loosed and thy Knees to smite one against another to consider How many thousands of Souls are now crying under the Altar against thee saying How long O Lord Holy and True dost thou not judg and avenge our Blood on that cruel Tyrant that dwells on the Earth who hath spilt it like Water on every side Oh will it not once be Rev. 6. 10. Secondly from the Testimony of his Holy Spirit which declares plainly That in vain is Salvation hoped for from the Multitude of Men or Ships from the Hills or from the Mountains or from any human Force or Power for truly in the Lord our God is the Salvation of his People And says the Prophet David The Lord is my Light and my Salvation whom then shall I fear The Lord is the Strength of my Life of whom shall I be affraid When the Wicked even my Foes came upon me to eat up my Flesh they stumbled and fell Psal 26. 1 2. c. Now to shew this great Truth That when once the Lord is departed from any Nation or People Fleet or Army it cannot prosper or stand We may take notice of God's own People themselves the Children of Israel who when they tempted and provoked the most-high God to Anger and so caused him to depart from them and forsake his Dwelling place how unsuccessful they were then in all their Wars being commonly discomfited of their Enemies As by Chushan-rishathaim King of Mesopotamia whom they served eight Years And by Eglon King of Moab whom they were subject to eighteen Years and the cause you read was by reason the Lord was departed from them Judg. 3. 8 12. Moreover we find such another Passage between Israel and Amalek as long as Moses that familiar Friend of God held up his Hand and thereby caused the Lord to be with his People Then they prevailed over their Enemies But as soon as Moses's Hands were let down and the Lord was departed from the People of Israel then Amalek prevailed over them Oh where the infinite Majesty of the living and true God is present there it cannot go any otherwise but well whether it be Fleet or Army for every thing that 's done there shall prosper But where the most-high is not present or among them there be sure it cannot be well or prosper be their Power outwardly never so great and their Forces never so strong An Example of this we may see in Zerah the King of Ethiopia who came against Asa with the greatest Army that ever we read of in sacred or prophane History Even an Host of a thousand thousand and three hundred Chariots And Asa cryed unto the Lord his God and said Lord it is nothing with thee to help whether with many or with them that have no Power Help us O Lord our God for we rest on thee and in thy Name we go against this Multitude O Lord thou art our God let not Man prevail against thee So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judas and the Ethiopians fled 2 Chron. 14. 11 12. Alas It is not a vast and well disciplin'd Army altho' God knows most Men now have an Eye to that chiefly nor the Strength of Ships nor the Skill of Seamen nor the Courage and Conduct of Officers no nor yet the greatness and goodness of Artillery that gains the Victory but it s the Lord of Hosts himself that fights the Battel and gives the Victory to whom he will altho' it cannot be denied but that all these fore-mentioned Things are absolutely needful and as the secondary Causes of Victory David tells Goliath thus saying Thou comest to me depending altogether on thy own Strength and well furnish'd and prepared for Battel as with a Sword with a Spear and with a Shield But now I come to thee otherwise not so much confiding in my own Strength as on Gods And indeed I am sure my Strength will not fail me and therefore I will smite thee and give thy Carcass unto the Fowls of the Air That all the World may see and know that thou O Lord whose Name is Jehovah art the strongest and highest over all the Earth And where God taketh the part and is present among an Army then there all the Enchantments Plots diabolical Arts or Conspiracies are altogether invalid and ineffectual And he who is the Eye of his own People will soon discover them and bring the Plotters to shame and confusion as Balak told Balaam concerning Israel saying Surely there is no Enchantment against Jacob neither is there any Divination against Israel for the Lord his God is with him And it shall be said in the Lord 's due time of our Fleet and Army What hath God wrought Oh what a Victory was this When the strong holds are surpriz'd and the mighty Mens Hearts in Moab who have magnified themselves against the Lord and his Truth and have worship'd other Gods Wood and Stone shall tremble and be as the Heart of a Woman in Pangs Be still then ye Adversaries of God and Traytors to the best of Princes speak no more so proudly against the Heritage of the Almighty For know you assuredly that God even our own God will find an occasion to bring down the Arrogancy of the Proud and will lay low the Haughtiness of the Terrible So much then for Confirmation of our first Lesson Let us in the next place sincerely endeavour to improve this to our selves that so the Lord our God may be glorified in our Body and Spirits which are his that we being deliver'd out of the Hands of her Enemies may serve him without fear Here is then first an Inference of no small Comfort unto the Church of God militant here on Earth in this crooked and perverse Generation wherein all manner of Vice and Wickedness abounds daily and Piety and Righteousness are such Strangers To consider That altho' War be risen against the People of God yet he is in the midst of his Church to defend and keep her that she shall not be moved by all the Storms of Trouble and fierce Darts of the Devil which are bent wholly against her Nor by all the Plots and Conspiracies of the Children of Darkness because the eternal God will keep her safe from the Snare of the Fowler and Malice of evil Spirits Oh what a Comfort is this unto every true Believer and Child of the most-high to ponder with it self That tho' the Adversaries of the Lord and his Church may be far more in number and much stronger in outward appearance yet when the Captain of the Host of the Lord stands ready with his Sword drawn in his Hand to fight for his People then they signifie nothing at all and he can smite 'em down even at one Blow as he did unto the great and mighty Armies of the King of Canaan And the People of the ever-blessed Jehovah have with them always whole Hosts of glorious Angels and invisible Spirits for to take their
