Author thereof John White The glorious Name of God The Lord of Hosts ESAY 47. 4. The Lord of Hosts is his Name IN this Chapter wee have Gods mercie to his Church threatning the destruction of Babylon When Babylon is used as Gods rod it is then cast into the fire If Israel when God was about to deliver from Babylonish Captivity should aske the Question that Moses thought would be asked upon his sending to be their Deliverer from the Egyptian bondage What is his Name Exod. 13. 3. The Prophet answers here The Lord of Hosts is his Name There his Name was I am Here it is The Lord of Hosts And if they should say But how can this deliverance be here Can Babylon bee destroyed Babylon is strong who shall bring downe her power Yes there is one can doe it The Lord our Redeemer The Lord of Hosts is his Name Here then we have this glorious title of the Lord for the comfort of his people in their distresse and the terrour of their enemies in their pride The Lord of Hosts The Lord of Armies The English word Hosts is from the Latine Hostis because an Army is either for defence or offence against enemies The Redeemer of Gods people is the Lord of Hosts The work then I have to do in this Sermon is to teach you how to sanctifie the Name of the Lord in this his glorious title The Lord of Hosts It is the duty of the Saints to observe what the way of God is in the times of their generation To see what name of God is most conspicuous in his administration accordingly to sanctifie that Name of his We may say of this Name of God The Lord of Hosts as God himselfe sayes of his Name Jehovah Exod. 6. 3. By my Name Jehovah was I not known to them So by this name The Lord of Hosts God hath scarce been known to us here in England but now he appears to us by this name in a glorious way And we shall not know how to sanctifie it except wee search into it to see how much of Gods glory there is in it which we shall find much more then at first view seems to be then most of us have ever thought All Gods titles are full of excellencie The excellencie of this I shall open unto you that this Name of God may not be taken in vain by you but be sanctified as it is worthy It is a title that God hath heretofore delighted much yea gloryed much in we find it not lesse then two hundred times in the Old Testament and most frequently in the Prophecie of Zechariah Chap. 1. ver 3. we have it three times in one verse and in one short Chapter Zech. 8. we have it there eighteene times But why is it used so frequently in that Prophecie more then others Because the scope of that Prophecie was to encourage the people of God in building up Ierusalem and the Temple in which work they had many enemies and therefore they had need of a spirit of magnanimity and fortitude in it Hence it was the Lord revealed himselfe to them so much by the name of The Lord of Hosts Times of Reformation Temple-work usually meets with much with strong opposition We had need therefore to have this name of God in our eye and sanctifie it in our hearts in such times while such work is on foot It is true God did this work without bloud-shed it was done not by power or by might but by the Spirit of the Lord as we have it Zech. 4. 6. but because the work was such as in regard of second causes needed an Army to effect it although God did it himselfe yet his Name was to be sanctified in it as the Lord of Hosts In the New Testament we seldome find this title it is but twice that I remember in all the New Testament and in one of those two places it is quoted out of the Old Testament Rom. 9. 29. There the Hebrew word is retained The Lord of Sabbaoth not of Sabbath as many take it There is a great difference between these two The Lord of Sabbath and The Lord of Sabbaoth The one is the Lord of rest the other is the Lord of Hosts those words come from a different root in the Hebrew The second place is James 5. 4. and there you have not the English word Hosts but the Hebrew word Sabbaoth likewise In the New Testament we have Gods Titles fuller of sweetnesse and grace as The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ The God of all consolation The Father of mercies The God of peace c. The more cause have we to be humbled who live in the times of the Gospel and yet are come to such times wherein God hath changed as it were his name and even in the times of the Gospel appears to us in this dreadfull name of his The Lord of Hosts This Title is in it selfe a very fearfull one and yet before we have done with it we shall find it like that name of Christ Cant. 1. 3. Thy name is as an ointment poured forth a sweet refreshing pleasant ointment In the 2. of Sam. Chap. 6. ver 2. the Lord speaks of this name of his set between the Cherubims Whose name is called by the name of the Lord of Hosts that dwelleth between the Cherubims Now you know the Mercy-seat was between the Cherubims and that which I shall endeavour this day is To shew you this name of the Lord of Hosts written upon the mercy-seat between the Cherubims Although it be dreadfull in it selfe yet all Gods Saints shall have it this day presented to them from the mercie-seat A name as full of goodnesse and mercy as our hearts can desire We have already seen in this Kingdom the Lord of Hosts upon his Mercy-seat making this his dreadfull title to be amiable and lovely to us from thence dispensing grace and abundance of mercy in the manifestation of this his glorious title It is comfortable to behold the Lord of Hosts sitting upon his Mercy-seat and thus am I to present him this day unto you Now God is called The Lord of Hosts in two respects First because all creatures in heaven and in earth are his armies He is the absolute great Lord over them all The Angels Sunne Moon Stars the Dragons the Deeps the Fire Haile Snow Wind the Mountains Trees Cedars the Beasts and all creeping things the flying Fowles the Kings of the earth and all people are the Hosts of the Lord. Psal 148. ver 2. c. Secondly in regard of that speciall providence of God in the great affaires of wars and battels in the world It is true the providence of God is over the least things in the world but God challengeth a more speciall and peculiar ackowledgment of his work of Providence about War-like affaires in regard whereof he takes this title to himselfe The Lord of Hosts If I should
see them to bee of the same mould wee are of God hath not revealed from heaven by his Prophets that this or that family must be so much above others rather then other families That then that now makes the difference between man and man is from men setting up this family rather then another or this person rather then another but is it possible to conceive that any Common-wealth should set up any to their owne ruine Were it that men kept in due order or that when the most abominable injustice and violence that is offered men did not presume so audaciously to make use of the name of the King these reasonings would never bee occasioned in mens hearts woe therefore to them by whom such dangerous offences come The Lord deliver us and the Lord deliver His Majesty from these men and such fearefull scandals as they cast upon him How dangerous a temptation is this to Princes to have such an apprehension infused into them whatsoever they doe whatsoever spoile of Kingdomes they make and violence they offer they shall still enjoy what they had and be acknowledged as they were That Land is in a sad condition where these thoughts are applyable to the Prince thereof and lie boiling in the hearts of the people For our parts we desire as long as ever we are able to charge onelie even in our very hearts the actors of all the violence and spoile amongst us and our brethren in Ireland as the Authors of it and therefore we judge it is the best service we can doe for the King to deliver him from these mischievous men that his throne being established in righteousnesse his Crown may slourish upon him and his posterity These things I have spoken out of conscience of my duty to God and to the Kingdome knowing that if some do not open these things as they are able to satisfie the ignorant and doubting and erroneous consciences of many they will he found guilty of betraying themselves their brethren their posterities their religion and liberties Now having endeavoured to cleare that what wee doe we doe by commission from the Lord of Hosts the way is cleare to fetch soul-staying supporting satisfying comfort from this glorious Name of God It is not more glorious then comfortable to the Church of God Surely we need not feare wars strength of enemies roaring of Canons clattering of weapons beating of drums neighing of horses so long as God our God is the Lord of Hosts Now I come to what I promised to shew you this name of God written upon the Mercy-seat Xerxes used to pitch his tent on high and stand looking upon his Army when they were in fight to encourage them This our great Generall stands on high looking upon his people in their battels let them looke up to him and there is encouragement enough to fill any heart in the world This Title is an exceeding vast treasurie of comfort and encouragement Deut. 30. 3 4. Heare O Israel you approach this day to battell against your enemies let not your hearts faint feare not do not tremble neither be terrified Observe the variety of expressions Faint not Feare not Tremble not Be not terrified Why For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you to fight for you If so much encouragement meerly from Gods going with us to fight for us what is there from all those severall workings of God in battels which this Lord of Hosts is pleased to declare himselfe in Psal 46. 7. The Lord of Hosts is with us the God of Jacob is our refuge and ver 10. Be still and know that I am God I will be exalted and again I will be exalted Quiet your hearts in this If any distracting sinking discouraging thoughts arise in your hearts still them all with this And therefore ver 11. in the next words he repeats that againe The Lord of Hosts is with us the God of Jacob is our refuge Luther was wont in sad tumultuous times to say to those about him Come let us sing the 46. Psal It is a Psalm most sutable for these times to be sung often Isa 51. 12. Who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man Surely thou doest not know what thy priviledge is thou knowest not what interest thou hast in the Lord of Hosts that thou art afraid of a man that must die wherefore it follows v. 15. I am the Lord thy God that divided the sea The Lord of Hosts is his Name But you will say Ah! if we knew indeed that the Lord of Hosts were ours that he were with us then we might well comfort our selves in these times of wars but that is all the question to us for want of the assurance of that our hearts are troubled First Though you doe not know certainly that you have any speciall interest in him yet it is a great comfort to know that all things in wars are carryed on by him yea though he were a meere stranger to you and you to him as suppose you were sure there should be nothing done in all these stirs about wars but by the will of the most wise the most holy and most mercifull man in the world that hath all the holinesse all the wisdome all the mercy that all the men in the world ever had although this man were a stranger to you you never saw his face in your life yet would it not be a stay and comfort to your hearts to heare that all things were committed to the dispose of this man and not a stroke struck nor any hurt should come to any but as this man gave out his commissions certainly it would quiet our hearts much but that all is at the dispose of this Lord of Hosts is far better whose holinesse wisdome and justice is infinite although yet we do not know any further of him wee cannot say we have any speciall interest in him Secondly Although you doe not know your interest in this Lord of Hosts yet your hearts may be stayed yea comforted in this that the cause hath a deep interest in the very heart of this Lord of Hosts and therefore that shall prosper howsoever The satisfafaction the soul takes in this is a speciall argument of interest in this God Thirdly Yet further I will tell you how you shall know whether you have any speciall interest in this Lord of Hosts or not from that Scripture Psal 84. 3. O Lord of Hosts my King and my God Here are these two Lord of Hosts and my God Now all the question is about the Copula that which joynes these two together there you have it my King that is set betweene them if then you can say O Lord of Hosts my King you neede not staie there but may confidentlie goe further to the other my God If you can out of the uprightnesse of your hearts say O Lord thou knowest the desires of our Soules are that thou mayest rule over us O when shall
