is with them there Deut. 20. 4. The Lord your God is he that goeth with you to fight When God sayes I am with you you may write down what you will to make up this promise a compleat one for your safety and comfort As thus I am with you to assist you I am with you to direct you I am with you to encourage you to blesse to save you to comfort you to reward you c. I am with you saies God This is as it were a piece of a line that our faith must make up If we once have this promise got into our hearts whatsoever we want we may adde to it and then our peace and joy may be full We reade Judges 4. 8. Barak would not goe into the field except Deborah would goe with him It is ill going into the field except God goe with you but if you have this promise in your hearts you cannot but have strength in your hands Zac. 10. 5. They shall be as mighty men which tread downe their enemies as mire in the streets in the battell and they shall fight because the Lord is with them and the riders on horses shall be confounded 7. God is not onely with his people in their fight but he goes before them as their Captain to lead them That one place will suffice for all Josh 5. 13. Joshua saw a man with his sword drawn in his hand and Joshua went to him and said Art thou for us or for our adversaries And he said Nay but a Captaine of the host of the Lord am I now come It is apparent this was Christ for Joshua fell on his face and worshipped and said What saith my Lord unto his servant And the Captaine of the Lords Host said unto Joshua Loose thy shoes from off thy feet for the place where thou standest is holy 8. God condescends lower even to be the Trumpeter in the wars of his people It is accounted too mean a work for a Generall to blow the Trumpet to his Armie but this great Generall The Lord of Hosts that he might encourage his people the more in his battels he blows the Trumpet himselfe to them Zach. 9. 14. And the Lord shall blow the trumpet and shall goe with the whirle-winds of the South Why of the South Those winds are hottest and therefore swiftest If ye see the South-wind ye say it will be hot sayes Christ and so it commeth to passe Luk. 12. 54 55. If we think our General follows too slowly this great General The Lord of Hosts follows swiftly enough In the words before The arrowes of the Lord are said to goe forth like lightning Swiftnesse in an Army is of great consequence it hath been a special advantage to our adversaries We doe little except in this we equall them 9. God is the Rereward of his people in times of Battail Isa 52. 12. Ye shall not go out with haste nor by slight for the Lord will goe before you and the God of Israel will be your Rereward Not the Reward but Rereward the guard defence behind When an Army is strong in the Rereward as wel as in the Front it is safe God is both before and behind in the Armies of his people 10. Gods providence in Wars works in the continuance of them How long they shall abide in a Land and when they shall cease is wholly from the appointment of the Lord of Hosts He workes in the upholding parties bringing in supplyes breaking asunder treaties c. We are ready presently to cry out How long shall the sword devour but when God gives Commission to the sword it must stay it must goe on devouring till the Commission be out Jer. 47. 6 7. Oh thou sword of the Lord how long will it be ere thou be quiet put up thy self into the scabbard rest and be still The answer is there How can it be quiet seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Askelon against the sea shore there hath he appointed it Hos 11. 6. The sword shall abide on his cities and consume his branches and shall devour them because of their own counsels We are troubled at the sword comming neare our Cities but how sore would the misery be if it should come into our Cities but if abide in our Cities what miserable spoile and ruine would there be If wee would be delivered from so great an evill let us take heed of our own counsels If God leaves Parliament or City to their own counsels the sword will abide amongst us longer time then we for the present imagine even until it hath devoured God usually is a long time before he draws his sword he is whetting preparing delaying it but when it is once drawn he many times will not put it up again untill it bee bathed filled fatted satiated drunke with blood All these expressions we finde in Scripture Esay 34. 5 6. My sword shall be bathed in heaven it shall come downe upon Idumea upon the people of my curse When Gods sword hath to deale with the people of his curse then it shall be bathed indeede And surely God hath a people of his curse amongst us this day who they are is easie to know You may know them to bee cursed of God by the horrid blasphemies and hideous unheard-of curses that come out of their mouthes The earth was never stained with such dreadfull execrations and blasphemies since man lived upon the face of it as now it is by these men Surely the brand of Gods curse is upon them feare them not Ver. 6. it is said The sword of the Lord is filled with blood it is made fat with fatnesse and Jer. 46. 10. The sword shall devoure it shall be satiate and drunke with their blood And when God is pleased to give the word hee makes wars to cease Psal 49. 9. He makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth he breaketh the bow and cutteth the speare in sunder he burneth the chariot in fire Of Gods worke in stilling wars we have a most admirable example 1 Kings 12. 21. we have not the like in all the Booke of God neither was there ever the like before or since in the world King Rehoboam was incensed against the ten Tribes falling off from him he was in as great a heat and rage against them as we can imagine a man could be put into This fire of his rage was blowne up to the height by those young daring Cavaliers that were about him he had got an Army together strong enough an hundred and fourescore thousand men a mighty force and it was but to bring the Kingdome to the house of David Well their power was great their rage was fierce their cause they questioned not they were going forth with a high hand with cruel and bloody intentions How was all stilled now You shall find that The word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the Prophet saying Speak to Rehoboam Thus saith the
