A Militarie SERMON WHEREIN By the VVord of God the nature and disposition of a Rebell is discovered and the Kings true Souldier described and characterized Preached at SHREWSBURY May 19. 1644. to His Majesties Army there under the Command of the High and most Illustrious Prince RVPERT By Edw. Symmons Chaplain to the Life-guard of the Prince of WALES PROV. 24. 19 20 21 22. Fret not thy selfe because of the evill man neither be thou envious at the wicked For there shall be no reward to the evill man the candle of the wicked shall be put out My sonne feare thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change For their calamity shall rise suddainly and who knoweth the ruine of them both OXFORD Printed by Henry Hall in the Yeere 1644. TO The Honourable Sir MICHAEL VVOOD-HOUSE Governour of Ludlow and Colonell to the Life-guard of the Prince of WALES Noble Sir MY dependance on you and your respects to me did formerly move to some publike manifestation of my service to you and had not the Presse like the poole of Bethesda beene oppressed with multitudes the world ere now had taken notice of it but this following Sermon had the advantage to step in before that which had lyen there longer and this I dedicate to your Name as it was with attention and favour heard by many gallant Gentlemen and Souldiers so I hope by your selfe who are both it will be accepted as agreeable to godlinesse and entertained as a demonstration of the inward affection which is due from Your Servant E. S. To the Readers COurteous Readers in this following â—ermon you will meet sometime with this Title The men of Westminster I desire you would not conceive that thereby is intended the Parliament of England as some are pleased to call them but onely that powerfull Faction there abiding or thereunto relating which doth oppose the Lords Annointed subverting our Religion peace and Nation for if as themselves teach some may notwithstanding their Oath of Allegiance resist by force of armes the person of their Soveraigne Lord CHARLES as he is a man and yet honour him in the meane while as he is King I hope that I a Minister of God may more lawfully by Gods Word oppose the vices of such as they are men and yet reverence them if they be as in their own account Members of the honourable Houses nay I doe not speake against them as they are men but onely as they are transgressors from the holy and righteous wayes of God 't is their evills that I oppose not their persons I am onely grieved at the hardnesse and perversnesse of their spirits and I desire with Jeremy Chap. 9.1 that mine head were a fountaine of water and mine eyes springs that I might weepe day and night for the slaine of the daughter of my people occasioned by them And good Readers if you be true Christians and right borne Englishmen I beseech you let us all strive together with God by our teares for the softening of these mens hearts if it be possible Our Saviour wept for the sins and ensuing miseries of those that sought his ruine we have the likâ— object at this time O let us discover in our selves the minde of Christ God expects it from all his Saints Farewell A Military SERMON PROV. 17.11 An evill man seeketh onely Rebellion therefore a cruell Messenger shall be sent against him THe maine scope as I apprehend of this Militarie Sermon is First to discover out of Gods Book the nature of Rebellion and rebellious men Secondly to encourage from the Lord the Kings loyall Subjects and true hearted Souldiers in their opposing such Now the first of these is the Doctrine of this Text and the second is the use of it A Rebell is an evill or wicked man for such a one is he saith the Text That seeks Rebellion sure then Rebellion it self must needs be a wicked worke or a worke of wickednesse because 't is that which in the judgement of Gods spirit wicked men onely seek for or thirst after there is your Doctrine The use followes naturally and 't is this If it be so then 't is the duty of all good men to oppose Rebellion and to endeavour the suppression of all Rebellious men yea if extreme severity be exercised upon such they have but their due portion alloted them of the Lord for saies the Text a cruell Messenger shall be sent unto him Thus you see the Text doth well sute the occasion if my discourse shall but as well sure the Text and your attention noble Gentlemen and Souldiers my discourse I hope through Gods blessing our meeting will not be altogether fruitlesse and unprofitable But for the better knowledge of the Rebells and their work of your selves and your owne duty I le give you a more full description of both and that from the Text too which to my apprehension doth offer a double discoverie one of the Kings enemies and another of his friends or good Souldiers The enemy is discovered by three particulars in the former part of the verse 1. By his naturall disposition He is malus an evill man 2. By his active diâ—igence in the word quaerit seeketh 3. By his ungodly worke in the word Rebellion or tantùm rebellionem An evill man seeketh onely Rebellion The Kings true Souldier is described by three more particulars in the latter part of the verse 1. By his Oâ—fice He is Angâ—lus or Nuncius a Messenger 2. By his Commission in tâ—e word mirtetur shall be sent 3. By â—is