of them was lately taken in the act and hang'd for the sin of Buggerie here in this Town if we Preachers should hereupon tell you from the Pulpits that all these blessed Reformers for so they are called by their adorers are even such men and guiltie of that horrid sin I believe for my part we should much abuse them in that particular and yet thus divers of their Ministers are pleased to deale with the Kings Friends the Lord in his good time rebuke them for it But alas gallant Gentlemen and Christian people you all know that there are too great and too manie occasions given by some amongst us to our enemies to report evill of us I beseech you therefore in the feare of God as manie of you are better borne and bred then those are who do accuse you and as all of you are imploied in a more righteous cause then they by your holie God and by your religious King so that you would all indeavour to be more holie in your carriages then they be to walk worthie your imploiment and you that be Commanders I beg of you that you would more strictlie punish sin in those that are under you according to those Militarie Orders set forth by His sacred Majesties your religious Master The profession of a Souldier as 't is honourable so it may be holie if you please we read of holie men of that profession David was a man of warre and did as you do fight the Battailes of the Lord and he was an holie man that great sin which did so blemish his reputation was committed by him afterward when he had left off to follow the Camp the Centurion in the Gospell was a man of your profession and our Saviour himself gives this testimonie of him that he had not found his like for goodnesse in all Israel and so that Captain Acts 10. was one that feared God with all his houshold and whose prayers and almes ascended daily into Gods presence Abraham himselfe the Father of the faithfull was a brave Souldier he with the number of 318. assaulted five Kings with their Armies vanquished them and took the spoile you may read the storie in the 14. Chapter of Genesis where you may also see who were the first men whom the Scripture notes did run away in the day of battell and hid themselves I do not say in Saw-pits but the Text saies in Slime-pits they were men full of guilt and sin even the Princes of Sodom and Gentlemen of Gomorrah Nay to speak all that can be said in one word for the honour and comfort of a Souldier God himselfe is called a man of warre Exod. 15 3. The Lord is a man of Warre and JEHOVAH is his Name I tell you Gentlemen there is not to an honest eye in these sad and dismall daies a more gallant sight then a valiant and religious Souldier Religion causeth courage in a good cause and giveth an high lustre to it especially in men of birth and place what true English heart is not warm'd with joy to see the living flames of ancient valour conjoined with generous minds in Gentile bloud but if thereto be also annex'd Religion I dare say to a trulie pious loyall eye the Sun it selfe is not more glorious Gentlemen your enemies call you Cavaliers a name as they take it of great reproach els you may be sure they would not call you by it will you give me leave in briefe to give you your owne Character or at least the Character of such a man as everie of you ought to be and as we your friends and servants in Christ desire to conceive of you why listen to it 't is this A complete Cavalier is a Child of Honour a Gentleman well borne and bred that loves his King for conscience sake of a clearer countenance and bolder looke then other men because of a more loyall heart He dares neither oppose his Princes will nor yet disgrace his righteous cause by his carriage or expressions He is furnished with the qualities of Piety Prudence Iustice Liberality Goodnesse Honesty He is amiable in his behaviour couragious in his undertakings discreet and gallant in all his executions he is throughly sensible of the least wrong that is offered to his Soveraigne and is a professed enemy to all Rebells the aimes of his sword are onely to dissever the malignity of those forces that have conspired the ruine of Monarchy and Innocency he feares no evill thing to come upon himselfe but contemns all dangers that look towards him he dares accept of deaths challenge to meet it in the field and yet can embrace it as a speciall friend when it comes into his chamber where he is alwayes making provision for its better entertainment in a word he is the onely Reserve of English Gentility and ancient valour and hath rather chose to burie himselfe in the Tombe of Honour then to see the Nobility of his Nation vassalaged the Dignity of his Countrey captivated by any base domesticke enemy or by any forraigne fore-conquered foe This is a compleat Cavalier and if any of you be not according to this Character believe me you are not right nor the men you ought to be And so much Gentlemen for the first particular in your description I come to the second and that is your Commission in the word sent shall be sent namely by him who hath power from God to send and that is only the King or Supreme Magistrate all the Commissions which God grants to Souldiers are signed by the Kings hand who is as Moses was the mouth of God unto his Subjects in things of this nature and such a Commission so signed doth