fight for such a God Secondly you fight for Iesus Christ who hath fought with Heaven and Earth and Hell for you who became sinne to make you righteousnesse and a Curse to make you a blessing who gave Glory for shame Life for death Joy for sorrow that you may exchange shame for Glory death for Life and sorrow for Joy broken for your sinnes was hee that your breaches may be made up crusht was Iesus Christ for you that you might once be crowned with him you fight for that Jesus which is the God of Glory the Lord of Hoasts the Head of Angells the Heir of Heaven the Prince of Peace whose everlasting thoughts eternall purposes timely actions most bitter passions whose present worke at the throne of Grace whose all in all was and is and ever shall be for your present and eternall good and who would not fight for such a Jesus Thirdly you fight for the Holy Ghost his worke in the World in the hearts of the Saints is the great Controversie between you and your Adversaries God in you is their malice against you you fight for that spirit that fills you with joy unspeakeable and full of Glory by which you are sealed to the day of Redemption Ephes 4.30 by which you are comforted in all your tribulations Iohn 14. which maketh you meete for the inheritance with the Saints in light 1 Col. 12. which stayeth you with Flagons and comforteth you with Apples 2 Cant. 5. affording such meat which the World knowes not of which hall be as Rivers of water in a dry place and as the shadow of a mighty Rock in a weary Land whose inward heat of life and joy shall like the fire in the Temple never be extinct Fourthly you fight for the glorious Gospell of Jesus Christ and the through-fare thereof in your Native Country that Gospell that hath brought life and immortalitie to light which hath discovered bowells of Grace in God to you from all eternity the treasure of Comfort the vision of Heaven the support of Saints the rule of life the way of Peace the path to Glory Fiftly you fight for Sion and all her priviledges for Sion and her Ordinances for Sion and her children for Sion the house of God 76. Psal 2. the Arke of God the Temple of God the joy of God 132. Psal 13. the perfection of beautie 50. Psal 2. for Sion the Subject of Gods love 87. Psal 2. of his desire 132. Psal 14. of his Jelousie 8 Zachary 2. the friend the Sister the Spouse of Christ for Sion which whosoever hateth shall be turned backward 129. Psal 5. to favour whose dust is an acceptable service in the sight of God Thus you see the fulnesse and generality of the Cause in respect of the soule you fight for the God of Grace for Jesus Christ the gift of Grace the spirit of Grace the Gospell of Grace and the children of Grace Secondly see the fulnesse of the Cause in respect of the outward man in many particulars First you fight for your King though this be esteemed a Paradox a Riddle a lye a scorne because it is contrary to his Commands and his Person is with those against whom you fight and so in danger yet first you take up Armes in under and for the defence of his lawfull Authority setled in Parliament and not among Cavaliers against those whose endeavours are to destroy the Parliament and Lawes of the Land and consequently all his Royall and lawfull authority and so either to unking and dethrone him or make him a Tyrant the high way to ruine him by exposing him to the wrath of God and the dangerous hazards of a Tyrannicall Government which are commonly stabs poyson plers and Treasons You fight for his Authority which is greater then his personall Commands if he should personally edmmand to murther which is forbidden by his Authoritie which would be most disloyall he that disobeyeth the one or the other the King saith he will rule us by Law and make his will that Law though it be in things contrary to knowne Lawes and you fight against his will because contrary to his Authority which is greater than his Will the party you fight against resist his lawfull Authoritie you his corrupt Will they his power you his Command they withstand him as a King you as a man who are the greater Rebells his deliberate Will is in Parliament signified by his Writ and Act of continuance his passionate will is in his Camp signified by his Commands that you should not obey his will in Parliament what will you doe you will say he is not present in Parliament therefore the third Estate which is essentiall thereunto is gone and so there is a diffolution of the whole I answer his power is there though not his Person he is not in his inforiour Courts personally but vertually and so he is in Parliament his Person may die but not his power you are proclaimed Traitors by his mouth your Enemies by his Law you by his Person they by his power you are proclaimed Traitors but what