Orders given out the Word Stand Fast As it was lately delivered in a farewell SERMON BY Major Samuel Kem to the Officers and Souldiers of his Regiment in Bristoll Novemb. 8. 1646. For now are we alive if yee stand fast in the Lord. Finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Put on the whole Armour of God that yee may be able to stand c. LONDON Printed by I.M. for Michael Spark and are to be sold at the sign of the blue Bible in Green Arbour 1647. TO the Noble and Experienced faithfull Officers of my Regiment Captain Hart senior Capt. Grig Capt. Pope Capt. Roe Capt. Lieut. Richards Noble Gentlemen IT was your love first ingaged me to take the charge of the City Regiment and I appeal to you whether my private gain or the publicke service was my ends in accepting of my Commission since which received I have put you in a posture whereby you are inabled to defend your selves or offend the Kingdomes Enemies it is my happinesse I can say and none dare gain-say the faithfull acting my part Yet am I a debter to your Love and in regard the chamber stock of my abilities fail me to discharge what I owe yet were it dishonesty not to keep promise what therefore you heard with so much patience and importuned with more hope to be granted I have here presented to your charity Do but beleeve it and stand fast in the Truths of Jesus Christ and it shall be a compleat compensation for all my labours with you And since I must leave you give me leave to comfort you and to tell you my heart that I think you are the happiest Garrison in the Kingdome maugre you semi-Reducement whilst you possesse within your line that reall piece of Valour humility and sincerity and no lesse Noble then Cordiall Patriot of his Kingdome your Governour Who abhors all self-ends and denyeth attendance onely for the publick good and should I here that he were Charioted from you either by discouragement or ingagement I should sadly cry out Oh my Father my Father the horse-men and chariots of Israel and pray for a double portion of his Spirit on all his publicke aiming schollers in this Kingdom Yea give me leave to councell you the word is Stand Fast I beseech you do so to God and his Glory to Jesus Christ and his Truths to your Covenant in its naked true primitive intentions as at first before the All-seeing-God to both the honourable Houses of Parliament who have adventured all for you to the worthy assembly of Divines who seek God continually for you and attend his Will to declare it to you and to me the most unworthy of the Kingdome and your servants who flyes to you for protection yeilding my Commission and subscribing myself Noble Gentlemen Yours and the Kingdoms faithful although mean Servant Samuel Kem Vpon his much honoured friends Farewell Sermon M. D. these few lines KNow Soldier these ensuing pages tel The properties of a true Centinel Orders are given out The word Standfast Which intimates true valor first and last For let me tel thee if thy heels prove light What ere thy Colours be thy Liver 's white Therefore be stedfast Though the giddy rout Wear windmils in their heads and wheel about Keep thou thy Posts though others Hedghog like Shrink up their courage in some narrow Dike Of self respects there 's no such liberty In Truths plain field either to squat or fly Such as out-run the Truth may here wel know They can have no good ground for what they do Stand to your Arms then Christians and advance To beat all falshood out of Countenance And rout the infantry of new rays'd Crimes And Troops of Hobby-horses of these Times This is the only way to get to be Captain Lievtenant to Integritie Now to the Author of this Book one word Who speaks and then maintains it by the sword Stil crop the peaking Errors which appear That Malobus like not one may shew its ears Stil preach the truth although some Gadarens Have made thee quit their Coasts by hoggish means Stil fight for truth fear not a squint-ey'd troop Of false opinions rather make them stoop To sence and truth or else so rout their train That they may never Rally up again Wel hast thou left the Land to put to Sea Where you 'l not find so much inconstancie Fisher of men cast out thy net once more 'T is like you 'l catch at Sea more then a shore To his friend the Author SIR wil you leave us and is this your last Orders given out the word stand fast Wee le you obey and seeing we must part Who ever comands our persons you the heart Farewell dear Major this we are forst to say You put us in a posture and we wish your pay Yours in Truth R. R. 1 CORINTH 16.13 14. Stand fast in the Faith quit you like men Be strong Let all things be done in love THE words of departing friends if seasonable make sensible not the head but the