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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54948	A sermon preach'd to the Artillery Company, at St. Mary le Bow, Septemb. 11, 1677, and at their earnest desire published by Thomas Pittis ...	Pittis, Thomas, 1636-1687.	1677 (1677)	Wing P2317; ESTC R10835	15,095	39

A SERMON Preach'd to the Artillery Company AT St. MARY le BOW Septemb. 11. 1677. And at their earnest desire PUBLISHED By THOMAS PITTIS D. D. One of his Majesties Chaplains in Ordinary Mart. lib. 1. Epig. 3. I fuge sed pateras tutior esse domi LONDON Printed by J. D. for John Baker at the three Pigeons in St. Paul's Church-yard 1677. Imprimatur G. Jane R. P. D. Episc Lond. a Sacris Domest Septemb. 18. 1678. To the Honourable Sir John Robinson Knight and Baronet Lieutenant of his Majesties Tower of London Alderman and President of the Artillery Company Sir Joseph Sheldon Knight and Alderman Vice-President Colonel John Mews Treasurer As also to The Right Honourable Francis Lord Viscount Newport Baron of Erral Treasurer of his Majesties Houshold and one of the Kings most Honourable Privy Council Sir Joseph Williamson Kt. one of his Majesties Principal Secretaries of State Stewards Sir Francis Chaplain Kt. and Alderman now Lord Major Elect. Knights late Sheriffs of London Sir John Peak Sir Thomas Stamp Samuel Pepys Esq Richard Beckford Esq Capt. Daniel Causton 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. YOU that are advanced by your most Illustrious Leader whom his Royal Highness vouchsafes to command and condescends to be your Captain General whose early Prowess astonish'd the World and continued Victories have made the Earth and the Sea shake when his Friends were amazed at his Heroical Attempts which at once awed and confounded his Enemies to whom Courage and Conduct both at Sea and Land seem as natural as they have been familiar His Name only is too august and awful to be mention'd in such a Dedication as this to which common Custom has entitled many may safely lay your Commands on me who being always train'd to strict Obedience cannot reject the Orders of my Superiors without offering violence to my self Though my Judgment therefore in relation to my Discourse had before you does not altogether correspond with yours especially as to the Publication yet I am resolved to submit my Will because it seems neither discreet nor safe for me to disoblige so Honourable a Society in which every Commander has the skill of a General and he that marches in the lowest place of Dignity among you De Coronâ cap. 11. De Idolola cap. 19. understands Discipline sufficiently to Command Though Tertullian therefore questions the Practice of Christians warring against others not dreaming that they would Arm against themselves And Arnobius vindicates our Saviours Innocence Adver Gent. lib. 2. whilst at the same time he evinces his Power because he did not propagate his Doctrine by the Sword did not beat out the Brains of Men that he might put his Precepts into their Heads Challeng'd not any Temporal Authority nor spread his Legions over the World to dissolve the Peace of Humane Societies as if like Draco he would write his Laws with Blood And even to propagate our own Religion we confess our Weapons must not be Carnal Yet that Christians notwithstanding upon other Accounts did not conclude Wars unlawful when by assaulting others they defended themselves under the Command and Conduct of their Prince appears by that Lightning Legion mentioned by Eusebius who being in Arms Euseb Hist Eccles lib. 5. cap. 5. and before the Enemy by their devout Prayers obtained Rain to refresh themselves and Lightning from Heaven to discomfit their Adversaries when the whole Host might otherwise have perish'd And Tertul. Apo. cap. 37. Eucher Episcop Lugdun besides others interspers'd in the Army and Garisons we know there was a Thebean Legion as well as the former Melitin all Christians who became as Glorious and Renowned Martyrs as they were Valiant and Victorious Souldiers never before equall'd by any nor probably will ever be again considering their Cause Number and the Place to which they innocently retired every one of which readily suffered a tame death from the hands of the Executioner rather than either to Sacrifice to an Idol or Rebel against their Lawful Sovereign This following Discourse does therefore justifie Defensive Wars when our own Prince calls us to our Arms in which as he is Judg of the Cause so he becomes only responsible for it to him who is above the Highest and we that are Subjects escape Guilt if we behave our