by the word of your testimony of the blood of the Lamb you overcome the Devill because you give God the glory of his truth then look you shew your selves to be the children of the God of truth by delighting in the truth for it is a common practice of evill souldiers to accuse men falsly and therefore John the Baptist gave you this caveat that as you would be true souldiers of Jesus Christ so you must practise to speak the truth and accuse no man falsly and then plunder them for what shal it profit you to say God is a true God if you in the mean time be liers you declare that the God of truth is none of your God there are so many lies flie among men that the honest cannot tell what to believe Now you that have received his testimony that the blood of Jesus Christ hath cleansed you from all sin before God and that the righteousnesse of Christ hath made you everlastingly righteous Rev. 1. 5. you have sealed that God is true Let the power of this grace teach you to love to speak the truth and to shame the Devill For as he that telleth lies shall not tarry in Gods sight because he credits the Devill that was a lier from the beginning but hee that speaks the truth overcoms Satan with his tongue as he that believes the truth hath overcome the Devill in his heart he that fights for the truth shal overcome the enemy wth his hand for the God of truth wil uphold his children that fight for the truth by the blood of the Lamb Vse 4 Is it so that they overcame the Devill by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony because they give glory to the power of God Then consider how the Israelites overcame the Destroyer that slew all the first-born of Egypt by faith they slew the Paschal Lamb and the effusion of blood Heb. 11. lest he that destroy'd the first-born should touch them they sprinkled the two side posts and the upper door post with the blood of the Lamb with a bunch of Hysop and they overcame the Destroyer by faith that he could not hurt them for they gave God the glory of his Wisdome and Power that he was able to deliver them so seeing Christ your Passeover is sacrificed for you look that your two door posts of your life body and soul and the upper door post of your spirit be sprinkled with the blood of the Lamb 1 Thes. 5. 23. Now the very God of peace sanctifie you throughout that your whole spirit and soul and body may be kept blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and how are they sanctified even by the blood of Christ for Jesus that he might sanctifie the people with his own blood suffered without the gate Heb. 13. 12. Now should they overcome the destroying Angel that he could not hurt them when by faith they sprinkled the two door posts and the lintell with the blood of the Lamb with a bunch of Hysop and the Destroyer passed over all their houses and could do them no hurt when he destroy'd all the first-born of Egypt both of man and beast So you Christian souldiers that fight under the banners of the Gospel the blood of the Lamb and the white raiment of Christs righteousnesse which you shall find to be the conquering banner For if the blood of Bulls and Goats and Ashes of an Heifer sprinkling them that are unclean sanctifieth concerning the purifying of the flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ which through the eternall Spirit offered himself without fault to God purge â—our consciences from dead works Look the blood of the Lamb begin there first to purge your consciences from sin confesse your selves to be wretched miserable poor and damnable sinners by Adam and originall sin the tree evill and the fruit evill and by the Law accursed in debt ten thousand talents of sin For if we confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse 1 Joh. 1. 9. then confesse that the blood of the Lamb is able to wash away all your sins from your consciences and relie upon it take the Sacrament upon it that when you take the cup of the new Testament in Christs blood and drink of it the warme blood of the Lamb will testifie in thy conscience the remission of all thy sins and that God is become my father and I am one of his children and my sins and iniquities shall be remembred no more and wee may conclude as Paul for if the blood of Bulls and Goats c. If the blood of the Lamb sprinkled did deliver from the Destroyer that slew the Egyptians how much more shall the blood of the Lamb of God being sprinkled by faith on your bodies and souls and spirits deliver you from the destroying bullets that are sent to destroy your first-born all the true believers of the Gospel There is a strong delusion that goes among ill souldiers that Amulets or Charms or inchantment will make them shot-free but I will warrant them they are not Devill free for by such means they have made themselves an abomination to the Lord Deut. 18. 