loosed and thy Knees to smite one against another to consider How many thousands of Souls are now crying under the Altar against thee saying How long O Lord Holy and True dost thou not judg and avenge our Blood on that cruel Tyrant that dwells on the Earth who hath spilt it like Water on every side Oh will it not once be Rev. 6. 10. Secondly from the Testimony of his Holy Spirit which declares plainly That in vain is Salvation hoped for from the Multitude of Men or Ships from the Hills or from the Mountains or from any human Force or Power for truly in the Lord our God is the Salvation of his People And says the Prophet David The Lord is my Light and my Salvation whom then shall I fear The Lord is the Strength of my Life of whom shall I be affraid When the Wicked even my Foes came upon me to eat up my Flesh they stumbled and fell Psal 26. 1 2. c. Now to shew this great Truth That when once the Lord is departed from any Nation or People Fleet or Army it cannot prosper or stand We may take notice of God's own People themselves the Children of Israel who when they tempted and provoked the most-high God to Anger and so caused him to depart from them and forsake his Dwelling place how unsuccessful they were then in all their Wars being commonly discomfited of their Enemies As by Chushan-rishathaim King of Mesopotamia whom they served eight Years And by Eglon King of Moab whom they were subject to eighteen Years and the cause you read was by reason the Lord was departed from them Judg. 3. 8 12. Moreover we find such another Passage between Israel and Amalek as long as Moses that familiar Friend of God held up his Hand and thereby caused the Lord to be with his People Then they prevailed over their Enemies But as soon as Moses's Hands were let down and the Lord was departed from the People of Israel then Amalek prevailed over them Oh where the infinite Majesty of the living and true God is present there it cannot go any otherwise but well whether it be Fleet or Army for every thing that 's done there shall prosper But where the most-high is not present or among them there be sure it cannot be well or prosper be their Power outwardly never so great and their Forces never so strong An Example of this we may see in Zerah the King of Ethiopia who came against Asa with the greatest Army that ever we read of in sacred or prophane History Even an Host of a thousand thousand and three hundred Chariots And Asa cryed unto the Lord his God and said Lord it is nothing with thee to help whether with many or with them that have no Power Help us O Lord our God for we rest on thee and in thy Name we go against this Multitude O Lord thou art our God let not Man prevail against thee So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judas and the Ethiopians fled 2 Chron. 14. 11 12. Alas It is not a vast and well disciplin'd Army altho' God knows most Men now have an Eye to that chiefly nor the Strength of Ships nor the Skill of Seamen nor the Courage and Conduct of Officers no nor yet the greatness and goodness of Artillery that gains the Victory but it s the Lord of Hosts himself that fights the Battel and gives the Victory to whom he will altho' it cannot be denied but that all these fore-mentioned Things are absolutely needful and as the secondary Causes of Victory David tells Goliath thus saying Thou comest to me depending altogether on thy own Strength and well furnish'd and prepared for Battel as with a Sword with a Spear and with a Shield But now I come to thee otherwise not so much confiding in my own Strength as on Gods And indeed I am sure my Strength will not fail me and therefore I will smite thee and give thy Carcass unto the Fowls of the Air That all the World may see and know that thou O Lord whose Name is Jehovah art the strongest and highest over all the Earth And where God taketh the part and is present among an Army then there all the Enchantments Plots diabolical Arts or Conspiracies are altogether invalid and ineffectual And he who is the Eye of his own People will soon discover them and bring the Plotters to shame and confusion as Balak told Balaam concerning Israel saying Surely there is no Enchantment against Jacob neither is there any Divination against Israel for the Lord his God is with him And it shall be said in the Lord 's due time of our Fleet and Army What hath God wrought Oh what a Victory was this When the strong holds are surpriz'd and the mighty Mens Hearts in Moab who have magnified themselves against the Lord and his Truth and have worship'd other Gods Wood and Stone shall tremble and be as the Heart of a Woman in Pangs Be still then ye Adversaries of God and Traytors to the best of Princes speak no more so proudly against the Heritage of the Almighty For know you assuredly that God even our own God will find an occasion to bring down the Arrogancy of the Proud and will lay low the Haughtiness of the Terrible So much then for Confirmation of our first Lesson Let us in the next place sincerely endeavour to improve this to our selves that so the Lord our God may be glorified in our Body and Spirits which are his that we being deliver'd out of the Hands of her Enemies may serve him without fear Here is then first an Inference of no small