selves with Faithfulness and Courage Those that are mercenary under another have their Case different with which my Discourse not medling I shall have nothing to do in the Dedication The Sermon perhaps might make a rattle from the Pulpit when assisted by the help of a good Sounding-Board a swift Delivery and your Commendations But I fear for all t' will appear to be charg'd with white Powder only when coming from the Press and not carry a good Report far However since your Commands are that it must be printed it becomes your own and you are bound to defend it for you having so dearly paid for it I can no longer call it mine Justice therefore presents it to you from him who is Right Honourable c. Your most Humble and most Obedient Servant THO. PITTIS Luke 3.14 former part And the Souldiers likewise demanded of him saying And what shall we do WHen the Watchman like Ezekiel is set upon the Tower Ezek. 33. if he blow not Trumpet when he discerns the Sword coming though the People die in their Iniquity their Blood will be required at the Watchman's hand But if he warn them to prepare for Battel and they securely slight the Alarm he delivers his own Soul from guilt though they all perish by their careless inadvertency Having for this end therefore received our Orders if we discharge our Duty with faithfulness and alacrity we have a reward given us far above the merit of our Action a Glorious Crown outweighing all intervening Difficulties But if we either desert our Station before we are reliev'd Desertores Sediti●sos Fugitives aut si loco statime vel praesidio ce●●●ssent tergave de● ssent aut è castris effugissent tanquam p ssmo sa●m●e adstrictos capitali poena plect●re selebant Alex. ab Ale and Cenial Di●● lib. 2. cap. 13. our Superior Officer finds us sleeping or the Enemy chance to make his Approaches before we have given sufficient warning we die then without mercy as those that have been unfaithful to their Trust and betrayed our Fellow Souldiers to the Adversary Now because the Race is not to the swift nor the Battel to the Strong nor Favour always to Men of skill Eccles 9.11 as the wise Man informs us It was a pious use among some Philosophers to begin their Lectures as well as end with Prayer and it was a custom among the Heathens Mos ergo Romanus erat instructo ●a● atoque exercitu quum congredi acie parant Deos primum consulere Alex. ab Alex. Gen.

Dier l. 4. c. 7. before they went to encounter an Enemy to make some Observations from the Heavens as if the one could not instruct with success unless they had the influence of a superior Being nor the other Fight prosperously with their Enemies without the smiles and approbation of the Gods And though this has been sometimes abused to more unworthy designs when Men determined their own Resolutions and then sought God to patronize their Villany vow'd first and then made enquiry and a long Prayer became the Prologue only to the devouring Widows Houses Yet it well becomes the stoutest and most victorious Heroes to pray for success when their Cause will bear it before they attempt an Hazard and Encounter that they may prepare themselves for another Life if the present should be lost may deprecate Divine Wrath and Vengeance that the Artillery may not play upon them from Above that the Stars may not fight against them the Clouds of Heaven fall upon a Worm and they may have no Enemy to encounter but the Men that are in Battalia before them For Military Men that are sweltered continually in Smoak and Darkness dwell in the midst of Blood and Wounds and bear their Lives continually in their Hands that travel in the midst of Noise and Storm and cannot have the advantage of very frequent Retirements that live always among the Dead to whom the Graves are never shut but though glutted gape for more should especially before their Enterprize not forget their last Encounter that their Preparation may prevent a Surprize from Death that it may not assault them sleeping in their Trenches and possess them of eternal Misery before they are awake to escape the Danger When the Baptist therefore became the Herauld of the approaching Messiah was commissioned to prepare for his Lords Reception now laid his Ax to the Root of the Tree loaded with the Vices of Men and preached the necessary Doctrine of Repentance They that heard him surprized vvith the unexpected terror of the Lord that smote their Breasts like a Clap of Thunder being vvilling to escape that Fire vvhich vvithout altering their course of Life should assuredly consume what it could not purifie began to enquire how they might escape the