The glorious Name of God The Lord of Hosts Opened in two SERMONS At MICHAELS Cornhill LONDON Vindicating the Commission from this Lord of Hosts to Subjects in some case to take up Arms. WITH A POST-SCRIPT Briefly Answering A LATE TREATISE BY HENRY FERNE D. D. BY JER BURROUGHES PSAL. 48. 8. As we have heard so have we seen in the City of the Lord of Hosts LONDON Printed for R. Dawlman 1643. To his Excellencie ROBERT Earle of Essex Viscount Hereford Baron Ferrars of Chartley Lord Bourchier and Lovaine one of His Majesties most Honourable Privie Counsel and General of the Army raised by the Parliament in defence of the true Protestant Religion His Majesties Person the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdom and the priviledges of Parliament THere is no man this day upon the face of the earth whom it more concernes to have this name of God The Lord of Hosts presented to him in the due lustre glory of it then your Excellencie whom the Lord hath not onely honoured to stand up even in the fore front to maintain his cause and the cause of his people but he hath even put upon you this his owne name he hath made you the Lord of his Hosts It is that which every Souldier may justly glory in that God himselfe seems to affect the glory of Arms when he causeth himselfe to be as it were sir-named THE LORD OF HOSTS The beams of this glorious name puts some lustre upon the meanest in an Army What a lustre then doth it put upon your Excellencie who stand so neare it Happy the time that ever you were borne to be made use of by God and his people in so noble and honourable a service as this We reade ZECH. 3. 3. of Joshua that great instrument of Reformation in the returne of JUDAH from her Captivity that he stood in filthy garments but the Angel spake to those who stood before him saying Take away the filthy garments from him and unto him he said Behold I have caused thine iniquity to passe from thee and I wil cloathe thee with change of rayment Those who stand up most eminent and forward in the cause of God and his people shal ever have some who wil seek to stain their glory by slanders and reproachfull names to put them into vile garments what viler garment can there be then the garment of Treason and Rebellion But the Angel stands by to take off these vile garments and to clense his servants even from this nominall iniquity he will put change of rayment upon them he will one day make it appeare that there were none so faithfull to God their King and Countrey as they The Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem saith the Text ver 2. wil rebuke them who thus stand up against his servants The Lord who hath set his heart to bring mercie to Jerusalem to his Church will certainly rebuke such as stand to resist the great instruments thereof Wherefore that which the Angel of the Lord protested to JOSHUA v. 6. I may in the name of the Lord with a little change protest unto your Excellencie Thus saith the Lord of Hosts if you will walke in my wayes and if you will keepe my charge then you shall have an eminencie in my house and I will give you places among these that stand by That is among the blessed Angels in the heavens If a cup of cold water shall not go without a reward surely then the venturing estate liberty limbes honour bloud life for the cause of Christ shall not goe without its reward Wherefore most noble Lord of our Hosts yea of the Hosts of God Goe on with true Heroicke magnanimity and prosper in the name of this glorious Lord of hosts The prayers of the Churches are for you the blessings of the Saints are upon you I beleeve never any Generall upon the earth hath been mentioned more in heaven then your Excellencie hath been and yet is in this cause That which is storyed of the Crosse appearing to CONSTANTINE with these words HOC VINCES I may with far more confidence apply to this name of God The Lord of hosts This I present unto your Excellence with this Motto Hoc vinces The name is in it selfe a box of sweet ointment give me leave to open it before your Excellencie that it may be fragrant indeed and adde quickning and strength To that true noble heroick spirit fit for great actions that God hath honoured you withall I here humbly present it opened and poured forth The blessing of it be upon you and those great things undertaken by you which is and shal be the prayer of Your Excellencies in all humble service and duty Jer. Burroughes To the Reader THe necessity of the time put me to preach upon this subject the City being in great feare of a great Army comming against it in the name of the King and the necessity of the subject for this time made me not unwilling to yeeld to the making my meditations upon this subject yet more publike Something