out time as much as he could There is a famous story of Pompilius being sent by the Senate of Rome to this Antiochus to declare to him the pleasure of the Senate that he must not goe to Egypt Antiochus now requires time to deliberate but Pompilius makes a circle about him with the staffe he had in his hand and told him he must not goe out of that circle til he had given his absolute answer I or No But Antiochus would faine have put him off with a complement but Pompilius rejects his complement and bids him answer speedily otherwise he knew what to doe These speedy resolutions are of mighty advantage in many of the great affaires of the world esecially when we have to deale with cunning adversaries who lye to catch advantages The Text farther sayes He shall destroy wonderfully he shall make such spoile of faire plentifull countries make such waste where he comes leave all so poore and miserable as will be a wonder for any to see it who knew the Countrey in the plenty and riches of it but a few weeks before he came into it Yea he shall destroy the mighty and the holy people men of brave spirits even gracious godly men and stout valiant men yet they shall fall before him And ver 25. Through his policie also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand If there be any devices shifts cunning underminings any false wayes in the world he will make use of them and he shall get advantage by them and he shall magnifie himselfe in his heart When he hath got an advantage any way by falsifying promises protestations or by what means soever it shall please him at the heart he shall magnifie himself in his very heart and others about him shall puffe him up and seek to magnifie him and by peace he shall destroy many That is 1. By promising peace by treatles of peace they shall think all is well now there will be peace and so being secure he shall come upon them unawares and destroy many Or 2. by peace that is by his prosperity that he shal enjoy all shal account him happy thereby be ready to joyn with him they shal promise to themselves to be delivered from many troubles by comming in to him Surely he will have the better of it it is best for our safety if we would hold our lands and estates to come in joyne with him and thus by his peace he shall destroy many Or 3. In pace in peace Calvin interprets thus In a silent quiet way he shall withdraw himselfe and his Forces there shall not be much noise of him but hee shall weary the Forces of the other and their party and gaine time and advantages of them When he seems to be quiet and comes not against them in a hostile way even then shall he destroy many yea hee shall stand up against the Prince of Princes He shall not acknowledge the Majesty the power of God he shal set himself against those waies of Providence that are apparently against him howsoever he will not see it but then sayes the Text he shall be broken without hand God himself in some wonderfull way that you know not of shall break him when all means faile and all people shall be afraid that all will come to ruine and misery then shall he be broken without hand VVe complaine much of sad things that we suffer but we suffer not such things as the people of God so deare unto him suffered in those times Our sins cry as loud as theirs for the like miseries but God is free in his grace It is from the Lord of Hosts that we are preserved from such fearful evils as these It may be some may say Why are we in any danger of such miseries as the Jews suffered under Antiochus If bloody Papists and cursing and blaspheming Cavaliers might have their wils on us our miseries would soon parallel theirs if not rise above them seeing so many of them are got together and they are growne to such a height in their rage it is onely from this great Lord of Hosts that they break not in upon us as a deluge of the most hideous woes and dreadful miseries that ever befel any Christian Nation upon the face of the earth but blessed be the Lord who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth Let the Crown of all our mercies and more especially of that great mercy in the late battel be set upon the head of this glorious Lord of Hosts We reade 2 Sam. 12. 27 28. when Joab fought against Rabbah when the work was almost done he sent to David to come and take the City that he might have the glory of it that the Kings Crowne which was of gold and precious stones might be set upon Davids head Although God hath made use of instruments in this great work and due honour is to be given to them yet let the crown of the work be set upon the head of the Lord of Hosts I find in a Treatise of Plutarchs about the evill of taking honour to ones selfe a notable relation of one Pytho who having slaine a great enemie of the countrey whose name was Cotys whilst the officers of the people were striving who should doe him most honour he speaks thus unto them These things some of the gods have done as for us we have but lent our hands to this work It is true the General and many of our Captains and Souldiers have done worthily but it is as true that they have onely lent their hands to this work The Lord of hosts hath done this great thing both for them and us If we would expresse our respects to the General and honour him as he hath deserved in this thing especially we should doe it to speake well of him before this Lord of Hosts and to pray much for him It was a custome among the Romans when a victory was got to use solemne Processions for many dayes together offering Prayers and Sacrifices to their gods in behalfe of their Generall The manner was after the victory to send to the Senate Letters dight with Laurel wherein was required that they would decernere Supplicationes appoint such solemne Supplications for the Generall The conclusion of all is the glory of this great work must stick no where but passe through all to this our strong redeemer the Lord of hosts Let that Doxologie of the Angels Esay 6. 3. be ours this day Holy holy holy Lord of Hosts The whole earth is full of thy glory Let our streets our congregations our families our hearts be now full of the glory of this Holy holy holy Lord of Hosts And thus you have had one part of the glory of this great name of God opened and applyed If you will give me but a little time more I will give you some little glimpse of the other part of this glorious name and wind up all suddenly
without them and can doe infinitely more by his word alone in an instant then they can doe as long as the world stands Oh how great is this God this Lord of Hosts To apply it in a few words 1. Who would not feare this God then Job 13. 11. Shall not his excellencie make you afraid Behold here a great part of the excellencie of his name let it strike a reverentiall feare into our hearts Psal 76. 4. Thou art more glorious and excellent then the mountains of prey The stout-hearted are spoiled At thy rebuke O God of Jacob the chariot and the horse are cast into a dead sleep Then the inference ver 7. Thou even thou art to be feared and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry 2. Surely then it is good being on Gods side to be of his party this is the strongest side this certainly will have the victory It is safest to joyn with the Lord and it is most honourable You know what Christ said to his Disciples to strengthen them against feare I could pray to my Father and he would send me twelve Legions of Angels David Psal 27. though alone yet he thinks himselfe safe enough with the Lord of Hosts ver 3. Though an Host shall encampe against me my heart should not feare Though Warre should rise against me in this will I be confident In what ver 1. That the Lord is his light his salvation and the strength of his life If we be with the Lord we may be sure that we shall ever have with us more then against us 2 Chron. 32. 7 8. Be strong and couragious be not afraid nor dismayed for the King of Assyria nor for all the multitude that is with him for there be moe with us then with him With him is an arme of flesh but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battels And the people sayes the Text rested upon the words of Hezekiah Here is a full object for our faith to rest upon If we look upon God onely in this latter consideration of him as The Lord of Hosts we need never feare want of Souldiers seeing all creatures in heaven and earth are his armed trained Souldiers and he himselfe is infinite in himself Oh how happy should we be if we could in all our straits exercise faith in this Lord of Hosts looking upon him in this consideration You will say It is true this Lord of Hosts is indeed a full object of faith were it not that we have sorely provoked him to come out against us yea we are afraid he is now appearing in wrath against us I will give you one Text of Scripture in such a case as this is when your provocations of him lye heavy upon you and it is as sweet and full and encouraging a Scripture as any I know Zach. 1. 