Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A61178
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A sermon preached before the Artillery Company of London at St. Mary Le Bow, April 20, 1682 by Thomas Sprat ...
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Sprat, Thomas, 1635-1713.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing S5058; ESTC R16434
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15,174
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38
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A SERMON Preached before The Artillery Company OF LONDON AT St. Mary Le Bow April 20. 1682. BY THOMAS SPRAT D. D. One of His Majesties Chaplains in Ordinary Published at their request LONDON Printed for Iohn Baker at the three Pigeons in St. Paul's Church-yard 1682. To the Honourable Sir William Prichard Knight and Alderman President of the Artillery Company Sir Iames Smith Knight and Alderman Vice-President To the Right Worshipful Sir Matthew Andrews Treasurer As also to the Right Honourable Earl of Thanet Lord Allington Lord Lumley Lord Paston To the Right Worshipful and Worshipful Sir Iohn Narborough Iohn Shales Esq Philip Frowd Esq Maj. Richard Burdon STEWARDS And to the whole Court of Assistants Field-Officers Captains and Gentlemen Professing and Exercising Arms in that Renowned and Honourable Society Right Honourable c. IN obedience to your commands I have published this honest-and loyal Discourse which is all I can say to its advantage except what was an unexpected commendation to it that the Enemies of our Church and State have thought fit to dislike it and to shew they did so have had recourse to their old Arts of lying and slandering But it is no matter what they say or do whilst you continue like your selves to think the practice of Loyalty not only a part of your Profession as Souldiers but of your Religion as Christians As to the main Doctrine here delivered there is not any one true Son of the Church of England but will consent to it nor any of its Adversaries that can oppose it without renouncing the common Principles of Christian Government As for the manner of handling it I have reason to ask your pardon but not theirs That I have not managed it as so noble an Argument deserves I beg your excuse That I have not treated of it with bitterness or virulency I believe even they will confess when they shall read it and let them consider what moderation and temper a man had need be of that in this Nation and this Age shall speak against Faction and Rebellion without extraordinary Severity Right Honourable c. I am Your most humble and most obedient Servant Thomas Sprat April 29 1682. A SERMON Preached before The Artillery Company St. LUKE xxii part of ver 36. He that hath no Sword let him sell his garment and buy one WHen in such Warlike Solemnities as yours of this day men of my Profession are admitted to the honour of bearing any part I suppose it is not expected that we should cloy and vex your ears with the terms of your own Art or affect impertinently to entertain you with discourses on the Heroic Science of Arms. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual And if it was justly esteemed once a very indecent presumption in a Philosopher to read a Lecture of Battels before one great Commander how much more improper would it be for a Divine to undertake to teach the Art of War in the presence of so many But when you call us hither to serve you in these your annual Triumphs I know you do it with a pious design That as all Wars of old were usually begun with a public Sacrifice so these your exercises of War should first be consecrated by devotion That here in the House of God you should first receive the Churches Prayers and Benedictions on those Weapons which abroad you are so ready to employ in the Churches defence That of those Arms of which you have elsewhere learnt the skilful and the glorious practice here you might consider the saving and the religious use How a meer natural Courage may be so improved by Piety as to become a most Christian Grace How Victory may be not only made lawful and barely innocent but how it may be sanctified and sanctified not first by Rebellion then by Sacrilege but by fighting only in a truly good and righteous Cause and by defending it not with hypocritical zeal and zealous cruelty not only with Valour and Conduct but with Fidelity Loyalty Justice Equity and Charity How this may be done it being I humbly conceive my proper business here to deliberate whilst I endeavour to do it I must intreat the favour not only of your common patience but of your more than ordinary pardon if besides my many other infirmities that which ought to have been an advantage shall prove my disadvantage if even this great appearance so beautifully-terrible as an Army with Banners which guards this place and secures all within it and round about it particularly us of the Clergy shall yet happen somewhat to discompose me so that I shall not be able to bring a firmness of mind equal to the greatness of the occasion However for my incouragement I have brought with me our blessed Lord the Great Captain of our Salvation speaking to you with power and in the words of my Text pronouncing that which at first hearing seems a most surprizing Doctrine for the Prince of peace to deliver That sometimes the Habiliments of War are more necessary more becoming a Christian than the very Robes of Peace That in some seasons of imminent danger those of his Disciples who had not Swords were obliged to sell if need were their very garments to buy them Such is the literal sense of the words But was not this a strange Precept for that King to injoyn whose Kingdom was not of this world How could this be consistent with that meekness in Persecutions that long-suffering of Injuries that very love of Enemies with which his whole Gospel abounds How was this conformable to his mild example who went as a Sheep to the slaughter and as a Lamb that is dumb Who though he might have summoned more than twelve Legions of Angels to his immediate rescue yet never employed them as a Triumphant Host but as an Harmonious Choir to sing Peace on Earth good will towards men How comes he just then as he was going to be betrayed by one of his own Disciples into the hands of his most cruel Enemies against whom he designed nothing less than opposition how comes he then to talk of furnishing his Attendants with Instruments of War and of preferring Swords before Garments Then especially when presently after as soon as he was seized on by the High Priests Officers he severely rebuked the great Apostle St. Peter for but once using the Sword Put up thy Sword says he into its place He that taketh the Sword shall perish by the Sword It is true these two remarkable Sentences of our blessed Saviour that to St. Peter and this in my Text may seem at first view capable of contrary interpretations But if we shall examine the circumstances and occasions of their delivery we shall soon find that they do not only very well agree with each other but both together may teach us the whole Christian Doctrine of War what use of secular Arms the Gospel permits what it condemns