sent thee this day to meet me and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed Blood and from avenging my self with mine own hand This Duelling is so unsouldier-like that the brave Romans who conquer'd the World yet abominated all private Duels and if they would shew their good Courage and play the men they did it against the common Enemy of their People and the Cities of their God Who more valiant than Julius Caesar or Cato What could be more cutting and reviling Language than that which Cato gave Caesar and even in the Senate-house and yet this never produc'd a Challenge What cares a Rich man if a foolish Fellow call him a Bankrupt and that no body will trust him He smiles and resolves he will not run on Trust. What cares a valiant man if a prating Fellow calls him Coward He smiles and resolves that the other will find him no Coward if he makes trial No greater sign of a Bankrupt than to bring his Action for the words No greater sign of a Coward than to send a Challenge for the words which if a man answer he ventures his Body and Soul his Life and Estate and if he kill he makes work for the Hangman and if he be kill'd he makes work for the Devil But 3dly There is yet behind a worse Slaughter-man than either of the former and all for want of a good Cause and that is your Religious Rogue that fights couragiously and plays the man Plays the man said I No no he plays the Devil for God's sake Of these our Blessed Saviour prophesies when they kill you they think they do God good service Such was the Zealots among the Jews that murther'd the Samaritans because they differ'd from them in Religion the Samaritans owning only the five Books of Moses viz. The Law but not the Prophets but the Jews did believe both to be canonical There 's no more reason that one man should kill another because he differs from him in Religion than because he differs from him in Stature Feature and Complexion Thus Mahomet preach'd with his Alcoran in one hand and his Sword in the other Take your choice take his Faith or feel the keenness of his Sword Thus have I heard that a most Christian Prince makes Converts with Troops of Dragoons Thus the Spaniards in America drove Shoals of poor naked Indians to the Rivers utrum horum take their choice either therein to be baptized or drowned A sad Choice and a worse Cure to knock out mens Brains because they are blind and cannot see so well as we the abstruse Mysteries of Religion St. John says If a man say he loves God and hates his Brother and Killing is the extremity of Hatred he is a Lyar and a Murderer Of these Religious Villains I 'le say as Jacob of his two murthering Sons Simeon and Levi Instruments of Cruelty are in their habitations Gen. 49.5 6. Oh my Soul come not into their secret unto their Assemblies mine Honour be not thou united Blessed be God may the Papists in England Scotland and Ireland say that the Principles of our Holy Protestant Religion teaches us better things Blessed be God may we say that the Principles of our holy Religion teaches us better things Let the Jesuites fight like mad as they cant it ad propagandum fidem let their Council of Constance decree That no Faith is to be kept with Hereticks let them break Truces Leagues and Covenants cemented with Oaths and Sacraments let their Superstition like Paracelsus's Daemon be conjur'd and confin'd to the Pommel of their Swords whilst we know not how to draw our Swords except in that good Cause in defence of our People and the Cities of our God This is such an additional cause of Valour that where a man's Stars make but an awkward Souldier this good Cause will cause a Coward to be of good courage and make an effeminate man to play the man 2. 2dly A second cause of additional Valour is a good Conscience or a good Life and Conversation Virtue and true Valour are so near a kin that they have but one Name in several Languages to express them both Therefore many an Army that has a good Cause of War has been ruin'd by Debauchery and the want of a virtuous and good Discipline Can a man be faithful to his Prince that is treacherous to his God and his own Soul Can a man be a Saviour to his Nation that wishes himself damn'd at every word Can he be valiant that fears to dye And must not all men fear to dye that live in open defiance to the God of Heaven and therefore most unfit to dye lest he be damn'd according to his daily Prayers Will not such a one tremble when he comes near the mouth of a Canon and a Broadside and like Belthazzar knock his Knees together in dread of that fatal Doom he trembling saw but knew not how to prevent The prophaneness of these Debauchees does debauch their Courage tho' they be naturally of a good Courage well may they then think they shall sink and be damn'd they have so often wish'd it in cold Blood Nor can the greatest practise of Atheism prove any Fence against this Fear when Death stares him in the face This Fool as the Psalmist calls him may say in his Heart that is Wish in his Heart that there is no God and perhaps may say so too in his drunken Rant and drunken company but let him come to the Gates