Selected quad for the lemma: peace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
peace_n	conscience_n	good_a	quiet_a	4,842	5	9.8994	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52165	Miles Christianus, a sermon preached to the Artillery-Company, October 16, 1673, at St. Michaels in Cornhill by Charles Mason.	Mason, Charles, 1616-1677.; England and Wales. Army. Honourable Artillery Company of London.	1673 (1673)	Wing M910; ESTC R15785	10,977	24

fetch fire from Hell to put to that Sacrifice we offer unto God as those who baptized the Indians in their own blood and made them converts to the grave for his sake who came to save not to destroy 6. The Persons must be just that ingage in any cause otherwise they fight against Christ under his own colours and he is wounded in the house of his Friends David indeed had the refuse of the People to follow him such as were in debt and malecontents 1 Sam. 22.2 but as God makes the Divel himself to serve his end so Princes may Imploy such not to Command but obey But they who will do God and their King good Service must first get the Victory over themselves and as that Prince is not in case for a forraign war who has civil combustions at home so he is fittest to go out against an enemy who has peace in his own breast There is one who writes the History of the Turks saith though Monsters in peace yet in war vitia deponunt they lay aside their sins but then he adds Christiani assumunt Christians take up these sins which they lay down O most bitter reproach and such as ought to cover us with confusion of face 7. A Christian Soldier goes not out in his own strength 't is not an Arm of flesh can do the work though it could break a bow of Steel not a mighty Army without the Lord of Host for the Moabites were vanquisht with a shadow 2 King 3.22 Goliah by a stone and a little stripling History tells us of many Armies lost by mistake and of Victories gained not by Valor but by fear and cowardice Rome which was the head City then of the whole known world was lost by a slight moment turning the Scale in the last battel between Caesar and the younger Pompey for King Bogud an Auxiliary on Pompeys side when Caesar gave the day for lost wheeling about with his Brigade to Seize on Caesars Camp where his Treasure lay it was by his own party mistaken for a flig●t and followed by the enemy to such advantage as gain'd the day from whence the Historians concludes Consilia non dant homines rebus sed res hominibus men do not so much counsel things as things them But a superior light teaches us that God disposes of men and their Counsels therefore we must remember that all battels are an appeal to God without whom all humane confidence is blind folly which falls foul upon it self such was the presumption of the Pompeians before the first battel with Caesar they cast dice for all the offices in Rome and for all Caesars Estate not by might nor by strength as the Angel told Zech. Cap. 4.6 and St Paul gives us a compendious reason for it of him and through him and to him are all things Rom. 11.36 And thus 't is in Spirituals God has promised Heaven to the humble and meek Typified by the Land of promise which was gain'd not by humane power but by Gods gift Nor will deepest Counsels prevail where God opposes Achitophel was hamperd in his own Policy Gods peculiar hand is not in any Subject of humane contemplation so signal and conspicuous as in war for contingencies are there most frequent and the rarest conjunction in the world is Valor with wisedom Therefore in actions best managed there is reason to assign more to providence then conduct and the great Iulius Caesar after four and twenty pitcht fields was forced to acknowledge this Captains may call counsels but God determines they may order their men as they please but 't is God disposes We have a signal instance for this 2 King 19. in Sennacherib no man of a more Gyant-like confidence who looked as if he would scatter Hezekiahs forces with his eyes and spake as if he would dispell them with his breath yet God put his hook into his nostrils and drag'd that furious Monster into his own Country there to fall by his own bowels in the house of his false Gods As all finite powers must be Subject to Gods omnipotency so all wisedom of man to his omnisciency Yet 8. Will not the Victory be obtained without indeavours and wise Councels for God delights not either in fools sluggards or cowards Our strength is not to sit still as it was Is 30.7 not to stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord as in the times of Ioshua The rule is so to prepare as if God stood Neuter so to rely on God as if no help from man Thus in Spirituals we must work out our Salvation with fear and trembling but withall humbly acknowledge that 't is God that worketh in us both to will and to do Phil. 2.12.13 9. A Christian Commander aws his Souldiers more by the dignity of his Person than his power and those under him fear more to be cowards than to encounter the fiercest Enemy 10. A Christian Soldier never stands neuter when Religion peace and welfare of the Nation are