therefore I Pray let us all Worship the Lord with a Holy Worship Secondly he is most Wise and therefore no Policy or Subtilty of his Adversaries can inveigle him He sees all their Snares and Conspiracies and all their secret Thoughts and hath them in derision For he taketh the Wise in their own Craftiness and maketh Diviners mad Thirdly he is most able and of greatest Power and Might and hence he encourages his Servant Abraham saying I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect Gen. 17 1. Then for his Titles He is called Jehovah or rather Jehueh which signifies his being is of himself Esa 42. 8. and he is called Elohim which denotes the Glorious Trinity Elohim Bara The Mighty God or the three Persons in the Trinity Ben Rua Ab the Son the Spirit and the Father He is called El which is as much as strong God and signifies That God is not only most strong and Fortitude it self in his own Essence But it is he alone that gives Strength and Power unto all his People and hence t' was that the Holy and Blessed Jesus in his Agony on the Cross Cried out Eloi Eloi which in the Syrian Tongue signifies my strong God my strong God c. He is called in another place Shaddai which is Almighty the Septuagint Translates it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is a derivative Word and comes from Dai sufficiency 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Essentia qua sibi suisque sufficit And of Shad a Dug or Breast To signifie that God is all-sufficient and able to supply the wants and necessities of his Children whatsoever they are like the huge Ocean which fills every Creek which the Shallow narrow Rivulets of the Creatures largest and best perfections cannot do Hence the Church says the Lord is her Portion and therefore she will hope in him Lamen 3. 24. And David says his People shall not want any thing that is good Another Title of God is Jah and this is given to him when he hath wrought some Notable Deliverance and therefore says the Psalmist Extol him that Rideth upon the Heavens by his Name Jah and Rejoyce before him Psal 68. 4. And again the Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer The God of my Rock in him will I trust he is my Shield and the Horn of my Salvation my high Tower and my Refuge my Saviour c. 2 Sam. 22. 2 3. Who then can be a Defence like unto God Almighty who hath always in a readiness for the help and Redemption of his Church and People out of the greatest dangers and to Rescue them out of the Hands of their most inveterate Enemies at his own Pleasure besides his own Omnipotent Arm the least Finger whereof can beat down the strongest Mountain to Powder and rend the Flintiest Rock into Pieces innumerable Hosts or Armies of Angels one of which killed in the Camp of the Assyrians one Hundred fourscore and five Thousand in one Night 2 King 19. 35. Chariots of Fire even a Thousand Thousand in the Whirlwind That fair Glorious Giant which with incredible swiftness runs Day by Day Post through the Heavens for to stand still or retire as it did at Joshua's Command The impetuous Current of the raging Sea to recoyl or go back The Merciless Flames of the hungry Fire to become a sweet refreshing Air The implacable Fury of the most enraged Lions to Couch at the first Word for his Servants sake and safety Nay if need be the great and terrible God hath Caterpillars and Frogs Worms and Lice even those impotent silly Creatures for to fetch Blood and pull down the Pride and Heart of the most Rebellious Pharaoh and to eat out the very Bowels of the most cruel Herod see Acts. 12. 23. And immediately the Angel of the Lord smote him and he was eaten of Worms and gave up the Ghost Secondly By the manifold Deliverances of his Church and People in all Ages of the World we have a Cloud of Witnesses to confirm this But I shall confine my self unto some few Was not the Almighty only the best Defence unto righteous Noah in that terrible Flood which drown'd all the World except 8 Persons To the Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob To Abraham against Abimelech King of Gerar and also when he rescued his Brother Lot out of the Hands of the Enemies To Isaac when he was taken and bound and laid upon the Altar just ready to be sacrificed by Abraham yea so near the point was he that his Fathers hand was lifted up with the Knife but yet an Angel of the Lord stayed him To Jacob against Esau his Brother and Laban his Father in Law Unto the Seed of Jacob or People of Israel in Egypt and in the Wilderness Unto Moses in the Bulrushes David in Saul's Court and Jeremiah and Baruch against Jehoiakim King of Judah when he sent to destroy them for their Prophesies for tho' they were commanded to hide themselves yet it s said The Lord hid them Jer. 36. 19 26. Alas our own hiding will not do it must be Gods our now clasping our Arms about our selves is the ready way to drown us whereas spreading our Hands forth to Heaven may save us Then in the new Testament Was not the Lord of Hosts the best Defence unto Peter when he was kept in Prison by four Quaternons of Soldiers To Paul when he deliver'd him out of the Lion's Mouth 2 Tim. 4. 17. And what are the 121st and 124th Psalms but a Confirmation of this Truth Does not the Church say If the Lord himself had not been on our side when Men rose up against us they had swallowed us up quick when they were so wrathfully displeased at us But to come down to Examples in the last Century of the World Was not the great and mighty God the best Defence to Q. Elizabeth of blessed Memory and these Kingdoms when all Europe conspired together against her and sent the Spanish Fleet which was term'd the Invincible Armado by reason of its Strength and number of Ships for to overthrow her and introduce Popery into this Nation But alas how suddenly was this great Fleet overcome and dispers'd here and there about the British Seas by her grand Defence even our God! To K. James I. and our Nation when that horrid Powder Plot was discover'd and laid open by the unsearchable Wisdom and Goodness of the Lord that cruel Plot I say which was hatch'd in Hell and carried on with the greatest Secrets by those Engins of Beelzebub and Soul-Deceivers and Murderers the Jesuits and Priests of the Roman Faction which said God and Man had concur'd to punish the Iniquity of the Times But to come to some Examples in our Days which our Eyes have seen and Ears heard Oh was not the Lord Jehovah the best Defence of that mighty Prince of Valour now our gracious K. William and his whole Fleet in the midst of very a terrible Storm raised
Safety in War OR THE INFALLIBLE ARTILLERY OF A Kingdom Fleet or Army IN SERMONS UNTO THEIR Majesties Forces by 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 By JOHN WHITTEL Chaplain in the Army 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lib. 10. ◠721. LONDON Printed for Randal Taylor near Stationers Hall 1692. To the Right Honourable the LORDS of the Treasury My Lords ACcidentally meeting with a certain Pamphlet concerning Courage which was design'd no doubt to weaken the Hands of Gods People or dismay their Majesties Forces in this holy War by Sea and Land I conceived it would not be in vain for me to publish something which might tend to their Majesties Welfare and the Encouragement of the Fleet and Army in this depraved Age wherein Fidelity is abandon'd by many as Antichristian My Lords these naked Truths in these Jejune Papers are for the most part such as were sounded in the Ears of the Army And therefore I have reason to hope they may be embrac'd by them now with the same Candidness and Singleness of Heart as they were deliver'd in order to the Advancement of Gods Glory the good of the Church Militant against the common Enemy and Oppressor and the Welfare Peace and Happiness of their Majesties and their Kingdoms I must confess my Lords there is in them no Politeness of Style Floridness of Phrase or Sweetness of Rhetorick which may make them esteem'd by the Learned Yet I hope a familiar Scripture-dress may not be disesteem'd by the Vulgar and more Vnlearn'd for whom alone they are sent abroad in this nice Age. And since nothing is spoken here but what hath been spoken before our Days and Treatises or Sermons are generally entertain'd according to the Proverb Quot Homines tot Sententiae I must crave the Honour of your Lordships as to shelter these honest tho' unpolish'd Papers under your Lordships Patronage praying you to accept them as a sincere Acknowledgment of that indispensible Duty which is owing unto your Lordships From your Lordships most humble Servant J. W. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Numb 14. 9. Rebel not ye against the Lord neither fear ye the People of the Land for they are Bread for us Their Defence is departed from them and the Lord is with us Fear them not BEFORE we come to handle these Words in particular it cannot be improper for to shew you the occasion of them together with the People unto whom they are spoken and the Person or Persons that spake ' em We read in the Holy Bible how God Almighty of his free Grace and Goodness chose the Seed of Jacob which was afterwards call'd Israel because as a Prince he had Power with God unto himself for to be a peculiar People unto him above all other Nations And therefore he promised for to multiply them as the Stars of Heaven for number and to give unto them the Land of Canaan for an Heritage And in order to the fulfilling of his gracious Covenant the Lord Jehovah brought his own People out from the midst of Egypt by Temptations by Signs and by Wonders and by War and by a mighty Hand and by a stretched Arm and by great Terrors which he brought upon Pharaoh and his whole Host and at length overturning them in the midst of the red Sea as they were pursuing the Children of Israel Deut. 4. 34. Moreover the eternal God led his own People forty Years long in the Wilderness going before them by Day in a Pillar of a Cloud for to shew them by what way they should go and by Night in a Pillar of Fire to give Light unto 'em and be a Wall or Defence between the Camp of Israel and the Camp of the Egyptians So that the one came not near the other all Night When they were come unto the Confines of the Land of Promise Moses by the Commandment of God and Entreaty of the People sent forth a Man out of every Tribe for to go before them and search the Land and bring 'em Word back what it was whether good or bad and what People they were which dwelt therein whether strong or weak few or many and whether they dwelt in Cities Tents or strong Holds After forty Days these Spys return'd from searching the Land and brought with them from thence some Grapes Pomegranates and Figs and came and told their Brethren That it was a Land which flowed with Milk and Hony but the People thereof were Strong and of a great Stature and their Cities were wall'd and very great Yea they said That they saw there Giants the Sons of Anak and they were in their own Sight but as Grashoppers unto them and therefore there was no going up against them they were so strong Thus these Spys which were sent brought up an evil Report upon the Land insomuch that all the Congregation of Israel lifted up their Voice and cryed and the People wept all Night and murmured against Moses and against Aaron saying Would God that we had died in the Land of Egypt Or would God that we had died in this Wilderness Wherefore hath the Lord brought us up to fall by the Sword and our Wives and our little ones to become a Prey c. Were it not better for us to return into Egypt And they said one to another Let us make us a Captain and let us return thither Upon this Moses and Aaron fell on their Faces before all Israel And those two mighty Men of Valour which were of them that had search'd the Land and had another Spirit in them following God fully Namely Joshua the Son of Nun and Caleb the Son of Jephunneth used their best endeavours for to still and satisfie the People and to cause them to be better opinionated towards the Country and to remember how the most high God was their Defence and had fought their Battels for them against their Enemies and how he had led them safely thither saying The Land which we passed through for to search it is an exceeding good Land If the Lord delight in us then he will bring us into this good Land and give it to us Only rebel not ye against the Lord neither fear ye the People of c. As if they had said You whose Eyes have seen what great things the Lord your God did for you ever since he brought you out of the Land of Egypt or out of the Furnace by the Hands of Moses and Aaron You who are his own peculiar People for you now to fear when ye are at the very Borders of the Land is very evil Therefore do not rebel against the Lord in murmuring against his Ministers Moses and Aaron whom he hath set over you But remember the mighty Hand of God which bare you in all this Wilderness as a Man doth his Son and be not discouraged at the Strength of the People the number of their Cities and the height of their Walls for the Lord your God which goeth before you he it is that fighteth for you
Rebel not ye against c. The Words do naturally teach us these three Lessons 1. That when once the Lord is departed from a Nation or People Fleet or Army it cannot prosper or stand Their Defence is departed from them 2. That God only is the best and safest Defence of his Church against her Adversaries And the Lord is with us 3. That to fear the Lord of Hosts himself and not the Arm of Flesh or to be very Couragious in Fighting God's Battel is a Duty required of all his People but especially of those which are called thereunto by lawful Authority and a principal means for to keep the Lord with or among such a People or Army For says the Text Fear them not Of these in their order by the assistance of the Holy Ghost which openeth and no Man shuts and shuts and no Man openeth who can shew forth the Praises of the Most-high out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings and whose Grace is sufficient to enable the weakest Instrument First That when once the Lord is departed from a Nation or People Fleet or Army it cannot prosper or stand The truth of this I shall endeavour God willing to make out two manner of ways 1. From the Nature of God And 2. From the Testimony of his Holy Spirit First From the Nature of God who is the Fountain and Original from whence springs all our Happiness and Comfort and from whom alone every good Gift and every perfect Gift comes As Health Strength Grace Meekness Goodness Faith Prosperity and Plenty It is he that gives us such fruitful Seasons and fills our Hearts with Joy and Gladness It is the Lord Jehovah alone that giveth Salvation unto Kings and delivers his Servants from the hurtful Sword It is that Almighty and Eternal Essence who is the great and glorious Creator of all things and Judg of all Men and Searcher of all Hearts and Rewarder of such as diligently seek him who preserves maintains and upholds all other Beings whatsoever both in Heaven above in the Earth beneath and in the Water under the Earth by his most infinite and unlimited Power and Omnipotency And therefore he will have Mercy on whom he will have Mercy he hath the same Soveraignity and