10 11 12. and the Devill will destroy them they shall not escape the Devills shot but he that shall fight against his enemies by faith in the blood of the Lamb and in his lawfull calling asking counsel of the Lord for every battel at the Oracle of Gods Word whether God doth approve of the war or no he shall not only be Devil-free but shot-free also for he shall give his Angels a charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways and they shall bear thee up in their hands that thou dash not thy foot against a stone keep thy calling and the Angels shall keep thee but if thou keep not thy calling the Angels will not keep thee take heed to keep thy generall calling to be a faithfull Christian and keep thee from all wickednesse Deut. 23. 9. And keep thy particular calling and the Angels shall keep thee Vse 5 Is it so faith by the testimony of the bloud of the Lambe gets victory over the Devill because it gives glory to the mercy of God that as thou sayest thou givest him the glory of his mercy it must cause thee shew mercy as your heavenly Father is mercifull for what though your heavenly Father be mercifull if you be cruell you shall be of your father in Hell for his works you will doe he was a murderer from the beginning and if you be cruell murderers you shall be of him therefore if you give God the glory of his mercy give him glory in the practise of mercie to be mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull even to your enemies Quest What shall we spare all and put none of our enemies to death when we have conquered them Answ I answer He that
a childe of four yeers old can Answ Though faith be hard to the carnall sense not yet inspired yet it is easie to the mind inlightened for as Salomon saith Knowledge is easie to him that will understand Prov. 14. 6. i. if he be willing and love it so faith is easie to him that will believe not that it is in mans power but where the Spirit of God works a desire to ask seek and knock Wisdome will open the door for none that come unto me put I away saith Christ Quest Quest What is the reason then that so many never get faith for the assurance of salvation Answ Answ. 1. Because they ask amisse not in faith of the blood of the Lamb that hee hath washed them from their sins in his owne blood in Baptisme Rev. 1. 5. If they misse this mark they shoot wide of the assurance of salvation For if I wash thee not thou hast no part in me Joh. 13. 8. Secondly because they seek faith in themselves carnall reason fleshly devices by wit of mans phantasie and not in the blood of the Lamb the god of this world blindeth their minds that the glorious Gospel of the blood of the Lamb and his white raiment should not shine to them Thirdly because they oppose the doctrine of free justification by Christs blood and righteousnesse and wink at it and imbrace not the purity of that doctrine but count it an errour and receive not the love of the truth they are given over to believe an error and falsities which can give thee no assurance of salvation Fourthly because they turn to the greatest multitude which scoff at and persecute the truth God gives them over to walk in blindnesse as the Pharisees did Sleight 3 The third sleight that faith is needlesse there is more need of works many prate of faith but let me see good works a good hope is enough with good works Answ I answer that there is great need of faith for works severed from faith are abominable before God Heb. 11. 6. And if a good hope were enough why did the Apostles pray Lord increase our faith Luk. 17. 5. and Mark 9. 24. For as all things are possible to him that believeth so all things are impossible to him that believeth not Heb. 11. 6. Sleight 4 The 4th sleight Thy faith is not sound but counterfeit thou an hypocrite thy faith is mixed with imperfections sins wavering Answ I answer I prove my faith by the causes for he hath given us a mind to know him which is true and we are in him that is true in that his Son Jesus Christ the same is very God and eternall life 1 Joh. 5. 20. And this is the true Jesus that came by water and blood not by water of baptisme only but by water and blood and it is the Spirit that beareth witnesse i. to my spirit that I am a child of God Rom. 8. 16. and that Spirit is truth 1 Joh. 5. 6. therefore having my heart sprinkled with the blood of the Lamb from an evill conscience and my body washed with pure water i. in baptisme I may keep my profession without wavering Heb. 10. 23. This faith worketh by love and a desire to live honestly Heb. 13. 