A Good Soldier Maintaining His Militia, Preface
The Reaſon and Vſe of this Treatiſe.
Declaring the right hand of the Lord with His ſervants, in the way of working ſalvation for His Kingdomes: which way is ſo demonſtrated to every man, that he muſt ſee himſelfe ſtand charged in particular to worke for himſelfe in the ſame way, as be regards the ſalvation of his owne ſoule.
I Muſt neceſſarily ſuppoſe, that no man, in the Chriſtian world, can be a ſtranger to the affairs of theſe times; what the condition of England (not to ſpeake of Ireland) is at this preſent time; what fraud has been uſed to under-mine the Church, the City of God there, theſe many years; what forcing againſt her theſe yeares by-paſt; what forcible waies have been taken to ſtorme it this laſt yeare, that it might be no more a Citie, or called by that name; This very thing, I ſay, how angry the Nations are; how thoſe, who ſhould be (as David ſpeakes of his adverſaries) the Churches guides and friends, how theſe have magnified themſelves againſt her, have conſulted and parlied together (for an Aſſembly of Robbers, is called a Parliament in Oxford) againſt Thy hidden ones, ſaying, Come let us cut them off from being a Pſal. 83. 4….Nation: that their name way be no more in remembrance: All this is well knowne to all, that are not willingly ignorant. So alſo, what waies have been taken by the friends of the LORD CHRIST (thoſe few that have appeared for Him) ſo defend His Church from the furious aſſaults of bloody men; and how wonderfull their LORD has appeared on their ſide; how He has taken …o Himſelfe power, has diſcovered thoſe, that magnified themſelves againſt Him; has exalted His right Hand in all his peoples ſight, in delivering, reſcuing, protecting, MARVELLOƲSLY ſeperating betwixt His Friends, and His Adverſaries; ſo maintaining His cauſe and His ſervants ſtanding-up for His cauſe, againſt the power and policie of all oppoſers: All this alſo, is knowne in all the earth, aIſa. 12. 5.therefore ſing unto the LORD and exalt His name Jah: …or, though the gates of hell ſtood all this while wide open upon Gods people, yet theſe gates prevailed not, All this violence, and wrong could not hinder the worke of the LORD, but promoted it rather in all the peoples ſight: Bleſſed be the LORD. Indeed it is the faireſt and moſt admired proſpect, that ever was ſeene, to ſtand ſtill, and behold the works of the LORD, and the operations of His Hand, reached forth to His ſervants out of the clouds; yet is His Hand made viſible now before all the Chriſtian world, carrying on and ſteering the hand and way of his people through ſeas of proud waters, ſtormes and tempests, mighty troubles, towards their promiſed land, a wealthy place. To leave the figure and to ſpeake properly; The Almighties Hand, ſteering and guiding His people-in and throughout this whole posturing worke, is cleared now to the eye of fleſh, and is wonderfull in our eyes. I ſhall ſpeake a little here, for it is but a little, which man can ſpeake in this, how wonderfully the Lord has appeared for His ſervants all along the way, they have gone, to advance His glorie; but I ſhall ſhew openly the way they have gone, to be the very ſame, wherein all the truely noble in the world have walked, when the Lord was pleaſed to uſe their hands for the ſtrengthening themſelves, and well-posturing His Kingdomes. This way is cleared to ſenſe and reaſon, and demonſtrable to every man by comparing a Body naturall, with a Body-politique, when there is no ſoundneſſe in the one, nor in the other, but wounds and bruiſes, and putrifying ſores bIſa. 1. 6.: comparing the one Bodie with the other, and earthly things with ſpirituall, every man may underſtand the way of poſturing a Kingdome, and himſelfe: for that is chiefly intended here, and of chiefe concernment, elſe the well poſturing of a Kingdom will be nothing unto him.
