give wisdome and counsell for the managing of the affaires of it and hee takes away wisdome and counsell when he pleaseth 2 Sam. 22. 35. Thou teachest my hands to war and my fingers to fight The same wee have Psal 144. 1. Other Generals have their Councell of War to help them that they may not miscarry in it but this Lord of Hosts gives all the counsell and wisdome from himselfe to all under him And in this there is much of Gods glory Esay 28. 24 25 26 27. The Lord accounts it his glory that hee teacheth the Plowman to plow his ground to sow his seede to thresh his corne his God doth instruct him to discretion the Text sayes much more then is the glory of God in giving wisdome to order and to leade Armies And when the Lord pleaseth he takes away counsail he besots men in their counsails mingles a perverse spirit amongst them befools them he turns their counsails upside downward and insnares them in the work of their own hands This made David pray against the counsaile of Achitophel 2 Sam. 15. 31. O Lord turne the counsail of Achitophel into foolishnesse what counsail that was you may finde 2 Sam. 17. 2. Fall upon him while he is weary and weake This war was raised up against David for his sin and yet God heares Davids prayer against Achitophel The same counsell was given against our Army of late by a great Achitophel when the question was whether they should come to the City or fall upon the Army the counsail cast it upon the Army because they were weary and weake not being together and how hath God turned that counsail into folly it hath bin our safety and preservation but their shame There God wrought for David in that Achitophels counsail was not followed although it was a more politique counsail it had more warlike wisdome in it then Hushaies had but for us God wrought in that Achitophels counsail was followed Thus Isai 19. 11. Surely the Princes of Zoan are fooles the counsails of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh are become brutish where are they where are the wise men and again The Princes of Zoan are become fooles Why are the Princes of Zoan so much mentioned there Because Zoan was the Metropolis of Egypt where the great counsail of Egypt was and verse 14. The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof and they have caused Egypt to erre in every worke thereof as a drunkenman staggereth in his vomit Jerom upon the place adds this to expresse the meaning Non solum ebrii sed vomentes furorē draconū furorē aspidum insanabilem not onely drunken but vomiting the fury of Dragons the incurable fury of Aspes And is not this the vomit of our adversaries at this day who are drunke with
malice and rage against us yea against Christ himselfe and his Saints 13. The spirit of valour and courage is also from this Lord of Hosts When the Spirit of the Lord came upon Sampson Gideon and others of the Worthies of the Lord what great things did they Heb. 11. 33 34. Who through faith subdued Kingdomes stopped the mouthes of Lyons out of weaknesse were made strong waxed valiant in sight turned to slight the Armies of the Aliens It was through faith they were enabled to doe all this faith fetcht valour and courage from this Lord of Hosts Hag. 1. 14. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel and the spirit of Joshua and the spirit of all the Remnant of the people and they came and did worke in the house of the Lord of Hosts their God It was a warlike spirit to resist their enemies to encounter with dangers God hath stirred up a spirit in many of our Nobles in our Worthies of Parliament in some of our people if a spirit were now stirred up in the remnant of our people our worke would soone bee at an end It were the unworthiest yea the most horrible thing that ever was in this world that now people should forsake Nobility those they have chosen in Parliament and Ministers who have had a spirit to stand up for God and their liberties Oh that a spirit of indignation would arise in the whole Kingdome that they may not suffer themselves to be baffled out of their Religion their Liberties their estates by a generation of vile men that are risen up amongst us Zac. 10. 3 5. The Lord of Hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battel They shall be as mighty men which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battel It seems they presumed to come into their towns and Cities therefore sayes the Text They shall tread them down us mire in the streets They are vile and therefore to be trodden down as mire in the streets The spirits of those that seem to be the greatest terror amongst us are mean and base What worthy thing have they ever done have they ever stood before those that opposed them All their valour is in going up and down to Countrey houses in a poore unworthy manner pillaging and pilfring A spirit in people raised by God would scorne to be brought under by men of such spirits as these Further as God gives a spirit of courage so he takes it away when he pleases Is 19. 16. And in that day shall Egypt be like unto women and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of Hosts which he shaketh over it and the land of Judah shal be a terror unto Egypt every one that maketh mention thereof shal be afraid in himself because of the counsell of the Lord of Hosts It may be they will not confesse that they are afraid but may make their boast as if they had got the better but marke the words every one shall be afraid in himself If we could look into their bosoms we should see blacknes tremblings the terror of the Lord upon them Ps 76. 5 The stout hearted are spoiled they have slept their sleep none of the men of might have found their hands at thy rebuke O Lord the horse chariot are cast into a dead sleep and v. 12. He shal cut off the spirit of Princes he is terrible to the Kings of the earth he shall wipe them off as a man will doe a flower between his fingers or as easily as a bunch of grapes is cut off from the vine 14. The Lord of Hosts hath the absolute power over all weapons in battel to let them prosper or not prosper as he pleaseth This is beyond all the Generals in the world Isay 54. 