Comfort unto the Church of God militant here on Earth in this crooked and perverse Generation wherein all manner of Vice and Wickedness abounds daily and Piety and Righteousness are such Strangers To consider That altho' War be risen against the People of God yet he is in the midst of his Church to defend and keep her that she shall not be moved by all the Storms of Trouble and fierce Darts of the Devil which are bent wholly against her Nor by all the Plots and Conspiracies of the Children of Darkness because the eternal God will keep her safe from the Snare of the Fowler and Malice of evil Spirits Oh what a Comfort is this unto every true Believer and Child of the most-high to ponder with it self That tho' the Adversaries of the Lord and his Church may be far more in number and much stronger in outward appearance yet when the Captain of the Host of the Lord stands ready with his Sword drawn in his Hand to fight for his People then they signifie nothing at all and he can smite 'em down even at one Blow as he did unto the great and mighty Armies of the King of Canaan And the People of the ever-blessed Jehovah have with them always whole Hosts of glorious Angels and invisible Spirits for to take their
therefore I Pray let us all Worship the Lord with a Holy Worship Secondly he is most Wise and therefore no Policy or Subtilty of his Adversaries can inveigle him He sees all their Snares and Conspiracies and all their secret Thoughts and hath them in derision For he taketh the Wise in their own Craftiness and maketh Diviners mad Thirdly he is most able and of greatest Power and Might and hence he encourages his Servant Abraham saying I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect Gen. 17 1. Then for his Titles He is called Jehovah or rather Jehueh which signifies his being is of himself Esa 42. 8. and he is called Elohim which denotes the Glorious Trinity Elohim Bara The Mighty God or the three Persons in the Trinity Ben Rua Ab the Son the Spirit and the Father He is called El which is as much as strong God and signifies That God is not only most strong and Fortitude it self in his own Essence But it is he alone that gives Strength and Power unto all his People and hence t' was that the Holy and Blessed Jesus in his Agony on the Cross Cried out Eloi Eloi which in the Syrian Tongue signifies my strong God my strong God c. He is called in another place Shaddai which is Almighty the Septuagint Translates it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is a derivative Word and comes from Dai sufficiency 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Essentia qua sibi suisque sufficit And of Shad a Dug or Breast To signifie that God is all-sufficient and able to supply the wants and necessities of his Children whatsoever they are like the huge Ocean which fills every Creek which the Shallow narrow Rivulets of the Creatures largest and best perfections cannot do Hence the Church says the Lord is her Portion and therefore she will hope in him Lamen 3. 24. And David says his People shall not want any thing that is good Another Title of God is Jah and this is given to him when he hath wrought some Notable Deliverance and therefore says the Psalmist Extol him that Rideth upon the Heavens by his Name Jah and Rejoyce before him Psal 68. 4. And again the Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer The God of my Rock in him will I trust he is my Shield and the Horn of my Salvation my high Tower and my Refuge my Saviour c. 2 Sam. 22. 2 3. Who then can be a Defence like unto God Almighty who hath always in a readiness for the help and Redemption of his Church and People out of the greatest dangers and to Rescue them out of the Hands of their most inveterate Enemies at his own Pleasure besides his own Omnipotent Arm the least Finger whereof can beat down the strongest Mountain to Powder and rend the Flintiest Rock into Pieces innumerable Hosts or Armies of Angels one of which killed in the Camp of the Assyrians one Hundred fourscore and five Thousand in one Night 2 King 19. 35. Chariots of Fire even a Thousand Thousand in the Whirlwind That fair Glorious Giant which with incredible swiftness runs Day by Day Post through the Heavens for to stand still or retire as it did at Joshua's Command The impetuous Current of the raging Sea to recoyl or go back The Merciless Flames of the hungry Fire to become a sweet refreshing Air The implacable Fury of the most enraged Lions to Couch at the first Word for his Servants sake and safety Nay if need be the great and terrible God hath Caterpillars and Frogs Worms and Lice even those impotent silly Creatures for to fetch Blood and pull down the Pride and Heart of the most Rebellious Pharaoh and to eat out the very Bowels of the most cruel Herod see Acts. 12. 