Power of us and over all Kingdoms and Nations as the Potter hath over the Clay of the same Lump to make one Vessel unto Honour and another unto Dishonour He removes and sets up Kings and disposes of Kingdoms and changes Times and Seasons according to his Pleasure For the Earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof the World and they that dwell therein So that he can do whatsoever he will with the World He hath founded the Earth upon the Seas so that 't is easily sunk being a bad Foundation and establishes it upon the Flouds and that 's as dangerous a Situation according to human Sense and external Appearance But yet by the infinite Power of that Almighty God who laid the corner Stone of the World and hath set due Bounds Bars and Doors unto the proud swelling Sea whose Waves roar and toss themselves yet can they not prevail but dash themselves into pieces it is that this mighty Mass is supported It is he alone that makes the Earth bring forth that our Garners may be full affording all manner of Store and our Sheep may bring forth thousands and our Oxen strong to labour and gives us all things liberally and upbraids not Oh there 's nothing can prosper without his Blessing who is the Foundation of all Blessings neither can any thing be done without his Providence over us his Spirit to guide us and Grace and Strength to enable us who measureth the Waters in the hollow of his Hand and meeteth out Heaven with a Span and comprehendeth the Dust of the Earth in a Measure and weighs the Mountains in Scales and the Hills in a Ballance Isa 40. 12. Therefore if this most blessed and omnipotent God once but gather unto himself his Holy Spirit his Breath Protection and Preservation from a Nation If he once depart from a Fleet or Army then that Nation Fleet or Army which is without God with or among them cannot but sink and perish because the very Elements in their kind will then Fight against them as the Stars in their Courses fought against Sisera When the Lord Jehovah is departed from a People then its Courage and Strength its Rock of Salvation and Defence its Refuge Sanctuary and Fountain of Blessing its Giver of Grace and Safety yea it s only Friend and Giver of Victory in Battel is gone away and there can be no prospect to such a People but Ruin and Destruction This we find in the Case of all the Kings of Canaan tho' they were mighty and had vast Armies Yet notwithstanding when they once perceived that the great God the supream Majesty of Heaven and Earth was departed from them and with the Israelites and assisting them wonderfully in all their Undertakings and in drying up the Waters of Jordan for them to enter the Land of Canaan Then presently all their Hearts melted within them for Fear and there was no more Spirit in them because of the Children of Israel Josh 5. 1. And therefore our Church prays Wilt not thou O God go forth with our Hosts Give us help from trouble for vain is the help of Man without thee Through God our Forces both by Sea and Land shall do valiantly and 't is he alone that shall tread down our Enemies 'T is said of Sampson that after his Head was shaven he became weak and like another Man and he said I will go out as at other times before and shake my self Observe For he wist not that the Lord his Strength was departed from him Judg. 16. 20. In like manner the Adversaries of God and his true reform'd Church may yea and do take Counsel together against our Sovereign Lord and Lady King William and Queen Mary as they have done at other times against Queen Elizabeth of blessed Memory but it shall come to nought and their Strength like Sampsons shall deceive 'em because the Lord is departed from them The common Enemy of Truth and Oppressor of Righteousness and Peace in Europe may vaunt himself as at other times and say Is not this great Babylon that I have built Have not I overthrown Towns and laid waste fenced Cities Have not I expell'd from my Kingdom all those that would not obey me rather than God By the might of my Power and for the Honour of my Majesty because I must and will be obey'd else I will set my Blood-thirsty Dragoons upon them But he considers not that the Lord is departed from him and that his vast Army shall be smitten with Terror Look well then O thou Enemy of Truth and Peace upon the Hand-writing on the Wall for it may well make thy Countenance change and thy Thoughts to trouble thee and the Joynts of thy Loyns to be
Solemn Fast Days and wrestle with God by Prayer as Jacob did with the Angel and not let him go until he had blessed us and our Forces I would to God I could prevail with you all for to consider the case of the Murmuring complaining unbelieving Israelites and so to be warn'd and repent For doth not the Apostle tell us in most plain Words That these things happened unto the Israelites for Examples and are Written for our Admonition upon whom the ends of the World are come Mark That we should not be Idolaters as were some of them That we should not commit Fornication as did some of them and fell in one Day three and twenty Thousand That we should not swear or take the Name of God in vain as did some of them and were destroyed of the destroyer That we should not have in us evil Hearts of unbelief and so provoke the Majesty of Heaven to refuse to go forth with our Hosts 1 Cor. 10. 6. to 12. There are three Vices or Sins especially above all others noted by Historians which bring danger and publick Punishment and Calamity unto a Kingdom or People viz. Ungodliness Injustice and Luxuriousness Ungodliness troubleth the Church Injustice the vulgar People and Luxuriousness private Families And the hurt in special redounds to the whole Nation Therefore Salmoxes Counsel is not amiss saying that these Things should by all means be avoided by every one that fears God namely Sluggishness from the Body Ignorance from the Mind Gluttony from the Belly Sedition and Faction from the Church and Nation Discord from the Family Disloyalty and Treachery from the Governours and Government Intemperance from all things and above all other Sin and Iniquity from every true Christian Oh that these Rules were but generally followed and practis'd throughout our whole Nation that so the everlasting Father of Lights might prosper us in our Labours and Arms. But let me address my self in a more especial manner unto you who are gone forth to warr against the Enemy You have heard here how the People of Israel provoked the infinite Majesty of Heaven and Earth to Wrath by their evil Ways and sinful Actions and caused the most Great and Terrible God who was their Helper and Defender to depart from them and leave them to the will of their Enemies insomuch that they were smitten of them sundrie times Oh! that this may be a warning unto all from the highest to the lowest And an effectual argument to prevail with every one of you both Officers and Souldiers for to leave off your most horrid Oaths your prophane Speeches your dissolute Actions your intemperate drinkings c. And to give your selves wholly unto the contrary Virtues As to the denying all Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts And to live soberly Righteously and Godly the remainder of your Days And if you do thus then you