Wrath to come And whilst the Publicans and the People made their Address to St. John for his Directions to order their Lives the Souldiers also what-ever wickedness may be supposed to attend the Camp though they might not fear the Fury of an Enemy were loth to dwell with Everlasting Burnings and therefore demanded of him saying What shall we do This was then the Souldiers Question and I doubt not but 't is yours now To answer therefore to your Demands as well as the end of your appearance here that the Sword may not slash the Gown in pieces nor the Priest refuse to instruct the Souldier when he seeks the Law at his Mouth because he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts since we come not here to consecrate any Villanous Design to entitle God to the Works of the Devil or to seal Conspiracy by a Sacrament I shall in the handling these words endeavour 1. To view the Persons making the Demand 2. Answer the Demand it self First For the Persons These were Souldiers a Profession consequent to the Fall of Adam and the distinction of Mens Properties in the World almost as ancient as Humane Societies without which considering the depraved dispositions of Mankind Prerogatives would be invaded by aspiring Men Laws die for want of execution the different Priviledges of Mankind would be confounded and our Properties submit to every one that is either stronger or more subtil than our selves Nor is this Profession more Ancient than Honourable the Designs of it blazon the Glory of its Possessors without any other Herauld but themselves their Employment being either to gain or secure Peace They draw therefore their own Escutcheons with the Points of their Swords their Hazards write their Names in Blood they are entitled to Trophies by their Valour and Victories and become a Root of Honour to Posterity Nay the great Titles that now distinguish the degrees of Men were first drawn out of the Field being there differenced by several Commands and the honour of the Pike cannot be rendred less or new by that of the Gown and God forbid that any of us should fall out about it since the Magistrate has his Sword too and I hope he does not bear it in vain But I must not here vindicate the Honour only but the Lawfulness of this Profession too when the Sword is not lifted up to Slay the Innocent nor used to Combate the Lord 's Anointed 'T is true indeed the Christian Doctrine designing an universal Peace on Earth though by accident sends a Sword delivers nothing of the State of War yet by its frequent allusions to it translating its Rules Words of Command and Names of Weapons into the use of Christians and spiritualizing Warfare it self without rebuke or contradiction to the thing It seems to be a reasonable Conclusion that our Saviour left the determination of this to the common Custom and Justice of the World And therefore the Answer of St. John Baptist to the Demand made by the Souldiers in my Text neither rebukes nor inveighs at their Profession but gives them some short Rules how to behave themselves in that capacity That they should not disturb their own Quarters nor the Habitations of others by either frightning or plundering the Innocent but be contented with their fixed Allowance to which must be added this too That they must not Mutiny for want of Pay Thus also when Cornelius who was Commander of part of that which amongst the Romans was called the Italian-Band was directed by an Angel to St. Peter that this Apostle might inform him what he ought to do Acts 10. He did not tell him what he was once told himself Mat. 26.22 They that use the Sword shall perish by it this being private and without Authority nor advised him to lay down his Commission but acquainted him That his Prayer was heard and his Alms had in remembrance before God and immediately preached the Gospel to him with which it seems his Profession was consistent Nay our most Blessed and Glorious Lord himself when he had the opportunity of conversing with another Captain Luke 7. does not at all reprove his Calling though he argued to Christs Authority from his own but heal'd his Servant whose health he had petitioned and dismiss'd him with this honourable Eulogy I have not found so great Faith no not in Israel Now though the Gospel is altogether silent as to the Case of Publick Wars even whilst it prohibits private Revenge because its Rules if exactly followed would certainly produce an Universal Peace Yet Nature it self designing Man's Defence though it sent him naked into the World by giving him reason to form Weapons by Art and Industry when the Beasts are armed by