17. No weapons formed against thee shall prosper If any shal say This is a speciall promise to them at that time mark what follows This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord This that is this promise of the Lord is the inheritance of his servants Now we of late have had the benefit of this our inheritance the last Lords day fortnight we did inherit this promise when there were 17. Canons discharged from the Adversary and not one man slain by them How was this made good that no weapon formed against thee shall prosper The adversary was enraged at this they said they thought the devil was in the powder No it was God that was there fulfilling this promise of his to his servants 15. All the successe in battels is from the Lord of Hosts It is not in men nor ammunition nor in advantages Eccles 9. 11. The battel is not to the strong A horse is but a vaine thing for safety Psal 33. 17. Behold is it not of the Lord of Hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity Hab. 2. 13. Yea lastly the whole battel is the Lords when it is a just cause 1 Sam. 17. 47. The battel is the Lords Now you see what the Scripture saith about Gods providence in battel You have the summe presented here together in which is a full and strong encouragement to those who fight the battels of the Lord. Now if the Question be asked Why doth the Lord thus work in Armies The Answer is 1. Because the lives of men are precious to him In them multitudes of creatures are cast for their eternall estates If not a sparrow not a haire from the head falls to the ground without providence much lesse the life of a creature appointed for eternity 2. Because of the great things of consequence that depend upon War the mighty turnes of Nations and changes of Kingdoms depend upon them But how comes it to passe seeing God is thus The Lord of Hosts that yet the adversaries of Gods people doe often prevaile in battel 1. It is for the chastisement of his people Ashur is made sometimes the rod of Gods anger Jer. 12. 7. I have given the dearly beloved of my soule into the hands of her enemies She is the dearly beloved of Gods soule yet she is given into the hands of her enemies We must not judge by the present prevailing that God loves those who have the day and hath rejected those who seeme to have the worst God sometimes for chastisement brings the worst of men upon them Ezek. 7. 24. I will bring the worst of the heathen and they shall possesse their houses The Lord hath raised up against us many that are the worst the vilest upon the face of the earth and they have possessed the houses of many of his Saints the dearly beloved of Gods soule We use to take the vilest the worst of men to be Hangmen the worst rags and clouts to scoure withall It is an argument that we are very foule
and faction but who is the Schismatike who are the factious men now Now although there be Ordinances from the highest Court of Judicature in a Kingdom these men forget what arguments they were wont to use to poore Country men in their Courts to be obedient to Authority and and what are you wiser then the Governours of the Church who presume to shew themselves wiser then their Governours now If any shall say howsoever those who yeeld not to ordinances of Parl. cannot be accounted Schismatiques because that is a rending from the Church The House of Parl. may as truly have the denomination of the Church as the Prelats their Chancellors Commissaries Officials will they not acknowledge the House of parl to have as much power to govern the Church as they have surely they dare not speak out Yea the Houses of Parl. are as truly Gods Clergie although there be never a Prelat there as the Bishops or Ministers are it is a proud arrogation of theirs to make themselves Gods Clergie that is Gods lot or Heritage thereby distinguishing themselves from the people when as the Scripture makes the people Gods Clergie by way of distinction from the Ministers but never the Ministers Gods Clergie by way of distinction from the people as 1. Pet. 5. 3. Neither as being Lords over Gods heritage hee speakes to Ministers that they may not Lord over the Clergie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the words are let any shew me now where Ministers in distinction from people are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from whence their word Clergie comes but thus in matters of Church government as well as in Civill have people been deluded But are not many if not most of the House of Commons men of meane quality in comparison and what must the great affaires of King and Kingdome be ordered by them 1. Would you know why so many of the Gentry in most Counties throughout the Kingdome are so malignant surely it lies in great part in this objection they look with an envious eye at the Parliament because they think themselves as good men yea and far better then many of them there and why should not they have been chosen in as well as those that are this pride and envie of theirs makes them swel at every thing the House of Cōmons doth it makes them forget that the liberties of themselves and posterities together with the whole Commons of the Kingdom are maintained in such a way of choise of the Members of that House howsoever for the present it hath not falne upon themselves besides many of thē had rather inslave themselves their posterities to those above them then not to have their wils upon those that are under them they would faine bring it to be with us as it is in France that the Gentry should be under the Nobility and Courtiers and all the country people the pesants bee under them as slaves they live in miserable bondage under the Gentrey there who generally are Cavalliers There is no Countrey in the world where countrey men such as we call the yeomandry yea and their Farmers and workmen under them doe live in that fashion and freedome as they doe in England in all other places they are slaves in comparison their lives are so miserable as they are not worth the enjoying they have no influence at all into the government they are under nothing to doe in the making of Laws or any way consenting to them but must receive them from others according to their pleasure but in England every Free-holder hath an influence into the making and consenting every Law he is under and enjoyes his owne with as true a title as the Nobleman enjoyes whatsoever is his This freedome many of the proud Gentry are vexed at and hence it is their hearts rise so against those that are chosen by them and against their