may justly hope for the Blessing of God Almighty upon your endeavours and upon good Ground expect to prosper in that employment whereunto ye are called But if you still do wickedly If you still continue in Sin and disobey the Commandments of God Can you reasonably think that the Lord of Hosts will abide with you or take your part against the Enemy Oh no he is a most just and Holy God who will by no means clear the guilty But will execute the fierceness of his Wrath against you until he hath destroyed you from off the Face of the Earth and blotted out your Names from under Heaven We have the Testimony of the Holy Ghost for this and many examples in the Sacred Scriptures As the old World which was drown'd Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed with Fire and Brimstone from Heaven The Galileans on whom the Tower of Siloam fell c. And then in Prophane History we Read that in the third Year after that Pompey had won Jerusalem Valerius Gracchus being President of Judea a certain Jew came to the Senate of Rome for to complain of the grievances and injustice done in that Country by their Magistrates c. And among other expressions he spake thus O Learned Fathers O happy People your Blessed Destinies that favour'd you and our angry God who hath forsaken us for our Sins hath now made the famous Metropolitan City of Jerusalem once the Commander of all Asia and Mother of the Jews Subject and Servant unto Rome and to you Romans Great indeed was the Courage and Power of Pompey and great was his Army that overcame us But I will tell you much greater was the Wrath and Fury of our God And without comparison the Number of our Sins for which we have deserved to be utterly overthrown It is worthy to be noted by you all that whatsoever People or Nation Fleet or Army doth press the Lord down most with the Weight and Burden of Sin That Nation or People shall be sure to feel most of Gods heavy Hand upon it Amos 2. 13. And thus the Justice of the most High will perform for it is gone out of his Lips and he cannot Reverse it That he will render unto a People according to its deservings Therefore it highly concerns the whole Nation in general and you of the Fleet and Army in particular for to give Glory to the Lord our God before he cause Darkness of Calamity or Captivity and before our Feet Stumble upon the Dark Mountains and while we look for Light Lest he turn it into the Shadow of Death and make it gross Darkness Jer. 13. 16. The Prophets meaning is thus according to Bishop Tayler upon it Repent of all your Wickedness before the Almighty come to search and find us out by his heavy Judgments And that while we have time and opportunity afforded us And this is the only means through the Blood of Jesus Christ for to appease Divine Wrath Revel 16. 9. And they repented not to give Glory to God Oh let us all then be perswaded to break off all our Sins by Righteousness for it may be a lengthening of our Happiness and an Infallible Means to cause the Lord to destroy our Enemies Rebel not ye against c. Secondly that God only is the best and safest defence of his Church against her Adversaries And this Truth may appear 1 From the Attributes and Titles of God in the Holy Scriptures and 2 By the manifold deliverances of his Church and People in all Ages of the World First from the Attributes and Titles of God He is most Holy and therefore in the first place we may with great safety trust in him and rely on his Word and Promise for help in time of trouble and he will deliver us For this is no mean Comfort unto his Church that the Lord is Righteous in all his Ways and Holy in all his Works And therefore he will not forsake a Holy Nation nor a Repenting Praying People He never leaves off a Kingdom unto it self until it first leaveth him by unholyness and filthy conversation and
me aliquid ubi persecutor pervenire non possit ubi Deus meus habitat Let Man be never so sharp in persecuting yet nothing dies in me but what is mortal Nevertheless there will be something in me at which the cruel Persecutor cannot come where my blessed God dwelleth Whom have I in Heaven but thee O Lord and there is none upon Earth that I desire beside thee But as this reproves all wicked and unbelieving Hearts so in the next place it is no small Encouragement unto all the Servants of the most high God for to fear him and serve him in Truth with a perfect Heart and willing Mind For it is an undeniable Assertion That such a Kingdom or People cannot be moved or shaken by any terrible Blasts of the Devil or his Instruments who hath the eternal Lord for its Strength and Defence And I may truly say that there are no times so very Perillous nor Days so very Evil but that they may be made easie and happy unto every Child of God and Believer in Jesus Christ I mean the dangerousness and badness of these times which many groundlesly and unjustly complain of may be reduced to an equality with the Peace Safety and Comfort of better times Yea may be made equal unto the best of Days which this present World commonly affords unto the Church militant As the sharpness of a very cold and pinching Season may by a proportionable addition of warm Cloathes the use of good Fires and the like be made as little offensive to a Man's Constitution as a temperate Season is Or as a Man who is shut up close in a most strong or impregnable Castle and is there sufficiently provided and stored with all things necessary as Men Arms Mony Powder Ball c. Is in as much or rather more safety and freer from all danger altho' he be encompassed about and besieged by his inveterate and implacable Enemies at the same time than another Man is who hath no Enemies at all seemingly near him In like manner when once a Man hath the great and mighty God for his Defence and the covering of his Almighty Wings spreading over him and underneath him the everlasting Arms which Moses speaks of Deut. 32. 27. Then what Bullets soever are flying about him what Cannons soever are roaring against him what Storms soever are rising what Waves or Billows soever are raging what Enemies soever are Plotting yea what Perils or Dangers soever he may be seemingly in yet notwithstanding all he is most safe he is most secure in God who is a firm Rock near a most raging Sea a sure Shield amidst Showers of invenom'd Darts And 't is one and the same thing unto such a Man for to be in the very midst of a Battel either by Sea or Land among the thundring Guns and Showers of small Shot which falls round about him like Hail as to be in the Walks of a most pleasant Garden and hear the sweetest singing of Birds The sound of Alarum by a Drum or Trumpet is as acceptable to him as the voice of the Turtle Because he can always and in every place rejoyce in the Lord and joy in the God of his Salvation as the Church does Hab. 3. 18. Alas A Man can but be safe a Man can but be secure and at rest and ease in his Mind if he lived in those halcion Days or golden Times prophesied of by the Psalmist When the Mountains shall bring Peace to the People and the â—â—ttle Hills Righteousness Psal 72. 