18. Vse 1 Is it so that the faithfull overcome the Devill by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony You see Christian souldiers that love not your lives unto the death and therefore you that give up your bodies and souls living and acceptable sacrifices unto God which is your reasonable service of God and lay down your lives for the brethren and for the Gospel are to be honoured as martyrs You see that by true faith in the blood of the Lamb you shall overcome the Devill because you give testimony to the holinesse of God Let this move all you that are souldiers of Jesus Christ to give glory to the holinesse of God in keeping your bodies chast and pure and Temples for the Holy Ghost to dwell in for the Temple of God is holy which are yee 1 Cor. 3. 17. If you say you give glory to the holinesse of God give him glory in keeping your selves holy Temples of God But if any man destroy the Temple of God him shall God destroy Hee that destroyes it by whoredom for thereby thou becomest one flesh with an whore Latrina Diaboli for as the Temple of God was destroyed when it was made a Jakes so is the Temple of God destroyed when it is made the devils Jakes for he that is made one flesh with an whore which is the Devils Jakes is thereby made the Devils Jakes but all whoremongers are made one flesh with his whore that is the devils jakes Ergo they are made the devils jakes and so the Temple of God is destroyed and therefore their destiny is to be destroyed that do not repent for Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge Heb. 13. 4. he will destroy such as destroy the Temple of God therefore you may perceive such to prove cowards for fearfulness goes before destruction and an high mind before a fall There is a conceit among souldiers that Wine will make men valiant but it is false for whoredome wine and new wine take away the heart i. whoredom drunkenness make men arrant cowards Hos. 4. 11. For whoredome drunkenness make an evill conscience and an evill conscience make men fearfull and flee where no fear is Prov. 28. 1. For an evill conscience and the curse of God runs after him and will overtake him Vse 2 Is it so that by the word of your testimony of the blood of the Lamb you overcome the Devill by giving glory to the wisdome of God then let this faith guide you to follow his wisdome and deny your own as the Psalmist said Thou shalt guide me by thy counsell and afterward receive me to glory Psal. 73. 24. And therefore as David did so do you ask counsell of the Lord for every battell at the Oracle of Gods Word i. whether God doth allow it or no as Jehosaphat said 1 King 22. 5. Ask counsell I pray thee of the Lord of day for there can be no war or battell lawfull but that wee may finde some warrant out of the Word of God that doth warrant it to be lawfull so shall you be sure both to overcome your spirituall enemy the Devill by the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony and also your temporall enemies by faith in that blood and by the word of your testimony for should not a people inquire at their God signifying yes they should to the Law and to the testimony if they speak or fight not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Isa. 8. 20. So shall you say Thou hast made me wiser then mine enemies by thy commandments for they are ever with me Psal. 119. 98 my delight and counsels Vse 3 Is it so that
when it is more needfull to strive for a wedding garment for to him that overcometh and keepeth his garments Rev. 16. 15. will I give saith Christ to sit with me in my Throne Rev. 3. 21. signifying that shall be the conquering and raigning people whom Christ hath loved and washed from their sins in his own blood and made Kings and Priests to God his Father and they shall raign upon earth Rev. 1. 5. and 5. 10. Let England consider Christs words Rev. 3. 18. I counsell thee to buy of mee gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be made rich which is the lively faith in the merits of Christs death in baptisme which make men rich that were poor by Adam and white raiment that thou mayest be cloathed that the filthinesse of the wickeness of sin may not appeare which is the white wedding garment of justification which makes a Christian know hee is ready for Christ when he hath it and eye-salve of the spirit of Christ that we may see how to walk by the Spirit and in discipline of the Word for untill this counsell of Christ be taken in England both of the Angels and Church this war will not cease for untill a mans wayes or Churches wayes please the Lord he will not make all his enemies to be at peace with him Prov. 16. 7. And when shall that be in England think you when they will be guided by his counsell i. Rev. 3. 