Military Duties Recommended, Rule 3
RULE III.
Let the Sufferings of our LORD, …each you how to warr and to fight against that Lust which gives the most advantage unto all the Enemies of your Souls
Let the Lord here, have the same Signification which in the New-Testament it is won… to have, even the Lord JESUS CHRIST; Now let Him be your Teacher in this matter. It hath been said, Crux pendentis est Cathedra Docentis,—thus, while you behol… Him hanging on the Cross, let Him Teach you how to Warr and to Fight especially aagainst the Sin which doth most easily beset you▪ The Emperour Valentinian when he was dy ing, had his Friends comforting of him with the Remembrance of his past Victories; he told them that he gloried in one Victory above all the rest, Inimicorum nequissimum vici (said he) Carnem meam. I have had a Victory over my, Flesh the enemy in the world. Let this … our High Attainment.
The Enemies of our Souls would, all of them together, be able to do us little harm, if there were not some peculiar Lust, like Trojan Horse, within us, assisting of all their Enterprizes. It was the Priviledge of the Man Christ Jesus alone to say, The Devil finds nothing in me, when the Legions of Hell made an Attacque upon him. The Father of Lies utter'd a real Truth, when from the Throat of a possessed man, he said unto Mr. Balsome, If God would-let me loose upon you I should find enough in the Best of you to make you all mine. And so truly there is in the best of us all, a party of Lusts which would resigne us up unto the power of all our other Enemies if the Grace of God prevent it not. Let These …e well kept under and the Day is yours.
Among the many Lusts which are of the DeDevil's Faction in us, every man hath, as … sort of Master-Bee in the Hive, one peculiar Lust, which he may call, as David did in Psal. 18. 23. My own Iniquity. There is in every one of you, a Lust which above other you are most impatient to have Reproved or Restrained. A Lust which above other doth most Disquiet you and Discompose you in the Service of God; a Lust which gives most frequent Eclipses unto the Light of God's Countenance upon your souls. Of This let me say as he about the King of Israel in 1. Reg. 22. 31. Fight neither with small nor great in comparison of This. The Braining of this Giant is of as much Importance perhaps as any one thing in your Warr-fare, as having an Influence upon the Prosperity of it all.
However they that write De re Militari, Lay this down as a Maxime, Quicquid tibi prodest, Adversario nocet; Whatever is profitable for you is pernicious for your Adversary: That This is both, who can make any Doubt?
Now what shall be done in order hereunto? This, Follow the Teachings of the Lord. Let the Death of Him that is Generalissimo of all the Celestial Armyes teach you … to do; He has Dyed in part for this Reason, that he might ins… you … … right way of Warring and Fighting against th… Enemies whom His Death hath also been the Price of your Redemption from. This th… you have to do. Let your Principal Corruption be put unto such a Death as your Dying Saviour has given a S…mplar of. It is … by the Apostle in Rom. 6. …. That we must be dead to Sin, even as Jesus Christ dyed for sin. This is the sanctified Way of Dealing with that Son of Anack which creates the most Warr and Evil for you; Handle it with Severities analogous to those which Jesus Christ was Crucifyed withal. O then Receive this Mystery of Warring and Fighting against your own Iniquity.
Did not the Iew… with uninterrupted and unwearied Glamours, urge their Governour, against our Lord Jesus Christ, never ceasing their Out-cries, Let him be crucified! until they had their Will▪ Thus do you never leave Seeking and Sighing and Shouting unto God, Lord, this Corruption is worthy to …; it is a Traiter to thy Kingdom in me; O by no meanes let it Reign and Rave in me as …: Thus beg until God give Order, The Rebe… shall dye.
Furthermore did they draw … …ny … Indictments against our Lord Christ▪ as guilty of Treason and Sedition; and Bl… phemy and Heresy, and the most villainous Impostures in the World? Well, so do you lay unto the Charge of your Lust all the Dishonour to GOD, and all the Destruction to you and yours, which it has procured, Say, Thou vile Corruption, Thou art it that has… made a Partition-Wall between me and my GOD; Thou art it that hast exposed me unto all the Curses in the Flying Roll, Nothing has done so much wrong to GOD, or to me, or to all Heaven and Earth, a… Thou.
Speak and think the worst of it.
Moreover, Did they offer unto our Lord Jesus Christ all the Indignityes that possibly they could devise; Binding of Him, Spitting on Him, Jeering at Him, preferring a barbarous High-way man before Him, and at last hanging Him up naked? between the worst of Malefactors. In like manner do you cast heaps of Shame upon your Lust; Upbraid it as the Quintessence of Madness, as the Exaltation of …lly, as a most Loathesome Object, worthy to be Buffetted by all Hands, to be abhorred by God and man for ever; and a Swine, in no wise sit to lodg'd in the Parlour of you… Souls.
Once more, Did they with-draw all Refreshment from our Lord Jesus Christ in His ruefu… Agonies, and count a Cup of Gall good enough for Him? Just so Do you withhold from your Lust that Sustenance which may enable it to hold out in its Insurrections. Be sure to make no provision for this Flesh to feed upon. Starve it out, and so Tame it; Keep it under, and keep it bare of those things which you see to be the Support or Fuel of it.
To say no more, Did they Torture our Lord Jesus Christ, until by the Dolonrs of His Wounds they hunted that Hind of the morning, his precious Soul, out of His Body? Agreeably to this, Do you make your Lust undergo the Pains of an evil and a bitter thing. Let it Cost you those Prayers and those Tears, and manifold Austerities which may meerly …tire it out, and Discourage it from haunting of you.
By these means cripple that Delictum dilectum, which is your most Darling Iniquity. And while you are thus in the Field, derive all the Virtue which may be, from abundant Thoughts on the Death of Jesus Christ. DeDevout Nazianzen said, that when his Lusts gave too busie molestations to him, he would by reading the Book of Lamentations quickly quell & curb those troublesome Guests.How much more mortifying a Spectacle would the Man who is God's Fellow, hanging on a Tree, be unto us! Let your Thoughts often carry you to Mount Calvary, and for your War-fare you will soon be among the Worthyes of David.