have risen against him the Assyrian Persian Greeian Roman whether the Roman bee considered as Pagan or Arrian or Antichristian Christ hath got the victory over them all he hath broke them all no power of Devill or world hath not been able to stand against him this stone cut out of the mountaine without hands hath smitten and broken the great image of Gold and Silver Brasse and Iron and he must reigne till all his enemies are made his footstoole And not onely Christ but the Fishermen and the rest of their companions that have been spoken of serve for a second experiment I will bee bold to say it that Alexander and all the Caesars never conquered so many as those simple men subdued to Christ in a very little time In one age their line went into all the corners of the world the Sunne did hardly shine upon a place where they did not set up Trophees of their Victories as unlikely a thing as it was Yea all the Saints of God that have lived hitherto have all found that whatsoever Tongues or Spirits have risen up against them have been condemned the woman hath compassed the man the worme hath destroyed the Mountaine and they have at the long runne been able with Paul to triumph not onely over poverty and hunger and nakednes and persecution and such outward troubles but over Principalities and Powers and all spirituall wickednesses too the Devil himself hath bin trod under all their feet And as there hath been experience of it hitherto so whosoever reads the Scripture will finde that the older the world growes the more experience there will bee of it continually because now begin the times of Christ and the Churches manifest conquest hitherto they have carryed it but not so visibly alwayes before the eyes of men but we expect the dayes to bee at hand wherein the Saints shall take the Kingdome and all the Kingdomes of the world shall bee the Lord Christs and hee shall reigne over them and that Kingdome that will not serve Christ shall bee destroyed and they shall with joy and comfort bring all their glory and conferre it upon the head of Christ and put it into the hands of these Babes So that the Babes and Sucklings must carry it and if you 'll have a ground or reason for it 100 might bee added First It is Gods onely designe the onely great project that the Lord hath laid from eternity that the Babes and Sucklings should carry the day against all their enemies it is the master-piece of his contrivement wherein hee will not indure to bee disappointed And then secondly His heart is with them his love is set upon them they are his children the apple of his eye they are written upon the palmes of his hands they are continually in his sight he loves them as hee loves himself Thirdly and his power is with them his Almighty power that power which can as easily make a World as it can uphold a straws all that power is engaged that no man shall ever bee able to prevaile against them These and many more such reasons as these are have been so frequently set before this Honourable Assembly in the times of your greatest extremities to uphold your hearts that I shall not need to say any more neither in truth doe I know what to adde to that which hath been spoken by other men I come therefore to a short application of both the branches and among many excellent Uses wee might make of the first That it is an unlikely thing to sense and reason that Christ and his Church should bee able to conquer their enemies I shall observe onely this one To teach you all not to wonder why the wisest men and greatest men of the world the most politique and wary men of the world in all ages have and doe most of them reject the cause of Christ and his Church seldome willing to venture themselves for it â—ou know Paul observed it in his dayes 1 Cor. 1. 26. Brethren you see your calling not many noble not many wise men after the flesh not many learned and all ages have proved it so And when multitudes followed Christ himselfe the Pharisees demanded Doe any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees beleeve on him John 7. 48. And Hierome observed in his dayes that when one Paulinus a brave young noble man imbraced Christian Religion there was more wondering at it than if a Mule had cast a foale now this lesson may fully instruct you in the reason of it so farre as any of their principles are able to make up a judgement the cause of the Church is a lost cause Christ and his Saints are but like David against Goliah they are but wormes against a Mountaine and what wise man would ever engage himselfe in such a foolish and unlikely businesse who that hath understanding would put his fortune into a Ship that hee thinkes will sinke in the Sea which will dash against the next rocke or bee split with the next wave Indeed when the Church is smiled upon and countenanced by Kings and Princes it 's no marvaile though wise rich and great men doe joyne with it but when warres and persecutions are raised against it which hath most-what been the Churches lot hitherto wonder not though wise men withdraw from it when they can see nothing but ruine attend them who take with this side and this is the very reason of their withdrawing and this also abundantly