18. he will then receive them to glory Psal. 73. Now many men dote so much about Discipline that they think to make a rare Church by it but are greatly deceived For if a man should take a company of Vipers to make them Nightingals do you think he can make them such by Discipline all the orders and skil let him order them how he can will not make them become Nightingals but if he can make them new creatures they may be made Nightingalls as well as any other creature There were two Pharisees which were the generation of Vipers Matth. 3. which were made sweet Nightingals by baptisme wherein they were made new creatures and sang sweetly in the night as Nicodemus that having learn'd the doctrine of regeneration of water and the Spirit in baptisme he was so changed that in the night when the other Pharisees as Vipers would have condemned Christ sang for him thus Doth our law condemn any man before it heare him and hee sweetly buried him with sweet odors And another notorious Viper that was a murtherer and a blasphemer Saul was so changed by baptisme when he did arise and was baptized he washed away his sins in calling on the name of the Lord that of a murtherer and blasphemer he became a sweet Preacher of the Gospel by night and till the dawning of the day and sang Psalmes in the night so sweetly that the Lord heard him and sent an earthquake Acts 16. Wherefore if you would make a good Church it must be by faith in our baptisme into Christ when wee were little children and by the white raiment of Christs righteousnesse applyed by faith Discipline may order a childe in good manners but he must have a soul and body first Now Baptisme and the white raiment is as the soul and body of all Christianity he that wants faith in this cannot tell whether hee be in Christ or no Discipline may order a Church but cannot make one Truly I never look to see a pure Discipline untill the Jewes be called which I wish all the faithfull to pray for except the woman clothed with the Sun begin to make one which hath the bright morning Star which are that chast and holy Congregation as Mr. Brightman calls them which are the place of Gods pleasures and the hill of his delights wherein God taketh more delight then in any thing of the world as Rev. 19. 17. which Church is now arising out of the corruption of the Church of Laodicea Corruptio unius est generatio alterius for though he will spue the luke-warm out yet there is a few names in Laodicea that shall sit with Christ in his Throne wherefore if you be brethren and going to the new Jerusalem remember Josephs words to his brethren Fall not out by the way for a Discipline who shall have the preeminence Let not him that putteth on the armour boast as he that putteth it off for as victory is of the Lord so is government If you look for government before wee have peace the gift of God you reckon without your hoast wherefore I command you from the Lord study to be quiet and do your own busines and work out your salvation with fear and trembling and perswade Euodius of the Presbyters and beseech Syntiche of the Independents to be of one accord in the Lord and labour all to overcome the Devill by the bloud of the Lamb as this Sermon shews you who would set you together by the ears to kill one another that he might get both I have writ of the miseries of England and of the remedies of the same and have shewen at least forty causes how the Bishops have brought the sword upon the land and therefore are justly put down of the Lord and his Parliament which I purpose to set in print if Satan hinder it not Let it not be said that the Presbyters and Independents have set dissention in the Parliament and City and in the Armies and brought the sword into their own bowells to make the Papists sport wherefore let no man speak any more of any government in the Church of England except by Parliament untill the wars cease those that shall remain shall pray unto the Lord to shew them such a Discipline out of Gods Word as shall be pleasing unto him Men may imagine that there may be a smiling shew of peace but they shall finde that Male sarta gratia nequicquam coit there is so much blood in the morter that it will not daub love will not grow within there is so much blood without and yet for my part I desire if the Lord will and pray for the peace of Jerusalem that peace may be within our walls and plenteousnesse within our palaces for no peace no plenty for where wars and sedition remain wee must look for earthquakes famine and pestilence Luke 21. 9 10 11. you shall have little pleasure in a Presbyterie or Independencie before these warres cease for there is a flood of Gods judgements coming now on all the world there shall none escape but those that get into the Ark of the faith of their baptisme into Christ 1 Pet. 3. 21. and such as take Christs counsell Rev. 3. 18. which are the blessed people that keep Christs garments unto them that their filthy nakednesse may not be seen Rev. 16. 15. and such as keep the word of his patience Rev. 3. 10. these shall be delivered from this hour of tentation Question 2 Now there is another Question also among many