constitute a lawfull Souldier the Lesson is this A right Commission makes a lawfull Souldier Yea a right Commission makes the Warre it self lawfull to the Souldier although it were undertaken by the Prince upon unjust grounds for the Subjects duty is to mind his owne call rather then the Cause for though in matters of Religion we disclaime and abhorre the Doctrine of blind obedience yet in matters of State and order wee professe allowance of it quae supra nos nihil ad nos things above us belong not to us if we pry into the reason of Princes undertakings we may prove our selves to be the Busie-bodies whom as we noted before the Apostle yoakes with murderers and evill doers And I thinke these times doe sufficiently declare the due concatention of these conditions But as I was saying though the Justice of the Kings Cause which is as cleare as the Sun to all unlesse to those that are given up to blindnesse and to believe lies were not so manifest and apparent nay were it an unjust cause on the Kings part yet were it not so to those Souldiers that are authorized by him for according to the point a right Commission makes a right Souldier and that cannot be given by any nor derived from any but the King
this Counsell how shall we make your Text good and approve our selves cruell messengers I answer that the Text is rather a Declaration then a precept it doth not command you to be cruell but doth declare that a Rebell shall meet with crueltie i.e. with sure and sharp punishment and when such a one doth meet with such a portion who ever be the inflicter of it we are taught by the Text to conclude that 't is sent him of God and indeed do what we can there are wicked men enow in an Armie who will extend their furie even to crueltie which when we have observed we may see Gods hand therein against the Rebels though I confesse this too that somtime God hath in their heat of bloud infused into good and holy men a certain spirit which hath appeared as a cruell spirit for example such was that which shew'd it self in David when the Citie Rabbah of the Ammonites was taken He put the people under Sawes and Harrowes of iron and axes of iron and made them passe through the Brick-kilne Now I say when by the effects we see such a spirit in any we are to note the hand of God therein But here let me advise you of one necessarie thing from the Text A cruell messenger shall be sent against him scil. against the rebellious man your severitie therefore must be onelie against such and not against anie of the Kings loyall and good subjects that bed you and board you and give you house-roome for your selves and horses 't is the custome of too many but I affirm they are no true Gentlemen no true Cavaliers when they have had free quarter in a place and perhaps have devoured up all the provision in the house then to requite their Landlord with eobbing and plundering him of his houshold commodities or els threaten so to do unlesse he will give them money to forbeare O these carriages do speak such men to be sent rather to make the King enemies then to rid him of his enemies but Gentlemen and Souldiers if you acknowledge your selves the Kings Messengers remember your imployment â—ccording to your Commission is to punish rebels and not to abuse good Subjects And in your actions against the Rebels I can from the Text excite you to be couragious for they being such as they be the people of Gods curse and you having the Kings Commission and fighting in defence of his sacred Person Crown and dignity against them what ever bloud of theirs you shed in battell is not innocent bloud but as guiltie bloud as ever was shed by Christians in a just warre since the beginning of Christianity for concerning the heads of this Rebellion the men of Westminster or the faction there who to vex their religious King have bestowed their best care to lose Ireland to give away Scotland and to destroy England these men I say together with their bloud-thirstie Chaplains by whose venemous tongues they belch out so much blasphemie treason and crueltie against God the King and the Kings people and by whose witcherie and specious pretences they have conjured so manie of the poore vulgar into their desperate and destructive circles if ever any combination of men upon earth since the Scribes and Pharisees of Christs time did sin the sin against the Holy Ghost I feare these are they for they do knowingly resist the doctrine of Gods Word and Spirit and studiously oppose the light of their own consciences and former professions How often have they charged it upon His sacred Majestie to intend that mischiefe which themselves were in practice of and in plotting to performe How have they hood-winked the poore Commonaltie of England with suspitions of the Kings calling in Forraigners to invade the Land and of aiming to destroy the Priviledges of Parliament and Liberty of the Subject till themselves have effected the very same things What peevish constructions have they made of all His Majesties most honest and candid expressions How have they studied most irreligiously to thwart him in all his pious and peaceable desires all this doth plainly speak to every discerning eye that their labours are against their owne consciences to grieve the Holy Ghost in the bosome of Gods Annointed Nay let