17. The Lord had professed in the beginning of the Chapter that he had been sore displeased with their Fathers ver 2. yea and it appeares by the 3. and 4. ver that they were no better then their Fathers and ver 12. it is said The Lord of Hosts had had indignation against Jerusalem these threescore and ten yeeres so that even at that present when the Prophet spake to them it seemes God was in such a way towards them as his indignation appeared against them but that their hearts might break and their faith be raised marke what a gracious promise comes in to them even now in this 17. ver Cry yet saying Thus saith the Lord of Hosts My cities through prosperity or through good so the word is in the Hebrew shall yet be spread abroad and the Lord shall yet comfort Sion and shall yet choose Jerusalem Mark here are foure yets in this ver and they are very gracious ones Cry yet shall yet be spread shall yet comfort and shall yet choose Jerusalem and all these from the Lord of Hosts yea and from the Lord of Hosts sorely dispeased yea although he was provoked to indignation We have sinned cry yet We have provoked wrath shall yet be spread We are miserable wretched creatures shall yet comfort We are unworthy shall yet choose O the free grace of our God to his people Thou troubled distressed soule look up to him as making himselfe knowne by this glorious name cry to him by this name Lord thou commandest Angels heavens earth seas now let thy power worke for the good of my soule give commandement from heaven to this distemperd heart of mine to yeeld to submit to thee to these lusts that rise against thee that they may be subdued yea destroyed Lord in any difficulties we finde our selves brought into let us not be discouraged We cannot see how Antichrist should be brought downe But Revel 18. 8. Her plagues shall come in one day he shall utterly be burnt with sire for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her And further it is most honourable to joyne with to be under this Generall Souldiers boast much of the power greatnesse magnificence of their Generall they account themselves honoured by it The people of God have infinite cause to make their boast of this Lord of Hosts under whose banners they fight he is their praise and their glory Psal 148. God is gloriously set forth with his Hosts about him The conclusion ver 14. is this He is the praise of all his Saints Not onely Objectively because the Saints are exercised in his praises but Relatively he is a praise and honour to his Saints his Saints glory in this that they serve under such a Commander There are two Captains in the world under whose command all the world serve this Lord of hosts and the Devil for he also hath his Armies fighting for him the Dragon and his Angels all wicked men are under him and fight for him his great Lieutenant is Antichrist It is no dishonour to run from these Commanders to get under the Banners of the Lord of Hosts 3. Let us honour this Lord of hosts by being willing to be put into what rank he shall please to be ordered in what place he shall appoint and there to keep out ranks If God wil put us in the fore-front where there is hottest service let us not murmur the hotter the service is the greater will the reward be We must not choose our own places All other creatures except the Angels are onely passive to the work of their Lord in ordering them We should be active in yeelding our selves freely to his ordering and be well pleased with it and keep our ranks It is an easie matter to keep rank whilst we march along but when we come to fight we shall not find it so Lastly how dreadfull must this glorious name of God needs be to all ungodly ones who walk on in wayes of enmity against such a God Esay 45. 9. Woe to him that striveth with his Maker let the potsheard strive with the potsheards of 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
speak of the first the time would soon be gone for there is much in it it is more generall therefore I will confine my selfe to the second the more speciall and now most seasonable God is the God of Armies That he might expresse himselfe the more clearly and fully interested in War-like affaires Exod. 15. 3. he styles himselfe A man of War God seemes to glory much in his workings about War-like affaires Hence Psal 24. 8. Who is the King of glory The Lord strong mighty the Lord mighty in battell The Providence of God is great in all wars but especially in those wars that concerne his people whether in a way of chastising them or defensive to save them or offensive in avenging himselfe upon their enemies I doe not know any one thing wherein the Providence of God is more fully set out in Scripture then in the workings of it about Wars as in these many particulars will be fully presented to you First God works in the raising of Warres when and how he pleaseth He is the great Generall and all battels are appointed by him He calls for them before they come and when he calls they certainly come upon a people Jer. 25. 29. Behold I begin to bring evill upon the City which is called by my name c. for I will call for a sword God doth not onely call for a sword upon the heathen but upon the Cities called by his name Certainly there is as much of God in this City as in any City this day in the World yet God may call for a sword upon you be not you secure Yea doe you not heare God now calling for it upon you Esay 5. 26. God will hisse for the Nations from the ends of the earth and behold they shall come with speede swiftly And Esay 7. 18. And it shall come to passe in that day that the Lord shall hisse for the Fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt and for the Bee that is in the Land of Assyria and they shall come Let God but give a hisse the least intimation of his mind and they shall come It was a proud speech of Pompey when one of his Officers told him they wanted men Let me sayes he but stampe with my foote upon the ground of Italy and I shall have men enough Footmen and Horsemen come from every corner Although it was a proud speech in him and when it came to he was disappointed yet it is alwayes true of this Lord of Hosts let him but speak the least word doe the least thing to gather Armies they presently come together to fight his battels when he pleaseth he can stir up the hearts of the Kings of the earth to hate the whore to make war with her Rev. 17. 16. The ten Kings shall hate the whore and make her desolate and naked they shall eate her flesh and burne her with fire It is a wonder that they stay all this while that they rise not with a spirit of indignation against her considering what base bondage they are in under her It is such a bondage wherein both soule and body and estate is in such a servile subjection to her as one would think the spirit of a man could not beare it much lesse the spirit of a King But when Gods time is come the spirits of the Kings of the earth shall be suddenly raised to war against her It is an observation of Abulensis upon 1 Chro. 14. 8. that Gods providence was very observable towards David that he should have no wars raised against him by the Philistims those seven yeers he was in Hebron which time he was but weak being King onely over the house of Judah but when all Israel came to him and he was established King over them all then came the Philistims against him So doe wee not see the mighty providence of God towards us that he did not call for the sword against us all this time till now untill we had a Parliament and that made indissoluble but by their owne consent untill our Militia in the Kingdome was well-nigh setled until we had an Army to resist If God had called for the sword before these things what had become of us Oh the mercifull providence of God towards England in this thing God is much seen in the provocations to wars consultations about them enclining mens hearts to them taking them off from peace c. It was from the Lord that Pharaohs heart was so hardned against the people of Israel to goe forth to battel against them because God had a purpose to destroy him It was of God that Rehoboam was so set to hearken to the counsel of young Cavalliers and to harden his heart against his wise Counsellors that God might rend ten Tribes from him It was of God that Ahab should be so set to goe to war against Ramoth Gilead that he might be destroyed Secondly the Lord sets up his Standard in Warre Thus he expresseth himselfe Esay 5. 26. He will lift up an Ensigne to the Nations Whosoever is the Standard-bearer it is God himselfe that sets up the Standard Thirdly it is God that musters up the Army Esay 13. 4. The Lord of Hosts mustereth the Host of the battel The Lord of Hosts is himselfe the Muster-master in Armies He thus condescends in his expressions that he might the more particularly and so the more fully shew the workings of his Providence in Military affaires Fourthly the Lord brings forth weapons out of his Armory Jer. 50. 25. The Lord hath opened his Armory and brought forth the weapons of his indignation for this is the work of the Lord of Hosts God hath his Magazine his Armory that he opens in times of Warre From whencesoever Armes come from beyond Sea or else where not one Peece can come but out of Gods Magazine If God did not open his Armory neither we nor our enemies could have Arms. There was a time when God shut up his Armory from Israel and then there was neither sword nor speare found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan onely with Saul and Jonathan there was found 1 Sam. 13. 22. Fiftly It is the Lord that gives his people their Banners to display Psal 60. 4. Thou hast given a Banner to them that fear thee that it may be displayed because of the truth There are a generation of men that fight against the truth they would take away the Gospel from them and because of this thou hast given them Banners that they may be dispayed because of this truth God would have us contend for the truth Jude 1. 3. Yea earnestly contend fight for it if that comes in question if we be in danger to lose that God gives us our Banners not to be folden up but to be displayed because of the truth Sixtly God himselfe comes into the field with his people he tels them often that he