Ordinances But the Commons begin to discerne this more then they have done and to be so wise as to hold their own faster then formerly they have 2. Whatsoever quality any man is of before he be invested with power should be no prejudice to his power when once he is invested with it If a Prince should be chosen out of a meane condition as many have been must not he be obeyed as a Prince notwithstanding that as Saul Agathocles and others would it not be accounted an high offence yea Treason for any to refuse obedience to a Prince upon this ground that when he and that Family was chosen perhaps neither he nor his family was the fittest and ablest that might have been had No we are to rest in the choice being made Is not the reason the same in this although the degree inferiour The one is the supreme man in authority the other a Member of the supreme Court of Judicature and regulating all authority 3. Yet further the honour of the Members of the House of Commons consists much in this although personally some of them are not of very high quality yet they are representative of whole Shires Counties Cities whereas the Noble-men themselves are not thus representative every one is there for himself and for the good of the Kingdom because in regard of his estate and honour that he is born to hee hath a deeper share then other men in the good of the kingdome 4. Such is the constitution of the Government of this Kingdom that the Commons of the Land choosing so many to represent them have that power that they may so moderate the Government by Nobility Monarchie that neither of them may grow into a Tyrannie but govern by Statute Law made by the three Estates and the Common Law judged by Courts of Judicature that Law hath enabled thereunto And this power seeing they have it by the constitution of the Government of this kingdome that sutable to the very law of Nature both His Majesty and the Nobles do beleeve so far as the Law of God and Nature will give leave they will maintain with all their might But what would the Lords or Commons have hath not the King graciously yeelded to them almost in all things they can desire why doe they now stand out so as they doe True we acknowledge with all humble thankfulnesse to God and his Majestie for what he hath done what is for the good of the Kingdom surely is for the good of his Majestie too and if it be so worthy an Act of the King to yeeld his royall assent to those things that are so beneficiall for his Majesty and the kingdome then surely the Act of Commons Lords must have their due praise in preparing such good things first in voting them and presenting them to his Majesty for his Royall assent to them But then you say What would they have more what doe they stand for more They desire that and stand for that now without which all is done is nothing all that
we heare that blessed voice The Kingdomes of the earth are the Lords his Christs and he shall reigne for evermore O that thy Kingdome might come more powerfully in our hearts and that it might be more conspicuous in Church and State The speciall reason thou knowest why we are willing to venture our selves as we do to endure any hardship to part with our estates is that Antichrist may never rule amongst us againe but that we and our posterity may be under the Kingdome of Jesus Christ Surelie this is the voice of those who have the Lord of Hosts to be their God That is an everlasting rule If he be thy King he is thy God Now then for the full comfort and encouragement the Church of God may take from this glorious name Consider the Relation that the Church hath to this Lord of Hosts and the Relation this Lord of Hosts hath to the Church For the first 1. The Church is the City of the Lord of Hosts it is not onelie Gods Citie but his Citie under this Title Psal 48. 8. As we have heard so have we seen in the City of the Lord of Hosts Wee may comfortablie say This Citie of London is the City of the Lord of Hosts God hath precious Saints here abundance of them and it hath done worthilie for the honour of the Lord of Hosts of late and therefore surely the Lord of Hosts will defend it If there bee any Citie under heaven that may be called The Citie of the Lord of Hosts then I am confident the Citie of London may But we are to take here the City in a spirituall sense for the Church of God as it is usuall in Scripture Now we know when an Army hath to do with a City that is in the inheritance of the Generall then if there be any power in Generall or Army it will bee all put forth to the utmost either for the defence or gaining that City As the City of Breda in the Low-Countries when that was besieged it was soon won by the Army of the Prince of Orange because that City was the Princes own City his proper inheritance he had a speciall eye and care over that City Surely the eye and care of this Lord of Hosts though it be over Towns and Countries and walled Cities yet it is most over his Church if he hath any power in all the Armies in heaven and earth it shal be put forth for the defence of and supplying good unto this City Hence that passage in the prayer of Solomon 1 King 8 44. If thy people go to battell and shall pray to the Lord toward the City which thou hast chosen then heare in heaven Jerusalem was the City God then chose which was but a type of every Church in the time of the Gospel 2. The Church is the Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts Esay 5. 7. For the Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel Certainly God will not suffer the wild beasts and boares of the field to devoure and lay waste his Vineyard A Generall will be very carefull in keeping enemies out of fruitfull Countries but especially our of his own Vineyard We reade 1 Kin. 21. 2 3. how loth Naboth was to part with his Vineyard though King Ahab was sick for it yet God forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee Gods Vineyard is beloved of him and deer to him Esa 27. 3. I the Lord keep it I will water it every moment lest any hurt it I will keep it night and day 3. It is the Mountain of the Lord of Hosts Zac. 8. 3. in which regard God professeth himself very jealous for it Thus saith the Lord of Hosts I was jealous for Sion with great jealousie I was jealous for her with great fury He gives the reason in the latter end of the 3. ver Jerusalem shall be called the City of truth and the Mountain of the Lord of Hosts the holy Mountain As if the Lord should say What are they come to hurt my Mountaine my holy Mountaine my Church Fury riseth up in the face of God presently Yea Esa 31. 