spareth Gods enemies when God hath delivered them into your hands as Ahab did Benhadad to be slaine thy life shall goe for his life thy people for his people By sparing Benhadad he was cruell to the Israelites for he was the cause of the death of all those Israelites that Benhadad slew afterward whom if he had slaine he had shewed mercy to Israel So concerning the Rebels of Ireland that have cut the throats of your brethren in Ireland and are come over to doe the like here seeing the sword is put into your hands by the Parliament send an Herauld or Trumpetter before every battell unto your enemie or send men through all the Armie or Shire saying What wickednesse is this that is committed of the Rebels Jesuites and Papists of Ireland Now therefore deliver us those wicked men which are in your Armie or Citie that wee may put them to death for their villanie and put away evill from England Judg. 20. 12. 13. If they refuse to deliver them they shall maintaine murtherers and you shall overcome them by the bloud of the Lambe Proclaime free quarter for all true Protestants which are forced to fight against you shew your selves unto them saying Sirs wee are brethren why doe wee wrong one another Act. 7. 26 Send messengers unto them saying What have wee to doe to fight with thee thou King of Judah wee come not against thee this day but against the house of our enemie and God hath commanded us to make haste leave off to come against God which is with us lest he destroy you see 2 Chron. 35. 21. And when God gives them into your hands say unto Zebah and Salmana What manner of men were they whom yee slew at Tabor in Ireland or England As thou art a Protestant so were they every one was like the children of a King say They were my brethren even my mother Churches children As the Lord liveth if yee had saved their lives I would not slay you Judg. 7. 18 19. signifying if you had shewed mercy you should have found mercy but you have been mercilesse enemies to my brethren therefore I will slay you as your sword hath made women childlesse so shall your mother be childlesse among other women with Samuel I will hew you in pieces before the Lord 1 Sam. 15. 33. for though you come pleasantly and say truly the bitternesse of death is passed by a pacification yet you shall not escape the sword for he that sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed Gen. 9. 6. Therefore shew mercy unto your brethren by slaying of those that have and will slay more of your brethren for if any lead into captivitie he shall go into captivitie if any kill with the sword be must be killed by a sword true is the patience and faith of the Saints Rev. 13. 10. that is to kill them with the sword that have killed their brethren with the sword as Gideon did Vse 6 Is it so that by the testimony of the bloud of the Lamb you give glory to the justice of God by testifying Gods justice is satisfied by the bloud of the Lamb justice and mercy are met together in the bloud of Christ his justice hath full satisfaction and his mercy is shewed to us in throwing upon him the iniquities of us all and Righteousnesse and peace have kissed each other i. Christs righteousnesse is ours and therefore wee have peace with God Rom. 5. 1. Now can you give God the glory of his justice and then practise no justice to your brethren but plunder and rob and spoyle and steale be it farre from you can you be children of the just God of heaven and earth and practise such unjustice to your brethren for how can you say there is satisfaction made to Gods justice for thy trespasses by the bloud of the Lamb but that must move thee to give satisfaction for the trespasses you have done to your brethren And secondly doth his justice require that that should be remitted for which satisfaction is made by the bloud of the Lamb so doth justice require that they should be plundered which have made satisfaction by their weekly pay should not a faithfull Souldier be content with his wages Yes saith the Souldier if he could get it Ans. Will you wrong yor brethren and plunder and spoyle them because some deceive you of your wages enquire who have received it and that true satisfaction may be made be not unjust to others because others are unjust to you for the unjust shall not enter into the kingdome of heaven 1 Cor. 6. 