23. And immediately the Angel of the Lord smote him and he was eaten of Worms and gave up the Ghost Secondly By the manifold Deliverances of his Church and People in all Ages of the World we have a Cloud of Witnesses to confirm this But I shall confine my self unto some few Was not the Almighty only the best Defence unto righteous Noah in that terrible Flood which drown'd all the World except 8 Persons To the Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob To Abraham against Abimelech King of Gerar and also when he rescued his Brother Lot out of the Hands of the Enemies To Isaac when he was taken and bound and laid upon the Altar just ready to be sacrificed by Abraham yea so near the point was he that his Fathers hand was lifted up with the Knife but yet an Angel of the Lord stayed him To Jacob against Esau his Brother and Laban his Father in Law Unto the Seed of Jacob or People of Israel in Egypt and in the Wilderness Unto Moses in the Bulrushes David in Saul's Court and Jeremiah and Baruch against Jehoiakim King of Judah when he sent to destroy them for their Prophesies for tho' they were commanded to hide themselves yet it s said The Lord hid them Jer. 36. 19 26. Alas our own hiding will not do it must be Gods our now clasping our Arms about our selves is the ready way to drown us whereas spreading our Hands forth to Heaven may save us Then in the new Testament Was not the Lord of Hosts the best Defence unto Peter when he was kept in Prison by four Quaternons of Soldiers To Paul when he deliver'd him out of the Lion's Mouth 2 Tim. 4. 17. And what are the 121st and 124th Psalms but a Confirmation of this Truth Does not the Church say If the Lord himself had not been on our side when Men rose up against us they had swallowed us up quick when they were so wrathfully displeased at us But to come down to Examples in the last Century of the World Was not the great and mighty God the best Defence to Q. Elizabeth of blessed Memory and these Kingdoms when all Europe conspired together against her and sent the Spanish Fleet which was term'd the Invincible Armado by reason of its Strength and number of Ships for to overthrow her and introduce Popery into this Nation But alas how suddenly was this great Fleet overcome and dispers'd here and there about the British Seas by her grand Defence even our God! To K. James I. and our Nation when that horrid Powder Plot was discover'd and laid open by the unsearchable Wisdom and Goodness of the Lord that cruel Plot I say which was hatch'd in Hell and carried on with the greatest Secrets by those Engins of Beelzebub and Soul-Deceivers and Murderers the Jesuits and Priests of the Roman Faction which said God and Man had concur'd to punish the Iniquity of the Times But to come to some Examples in our Days which our Eyes have seen and Ears heard Oh was not the Lord Jehovah the best Defence of that mighty Prince of Valour now our gracious K. William and his whole Fleet in the midst of very a terrible Storm raised
no doubt by the Prince of the Power of the Air on behalf of his Children of Darkness to obstruct our Landing But the mighty God and terrible was with us and deliver'd us all from the Peril of the Seas bringing us back to Hell-voot Sluce And after that we had offer'd to him there the Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving for so merciful a Deliverance and tarried there about 11 days then did Almighty God send us a fair Wind which brought us all safely into Torbay where our most renown'd and blessed Prince landed And we were no sooner come into the Bay but the everlasting Arms were about us and changed the Wind which hindred our then Adversaries from pursuing us Who dares deny bu◠this was the Lords own doing and ought not to be forgotten of this Nation but to be marvellous in our Eyes For here was the Finger of God as our very Enemies confess'd And afterwards when we were come to Exeter how wonderfully did the Almighty turn the Hearts of this whole Nation and the opposite Army as the Heart of one Man towards this most valorous and mighty Prince insomuch that very little or no Blood was shed in this blessed and glorious Revolution Again was not the living and true God the best Defence unto our most gracious Sovereign Lord K. William and his Army when he passed the River at Drogheda vulgarly called the River Boyn when as the Enemy was so advantagiously encamped Yet how soon did the Lord strike Terror into all their Hearts and they fled before us Oh there is no question to be made but that the eternal Majesty of Heaven and Earth shelter'd our gracious King under his mighty Wings and encompass'd him about with his Favour and Protection and we hope and pray that he will still do so unto him for ever and ever Here is then a very sharp Reproof unto all wicked and unbelieving Hearts who are even distracted and at their Wits end at the very noise of a giddy Multitude As if the everliving and terrible Majesty of Heaven and Earth even the Lord Jehovah's Hand was shortned As if he was not as able to bless and preserve their most excellent Majesties in these days as he was in our Fore-fathers time Or as if he could not cover them and this Nation with the mighty Wings of his Providence from all Perils and Dangers of the Enemy now as he hath done all along Oh take notice then all ye faint-hearted faithlels and unbelieving Souls of those words of the Prophet Jeremiah Chap. 32. 