3. That is to say when neither High nor Low King nor People shall be troublesome one to another nor disturb each other But the Wolf also shall dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid and the Calf and the young Lion and the fatling together and a little Child shall lead them Verily the condition of a true Child of Light and Heir of Glory be he in the Wars either by Sea or by Land abroad or at home is always thus blessed and happy thus at ease and rest in his own Breast and Conscience because he is kept in perfect Peace by him who is the Prince of Peace Whereas 't is far otherwise with an ungodly wicked Man who is like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose Waters cast up Mire and Dirt. There is no Peace saith my God to the Wicked You then that are gone forth to War against the Enemies of the Lord and his Church whether you are by Land or by Water let me beseech you in Christ's stead and for his sake to receive this wholsome and profitable Advice and let it take deep Root in all your Hearts and be continually in your Mind Trust ye in the Lord Jehovah for ever for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting Strength for he bringeth down them that are Proud and exalteth the Humble and Meek Isa 26. 4. 5. What could you wish for more than Strength Yes but here is everlasting Strength What could you desire more than Defence Yes But here is Defence and Safety Courage and a Blessing Oh our gracious and merciful God hath always some Twigs left for to preserve and keep his elect People above Water when they suspect themselves to be most in danger For he hath either the Castle of his Providence the Ark of his Promise or the All sufficiency of his Grace and Goodness for the safety and retirement of his Children and Servants in the greatest of Storms How did he defend David and his little Company when Saul and his Army had almost encompassed him about Alas you must expect to meet with some rubs in your way towards the Celestial Canaan and through many Tribulations you must enter into the Kingdom of God Non est ad astra mollis e terris via all true Christians know well that the Church is militant here on Earth and therefore the Saints commonly sow here in Tears that they may reap hereafter in Joy We must all expect to fight the Lords Battel here on Earth which St. Paul terms a good sight that we may acquire the Victory and receive our Crown of Righteousness and Glory in Heaven where there is no Enemy or Opposition for all are there of one Mind and Heart praising God with Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost Here we must all run the Christian Race which is set before us by our Lord and Saviour with Patience and Alacrity that we may obtain the Prize or that Incorruptible Crown which the Lord the righteous Judg bestows on such Here is the place appointed for us to work in while it is day or rather the Lord's Vineyard But in the Kingdom of Heaven are we to expect and receive our Wages when our Work is done or our Course finished For there is the rest which remains for the People of God Wherefore then should any rational Soul think to find that in this World which God hath reserv'd for the World to come when
we shall see him Face to Face Oh what Fleet or Army is there on Earth or in the whole World that can harm you if ye be Followers of God as dear Children and Doers of that which is good and well-pleasing in his Sight What human Force or Power can possibly be able to stand before or against you if your Hearts are but perfect towards God For the Eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole Earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose Hearts are perfect towards him and who sincerely endeavour to walk in his Laws which he set before us 2 Chron. 16. 9. Therefore let me desire of you all for to take heed now above all other Times that your Hearts be perfect towards God and his Church towards our most gracious Sovereign Lord and Lady King William and Queen Mary towards the good and welfare of our Land and Nation and in the last place towards one another that Officers may love the Soldiers under their Command and the Soldiers be obedient and faithful unto their Officers And then the Lord of Hosts will bless and prosper you whithersoever ye go and in whatsoever you do But on the other Hand if ye Backbite and Quarrel and prove Treacherous one to another ye shall be destroyed one of another For they are the Words of none other but our great Lord and Master himself That a Kingdom a House or Army or Fleet divided against it self cannot stand but must fall into Desolation And hence we find that the Children of Israel said unto Joshua their Captain and Governour That whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy Commandment and will not hearken unto thy Words in all that thou commandest him he shall be put to death Josh 1. ult Whosoever he be that proves treacherous to our blessed Governors and present Government and will not obey their Majesties order in all Punctilio's he shall be dealt with as a Rebel and Traytor and no regard had to his Commission because he hath proved disloyal to his Prince This is the Law of the most high God concerning this Matter Therfore Rebel not ye against the Lord neither fear ye the People of the c. Thirdly and Lastly That to fear the Lord of Hosts himself and not the Arm of Flesh or to be very Couragious in fighting God's Battel is a Duty required of all his People but especially of those which are called thereunto by Lawful Authority and a principal means for to keep the Lord with or among such a People or Army The truth of this Lesson we may see confirm'd to us in the case of the Israelites here in this Chapter of our Text. For we read that they by their Fear and Faint-heartedness by their Unbelief and Cowardise when God had commanded them not to fear or to be affraid at the outward Strength and Power of their Enemies the Amorites and Canaanites thereby tempted the Lord and provoked him to Wrath because he was their Strength and Defence and fought all their Battels insomuch that he forsook 'em and departed Whereupon the Prophet Moses tells them that they should not prosper For the Lord is not among you and therefore go not up against the Enemy says he lest you be smitten of them And so they were indeed when God their Helper and Defender was not with them see vers 41 42 44 45. So the Lord of Hosts the mighty God and terrible sent his Spirit upon Jahaziel and commanded him to tell Jehoshaphat saying Thus saith the Lord unto you be not affraid nor be dismayed by reason of this great Multitude for the Battel is not yours but Gods To morrow go out very Couragiously against them for the Lord will be with you 2 Chron. 20. 1â— 17. Again the Almighty tells Joshua not to fear saying Have not I commanded thee Be strong and of good Courage be not affraid neither be thou dismayed for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest Josh 1. 9. So in the Words of our Text Rebel not ye against the Lord neither fear ye c. We might bring in a multitude a Texts to the like purpose But we shall content our selves with one or two more out of the New Testament And the first is that of our Lord and Saviour unto his Disciples then and to us even us now saying Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in â—ill Matth. 10. 28. The same Charge is given to Paul Act. 18. 