I have enlarged especially in the argument of justifying the present taking up armes so much cryed down as if it were against the King to be by commission from the Lord of Hosts which is discussed page 27. and so on the satisfation of the consciences of men in this thing is of so great consequence in this time that every man is bound to afford what help hereunto he is able I should have had guilt lye grating upon mine own conscience if I had stifled what I might afford to the helping towards the satisfaction of others although therefore I am not ignorant but sensible enough that it is an argument wherein a man runs hazard enough yet whatsoever I suffer in it may I be usefull I have enough This I can say if I ever did or am like to publish any thing in the uprightnes of my heart aiming at the glory of God and thy good I blesse God I have comfort in this and in this whatsoever the issue be I shal rejoyce Certainly things had never come to that passe they are at if mens consciences had bin rightly informed in the liberties God hath given them The infusing contrary principles and making men beleeve that the subject must and would suffer any thing rather then rise up to maintaine his own right hath beene the cause of the bold adventures of many amongst us What I have said is breife comming to you as a Sermon it could not admit of larger discourse but if there be need it would not be very difficult to enlarge these things in another way Read for thy profit and I have my end Yours to serve for Christ Jer Burroughes IT is ordered this first day of December 1642. by the Committee of the House of Commons in Parliament concerning Printing That this Book entituled The glorious Name of God The Lord of Hosts be printed by Robert Dawlman appointed thereunto by M. Ieremy Burroughes the
Lord Ye shall not goe up to fight against your brethren returne every man to his house The Text sayes They hearkned to the word of the Lord and returned to depart according to the word of the Lord. What a mighty work of God was this what power hath God over the spirits of men yea of the greatest who think it an unsufferable dishonor to be controlled in any thing they have set their hearts upon Rehoboam a wicked man in the heighth of his pride and wrath thus strong apprehending himselfe exceedingly wronged so much of his Kingdome rent from him and there comes onely a poore Prophet and speakes to him in the name of This Lord of Hosts that hee should not fight against his brethren and all is stayed he returnes back again and sits down quiet Oh that now some Prophet of the Lord might have accesse to His Majesty and tell him that hee must not goe this way he doth that he is drawn aside by evill men about him that there is a misunderstanding betweene him and his people that nothing is done by us but according to the minde of God that we doe not endeavour to deprive him of any lawfull power he hath given him by God or man but onely to preserve our lawfull liberties as truly ours as he is born unto the Crown and that we might with peace enjoy the Gospell and serve the Lord and His Majesty in our own Land 11. The providence of God in war is great in removing it from one place to another The Lord of Hosts gives the sword commission to ride circuite from one Land to another Countrey and from one part of a Kingdome unto another Ezech. 14. 17. Or if I bring a sword upon that Land and say Sword goe through the Land so that I cut off man and beast in it The sword hath beene in many parts of our Land already even in the utmost parts Northumberland and Cornwall the two extremities of the Land as Dan and Bersheba in the Land of Canaan Just were it with God to give it commission to goe up and downe in the midst of it yea in great part hee hath done it already and how is it devouring even almost round about us the guilt of the misery our brethren have suffered the guilt of their blood is upon the whole Kingdome in as much as the whole Kingdome hath not risen even as one man to prevent it but wee suffer our brethren in severall places to bee devoured one after another one countrey hopes it will not come there and another countrey hopes it shall escape and in the meane time wee suffer our brethren to bee spoyled Jer. 12. 12. The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wildernesse They are come from the Countrey to the City the Countrey is to them but as a wildernesse in comparison of the City For the Sword shall devoure from the one end of the Land to the other no flesh shall have peace Jer. 25. 15. The Lord bade the Prophet take the cup of the wine of his fury and cause all the Nations to whom I send thee to drink it God hath given other Nations this cup of his fury France Holland Germany have beene drinking these 24. yeeres Spain Italy have had it a little of the top of it Scotland had we were afraid of it then here and they and we cryed to God If it be possible let this cup of blood passe from us and God in his great mercie caused it to passe from us but it went to our brethren in Ireland they have drunke deepe of it and still are drinking and whether God intends that wee shall drinke the dregs of it we know not wee had neede doe as Christ did in his Agonie Luk. 22. 44. yet pray more earnestly the second and third time If it be possible let this cup of bloud passe from us If an Agony cause Christs spirit to rise in Prayer it should then do ours it is a sad thing to have our spirits heavy dull and strait in such a time as this 12. The work of this Lord of Hosts in Warre is to give wisdome and counsell for the managing of the affaires of it and hee takes away wisdome and counsell when he pleaseth 2 Sam. 22. 