is the Treason you will not quietly let your throats be cut nor suffer the Parliament to be destroyed you will not advance Prerogative above Law nor permit an Army of Theives to take away all you have without resistance you will not destroy the Kings lawfull Authority by submitting your selves to his unlawfull Commands you will not permit cursed men to destroy the Parliament as Doog at Sauls tyrannicall command did destroy the Lords Priests 1 Sam. 22 18 but defend them from slaughter as David did Abiathar v. 23. in a word you will not be made slaves but say you are free borne and this is Treason how prove you that why your Enemies call it so 2. You fight for the recovery of his Royall Person out of the hands of those miscreants and reinstate Him in his Royall Throne and Dignity that both He and his Posteritie if God will may yet flourish in their Royaltie so that notwithstanding all contradictions you fight for your King Secondly you fight for your Countrie for the peace of it against the great disturbers thereof 2. For the plentie of it against the Plunderers tobbers spoylers destroyers thereof 3. For the Libertie of it the Lawes power and Priviledges thereof in Parl our Nationall Inheritance 4. For all your common Interests in any thing you enjoy your Houses Lands Estates Callings what ever you have is lost if the day be lost 5. You fight for your neerest relations your Wives and poore children who are undone if you give up the Cause if the Principles of Heathens have rendered them valiant for their Countries good and their Valour famous to succeeding posteritie shall not the Principles of piety be stronger in Christians thus you have a good cause it is clearely good it is fully good for God your King your Countrey in all their references never the like cause all things considered from the
beginning of the World untill this day Secondly as you have a good Cause so consider WHAT A LIFE GUARD God hath set about you for your security First God himselfe is your Life guard 52. Esay 12. the Lord shall goe before you and the God of Israell shall be your Reereward there is God in Front and Reare he shall be unto you a munition of Rocks 33. Esay 15.16 He that walketh righteously c. he shall dwell en high his place of Defence shall be a munition of Rocks and the Church is said to dwell in the clefts of the Rocks 2 Canticles 14 and the name of the Lord is a strong Tower Prov. 18.10 a little Sauctuary will God be unto you 11. Ezekiell 16. He will be a shield a buckler a strong Tower a Refuge a Defence against the terrour of the night the arrow or bullet that flieth in the day Psal 91.5 what though Ammon and Geball Edom and Ishmaell Moaband the Agarims what though Amaleck and the Philistims Ashur and the Children of Lot though Papists and Atheists and all their Allyes though France and Spaine though Turke and Pope though all the World should compasse you about like Bees yet if the Lord be your strength and refuge he will become your song and your salvation Psal 118.12 was not God thus unto you at Keynem Battell to the amazement of your Enemies and the joy of your hearts when the instruments of death went over you and about you and scarce touch'd any of you that stood to the Cause and did not flye away when thousands fell on each side of you and you were preserved doe not your hearts leape at the remembrance of it did not the Lord appeare at that day glorious in holines fearefull in praises working wonders did not the Mountaines skip like Rams and the little Hills like young sheep at that day did you not hew downe mighty Cedars at that day did not God throw downe Mountaines and fill up Vallies for you at that day when hee brought you to Plahiroth the very mouth of straights as he did the Israelites Exod. 14.2 when your Enemies thought you were entangled and when they cryed wee will persue we will overtake we will devide the spoyle our lusts shall bee satisfied our Sword shall devoure c. Exod. 15.9 then did the Lord blow with his wind and the waters and waves of his wrath did overwhelme them and they lay weltering in the red Sea of their owne blood was not this a taken that your cause was good and your Enemies bad when those of you that fled were slaine and those that stood to it were preserved and those of your Enemies that stood to it perished and those that fled escaped how did GOD the Father protect you with his attributes how did God the Sonne surround you as it were with his merits and intrench you with his bloud how did God the Holy Ghost cheer you with his comforts working your hearts to a holy extasie of joy making you like David when he danced before the Arke to forget your selves and upon the discharge of your Muskets to cry out in holy and spirituall rapture now for Iesus Christ now for the Gospell now le ts see what prayer can d ee c. when you were in the vallies of the shadow of death yet did you not feare and hath not God gon all along with you ever since hath not God alwayes as before Ephraim Benjamin and Manasses stird up his strength and came and holpen you from time to time as the Psalmist hath it 80. Psalm 2. alluding to these three Tribes which went immediately after the Arke 2 Numb 17. and 18. consider therefore God the Fountaine of life the great Preserver of men the upholder of all things by the word of his power is your Life-guard Secondly you have a guard of Angells to attend you 34. Psalm 7. the Angels of the Lord pitch their Tents round about them that feare him and delivereth them yea the Charets of God are twentie thousand thousands of Angells and God is amongst them for your security 68. Psalme 17. God shall give his Angells charge over you to keepe you in all your wayes 91. Psalme 11. little doe you know what Charets and Horsemen there are in the Mount readie to fight for you when you come to battell 2 Kings 6.15 16 17. God hath legions of Angells to come to fight for you when you call upon him in the day of Battell Matth. 26.53 tender is God over you to give his Angells for your guard and his Ministers a flame of fire round about you can you miscarry with such a Life guard Thirdly consider you have a guard of promises to attend you where ever you goe first the promises of military dexterity that God will teach your hands to warre and your fingers to fight and of protection that he will cover your heads in the day of Battell 144. Psalme 1. you have been looked upon as an unskilfull meeke pusillanimous Dove-like spirited people and indeed so you are but hath not God given you the skill courage and valour as of mighty Princes and made old Souldiers flie like hares and hide their heads from you to their terrour and your wonder that ever you should have such capacitie for such services so unsuitable to your genuine temper Secondly you have the promises of provision and plentie that though the Lions lack and suffer hunger yet you that feare the Lord shall want nothing that is good for you 34. Psalme 10. in your march towards Canaan to worship God for that is your case rather then you shall want if you bee upright and ingenuous in the cause purely for God he will smite Rocks for you spread Tables in the Wildernesse feed you with Angells food the delicates of Heaven the upper springs dulcius è fonte you shall have the very well of Life for your refreshment Thirdly you have the promises of victory that one shall chase a thousand and two shall put ten thousand to flight 32. Deutro 30 that if your Enemies come one way they shall flie from you seven waies that no Sword nor Weapon that is framed against you shall prosper 54. Esay 17. that God will make his Church and People his battell Axe and Weapons of Warfare to breake in pieces the Nations of the Earth 51. Ieremy 20 21. c. and that God will make his people a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth to thrash the Mountaines and to beate them small and to make the hills as chaffe Esay 41.15 that the Stone cut out without hands shall be that Kingdome viz. of Christ that shall never be destroyed but shall destroy all Kingdomes and people that shall rise up against it 2 Daniel 44.45 that God will binde Kings in chaines and Nobles in Fetters of Iron Psalme 149.8.9 and to execute upon them the judgement written this honour have all his Saints You may expect all these promises to be
fulfilled and the face of things doe looke as if they were now in fulfilling and they must bee fulfilled in and about that very cause which you have in hand and why may we not believe but that even now the day of vengeance is in Gods hand and the yeare of his redeemed is come 4. You have a guard of prayers round about you millions of prayers like a Cloud of incense Lev. 16.13 doe alwaies hang over you and hover about you the Prayers of many generations that went before you you shall reap in joy what they have sowen in Teares little doe you know the many thousands of prayers night and day in your behalfe when you happily have not opportunity nor company nor place of conveniency to poure out your hearts before the Lord. What are these great Victories and wonderfull deliverances vouchsafed unto you but the returne of prayers in your behalfe that you so often prosper fighting in the valley is because so many Mosesses and Hurs are praying in the Mount Lastly consider you have a guard of providences for your defence all transactions of all passages shall still be loaded with your security the Sunne is willing to stand still in Gideon and the Moone in the Valley of Dialon The Sea will as gladly run backward as