heart of those in Relation These are my last and I am come to take leave of you for action but never in affection Communions below howbeit lasting are not everlasting The stakes of the Tabernacle must be removed And every Member of the Church Militant must be joging on The Temple is our type of a setled condition above In a word I am to leave you and therefore desire to leave such orders becoming my Trust with you as may secure you for Gods glory and your mutual comforts The Alarum beats Christian soldiers to your arms take heed as the case stands of facing about but as you were to yout ground of Scripture foundations and so stand fast in the faith And although reducable in regard of humane Actings yet never in this life must you expect a discharge from spiritual millitary undertakings for when you were listed in Jesus Christ muster-role it was not for a day lesse or more then your life And therefore I beseech you stand fast The grand General against your precious souls hath taken the field with a vast Army as subtil as powerful as cruel to execute as malicious to prosecute his designs his main body is sinful flesh and the more dangerous because so neerly related unto us And I must tel you that Relations in War are of dangerous consequence This Body is flankt on the right and left with potent Troops of prevailing Enemies And Self-ends hath under hand Commission to be Scout-master General whose sub-undertakers are acting under various shapes all specious yet all servants to Self-ends Avoyd his Ambushments when falling on and you may standing fast come off with honor These thing premised as that there is no further use of me in this City and I being designed for other service and knowing that errors in battel are irrecoverable I could do no lesse but heartily wish I could do more then direct you
and counsel you Especially upon the discovery of a late large and numerous Recruit on the Enemies Partie for the most part all consisting of such as have revolted from our own Partie and have quit their ground of truths The Commander in cheif of this Regiment is Error whose Colours are fresh and of glorious resplendency but changeable and therefore stand fast for his fairest quarter is ruine which appeareth by his free quarter in your families when his first actings are to division yea betwixt those of the neerest and deared relations and a house divided cannot stand I by Commission am ingaged for your relief and therefore for your future security I shal intreat you to strengthen your selves by this Recruit consisting of three Divisions First Fidelity or Constancy Stand fast in the truth quit your selvs like men be strong Second Spiritual Gallantry Stand fast in the truth quit your selvs like men be strong Third Unity Let all things be done in love The first of these wil keep you from being Routed The second from being Conquered The third from being Ruined The first wil argue you men The second wil report you gallant men or men of men The third wil demonstrate you holy and humble Christian men And therefore now beloved Officers and Christian fellow Soldiers take Courage take you the Field to scare not to face your Enemies and give me leave to shew you your General compleatly accoutred in Johns vision observe his ordering the Feild and give me leave leaving the issue to God to fal on First let Constancy in the Faith and all the Truths of Jesus Christ have the Battalia Secondly let spiritual Courage have the right wing Thirdly let Love have the lest and overcome all I shal adventure to fal on with Constancy second me with Courage and I beseech you that all may be done and suffered by the conquest of Love First of the first Stand fast that 's the Word Faith in the heart not in the head is the signal Stand fast not a while and then revolt or give ground To walk a while in the truth and after for any ends to desert it is base it argues not a Soldier to list his name and to purchase a feather shews are light things in military actings or wear a sword or to appear on the march if they either take hedge or windmil for a shelter or quit their ground or trust in the shock of Battail Truly we say a drunken man never made good Souldier nor a reeling headed man a good Christian Soldier Secondly In the Faith not in falshoods in the truths not shews zeal and stedfastnesse are right when the one is a sharp weapon for Truth and the other is stiffe and unbending for the Faith Now you are to know there is a two-fold Faith One by which wee beleeve Secondly Is that which is beleeved and this is called Doctrinall Faith Now when Christians are zealous resolute and will dye in the Truths and for the Truths of Jesus Christ this is to stand fast in the Faith Observation Standing fast to the Truths of Jesus Christ strenuously with constancy is a notable peece of spirituall Gallantry This you shal find hinted to the Angel of the Church of Smirnians Revel 2.10 Fear none of these things which thou shalt suffer for the truth and in the 11. verse and latter end Be faithful to the death and I wil give thee a crown of life The Spirit of God records this point of Gallantry in the Church of Pergamus verse 13. I know thy works where thou dwellest where Sathan hath his seat i. e. where wicked men are in authority and heresie prevaileth yet thou holdest fast my name and hast not denyed the faith even in those dayes wherein Antipas my faithful Martyr suffered c. Rev. 3.10 11 12. 