concern'd so the lukewarm in Religion are condemned Rev. 3.15 Such deserve Metus Fufetius his punishment Commander mander he was of the Albans who having by League ingaged for the Romans stood at a distance expecting the event between them and their enemies therefore in the Close was drawn in pieces and shared between them Lastly as no factious Spirit can be a good member of the Church Militant so no Christian Soldier will be a mutineer but will say with the brave Sanyard rather then he will make commotion for want of pay he would feed on one Arme and fight with the other From all which it follows that there is much Valor required to be a true Christian that a coward cannot be an honest man much less a Soldier of Iesus Christ The same courage that inabled the Primitive Christians to break through the first ranks made them pass through all the Pikes which the three great Generals had placed against them these are the world flesh and the Divel Against this Triple league are we ingaged when we first enter into the Church Militant a bare declaration for Christ was in the first age a point of highest Valor But now the front of that Battel which only was dreadfull to them is turned in to shew to us to profess Christ is now no more danger than what is in the Artillery-yard They were the Desperate Forlorn-hope we enjoy the price of their blood but our care must be least we be underminded or betrayed by that peace we enjoy This must be done by keeping peace in ou● own breasts for there is a warlike opposition between Body and Soul and as civil war is of all most miserable so in the same breast is a conflict between passions and conscience or if the former be quiet as in deep security mistaken for peace if without a good conscience they are rather husht then compos'd 'T is a peace dishonourable or rather a war wrapt up in the name of peace a Conspiracy of Soldiers against their Commander of Slaves against their Lord Subjects against their Soveraign such as Tully disswaded the Romans from when he said to make peace with M. Antony was to compound for their Slavery Now 't is fear that is the great disturber of reason and conscience from this fear only least Poverty should come upon us as an Armed man arise all these Locusts as from the infernal Pit frauds lies cheats perjuries base and Servile flatteries Treasons and most sins against our Brother arise from Cowardise For when men dare not trust Gods conduct in their affairs they betake themselves to doublings and redoubts Fear made Pilate deliver Christ against his conscience and so he became a worse Slave to Caesar then the common Hang-man is in Execution of justice And most sins against the first Fable are from perverse fear this was the Mother of superstition and Idolatry amongst the Heathens hence they had their placatory sacrifice to such Gods as might do them harm and Propitiatory to those from whom they expected any good 'T is fear makes the ranting Atheist deny accounts in the next World he dares not stand to a Trial and fears least his pleasures should be distrubed with sad thoughts and as the Antient taught by the Druides that those who died for their Country should live again scorned to spare that life which should return so he whose All is terminated in the body must needs be overawed by fear from all great and glorious actions tending to the publick good For such an one whose hopes end here is for Neros 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 would be willing all the world should perish with himself or could be content to live alone though there were none extant but himself on the face of the earth so he may be freed from that fear which alone he saith Unites men in humane Society Such a one may brave it a while as the Leviathan in the deep but must needs be of an abject and Cowardly Spirit under pressures for as those who make Dwarfs by art keep them under by bodily restraints such an effect have streits on servile Spirits they become base and degenerous but they have a contrary effect on the Noble and generous St. Pauls confinement enlarged his heart because the Gospel was not bound 2 Tim. 2.9 how full of God and heavenly fire was that glorious Champion for the cause of Christ the Sun in all his course saw not one more emulous with himself for the common good he fought as if he had only assumed his body and was no more concerned in it then if it had been an upper garment or that mantle which Elias dropt ascending in his fiery Chariot To Conclude the first we find excluded from heaven are the Cowards Revelat. 21.8 and none but the Valiant can take heaven by Violence Such are more then Conquerors others may be Slaves to their own Victories as that Roman Emperor who riding in triumph cast his eye upon a Captive beauty and presently became a Vassal to his own Prisoner but the Christian Soldier pursues his Victory staies not to enjoy it and having done all hangs up his Trophies in the Temple ascribes all to the great Captain of our Salvation even Jesus Christ the Righteous to whom with the Father and Blessed Spirit be all honor and Glory now and for ever Amen FINIS