malice and rage against us yea against Christ himselfe and his Saints 13. The spirit of valour and courage is also from this Lord of Hosts When the Spirit of the Lord came upon Sampson Gideon and others of the Worthies of the Lord what great things did they Heb. 11. 33 34. Who through faith subdued Kingdomes stopped the mouthes of Lyons out of weaknesse were made strong waxed valiant in sight turned to slight the Armies of the Aliens It was through faith they were enabled to doe all this faith fetcht valour and courage from this Lord of Hosts Hag. 1. 14. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel and the spirit of Joshua and the spirit of all the Remnant of the people and they came and did worke in the house of the Lord of Hosts their God It was a warlike spirit to resist their enemies to encounter with dangers God hath stirred up a spirit in many of our Nobles in our Worthies of Parliament in some of our people if a spirit were now stirred up in the remnant of our people our worke would soone bee at an end It were the unworthiest yea the most horrible thing that ever was in this world that now people should forsake Nobility those they have chosen in Parliament and Ministers who have had a spirit to stand up for God and their liberties Oh that a spirit of indignation would arise in the whole Kingdome that they may not suffer themselves to be baffled out of their Religion their Liberties their estates by a generation of vile men that are risen up amongst us Zac. 10. 3 5. The Lord of Hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battel They shall be as mighty men which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battel It seems they presumed to come into their towns and Cities therefore sayes the Text They shall tread them down us mire in the streets They are vile and therefore to be trodden down as mire in the streets The spirits of those that seem to be the greatest terror amongst us are mean and base What worthy thing have they ever done have they ever stood before those that opposed them All their valour is in going up and down to Countrey houses in a poore unworthy manner pillaging and pilfring A spirit in people raised by God would scorne to be brought under by men of such spirits as these Further as God gives a spirit of courage so he takes it away when he pleases Is 19. 16. And in that day shall Egypt be like unto women and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of Hosts which he shaketh over it and the land of Judah shal be a terror unto Egypt every one that maketh mention thereof shal be afraid in himself because of the counsell of the Lord of Hosts It may be they will not confesse that they are afraid but may make their boast as if they had got the better but marke the words every one shall be afraid in himself If we could look into their bosoms we should see blacknes tremblings the terror of the Lord upon them Ps 76. 5 The stout hearted are spoiled they have slept their sleep none of the men of might have found their hands at thy rebuke O Lord the horse chariot are cast into a dead sleep and v. 12. He shal cut off the spirit of Princes he is terrible to the Kings of the earth he shall wipe them off as a man will doe a flower between his fingers or as easily as a bunch of grapes is cut off from the vine 14. The Lord of Hosts hath the absolute power over all weapons in battel to let them prosper or not prosper as he pleaseth This is beyond all the Generals in the world Isay 54. 17. No weapons formed against thee shall prosper If any shal say This is a speciall promise to them at that time mark what follows This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord This that is this promise of the Lord is the inheritance of his servants Now we of late have had the benefit of this our inheritance the last Lords day fortnight we did inherit this promise when there were 17. Canons discharged from the Adversary and not one man slain by them How was this made good that no weapon formed against thee shall prosper The adversary was enraged at this they said they thought the devil was in the powder No it was God that was there fulfilling this promise of his to his servants 15. All the successe in battels is from the Lord of Hosts It is not in men nor ammunition nor in advantages Eccles 9. 11. The battel is not to the strong A horse is but a vaine thing for safety Psal 33. 17. Behold is it not of the Lord of Hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity Hab. 2. 13. Yea lastly the whole battel is the Lords when it is a just cause 1 Sam. 17. 47. The battel is the Lords Now you see what the Scripture saith about Gods providence in battel You have the summe presented here together in which is a full and strong encouragement to those who fight the battels of the Lord. Now if the Question be asked Why doth the Lord thus work in Armies The Answer is 1. Because the lives of men are precious to him In them multitudes of creatures are cast for their eternall estates If not a sparrow not a haire from the head falls to the ground without providence much lesse the life of a creature appointed for eternity 2. Because of the great things of consequence that depend upon War the mighty turnes of Nations and changes of Kingdoms depend upon them But how comes it to passe seeing God is thus The Lord of Hosts that yet the adversaries of Gods people doe often prevaile in battel 1. It is for the chastisement of his people Ashur is made sometimes the rod of Gods anger Jer. 12. 7. I have given the dearly beloved of my soule into the hands of her enemies She is the dearly beloved of Gods soule yet she is given into the hands of her enemies We must not judge by the present prevailing that God loves those who have the day and hath rejected those who seeme to have the worst God sometimes for chastisement brings the worst of men upon them Ezek. 7. 24. I will bring the worst of the heathen and they shall possesse their houses The Lord hath raised up against us many that are the worst the vilest upon the face of the earth and they have possessed the houses of many of his Saints the dearly beloved of Gods soule We use to take the vilest the worst of men to be Hangmen the worst rags and clouts to scoure withall It is an argument that we are very foule
that God hath chosen such wisps and clots to scoure us with Secondly God suffers this because his people are not humbled throughly The want of through humiliation before God cost the lives of forty thousand men Iudges 20. although in that battel they had a good cause A good cause is not enough for safety in time of battel there must be humiliation before this great God Thirdly the adversary may prevaile because the Saints doe not awaken the Lord of Hosts by Prayer Psal 59. 9. Thou therefore O Lord God of Hosts the God of Israel awake to visit all the heathen be not mercifull to wicked transgressors Esay 51. 9. Awake awake put on strength O arme of the Lord awake as in the ancient dayes as in the generations of old Art not thou he that hast cut Rahab and wounded the dragon We have here in one verse three times crying to God to awake God hath strength enough to help his people There is an Arme of the Lord but yet this Arme of the Lord may be for a time as it were asleep therefore the Church cryes Awake O Arme of the Lord And that shee may be sure the Lord should heare she cries again and again Awake awake O arme of the Lord put on strength We are now to look back to former times to see how God hath manifested himself The Lord of Hosts and to cry to him that now in our dayes hee would shew forth the glory of this glorious title of his as he hath done in the generations of old Lastly God hath many secret passages of his providence to be brought about which in after times we come to see clearely but for a time are hidden and therefore the adversary is suffered to prevaile The 46. Psalme speakes much about the fury of the adversary and of this Title of the Lord and the Title of that Psalme is A song upon Alamoth which word signifies secrets because of the hidden counsailes of God in wars Thus you have had the doctrinall part of one branch of this glorious title of the Lord presented to you The application neerely concernes us in these times First it beseemes then those who are in Armies to be godly because their great Generall is The Lord of Hosts and this Lord of Hosts is likewise The holy one of Israel Even in this verse holinesse is joyned to his warlike greatnesse And Exod. 15. he is magnified as a man of war overthrowing the enemy and ver 11. hee is said to bee glorious in holinesse and Esay 6. 3. where the Cherubims and Seraphims are magnifying his glory they cry out Holy holy holy Lord of Hosts It is very observable that Gods holinesse is joyned with this title of his The Lord of Hosts surely then holinesse and valour in us are not onely consistent one with another but subservient one to another It it is an abominable maxime of Machiavil that Religion makes men cowards the most valorous souldiers in the world have beene the most eminent in Religion Souldiers use to endeavour to be like their Generall in any thing yea in their naevis Alexanders Souldiers accounted it a gracefull posture to hold their heads aside because Alexander their Generall did so surely then to be like the Lord of Hosts in that which is his excellencie and glory must needs put a lustre upon those who are his souldiers Plutarch reports of a Theban Band of souldiers which they called the Holy band in which there was more considence put then in any because they prospered above others The Lord of Hosts who is holy will delight to be amongst them that are godly to blesse them in their way Deut. 23. 9. When the Host goeth forth against the enemy then keep thee from every wicked thing yea they must keep from outward bodily uncleannesse they must carry a paddle with them to cover it ver 14. the reason is there given For the Lord thy God walketh in the middest of thy Campe therefore shall thy Campe be holy that he see no uncleane thing in thee and turne away from thee It is true God lookes more at the cause then at the instrument yet he rejoyceth most to use instruments that are fitted to give him the praise of his worke One day the Lord will convince the world that the strength of Nations and Kingdomes consist in the interest that the godly have in this Lord of Hosts Zach. 12. 5. And the Governours of Judah shall say in their hearts Our strength is in the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the Lord of Hosts their God Oh that this prophesie were fulfilled it begins to be more now then ever in our dayes or our forefathers Even those who have beene accounted hypocrites factious heretofore yet now even the Governours of Judah begin to see their strength is in them Who hath the burden of the great worke in this State layne upon but the Religious party hath it not beene published in your City by chiefe men in the Army that the great things in the Army were done by those that are called Round-heads We hope our Governours will every day be more and more convinced that their strength is in these Revel 17. 14. Hee is the Lord of Hosts the King of Kings and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithfull and therefore it is said the Lamb shall overcome They are not such as are called faithfull but such as are called and faithfull There was one in our Army whose name was Faithfull that turned head against us but these that are with the Lamb are called and faithfull It is a blessed thing for a Kingdome when their Army may be said to be as it was said of that Army Luke 2. 13. a heavenly Host This great Lord of Hosts who is the God of Heaven will certainly doe great things by such an Host Secondly If God be the Lord of Hosts if this be one of Gods glorious titles then the worke of a souldier is an honourable imployment As the estate of marriage is much honoured in that Christ is pleased to expresse the great mystery of the Gospel the blessed union betweene him and his Church by it which is a great engagement to those in such a condition that they walke so as their lives may put in minde of the excellencie of Christs Communion with his Church So the calling of a Souldier is much honoured in this that God himselfe will set forth his glory by this title The Lord of Hosts or The Lord of Armies Psalm 24. 10. The Lord of Hosts is the King of glory surely some beame of this glory must needes shine upon souldiers that serve under him The Romans honoured a Souldier much The Latine expresses a souldier and a Knight by the same word Miles The serving under this or that Captaine they expressed by this phrase Mereri sub hoc vel illo duce Hence miles emeritus for an old souldier that was to take his ease In any