satisfies mee in our present trouble wherein we have had so many Lords so many Gentlemen so many Learned men so many great and rich men to have deserted the Cause that the Parliament was engaged in I solemnly professe I rather wonder that any wise man if not sanctified hath stayed that any Man not guided by the Spirit of God should venture himselfe in a Cause that appeared so desperate as this Cause of Christ hath done to the eyes of flesh and blood I justly call it the Cause of Christ and his Church because it 's apparent that the Parliaments engaging themselves for reformation of Religion as well as preserving civill Liberties hath provoked most of these enemies against them Therefore let this satisfie you abundantly when the multitude of the world generally goe against the Cause of Christ they thinke it folly to owne it because they looke upon it as a lost Cause But the other Branch affords many excellent Uses One is This may hold up and content the heart and spirit of every one that hath given up his name to Christ and his Cause entered his name into Christs Muster-booke is enrolled amongst the souldiers of the Lambe I know flesh and blood sense and reason thinkes wee have the worser end of the staffe but let such know what dayes soever may come hee shall never have cause to repent that hee engaged himselfe on this side the victory is sure enough some men
peace that there might be freedome to seek God and to serve him according to his will and know you for certaine that every soul which shall be wonne to Christ be it the soule of a woman or of an old man that stoops for age or of a childe yet every soule wonne to Christ and so numbred among these Babes and Sucklings will bee as stout a souldier as ever you did employ and will in your extremity doe more then all the experienced Captains that tread on English ground because God is with these and these must carry it the power of heaven is engaged with them therefore for the Lords sake further Religion the propagation and settling of it you are wise and can think of the wayes which have been often set before you God Almighty blesse you in it and ever let these parties be deare in your eyes who have such interest in Heaven let them bee owned as the Souldiers who will never fail you though others may and will The other thing I humbly advise is this That you would alwayes carry this in your wise thoughts never to engage in any cause wherin you should not be accompanyed with the power that comes out of the Mouthes of these Babes and Sucklings you have found though it may be carnall eyes see it not that the prayers and teares of Gods people and their cleaving to God and their interest in your Cause hath been the greatest meanes under heaven to keepe your Lordships to be a Parliament House to this day and the Lord keep you that whatsoever businesse you have what contest or warre soever you may have that your Cause bee such that these Babes and Sucklings bee not constrained to withdraw from your assistance my meaning is that the Cause bee ever good and such a Cause as God will own and as God cals you to hitherto your Cause hath been manifest and your way hath been cleare the Lord keep you that you and the Babes and Sucklings of my Text may live and dye together and then wee are well enough but when ever you engage against them or without them you will be worsted 2. To the rest who is there among you that belongs to this party who are of Christs number I beseech you give us your help come all of you and helpe the Lord against his enemies helpe in the great worke that now is in hand doe not say you can contribute nothing it may bee some of you have no Money or Lands no wisdome or authority I am sure thou hast that which Gods people may receive benefit by Christ hath given thee a mouth which is a quiver full of choice arrowes thou canst professe Christs truth thou canst sing his praises thou canst call him Abba father thou canst be one of his remembrancers thou canst pray for the peace of Zion thou canst say Our Father which art in heaven let thy kingdome come and little doest thou know what great things thou maist doe in thy Closet in thy Chamber in the Fields at thy work no tongue can utter what admirable helpe thou maist give thou maist reach Rome and Spaine and Ireland succour the one and destroy the other O for the Lords sake lay out your strength to the utmost come out I say and helpe the Lord all that are able Solomon saith Hee that in a famine withholds Corne the people will curse him what will thy condition be if thou withholdest thy help in the needfull time of trouble you know Mordecai's speech to Hester Who knowes but thou camest to the Kingdome for such a time as this I say to thee without any if or and I know thou art indued with all this strength for such a time as this O therefore fill thy mouth with praises with confessions with prayers and with whatever else may quell the Lords and thy enemies even the enemy and the avenger But take this in thou must bee carefull so to use this power that it may take and speed thinke not that every one that pretends to pray or pretends to Covenant or professe Gods name can doe it I could give you abundance