4. When the Lord comes to fight for mount Sion he comes forth as the young Lion roaring on his prey so shall the Lord of Hosts come downe to fight for Mount Sion God will leave heaven to fight for his Church will not you leave your shops and your houses 4 The Church is the house of the Lord of Hosts Hag. 1. 14. The Text sayes They did worke in the house of the Lord of Hosts which typified Gods Church A Generall will fight to maintain his own house it were a signe the enemy had prevailed indeed if hee should come and plunder the Generals own house In regard of this that is said of the Church to bee Gods House vve have that expression Psal 24. 9 10. Lift up your heads O ye Gates even lift them up ye everlasting doores and the King of glory shall come in Who is the King of glory The Lord of Hosts he is the King of glory You know when a Prince comes to his own house the great gates are set open when other men come thither they come in at the wicket at some lesse doore but when he comes himselfe then all is set wide open 5. The Church is the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts Isay 18. 7. To the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts Mount Sion now Gods name is deare and precious to him It is a great priviledge God grants to his Church that it is the place he chooseth to set his name there Exod. 20. 24. Nehem. 1. 9. As God would have us highly to esteem that place to seeke after that place as Deut. 12. 5. Unto the place where God shall choose to put his name there shall ye seeke and thither shalt thou come thither shall you bring your burnt Offerings and Sacrifices c. So surely God himself puts a high price upon that place and he will preserve it 6. The Church is the place of the glorious reign of the Lord of Hosts Isa 24. 23. The Moon shall be confounded and the Sun ashamed when the Lord of hosts shal reign in Mount Sion and in Jerusalem before his Elders gloriously God hath yet a further and more glorious Kingdome to be set up in his Church then ever hath been at which all the glory of the world shall be darkned by reason of the brightnesse of this glory it is the Lord of Hosts that shall thus reigne Surely then all the Hosts shall have their strength put forth in defence of and providing for this place of this glorious reigne of their great Generall 7. The Church is the people of the Lord of Hosts Zep. 2. 10 11. This shall they have for their pride because they have reproached magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of Hosts The Lord will be terrible
to shift out as well as they can for his part he is loth to meddle or stir he may bring himselfe into trouble when he needs not no he will not you cannot bring him to it To such men it may well be said as Moses to the children of Gad and the children of Reuben Numb 32. 6. Shall your brethren goe to war and shall ye sit here Why shall they encounter with dangers and suffer hard things and you sit still and have your ease you may have shifts and pretences for this but to you I say this day as Moses to them ver 23. If ye will not joyne with your brethren behold ye have sinned against the Lord and be sure your sin will find you out 3. A spirit of valour Such a one as is indeed the spirit of a souldier of this Lord of Hosts when hardnesse when troubles come it is able to endure them 2 Tim. 2. 3. As a good souldier of Jesus Christ endure hardnes Many seem to be resolute before troubles come but when they come they cannot bear them Romanū est fortia pati a speech of Mutius Scaevola More true Christianum est fortia pati if part of a Romane to suffer great things much more of a Christian If you be dainty and cannot suffer you are not fit to be a Christian Nimis delicatus es saith Tertullian you are too delicate The Eagle shews the generousnesse of her spirit that though she suffers hunger she will not make a noise as other fowls do when they want meat it is not for a souldier to complain of cold of want of a meale or two of hard lodging c. From this ability of his spirit to endure hardnesse 1. He doth not repent of his engagements of what he hath undertaken or done when he meets with troubles and many sore afflictions in his way as the base spirit of a coward will do That Scripture Exo. 13. 17. is very observable for this God sayes there that he would not lead the people of Israel through the land of the Philistims although that was neare for God said Lest peradventure the people repent them when they see war and return into Egypt God saw they were of a low mean spirit though they groaned under the bondage of Egypt and cryed for deliverance God had delivered them with a mighty hand yet when they met with any danger they would begin to repent that ever they came out of Egypt and wish themselves there again And indeed we find in the History of their being in the Wildernesse that upon every strait they were in they began to murmur and often said Oh that we were in Egypt again But what would they have done then if they had presently met with wars when the Spies told them of the children of Anak that they must fight with When they were even at the borders of Canaan they were disouraged were about making themselves a Captain to return to Egypt These were men of a poore vile spirit hence God sware against them that none of them should ever come into Canaan onely Caleb and Joshua who were men of another spirit as the holy Ghost testifies of them they should go in possesse the land Thus it is this day with us how did we not long agoe groan under our bondage our liberties our religion our estates were almost gone we scarce knew what was our own our Ministers were banished every man that departed from evill made himself a prey superstition oppression cruelty prevailed throughout the Land The whole Kingdome was filled with complaints and sighs and groans by reason of their cruel bondage Vile men were exalted and men of precious spirits were cast out as filth Now when wee knew no means of help but lay down under our burdens and were as a Kingdome devoted to misery then did the Lord appeare in a glorious manner when he saw