35. Thou teachest my hands to war and my fingers to fight The same wee have Psal 144. 1. Other Generals have their Councell of War to help them that they may not miscarry in it but this Lord of Hosts gives all the counsell and wisdome from himselfe to all under him And in this there is much of Gods glory Esay 28. 24 25 26 27. The Lord accounts it his glory that hee teacheth the Plowman to plow his ground to sow his seede to thresh his corne his God doth instruct him to discretion the Text sayes much more then is the glory of God in giving wisdome to order and to leade Armies And when the Lord pleaseth he takes away counsail he besots men in their counsails mingles a perverse spirit amongst them befools them he turns their counsails upside downward and insnares them in the work of their own hands This made David pray against the counsaile of Achitophel 2 Sam. 15. 31. O Lord turne the counsail of Achitophel into foolishnesse what counsail that was you may finde 2 Sam. 17. 2. Fall upon him while he is weary and weake This war was raised up against David for his sin and yet God heares Davids prayer against Achitophel The same counsell was given against our Army of late by a great Achitophel when the question was whether they should come to the City or fall upon the Army the counsail cast it upon the Army because they were weary and weake not being together and how hath God turned that counsail into folly it hath bin our safety and preservation but their shame There God wrought for David in that Achitophels counsail was not followed although it was a more politique counsail it had more warlike wisdome in it then Hushaies had but for us God wrought in that Achitophels counsail was followed Thus Isai 19. 11. Surely the Princes of Zoan are fooles the counsails of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh are become brutish where are they where are the wise men and again The Princes of Zoan are become fooles Why are the Princes of Zoan so much mentioned there Because Zoan was the Metropolis of Egypt where the great counsail of Egypt was and verse 14. The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof and they have caused Egypt to erre in every worke thereof as a drunkenman staggereth in his vomit Jerom upon the place adds this to expresse the meaning Non solum ebrii sed vomentes furorē draconū furorē aspidum insanabilem not onely drunken but vomiting the fury of Dragons the incurable fury of Aspes And is not this the vomit of our adversaries at this day who are drunke with
cruel bloodshed and the outragiousnesse of war as much as in them lies which they see in all probability may follow upon giving the aversary that advantage he desires though the standers by see not the cunning of it 2. Great care must be had in the propositions of conditions about peace We reade 1 Sam. 11. 2. when the men of Jabesh Gilead would make a covenant with Nahash he told thē that upon this condition he would make a covenant with them that he might thrust out all their right eyes and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel 3. You must be sure you make such a peace as you may confide in it so as you may not be afterwards at the mercie of your adversaries whether they will keep the conditions yea or no you must take heede of disinabling your selves to maintain what your conditions of agreement bind to especially if you have to deale with Papists whose principle is that no faith is to be kept with Heretiques and for the Catholique cause leagues may be broke if your peace hinder your strength to maintain your right what security can you have in your peace one moneth 4. As things now stand great care had neede bee taken that the hearts of people who have shewne themselves forward venturing their lives exhausting their estates may not be discouraged lest if Parliamennts ever neede the people again they never finde them appeare for them stick to them and cases may fall out that there may be neede of the peoples standing by them hereafter as well as now or else their priviledges may soone vanish and their power be over-powred and so come to nothing Wee know how soon authority is contemned where power is not joyned with authority But do not our adversaries grow stronger then we if so it is in vain for us to oppose It is impossible to conceive they should except the Kingdome be so besotted as never yet any Kingdome was upon the face of the earth For 1. How can men of understanding who have estates in the Kingdome and have posteritie to live here imagine that the Kingdome should be better governed by the King with those Cavalliers about him then by the King with his Parliament 2. If the Parliament should now be over-powred and spoiled because they have gone according to their consciences for the good of the Kingdom must not all Parliaments hereafter lye at mercie 3. If these men prevaile is there not danger lest things should be carried as they please if they get power into their hands who knows but that they wil presume to give Laws to us that things shal be done according to their minds rather then the Kings doth not the King forbid plunderings now yet do they not plunder as they please if then they get power into their hands fully what will not they do then These things being so obvious to every mans thoughts that one can hardly bee a man to understand any thing but he must needes think of those things how then is it