of instances where the Lord hath aborninated al these things they have bin curses to them who have used them have you not often read of such speeches as these What hast thou to do to take my Name into thy mouth when yee make many prayers I will not heare you when they pray I will destroy them with sword famine and pestilence and many other the like know therefore it s not bare Preaching or Confessing or Singing or Praying that will doe any thing these must be used and done aright and there are excellent Rules for every one of these to teach us how to use them so as to make them effectuall but a Sermon will not beare the handling of them I shall at the present commend onely two directions which are common to them all 1 See that that Mouth out of which all this strength must be exercised bee a sanctified Mouth a Mouth separated to and engaged in Gods Cause onely let it not bee the Mouth that St. James speakes of Out of the same Mouth comes cursing and blessing let it not be a Mouth that shall sing Hosanna to Christ in the Temple and crucifie him in the Court that shall sing a Psalme to him in the Congregation and a bawdy Catch in an Alehouse or Tavern that shall blesse his Name in the assembly of his people and blespheme him in the company of prophane ones that shall talk of Heaven and holinesse in one company and uncleannesse and luxury in another this is a Mouth end a Mouth a double Mouth that the Lord takes no more pleasure in then in a double heart No let the Mouth that is such an excellent instrument as this and the tongue in it let it I say bee for the Lord and for the Lord onely let it bee a sanctified Mouth And secondly 2 That though all this power must be exercised out of the Mouth yet it must come further then from the Mouth the Mouth is the instrument it is the gun if you will or the sword but the Mouth it is not the magazine it is not the store-house though the tongue is the glory for execution there must bee another thing that must be the fountaine and therefore this sanctified Mouth must fetchall from another treasury there is a double store-house whence it must be furnished 1 Christs merit the meritorious cause of all the conquest is the blood of the Limbe goe not thou out in the force of thy prayer say not I can pray I can preach I have a bold Spirit to confesse Christ and I have taken the Covenant and will stand to it God forbid thou shouldest thinke this can contribute any thing because it is in thee no but let the blood of the Lambe be the meritorious cause upon which thou relyest faith in
world in the Land of Judea and they were at that time brought into captivity to the great red Dragon the Roman Empire the professed enemy of the God of Heaven and these were his vassalls Among them commeth Christ as a Champion to undertake this great adversary and thus he enters the Lists borne in a stable wrapped up in rags bred a poor Carpenter lives 30 yeares in the world almost untaken notice of when hee did come to shew that hee was the Saviour who had undertaken the redemption of his people from their thraldome they who should have owned him and joyned with him scorn'd him rejected him none but a few women and children and fishermen would so much as acknowledge that hee was sent of God yea they never leave him till Jewes and Romans following the counsell of the Devill had agreed together to destroy him they tooke him hung him upon a crosse crucified him and there let him remaine a shame and a reproach and curse and laughing-stock to all the world and now was the time hee was to fight the field thus was hee accomplished for the warfare and now was hell let loose upon him who that should have looked upon Christ at that time would ever have thought that deliverance should have come by him would not all have said of him as some of the sonnes of Belial did of Saul and with a great deale of more reason toe How can this Man ever save us flesh and blood I dare say would have given up the Cause as lost Secondly take another instance in the first Champions whom Christ sends out in his Name his Apostles and the rest of his Disciples taken out of Fisher-boates and from other the like conditions and hee sends them to reduce the world under his subjection see what probability there was that they should ever speed they goe out a Company of weake men without money in their purse without a sword by their side unto a prejudiced world where all were engaged against them and thus must they go to subdue the world and how I pray by preaching such a Doctrine as was for the greatest part utterly above the capacity of man ridiculous to mans reason that they should beleeve in a crucified God and appoint them a way of selfe-deniall plucking out their right eye and cutting off their right hand and their right foot and forsaking all and taking up a crosse and following a crucified God and when they had done all then they should looke for that which no man ever saw a reward in a place where no man ever was that they had heard of a reward of glory in another world after they had undergone nothing but misery in this world and with this Doctrine must they overcome the world When Mabomet came out hee had a Doctrine that