or Approaches of Death and he cannot chuse but dread that Judge against whom like the Giants of old he has waged War and bid Defiance all his Life-time And it is observable that the Psalmist says the Fool hath said in his heart there is no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as the Chaldee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies God the Judge The Fool could be content there should be a Jehovah a merciful God but wishes as Thieves in Goal do that there should never be an Aelohim or Judge of Assize and both of them for one and the same reason too Obj. A good Conscience may some say and a sober Life and Conversation are good very good things but he that is without Sin let him cast the first stone at my Debauchee Ans It 's one thing to sin thro' human frailty and a vastly-different thing to sin voluntarily presumptuously and with an high hand Num 15 20 such Sinners by the old Law were punish'd with Death without Mercy A man that is a very good Subject may sometimes break some of the King's Laws through Ignorance or Infirmity but will this justifie a Rebel that lives in open defiance of his Prince and bids him Battel It is these Rebels to Heaven that seem to follow the counsel of that wicked Woman to curse God and dye that never pray but to be damn'd and live in open Hostility to the God of Heaven that
Tho' an Host of men encamp against me my Heart shall not fear Saith he They compassed me about like Bees Psal 118. but in the name of the Lord will I destroy them Yet there are three sorts of Fighters at this day that play the men in a bad Cause which I cannot dismiss without a severe Repremand from this Text as 1. First Souldiers of Fortune such as was these 33000 Syrians that ran away and fled before Joab v. 13. they were Hackney-souldiers hired as Hackney-horses for such a Journey such an Expedition Here 's your Money These Souldiers of Fortune that fight without examining the cause and march with the first Chapman are the basest of Butchers for other Butchers get a greasie living by killing Beasts but Souldiers of Fortune live by killing men and are meer Cannibals and Men-eaters who like the Bravo's in Spain and Portugal have no other Trade or Profession but Hackney Butchers of Men any Men without any other cause than that of the Switzers they kill any body for the l'Argent What will ye give me saith Judas and I will betray and be guilty of Innocent Blood What will ye give me a day and I will kill ravish burn and murder saith the Souldier of Fortune And all this without any remorse custom of Sin hardens his callous Heart and makes him pittiless and without any Bowels of Humanity as if he had a Commission from Heaven as Peter had in another case Arise Peter kill and eat Of these St. James speaks from whence come Wars and sighting among you meaning the Factions of Judas Galiloeus Jam. 4 1 2. and also the other Jews then in war against the Samaritans and fought bloodily for the Money-business come they not hence even from your Lusts of Avarice and Ambition ye fight and war ye kill and desire to have that ye may consume it upon your Lusts For a Souldier of Fortune usually consumes in Debauchery what he gets by this inhuman Butchery Thus this Devil incarnate like his Father the Devil goes about like a roaring Lion from Country to Country seeking whom he may devour A Prince that has a good Cause may notwithstanding make use of these Man-slayers or Slaughter-men as Clyents sometimes see their Advocates not so much to be for them as that they be not hired against them though these Fellows are seldome either faithful or truly valiant for he that will sell his Soul or his Life for Money will not fear for Money to betray and sell his Prince But since they are kept like Cocks of the Game that are good for nothing in Nature but to fight these Forlorns will serve for a Forlorn and to blunt the Enemy's Swords for if they will not fight they are good for nothing but like the Locusts of Aegypt to eat up every green thing If these be Cowards they must be punisht as all Cowards are in a well-disciplin'd Army with present Death For plow they cannot work they will not fight they dare not for they are alwaies unsit to dye and therefore must be afraid to dye This Locust like other Locusts is one of the Plagues of Mankind good for nothing whilst it lives but Mischiefs and therefore though unfit to dye yet unfit to live These are the men that nourish and foment Wars in Europe War is their Trade their Commodity and can you blame them if they make the utmost penny they can of their Trade and Profession But as bad as this Caterpillar is I have another in the 2. Second place to expose that always fights in a bad Cause and therefore is worse if worse can be than a Souldier of Fortune for this Man-slayer fights as seldom as is possible since he does not love fighting but as lazy men love Work they must starve without it he fights to eat and if he could eat without fighting it would be the camest Brute alive But in the next place I must shew you a Hector that loves fighting and killing in a bad Cause as he loves his Life