Imployment in the word Cruell a cruell messenger he is so called from the severity he shall use or from that sharpe punishment which shall be inflicted by him therefore a cruell Messenger shall be sent against him of these in order and first of the enemy 1. His naturall disposition he is malus an evill man An evill man seekes Rebellion some read Rebellis tantùm quaerit malum a Rebellious man seekes onely mischiefe so making a Rebell and a wicked man to be all one as they doe mischiefe and Rebellion to be the same thing and indeed so they are adde but most to wicked turne but malus into pâ—ssimus and they are Synonymaes and may be predicated of each other and then the Doctrine is in these words A Rebell is a most wicked man of a most malignant disposition I say a most wicked man because Rebellion it self as we shall shew anon is the very height and top of all mischief therefore that is arrived at that pitch of wickednesse as to be a Rebell must needs be a most wicked man Now I would have you know that by Rebellion I mean that which is against the King and I define it to be A resisting the Authority and a violent opposing the will and person of the lawfull Governour which being a sinne forâ—idden in the Commandement of the second Table is more against the light of
and in his method and therefore our Saviour calls those very men in another place serpents broode and generation of vipers now a viper as some write doth destroy its owne damme which gave it being and so did they their Saviour and so do all Rebells yea our Rebells indeavour the destruction of their owne Nation that bred them of their owne Soveraigne that preserved them as Nero ript the Bowels of his owne Mother that bare him so do these patria mater rip up the very bowells of their owne Countrey that gave birth and breeding to them Iohannes Aventinus tells us that Maximilian the Emperour was wont to call the King of Spaine Râ—x Hominum a King of men because his Subjects like men liv'd in obedience but the King of England he would call Rex Diabolorum a King of Divells because the Suâ—jects of this Kingdom had divers times rebelled against their Soveraign though alwaies to their owne ruine as in King Iohn Henry the third Edward the second and Richard the second's daies And I would to God that some in this Nation did not now prove themselves worse Divells then ever but alasse they do for the Religion here professed now is more opposite to this rebellious way then that which was practised in those former daies But in this we may more fully behold the malignity and vicious disposition of Rebellious spirits they are not capable of gracious or evangelicall instructions never marvaile if they who offered spight to the cleare dictates of the Gospell do rebell against the King Therefore be not a Rebell Trust not a Rebell 1. Be not a Rebell walke not in the way with them for so to doe will speak you the Devills Child and to have reached to the highest staire of villanie your Titles will be the same which Saint Peter gives to Elimas the Sorcerer Act. 13.10 Full of all Subtilty Child of the Divell Enemy of righteousnesse and perverter of the right waies of the Lord you may remember for the Honour of Rebellion that the worst Title that the evill spirit could teach King Saul in the heate of his wrath to call Ionathan by was this Thou Sonne of the perverse and Rebellious Woman 1 Sam. 20.30 2. Trust not a Rebell 't is Solomons advice Prov. 26 25. Though he speaketh faire yet believe him not for there be seven that is a multitude of abhominations in his heart they that seek Rebellion as appeares by the practice of some in our Nation doe hold that Principle of the Jesuites that they may break their word promise or oath so it be in ordine ad causam to promote their cause and what man that is wise will credit such He that hateth saies Solomon dissembleth with his lips and layeth up deceit within him so did these men of Hope when to get leave to sit as long as they pleased they promised the Reformation of Church and State the payments of the Kings debts and to make him the most glorious Prince in Christendome for how well they have kept or indeavoured to keepe their word let all men judge They make lyes their refuge and confide in them and there 's reason for it they are of their neerest kindred even their owne Brethren Children with themselves of the same Father I could shew you how all the foundation stones of their rebellious building are nothing but Lyes and so are the pillowes that uphold the same cemented they are together with a morter of craft malice and impudency but experience hath too sufficiently taught this to the whole Nation beside I should want time if I should now speake of it onely there is one thing I 'le desire you to note in all Rebells It is their nature being men that like Ahab have sold themselves to worke wickednesse to charge as he did by their lyes their owne conditions and intentions upon others thou art he that troubles Israel sayeth he to Elias when it was himself so Corah and his companions when they rebelled against Moses and Aron did charge them for taking too much upon them when it was onely themselves that did so And Satan when he tempted our first Parents to rebell did charge most wickedly upon the Lord his