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
in these conflicts of ours have solemnely protested that their plot was onely to bee on the safest side that they might bee sure to stand whosoever fall In the name of God I promise it to every one that hath undertooke with Christ in the Cause of his Church they shall succeed well They used to say in Rome in Germanieus his dayes Salvus Germanicus salva Roma salva omnia Germanicus is well and the City is well and all is well I say it with better confidence Christ is well his Church is well their Cause is good a succeeding Cause a prosperous Cause and all shall bee well the worme must beat the mountaine to dust the Woman must compasse the man It may for a while seeme to goe very hard with the Church but the end will bee comfortable it was of old said of the Romans they were sometimes praelio victo nunquam bello they lost many a battell but in the conclusion they conquered every Nation which warred against them This most undoubtedly is the fate of the Church might hold us up in all our present difficulties I know many of you are yet at your wits end and wonder what will bee the end and event of these things the pillars of the Earth the pillars of the Land the pillars of Truth as well as of Peace are shaken ready to fall wee are wofully divided into minutula srustula and the young childe of Reformation in danger to bee swallowed up a Hydra a Dragon watcheth for it a malignant party on the one hand Blasphemies heresies and divisions on the other hand but there is a Spirit working wil subdue all the zeal of the Lord wil bring all well to passe therefore hold up your Spirits and fear nothing I cannot but commend unto you that excellent speech of Luther to Melancthon when the Protestants were in a very low estate when Melancthon was affraid Come saith Luther to him let the Pholips let the Bishops let the Turks and the Devill himselfe doe his worst against us nos filii regni sumus wee are the children of the Kingdome Dominus prope adest the Lord is at hand wee are engaged with Christ whom they have crucified and spit upon wee must carry the day from them So I say to thee Feare thou nothing the Barque wherein thou art may be tost it will never be split troubles may come the present may continue new ones may come but nothing shall come but such as that Christ contrives purposely that things may appeare difficult to us that his glory may bee the more in his carrying us through them all and in the name of Christ I promise you the event shall bee successefull And as this is comfortable in reference to the whole Church so it is wonderfully comfortable to every particular soule that feares the Lord Christ and may uphold them in all their temptations and afflictions crosses and desertions I am perswaded many a soule who heares mee this day wonder how they shall subsist one weeke longer their spirituall pressures temptations desertions are so strong another findes their outward afflictions so intolerable and their pressures more and more breaking in so that they are ready every moment to sinke under their burthen and know not what will become of them ready every day to conclude as David did in his haste and feare I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul I shall never hold out I shall never be able to stand against these impetuous assaults but cheare up thy heart if there bee any thing of Christ in thee though it bee but as smoking flax it shall never bee quenched though but as a bruised reed it shall never bee broken though it bee but a babe and suckling thou shall quell all thy enemies I tell thee I know it that all the power of hell is engaged against thee because thou art for Christ whether there bee any power of hell in thy heart in thy lust or in thy family in thy father in thy husband in thy mother in thy brethren or about thee all will bee against thee but as this power is against thee so I assure thee all the power in Heaven is engaged for thee all the power that the God of Heaven hath all his Attributes are for thee and therefore doe thou conclude though thou art a worme a woman c. the worm shall thresh the mountaine the woman shall compasse the man the lambe shall overcome the wolfe and what is said in the 17 of the Revelations of all the Kings of the earth that they should set against the Virgin Company who follow the Lamb but the Lambe should overcome them for hee is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and those that are with him who are called and chosen and faithfull the like is true of every soule who is a follower of the Lord Christ they must overcome and by the helpe of the Lord tread all their enemies under their feet Secondly because how unlikely soever the thing bee the Babes and Sucklings must queil all their enemies let me teach you all this point of wisdome never have any thing to doe against the Lord Christ or any of his children beware how thou have thy hand in any contrivement against any of those that are the Lambes followers I cannot give it you better then in an expression of Solomons in Proverbes 24. 