18 19 27. Behold I am the great the mighty God the Lord of Hosts is my Name I am the God of all Flesh great in Counsel and mighty in Work Is there any thing too hard for me Are you so foolish and unwise as to think that all the Plots Conspiracies and Devices which are against my faithful Servants who fulfil my Will shall ever prevail Do you imagine that I who am the most just and righteous Governor of the World do not regard those my Deputies which rule according to the Truth of my holy Word and are a Terror to the Evil and a Praise to them that do well I tell you plainly That no Weapon form'd against such holy Princes shall prosper For I who am the great King of Heaven and Earth will certainly pull down all such as walk contrary to my Laws and I will bring to nought the Adversaries of my Church like Lambs to the Slaughter And the mighty Men of Babylon shall tremble for fear and forbear to fight They shall remain in their Holds and in their Camps their Might and Strength shall fail 'em and they shall be beaten and destroyed One Post shall run to meet another and one Messenger shall hasten to meet his Fellow To shew the King of Babylon the great and terrible Works of the most high God what Desolations or what an Overthrow the Lord whose Name is Jehovah hath wrought for his own Heritage against their Adversaries And then shall Tidings be spread through the Earth that the Babylonish Forces by Sea and Land are utterly confounded For every purpose of the Lord against Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon shall be perform'd to make him know and feel that God alone is to be feared throughout the whole Earth And tho' he hath devour'd the Heritage of the Lord yet his Heart shall melt away for fear and for those things which are coming upon him Jer. 51. 30 31 33 40. Alas what if the Adversaries of the Lord have gotten a second Chrysippus among 'em which probably may be able to speak well of every thing Or what if they have a second Achitophel But to go higher What if they have a second Aristotle or a second Solomon Yet still so long as we have the Almighty most terrible and all wise for our Defence who is the Fountain of all Wisdom and Knowledg and the Giver of Courage and Strength Deliverance and Salvation we need not to care Suppose we want some of the Beams so we have but the Sun it self And what matter is it if we want some of the Streams when we have the pure Spring Nay corrupt Streams and muddy and deceitful Branches are very unwholesome and infectious unto the Body Politick and therefore if they are dryed up or wasted we need not to care But now for the Church of God to hold fast together and to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with one Heart in one place is a very good and joyful thing and no doubt exceeding acceptable in the sight of God our heavenly Father And I hope every one that hath the fear of God before his Eyes and the least regard to the welfare of their Majesties and their Kingdoms or to their own Salvation will not be remiss in joyning with the Church in Prayer upon our solemn Fast-days For tho' it cannot be denied but that the effectual fervent Prayer of one righteous Man avails much yet it must be granted that the joynt Prayers of a Congregation or rather of the whole Church prevail infinitely more One Stick may make a Fire but many Sticks put together will make a great and hot Fire One String of an Instrument may make a sound but many Strings a melodious Harmony One single Prayer in our Closets may be a Sacrifice but the Prayers of a whole Kingdom makes a Sacrifice to God of a sweet smelling Savour and therefore the Psalmist calls the publick Prayers of the Church a worshipping of the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness Psal 29. 2. We read of those Worthies how couragious they were for to keep Faith and a good Conscience Yea so valiant for the Lord's cause that they loved not their Lives unto Death Hence says that Champion of the Apostles None of these things move me neither count I my Life dear unto my self so that I may finish my Course with Joy c. Saviat persequendo nihil in me moritur nisi mortale erit in
Solemn Fast Days and wrestle with God by Prayer as Jacob did with the Angel and not let him go until he had blessed us and our Forces I would to God I could prevail with you all for to consider the case of the Murmuring complaining unbelieving Israelites and so to be warn'd and repent For doth not the Apostle tell us in most plain Words That these things happened unto the Israelites for Examples and are Written for our Admonition upon whom the ends of the World are come Mark That we should not be Idolaters as were some of them That we should not commit Fornication as did some of them and fell in one Day three and twenty Thousand That we should not swear or take the Name of God in vain as did some of them and were destroyed of the destroyer That we should not have in us evil Hearts of unbelief and so provoke the Majesty of Heaven to refuse to go forth with our Hosts 1 Cor. 10. 