9. Lose not your souls for a little pay And thirdly doth Justice require that that should be injoyed that is purchased by the bloud of the Lambe as remission of sinnes and an inheritance in heaven let the power of this grace move all Souldiers to suffer the fatherless and the widow injoy that which is purchased for them and not to destroy your brethren and their inheritance The sheep and the oxen made an ill sound in Samuels eares though they were brought for a good intent to do sacrifice but they made a worse sound in Gods eares which made Saul lose his kingdome for disobedience What an ill sound doe all the sheep and oxen make in the eares of God from all armies that are taken with an ill intent to doe mischiefe to the poore and needy the tears of the oppressed cry in the eares of the Lord of hosts Wo unto him that increaseth that which is not his and wo unto him that covereth an evill covetousnesse Hab. 2. 6. 9. Woe unto you that spoyle and thou â—â—st not spoyled for when thou shalt cease to spoyle thou shalt be spoyled Iâ— you magnifie the justice of the great God of heaven and earth practise justice to your brethren or he will practise justice toward you Remember the counsell of the Lord often in Deut. 23. 9. When thou goest out with the Host against thine enemies keep thee then from all wickednesse for thou art in danger to be slaine every houre and a good conscience by the bloud of the Lamb is a continuall feast it is murus aheneus nil conscire sibi null apallescere culpa i. 't is a brazen wall to have a good conscience the Devill cannot shoot through that and the destroyers that are sent by fire out of the mouths of guns shall passe over the houses where such an Israelite is within namely a good conscience sprinkled with the bloud of the Lambe Cause the Law and the Gospel to be preached powerfully in your armies There be some Anabaptists that would not have the law preached I met with an Anabaptist lately that heard me preach the Law and the Gospel and he told me to my face after the Sermon that he had been oftentimes scared by the Law he would have heard none of the Law but onely the Gospel and to speak so much of Baptisme was an offence to him Herein are two Doctrines of Devils 1. To forbid the Law to be preached 2. To forbid children to be married to Christ Now the Spirit speaketh evidently that in the later times which are now some shall depart from the faith i. of their Baptisme and counteth the bloud of the Covenant as an unholy thing wherewith he was sanctified in Baptisme and doth despight to the Spirit of Grace i. in despight of the Spirit that saith he that is washed i. in Baptisme in Christs bloud is cleane every whit needeth not save to wash his feet i. his conscience and conversation in the bloud of the Lamb but will have their hands and their head washed againe contrary to Christs counsell Joh. 13. For my part I beleeve one God one faith and one Baptisme Eph. 4. 5. The first is of God the second must needs be of the Devill that deny little children to come to Christ which can come no other way to him but by Baptisme either of themselves or of their parents for Baptisme is the Arke for the parents and their houshold 1 Pet. 3. 21. and then withdraw themselves from the children of God to perdition Heb. 10. 39. Now the Law hath most need to be thundred out in the most killing manner that can be in the Armies to make them flee and stand a far off from injustice and all sinne for although the Law is not given to the righteous man who are freed from the condemnation accusation malediction coaction of the Law as they are in Christ but it is given to the lawlesse and disobedient to the ungodly and to sinners to the unholy and to the prophane and to the murtherers of fathers and mothers to manslayers to whoremongers to buggerers to menstealers to lyers to the perjured and to whatsoever is contrary to wholesome doctrine 1 Tim. 1. 9 10. And therefore it must be preached to them you must hold out to them first the glasse of the Law to see their faces how foule they are they may goe wash their hearts in the bloud of the Lamb and then shew them the glasse of the Gospel Thus did Christ Mat. 5. Thus did Peter when he converted three thousand he shewed them by the law what betrayers and murtherers they were of the Lord of glory and then be preached baptisme unto them for salvation and shewed the promises were made to them and to their children and as many as the Lord shall call i. to beleeve that Baptisme belongs to them and all the true Churches of Christ have ever so understood it FINIS Mat. 20. 20. Revel. 3. 3. 1 Thes. 4. Gal. 3. 13. Matth. 3. Vers 11. 1 Joh. 1. 7. Rev. 3. 18. Psal. 32. 1. 1 Joh. 5. 4. Vers 20. Gen. 39. 9. John 8. 36. 1 Cor. 15. 1 Cor. 3. 17. Hab. 1. 13. Job 1. 1 Cor. 6. 16. Psal. 91. 11. If the King be in the battell you must sight flying to save his person as David but if the Philâ—stims besiege Kâ—â—â—â— you shal overcome by the bloud of the Lambe Isaiah 53. 6. 1 Tim. 4. 1.