Soveraigne his own conditions of falshood and envy And so his Brood amongst us how directly have they trod in his steps for seducing the people to rebell against their Leige Lord they have most maliciously accused him of falshood their owne condition and of envy at the welfare and happinesse of them his Subjects and that he intended to alter religion to destroy the Liberties of Parliament and the properties of his people yea and to bring in forraigners to invade the Nation while themselves as wofull experience doth now teach us have indeavoured and in some sort effâ—cted all and every one of the same things wherefore from hence I saâ— learne to be so wise as not to trust a Rebell and to this purpose remember the example of our Saviour Iohn 2.24 though they speake him faire and made great professions of their good will towards him and of being his Disciples yet he would not commit himself unto them For saith the Text he knew well what was in them they were some of that Serpents brood I spake of before And secondly remember too how they our Rebells I meane will not believe the King offâ—ring undeserved mercy and pardon unto them although he like that Inhabitant of Heaven Psal. 15. hath kept his word with them to his owne losse do you therefore believe such unbelievers But what should be the reason of this their suspicion some will say why even this they judge of the King by themselves they thinke hee will deceive them because they have already and still thinke to deceive him what paines hath been taken and at this present is by those Councellors of Peace at Oxford to worke faith in these Infidells but to no purpose 't is true which the Psalmist saies of such men Let the Charmers charme never so wisely they will not heare for 't is mischiefe onely which they seeke after and are resolved yea have sworne and taken a Covenant to persevere in A wicked man seeketh onely Rebellion 2. Seeketh this word notes his active diligence seeking is studying and devising occasions and meanes to promote that which is aimed at quaerit tantùm he is diligent for he mindeth nothing else but this he minds alwaies the Lesson or Doctrine is this Rebellious men are exceeding industrious and diligent in their way They are alwaies plotting or acting somewhat to the furtherance Mat. 2.1 They devise iniquity in the night season upon their beds and in the day time they practice what they have devised because saith the Text they haue got power or the Militia into their hands nay sometime they are so great with Egge to act that mischiefe which they have plotted in the Evening against the righteous man that lives quietly by them that they will fetch
of them was lately taken in the act and hang'd for the sin of Buggerie here in this Town if we Preachers should hereupon tell you from the Pulpits that all these blessed Reformers for so they are called by their adorers are even such men and guiltie of that horrid sin I believe for my part we should much abuse them in that particular and yet thus divers of their Ministers are pleased to deale with the Kings Friends the Lord in his good time rebuke them for it But alas gallant Gentlemen and Christian people you all know that there are too great and too manie occasions given by some amongst us to our enemies to report evill of us I beseech you therefore in the feare of God as manie of you are better borne and bred then those are who do accuse you and as all of you are imploied in a more righteous cause then they by your holie God and by your religious King so that you would all indeavour to be more holie in your carriages then they be to walk worthie your imploiment and you that be Commanders I beg of you that you would more strictlie punish sin in those that are under you according to those Militarie Orders set forth by His sacred Majesties your religious Master The profession of a Souldier as 't is honourable so it may be holie if you please we read of holie men of that profession David was a man of warre and did as you do fight the Battailes of the Lord and he was an holie man that great sin which did so blemish his reputation was committed by him afterward when he had left off to follow the Camp the Centurion in the Gospell was a man of your profession and our Saviour himself gives this testimonie of him that he had not found his like for goodnesse in all Israel and so that Captain Acts 10. was one that feared God with all his houshold and whose prayers and almes ascended daily into Gods presence Abraham himselfe the Father of the faithfull was a brave Souldier he with the number of 318. assaulted five Kings with their Armies vanquished them and took the spoile you may read the storie in the 14. Chapter of Genesis where you may also see who were the first men whom the Scripture notes did run away in the day of battell and hid themselves I do not say in Saw-pits but the Text saies in Slime-pits they were men full of guilt and sin even the Princes of Sodom and Gentlemen of Gomorrah Nay to speak all that can be said in one word for the honour and comfort of a Souldier God himselfe is called a man of warre Exod. 15 3. The Lord is a man of Warre and JEHOVAH is his Name I tell you Gentlemen there is not to an honest eye in these sad and dismall daies a more gallant sight then a