every man judge of their spirits and of the nature of their sin by two things in particular 1. By their forcing their late Oath and Covenant upon people whereas themselves did most highly condemne and oppose that new Oath made by the Convocation some five yeares ago to be taken by the Clergie as most ungodly unreasonable and illegall affirming that the proceedings in the urging thereof were too extremely violent and the penaltie annexed thereto upon the refusall thereof was too cruell and many arguments specially those called the London Quaeres were framed and countenanced by them against the same themselves have now point-blank against those their own Arguments inforced an Oath far more ungodly more unreasonable and more illegall with more extremitie of violence and with heavier penalties upon more people all in generall more ignorant whereby they have indangered millions of soules and deposed many faithfull Ministers and others from their places means and maintenance because they dare not offend God and their own consciences in taking of it 2. By that common Answer of theirs which hath been so often given by so many of them when they have beene moved to restraine Anabaptists Hereticks and vicious persons whereof there be such swarmes among them namely that these serve to advantage the Cause to promote the great designe in hand scil. to depose the King and murder all his friends therefore they must be borne withall for the season From these and many other such particulars it may be concluded that your Enemies are the Enemies not onely of peace but also of Gods truth and Spirit and as you have God and a righteous Cause on your side so have you their own Consciences against themselves and the praiers of sincere-hearted men pleading for you wherefore be you confident and couragious more are for you then against you be holy be valiant Yea be holie that you may be valiant nay be holie and you shall be valiant the Spirit of Holinesse is the Spirit of fortitude and the Authour of good successe Remember that precept Deut. 23.9 When the Host goeth forth against the enemies then keep thee from every wicked thing Nay let me assure you you cannot gall your enemies or prejudice them more then by being upright and holie for they I mean the seekers of Rebellion are such imbittered enemies against the truth of grace what ever they pretend that they gnash their very teeth at those whom they cannot vitiate with their rebellion or darken with their lies and slanders Yea friends let me assure you that holinesse in you will quite disarme and unweapon them wheras your sins do set an edge both upon their tongues and swords your holinesse shall take away the edge of both
This truth doth more stownd the Rebells and more puzzell them then any one that I know and therefore to perswade their followers that themselves can give a right Commission they are faine to deny the King to be the Supreme Magistrate cleane contrary to the testimony of Scripture 1 Pet. 2.13 where the King is called the Supreme and like him who chose himself Pope they are so bold as to say the Supreme Authority is seated in themselves which is such a transcendent fancy that all the Traitors in the world that I read of durst never vent it till these sate But being driven to so great a streight that they must of necessity either yield their warre to be unlawfull for want of a right Commission or else thus exalt themselves above him that is called God this second course being the more Antichristian and furthest from the practice of self-deniall they have made choiâ—e of But let them fancy what they please indeed and in truth were they never so honest men for life and conversation and were the Cavaliers never so vile or so abhominable yet the warre on their side is utterly unlawfull for want of a right Commission they are not sent or authorized hereunto by the King they are therefore no other then ranke murderers of all those they kill and destroy and all the blood shed by them is no other then innocent blood As God saies of rebellious Edom who without any authority or command from God did joine with the Caldeans against the people of Israell unto whom as being Subjects they ought to have lived in obedience Ioel 3.19 that they had shed innocent blood in the Land Though Israels blood was guilty blood in respect of the Lord against whom they had sinned and in respect of the Caldeans too whom God imployed as his instruments to punish them yet in respect of the Edomites that had no Commission to go about any such businesse it was innocent blood and as shedders of innocent blood they are threatned to be punished Edom shall become as a desolate Wildernesse for that very thing saies that Text This may serve to stirre up you who are rightly authorized to be couragious in the Execution of your charge all the incouragement which the Rebells your Enemies have against you and against the King is from the evill lives of some of you who are the Kings Souldiers but you have to animate you against them in their way not onely their ill lives but also their ill Cause and their lacke of a lawfull Warrant And most especially of all you have the Justice of your own Cause the lawfullnesse of your owne call and to these I may adde the goodnesse of your King 1. Your Cause is to defend him whom