Selected quad for the lemma: war_n
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A85013
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A fast sermon preached on innocents day by Thomas Fuller, B.D. Minister of the Savoy.
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Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing F2423; Thomason E86_16; ESTC R22109
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16,581
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34
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the ground but who will not pity greene apples when they are cudgelled downe from the tree And the maidens were not given in marriage So that the fairest flowers of virginity were faine to wither on the stalke whereon they did grow for want of hands to gather them The Priests were flaine with the sword Sed quid cum Marte Prophetis Well then there they were though they were none of the best of the Priests being lewd Hophnee and Phyneus and there they were killed for ought I know if these times hold Gods best Samuels must goe the same way And their widowes made no lamentation You will say the more unnaturall women they O no they made no lamentation either because their griefe was above lamenting such as onely could be managed with silence and amazement or else because they were so taken up with deploring the publike calamity they could spare no time for private persons to bemoane their particular losses 8. But warre is not so terrible in it self as in its attendants first the Plague which brings up the reare of war the Plague I say which formerly used to be an extraordinary embassador in this Citie of London to denounce Gods anger against it but is of late grown a constant legier and for these many late yeares hath never been clearly removed from us surely some great unrepented sin lyes on this City that this constant punishment doth visit us which will be more terrible when it shall be extended over the whole Realme 9. Secondly Famine a waiter in Ordinary on Warre Truly it may seeme a riddle and yet it is most true that Warre makes both lesse meat and fewer mouthes First because in time of war none dare attend husbandry wherewith Solomon saith The King himself is maintained Secondly because Souldiers spoile more out of prodigality then they spend out of necessity When our Saviour multiplied loaves and fishes there were those appointed who tooke up the twelve baskets of fragments but alas no such care is taken in souldiers festivals Hitherto indeed wee have had plenty enough and as yet in this City are not sensible of any want But you know next Pharaohs full eares came Pharaohs blasted ears next Pharaohs fat kine came Pharaohs lean kine I pray God poor people for this years store be not next year starved 10. Thirdly wilde beasts see Gods foure cardinall punishments reckoned up Ezech. 14. 21. For thus saith the Lord God for much more when I send my foure sore judgements upon Jerusalem the sword and the famine and the noysome beast and the pestilence to cut from it man and beast Some perchance wil say that there is more danger of wilde beasts in our Iland which is invironed with water Truely there need no other wilde beasts then our selves who are Lions Beares Boares Wolves and Tygers one to another And though as yet wee were never plagued with wilde beasts yet wee know not how soone God may hisse for them over and for our new and strange sins cause new and strange punishments Now conceive a City as bigge as your thoughts can imagine and fancy the Sword marching in at the East-gate and the Plague comming in at the West-gate and Famine entring in at the North-gate and wilde beasts passing in at the South-gate and all meeting together in the Market-place and then tell me how quickly will your voluminous Citie be abridged to a poor pittance 11. But hitherto wee have only spoken of the miseries of War in generall but the worst is still behind for we are afflicted with Civill war many warres have done wofully but this surmounteth them all In Civill war nothing can bee expected but a ruine and desolaion What said Mordecai to Hesther Hesther 4. 13. Think not with thy selfe that thou shalt escape in the Kings house more then all the Jewes So let none in what house soever in the Kings House or House of Lords or House of Commons or strongest Castles or walled Towns or fenced Cities flatter themselves with a fond conceit of their safety for if Civill warres continue long they must expect as well as others to bee devoured yea none can promise great Persons so much happinesse as to bee last undone For for ought any knowes it may come their turnes to be the first as being the fairest markes to invite envy and malice against them Meane time poore Ireland which as the man in the vision cryed to Saint Paul Come over into Macedonia and helpe us which hath so long so often so earnestly intreated implored importuned our assistants must be lost of course The Protestants there which have long swom against the tide till their armes are weary must at last of necessity even give themselves over to bee drowned That Harpe which when it was well tuned made so good musicke must now and hereafter for ever bee hung upon the willowes a sad and sorrowfull tree and our distraction will hasten their finall destruction We reade Deut. 28. 56. That in a great Famine the eye of the mother shall be evill towards her son and towards her daughter shee shall grudge every morsell of meat which goes besides her owne mouth preferring nature before naturall affection If these times doe continue London will grudge London-derry her daughter and England Mother generally of Ireland as a Colony deduced from it will grieve to part with the least meat money and munition to it 12 But all these Mischiefes are nothing in respect of the last namely the scandal and dishonour which hereby will redound to the Protestant religion whereof a true Christian ought to be more tender and sensible then of any worldly losse whatsoever Tell it not in Gath nor publish it in Ascalon lest the daughters of the Philistims rejoyce lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph O what musick doth our discord make to the Romish adversaries We reade Genes 13. 7. And there was a strife between the heard-men of Abrahams cattel and the heard-men of Lots cattell and the Cananite and the Perizite dwelled then in the Land And Abraham said unto Lot Let there be no strife I pray thee betweene my c. Wherein observe that the Canaanites and Perizites being there in the Land is mentioned as a motive with Abraham to make him make the speedier accommodation with Lot lest the true religion and service of God should suffer in the censure of Pagans by their discords being Uncle and Nephew ingaged in a brawle by their servants dissention How many Canaanites and Perezites behold our bloudy differences and clap their hands to see us wring ours yea insult and rejoyce to see us sheath our swords in one anothers bowels wee used formerly to taske the Papists of cruelty to Protestants but hereafter as Abner said to Asahel 2 Sam. 2. 22. How then shall I hold up my face to Joab thy brother So how shall we looke in the face from this day forwards of our Romish adversaries Tell them no more of their