valiant and religious Souldier Religion causeth courage in a good cause and giveth an high lustre to it especially in men of birth and place what true English heart is not warm'd with joy to see the living flames of ancient valour conjoined with generous minds in Gentile bloud but if thereto be also annex'd Religion I dare say to a trulie pious loyall eye the Sun it selfe is not more glorious Gentlemen your enemies call you Cavaliers a name as they take it of great reproach els you may be sure they would not call you by it will you give me leave in briefe to give you your owne Character or at least the Character of such a man as everie of you ought to be and as we your friends and servants in Christ desire to conceive of you why listen to it 't is this A complete Cavalier is a Child of Honour a Gentleman well borne and bred that loves his King for conscience sake of a clearer countenance and bolder looke then other men because of a more loyall heart He dares neither oppose his Princes will nor yet disgrace his righteous cause by his carriage or expressions He is furnished with the qualities of Piety Prudence Iustice Liberality Goodnesse Honesty He is amiable in his behaviour couragious in his undertakings discreet and gallant in all his executions he is throughly sensible of the least wrong that is offered to his Soveraigne and is a professed enemy to all Rebells the aimes of his sword are onely to dissever the malignity of those forces that have conspired the ruine of Monarchy and Innocency he feares no evill thing to come upon himselfe but contemns all dangers that look towards him he dares accept of deaths challenge to meet it in the field and yet can embrace it as a speciall friend when it comes into his chamber where he is alwayes making provision for its better entertainment in a word he is the onely Reserve of English Gentility and ancient valour and hath rather chose to burie himselfe in the Tombe of Honour then to see the Nobility of his Nation vassalaged the Dignity of his Countrey captivated by any base domesticke enemy or by any forraigne fore-conquered foe This is a compleat Cavalier and if any of you be not according to this Character believe me you are not right nor the men you ought to be And so much Gentlemen for the first particular in your description I come to the second and that is your Commission in the word sent shall be sent namely by him who hath power from God to send and that is only the King or Supreme Magistrate all the Commissions which God grants to Souldiers are signed by the Kings hand who is as Moses was the mouth of God unto his Subjects in things of this nature and such a Commission so signed doth constitute a lawfull Souldier the Lesson is this A right Commission makes a lawfull Souldier Yea a right Commission makes the Warre it self lawfull to the Souldier although it were undertaken by the Prince upon unjust grounds for the Subjects duty is to mind his owne call rather then the Cause for though in matters of Religion we disclaime and abhorre the Doctrine of blind obedience yet in matters of State and order wee professe allowance of it quae supra nos nihil ad nos things above us belong not to us if we pry into the reason of Princes undertakings we may prove our selves to be the Busie-bodies whom as we noted before the Apostle yoakes with murderers and evill doers And I thinke these times doe sufficiently declare the due concatention of these conditions But as I was saying though the Justice of the Kings Cause which is as cleare as the Sun to all unlesse to those that are given up to blindnesse and to believe lies were not so manifest and apparent nay were it an unjust cause on the Kings part yet were it not so to those Souldiers that are authorized by him for according to the point a right Commission makes a right Souldier and that cannot be given by any nor derived from any but the King
This truth doth more stownd the Rebells and more puzzell them then any one that I know and therefore to perswade their followers that themselves can give a right Commission they are faine to deny the King to be the Supreme Magistrate cleane contrary to the testimony of Scripture 1 Pet. 2.13 where the King is called the Supreme and like him who chose himself Pope they are so bold as to say the Supreme Authority is seated in themselves which is such a transcendent fancy that all the Traitors in the world that I read of durst never vent it till these sate But being driven to so great a streight that they must of necessity either yield their warre to be unlawfull for want of a right Commission or else thus exalt themselves above him that is called God this second course being the more Antichristian and furthest from the practice of self-deniall they have made choiâ—e of But let them fancy what they please indeed and in truth were they never so honest men for life and conversation and were the Cavaliers never so vile or so abhominable yet the warre on their side is utterly unlawfull for want of a right Commission they are not sent or authorized hereunto by the King they are therefore no other then ranke murderers of all those they kill and destroy and all the blood shed by them is no other then innocent blood As God saies of rebellious Edom who without any authority