suited Mans reason and his lusts And when Antichrist came hee had a way that would please whatsoever was in a carnall heart but these must go out with that against which every man hath as many principles as hee hath lusts in his heart Would ever any man thinke that all this project and undertaking would not have fallen presently into the dust I could goe on but that I have many things to handle and shew you that in all the Churches conflicts it hath been so When God sent a shepheard to fetch 600000 men out of the land of Egypt where they were in bondage how ridiculous an attempt would it appeare to flesh and blood When they were to come out of the Captivity of Babylon when Athanasius was to undertake the Arrian world when Luther and a few company of Fryers and Monkes that came out of their Cells undertooke to destroy the master-piece of policy that ever the Devill had was there any likelyhood to flesh and reason they should carry it I adde further every particular Saint who is brought home to Christ is a sufficient proofe of this when grace comes first into their heart as a sparke of fire into a well of water as a graine of mustardseed cast into a barren ground a poore weake Creature who hath onely learned to know the way to life presently assaulted with all the power of the world and hell it selfe No man that should looke upon it with the eyes of reason but would conclude it will never come to any thing And there is this reason for it because the principles of sense and reason can behold and view all the power that is against them the temptations and allurements of the Devill the world and the flesh are all agreeable to our corrupt nature and wee can discerne what strength is in them the opposition which the wisdome authority and power which all the Kingdomes and men of the world make against the Saints appeare in its full strength as clearly as the Army sent to take Elisha the Prophet did unto his servant But on the part of the Babes and Sucklings sense and reason sees their weaknesse but sees nothing of their strength that 's no more discerned then the fore mentioned servant saw the mountaines full of Chariots and Horses of fire before the Lord opened his eyes that is a hidden secret thing can be beheld and known only by the light of faith and the revelation of God which they have no understanding of there is the first The second Branch is How unlikely soever it appeare yet so it is they have a strength whereby they shall and will quell all their enemies even the enemy and the avenger the victory is sure enough For the proofe of this nothing is more cleare in the Book of God First All the promises are for it a thousand promises have declared it must bee so The seed of the Woman must breake the Serpents head I will build my Church the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it No weapon that is formed against thee shall ever prosper Every tongue that rises up against thee in judgement thou shalt condemne Feare not thou worme Jacob thou shalt thresh the Mountaines and beat them to dust Arise and thresh O daughter of Zion and I will make thy borne iron and thy hoofes brasse and thou fhalt breake in pieces many Nations I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people that burden themselves with it shall bee cut in pieces though all the people of the earth bee gathered together against it God will tread Satan under your feet shortly All that is borne of God overcomes the world I write unto you little children because yee have overcome that wicked one who hath not read abundance of such promises as these are And experience hath found it thus see it in a few examples First our Lord Jesus Christ himselfe at that time when hee appeared so unlikely as you have heard then did hee breake all his enemies and led captivity captive and hath hitherto so farre prevailed that all the Empires which
fall into trouble but God will bring them out I conclude this with that speech of David Psal. 37. The wicked plotteth against the just and gnasheth upon him with his teeth the Lord shall laugh at him for hee seeth that his day is comming This is the first Lesson now I proceed to the second Which is the manner how these Babes and Sucklings doe exercise this their great strength Out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings You know that every creature which God hath endued with any strength hath a peculiar way of bringing out its strength ' the Lions strength lies in his jawes the Beare in his pawes the Eagle in her talons a Man by his armes the Bull by his hornes the Scorpions have their power in their tayle ' thus every creature that hath any notable strength hath some eminent way to exercise it Now would you know which way doe these Babes and Sucklings exercise their strength it is out of their Mouth Out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings The Lesson I propound to handle from it is this That the peculiar way whereby Christ and all his seed doe overcome their enemies is by a power that comes out of their mouth That 's the peculiar way of fighting power comes out of their mouth For the truth of it see it First in Christ himselfe when it was prophesied of him in