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A62101
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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 ...
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Symmons, Edward.
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1644
(1644)
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Wing S6347; ESTC R13172
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32,560
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38
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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
my land for the land bestowed by my providence upon such men unto their owne possession as a prey unto themselves with the joy of their hearts and with despightfull mindes 3. Observe that God in punishing wicked Rebells doth observe the law of retaliation as 't is lawfull for the King Gods Vicegerent to do in cases of like nature because they were men of bloud therefore they shall meet with bloud because thou hast not hated bloud saith the Lord even bloud shall pursue thee and againe I will even do to thee according to thine anger and envy unto them as if he had said I will enable them whom thou didst hate and envy and whose Lands and revenues thou didst covet to deale so with thee as thou in the dispightfulnesse of thine heart didst purpose and resolve to deale with them And indeed you may observe by the way that though God doth not usually imploy his owne people as instruments of wrath to punish but rather of mercy to comfort yet he imploied Israel in speciall to punish Edom see Ezek. 25.12 14. Because Edom hath dealt against the house of Iudah unbidden and hath taken vengeance for some conceived wrongs and hath greatly offended and revenged himself upon them whereas being their brethren and superious they should rather if wronged by them have referred the same to God therefore saies the Lord I will stretch out my hand against Edom. And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury and they shall know my vengeance saith the Lord God and the reasons of this are 1. Because 't is according to the course of ordinary Providence to punish Rebellious Subjects by their owne Princes against whom they do rebell 2. Because 't is according to ordinary Justice that they who injuriously encroach upon other mens rights should forfeit their owne as a punishment for their injustice to these very persons qui invadunt aliena merentur perdere sua and therefore 't is said by Obediah that the house of Iacob shall be a fire and the House of Ioseph a flame and the House of Esau for Stubble and they shall kindle in them and devoure them yea they shall possesse their possessions even the mount of Esau and Saviours shall come out of mount Sion to judge the mount of Esau The application of these things I leave to your selves 4. There is one thing more that I would have you observe from that place before quoted Ezek. 35. the last words where God tells Edom that he will make himself known amongst Israel by his judgements upon him I will make my self knowne among them when I have judged thee for indeed God was not knowne or acknowledged before as he ought to have been among them the Israelites were growne a most deboish'd prophane impudent and ungodly people the major part of them which made the Lord give them up to be punished by the Chaldeans but by his giving into his Israels hands the rebellious bloody treacherous Edomites who had no call nor cause to warre upon them or to joine with the Chaldeans against them the Lord did meane so to gaine upon their hearts and spirits that they should learne thereby to know him truly and for after times to serve him better then ever they had done before in humility and holinesse And truly friends I have an hope that when the great and mighty God shall have subdued under your power these Edomites our Enemies who are so full of spight and so thirsty after blood and shall have brought on their heads what themselves did purpose against others you will all gaine more knowledge of God and serve feare honour and obey him in holinesse and righteousnesse more then ever you yet did in all your lives the Lord sanctifie the observance of his judgements so unto you that you may And thus have you seen the certainty and in part the severity of the Judgement which shall be executed upon Rebells evidenced Now if you demand the Reason why the God of mercie and bowels should be so severe I answer 't is no such severity in God to beat men with their owne rods to do to them according as they determined to do to others beside 't is but equity and justice to proportionate punishment in weight and measure according to the height or weight of sin But there is no such sin as Rebellion this is ingens supremum scelus the most huge and highest sin and therefore doth merit the sharpest and surest punishment Rebellion is a sinne that strikes at Gods owne self at the face of Majestie there is no such expresse Image of God in the world as a King is every Christian is the Image of Christ as man every Minister of the Gospell is or ought to be the Image of Christ as Mediator but a King is the Image of Christ as God and to rebell against a King is to strike at the face of Christ as God which was more then they that crucified him durst dare to do for had they knowne saies the great Apostle they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory therefore no marvaile if a cruell messenger be sent against a Rebell if severe and sharpe punishment be the proper portion of such men Perhaps now you expect that by way of use I should stir you up to be cruell But noble Gentlemen and Souldiers If I should do so I should forget my self to be a Minister of the Prince of mercie and to be a Subject of a most mercifull King whose meeke and gentle Spirit as we all honour and admire so should we strive to imitate And I blesse God for it I could never yet speake that language of Kill Slay and Destroy which the Ministers of the Rebells side are so skilfull in I durst never excite men to fight up to the back in blood the spirit of the Gospell is no bloody spirit we saies the Apostle speaking of himself and all true Ministers have the mind of Christ which endeavoured the salvation not destruction of men wherefore I beseech you give mee leave as the Minister of Jesus Christ for your souls good to propound a few such particulars to your consideration and remembrance as shall tend both to your present honour and to your everlasting peace I am confident through the strength and goodnesse of God that these rebellious enemies of the King whom you oppose notwithstanding their height of pride and their studie to be auke crosse perverse and peevish and to vex the spirit of a mild and gracious King not withstanding their multitude of Armes and men and their diligence in their way shall ere long if your sinfull and unsutable carriages do not hinder be brought to beg their lives at your hands and at that time I pray remember 1. That though it be true Gallantry and noblenesse of spirit to bee fierce and contagious