nay more than his Life or his Salvation I mean the Duelist that thinks himself a tall fellow if he has killed his Man though thereby guilty of a double Murther 1st of his Adversary 2dly of himself So unhappy is this Man of Blood if he dies in his Blood and breathes Revenge to his last Breath then it is a fearful thing to think of his fatal Doom and if he kills his Adversary 't is Odds but he is hang'd especially if all King's have such a Conscience as K. Charles I. that never would pardon a Murtherer saying The Almighty God has enacted that He that sheddeth man's blood by man shall his blood beâ—shed And who am I that should pretend a Prerogative to dispense with the Laws of the King of Kings Obj. But may some say would you have a Gentleman whose Honour is dearer to him than his Life put up an Affront especially since the neglect of demanding Satisfaction that 's the word is not interpreted Conscience but Cowardice and invites a second Affront and happy the Coward that can but come near so tame a thing that he may safely kick it Ans To which I answer That I knew not which is better Death or Life they are indifferent things and only good or bad as they are circumstantiated a man of Honour will either live in Honour or dye in Honour But by Honour I mean not that Puff or Blast or Vapour which has no affinity with Reason Honesty and a good Conscience a truly valiant man is a truly virtuous man and a truly honourable man a truly honest man but he can neither be a good man nor a brave man that is not a rational man Now I am content to give my man of Honour a Dispensation to answer any Challenge so that he retain his Reason and his Honesty But 1st Is it reasonable and equal that a Gentleman of a vigorous Health and a plentiful Estate for his Heirs and Heirs for his Estate should venture his Life against a Beggarly Hector that perhaps is weary of his Life thro' Poverty and Diseases the loathsom consequences of his Lust and would be beholden to that charitable Hand that would cut the rotten Thread of his Life rather than suffer it miserably and gradually to rot in pieces But 2dly What answers all other Challenges a Duel can never be fought with Honesty because it is point-blank a Defiance and Breach of the Laws of God and the King And therefore let no man pretend to any point of Honour that is inconsistent with his Allegiance to God and the King the only Fountain and Measure of Honour And if Hotspur dislike this my Decision as too sage and cold yet in his softer minutes he will thank me as fiery David did his Cooler Abigail when he was upon the Road in all haste to kill Nabal that Churl saying to her 1 Sam. 25.32 33. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which
silly Heads 't is none of your Province but belongs to God alone therefore cast away Care 1 Pet. 5.7 and cast all your Care upon God for he careth for you I cannot but pitty those poor Hearts that make their Lives a Burthen to themselves and all that are hear them being overcharged with Cares and Fears of what shall come to pass For my part I care not what comes to pass I 'll prevent with my Might and Courage what we call Evils but when all I can do will not do whatever comes is welcome With what a Courage did St. Paul embrace his Fate How carelesly he descants on his death as if unconcerned Death that is the King of Terrours and makes them all their life-time subject to Bondage Cares and Fears was but St. Paul's Rejoycing and Entertainment yet the Sentence of Death the Sentence to be beheaded was past upon him by that bloody Nero and shortly to be executed 2 Tim. 4.6 then he writes his Second Epistle to Timothy and talks so unconcern'd we cannot but joy in him and with him as if he was only to undertake a pleasant Journey I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand The time the hour he had long wish'd for having a desire to depart and be with Christ which is far better A desire to depart the Original signifies an earnest longing of Soul as if nothing could satisfie but to have his longing namely Death which I say is called The King of Terrours the chiefest of Terrours but Death is so to none but to Knaves and Fools I mean to impenitent People and silly ignorant People To dye What 's that It is as natural to dye as to be born it is more necessary to dye than to be born it is for ought we know less Pain to dye than to be born Why do we fear Death then that is so natural so necessary so beneficial there the Wicked cease from troubling and there the Weary be at rest There no Tyrant can hurt us no Grief assault us no Pain nor Anguish for our selves or others can torment us there all Tears shall be wiped away from our Eyes And do we sear then to dye Obj. No say some we do not so much fear to dye nor cry Lothe to depart for any Sweets of Life which at the best are but bitter Sweets but we fear the Consequences of Death and Judgment Ans Do you so But I 'll give you an easie and infallible Receipt and Remedy against these fearful Consequences after Death that which makes a Snake or a Serpent terrible that alone makes Death terrible namely the Sting