possible that the Kingdome should not generally rise with a spirit of indignation against these men who are thus risen up to make such spoile and waste in the Kingdome Although they doe not yet stir in many places hoping there may be some help of these things some other way but if they see there be no other help it cannot be conceived but this spirit of indignation must rise through out the Kingdome men will never suffer themselves to be baffled out of their Religion their liberties their estates on this fashion They will never so unworthily desert those whom they have chosen and betrusted with their estates liberties and lives those who have been so faithfull to them spending their strength in their indefatigable labours night and day wasting their estates and hazarding their lives for them wherefore it cannot be imagined that the adversaries should ever gather more strength then we 2. Suppose they could be more in number yet considering how vile and wicked what notorious blasphemers and cursers they are they are not much to be feared Plutarch reports of one Cyneas discoursing of the opinions of the Epicurians that they thought the gods tooke no care of had no regard of mens doings and that the onely happinesse was to live in pleasure for so the gods themselves did Fabritius hearing this cryed aloud and said The gods grant that Pyrrus and the Samnites were of such opinions as long as they have wars against us Supposing that if they were thus and had such vile opinions of the gods they could never prosper to doe any great matter We dare not say thus of our adversaries God grant that they continue thus vile and blasphemous as they are No we pray if it be possible that they may see how they fight against God that their hearts may be changed but yet we are of this beliefe that Fabritius was of that whilest they are so wicked and speak so vilely of God and blaspheme his name so as they doe that they are not much to be feared they wil never be able to doe any great matters the wrath of the Almighty will pursue them 3. And lastly if they should get more in number yet if our cause be Christs which is cleare to us for our consciences tell us we desire not we endeavour not the wrong of any man living much lesse of our King we then have Christ with us And as Antigonus once said to his souldiers when they said that their enemies were more in number Why how many doe you reckon me for So I may say in this case How many doe you reckon Jesus Christ for If he be not with us let us lay down all presently Wel but we are sure for the present there is a wofull disturbance in the Kingdom and mens estates are consumed in the extreme charge of these Wars and what shall we think will become of things at last It is true when a bone is out of joynt there is much pain but if the care be not of setting it right the very setting will breed much more pain There is much disturbance but it is onely the breaking out of what hath layn in the plots and secret workings of our adversaries a long time It was once the speech of Lysonder that if the Lyons skin will not serve we must help it with the Foxes Contrary now it is with our adversaries The Foxes would not doe the deed and therefore now they put on the Lyons It is well for us that things break out when there may be help to resist our condition was as dangerous though not so troublesome before now our disturbance is but the noyse of resisting a deluge of evil that was flowing in upon us That man certainly is not a wise man that is not willing the flouds comming in upon him should not bee stopped because the stopping of them will make a noise 2. But consider
wisely who have bin the cause of this disturbance Puritanicall Preachers are cryed out of So Elijah was said to be the troubler of Israel Amos was said to speak such words as the Land could not bear Paul was accounted a pestilent fellow a mover of sedition They cryed out of the Apostles that they turned the world upside down Luther in his time was called Tuba Rebellionis the very trumpet of rebellion But if men wil not shut their eyes and stop their ears they cannot but know the cause of our disturbance hath been the pride and cruelty of Prelates forcing illegall things both upon our brethren in Scotland and upon us Is it not as clear as the Sun that the disturbance began with their imposition of their own Service-book upon them Have not they their Preachers sought to infuse such principles into Kings that all is theirs to dispose on as they please That they are bound to no Laws A doctrine condemned by the Heathens We reade of Trajan the Emperour when he ordained any Pretor giving him the sword he would bid him use the sword against his enemies in just causes and if he himselfe did otherwise then Justice to use then his power against him also And as Ministers so people that have been most conscientious they have been cryed out of as disturbers Thus it was in the Primitive times if there were any evils upon the Countries where the Christians dwelt they cryed out of them as the cause of all the voice presently was Christianos ad Leones bring forth the Christians to the Lyons so now the Round-heads the cause of all Men that will examine things and are not mad with malice wonder how such an apprehension can arise They suffer the wrong and yet they are accused for the trouble of the Kingdom by reason of their sufferings they are more in the view of people then other men and therefore when men are in a rage they fall upon them that are next hand They indeed will not yeeld to