there was no man that would stand up and help Nay such was the malady as it seemed even to be past help The Lords owne arme hath brought salvation never did God more wonderfully appeare for a nation then he hath done for us strange have the workings of the Lord bin and behold how great a deliverance hath he wrought and he hath given an opportunity to this Kingdom to deliver it self fully if we have hearts the thing is soon done But now because some troubles arise because we see war in our gates how vile unworthy are the spirits of many they begin to wish themselves to be as formerly they would rather return into Egypt again we were better be as we were we were not wont to hear the beatings of the Drum the noise of the Cannon the ratling of warlike instruments amongst us 2. This strength of spirit doth so support him under the heaviest sorest afflictions that he will never seek to deliver himself out of them by forsaking the cause of God or using any shifting indirect means but as Paul told those officers that were sent from the Magistrates of Philippi to fetch him out of prison Acts 16. 35 36 37. They have cast us into prison let them come themselves and fetch us out in this Paul shewed what a spirit he had he stood upon an honourable way of deliverance the same doth every true souldier of Christ stand upon God himself hath brought me into affliction now temptation shewes some back door to get out of it slily Nay saies a spirit of courage certainly I will never go out that way let the Lord come himself and fetch me out Fourthly A spirit beseeming the childe of this great Captain aims at doing great things for God and enjoying great things from God although with hazard of great troubles and afflictions rather then will sit down with small things that are to be done or enjoyed with ease and safety sometimes God hath high things of great consequence to bring to passe rich glorious mercies for his Churches but great difficulties must be passed through to reach these Men of low and meane spirits look upon them as things above them and so they mind them not much they had rather satisfie themselves in lower meaner things so they may have ease and not hazard present comforts It is otherwise with a true raised spirit that hath courage and magnanimity in it such an one rejoyceth in Gods highnes as we have the expression Isay 13. 3. I have commanded my sanctfied ones I have also called my mighty ones even them that rejoyce in my highnesse If God hath high things to accomplish these Sanctified ones mighty ones will rejoyce in this highnesse of God contrary to that spirit of Issachar of whom Gen. 49. 14 15. Issachar is a strong Asse couching down betweene two burthens and he saw that rest was good and the Land that it was pleasant and bowed his shoulder to beare and became a servant to tribute He was loath to hazard his peace hee had good farms a fat soile
becomes of them as if there were no such men and women of resolution like them but in Gods cause they have no such spirit they are far enough from resolutenesse and courage there they are not valiant for the truth as Jer. speaks Chap. 9. 3. But it is our wisdome if we have any metall in us any spirit of courage not to lavish it out in mean and unworthy things in our own causes but to reserve it for God God may call us to such things as we may find need of all the metal and courage we have in our hearts though it were much more then it is When soldiers have but a little powder and feare an enemie they will not spend that they have vainly but keep it till they have use of it they know not what they may need Be not you so presently on fire if you be crossed keep the activity the vigour of your spirits for God for the maintenance of his truth and cause Lastly hee had rather dye honourable then live basely Viri fortis est aut pulchrè vivere aut fortiter mori It is the part of a valiant man either to live honourably or to dye valiantly It was a speech of Cyrus and it was a true one One of the two he will have the world cannot hinder him And as things are now if we venture our estates and lives to preserve Religion Liberties to our selves and our posterity God may and we hope he will give us our lives Religion and Liberties and so we may enjoy them with comfort and honour Of if our estates and lives should be lost suppose the worst they wil be lost honourably The losse of them wil be better then that enjoyment we shall have of them if I may at all call it an enjoyment that wee are like to have of them if nothing now be ventured What will our estates or lives be worth if our Religion be gone faithful Ministers be gone the Saints be fled imprisoned or massacred When our Liberties are gone our Lives then wil hardly be worth the account of the lives of Men much lesse of Christians He must needs be very greedy of a life that desires it upon such terms Wee reade of Anchises Aeneas his father when Aeneas would have saved his life in such a way as he judged not to be honourable he makes this answer to him Absit ut excisa possim supervivere Troja God forbid that I should out-live Troy If it be spoiled what is my life worth Wil our lives be worth the taking up in the streets if we out-live our Religion and Liberties Put all these together and here is a spirit indeed beseeming our relation to this Lord of Hosts Had wee such spirits how comfortably may we passe this our pilgrimage we might goe through all difficulties and oppositions conquering and to conquer The world and devil would have little heart to meddle with us we should free our selves from many temptations we should honour our profession we should do God abundance of service at last have an abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ An Army of such soldiers would be the most glorioos sight in the world We reade of the Suns standing stil once and it was to behold the prowesse of Joshua that brave soldier and to enlighten his conquests If ever it stand stil againe it is like it wil be to admire such a glorious sight Let the cosideration of the glory of our God in this his Name teach us to give glory to him for all the good we enjoy by Armies it is all from him He hath of late been exceeding gracious to our Army he shewed himselfe indeed The Lord of Hosts in that batel at Keynton This was the acknowledgment both of General Captains and Souldiers Never lesse of man in such a businesse never more of God The Lord was seen in the Mount He shewed us that it should not be by a multitude that hee would helpe us it was by his spirit comming mightily upon a handful that were left in comparison of the adversaries When the adversary thought yea cryed out the day was theirs God turned it suddenly by a mighty hand O how free is the grace of the Lord to us in this That Scripture Jer. 51. 