1 Joh. 2.23 24. Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning If that shall abide in you ye shal continue in the Son und in the Father now to be in God is to be Heroick indeed 2 Pet. 1.12 That ye be established in the present truth 1 Pet. 5.9 Whom resist stedfast in the Faith 2 Thes 2.15 Therefore brethren stand fast It was Gallantry in the Grecian women who when their sons put on their sheilds gave them in charge either to bring them back or dye It is storyed of Epaminondes that hee was so addicted to his buckler that he was wont to say I wil either hold thee or dye with the losse of thee It was the gallant resolution of a Roman Officer either to keep his ground or lose his life Truly Christian friends it is gallantry in you in these sad times of Alaruming Truth in its quarters and upon the several charges is given the men of truth daily to stand or fall with it in our hearts Quaere But Sir I pray what is truth one saith he is for truth and this is truth another says that is and is for it what is the truth you councel us to stand fast unto Solut. There are humane moral Truths rules in secular Arts such as Paul held fast until his conversion but then let go not the use of them but the abuse of them he left glorying in them counted all dung for the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ. Secondly There are Divine truths called Scripture truths these are either Imaginary or Real I do not say it is gallantry to stand fast to all that every man delivers to you for truth or propounds or conjectures to bee so but such as Scripture determines to be so such as the word wil own and wil own the word upon demand in the evidence of his not our own spirits For truly it is with Truth at this day as with the Infant brought to Solomon the false mothers cry divide it and let every one share in that limb which his own conscience which indeed is no conscience guides him unto which is to profer themselves to posterity the founders of an intolerable Toleration of all Errors and by this way Antichrist himself against whom we have solemnly protested and before God so unanimously covenanted must be in equity admitted a childs portion The LORD direct our Solomons to that height of surpassing wisdome as to give the child of Truth to its own Parents that cry a whole and one or none To stand fast to this whole truth of God and for it is indeed Spiritual gallantry Athanasius and others of the Nicene Fathers would not add one jot about the Diety of Jesus Christ no not in any time Times may differ men may change and vary but Truth never whether in prosperity as in Constantines days or in adversity as in Neroes truth is the same The fixed stars shine in the coldest nights yea then brightest Josephus reports of the Samaritans that if any good befel the Jews then they would claim their kindred and boast that they came from Jacob but if in any misery or
under a cloud with the state they gave out they had no relation to them Many there are that vary their respects to truth according to the savour the eminent persons in it set on it But give me the men that wil stand their ground on assault and make up the breach although they fal man by man in the gap yea under the sword own truth as Paul or in a Den of Lions or a fiery furnace that pish at all the barkings bitings frownings fawnings of currish hereticks that have Peters gallantry better managed Although all forsake thee I wil not Quaere I pray Sir inform us how we may quit our selves like men and stand fast to Truth Solut. First get a solid sound judgement so made by the light of a clear sanctified understanding of Scripture principles admit not of a reeling head a revolting Soldier is a base man unworthy the name or society of soldiers never to be trusted more Ephes 4.14 the Apostle exhorteth them that they be henceforth no more children tossed to fro with every blast of doctrine by the slight of men take heed of such a judgement as is carryed up and down with the current The Primitive times yeelded