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
we heare that blessed voice The Kingdomes of the earth are the Lords his Christs and he shall reigne for evermore O that thy Kingdome might come more powerfully in our hearts and that it might be more conspicuous in Church and State The speciall reason thou knowest why we are willing to venture our selves as we do to endure any hardship to part with our estates is that Antichrist may never rule amongst us againe but that we and our posterity may be under the Kingdome of Jesus Christ Surelie this is the voice of those who have the Lord of Hosts to be their God That is an everlasting rule If he be thy King he is thy God Now then for the full comfort and encouragement the Church of God may take from this glorious name Consider the Relation that the Church hath to this Lord of Hosts and the Relation this Lord of Hosts hath to the Church For the first 1. The Church is the City of the Lord of Hosts it is not onelie Gods Citie but his Citie under this Title Psal 48. 8. As we have heard so have we seen in the City of the Lord of Hosts Wee may comfortablie say This Citie of London is the City of the Lord of Hosts God hath precious Saints here abundance of them and it hath done worthilie for the honour of the Lord of Hosts of late and therefore surely the Lord of Hosts will defend it If there bee any Citie under heaven that may be called The Citie of the Lord of Hosts then I am confident the Citie of London may But we are to take here the City in a spirituall sense for the Church of God as it is usuall in Scripture Now we know when an Army hath to do with a City that is in the inheritance of the Generall then if there be any power in Generall or Army it will bee all put forth to the utmost either for the defence or gaining that City As the City of Breda in the Low-Countries when that was besieged it was soon won by the Army of the Prince of Orange because that City was the Princes own City his proper inheritance he had a speciall eye and care over that City Surely the eye and care of this Lord of Hosts though it be over Towns and Countries and walled Cities yet it is most over his Church if he hath any power in all the Armies in heaven and earth it shal be put forth for the defence of and supplying good unto this City Hence that passage in the prayer of Solomon 1 King 8 44. If thy people go to battell and shall pray to the Lord toward the City which thou hast chosen then heare in heaven Jerusalem was the City God then chose which was but a type of every Church in the time of the Gospel 2. The Church is the Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts Esay 5. 7. For the Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel Certainly God will not suffer the wild beasts and boares of the field to devoure and lay waste his Vineyard A Generall will be very carefull in keeping enemies out of fruitfull Countries but especially our of his own Vineyard We reade 1 Kin. 21. 2 3. how loth Naboth was to part with his Vineyard though King Ahab was sick for it yet God forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee Gods Vineyard is beloved of him and deer to him Esa 27. 3. I the Lord keep it I will water it every moment lest any hurt it I will keep it night and day 3. It is the Mountain of the Lord of Hosts Zac. 8. 3. in which regard God professeth himself very jealous for it Thus saith the Lord of Hosts I was jealous for Sion with great jealousie I was jealous for her with great fury He gives the reason in the latter end of the 3. ver Jerusalem shall be called the City of truth and the Mountain of the Lord of Hosts the holy Mountain As if the Lord should say What are they come to hurt my Mountaine my holy Mountaine my Church Fury riseth up in the face of God presently Yea Esa 31. 4. When the Lord comes to fight for mount Sion he comes forth as the young Lion roaring on his prey so shall the Lord of Hosts come downe to fight for Mount Sion God will leave heaven to fight for his Church will not you leave your shops and your houses 4 The Church is the house of the Lord of Hosts Hag. 1. 14. The Text sayes They did worke in the house of the Lord of Hosts which typified Gods Church A Generall will fight to maintain his own house it were a signe the enemy had prevailed indeed if hee should come and plunder the Generals own house In regard of this that is said of the Church to bee Gods House vve have that expression Psal 24. 9 10. Lift up your heads O ye Gates even lift them up ye everlasting doores and the King of glory shall come in Who is the King of glory The Lord of Hosts he is the King of glory You know when a Prince comes to his own house the great gates are set open when other men come thither they come in at the wicket at some lesse doore but when he comes himselfe then all is set wide open 5. The Church is the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts Isay 18. 7. To the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts Mount Sion now Gods name is deare and precious to him It is a great priviledge God grants to his Church that it is the place he chooseth to set his name there Exod. 20. 24. Nehem. 1. 9. As God would have us highly to esteem that place to seeke after that place as Deut. 12. 5. Unto the place where God shall choose to put his name there shall ye seeke and thither shalt thou come thither shall you bring your burnt Offerings and Sacrifices c. So surely God himself puts a high price upon that place and he will preserve it 6. The Church is the place of the glorious reign of the Lord of Hosts Isa 24. 23. The Moon shall be confounded and the Sun ashamed when the Lord of hosts shal reign in Mount Sion and in Jerusalem before his Elders gloriously God hath yet a further and more glorious Kingdome to be set up in his Church then ever hath been at which all the glory of the world shall be darkned by reason of the brightnesse of this glory it is the Lord of Hosts that shall thus reigne Surely then all the Hosts shall have their strength put forth in defence of and providing for this place of this glorious reigne of their great Generall 7. The Church is the people of the Lord of Hosts Zep. 2. 10 11. This shall they have for their pride because they have reproached magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of Hosts The Lord will be terrible
unto them They in their pride lift up themselves and magnifie themselves against the Saints as if they were a company of silly weak men they doe not know that they are the people of the Lord of Hosts therefore God threatens there that he will be terrible unto them And thus you have the Relation of the Church to God revealing himselfe in this name The Lord of Hosts yet marke further the Relation that God hath to them in this his name As 1. The Lord of Hosts is the portion of his Church Jer. 10. 16. The portion of Jacob is not like them hee is the former of all things The Lord of Hosts is his name Wherefore if there be any thing in The Lord of Hosts that can doe them good they may challenge it for God The Lord of Hosts is their portion they may make use of all that is in him for their good 2. Hs is their Redeemer That you have in the Text Our Redeemer The Lord of Hosts is his name The Lord undertakes the redeeming of his people under this title of his on purpose that the multitude the greatnesse the fury of their enemies might not daunt them Your Redeemer is not one that cannot save he is The Lord of Hosts and one you may certainly confide in for he is The holy One of Israel 3. He is the pleader yea the through pleader of the cause of his people Jer. 50. 34. Their Redeemer is strong the Lord of Hosts is his name he shall throughly plead their cause that he may give rest to the land and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon God hath begun to plead the cause of his people already and hee hath shewne himselfe The Lord of Hosts in it but hee hath not yet throughly pleaded their cause as he meanes to doe when he shall doe that he will then give rest to the Land and disquiet the Inhabitants of Babylon This work will cost the inhabitants of Babylon deare they were never so disquieted amongst us as they are at this day They have troubled the Saints and God now troubles them but will yet disquiet them more although they thinke to defend themselves by gathering Armies yet the Lord of Hosts shall disquiet them and give rest to his people There remaines yet a rest for the people of God even in this world 4. The Lord of Hosts is the Husband of his Church and this is the most neare and sweet relation of all Esa 54. 4 5 6. Feare not c. For thy Maker is thy Husband the Lord of Hosts is his name The Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken grieved in spirit when thou wast refused saith thy God Alas saith the Church I am a poore desolate widow a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit every one neglects me I am rejected of all Well sayes God I took thee when thou wert thus forsaken to be my Spouse I have marryed thee to my selfe therefore now feare not I am the Lord of Hosts the God of the whole earth Surely a Generall if he hath the heart of a man in him he will fight for his Spouse he will not suffer his Spouse to be ravished before his eyes What sayes Ahasuerus concerning Haman Will he force the Queen before my face Vile men are risen up and they seeke to ravish the Church the Spouse of the Lord of Hosts and do you think he will suffer this before his face Shall not all the Armies in heaven and earth rather come together and fight for her deliverance Now then if all these things be thus we have cause then to quiet our hearts in the midst of all our fears and distractions to stand still and see the salvation of God the salvation that this Lord of Hosts is working for us This is the businesse that I have been endeavouring to enlarge before you the object of your faith and to lessen the object of your feare Surely if the Lord of Hosts hath such a relation to his Church and the Church such a relation to him he cannot but be exceedingly provoked against any that shall meddle with his Church to doe it hurt I will give you one notable expression of his anger against such Esa 3. 15. What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces and grind the faces of the poore saith the Lord of Hosts God here speaks angerly What am I the Lord of Hosts and will you offer this What mean you As when we flie upon a man in anger whom we see doth things to our prejudice or the prejudice of any neer to us in an absurd maner we say What doe you mean to do thus what are you mad Doe you know what you doe Doe you know who they are you thus abuse From all these gracious expressions of this Lord of Hosts to the comfort and encouragement of his people the result is that in the 8. of Esay 12 13. Say not A confederacy to them that say A confederacy oh many of their forces are joyned together feare not their feare but sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himselfe and let him be your feare and let him be your dread The Name of God is a strong Antidote to drive feare out of the hearts of the weakest Upon what we have seene in this title of God we may well say to the fearful in heart be strong feare not as we have it Isa 35. 4. Let women and all such as are naturally feareful take heed of sinfull feare The fearfulnesse of women hanging about their Husbands and children and friends crying out when they should goe forth in this service and going up and down wringing their hands and making dolefull outcries may do abundance of hurt exceedingly hinder the work that the Lord hath now in hand Let women take heed they be not hindrances but let them learne to exercise faith and take spirit to themselves that they may further their Husbands children and friends in this work of the Lord of Hosts Marke that Scripture 1 Pet. 3. 6. Yee are the daughters of Sarah so long as you do well and be not afraid with any amazement Yee would all willingly be accounted the daughters of Sarah Observe how the holy Ghost puts it upon this that you be not afraid with any amazement it may be nature may cause some feare but grace must keepe it that it be not with any amazement Why is it thus put upon this As Abraham is most commended for his faith and so by beleeving wee are the children of Abraham so it seemes Sarah his wife in those difficulties that Abrabam went through she was no hinderance but a furtherance to him she did not cry out to him Why will you leave your fathers house and all your kindred and go up and downe in a strange country in the middest of dangers and many straits no but shee rather was a helpe to him and an encourager of him so saies Peter who speaking to Christians who lived in troublesome and dangerous