9 10. Be not afraid for I am with thee c. Rev. 2. 10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer c. I suppose these Texts are a sufficient Testimony to prove That Courage and Valour in Times of War when God calls us to fight his Battle is not only commended but also required of all his People and especially of those appointed thereunto by lawful Authority and a principal means to keep the Lord of Hosts with and among such a People It now remains that we sum up all and bring it somewhat nearer unto our selves in this pusillanimous and Faithless Generation What then must we say unto very many in this Age who are afraid at the very shaking of an Aspen-leaf and hide themselves at the beat of a Drum or sound of a Trumpet Let me ask them if they think such Pusillanimity is decent in any one who is called a Man much more whether it be consentaneous to one that nameth the Name of Christ to fear and be dismayed where no fear is And at the same Time to stand in no awe of the mighty God and terrible the supreme Governour of Heaven and Earth who is glorious in Holiness fearful in Praises doing Wonders Alas Alas this cowardise or timidity of Spirit is a grand Shame for any Soldier of Christ the Captain of our Salvation to be guilty of and it commonly hinders those from the punctual Performance of their Duty who are such fearful Hearts as we may see in Nicodemus a Ruler of the Jews who for fear durst not openly confess Christ or come by Day lest he should be seen of the Jews to be taught in that heavenly Doctrin of Regeneration or the new Birth by him who had the Words of Eternal Life and spake as never Man speaketh But on the other Hand the true fear of God and Christian Courage in the Heart of a Believer maketh him in Solomon's Phrase to be as bold as a Lion and puts him upon any thing even the most perillous Attempts in Obedience to Gods Holy Will and Commandments and in Duty and Allegiance to his Prince This was it which moved little David to encounter with the Giant Goliath the Champion of the Philistines he heard his words how he defied Israel and saw they were all afraid and dismayed and therefore he resolves with himself to go and Fight him and
he came to King Saul and said Let no Mans Heart fail because of him thy Servant will go and Fight with this Philistine 1 Sam. 17. 23 32. Yea such a Man as serves the Supreme Majesty of Heaven and Earth in sincerity and truth and is a Soldier of the Holy Jesus in Deed as well as Profession will not only be ready to Aid and Assist his Prince with what Mony he can possibly against an Enemy of Truth and Peace but with David he will go himself and defie that Philistine to his Face who hath defied his God and his King And so Paul himself an Apostle or rather chief of the Apostles of Jesus Christ is not only ready to be bound but also to Die at Jerusalem for the Name of his Master and the Testimony of a good Conscience So that we who are or have been in the Wars and have shewed Courage for the Gospel sake and against the Children of Babylon need not to be cast down at the sharp reflections of some who pretend to be of our Church but God knoweth their hearts for they not only are remiss themselves in stirring up the people to be Couragious in Gods Cause and be stedfast and faithful unto Their Majesties in these times of War but they take occasion to upbraid such as do their Duty in this Nature For my own part I must speak in the Gospel words He that is not with us or for us is undoubtedly against us I can easily prove this for its a palpable Truth That whosoever grows not daily in Grace is going backwards from the Region of the Blessed Go we must and go we do daily there is no standing still because our Glass is running and our Time flies away as a swift Ship or as the Eagle that hasteth to the Prey Either we must walk in the Paths of Righteousness or else we must wander in the broad way So these close sort of People must either follow God or Baal they must and do adhere more to Their Majesties or else their Enemies in their Hearts for they can never be Neuters in real Truth And therefore he who always praises the French Arms does Tacitly dispraise Their Majesties He that Justifies the Wicked and he that Condemns the Just are equally an Abomination to the Lord as Solomon tells us Prov. 17. 15. And these sort of People are to be avoided I confess there are not lacking another sort who Asperse and have Aspersed this Saint-like Valour in the Servants of the most High God calling it Ignorance Fool-hardiness Pride of Heart and Folly when as it is indeed and in truth nothing else but true Christian Courage or Fortitude a Noble stedfastness of Mind and Spirit which will by no means warp or swerve from its Allegiance to our Governors or be Terrified with any Humane Puissance or any outward Terribleness or Amazements No nor will it be discouraged at Death it self or at all the Powers of Darkness Such was that Courage of David who says Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death I will fear no Evil for thou art with me thy Rod and thy Staff they Comfort me Psal 23. 4. It was an excellent Answer that a certain Eminent Servant of God made unto one of the Emperours when he was Threaten'd for his Religion I fear not Imprisonment because I can have there as much freedom with my best Friends as now when I am at liberty As for Banishment I defie it for let me be driven into what terrible Desert or Wilderness whatsoever yet there shall I find my God And I look upon this World it self to be a Banishment of us all for our first Parents Sin and Transgression Paradise being the true place of our Souls Nativity And as for Death I long for it that I may Triumph over it through Jesus Christ and what am I now but a mere Skeleton even worn away to Skin and Bones and that is the passage unto Eternal Life and Everlasting Joy Oh what can we say to all Pusillanimous Persons that are afraid to serve the King or their Country in the Wars that dare not trust the Almighty Lord with their Lives in a Camp or Fleet as well as here at home although he is the preserver as well as giver thereof For in God we live in him we move and in him we have our being Acts 17. 28. Sure I am that Fearfulness and Pusillanimity are infallible Specimens and Signals of an Evil and Unbelieving Heart and the Portion of such St. John says is in the Lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone And it is for want of a well grounded Hope and a firm Faith in God's Mercy through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that Men are thus Fearful which Hope the Children of God have as an Anchor of their Souls both sure and stedfast Heb. 6. 