or command from God did joine with the Caldeans against the people of Israell unto whom as being Subjects they ought to have lived in obedience Ioel 3.19 that they had shed innocent blood in the Land Though Israels blood was guilty blood in respect of the Lord against whom they had sinned and in respect of the Caldeans too whom God imployed as his instruments to punish them yet in respect of the Edomites that had no Commission to go about any such businesse it was innocent blood and as shedders of innocent blood they are threatned to be punished Edom shall become as a desolate Wildernesse for that very thing saies that Text This may serve to stirre up you who are rightly authorized to be couragious in the Execution of your charge all the incouragement which the Rebells your Enemies have against you and against the King is from the evill lives of some of you who are the Kings Souldiers but you have to animate you against them in their way not onely their ill lives but also their ill Cause and their lacke of a lawfull Warrant And most especially of all you have the Justice of your own Cause the lawfullnesse of your owne call and to these I may adde the goodnesse of your King 1. Your Cause is to defend him whom God hath exalted to keepe the King in the Throne wherein God hath set him against those that would remove him from it 't is to maintaine Religion the Lawes and Dignity of your Nation and to suppresse Rebellion that Child of Hell that Parent and Nurse of all Mischiefe 2. Your Call 't is lawfull from the Prince himself the Supreme Magistrate under God in his Dominion who alone as Austine contra Faustum speakes hath power to wage Warre and to authorize them that are Agents in the same whereas those whom you do oppose as their cause lacks honesty so do they themselves lacke a Warrant to maintaine it and having no Call they cannot upon any good ground look for Gods blessing 3. The goodnesse of your King A Prince of that untainted life of that religious disposition that 't is the greatest vexation the Rebels have that they cannot fasten guilt upon him but onely because themselves have belied him and here Solomon is so much their friend as to speake a reason for them Prov. 26.28 A lying tongue hateth him that is afflicted by it Nay let me adde for your incouragement as you are Christians your King is a man that lives by Faith He doth oft acknowledge in his pious expressions what ever yet hath been done for him by yours or others hands to be a fruit of divine favour and from what he hath tasted he is still confident according to Gods promise of divine assistance I may speake of him as Ambrose of S. Austine with a little variation of the words impossibilè est Principem tantae fidei ac pietatis perire 't is impossible but a Prince of such faith and piety should at last prevaile over all his enemies And so I come to the last particular of all in your description and that is your imployment to inflict sharpe punishment upon rebellious men noted in the word Crudelis or {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a Messenger without bewells so call'd from the severity he shall use against the Enemy Hee shall be inexorable and not abate one jot of the punishment that he is commanded to inflict By this Cruell Messenger some Interpreters understand Satan or some other instrument of wrath who without all compassion shall undoubtedly in the end plague rebellious men some hereby understand the conscience of a Rebell which like a Cruell Messenger shall meet him at every turne and scourge and lash him and oh that this Messenger were but once awakened and set upon our Rebells that their Consciences did but storme them some interpret the words thus He that rebells against a loving and kind Governour shall fall into the hands of one that is severe who like a cruell Messenger of God shall throughly pay him for his disobedience or some will have it thus the same Prince that formerly used him with humanity and like a Lambe shall put on the disposition of a Lion and deale with him according to his deserts we read in Scripture of the wrath of a Lambe or of the Lambe Christ Jesus himselfe who shall turne a Lyon and say those mine enemies that would not I should reigne over them bring them and slay them before me Patientia laesa fit furor Patience abused turnes into wrath But interpret or read the words how we will the sence is this Rebellious men shall be grievously punished a sharpe punishment remaineth for the workers of this Iniquity or to the seekers of Rebellion The Lesson shall bee in these words Severe punishment is the assured portion of Rebellious men I could evidence and affirme this truth many waies as 1. By the exemplarie punishment of Rebells in all ages I could tell you how the earth swallowed up Corah Dathan and Abiram who rebelled against Moses and Aron together with their Wives Children and Substance a typicall Lesson no doubt it was to teach all after Ages that utter extirpation is the due portion allotted of God unto such men I could tell you how an halter catched Achitophell and a tree Absolom how Shebae's head was severed from his body and how Bigtan and Teresh suffred death for having an ill purpose against the King and how that punishment of theirs is recorded in Scripture as