more sound judgements Athanisius held fast in his Judgement the diety of Christ against the Arrians Augustine the doctrine of grace against the Pelagians Truly I confesse it is an honor to a man to confesse an Error but a horrid shame to suffer for any self-ends any truth to bee supplanted by any Innovation or Errour Secondly Labour to have a stubborn and stout wil in relation to what is surely known to be the truth of God take heed of a flexible coming wil yea hold it fast in affection that which we love dearly we stick close too A child wil hardly be weaned from the brest it hath found sweetnesse and strength from and is experienced in nourishment you that have found God present with much sweetnesse in his Ordinances by the publick administration I beseech you do not now trample on them and despise them whilst they and theirs is the same for sweetnesse for holinesse Thirdly Stand fast to the Truth in profession Philip. 2.18 holding forth the word of life not only to beleeve Truths but to confesse them before men not with Peter to revolt and effect to say we know not the man Fourthly In conversation practise Truth Saint John cals it walking in the Truth when men hold on in the Truth against all discouragements although they lose by it apparantly yet they hold it forth couragiously Quaere But pray Sir why do you so far ingage us in this service in these days of Liberty Solut. It is worthy thy ingagement for it is more excellent then the excellentest of the creatures Prov. 3.14 15. you cannot pitch on such an excellency Revel 3.11 Hold fast says the Spirit let none take thy Crown the Crown is the top of Royalty who would not keep his ground if a Crown were the stake But its excellency wil further appear if you consider these two particulars First the holiness of it The more holy the more excellent Corruptions are diminutions of excellency the more mixt things are the more base they are as the mixture of Gold and Tin Wine and Water Silver and Drosse ever the more pure the more glorious Now the Truths of God are holy not as men with mixtures of Corruption but as the Light at Noon-day without any mists fogs mixtures of darknesse and although Truth may be in a fog as the Sun yet not foggy Secondly The more God is in any thing the more excellent but God is altogether in his Truth Hee is there in the brightness of his wisdom in the greatness of his power in the Riches of his mercy in the honor of his justice yea in this Word is his Christ and our Jesus therefore worth standing fast unto Thirdly Truth is made over to us under termes of Constancy and perpetuity and therefore in Scripture termed our heritage personal estates are often sold those that are out by descent hereditary ought to be kept for posterity God forbid said Naboath I should sel the inheritance of my Fathers Psa 119.111 They are my heritage saith David for ever Let me tel you posterity is worthy our thoughts and what we shal leave to them in point of Truth Fourthly God trusts us with his truths 2 Tim. 1.14 It is by the Apostle called the good thing committed to us to keep now in matters of trust we should be faithful It is the most vilest and unworthyest thing in the world to betray a Trust especially where truth is on their side In matters of trust we should be faithful to the death It is observable Trust must be redelivered 2. wholy not lesse then delivered 3. Only to the Truster and truly otherwise it is extreamly injurious to God For although they are ours for efficacy yet they are Gods for the authority Truths are Gods Jewels of trust and he will call all of us to an account what use wee have made of them what we have done with them what unto them what mixtures of our own heads with them Fifthly It concerneth you to keep your ground for your eternall wel-being dependeth on it You can no more live spiritually without pure truths then corporally without bread you cannot be convinced without Truth you cannot be contrite and have your corrupt hearts prickt but by the Truth Acts 2. When they heard those Truths they were prickt at their hearts c. Conversion is from Truth Psa 19.7 Converting souls c. Faith is brought into the soul by hearing the Truth Augmentation is from it in grace Jesus Christ is united to the soul by faith Perseverance is from it Rom. 1.16 2 Tim. 3.16 17. vid. Use 1. Information Of the unworthy walking of this age for the most part in relation to this duty of standing fast to the Truth yea of many that are eminently furnished with common gifts and excellent parts there is much slipperinesse and base unsetlednesse of spirit upon them even to truth it self both in doctrine and conversation for truth in doctrine we may complain as the Apostle to the Galatians in the 