forward for your deliverance The Creatures delight to doe you service if God doth at any time bring you to straights it is for nothing but to shew his power and love for your defence if hee brings you to such a posture as that you can doe nothing but stand still it is onely to shew you and the whole World the salvation of God Thus you have a good first cause and Secondly a sure life Guard you have God his Angells his Promises the Prayers of the Saints and all providences for your incouragement Thirdly Consider the many infallible intimations as so many predictions from heaven of your successe which are a thousand times more promising then Elijahs Cloud 1 Kin. 18.44 of great Raine or an Evening red and lowring Skie of a succeeding faire day Mat. 16.3 First the Spirit of Prayer and Supplication is abundantly poured forth upon all the Saints in your behalfe An infallible signe of your successe The Cloud of Incense Leviticus the 16.13 which are the prayers of the Saints as will appeare by comparing that place 141. Psal 2. is the Cloud of his presence and a little cloud of that nature though but so big as Elijahs hand presageth a plentifull shoure of heavenly blessings upon your heads When God prepareth Daniels heart to pray Sions captivity is at an end Dam. 9.4 Hee that prepareth the heart to pray will cause his eare to heare Psal 10.17 such prayers and teares such sighs and groanes such surrounding the Throne of grace in publique in private in season out of season was never knowne since Adams daies as are now in your behalfe How many thousand lies in the gap in your behalfe every Jacob is become an Israell in your cause can you thinke you shall miscarry Secondly The Spirit of Faith and confidence of your successe in this cause is poured forth upon all the Saints and this also is a certaine Omen of your prosperity when God doth draw out the hearts of men to believe and to hope in his mercy it is a ground of strengthening their hearts for then will he preserve the faithfull and plentifully reward the proud doer Psal 31.23 the Lord shall help deliver and save his people because they trust in him Psal 37.40 should God enable men to hope and trust in him and that upon Evangelicall and Divine grounds and faile them how would he dishonour his son prejudice his faithfullnesse and discourage his people nor certainly as the unbeliefe of the Israelites was a provoking cause of Gods displeasure against them so the confidence of his people in this cause is most acceptable in his sight and a certaine signe of good successe Thirdly Consider God hath slirred up the heart of the State of the Kingdome viz the Parliament and to loâ—ke out and endeavour after a Reformation of all things that they can find displeasing unto God another most infallible and promising token of your successe we shall most commonly find that humiliation repentance and Reformation in a people have bin signes of mercy towards a people It is true we have an instance in Scripture of a most sweet and glorious Reformation in matters of Idolatry and prophanesse viz the Reformation of Iosiah 2 Chron. 35. and yet notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fearcenesse of his great wrath wherewith he was angry against Iudah c. 2 Kin. 23.26 but yet there was a great deale of difference between that Reformation and ours For first that Reformation was began by the King and so he compelled the people by his Regall power hereunto but this Reformation is from the people taking the first lawfull and best advantage from the constitution of the Kingdome to take up Armes in and under the Kings power and authority setled in Parliament and consequently by his command virtuall though not personall so that that Reformation of Iosiab was by compulsion upon the people whereunto they yeelded for feare but this Reformation is even from the people out of love though with the hazard even of the Kings displeasure Secondly when GOD doth afflict a people from his former displeasure yet there is commonly some new sin which comes in as a mediation and so provoketh God to remember the old score thus when Gods anger was stirred up against Israell the Devill moved David to number the people 1 Chron. 21.1 But heare we find no such thing as any new Nationall sin viz any act of the State authorizing sin and the good Lord keep our Parliament from such a thing we see rather that it is not because we have sinned that our enemies quarrell with us but because wee will not sinne our enemies quarrell against us is not because we have bin or are prophane in our lives Idolatrous in our Worship but because we will not be so for if we would joyn with them in these abominations we should quickly be at peace with them so that the very sourse and rise of the wars is the glory of God and blessed be his Name that the cause is the Lords and that wee can plead that before him otherwise we might give our selves for lost Thirdly the Affliction and judgement upon Iudah the fruit of old displeasure against them for the blood of the Saints spilt in Manassah his daies was the taking away of good Josiah from them by Pharoah Neco King of Egypt who slew him at Megidde 2 King 23.29 so that God tooke away the Reformer from them and so way is made for judgement upon them But now God increaseth the number of Reformers and hath so graciously opened the eyes of our VVorthies in matters offensive unto GOD as that they have done that which I am perswaded they