The whole Kingdome is but the great Body politique, whereof foreign. M. Ant. Medit. B. 1. Sect. 15. p. 12.he himſelfe is not a part (for ſo the Philoſopher would not have him called, but) a member. Suppoſe now, that ſuch a Body, which the naturall man is better acquainted with, a Naturall bodie, lyes here before us, in the ſame caſe, as we have read and ſeen this great Bodie of the Kingdome to be-in, languiſhing neare unto death, The whole head ſicke, and the whole heart faint; Suppoſe it ſo; and yet we need not make it a ſuppoſition, for ſo it was. We will not now goe to the Colledge of Phiſitians to aske them, what is to be done in this caſe? Whether ſomething muſt be put upon the body, or ſomething put into it? We will put ſomething into it ſure enough, ſo ſenſe and reaſon tels us, for we are not ſo forſaken of both, as to clap an head-peece upon this Bodie, then a Breaſt-plate, ſo other peeces of armour in order one after another, and then call to him, as once to Sampſon, up and quit thy ſelfe like a man, the Philiſtins are upon thee. Alas! The Bodie is weake, becauſe the humours within are ſo ſtrong, the ſpirits waſted and ſpent, becauſe of ſomething within, which muſt be purged forth firſt. If you put Armour upon him, it will but cumber him the more, and be a meanes to preſſe-out, that little ſpirit, which remaines. The Phyſitian for the Bodie knowes his worke here, ſo does the ſoule-phyſitian: If the LORD has intruſted them to diſcretion, they both worke together, and give their directions orderly; And the maine conſultation is about the caſting-out of the bad humours, the inabling the man to fight with his diſeaſe, and to overcome it: Here the Elders of the Church (ſoul-Phyſitians) ſee their worke, they muſt pray for him [for the body under ſuch diſtempers, the mind ſympathiſing with the body, cannot pray for it ſelfe; the elders muſt be called-in now, and that inſtructeth us not to put off the great work, making peace with God, to our ſick bed; we can doe nothing for our ſelves then, the Elders muſt doe all, they muſt pray for the ſick, and] as the caſe may be, and humours ſo ſtrong, faſt for him alſo: for ſome humours, as ſpirits, will not out by other meanes. Phyſitians will preſcribe a way how to inable the patient to fight with his diſeaſe; how he may recover his ſpirits, and fortifie them, make them quick and lively; Then they will preſcribe him a diet, how he may keep himſelfe ſtrong, by keeping cloſe to his preſcriptions, and to the GOD of his ſtrength, and from all that is hurtfull, may grieve the Spirit of his God, and ſo a worſe thing fall unto him. Now put Armour upon. this man… and ſpeake to him as to Sampſon, and he will doe as at other times, when GOD was wi… him, and he walked with God. It is juſt ſo in the poſturing of a Kingdome, in the ſetting that great Body in a poſture of Defence; It is as the diſeaſed Body we read of, but of this in due place.
I think it more pertinent to this place, to ſay this, That this is the very end the LORD does point at in all his ſore judgements upon Kingdomes, and in all the plagues, ſtroakes, ſickneſſes, ſorrowes, He inflicts on the children of men; This is the great end, That the plague of the heart may be diſcovered to every heart: Therefore 1 King. 8. 38.the earth is ſhaken terribly, that the blood-ſhed there may be diſcoverd; That the Idolls there may be utterly aboliſhed; The very end, why the Lord ariſeth now to ſhake the earth terribly: And He will not leave ſhaking till the Idolls be caſt-out to the moles and to the batts. In a word, Therefore the Lord has done, and does the evill of puniſhment, That He may diſcover to every man, the evill of his ſinne; And ſo I would deſcend from a generall to a particular; for when I have ſaid every man, I have, indeed, ſpoken to no man, for no man will think it ſpoken unto him: And indeed it is but a beating of the ayer alſo, loſt labour, to ſpeake unto foreign, a certaine man, ſome-body, but I know not whom, who, when you have talked about Poſturing a Kingdome, the way how to ſet it in a good poſture of Defence, will not thinke himſelfe to be ſpoken unto, though he can thinke himſelfe wholy concerned therein: for this is an old ſaying, and very true; he that speakes to every body, ſpeakes to no body: and what is every bodies work is no bodies work, and ſo by all neglected; And though every-body would ſhare in the common bleſſing, yet no-body is ſo ready to ſhare in the duty; he would be ſafe, and have his cabbin and goods ſo to be, whatever become of the Ship, I meane the Common-wealth; not conſidering that he ſailes along upon