1. and 6. I wonder you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Jesus Christ unto another Gospel it is grown no wonder in our times for how do the most for most base ends quit their ancient grounds which they received and beleeved and gloryed in for truth and for preferment-sake shew truth a fair pair of heels and a foul heart The ancient Disciples left ships nets custome-house for to follow truth but now professed Disciples leave Christ for places of Excise and Custom-house Some turn sneaking Anabaptists some fal off to Socinian blasphemies some to Antinomians fancies and many Seekers Seek you any of you great things for your selves seek them not It is no time to be furnishing your Cabins when the
boults and butt-ends of the very planks of the ship are started out The Lord pity us what a spirit of giddyness is upon us and if any old errors which is unknown to most with some quaint expressions and hye-flying Phylosophical notions are delivered how cowardly do we start off from the old truths of Jesus Christ and are invassail'd by upstart errors It is a sad time but this a more sad omen of worser times even the rabble of opinions in this City of Bristol of which I may say that as the sword hath slain many so hath error many more in a few moneths time One while such a man preacheth truth and you are willing to pul out your eyes to do him good a little after you are ready to pul out his eyes and he is a low man and not worthy your presence and so discouraged How many wayes do you make to heaven in this place I beseech you where I am related unto to look to your Guards Keep a strict watch double your Guard eye your sallyports and put on the whole Armour of God that you may be able to stand fast to the Truth in the day of assault that you may quit your selves like men Use 2. Informeth us of the causes of this lowerlinesse and basenesse of Spirit and inconstancy to Truth First When men are ignorant they may easily prove inconstant True men have abundance of indistinct knowledge much head knowledge little heart knowledge Now the one makes men talk admirably but the other to stand to it gallantly Truly Ignorance is the spunge to suck in all Errors and spiritual Pride the bawde to vent them that which is weak is light chaff may be tossed any way Secondly When mens apprehensions are very large but their affections very foul when men know much of truth but withall love much of the world or self or sinful Liberty Now you know a foul stomach ever makes an il head and a secret love of sin works out a love of truth Men easily grow erroneous when they affect Liberty and wax Irreligious Third Cause Men are strangely infected with a base and late predominant Epidemical disease the Itch of spiritual Pride which was caught of our first Parent The greatest Errors ever drop from those that are most proud and are taken up by those that are most ignorant Fourth Many have Athenian wits and long after Novelties and although old Wine be best yet they love to drink in fashion Fifth Cause A Colloging slavishnesse many giving up their faith and souls to opinions of other great men or to Relations Sixth An eminent love of the world this made Demas and Hymenaeus forsake truth A slave to the world wil never be a faithful servant to truth he that dares pawn their souls wil in time venter to sel the Truth Seventh Licentious hearts when men affect pleasure for corrupt doctrines gives more scope then truth to a libertinious heart and we are apt to beleeve that soonest that pleaseth us best Erroneous points are more for pleasure and ease yea and purse too Divine truths are for strictnesse Now there are many Grecian-like give up their weapons for their sports many forsake the truth that they may more freely injoy their Liberty in those ways are most pleasing to their spirits Vse Exhortation I am come heartily to beg of you this one thing to lay a solid foundation in the knowledge of the truths of God Confused brains cause unsettled hearts rest not with Pilates quere where art thou or with Israel to halt betwixt two opinions nor to take up any truth on trust for any mans sake whatsoever or any self-ends or aims but with the honorable Bereans search the Scripture receive truth upon the evidence of truth be sure of the Word there is litle difference betwixt shiboleth and siboleth yea and in the last days many shal say loe this is Christ and here is Christ yet try yea the Enemy hath got the word therefore be strict upon examination bring the most specious expressions to the Standard try all there Quaere How shal we know the truth upon his march there being so many gone out under his banners to deceive and all is not gold that glisters Try the spirits for every spirit