5. is fully made good to us Israel hath not been forsaken nor Judah of his God of the Lord of Hosts though their land was filled with sin against the Holy one of Israel The fulnesse of sin in us hath not abated the fulnesse of grace in God towards us The Lord is God the Lord is God he is the Lord of Hosts holy and reverent is his Nause There have been times wherein the Lord hath dealt in another manner even with his own people that I may set forth unto you the fulnesse and freenesse of Gods goodnesse to us in our preservation from being delivered up to the rage of vile men I will shew you what the severity of God in this kinde hath been towards his own people who were as worthy of mercy as we We must not think that every particular is to be applyable to us onely in the generall thus far the consideration of the grievous afflictions of the Church formerly sets out Gods goodnes to us in preventing such evils amongst us So that it cannot be said it is with us as it was with them Not long after God had delivered his people out of their Captivity therein fulfilling many gracious promises to them and they being returned built the Temple and the wals of Jerusalem there was a glorious reformation the work of the Lord went on prosperously through many and great difficulties Yet after a little time when Antiochus rose up against them God suffered him to prevaile exceedingly in all his Warlike affaires against them Dan. 8. 9. There came a little horn which waxed exceeding great not onely towards the South and towards the East but towards the pleasant Land that is towards the Land of Judea for indeede it was a pleasant Land The word signifies Decus gloria ornamentum towards the glory and ornament of the whole world So was that Countrey especially in regard the worship of God had beene newly set up againe in that Countrey Yet Antiochus comes against it and waxeth great for a while although at first he was but a little horne for he was a younger brother and had beene a prisoner not long before in Rome but now having got liberty and some command he rageth especially against the people of God ver 10. He waxed great even to the Host of heaven Here the Church is called The Host of heaven howsoever despised by the world yet this Lord of Hosts accounts his Church The Host of heaven and yet Antiochus waxeth great against this We have many through Gods mercy in our Host godly and faithfull but we presume not to give it this title that God gives his people The
Host of heaven and yet God suffers the enemie to prevaile against that Host and is pleased to magnifie his mercy to ours to give them so great a deliverance yea so to prevaile against that as to cast down some of the Host and of the starres down to the ground and to stamp upon them He prevailes as if now he had power over the heavens to pull down the starres and to stamp upon them The more eminent any are the more is he enraged if they be starres in this heaven if he can get to them he puls them down and stamps upon them Oh the rage of our adversaries against the most eminent Ministers of our Kingdome They stamp for anger that they have them not and if they had them how would they stamp then That which one Antiochus did there many Atheists and Papists would gladly doe amongst us if they had power but this Lord of Hosts delivers us in mercie from them yea ver 11. He magnifies himselfe even to the Prince of the Host to this Lord of hosts he sets himselfe against him Oh! what rage even against God himselfe what horrid blasphemies are there against this Prince of the Host of his people but although he doth magnifie himselfe and blaspheme surely he can never prevaile against the Prince of this Host yes he is suffered for the present to take away the daily Sacrifice and to cast down the place of his Sanctuary and ver 12. An Host was given him against the daily Sacrifice by reason of transgression and cast it down the truth to the ground and it practised and prospered upon which the people of God were exceedingly troubled ver 13. One Saint speakes to another Saint asking this question with hearts full of sorrow enough God knowes How long shall the vision be concerning the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation to give both the Sanctuary and the Host to be troden under foote Here you see that for any to set himselfe against Gods worship is to set himselfe against God himselfe proud malicious adversaries especially aime at this and God here suffered the adversary to prevaile even against this God proceedes against his people for their transgression an Host comes upon them yea the Text sayes if we observe it that an Host was given him against the daily Sacrifice by reason of transgression Antiochus had never been able to raise such an Host had it not beene for the transgressions of Gods people yea so far was God provoked with the transgression of his people as that hee suffered this Host raised against them to cast downe the truth to the ground to practise and to prosper We have cause to lay our hands upon our hearts to acknowledge our transgressions as great as any they were charged with and yet although God hath thus far chastised us as to raise an Host against us yea such a one so many of them being Papists and such horrid blasphemers as we have cause enough to feare they would take away the daily Sacrifice and cast down so much of the Sanctuary as is built up already and even cast down the truth to the ground but oh the riches of the infinite goodnesse of our gracious God! he hath not suffered them he hath turned the rage of man to his praise hee hath wrought gloriously for us he hath delivered us out of their power although many of our brethren suffer hard things we may yet have the daily Sacrifice and the Sanctuary that is the true worship of God amongst us if we will yet the truth is preached in our Congregations it is held forth in the beauty and