6. to 12. There are three Vices or Sins especially above all others noted by Historians which bring danger and publick Punishment and Calamity unto a Kingdom or People viz. Ungodliness Injustice and Luxuriousness Ungodliness troubleth the Church Injustice the vulgar People and Luxuriousness private Families And the hurt in special redounds to the whole Nation Therefore Salmoxes Counsel is not amiss saying that these Things should by all means be avoided by every one that fears God namely Sluggishness from the Body Ignorance from the Mind Gluttony from the Belly Sedition and Faction from the Church and Nation Discord from the Family Disloyalty and Treachery from the Governours and Government Intemperance from all things and above all other Sin and Iniquity from every true Christian Oh that these Rules were but generally followed and practis'd throughout our whole Nation that so the everlasting Father of Lights might prosper us in our Labours and Arms. But let me address my self in a more especial manner unto you who are gone forth to warr against the Enemy You have heard here how the People of Israel provoked the infinite Majesty of Heaven and Earth to Wrath by their evil Ways and sinful Actions and caused the most Great and Terrible God who was their Helper and Defender to depart from them and leave them to the will of their Enemies insomuch that they were smitten of them sundrie times Oh! that this may be a warning unto all from the highest to the lowest And an effectual argument to prevail with every one of you both Officers and Souldiers for to leave off your most horrid Oaths your prophane Speeches your dissolute Actions your intemperate drinkings c. And to give your selves wholly unto the contrary Virtues As to the denying all Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts And to live soberly Righteously and Godly the remainder of your Days And if you do thus then you may justly hope for the Blessing of God Almighty upon your endeavours and upon good Ground expect to prosper in that employment whereunto ye are called But if you still do wickedly If you still continue in Sin and disobey the Commandments of God Can you reasonably think that the Lord of Hosts will abide with you or take your part against the Enemy Oh no he is a most just and Holy God who will by no means clear the guilty But will execute the fierceness of his Wrath against you until he hath destroyed you from off the Face of the Earth and blotted out your Names from under Heaven We have the Testimony of the Holy Ghost for this and many examples in the Sacred Scriptures As the old World which was drown'd Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed with Fire and Brimstone from Heaven The Galileans on whom the Tower of Siloam fell c. And then in Prophane History we Read that in the third Year after that Pompey had won Jerusalem Valerius Gracchus being President of Judea a certain Jew came to the Senate of Rome for to complain of the grievances and injustice done in that Country by their Magistrates c. And among other expressions he spake thus O Learned Fathers O happy People your Blessed Destinies that favour'd you and our angry God who hath forsaken us for our Sins hath now made the famous Metropolitan City of Jerusalem once the Commander of all Asia and Mother of the Jews Subject and Servant unto Rome and to you Romans Great indeed was the Courage and Power of Pompey and great was his Army that overcame us But I will tell you much greater was the Wrath and Fury of our God And without comparison the Number of our Sins for which we have deserved to be utterly overthrown It is worthy to be noted by you all that whatsoever People or Nation Fleet or Army doth press the Lord down most with the Weight and Burden of Sin That Nation or People shall be sure to feel most of Gods heavy Hand upon it Amos 2. 13. And thus the Justice of the most High will perform for it is gone out of his Lips and he cannot Reverse it That he will render unto a People according to its deservings Therefore it highly concerns the whole Nation in general and you of the Fleet and Army in particular for to give Glory to the Lord our God before he cause Darkness of Calamity or Captivity and before our Feet Stumble upon the Dark Mountains and while we look for Light Lest he turn it into the Shadow of Death and make it gross Darkness Jer. 13. 16. The Prophets meaning is thus according to Bishop Tayler upon it Repent of all your Wickedness before the Almighty come to search and find us out by his heavy Judgments And that while we have time and opportunity afforded us And this is the only means through the Blood of Jesus Christ for to appease Divine Wrath Revel 16. 9. And they repented not to give Glory to God Oh let us all then be perswaded to break off all our Sins by Righteousness for it may be a lengthening of our Happiness and an Infallible Means to cause the Lord to destroy our Enemies Rebel not ye against c. Secondly that God only is the best and safest defence of his Church against her Adversaries And this Truth may appear 1 From the Attributes and Titles of God in the Holy Scriptures and 2 By the manifold deliverances of his Church and People in all Ages of the World First from the Attributes and Titles of God He is most Holy and therefore in the first place we may with great safety trust in him and rely on his Word and Promise for help in time of trouble and he will deliver us For this is no mean Comfort unto his Church that the Lord is Righteous in all his Ways and Holy in all his Works And therefore he will not forsake a Holy Nation nor a Repenting Praying People He never leaves off a Kingdom unto it self until it first leaveth him by unholyness and filthy conversation and