such illegall things as others will they think themselves bound what lies in them to keep the Kingdome and their posterities from slavery and for this good service although it cost them deare they must be accounted the cause of all the evill in the Kingdome Did they ever plot any Treason as Papists have done from time to time Did they even in times of Popery ever seek to blow up Parliament houses as Papists have done There is a great deale of stir about these men but what have they done the very foundations of this our Land are out of course but what have the righteous done So far as they can they yeeld active obedience to what Law requires of them in what they cannot yeeld active they yeeld passive and what can man require more of them Onely they wil not yeeld to mens wils and lusts beyond that authority they have over them and who wil that hath the spirit of a man in him But these are not friends to the King Surely those who obey so far cannot without extreme malice be accounted enemies to the King They pray more for the King then any people doe yea they do more for him and his in a right way then any people doe Who have ventured so much of their estates to reduce Ireland to the obedience of the King as those that are thus called Round-heads Will it not be found that some few of these in the City of London have disbursed more of their estates for the Kings service in this thing to keepe this his lawfull inheritance in his possession and for his posterity then all those thousands that are now with the King in his Army And heretofore who were the men that were most free with their estates to assist the Parl and to have recovered the Palatinate but these kinde of men Howsoever now God sees and the world sees they are ill requited at this day No no God and we hope in time Man also will find our other troublers of the Kingdom rather then these The Lord judge between us and our adversaries in this thing As for the great cost charge the Kingdom is at 1. We must know those who have done least in this kind complaine most those upon whom the weight and burden of the work hath layn you heare not to make such complaints of the charge 2. Better venture halfe then lose all In this thing that saying is true Dimidium plus toto If we be too sparing now it is the onely way to lose all it is better to have but a piece sure then by venturing to keep all to lose all If we will keep all we may soon lose all as many have done they have kept their estates for the spoilers Yea we were better to have lesse as our own with freedom then more with bondage at the wils of others Times of extreme danger are no times of complaining of charges If a mans house be on fire were it not absurd for him to cry out against breaking of the tiles because it wil put him to charges There is a story of a man who in discontent hanged himself his servant comming into the room at that instant seeing his master hanging he presently cuts down the rope so saves his life afterward this man being extreamly covetous wrangles with his servant because he would rather cut the rope then untye it so put him to more charges Doth not all lie at the stake is not the very life of the Kingdom in danger is it not time for us now to have our hearts raised above these things Let us take heed our covetousnesse be not our undoing and if our enemies find treasure with us then how justly may they mock and jeere us When Constantinople was taken in the yeer 1453. it appears by the Turkish History that it was lost through the Citizens covetousnesse The Citizens were full of gold and silver when it was taken but would not pay the souldiers that should have defended them and so their enemies made merry with their riches The like is reported of Heydelburgh taken by their enemies not many yeers since upon the like ground God hath been beforehand with us in many mercies and he hath yet more rich and glorious mercies for us that surely will pay for all at last over and over again We are unworthy of our liberties unworthy of the Gospell if we prize them at so low a rate as if they were not transcendently above all the costs we have been at or are like to be at We think these charges much but there is not one yeare wherein our neighbours in the Low Countries are not at far more charge then we have been at this chargeable yeare all our extraordinary charges are below their ordinary But although there is nothing can be said but God allows of these wars yet were it not better in prudence that I be not seen in them for if I be
Host of heaven and yet God suffers the enemie to prevaile against that Host and is pleased to magnifie his mercy to ours to give them so great a deliverance yea so to prevaile against that as to cast down some of the Host and of the starres down to the ground and to stamp upon them He prevailes as if now he had power over the heavens to pull down the starres and to stamp upon them The more eminent any are the more is he enraged if they be starres in this heaven if he can get to them he puls them down and stamps upon them Oh the rage of our adversaries against the most eminent Ministers of our Kingdome They stamp for anger that they have them not and if they had them how would they stamp then That which one Antiochus did there many Atheists and Papists would gladly doe amongst us if they had power but this Lord of Hosts delivers us in mercie from them yea ver 11. He magnifies himselfe even to the Prince of the Host to this Lord of hosts he sets himselfe against him Oh! what rage even against God himselfe