mercy is it for us to be as Gedeons sleece dry when all about us have been wet not with dew but with blood These beginnings of wars tell many Countries and Shires in England what a blessing peace vvas vvhich they never understood before Peace is sweet and good but let us take heede we buy not our peace too deare 7. This name of God shews us how neerly it concerns all people in times of wars to seeke to make up their peace with this God When we goe forth to war against our enemies vve had need take heed that God be not our enemy too If hee be all our Armies and power we can raise are to little purpose to help us Let us deale vvisely for our selves to make sure that he fights not against us If this be not done against whomsoever else vve fight vve fight with infinite disadvantage Now we must seek to make our peace with him by our unfained-humiliations before him and our sincere reformations in turning to him For the first we are loth to humble our selves before our enemies this we think is our shame Let us humble our selves before this God this is our glory You make Fortifications and in that you doe well but except you adde thereunto humiliations it will be to little purpose Esay 22. 11 12 c. Ye made a ditch also betweene the two walls for the water of the old poole but ye have not looked to the maker thereof It follows And in that day did the Lord God of Hosts call to weeping and to mourning and behold joy gladnesse killing oxen drinking wine This was revealed in mine eares by the Lord of Hosts Surely this iniquity shall not be purged till you dye saith the Lord of Hosts Mark three times in that verse is mention made of The Lord of Hosts He takes special notice of this And the rather should wee get our hearts afflicted and humbled under the mighty hand of this God because our adversaries are so proud because of that high hand of pride and blasphemie that they goe forth withall against God There is no such stratagem of war like this to get the advantage of our adversaries in this very thing Doe we heare of their pride and blasphemies let our hearts be the more humble before the Lord let us labour so much the more to sanctifie the Name of this holy God whose name the Angels celebrate as Holy holy holy the Lord of Hosts Esay 6. 3. With our Humiliations let Reformation turning to this God be added It must needs be a dangerous thing in times of wars to carry with us or harbour amongst us any Traitors against this Lord of Hosts as the truth is all sins that we retaine are What acceptance can we then expect from him or successe by him You know what trouble the accursed thing of Achan caused in the Camp it made the Children of Israel fly before the men of Ai. If any accursed thing though secret be such a disturbance in the Camp much more accursed Officers Hos 12. 5 6. Even the Lord God of Hosts the Lord is his memoriall therefore turne thou to thy God Zach. 1. 3. Say to them Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Turne ye unto me saith the Lord of Hosts and I will turn unto you saith the Lord of Hosts Here we have also this name of God three times as a provocation to us to returne unto him Let us all know and especially those who are in service in the Army the great General the Lord of Hosts cals to us he cals to you to returne to him and promises to returne to us to return to you As if he should say You have been very vile and wicked your consciences cannot but tell you so and I know it yet returne now to me and I professe my selfe notwithstanding all that you have done I am here ready and willing to returne to you all shall be forgiven as if it had never been committed Surely there is no such valour as in a spirit cleared from the guilt and filth of sin 8. This name of God shews us our duty to seek him much by Prayer in times of war and to depend upon him wholly for successe in it for he is the Lord of Hosts For the first Where should we seek for light but in the Sun where for water but in the rivers where for heat but in the fire where for valour victory but in the Lord of Hosts The Heathens were wont to offer their Sacrifices to God in times of War Hence a Sacrifice hath the name Hostia because when they went against enemies they offered it Saul thought it a very hard thing to goe forth to War not having offered Sacrifice before 1 Sam. 13. 12. Therefore said I The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal and I have not made supplication unto the Lord I forced my selfe therefore and offered a burnt offering When Jehosaphat heard of an Army comming out against him before he would goe out to battail he set himselfe to seek the Lord 2 Chron. 20. 3. He gave his whole selfe so the words are Moses his hands lift up in Prayer and Joshuahs stretched forth in the battel makes a victorious army Our Prayers are our Guns saith Luther Prayer hath done mighty things in battels The praying Christians in Marcus Aurelius his Army were called The thundring Legion Sozomen and Nicephorus tel us that Theodosius by Prayer made the weapons of enemies turne upon themselves I am sure it hath done as great things One of the strangest victories that ever was heard of was that we have recorded Numb 31. 8. They slew five Kings of Midian they slew all the males and all the women that had known man and burnt all their Cities and took booty six hundred thousand and seventy and five thousand sheep and threescore and twelve thousand beeves and threescore and one thousand Asses and thirty and two thousand women that had not known man ver 32 33 34 35. Now here was the wonder of this battel that in all this great victory the Children of Israel lost not one man for so saies the Text plainly ver 49. Thy servants have taken the summe of the men of war which are under our charge and there lacketh not one man of us And mark what was done when they went forth to this battel ver 6. The holy instruments and the trumpets sounded in the hands of Eleazar the Priest It was an ordinance of God amongst them that the Priests should sound with the silver trumpets when they wentforth to battail Numb 10. 9. Which was observed here and see what a victory was obtained An Army of prayers is as strong as any Army of men whatsoever yea one man praying may do more then many men fighting Elisha hath his sword to slay as well as Jehu and Hazael 1 King 19. 15 16 17. when Elijah thought there was no help Yes saith God Goe and
low mean poor cowardly spirit hee would be a reproach to his Father and the very mention of his Father would be a reproach to him Christians do not you professe God to be your Father do you not know your Father is the Lord of Hosts where are your spirits of magnanimity and fortitude of courage and valour beseeming the children of such a glorious Father the Lord of Hosts If you be of the right breed you must needes be generous it is impossible but you should have something of his spirit in you if you be of low unworthy sensuall cowardly spirits you are not begotten of him God hath no children but they have some beam of every excellencie of his that such creatures are capable of Now this is the question what have you of the spirit of this great God The spirit of the Devil although it be a proud spirit yet it is a base cowardly spirit If you resist the Devill he will fly from you The truth is all the men in the world have vile spirits Gods children are men of another spirit God breeds up all his children to bee Souldiers there are none in heaven but were bred Souldiers as they grew up were brought up in military discipline Many Nations bring up their children to be Soldiers from their tēder yeers they discipline them this way The Parthians bring up their children in teaching them the use of the bow the Scythians in the use of the dart the Germans in the use of the speare All Gods children are here members of the Church militant it is fit for them to be skilful not onely in the use of the spirituall Armour but of bodily also Who so fit to be used in the battels of the Lord as they who have most interest in the Lord who so fit to venture his body to the sword in time of war as he that can give his body to the fire in time of peace Isay 13. 