A Spirituall SNAPSACKE FOR THE PARLIAMENT SOVLDIERS CONTAINING Cordiall Encouragements Effectuall Perswasions and hopefull Directions unto the Successefull prosecution of this present CAUSE BY J. P. LONDON Printed for Henry Overton in the Yeare 1643. To His Excellence ROBERT EARLE OF ESSEX Viscount Hereford Baron Ferrars of Chartley Lord Bourcheir and Lovaine One of His Majesties most Honourable Privy Councell and Generall of the Army raised by the Parliament in Defence of the true Protestant Religion his Majesties Person the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdome and the Priviledges of Parliament Right Honourable GReatnesse and Goodnesse as they are infinitely in GOD so in what degree they concentre in Man they have a God like Divine influence and power to create Love and Respect Boldnesse and Reverence in Persons Inferior Your goodnesse hath made you Great and your Greatnes contrary to common Experience hath made you Good and both these hath emboldened me humbly to solicite your Excellence that this small Snapsacke upon the strictest search of your dilligent Sentinels and approbation thereof may freely passe among your Common Souldiers It is not my presumption to present your Excellence with the broken Morsells Cram'd up therein knowing that Curious Carving fit for such a personage becomes not a Snap sacke and well Considering both your plentifull Supply from your Spirituall Quartermasters and mine owne insufficiency being neither a Prophet nor a Prophets Sonne but the best of my hopes is your EXCELLENCIES permission of its free Portage and could it procure the light of your countenance and your Command of it's use as a taken hereof it would be to its Author like the filling of the poore Widdowes Vessâ—lls for the Oyle in the Cruce a greater reward then ever â—â—s look't for howsoever the Eternall God and our succeeding Posterity shall call you blessed for your Love Zeale and Courage in Gods and your Countries Cause And that the Almighty may not onely make you a Moses to lead his Israel out of Egypt and bring you to Mount Nebo in the sight of the good Land But a Ioshuah to bring them into the Possession thereof removing all Obstacles supplying all wants in your way fill you withall the divine qualifications of the worthies of Israel make you Strong and of good Courage bee with you never leave you nor forsake you is the earnest Prayer as of many thousands the Israelites of GOD so amongst them of your EXCELLENCIES most humbly Devoted Vnworthy whose Name should be Spel'd out J. P. A SPIRITVALL SNAPSACKE FOR THE PARLIAMENT SOVLDIERS MAN is borne to sorrow because borne in sinne and his insensible security is his chiefest misery common Souldiers and common Saylors are most commonly under the shadow of death and seldome mindefull of another life the consideration whereof is the ground of our present discourse wherein as brevitie must be our practice because many morsells must be cram'd up in a small Snapsack so spiritualitie must be our Subject for these Reasons First because the Souldiers for whom this is chiefly intended have a spirituall Palate the bread of life is their Hony-comb and Angells food their fare Gods word is their delight and all their well Springs are therein a rare thing in common Souldiers Secondly because they cannot come to the common Markets where this Provision is to be had this is their sorrow but not their sinne Gods Ordinances are rarely in the Souldiers march and therefore a little in the Snapsack will doe some good for to the hungry stomack every bitter thing is sweet Thirdly through constant want of wholsome dyet corrupt food may doe some hurt I meane the body of sinne within and evill Company without proves bitter to an honest minde to dwell in Kedar is his woe and to march in Mesech his complaint Fourthly because they are subject to many sorrowes for good Souldiers must endure hardnesse cold and hunger Wounds and Soares are commonly the Souldiers share spirituall refection will beare them up the waters of Life proves Cordiall in fainting fits and in outward