is not of God Solu You may make a discovery First by its Unity Second by its Purity Thirdly its Efficacy Fourthly Antiquity Fifthly Simplicity For the first observe it you shal find it one as God is one Unum et verum convertuntur There is but one way to heaven many to miss it It is an unisone with its principles Erroneous doctrines want no outward harmony and outward consent but truth as it is one in itself so it works men to onenesse to be of one mind truth is of a binding up nature Secondly Truth is comprehended in Purity Errors are much in outward beauty like Curtizans little in honesty Truth is pure in its self and unto us It is an adversary to all sin because all sin is an adversary to Jesus Christ and to Gods glory It is pure likewise in its operations it sets it self against all basenesse Titus 1.14 15. It is truly pure not counterfeitly pure Thirdly By the efficacy of truth other doctrines add to our Notions but never meddle with our corruptions they swel our heads but never mend our hearts they work in the brain but never meddle with the spirit increase much wit to talk wel but conveigh little strength to walk close with God In a word they never bring grace or peace from Jesus Christ The truth that comes from God leadeth to God It makes the bad good and the good better Truth works the heart not only from grosser but lesser sins even the spots of the world 1 Thes 5.22 vid. Truth works the heart to a liking of nothing unlike it self or unbecoming the Gospel of Jesus Christ Fourthly By the Antiquity Id demum verissimum quod antiquissimum and truly as it was sometime replyed to those of Rome that we can look beyond Luther So may we to the rabble of Heresies in these times we can look and see the time when they had not a being indeed they are comparatively but of yesterday and it is possible for an easie Herald to drive the pedigree of the Anabaptist Brownists Antinomians Pelagians Socinians Arians Antetrinitarians Seekers c. and to demonstrate them to be all subservient although active actors for Scout master general self-ends or aims when truth like the Sun hath run its course through all ages not that all have imbraced it but some have received it Fifthly By its Simplicity it wil indure handling it is found Erroneous doctrine like unfound flesh or sore eyes abhors a touch or the light and therefore is more in private then publick not that I oppose private duties but prise them but resist those that oppose publick Ordinances For if what any deliver in their private conventions bee good and sound truth I beseech them let it come to light Bonum quo communius eo melius Truth fears no trial although il faced women would have al glasses broken but such as they have got made to flatter them Truth put it self upon proof yea in publick Veritas non querere argales especially in days of Liberty of the Gospel and when truth is pallizadoed with so many oaky fortifications It is not now accusation enough to be a Christian no be as holy as David as muke as Moses as wise as Solomon walk with God and be upright before him with Abraham yea let every man be followers of Jesus Christ and injoy his Liberty in the Truths of Iesus Christ for blessed be God there may be some pretences but no just ground for the least fear of persecution for conscience-sake Lastly Having found out the truth I beg heartily of you yea more then for my Arrears to love the truth do the truth suffer for the truth this wil bee a sure boult to keep out all Errors when Truth is stil stirring in your ears and Sin ruling in your hearts you can never do good on it he must needs have a meek hand to hold fast truth or foot to stand fast that hath a wicked heart Hymenaeus let go faith and a good conscience together 1 Tim. 1.19 Wherefore I beseech you be doing Christians as wel as knowing ones And now should I fal on with the reserve and shew you the beauty and honour of a resolved spirit for the truths of Iesus Christ And have given a thorow and thorow charge to the sad yet bold divisions of these times with my left wing under the prevailing Banner of Love and Unity and shown you how good a thing it is for brethren to live in Love and Unity but I am prevented in managing this onslaught at present and shal take leave of you praying you that all things may be done amongst you in love And praying for you That the God of truth would lead you on from this day and fix and establish you in the Truth Finally brethren farewel be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in love and peace and the God of love and peace shal be with you yea now the very God of peace sanctifie you all throughout And now the Lord of peace himself give you peace by all means The Lord be with you all FINIS