God hath exalted to keepe the King in the Throne wherein God hath set him against those that would remove him from it 't is to maintaine Religion the Lawes and Dignity of your Nation and to suppresse Rebellion that Child of Hell that Parent and Nurse of all Mischiefe 2. Your Call 't is lawfull from the Prince himself the Supreme Magistrate under God in his Dominion who alone as Austine contra Faustum speakes hath power to wage Warre and to authorize them that are Agents in the same whereas those whom you do oppose as their cause lacks honesty so do they themselves lacke a Warrant to maintaine it and having no Call they cannot upon any good ground look for Gods blessing 3. The goodnesse of your King A Prince of that untainted life of that religious disposition that 't is the greatest vexation the Rebels have that they cannot fasten guilt upon him but onely because themselves have belied him and here Solomon is so much their friend as to speake a reason for them Prov. 26.28 A lying tongue hateth him that is afflicted by it Nay let me adde for your incouragement as you are Christians your King is a man that lives by Faith He doth oft acknowledge in his pious expressions what ever yet hath been done for him by yours or others hands to be a fruit of divine favour and from what he hath tasted he is still confident according to Gods promise of divine assistance I may speake of him as Ambrose of S. Austine with a little variation of the words impossibilè est Principem tantae fidei ac pietatis perire 't is impossible but a Prince of such faith and piety should at last prevaile over all his enemies And so I come to the last particular of all in your description and that is your imployment to inflict sharpe punishment upon rebellious men noted in the word Crudelis or {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a Messenger without bewells so call'd from the severity he shall use against the Enemy Hee shall be inexorable and not abate one jot of the punishment that he is commanded to inflict By this Cruell Messenger some Interpreters understand Satan or some other instrument of wrath who without all compassion shall undoubtedly in the end plague rebellious men some hereby understand the conscience of a Rebell which like a Cruell Messenger shall meet him at every turne and scourge and lash him and oh that this Messenger were but once awakened and set upon our Rebells that their Consciences did but storme them some interpret the words thus He that rebells against a loving and kind Governour shall fall into the hands of one that is severe who like a cruell Messenger of God shall throughly pay him for his disobedience or some will have it thus the same Prince that formerly used him with humanity and like a Lambe shall put on the disposition of a Lion and deale with him according to his deserts we read in Scripture of the wrath of a Lambe or of the Lambe Christ Jesus himselfe who shall turne a Lyon and say those mine enemies that would not I should reigne over them bring them and slay them before me Patientia laesa fit furor Patience abused turnes into wrath But interpret or read the words how we will the sence is this Rebellious men shall be grievously punished a sharpe punishment remaineth for the workers of this Iniquity or to the seekers of Rebellion The Lesson shall bee in these words Severe punishment is the assured portion of Rebellious men I could evidence and affirme this truth many waies as 1. By the exemplarie punishment of Rebells in all ages I could tell you how the earth swallowed up Corah Dathan and Abiram who rebelled against Moses and Aron together with their Wives Children and Substance a typicall Lesson no doubt it was to teach all after Ages that utter extirpation is the due portion allotted of God unto such men I could tell you how an halter catched Achitophell and a tree Absolom how Shebae's head was severed from his body and how Bigtan and Teresh suffred death for having an ill purpose against the King and how that punishment of theirs is recorded in Scripture as
in the Battaile yet 't is no true valour to set your foot too hard upon the neck of a fallen foe that beggs your mercy the generous Lion scornes to exercise his fury upon an enemy that 's prostrate before him I would have the Kings men do nothing but what is Kingly let Rebells practice basenesse it best becomes them Beside the Scripture saies that mercy pleaseth God and in that we are bidden to be like him who in the midst of judgement remembers mercie Be yee mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull for as in another place there shall be judgement mercilesse to them that shew no mercy as men do to others so shall it be done to them 2. Remember to distinguish between quaerentes facientes malum the plotters and contrivers of or the leaders in this Rebellion and they that by seduction onely are drawne into it between your sturdy Rebels and those that by a kind of inforcement are made to take their parts the Text speaks only of the former that severitie is to be used against them which if it be men may call it cruelty if they please but 't is justice rather and the prevention of mischief and cruelty for as such have been meanes alreadie to undoe and murder many by leading them into paths of death so if they should continue they would destroy more 3. Remember I pray to shew respect to Women Children and aged persons to the first in regard of the weaknesse of their Sex to the second sort in regard of the minority of their yeares and to the latter sort in regard of their gray haires 't is said of the barbarous Chaldeans 2 Chron. 