3. Souldiers whom God chooseth for his battails are called his sanctified ones an honourable title given to souldiers Gods sanctified ones and who so fit to be Gods sanctified ones set apart for such services as those who are sanctified by his Spirit set apart for himself eternally The valour of that people the Gaules was admired by the Romans it proceeded from that instruction they had from their Druides of the immortality of the soul Those are fittest to venture their lives in fight who are able to see beyond life to see what is on the other side of the shore of this mortality even eternall life and glory All the Saints especially in these days should be ful of spirit strong in the might of the Lord because Jesus Christ is about to pul down that great enemy of his That man of sin and in his conquest he is said to come with his garments dipt in blood Apoc. 19. Now that true spirit that beseemes one who hath this Lord of Hosts to be his Father is 1. A spirit that scornes to be base he wil not be a slave to the Devill or any lust of his own or other mens he thinks himself too good for sin If you set one that has the spirit of a Soldier in him to drudgery he scornes it he thinks himself above any such imployment he has the true spirit of a Souldier that has got the victory over himself In this every souldier of this Lord of Hosts hath a spirit above the great renowned Souldiers of the World Alexander Pompey Themistocles c. they were all vassals to their lusts And although he be willing to serve men under God yet he will never be a slave to their lusts but will maintain the liberty of a man and a Christian to himself and posterity Philo Judaeus reports of a Heathenish people who in their wars used onely this expression to put spirit into their Souldiers Estote viri libertas agitur be men your liberty is in question But what is this bondage that the spirit of a Christian will not should not beare There is a naturall slavery that as a man he should not he wil not be subject to that is in these 3. things 1. To give up his own propriety in what he hath so as whatsoever God and Nature hath given him should not be his own but wholly at the will of another 2. Subjection to that government that he no way either by himselfe or others hath ever yeelded consent unto neither is bound to by the Law of God in his word nor by the Law of Nature 3. To be in such a condition as that whatsoever service he doth he shall receive nothing for it by way of justice but meerly out of favour this is slavery which an ingenuous spirit cannot beare And as a Christian he will not subject his conscience to any but reserves that to doe his homage unto God by it A spirit of the right breed though it foresees dangers in the cause of God yet it can and doth resolutely encounter with them That speech of Esther was a speech that came from a brave spirit though a woman If I perish I perish but it was a fruit of fasting and prayer Ay that is the way to get a spirit of courage indeed The like we have of the three Children in Daniel Chap. 3. 16. O Nebuchadnezar we are not carefull to answer thee in this matter Behold our God whom we serve is able to deliver us out of thine hand O King But if not be it known unto thee O King that we wil not serve thy gods nor worship thy golden image which thou hast set up That famous expression of Paul hath the like true Christian valour sparkling in it when it was prophesyed that he should be bound at Jerusalem at which many of the Saints with him fel on weeping Why do you weep and break my heart sayes Paul I am not onely ready to be bound at Jerusalem but to dye for the name of Christ That expression that is recorded of Ignatius is famous likewise in this kind it is in an Epistle of his to the congregation of Trallis Let the fire the gallows the devouring of wild beasts the breaking of bones the pulling asunder of my members the bruising or pressing of my whole body and the torments of the devill or hell it self come upon me so that I may win Christ Jesus Here was one that had the Spirit of the Lord of Hosts in him The like had Luther when he said If all the tyles of the houses of the City of Wormes were devils he would go thither knowing he was called by God to witnesse to the truth there This resolutenesse of spirit manifests it self in dangerous times in a readinesse to joyne with our brethren in difficult services wherein there is much hazard and trouble A man of a true raised spirit that hath true courage in it will not see his brethren in hot services and let them alone in them
to shift out as well as they can for his part he is loth to meddle or stir he may bring himselfe into trouble when he needs not no he will not you cannot bring him to it To such men it may well be said as Moses to the children of Gad and the children of Reuben Numb 32. 6. Shall your brethren goe to war and shall ye sit here Why shall they encounter with dangers and suffer hard things and you sit still and have your ease you may have shifts and pretences for this but to you I say this day as Moses to them ver 23. If ye will not joyne with your brethren behold ye have sinned against the Lord and be sure your sin will find you out 3. A spirit of valour Such a one as is indeed the spirit of a souldier of this Lord of Hosts when hardnesse when troubles come it is able to endure them 2 Tim. 2. 3. As a good souldier of Jesus Christ endure hardnes Many seem to be resolute before troubles come but when they come they cannot bear them Romanū est fortia pati a speech of Mutius Scaevola More true Christianum est fortia pati if part of a Romane to suffer great things much more of a Christian If you be dainty and cannot suffer you are not fit to be a Christian Nimis delicatus es saith Tertullian you are too delicate The Eagle shews the generousnesse of her spirit that though she suffers hunger she will not make a noise as other fowls do when they want meat it is not for a souldier to complain of cold of want of a meale or two of hard lodging c. From this ability of his spirit to endure hardnesse 1. He doth not repent of his engagements of what he hath undertaken or done when he meets with troubles and many sore afflictions in his way as the base spirit of a coward will do That Scripture Exo. 13. 17. is very observable for this God sayes there that he would not lead the people of Israel through the land of the Philistims although that was neare for God said Lest peradventure the people repent them when they see war and return into Egypt God saw they were of a low mean spirit though they groaned under the bondage of Egypt and cryed for deliverance God had delivered them with a mighty hand yet when they met with any danger they would begin to repent that ever they came out of Egypt and wish themselves there again And indeed we find in the History of their being in the Wildernesse that upon every strait they were in they began to murmur and often said Oh that we were in Egypt again But what would they have done then if they had presently met with wars when the Spies told them of the children of Anak that they must fight with When they were even at the borders of Canaan they were disouraged were about making themselves a Captain to return to Egypt These were men of a poore vile spirit hence God sware against them that none of them should ever come into Canaan onely Caleb and Joshua who were men of another spirit as the holy Ghost testifies of them they should go in possesse the land Thus it is this day with us how did we not long agoe groan under our bondage our liberties our religion our estates were almost gone we scarce knew what was our own our Ministers were banished every man that departed from evill made himself a prey superstition oppression cruelty prevailed throughout the Land The whole Kingdome was filled with complaints and sighs and groans by reason of their cruel bondage Vile men were exalted and men of precious spirits were cast out as filth Now when wee knew no means of help but lay down under our burdens and were as a Kingdome devoted to misery then did the Lord appeare in a glorious manner when he saw there was no man that would stand up and help Nay such was the malady as it seemed even to be past help The Lords owne arme hath brought salvation never did God more wonderfully appeare for a nation then he hath done for us strange have the workings of the Lord bin and behold how great a deliverance hath he wrought and he hath given an opportunity to this Kingdom to deliver it self fully if we have hearts the thing is soon done But now because some troubles arise because we see war in our gates how vile unworthy are the spirits of many they begin to wish themselves to be as formerly they would rather return into Egypt again we were better be as we were we were not wont to hear the beatings of the Drum the noise of the Cannon the ratling of warlike instruments amongst us 2. This strength of spirit doth so support him under the heaviest sorest afflictions that he will never seek to deliver himself out of them by forsaking the cause of God or using any shifting indirect means but as Paul told those officers that were sent from the Magistrates of Philippi to fetch him out of prison Acts 16. 35 36 37. They have cast us into prison let them come themselves and fetch us out in this Paul shewed what a spirit he had he stood upon an honourable way of deliverance the same doth every true souldier of Christ stand upon God himself hath brought me into affliction now temptation shewes some back door to get out of it slily Nay saies a spirit of courage certainly I will never go out that way let the Lord come himself and fetch me out Fourthly A spirit beseeming the childe of this great Captain aims at doing great things for God and enjoying great things from God although with hazard of great troubles and afflictions rather then will sit down with small things that are to be done or enjoyed with ease and safety sometimes God hath high things of great consequence to bring to passe rich glorious mercies for his Churches but great difficulties must be passed through to reach these Men of low and meane spirits look upon them as things above them and so they mind them not much they had rather satisfie themselves in lower meaner things so they may have ease and not hazard present comforts It is otherwise with a true raised spirit that hath courage and magnanimity in it such an one rejoyceth in Gods highnes as we have the expression Isay 13. 3. I have commanded my sanctfied ones I have also called my mighty ones even them that rejoyce in my highnesse If God hath high things to accomplish these Sanctified ones mighty ones will rejoyce in this highnesse of God contrary to that spirit of Issachar of whom Gen. 49. 14 15. Issachar is a strong Asse couching down betweene two burthens and he saw that rest was good and the Land that it was pleasant and bowed his shoulder to beare and became a servant to tribute He was loath to hazard his peace hee had good farms a fat soile