what horrid blasphemies are there against this Prince of the Host of his people but although he doth magnifie himselfe and blaspheme surely he can never prevaile against the Prince of this Host yes he is suffered for the present to take away the daily Sacrifice and to cast down the place of his Sanctuary and ver 12. An Host was given him against the daily Sacrifice by reason of transgression and cast it down the truth to the ground and it practised and prospered upon which the people of God were exceedingly troubled ver 13. One Saint speakes to another Saint asking this question with hearts full of sorrow enough God knowes How long shall the vision be concerning the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation to give both the Sanctuary and the Host to be troden under foote Here you see that for any to set himselfe against Gods worship is to set himselfe against God himselfe proud malicious adversaries especially aime at this and God here suffered the adversary to prevaile even against this God proceedes against his people for their transgression an Host comes upon them yea the Text sayes if we observe it that an Host was given him against the daily Sacrifice by reason of transgression Antiochus had never been able to raise such an Host had it not beene for the transgressions of Gods people yea so far was God provoked with the transgression of his people as that hee suffered this Host raised against them to cast downe the truth to the ground to practise and to prosper We have cause to lay our hands upon our hearts to acknowledge our transgressions as great as any they were charged with and yet although God hath thus far chastised us as to raise an Host against us yea such a one so many of them being Papists and such horrid blasphemers as we have cause enough to feare they would take away the daily Sacrifice and cast down so much of the Sanctuary as is built up already and even cast down the truth to the ground but oh the riches of the infinite goodnesse of our gracious God! he hath not suffered them he hath turned the rage of man to his praise hee hath wrought gloriously for us he hath delivered us out of their power although many of our brethren suffer hard things we may yet have the daily Sacrifice and the Sanctuary that is the true worship of God amongst us if we will yet the truth is preached in our Congregations it is held forth in the beauty and excellencie of it it is not cast down to the ground they indeed have practised but through Gods mercy to us they have not prospered this is of the Lord of Hosts let this glorious name of his bee magnified by us for ever Yea yet further for the setting out mercie to us that glory may be given to this Lord of Hosts Consider what the Holy Ghost sayes ver 23 24 25. of this 8. Chap. concerning Gods taking advantage against his people for their sins which hee hath not done against us as it appeares this day When the transgressors are come to the full a King of fierce countenance one of an extream bold daring spirit a Prince that will venture upon such desperate things as few Princes in the world would dare to venture upon the like if any of his Nobles or others come before him and speake any thing to him not agreeable to his designes he lookes with a fierce countenance upon them his countenance shewing the extreame fiercenesse of his spirit Hence it was that his name was changed from Epiphanes to Epimanes for his fierce cruelty but beside his fiercenesse he shall carry things subtilly too he shall be one that understands dark sentences by his wit and subtilty and by the help of those about him he shall make such expositions of darke things as a man would wonder at it no man could have thought that such things could have beene pickt out of passages as he shall pick up and by this he shall bee able to put such a colour upon the foulest things as they shall appeare very specious to many And his power likewise shall be mighty God will suffer him to grow to a great strength but not by his own power so sayes the Text although you could not see how he could raise any such power of his own yet he shall have a great power he shall have money Ammunition strength from forreigne Princes or as some would have it God himselfe shall give power to him beyond what he hath of his own Surely if the power against the Church be Gods rather then the adversaries own then the power for deliverance of the Church must be acknowledged to bee Gods rather then our own but I rather take the former sense to be the intent of the Holy Ghost in that place It follows he shall prosper and practise he shall not be alwayes consulting demurring delaying but he shall bee doing and thereby he shall prosper The word is faciet he shall doe something The prosperous successe of war depends much upon action Alexander was asked How he did so great things in so little a time He answered By neglecting no advantage I have read of Charles the sonne of Charles Duke of Anjou who was King of Sicily and Jerusalem he was called Carolus Cunctator that is Charles the Delayer but not in that sense that Fabius who was the Shield of Rome in his time he was called likewise Cunctator but that was because he used to stay till opportunity came but the other used to stay till opportunity was lost Antiochus was no such Cunctator stayer till opportunity was lost he practised and so prospered and because he prospered therefore he stil further practised But when he saw delaying and gaining time might advantage him then hee would seek to put off and spin