take away the Sting from these and you safely and without fear or danger hug them in your Bosoms Now the Apostle tells us The Sting of Death is Sin take away that and Death is stingless and harmless Sin shall never be imputed to any that are not Volunteers to Sin A man is not a Rebel to his Prince nor any Guilt imputed to him tho' he be in the Enemy's Quarters if he be taken Captive thither and strive to his utmost to make his escape So neither shall any man be accounted a Rebel to Heaven that 's carried Captive thro' Weakness and Infirmity to any Sin and strives to escape hating all Sin with a perfect Hatred and resisting it as his Enemy to his utmost To such a one the Lord imputeth not Sin Sin is in him but he does not live in Sin lye in Sin delight in Sin wallow in Sin But what a vast difference is there betwixt him that is overtaken in a fault and he that is a Volunteer to Sin and follows it with all his might to overtake it If to such a one Death be the King of Terrours I cannot blame his Fears but Who can pity him that takes no pity on himself that loves a Lust above his God above his Soul and above his Peace here and hereafter when he may so easily disarm the King of Terrours taking away his Venome and Sting To conclude this point By what has been briefly said you may easily know to get an Antidote against Death and Losses and Crosses whatsoever and consequently be arm'd against Cowardise and all unmanly and unchristian Fears even in the greatest Streights tho' beset as Joab and Abishai in the Text with a numerous Enemy in Front and Reer Our part then is to be of good Courage with a good Conscience and in a good Cause and let the event be Life or Death Victory or Defeat Let the Lord do what seemeth him good To dye thus in Battel for our People and the Cities of our God Where is that Dastard that is afraid thus to dye rather than survive a few weary days living or rather dying daily with the Pangs of the Gout the Dropsy the Consumption Stone or the like Not but that God's Will be done if this grievous Lot must be our Lot to endure a Thousand irksome Deaths painful and grievous to our selves and loathsome and troublesome both to our selves and by-standing Friends but we cannot help it if we must be condemn'd to endure the Fatigues of Life to the last dringling Sand we may not break the Glass but if a Bullet break it and in a good Cause the Glass is well run out and the most made of it that it can possibly be worth What! Do we fear to go to God and Heaven our certain Portion if we dye with the said good Conscience the said good Courage and in the said good Cause in defence of our People and the Cities of our God The very Heathen that had but the Light of Nature pro aris focis were ambitious to dye for their Altars and Fire-sides For this Good Cause to be kill'd in Battel is to dye in Peace like good King Josiah who is said to be gathered to his Fathers in Peace and yet he died in the Field in the FIght with his Sword in his Hand So that well may such a Divine Souldier with good old Simeon Swan like sing his Nunc dimitis tho' he dye like the great King Gustavus Adolphus in the Field Death may take such a man Death cannot hurt such a man by cutting off a few weary minutes for his Account is fairly cast up like Joab's in the Text if he lives he lives in Victory and Triumph and lives to God and if he dies he dies in Honour and dies in Peace and lives with God Can Life or Death be put out at better Interest Can more be made of it Well may such a Divine Souldier and Champion for Heaven say with St. Paul after he had fought with Beasts at Ephesus and more brutish men I have fought a good Fight I have finished my Course 2 Tim. 4.7 I have kept the Faith henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness I have been extreamly cheer'd in the greatest Difficulties my little Experience did ever
encounter with that Expression Isa 41.14 Fear not thou Worm Jacob. One would think if Jacob be a Worm had more cause to fear than any other Creature under Heaven a Lion has Strength a Worm has none the Dove is fearful but she has Wings the Hare the Deer are timerous but they have swiftness of Foot to fly from Danger a Snake has none of these Advantages yet she has a Sting But a Worm what Creature so despicable so subject to the tread of every Foot She has no Wings to fly no Sting to make them stand off yet Fear not thou Worm Jacob. And why the Reason follows in the next words For I am with thee saith God And if God be for us who can be against us And here I shall baulk my Discourse and the Text if Id o not shew Q. 1. First How God may be said to be for his People when the Lord does what seemeth him good in prospering them as he did Joab in the Text with Victory Or how God may be said to fight for his People Q. 2. And secondly How long he will fight for them 1. First I answer that God visibly fights for his People four several ways all applicable to this Text and these Times for which I purposely chose this Text and if I should conclude my Discourse on this Text only with shewing what we should do in case of Death Defeat or any