becomes of them as if there were no such men and women of resolution like them but in Gods cause they have no such spirit they are far enough from resolutenesse and courage there they are not valiant for the truth as Jer. speaks Chap. 9. 3. But it is our wisdome if we have any metall in us any spirit of courage not to lavish it out in mean and unworthy things in our own causes but to reserve it for God God may call us to such things as we may find need of all the metal and courage we have in our hearts though it were much more then it is When soldiers have but a little powder and feare an enemie they will not spend that they have vainly but keep it till they have use of it they know not what they may need Be not you so presently on fire if you be crossed keep the activity the vigour of your spirits for God for the maintenance of his truth and cause Lastly hee had rather dye honourable then live basely Viri fortis est aut pulchrè vivere aut fortiter mori It is the part of a valiant man either to live honourably or to dye valiantly It was a speech of Cyrus and it was a true one One of the two he will have the world cannot hinder him And as things are now if we venture our estates and lives to preserve Religion Liberties to our selves and our posterity God may and we hope he will give us our lives Religion and Liberties and so we may enjoy them with comfort and honour Of if our estates and lives should be lost suppose the worst they wil be lost honourably The losse of them wil be better then that enjoyment we shall have of them if I may at all call it an enjoyment that wee are like to have of them if nothing now be ventured What will our estates or lives be worth if our Religion be gone faithful Ministers be gone the Saints be fled imprisoned or massacred When our Liberties are gone our Lives then wil hardly be worth the account of the lives of Men much lesse of Christians He must needs be very greedy of a life that desires it upon such terms Wee reade of Anchises Aeneas his father when Aeneas would have saved his life in such a way as he judged not to be honourable he makes this answer to him Absit ut excisa possim supervivere Troja God forbid that I should out-live Troy If it be spoiled what is my life worth Wil our lives be worth the taking up in the streets if we out-live our Religion and Liberties Put all these together and here is a spirit indeed beseeming our relation to this Lord of Hosts Had wee such spirits how comfortably may we passe this our pilgrimage we might goe through all difficulties and oppositions conquering and to conquer The world and devil would have little heart to meddle with us we should free our selves from many temptations we should honour our profession we should do God abundance of service at last have an abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ An Army of such soldiers would be the most glorioos sight in the world We reade of the Suns standing stil once and it was to behold the prowesse of Joshua that brave soldier and to enlighten his conquests If ever it stand stil againe it is like it wil be to admire such a glorious sight Let the cosideration of the glory of our God in this his Name teach us to give glory to him for all the good we enjoy by Armies it is all from him He hath of late been exceeding gracious to our Army he shewed himselfe indeed The Lord of Hosts in that batel at Keynton This was the acknowledgment both of General Captains and Souldiers Never lesse of man in such a businesse never more of God The Lord was seen in the Mount He shewed us that it should not be by a multitude that hee would helpe us it was by his spirit comming mightily upon a handful that were left in comparison of the adversaries When the adversary thought yea cryed out the day was theirs God turned it suddenly by a mighty hand O how free is the grace of the Lord to us in this That Scripture Jer. 51. 5. is fully made good to us Israel hath not been forsaken nor Judah of his God of the Lord of Hosts though their land was filled with sin against the Holy one of Israel The fulnesse of sin in us hath not abated the fulnesse of grace in God towards us The Lord is God the Lord is God he is the Lord of Hosts holy and reverent is his Nause There have been times wherein the Lord hath dealt in another manner even with his own people that I may set forth unto you the fulnesse and freenesse of Gods goodnesse to us in our preservation from being delivered up to the rage of vile men I will shew you what the severity of God in this kinde hath been towards his own people who were as worthy of mercy as we We must not think that every particular is to be applyable to us onely in the generall thus far the consideration of the grievous afflictions of the Church formerly sets out Gods goodnes to us in preventing such evils amongst us So that it cannot be said it is with us as it was with them Not long after God had delivered his people out of their Captivity therein fulfilling many gracious promises to them and they being returned built the Temple and the wals of Jerusalem there was a glorious reformation the work of the Lord went on prosperously through many and great difficulties Yet after a little time when Antiochus rose up against them God suffered him to prevaile exceedingly in all his Warlike affaires against them Dan. 8. 9. There came a little horn which waxed exceeding great not onely towards the South and towards the East but towards the pleasant Land that is towards the Land of Judea for indeede it was a pleasant Land The word signifies Decus gloria ornamentum towards the glory and ornament of the whole world So was that Countrey especially in regard the worship of God had beene newly set up againe in that Countrey Yet Antiochus comes against it and waxeth great for a while although at first he was but a little horne for he was a younger brother and had beene a prisoner not long before in Rome but now having got liberty and some command he rageth especially against the people of God ver 10. He waxed great even to the Host of heaven Here the Church is called The Host of heaven howsoever despised by the world yet this Lord of Hosts accounts his Church The Host of heaven and yet Antiochus waxeth great against this We have many through Gods mercy in our Host godly and faithfull but we presume not to give it this title that God gives his people The
even then are the slaves of the devil and doe his will so many whose hearts and wayes are opposite to God yet even then God useth them to fight for him and to accomplish his own purposes 7. The glory of Gods infinite wisdom appeares in all his Armies in putting of them into most comely order guiding keeping them constantly in their severall ranks which order and shining wisdom in it were we able to see it would amaze us with the lustre of it Joel 2. 7. it is said of the Locusts They shall march every one in his wayes and they shall not breake their ranks neither shall one thrust another they shall walk every one in his path To order and guide in ranks such infinite multitudes of Armies is infinitely beyond the skil of any Commander upon the earth When David Psal 104. was meditating upon the glory of God in his works ver 24. In the midst of his meditation he could not hold but breakes forth with admiring expressions at Gods wisdome in them all O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdome hast thou made them all the earth is full of thy riches Let our hearts be raised in our meditations of the riches of Gods wisdome appearing in marshalling all his Armies Certainly if wee did look into this and cause our thoughts to dwel upon it it would cure us of our Atheistical thoughts How is it possible but a God must needs be acknowledged where such admirable art and skil appeares even in the works of nature which they know nothing of themselves Is it possible for any man that should see a mighty Army marching along all in comely order and yet think that all these men fell into this order meerly by accident as they came running together must he not needs be convinced that here surely hath been the military art of some skilfull Commanders working The same conviction of a God of his wisdome must there needs be if we saw in what order all creatures are put 8. All these Armies God maintains every day at his own charge and so hath done since the beginning of the world They live wholly upon him and yet are not at all burdensome unto him He is yet as rich as ever he was as able to maintain them all as ever yea and many thousands more if he pleased This surely is a great God 9. God is able to put as much power as he pleaseth into the least creature to raise it above the nature of it so as though it be never so poore and weak in it selfe he can make it irresistible Hence it is that God by contemptible means hath so often brought down the power the rage the pride of the great ones of the earth how terrible was he to Pharaoh in the very flyes that is observable whereas upon the judgement of the Haile he did but promise that he would let Israel goe Exod. 9. 28. but upon Gods Army of flies he bids them goe Chap. 10. 8. But that place Joel 2. is most remarkable for this observe what high expressions God hath of a mighty Army of his and the truth is it was but an Army of Locusts and Caterpillers Ver. 2. he calls the day of their comming A day of darknesse of gloominesse a day of thick darknesse hee cals them a great people and a strong there hath not been ever the like ver 3. A fire devovreth before them and behind them a flame burneth the Land is as the garden of Eden before them and behind them a desolate wildernesse yea and nothing can escape them And ver 4. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses and as horsemen so shall they run Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leape like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble as a strong people set in battel array I know some interpret it of the Babylonians thus described but if the Text be looked into wee shall cleerely see it meant of the Locusts and Caterpillars therefore the expressions are metaphorical all along As horses as a strong people in battel array And ver 6. Before their face the people shall be much pained all faces shall gather blacknesse even those who had impudent brazen foreheads in wayes of wickednesse would not feare the mighty God even these stout hearts shall tremble before the Locusts God will put so much terror into these poore creatures that all faces shall gather blacknesse they shall look swarte for feare of them Ver. 7. They shall run like mighty men they shall climbe the wall like men of war And ver 8. When they shall fall upon the sword they shall not be wounded They shall run to and fro in the City they shall climb up upon the houses and enter in at the windows Ver. 10. The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moone shall be darke and the stars shall withdraw their shining They shall bring so much terror with them as even to affect the very heavens it shall be like as if the sun and moone had lost all their light as if there were earth-quakes in every place where they come Ver. 11. And the Lord shall utter his voice before his Armie As Commanders speak with a voice of majestie before their Armies so the Lord shall utter his voice before this his Army he shall even glory to be the Leader of such an Armie as this for saith the Text His camp is very great and strong that executeth his word the day of the Lord is great and very terrible and who can abide it All this still is the army of Locusts and Worms for so it is ver 25. I will restore to you the years that the Locusts have eaten the canker-worm and the cater-piller and the palmer-worm my great Army which I sent among you Now if God can raise to this height Locusts and Worms to be such a dreadful Army how dreadfull then is the Lord able to make all his other great Hosts Surely a glorious Lord of Hosts is this God 10. This great Generall is himselfe the strength of all his Armies and he hath infinite strength in himselfe alone beyond what all his Armies in heaven and earth have the power of his Hosts is but a little of his power given to them amongst men it is otherwise the strength of a Captain a Generall is in the strength of the Soldiers of the Army not the strength of the Army in their Captain or Generall their wisdome and courage indeede helpes much but their strength lyes in the Army if the Souldiers leave them if they faile what can the General doe but it is otherwise here God gives all the strength he supports it he draws stout he blesseth it it is onely in the power of his might that any of them is able to doe any thing and if all their force were united in one God hath infinitely more in himselfe
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