troubles inward comfort refresheth the minde But least we should be longer in untying the strings then your stomacks will beare being sharp set roule these considerations as so many sweet morsells under your tongue to beare up your hearts in your hardest worke First you HAVE A GOOD CAUSE a singular incouragement to a pious minde amongst all other causes that ever drew Armies into the field yours for goodnesse hath the precedencie and this will appeare by these particulars First it is a most cleare and candid cause whose shining beauty and refined perspicuity amongst all other causes is like the Sunne in the Firmament It is not my purpose to answer scruples about the clearenesse of the Cause they for whom this is provided are not to seeke in this particular the Swords in their hands argues the clearenesse of their Judgements herein neither are they singular in this opinion all the Godly Learned and conscientious Ministers and people of the Kingdome will joyne issue with them herein satisfaction herein from learned Orthodoxe and godly Divines in this particular hath bin like the waters of Iordan in the time of harvest witnesse Goodwins Anticaval severall Answers to Dr. Fearne a late Treatise made by many Godly Ministers in justification of Defensive Armes and few there are of the contrary judgement but Papists Athiests Praelates Delinquents and prophane wretches excepting such who may exchange their eye-sight with Balaams Asse and cannot see the drawne sword of ruine or slavery in their base submission to the adverse party Secondly as the Cause is cleare so it is A MOST FULL AND GENERALL CAUSE soule and body in all their present concernments are deeply interessed in the same First for Matters of the Soule consider First you fight for God who will therefore fight for you the Battell is his the Victory therefore shall be yours mighty in Battell is God for you Couragious in Battell be you for Him you fight for Him whose glorious Attributes will be unto you a munition of Rocks 33. Esay 16. You fight for Him whose glorious name will be unto you a strong Tower Prov. 18.10 You fight for Him at whose Command is Heaven and Earth for your defence you fight for Him who hath divided the Seas for passage Exod. 14.21 smitten Rocks for drinke Ex dus 17.6 given Angells food for meat Exod. 16.14 Who hath made the Mountaines to skip like Rams and the little Hills like Lambs 114. Psal 6. Who hath bound Kings in chaines and Nobles in Fetters of Iron Psal 149.8 Who hath rebuked Kings and destroyed mighty Princes in the behalf of those that fought for him you fight for Him in whose hands is the breath of your nostrills and all your wayes without whose Providence not one hair of your head shall fall to the ground Who can protect in Battells succeed Battells restore losses make up breaches and give you an inheritance and Crowne with glory who would not
your Fastings and your hope and your faith and Your God or that God is the God of Papists and Atheists and Blasphemers c. and not the God of Israell and can his sacred eares abide such language as this No surely so long as we have Ioshua's argument to plead Lord what wilt thou doe with thy great name Josh 7.9 surely the end shall be good and Israel shall have the day Seventhly Consider Your Enemies have begun to fall already and this Hamans wife tooke as a sad Omen of her Husbands ruine Hest 6.13 and God hath begun to deliver us and this was also a good omen and blessed incouragement unto David 1 Sam. 17.35 36. and both these may be the like unto us How have our enemies falne at Edge-hill at Winchester at Chichester at Glocester at Dorchester at Stafford at Caversham neere Reading and in many other places how hath he discovered their plots infatuated their Councels and blown up all their designes given them all barren wombs and dry brests and how hath God also delivered us and driven backe multitudes of our enemies by little handfuls to the glory of his name and the gnashing of the teeth of the Enemie and their perpetuall shame and scorne let this also give you plentifull incouragement of good successe And therefore in the Eigth place Consider the consequences of any losse you shalt sustaine in this Service it is true all experience witnesseth that all things in externall providences falls out alike unto all men and that no man can know either love or hatred viz. of God by any occurrences that are before them Eccl. 9.1 2. even a Ionathan a Iosiah may fall in the day of Battell as well as others but yet there are very many cordiall incouragements in respect of any consequences whatsoever Consider suppose you should lose a leg an Arme and Eye c. have you not carried your lives in your hands willing to surrender all up unto God and are you affraid lest God