18. And therefore we have a Command for to consider him that endured the Cross and despised Death and the shame thereof for our sakes And again look unto that Prince of Glory who so willingly offered up himself to Death even a Cursed Ignominious and Painful Death And if we have but Faith as a Grain of Mustard-Seed we cannot but be Couragious and Valiant in his Cause and for his Truth and Gospel-sake What then so dreadful a Face of present Confusion or fore-imagined Forms of future Trouble and Calamity are able or ought Slavishly to Deject and Terrifie that Holy Soul which with a sweet and safe Repose is most happily and everlastingly hid under the Wings of that Mighty God whom it ought to trust and who is the best and safest Defence of all his People That infinite Majesty of Heaven and Earth which for the Defence of all such as Fear him and for their Deliverance is able to work 1. By very weak means as he did in Gideon's Army sometimes which was no more but Three Hundred against their Enemies the Midianites and Amalekites and all the Children of the East which were in the Valley like Grass-hoppers for Multitude and their Camels were without Number as the Sand by the Sea-side Judg. 7. 5 6 12. 2. Without any means at all Thus did he when he destroyed Jehoshaphat's Enemies the Moabites and Ammonites for says the Text 2 Chron. 20. 23. The Children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the Inhabitants of Mount Seir utterly to slay and to destroy them And when they had made an end of the Inhabitants of Seir every one helped to destroy another 3. Contrary to means As when he made the Waters which came down from above to stand and rise up upon an heap and those that came down toward the Sea of the Plain even the Salt Sea failed and were cut off Josh 3. 13 16. So that where the everlasting Jehovah is a Defence and Salvation there Heaven and Earth and all the Hosts of both are Eternally Reconciled to such a Soul and become its Friends Yea all the Storms and
Tempests raised by all the powers of Hell are presently Calm'd for ever doing such a one any Mortal hurt All the Creatures then pull in their Horns retire their Stings bite in their Poison Snubb'd and Awed by those Divine Impressions of their Creators Blessed Image stamp'd on such a Soul by the Holy Spirit of Grace and dare not offer any more Trouble or Vexation to it except it be upon a particular Dispensation for its Spiritual Good and Quickning than to the Apple of God's Eye hear his Holy Promise from his own Mouth Hos 2. 18. And in that Day I will make a Covenant for them namely his Servants with the Beasts of the Field and with the Fowls of Heaven and with the Creeping things of the ground And I will break the Bow and the Sword and the Battel out of the Earth and I will make them to lie down safely For I the Lord their God am their Confidence and I will keep their Foot from being taken For I will set every Man's Sword against his Fellow in the Camp of my Peoples Enemies as I did for my Servant Gideon and his Army Judges 7. 22. In the last place This ought to stir us all up in these times of War unto this grand Duty of Courage and Boldness in Fighting the Lords Battel and depending wholly and solely on him and Imploring his All-sufficient Aid and Almighty Help Oh let us down with the Mountains and up with the Valleys and know no Fears no Doubtings no Discouragements but like David's Worthies Which broke through the Host of the Philistines and brought him of the Waters of the Well of Bethlehem to drink So let us every one make our way through all the Reasonings and Disputings of Unbelief into those Everlasâ—â—â—â—â—rms of God's Free Grace and Endless Mercy in Jesus Christ For his Mercy and Assistance towards those that Fear him and Dread him is without all stint and limit like himself infinite so unmeasurable that it reaches from everlasting to everlasting So tender that it surpasses incomprehensibly the Compassionate Heart-Meltings of the Lovingest Mother Isa 49. 15 16. Can a Woman forget her Sucking Child that she should not have Compassion on the Son of her Womb Yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee Behold I have graven thee upon the Palms of my Hands thy Walls are continually before me Let me tell you then that it is far more Generous and Christ-like for to Die a Martyr in the Cause of God and for his true Protestant Church if we are called thereunto than to Live and Moulder away our Time and Strength without doing one tittle of Good in our Generation Alas Within a little while the Grinders will cease of their own accord and the Windows of our Eyes will be darken'd and the Doors I mean those Pipes wherewith we draw our Breath shut up fast Alas The Pusillanimous Man considers not how eagerly and with what Industry the old Sexton Time with his sharp Spade throws up the Earth and digs a Grave where we all that are now here must one Day lay our Sins and our Sorrows together and sow these Mortal Bodies till they rise again in a Glorious or an intolerable Eternity Every Revolution which the Sun makes about the World divides between Life and Death so that all those Days which we have lived already are dead to us and we shall never live them over again Currit mortalibus aevum nec nasci bis posse datur fugit hora rapitque Tartareus torrens ac secum ferre sub umbras siqua animo placuere negat Poor Mortals we form our very Words of that which is most near and dear to us even the Breath of our Nostrils and therefore we have the less to live upon for every word which we speak hence saith the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 2. ult Cease ye from Man whose Breath is in his Nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of The Philosophers Taught That there was no greater Encouragement against all fear of Death than to consider we must needs Die There is now an absolute Necessity thereof or else we cannot obtain Life Eternal or come to the Glorious God of Life And this was St. Paul's Argument for to prove the Resurrection That which thou sowest is not quicken'd except it die So these Natural Bodies must be dissolved into Dust and Corruption before they can be made Spiritual and like unto Christ's Glorious Body Oh remember then that the very Heathens Taught That it was no small Honour to Die for ones Country But we Christians must confess that 't is the highest Honour to Die for the Faith of Christ and a good Conscience towards God And therefore let me bespeak you all 〈…〉 in Their Majesties Fleet and Army in the words of Joab 2 Sam. 10. 12. Be of good Courage and let us play the Men for our King and Queen for our People and for our Church of England and the Lord do that which seemeth good Fear not nor be afraid but Sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your Fear and let him be your Dread and he shall be a Sanctuary to you But for a Gin and a Snare and a Trap to the Adversaries of his Truth Would you have the Crown of Life Oh be you Valiant and Faithful unto Death Would you have the Great and Terrible God among you as your Strength and Defence Oh then let not Vain Thoughts Lodg in your Breast But cease to do Evil and learn to do well Would you be esteem'd Worthies by God and Their Majesties then break through the Babylonish Army and sink their Idolatrous and Superstitious Fopperies into the bottom of the Sea Would you have your Memories Blessed and your Names to be had in Everlasting Remembrance and the Generations to come for to Praise your Glorious and Noble Deeds Then be sure for to pull down some Monuments of Idolatry and Raze out some Relicts of Popery for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake and with Sampson Aveng your selves of your Enemies at once before you go hence and be no more seen Rebel not ye against the Lord c. Amen Amen Amen FINIS