36.17 That they had no compassion on the young Children on the Maiden or on the old man on him that stooped for age indeed though God did deliver the nation into their hands to punish yet he looked they should have showne some pittie on such as these and because they did not he threatned to punish them Esai 47.6 O Daughter of Chaldea I was wrath with Israel and I gave them into thy hand and thou didst shew them no mercie but upon the ancient thou didst lay very heavily the yoke therefore v. 9. these two things shall come upon thee in one day losse of Children and widdow-hood 4. Remember for the honour of your King and Cause and for your own inward peace and outward credit sake that you neither do nor so much as in you lieth suffer to be done in coole blood to the most impious Rebels any thing that savours of immodestie barbarousnesse or inhumanitie To uncloath men and women of their garments and to expose their nakednesse to open view as the enemies did in Ireland is most immodest and offensive to God and all good men to be an houre or two in hacking and torturing a wofull wretch or in taking away that miserable life which might be concluded in a moment or to wreak ones furie upon a dead carkas is a most barbarous cowardly thing and odious to God though offered to an Edomite as appears by that his threat unto the Moabites for their burning the bones of the King of Edom to lime Amos 2.1 so to use reviling speeches and cursed execrations against them that are readie to die or are in going out of the world full of wounds and paines is most inhumane nay 't is plainly diabolicall to insult over men in miserie be they never so vile never such wretched enemies The ancient Romans the bravest Souldiers in the world were carefull to absteine from all kinde of harsh words in such cases as kill him hang him knocke him down rogue villain or the like as also from all kind of barbarousnesse and inhumanitie in their executions for they said they acknowledged their enemies to be men not Tigers Metius Suffetius was drawn in pieces with foure horses for his Treason from which as a spectacle of great horrour the people turned their eyes The storie sayes as it was the first so it was the last punishment in this kind of rigour that was exercised amongst them for nulli gentium minores plaeuisse poenas saies Titus Livius of them no Nation so carefull to preserve the reputation of humanity as they Be you also carefull noble Gentlemen and Souldiers to abstein from all such unworthy conditions object not that the enemies deal so shamefully with our men when they get them into their power for I 'le assure you basenesse doth better become them and their cause then ever it will become you 5. Take heed you do not do any thing against the enemies out of your own private hatred remember that you are the Kings men and your enemies are the Kings enemies and them you are to oppose as such and as the enemies of your Countrey even in battaile it self you must strike and shoot as at the common foe let God direct the bullet or arrow as it pleaseth him as he did that which being shot at a venture slew Ahab and then 't is God and not man that killeth for to levell at any knowne men or to pursue any out of particular malice may be found murder in Gods account at the great day The Lord threatens to execute great vengeance upon the Philistines with furious rebukes because saies the Text thou didst take vengeance upon thine enemies with a despightfull heart for the old hatred and private grudge that was betwixt you Though God imploys men as his instruments to punish the publike enemies of Church and State yet never to revenge themselves he never gave any man a Commission to do this he would have us all to referre such wrongs to him 6. Remember what ever you do you do it with a publike spirit and do it valiantly and in that manner as may no whit discredit the Kings cause or blemish your own reputation nor occasion griefe to your spirits afterward and to this end remember the graciousnesse of the Kings spirit and disposition how he hath hitherto looked upon the vilest of them all with an eye of pitie and look you to your Commission which you have from His Majestie which let the enemies bawle never so is far more mild then they deserve it should be and remember too that though they have by their actions renounced the Doctrine of Jesus Christ and offered despight to the patient obedient and peaceable spirit of the Gospell and have forgotten you to be their brethren of the same nation and of the same Religion too which themselves professed foure years ago and do in their Turkish charity call you nothing but Dogs Popish Dogs yet be not you like them but yeeld them still to be your Brethren though rebellious and degenerate and approve your selves towards them to be Christians And these be the Mementoes which as Gods Minister I do here propound unto you yea which I do in the name of God charge upon you But perhaps some of you will say if we should follow