the ſea of the world, in the ſame ſhip; and, where others are, there is his cabbin too, his intereſt is there, the publick welfare concernes himſelfe, and his owne ſafety. But this is not all, ſuppoſe that the ſhip, by the care and the wiſedome of the ſtecremen, come ſafe to land, yet this mans comfort ſhall be, but according to the proportion of his care, in ſeeking the preſervation of the ſhip; Nay more than this, and ſo I will ſpeake more plainely, for I intend the information of the ſimple; What if the Militia of the Kingdome were fully ſetled and maintained, what good were that, to that man, who, in the meane time, lyeth quite naked, expoſed to all the malice of the Devill and his owne heart; what were it to him, that the Kingdome is ſet in a ſafe and good poſture, if in the meane time, he himſelf be, as a Towne without walls, or as a City whoſe walls are broken downe; who or what will may come-in, and goe-out, and make a prey there? Therefore I will point a few words directly to him, even that particular man, that lookes to have comfort, ſafety and peace in the Kingdomes ſafety. That is his hope, But there is an hope, which makes aſhamed, like waters dried-up in ſummer: Is it a true hope? Then the man has this ground, That all this time, while the Kingdome has been posturing, he has, with the good ſouldier, learned well to poſture himſelfe; he has not neglected to doe that every day, which omitted, will be the greateſt cut and grief to our hearts, on that day, the great day, when the ways and ſecrets of all hearts ſhall be opened, and all the prizes, the opportunities put-into our hands, let ſlip thence, and loſt there, ſhall be preſented to our knowledge: This will be the Hell indeed. Therefore, that this hope may not be a conceit only, but an Anchor, ſure and ſtedfaſt, to the ſoul, amidſt the great water-floods, It concernes this man to conſider as followes:
He has heard the Drumme beate every day theſe three yeares together; It was his Alarm; he was called upon to put himſelfe in a poſture of Defence; for when the houre of temptation and ſore agony comes upon him (it is come upon the world) and he be found naked, he muſt be left the more naked of excuſe, becauſe he was called-upon every day to maintaine his Militia, to quit himſelfe as a good ſouldier of Jeſus Chriſt: He muſt think alſo, if he thinks of himſelf, and common reaſon forſakes him not, (which muſt needs tell him,) That ſooner or later he ſhall meet with enemies enough to combate with, though none of thoſe deſtroyers, (ſo buſily employed now in working-out their own deſtruction, and againſt their intent, the ſalvation of Gods people) though none of theſe, he meet with, yet he muſt looke to meet with thoſe as bad to combate with, with the Prince ruling in the ayre, Principalities and powers, thoſe mighty adverſaries, might and power it ſelfe; Beſides, vehement winds, and a ſcorching ſeaſon, will beat upon the head of every man ſooner or later, and down he falls, he knowes not how low, unleſſe his ſtanding be ſure upon the Rock, in a good poſture of Defence; when a ſickneſſe unto death comes, then this will be, even the ſenſe of all this, if the heart be not, at that time, as Naballs was, like a ſtone, dead and paſt feeling; Before the man dies; then, I ſay, the ſenſe of all this will be; The man may be now like a wild-Aſſe traverſing his way, but in that MonethMonth he ſhall be Jer. 2. 24.found.
But before this day comes, who knows what terrible things he may ſee! He may ſee the tearing-up of mountaines by the rootes, and hurling them into the midſt of the ſea, as the Prophet expreſſeth Pſal. 46.the terrible commotions, concuſſions, diſtractions, which have been, are and will be in poſturing times, troublous times ever, when the breaches in Jeruſalems wall are making-up; He may feele the earth trembling, Divells and men raging, garments rouled in blood; he may ſee Townes fired; Cities laid-waſt; all deſireable things taken from him, and what his ſoul loaths given into his hands, inſtead thereof. Then, if he hath maintained his Militia, if he be, as the good ſouldier, in a poſture of defence, happy is he. If otherwiſe, neither he nor I can expreſſe how miſerable his caſe will be; very miſerable and beyond expreſſion. Sinners in Zion, men profeſſing the truth, but not ſhewing forth the power thereof in their life, theſe ſhall be afraid, fearfullneſſe and trembling will come upon him, ſorrow will overwhelme him; The proud waters will goe over Pſal. 55. 5.his head; terrours ſhall make him afraid on every ſide; brimſtone ſhall be ſcattered upon his habitation.Job 18. 11.