other sinister event a Consideration very useful and necessary yet it would be a Contemplation too melancholly and ominous to conclude with Passive Valour in active and victorious times such as this of Joab in the Text a Victory sultable and parallel to ours in this Juncture For in the Verse next following the Text we hear the good News that the Idolaters are run for it the Syrians fled before Joab And when the Children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled then fled they also before Abishai Almighty God then gives Victory and visibly fights for his People when they fight in a good Cause four several ways He did it for Israel Great Britain and Ireland 1. First God is said visibly to fight when he raises up a Hero a Worthy by endowing him with the Spirit of Courage as he did Gideon Baruk Jephtha Sampson David Samuel and that I forget not Moses and Joshua But of this I have spoken fully already under that Head of Supernatural Courage But if I should only remember those famous Worthies so long ago and so remote my Memory would be as ungrateful as treacherous if I should forget what all the World at present admires and Posterity will much more His Sacred Majesty King WILLIAM whom GOD has raised up to be a Deliverer to us in the day of our distress and to rescue us from Popish Tyranny and Superstition and all those Miseries and Calamities which were ready to break in upon us I am upon a Subject uncapable of Flattery or Hyperbole but surely I cannot say less upon so great and Fair Occasion than to say my Prayers I only repeat the daily Prayers of the Church of England In raising up thy Servant King William to be a Deliverer to us in the day of our Distress c. When God's Hand is lifted up they will not see saith Isaiah but they shall see Isa 26.11 and be ashamed for their Envy c. We have still many Envious Souls amongst us it spites them to the Heart to see what God has done for these Kingdoms and yet they clap their Hands before their Eyes and will not see what all others in the World see What 's the Reason The Prophet says For their Envy c. Let them go on and let them go to their Idolater their Idol if they please or dare let the Blind lead the Blind till they both fall into the Ditch I mean the French and the Frenchified English Frenchified English There 's a word unknown to our Forefathers We used to be such Apes as to take Laws from France for Feathers and Lace and Top-knots but the English for 500 years and upwards have been a Terrour to France And are these Frenchified-English Natives then And do they know to whom they truckle and why I cannot say less on this ungrateful Subject and I will not say more especially at this time and on this occasion I am very ready at another time to speak more home to our silly fellows at home 2. Secondly God fights for his People by sending his Fear and Terrour Amazement and Astonishment into the Hearts of the Enemy This in Scripture is called God's Hornet which like Beasts stung with a Garabee or Hornet made Men run they did not know whither and they did not know why nor where to be safe they were in such a Consternation Deut. 7.20 21. Amazement and Fear And so is the word interpreted Thus when the cowardly Spies Cowards all but Caleb and Joshua went to spy out the Land of Canaan the poor Hearts were out of Heart when they saw the Giants the Children of Anak Num. 13.32 33. and that all the People were men of great stature But we say they were in our sight as Grashoppers and so we were in their sight But little men may look up to Heaven little men may cry I hope and call to GOD for help the less Ability they had in themselves Therefore saith God Josh 24.12 I sent my Hornet before you which drove them out from before you but not with thy Sword nor with thy Bow Yet they had both Sword and Bow in conquering Canaan but to little purpose if God had not sent his Hornet before them to sting the Enemy to the Heart and to leave the Lubbers like ominous Beasts for Sacrifice without a Heart And to apply it What account can be given in human Reason why Ten of our men lately in Ireland would usually make an Hundred to fly Was it because we were bigger or taller or stronger-limb'd than the Irish or French No such matter But all the reason that can be given is this they were stung with Dread Horrour and Amazement run like Beasts stung with a Garabee they did not know why nor whither nor where to hide God sent his Hornet before us and to him be the Glory not with thy Sword nor with thy Bow Nor can it be said that our late Deliverance and Redemption three years ago was wrought or brought about with Sword or Spear To see such an Army treble the number of our Deliverer none better mounted nor better arm'd to see a Navy well equipp'd Men of War well rigg'd and all these to melt away and scatter no man pursuing them What 's the matter God sent his Hornet before them Not but that it spoke both natural and supernatural Courage in a superlative manner to attempt so bravely and through Faith to subdue Kingdoms but it was digitus Dei the Hand of God was visible in it to him be the Glory not with