should take you at your word You offer your life and he takes but a Limbe and is this your complaint or doe you thinke that being dismembred in Christ cause he will not know you is the badge of Honour the markes of Christ your feare Doe you thinke that that eye or arme or limbe which you loose for Christ shall be forgotten and not found at the day of your Resurrection but that it shall be a flaw in Gods Jewels even to all eternity shall a Cup of cold water in Christ cause given be remembred and the blood of your veines an arme an eye a leg be forgotten is doing for Christ so esteemed and suffering for Christ so flighted suppose you loose your lives in the cause have you not offered them and are you afraid lest God should accept of your offering are you troubled least you should goe to God too soone doe you feare your Crowne of glorie should be too heavie and make your head ake at that day are you fearefull of being chiefe in the Kingdome of God and of having part in the first Resurrection are you afraid you shall sit too neere unto Jesus Christ in Heaven is his right hand in his glory your jealousie be not discouraged your losses shall be gaine and the degrees of the one shall answer the degrees of the other God will be unto you our Wives and Children like himselfe in a way of recompence for your afflictions you shall have glory for your light afflictions weight of glory for your short afflictions eternity of glory for your very light afflictions a farre exceeding eternall weight of glory 1 Cor. 4.17 let all these incouragements fill your hearts with a holy boldnesse and Confidence Valour and Resolution to goe on and to follow God fully in the mannaging of this Cause and because Dignitie doth alwayes imply Dutie and Knowledge practice take these few Directions for your more hopefull Successe and comfortable proceeding in this Warfare First in the mannaging of this outward Warfare do not forget your more considerable inward and spirituall Warfare it is a sad and bitter thing to see how few Souldiers minde this thing nay to see men who before they entred into this Condition were seemingly Religious Modest Sober Temperate men so exceedingly changed unto worse that few would believe they were the same men what a sad thing is it to see mad men dance about the brincke and pit of ruine without care or feare alas you are in danger of Death every moment you know you walke in the Valâ—ey of the shadow thereof if you have not Interest in Christ your case is sad if you have and yet a guilty Conscience of a loose and carelesse and negligent life and Conversation alas how can you expire and breath out your soules into the hands of God with a cheerefull and comfortable Spirit suppose you prove Victorious and prosper in all your designes which the Lord grant yet what advantage will you have by gaining without and loosing within what will the spoyles of your Enemies advantage you when Sathan shall spoile your inward Treasures what is it to lead your Enemies into Captivitie when your owne soules are lead into Spirituall bondage by the Divell himselfe what is it that you let out the bloud of your Enemies when your vitall blood of inward strength and Communion with God seemes to waste that you surround your Enemies when your selves are surrounded with your spirituall Adversaries and therefore put on the whole Armour that you may be able to stand in the evill day and having done all to stand still wrestling with Principalities and power the Rulers of the darknesse of this World and spirituall wickednesse in high places Ephes 6.11.12 Secondly remember the advise of our Lord Jesus in the 3. of Luke 14. doe vi lence to no man accuse no man falsly and be content with your wages 1. Doe violence to no man nay put no man in feare Courage and meeknesse stoutnesse and tendernesse of Spirit Resolution and love mingled and well tempered together makes a man meet to fight under Christs banner if a man wants Courage his Enemies will not feare him if meekenesse his owne Souldiers will not love him had there been more Courage stoutnesse and Resolution both in Commanders and Souldiers there had not beene such flying away at Edge Hill had there been more meeknesse tendernesse of Spirit and love especially in Commanders happily there had not then so many of their owne Souldiers deserted them and got away from them looke upon Jesus Christ who for his meeknesse and love to those that fight under Him is called a Lambe a Dove c. and for Courage stoutnesse and Resolution is called the Lion of the Tribe of Iudah a cowardise milksop in the day of Battell and a passionate hot-spurre in his owne Quâ—rters doth ill become a Souldier of Christ The sâ—cond Rule of Christ is accuse no man falsly a thing as common as sinnefull among