the 11 of Isaiah v. 4. how hee should reigne and rule over all Nations the Spirit of God layes it downe thus He shall smite the Earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips hee shall slay the wicked It was a rod of his mouth and the breath of his lips that 's the staffe of his power that which is called in the 110 Psalme the rod of his strength is in this 11 of Isaiah called the rod of his mouth so also in the 19 of the Revelations v. 15. where hee is brought on horseback fighting his battaile in the field and destroying all his enemies it is said Out of his mouth came a two edged sword that with it hee should smite the Nations and if you read his story while hee was upon earth you may observe that all in a manner which he did came out of his mouth sometimes by a word of command thus his miracles were wrought be healed be opened be cleansed c. sometimes by preaching converting some convincing others sometimes by prayer that is one reason as some thinke why he is called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the Word of God because all that hee did was by a word Secondly See it likewise in his servants all the servants of Christ these Babes and Sucklings that are his brethren and his seed they all overcome by a power that comes out of their mouth And to cleare this consider first some passages of Psalme 68. a Psalm which I confesse deserves to be more fully cleared then a short Sermon will allow being so full to this purpose the whole Psalme being a full declaration of the way and manner how Christ and his followers doe overcome all their enemies The first verse of the Psalme is Let God arise and his enemies bee scattered and the close of the Psalme is God hath given strength to his people blessed bee God that is the drift of it to give glory to God for the strength hee hath given to his Sonne and the followers of his Sonne to subdue all their enemies and how is this performed to say nothing of Christ himselfe you may see the way of his Saints overcomming notably described ver. 18. Thou hast ascended on high thou hast led captivity captive thou hast received gifts for men even for the bellious also that the Lord God may dwell amongst them When Christ ascended then hee gave such gifts to his children and servants that by them they should bee so farre able to tame the most rebellious that the Lord God might dwell among them set up his throne and habitation in the midst of them what these gifts were the Apostle tells you expresly in the 4 of the Ephesians When hee ascended up on high hee gave some to be Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastors and Teachers these were the gifts which were powred out upon the day of Pentâ—cost all which were represented by the similitude of cloven Tongues whereby the Lord would teach you that all the gifts which Christ hath powred out upon his Church there is nothing so lively a resemblance of them all as the Tongue out of the mouth by the tongue comes all the power that the Saints have you 'll finde it as plain if you look into the 11 of the Revelations ver. 5 6. where the two Witnesses of Christ their manner of overcomming is described These two Witnesses are by the best Interpreters judged to be the small number of true believers who followed Christ all the time of the Antichristian Apostasie against these all the world fights for the space of twelve hundred and sixty yeares these two Witnesses ever cartyed the victory and there are they compared to Moses and Aaron to Elias and Elisha to Joshna and Zerubbabel so that looke what Moses and Aaron did in their time of Israels comming out of Egypt what Elias and Elisha in the time of that Apostasie and Joshua and Zerubbabel in the time of that Reformation these two VVitnesses should doe the same but how even as Moses Aaron Elias and the rest overcame all enemies and difficulties by a power proceeding out of their mouth as appeares in their stories so doe these these can smite the earth with plagues these can turn waters into blood these can shut and open heaven these can destroy their enemies who would hurt them but all this proceeds out of their mouth out of their mouth comes fire that destroyes their enemies all is done by their mouth and in the 12 of the Revelations verse 11. you may there read a great battail described that is fought between the Saints Christ and his Saints and the great red Dragon but Michael and his Angels overcome the Dragon and his Angels at the 11 Verse it 's said They that is the Saints overcame the Dragon by the blood of the Lambe that was the meritorious cause but the instrumentall cause was the word of their testimony They overcame him by the blood of the Lambe and the word of their testimony but you will bee better satisfied after I have opened unto you Wherein lyes the power which proceeds out of their mouth what is it or what doth their mouth Possibly I shall not bee able to name every particular branch but there are five things that are most cleare which all are the fruit of the mouth and by them in all ages these babes and sucklings have overcome the enemy and the avenger First 1. Preaching 2. Confessing or professing the Name Truth and Cause of