There is one thing more in this, and commands our ſerious conſideration. Suppoſe this careleſſe perſon ſhould be inſtrumentall to the poſturing the Kingdome, in throwing out Perſons and Things, which have troubled the peace of the ſame; Suppoſe ſo, while yet he himſelfe is an unreformed perſon, his own Militia is quite neglected; Then this will follow, That all this he has done, though according to the command of God, is upon his ſcore, and he ſhall be reckoned with for it, even for the good, he hath done, becauſe after an ill manner. He (as was ſaid of old) rebuked pride with another pride; he has throwne-out Idoll-Perſons, and their Idoll ſervices, but is as Idolatrous as were they: They ſet-up Idolls before their eyes, he ſetts-them up in his heart: It was Jehues caſe, a moſt notable caſe; He deſtroyed Ahab and his houſe, and had a word for it, the command of God, But he did it for the glory of his own name; with a zeale burning-hot, but it was for his own houſe, and was ſuch an Idolater, as Ahab was: Therefore ſaith the Lord (it is terrible) I will avengeth blood of Jezreel upon the houſe of Jehu. This Scripture is fully and uſefully cleared to me and thee, (for Mr Burrought upon Hoſea, c. i. v. 4.there is a deceit in Generalls) how dangerous a thing it is to profeſſe our ſelves teachers of others, and yet not teach our ſelves; A reformer of others, and yet our ſelves unreformed; An enemy to Idols ſtanding without the man, but a friend to Idols ſtanding-up in his own heart: This is to abhorre Idols, yet to commit ſacriledge. It is of great, of infinite concernment. Let me ſpeake this over once more to the Gallio of theſe times, I would ſingle him out though he is plurall; I meane them, whoſe hearts, and hands may be with the Parliament, but they regard the things that are done, no more than Gallio did the beating of Soſthenes; To this man I Acts 18. 17.would point theſe few words. 1. He can think it very fit that all that which exalts it ſelfe in a Kingdome, to the deſtruction of King and Kingdome, be taken downe; the Idols there throwne away, for they make a Kingdome naked; and he can be active this way; But he heares not himſelfe ſpeak all this while unto himſelfe, That it more concernes him to throw-out the Idols all, which exalt themſelves in his own heart againſt the Lord Christ, and his own peace. 2. He can, perhaps, command Prayer and Fasting alſo, think all this ſeaſonable in theſe troublous times; but regards not how ſlack and cold he is at that performance in his houſe and cloſſet. 3. So for the word of GOD, the power of GOD unto ſalvation, he can help to widen the doore, to give it a free paſſage, and yet ſhut his own heart againſt it, not ſubjecting himſelfe to the rule and power thereof. 4. So for the Lords day; he has perhaps helped to vindicate that day from its horrible pollutions, and yet the duties performed on that day, what a wearineſſe to him? 5. So for the Covenant, he can perſwade others to enter-into it, and yet not perſwaded in his own heart, to ſtand unto it, though he has lifted-up his hand to the high GOD, and ſubſcribed his name, that ſo he will doe. He complaines of the publick miſeries, but indeed they are the private, that trouble him *foreign. Iſa. 1…. The Ladies ſaith Homer, wept heartily with Briſei over the body of Patroclus, but it was becauſe their own Lords were ſlaine in the ſame ba… tle.; he helps to quench the fier in the Kingdome with all ſpeed, for he feares the fier will take his dwelling place; he ſtands-up againſt the robbers and ſpoilers, leaſt they enter his own doores. I could tell him here a very apt and pertinent diſcourſe between Lypſius and Langius, touching the troubles and miſeries of Belgia; But becauſe I ſuppoſe this man well skilled in the Latine tongue, as Gallio was, being a chiefe perſon, a Deputy, I will point only to this diſcourſe in the Lipſ. de Conſtant. l. 1. c. 8.Margin, and entreat him heartily to read it, That I may not delay the Reader any longer from taking a full view of the method, and well ordered way, the Nobles and Worthies have taken in this poſturing worke: then we ſhall ſee, That the Good Souldier has taken the very ſame way in the poſturing himſelfe: And ſo, by the good hand of God with him, he ſtands as a well poſtured Kingdom, more ſtable than are the everlaſting hills, and perpetuall mountaines; The blaſt of the terrible ones againſt him, mooves him no more, than does a blaſt of wind ſhake a wall of braſſe.