that High and Honourable Court though that they know fulwell that peace is that we stand in need of yet they take delight in our duty yea expect our service herin to petition for peace that so our begging of peace may in effect be a modest mannerly expression of an harty thanks for their long and constant endeavours herein Wherefore what Tertullus said flatteringly to Felex we may say truly and feelingly to them seeing that very worthy deeds are done to this Nation by their providence we accept alwaies and in all places with all thankfulnes Notwithstanding I pray you that you of your Clemency would heare us a few words And let us in all Humility not directing but beseeching them without a tumultuous thought most peacable and pathetically begge of them and sue unto them to continue their care in advancing a seasonable and happy accomodation that so the blessing pronounced in my text may lie both upon them and theirs Blessed are the Peacemakers 26 Thirdly we must be content soundly to pay for peace we read Exod. 38. 8. And he made the Lever of Brasse and the foot of it of Brasse of the Looking-glasses of the Women assembling which assembled at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation It seemeth that the backsids of their Looking-glasses were made of brasse which commonly with us are made of wood and they consigned them over for Gods service and good reason too for formerly they had given their eraerings for the making of a Calfe Justly therefore now they did pennance for their pride as counting it Honour enough that that wherein they looked their owne faces should make the foot of Gods Leaver But what should not people give to buy a true peace and a peace with Truth O how many yeeres purchase is it worth let us not thinke much to give all our superfluities but to give fome of our necessaries for the advancing and obtaining of it 27 Fourthly let us banish out of our mouthes all words and phrases of contempt and reproach I could instance in the word but that it is beneath the Majesty of a Pulpit which the malice of men hath minted and fastned on opposite parties O let us have no other Christian name then the name of Christians or other surname then Christian Protestants neither answering to nor calling others by any term of disgrace 28 Fifthly let us with a speedy serious and generall repentance remove the crying sinnes of our Kingdome which as long as they last wil bane all peace amongst us I say speedy least the physick come too late for the disease serious least the tent be too short for the wound generall least the plaster be too narrow for the sore Suppose that the Sea should breake forth in this Land as such a thing may come to passe The Lord is King saith David let the earth rejoyce yea let the multitude of of the Isle he glad thereatr Psal. 97. 1. And good reason hath the Iles to be glad as more particularly concerned for if the water were not countermanded by Gods Prerogative Royall it would speedily recover its naturall place above the earth But suppose the Sea should break into the Land it is not the endeavours of a private man can stop it what if he goes downe with a faggot on his backe and a matrock on his shoulder and a spade in his hand his desire is more commendable then his discretion it being more likely the Sea would swallow him then he stop the mouth thereof No the whole Country must come in children must bring earth in their hats women in their aprons men with handbarrowes wheelbarrowes carts carres waines waggons all must worke least all be destroyed I rather instance in this expression of the irruption of the Sea because I finde Gods anger so compared in holy writ 1 Chron. 14. 11. David said God hath broken in upon mine enemies like the breaking forth of waters So when a generall deluge and inundation of Gods anger seaseth upon a whole Kingdome it cannot be stopt by the private endeavours of some few but it must be an universall work by a generall repentance all must raise bankes to bound it Till this be done I am afraid we shall have no peace and to speak plainly I am afraid we are not yet ripe for Gods mercy as Gideon Judg. 7. 4. had too many men for God to give victory to so we are too proud hitherto for God to give peace too many of us are Humiliati but few of us are Humiles Many by these warres brought loe but few made loely so that we are proud in our poverty and as the unjust Steward said to beg I am ashamed so we are too stout thogh halfe starved on the bended knees of our soules with true repentance to crave pardon of God for our sinnes which till it be done we may discourse of peace and superficially desire it but never truely care for it or can comfortably receive it 29 And indeed wee may take forcible motives from our owne miseries to endeavour peace by all possible meanes for look upon the complexion of the warre and doth it not look of a most strange and different hue from other warres The wars of Germany which give me leave to say if we had pittied by the proxie of a true Simpathy we had never so soon suffered them in our owne person were far lighter affliction then ours In Germany people when hunted with warre took covert in their fenced Citties But here in England we have no guard against wars blow but lye open to plundering and destruction Germany was a great Continent bearing six hundred miles square so that whilst one part thereof was mowed downe with warre the other enjoying peace might grow up in the meane time But little England great onely in her miseries severed by the Sea from other Countries and by devisions parted from het selfe is a morsell which civill warre will quickly devoure Thirdy in Germany commanly they lay in Garrison in winter and fought in sommer we read 2 Sam. 6. 1 And it came to passe at the time when Kings goe forth to battell This all Comments generally expound of the spring time But alas if we in our woes were Antipodes to all others our miseries begin when others end in the winter time Pray saith out Saviour that your flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabboth-day winter fights woful fights Sabboth wars sorrowful warres and yet such are these in our Kingdome Lastly in Germany Papists did fight against Protestants where as our intestine wars are against those that professe the same Religion 30 It hath been a great curse of God upon us to make a constant misunderstanding betwixt our King and his Parliament whilest both professe to levell at the same end I cannot compare their case better than to the example of Ruben and Judah Gen. 37. There Ruben desired and endeavoured to preserve the life of his brother Joseph