Orders from the Lord of Hosts for Regulating the Hosts of the Lord, Dedication 2
TO THE Honourable, Col. EDW. ROSSETER, Commander in chief of the PARLIAMENTS Forces of the City and County of LINCOLN.
Noble Sir,
THe next intereſt to that, the Committee of Lords and Commons now with us, may challenge in this Sermon, is deſervedly yours, becauſe preached in your Quarters, to you and your Souldiers, and for your ſakes eſpecially; to bring God and you near together, even God into your Camp, and your Camp unto God; to direct and excite your duty to God, to draw down and ingage Gods preſence with you, and that the Countries Cauſe and Cure (in the great work you are now about) may proſper in your hands. For if you can ſay to our enemies as Abijah did to his: 2 Chro. 13 12.Behold God himſelf is with us, for our Captain, and his Prieſts with ſounding Trumpets to cry Alarm againſt you, you may ſay on (as he did) O enemy fight not againſt the Lord, for you ſhall not proſper. If your Camp be reformed, and you cannot bear them that are evill in it, ſurely the Lord will pitch his Tents in the midſt of yours, and make you glorious by ſucceſſes.
When poor Lincolnſhire was in a low and ſad condition, making approaches daily nearer deſolation, God raiſed you up as Gideon a mighty man of valour to ſave us; giving you not only Decertandi fortitudinem, but Decernendi rationem, Valour to fight, and prudence to adviſe. For courage without counſell, is like a Hand drawing a Bow, without an eye to ſet the Arrow right.
Sir, the mixture of amiable clemency, and inſuperable valour, of modeſty and magnanimity, of piety and ſouldiery, of courteous condeſcentions and ſublime reſolutions, which God hath made and tempered in you, is very remarkable. Me thinks I ſee thoſe vertues which the Orator preſcribes in an Emperour, worn as Gold-rings on all your fingers, Scil. Haeſunt vittute… Imperatoria, labor in neg… tin, forticu…o in pericul…, induſtria in agendo, celeritas in conficiende, conſiltum in previdende. Cicero pro lege Manil.Diligence in buſineſſe, courage in perils, induſtry in acting, celerity in effecting, counſell in foreſeeing.
This I ſpeak, not to flatter you in print (for I remember Elihu's ſpeech, Job 32.21, 22.) but to give you (as I apprehend) your due; and to provoke you to give God the glory of all you are, have, or do; and to adde to all your excellencies habituall and practicall, Humility and Self-deniall, as the grace and ornament of them all.
Be often thinking that the Holy Ghoſt is putting theſe Queries to you, which Paul did to the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 4.7.Who makes thee to differ from another? what haſt thou that thou didſt not receive? God is the author of all diſcriminating gifts, Graces, States, Succeſſes. Let the high praiſes of God be in your mouth, becauſe the high acts of God have been in your hand.
Go on, worthy Leader; in this your might; Scil. in having God for your wiſdome, courage, and ſtrength. Ride on proſperouſly becauſe of the greatneſſe of your truſt, and the goodneſſe of your cauſe. Perfect what you have begun. Your buſineſs which before lay ſcattered all this Countrey over, & over divers other Countries alſo, you have now brought into a ſmall compaſſe. (having driven your Antagoniſts as it were into a fold) The good Lord perfect the work for you and us, and ſtabliſh peace againe upon our borders.
Bleſſed be God for the marvellous things done for this ſinking (well-nigh ruined) Kingdome, and for our poor ſpoiled Countries by the Heads of our Worthies, the ſonnes of Honour that have ſate in counſell: and by the hands of you and others, the ſonsof Valour, that have been imployed in action; by whom (as choice inſtruments in Gods hand) mighty things are brought to paſſe, even as it were a new Reſurrection of our Kingdome (and poor countrey in ſpeciall) out of the duſt of ruine and trampling upon, and a reduction of enemies into our room. My feeble prayers are Militant for you and all yours, daily that you may triumph; and want no counſell, nor ſtrength, nor ſucceſſe which Heaven can afford you. The Lord recompence into your boſome ſevenfold, all your diligence and faithfulneſſe; your indefatigable pains night and day; extream hazards, looking death oft in the face; and your ſore hardſhip, ſerving the neceſsities of war: He continue to bleſſe you and all under your command, and make you ſtill a bleſsing to your native Countrey, and give you for your reward what he hath promiſed, to him that overcommeth. Rev. 2 17.Even the White ſtone, and new name written, which no man knowes ſave he that receiveth it, and hidden Manna to eat.
So prayes he who is affectionately yours to ſerve you in the Goſpel, EDW. REYNER.