15 16. to a wicked man Lay not maite O thou wiched man against the babitation of the righteous spoile not his resting place For the righteous falls seven times a day riseth agains but the wicked fall into mischiese I take the plaine meaning to bee this Solomon tells wicked men hee knows they cannot but bee like themselves plotting and contriving mischiese against those that feare God and possibly it is that through their contrivements they may cause the people of God oftentimes to fall to fall into afflictions under many crosses but let them fall never so often they will bee like the corke thrust it under the water you cannot keep it under the water it will rise againe so shall it bee with godly men they will get out of their troubles but when the wicked falls hee falls to the purpose hee will fall into mischief and never rise againe God will deale with them as hee did with Moab in the 16 of Isaiah Wee have heard of the pride of Moab he is very proud even of his haughtinesse and his pride and his wrath but his lyes shall not bee so therefore shall Moab howle for Moab Moab thought to make my children mourn and howle but I 'll make Moab howle for himselfe So thou maist thinke to carry on a plot or designe against Religion against the servants of God either their Cause in generall or some particular person of them but forbeare it as Gamaliel said to them Forbeare these men middle not with them lest yee bee found fighters against God they may
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
it will make the sling stones able with David to kill these Goliahs take this away and thou canst doe nothing 2 See that all come out of the good Treasury within from a sanctified heart when thy Mouth makes consession see that it come out of a heart that beleeveth if thou sing to Gods glory with thy mouth and voice it must bee with grace in thy heart if thou wilt pray see to it that it be not lip-labour or onely a company of words or sentences well composed but let it bee the powring out of the heart the crying with the heart with an humble heart with a beleeving heart and so let thy Covenanting bee thou wilt sweare a Covenant let thy heart stand to it and hold it out and maintaine it this is the way to use these Mouth-weapons aright I should have inlarged my Discourse upon them but I rather feare I have been burthen some already to your patience Consider what I have said and the Lord give you understanding in all things And I shall end FINIS 1 Cor. 1. 27 28. Job 22. 30. Psal. 101. 6. Introduction shewing the scope and parts of the Psalme 2. Analysis of the Text 1. 2. 1. 2. Interpretation of the Text what is meant by Babes and Sucklings Esay 53. 3. Matth. 21. 9 15 16. opened and explained Heb. 2 6 7 8. 1 Cor. 15. 25 26 27. Phil. 2. 6. 7. Psal. 81. Ps. 84. What is meant by enemies and the enemy and avenger What is meant by strength What by still or quell What is meant by mouth Doct. 1. Doct. 2. 1 Doctrine in two branches 2. 1 Branch It 's an unlikely thing to sense and reason that Christ and his Church should be able to overcome their enemies Jer. 31. 22 23. opened and explained Proved by the comparison which sets out the unlikelihood of it Psal. 22. 6. 13. 16. 202. Luke 10 3. Proved 2 by some instances The reason why it 's so unlikely to sense and reason 2 Kings 6 15 2 Branch Yet they have strength to doe it and shall doe it Proved first by many promises that it shall bee so Gen. 3. 15. Matth. 16. 18. Esay 54. 17. Esay 41. 14. Micah 4. 13. Zach. 12. 3. Rom. 16. 10. 1 John 5 4 1 John 2. 13. 2 By experience it ever hath been so Dan. 2. Psal. 110. Rom. 8. 35 38 And shal be so more more Dan. 7. 18. Revel. 11. 15. Reasons of it 1. 2. 3. Vse of the first branch not to wonder though so few wise men own the Churches cause Uses of the second branch Consolation to whom who joyne with the cause of Christ and his Church 2 Use of consolation to every particular Saint 3 Vse exhortation to all to have nothing to doe against these Babes Sucklings Prov. 24. 15 16 Isay 16. 6 7. Act. 5. 38. Psal. 37. 12 13 Doct. 2. The strength whereby the Babes Sucklings doe overcome their Enemies proceeds out of their mouth Thus Christ himselfe Esay 11. 4. Psal. 110. 2. 2. Thus also all the Saints overcome Psal. 68. 18. Ephes. 4. 7 8 9 10 11. Acts 2. 3. Rev. 11. 5 6. explained Rev. 12. 11. explained Qu. Resp. 5 Things proceeding our of these mouths of Babes and Sucklings whereby they overcome 1. By Preaching Mat. 28. 19 20. Rom. 10 18. Psal. 19. 2 Cor. 10. 4 5. 2. By confessing and professing the Truth Luke 21. 15. Acts 4 13. 3. Singing of Psalmes Ps. 149. 4 5 6 c. Psal. 68. 23 24 25. 2 Chron. 20. 22 4. Prayer Psal. 107. 6 13 19 28. 1 Kings 8. per totum 1 Kings 9. 3. Exod. 17. 10. 1 Sam. 7. 9. Psal. 56. 9 11. Heb. 11. 33. 5. Covenanting Reason of all this when they are made so mighty in working Ob. All this by some is used as an argument against our defensive Armes Resp. 1. 2. Vse 1. Exhortation to take notice of the comfortable experience wee have had of this in our present troubles Vse 2. Exhortation to maintaine those Forces for time to come To this end be carefull of two things 1. 2. 3. Exhortation to all these Babes and Sucklings to use their power against Christand their enemies 2 Rules how to use this power of the mouth so as to make it effectuall 1. James 3. 9. 10. 2. A double store-house whence the Mouth must be supplyed with strength 1 Christs Merits 2 From a sanctified heart