excellencie of it it is not cast down to the ground they indeed have practised but through Gods mercy to us they have not prospered this is of the Lord of Hosts let this glorious name of his bee magnified by us for ever Yea yet further for the setting out mercie to us that glory may be given to this Lord of Hosts Consider what the Holy Ghost sayes ver 23 24 25. of this 8. Chap. concerning Gods taking advantage against his people for their sins which hee hath not done against us as it appeares this day When the transgressors are come to the full a King of fierce countenance one of an extream bold daring spirit a Prince that will venture upon such desperate things as few Princes in the world would dare to venture upon the like if any of his Nobles or others come before him and speake any thing to him not agreeable to his designes he lookes with a fierce countenance upon them his countenance shewing the extreame fiercenesse of his spirit Hence it was that his name was changed from Epiphanes to Epimanes for his fierce cruelty but beside his fiercenesse he shall carry things subtilly too he shall be one that understands dark sentences by his wit and subtilty and by the help of those about him he shall make such expositions of darke things as a man would wonder at it no man could have thought that such things could have beene pickt out of passages as he shall pick up and by this he shall bee able to put such a colour upon the foulest things as they shall appeare very specious to many And his power likewise shall be mighty God will suffer him to grow to a great strength but not by his own power so sayes the Text although you could not see how he could raise any such power of his own yet he shall have a great power he shall have money Ammunition strength from forreigne Princes or as some would have it God himselfe shall give power to him beyond what he hath of his own Surely if the power against the Church be Gods rather then the adversaries own then the power for deliverance of the Church must be acknowledged to bee Gods rather then our own but I rather take the former sense to be the intent of the Holy Ghost in that place It follows he shall prosper and practise he shall not be alwayes consulting demurring delaying but he shall bee doing and thereby he shall prosper The word is faciet he shall doe something The prosperous successe of war depends much upon action Alexander was asked How he did so great things in so little a time He answered By neglecting no advantage I have read of Charles the sonne of Charles Duke of Anjou who was King of Sicily and Jerusalem he was called Carolus Cunctator that is Charles the Delayer but not in that sense that Fabius who was the Shield of Rome in his time he was called likewise Cunctator but that was because he used to stay till opportunity came but the other used to stay till opportunity was lost Antiochus was no such Cunctator stayer till opportunity was lost he practised and so prospered and because he prospered therefore he stil further practised But when he saw delaying and gaining time might advantage him then hee would seek to put off and spin
evils imminent nor rectifie these disorders extant but by power added to their authoritie although there be no such horrible things as the Doctor speaks of namely the Kings intentions to subvert Religion and our Laws and liberties if the King do but denie to assist in the delivering us from those dangers not upon groundlesse jealousies feared but upon certain proofs we know we are in and in the delivering up of such delinquents as justice must not our safety cannot suffer to escape there is cause enough to satisfie our consciences in the lawfulnesse of our taking up Arms. Yea our protestation and duty though we had never so protested binds us to maintain by all our strength the Parliament in this and in maintaining them we do not at all prejudice the King in any lawfull power of his This generall is enough to satisfie in what is said in the two last Sections As for particulars mentioned there many of them are answered alreadie in the former discourse others being matters of fact it is more easie for any one to answer that hath a mind to examine what passages have falne out To go through them particularly I shall leave to some who have more time to spare then I they are far more easie to answer then what was before but not so profitable and yet the answer would exasperate more they are Subjects more suteable for Lawyers and Statists to treat about then for Divines Wherefore where as in the conclusion of all the Doctor defires those who will run the Hazard of this resistance first to set their consciences before the tribunall of God and confider whether they will excuse them there when they have shed blood to say we supposed our Prince would change Religion overthrow liberties No Doctor We can comfortably and will freely and really set our conscience before Gods tribunall in this case but we will not make that our plea but we will stand thus before the Lord. Lord thou who art the searcher of our hearts and our Iudge thou knowest we aimed at no hurt to our King we desired to live in peace we according to our solemne vow and Protestation have only endeavoured to deliver our Kingdom Parliament from the rage of ungodly and violent bloody men to bring forth the wicked unto justice to preserve what thy Maiestie what the law of nature and the Law of the Land hath made our own If thou wilt please to call us to suffer for thy Name we hope we shall be readie but because thou tellest us that it is not the part of a Christian but of an Infidell not to provide for his family therefore we have not submitted our selves wives and children to the rage of these bloody men for the substance of what we have done it hath been in thy Name that we may be faithfull to the King Kingdom Parliament and to posteritie What failings thou hast seen in the managing of it Lord pardon to us for Christ his sake Thus we are willing to meet the Doctor at Gods Tribunall but he shall not lay our plea for us we fear he will have enough to do to answer for himself yea to answer for that Book he hath put forth in such a time as this For a Conclusion of all LEt none think that though we thus iustifie taking up Arms that therfore we are of those that delight in War God forbid Our souls desire after peace