The Glorious Name of God the Lord of Hosts Opened in Two Sermons, Title page – Imprimatur
The glorious Name of God, The Lord of Hoſts.
Opened in two SERMONS, At MICHAELS Cornhill, LONDON.
Vindicating the Commiſſion from this Lord of Hoſts, to Subjects, in ſome caſe, to take up Arms.
WITH A POST-SCRIPT, Briefly Anſwering A LATE TREATISE BY HENRY FERNE, D. D.
BY JER. BURROUGHES.
PSAL. 48. 8. As we have heard, ſo have we ſeen, in the City of the Lord of Hoſts.
LONDON, Printed for R. Dawlman. 1643.
To his Excellencie, ROBERT, Earle of Eſſex, Viſcount Hereford, Baron Ferrars of Chartley, Lord Bourchier and Lovaine, one of His Majeſties moſt Honourable Privie Counſel, and General of the Army raiſed by the Parliament in defence of the true Proteſtant Religion, His Majeſties Perſon, the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdom, and the priviledges of Parliament.
THere is no man this day upon the face of the earth whom it more concernes to have this name of God The Lord of Hoſts preſented to him in the due luſtre & glory of it, then your Excellencie, whom the Lord hath not onelyonly honoured to ſtand up even in the fore front to maintain his cauſe, and the cauſe of his people, but he hath even put upon you this his owne name, he hath made you the Lord of his Hoſts. It is that which every Souldier may juſtly glory in, that God himſelfe ſeems to affect the glory of Arms, when he cauſeth himſelfe to be as it were ſir-named THE LORD OF HOSTS. The beams of this glorious name puts ſome luſtre upon the meaneſt in an Army; What a luſtre then doth it put upon your Excellencie, who ſtand ſo neare it? Happy the time that ever you were borne to be made uſe of by God and his people in ſo noble and honourable a ſervice as this. We reade ZECH. 3. 3. of Joſhua, that great inſtrument of Reformation, in the returne of JUDAH from her Captivity, that he ſtood in filthy garments, but the Angel ſpake to thoſe who ſtood before him, ſaying, Take away the filthy garments from him: and unto him he ſaid, Behold, I have cauſed thine iniquity to paſſe from thee, and I wil cloathe thee with change of rayment. Thoſe who ſtand up moſt eminent and forward in the cauſe of God and his people, ſhal ever have ſome who wil ſeek to ſtain their glory by ſlanders and reproachfull names, to put them into vile garments: what viler garment can there be then the garment of Treaſon and Rebellion? But the Angel ſtands by to take off theſe vile garments, and to clenſe his ſervants even from this nominall iniquity: he will put change of rayment upon them, he will one day make it appeare that there were none ſo faithfull to God, their King and Countrey, as they: The Lord that hath choſen Jeruſalem, ſaith the Text, ver. 2. wil rebuke them who thus ſtand up againſt his ſervants. The Lord who hath ſet his heart to bring merciemercy to Jeruſalem, to his Church, will certainly rebuke ſuch as ſtand to reſiſt the great inſtruments thereof. Wherefore that which the Angel of the Lord proteſted to JOSHUA, v. 6. I may in the name of the Lord with a little change proteſt unto your Excellencie, Thus ſaith the Lord of Hoſts, if you will walke in my wayes, and if you will keepe my charge, then you ſhall have an eminencie in my houſe, and I will give you places among theſe that ſtand by. That is, among the bleſſed Angels in the heavens. If a cup of cold water ſhall not go without a reward, ſurely then the venturing eſtate, liberty, limbes, honour, bloud, life for the cauſe of Chriſt, ſhall not goe without its reward.
Wherefore moſt noble Lord of our Hoſts, yea of the Hoſts of God, Goe on with true Heroicke magnanimity, and proſper, in the name of this glorious Lord of hoſts. The prayers of the Churches are for you, the bleſsings of the Saints are upon you. I beleeve never any Generall upon the earth hath been mentioned more in heaven then your Excellencie hath been, and yet is in this cauſe.
That which is ſtoryed of the Croſſe appearing to CONSTANTINE, with theſe words, HOC VINCES, I may with far more confidence apply to this name of God, The Lord of hoſts. This I preſent unto your Excellence, with this Motto, Hoc vinces: The name is in it ſelfe a box of ſweet ointment, give me leave to open it before your Excellencie, that it may be fragrant indeed, and adde quickning and ſtrength. To that true noble heroick ſpirit fit for great actions, that God hath honoured you withall, I here humbly preſent it opened and poured forth. The bleſsing of it be upon you, and thoſe great things undertaken by you, which is and ſhal be the prayer of
Your Excellencies in all humble ſervice and duty, Jer. Burroughes.
To the Reader.
THe neceſsity of the time put me to preach upon this ſubject, the City being in great feare of a great Army comming againſt it in the name of the King, and the neceſsity of the ſubject for this time made me not unwilling to yeeld to the making my meditations upon this ſubject, yet more publike. Something I have enlarged, eſpecially in the argument of juſtifying the preſent taking up armes ſo much cryed down, as if it were againſt the King, to be by commiſsion from the Lord of Hoſts, which is diſcuſſed page 27. and ſo on: the ſatisfation of the conſciences of men in this thing is of ſo great conſequence in this time, that every man is bound to afford what help hereunto he is able. I ſhould have had guilt lye grating upon mine own conſcience if I had ſtifled what I might afford to the helping towards the ſatisfaction of others; although therefore I am not ignorant, but ſenſible enough that it is an argument wherein a man runs hazard enough; yet whatſoever I ſuffer in it, may I be uſefull, I have enough. This I can ſay, if I ever did, or am like to publiſh any thing in the uprightnes of my heart, aiming at the glory of God, and thy good, I bleſſe God I have comfort in this; and in this (whatſoever the iſſue be) I ſhal rejoyce. Certainly things had never come to that paſſe they are at, if mens conſciences had bin rightly informed in the liberties God hath given them. The infuſing contrary principles, and making men beleeve that the ſubject muſt and would ſuffer any thing rather then riſe up to maintaine his own right hath beene the cauſe of the bold adventures of many amongst us.
What I have ſaid is breife, comming to you as a Sermon, it could not admit of larger diſcourſe, but if there be need it would not be very difficult to enlarge theſe things in another way. Read for thy profit, and I have my end.
Yours to ſerve for Chriſt, Jer: Burroughes.
IT is ordered this firſt day of December, 1642. by the Committee of the Houſe of Commons in Parliament, concerning Printing, That this Book entituled [The glorious Name of God, The Lord of Hoſts] be printed by Robert Dawlman, appointed thereunto by M. Ieremy Burroughes, the Author thereof.
John White.