we pray for peace we would gladly lay down our lives if we know our own hearts for peace Lately my name was injuriously added to a printed paper wherein there was a Petition against Accommodations It sayes I went along with it whereas I knew nothing at all of it untill neere a week after it was delivered to the House Thus are we at the mercy of every malignant spirit if he can get a Printer to assist him to be rendred to the world as odious as he pleaseth As great an injury I suffered before though in another nature when a few pieces of a Sermon I preached to young men were gathered together and patched up with a deale of non-sense and additions of their owne as they pleased and then put out as mine Although we live amongst men set on fire yet God forbid but we should follow peace but it must be the peace of Jerusalem not the peace of Babylon And the truth is had the people knowne their liberties before it is very probable these warres would have been prevented This I am confident hath been the great encouraging fomenting argument for these warres If we goe in the name of the King none will dare to stir against us What will they take up Arms to resist their King Had they seen the weaknesse of this their Argument as it is applyed to this businesse in hand that bloud that hath been shed would have been prevented And if the people of the Land knew the Liberty that God and Nature and Law gives them there would soone be an end of these Warres but a few such Doctors as this is may helpe to prolong them by dividing the people and putting them into a maze comming in so plausible a way to informe Conscience whereas in truth he gives no bottome for Conscience to rest on but rather puts it to a stand or rather into a labyrinth There is a necessitie that in these times peoples Consciences should be further satisfied in their liberties in this case then formerly because the time is we hope at hand for the pulling down of Antichrist and we find by Scripture this work at first will be by the people Revel 18. 2. The Angel came down from heaven and cried mightily with a strong voice Babylon the great is falne is falne And vers 4. I heard another voice from heaven saying Come out of her my people ver 6. Reward you her as she hath rewarded you and so to the 9. ver her destruction is threatned Now ver 9. the Text sayes The Kings of the earth who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her shall bewaile her and lament for her saying Alas alas Ver. 11. And the Merchants of those things which were made rich by her shall stand weeping and wailing ver 15. All her Proctors and Commissaries and Chancellors that grew rich by her they shall lament No marvaile then though so many Proctors get together to seek for peace upon any terms Here you see Babylon must down and yet the Kings lament her fall Who then must pull her down but the people Not that the people can raise a War meerly for Religion but God will so order things that the Papists shall by their malice be put upon such plots and enterprises that they shall make themselves lyable to the justice of the Law so that Kings shall have no legall power to rescue them from it but inferiour Magistrates assisted by the people shall in a just way fall upon them even then when the Kings of the earth and their
Merchants shall lament them Hence Revel 19. 6. the Hallelujah that is begun upon the Lord God omnipotents raigning is begun by the people I heard the voice as of many waters saying Hallelujah Now the Scripture frequently sets forth the people by waters as Revel 17. 15. The waters which thou sawest were peoples We reade Cant. 5. 11. where the glory of Christ is set forth it begins at the head but Cant. 7. 1. where the glory of the Church is set forth it begins at the feet How beautifull are thy feet Surely the right knowledge of these liberties God hath given people will much help forward the great things God hath to doe in this latter age This makes me willing to publish what help I can in this thing although I know full well I run the hazard of suffering much in it Let Babylon fall let the Church prosper it is enough our lives are not much worth And now I have shewne the Commission of the Lord of Hosts for warres I shall not yet cease to pray for peace such a peace as may have as good a Commission from the Prince of Peace as the present wars of the Kingdom have from the Lord of Hosts That which I have done is but as the taking of my pen to write a Letter to a friend but a little strength is enough to oppose a little strength FINIS Doct. Quest Answ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quievit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exeâ—citus Militia Why God is called The Lord of Hosts Gods Providence in the workings of Warre Plutarch vita ejus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God stilleth wars 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quest Ans Hieron in Isa 19. 14. Vindimiabit Quest Answ Why the Lord doth work in Armies Ob. Answ Why the adversary often prevailes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abscondit An honourable imployment to bee a Souldier Cowardise branded with infamie Use 3. Ob. Answ 1 Sam. 23. 13. Ob. Ans Ob. Ans Ob. Answ Ob. Ans Ob. Ans Ob. Ans 1 Pet 2. 13 All civill Government even that of Kings is called a humane creation for so the words are in the Originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ob. Answ Ob. Ans Ob. Ans Ob. Ans Ob. Ob. Ans Can. Excom caus 23. qu. 6. cited by K. James in his Answer to Perror Ob. Answ Ob. Ans Ob. Ans Ob. Ans Ob. Ans Ans Ob. Answ Ob. Ans Ob. Answ Ob. Ans Ob. Answ Isay 38. 9. Heb. 12. 14. Rom. 14. 17. Rom. 1. 7. Ob. Ans Plutarch in the life of Pyrrus Ob. Ans Plutarch vita Lysandri 1 Reg. 18. 17. Amos 7. 10 Act. 24. 5. Act. 17. 6. Object Answ Use 4. Use 6. Totum se contulit Preces nostrae bombardae nostra Use 5. In pacedecus in bello praesidium Quest Ans Act. 21. 13 Use ult Calvin upon the place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O nimium dilecte Deo cui fâ—ndit ab anti is Aeolus armatas acies cui militat aether Et conjurati veniunt ad classica venti 2 Kings 6. 17 19. Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans 1 Sam. 14. Ans 1 Sam. 26. Ans 1 Sam. 23. 12. Ans Ans Ans 1 Chro. 26 Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans Ans