Command, (2 Chron. xvii. 14.) Yet this mighty Prince difclaims all Confidence in this numerous and brave Army: and in a Way of Humility, (and not Cowardice) proftrates himself before the Lord of Hofts with this pious and true Expreffion of his Truft in Him, (2 Chron. xx. 6, 12.) Thou, O Lord God, ruleft over all the Kingdoms of the Earth; and in thine Hands there is Power and Might, fo that none is able to withstand Thee. But in us there is no Might against this great Company that cometh against us; only our Eyes are unto Thee. Which perfectly agrees with that Sentence of the Oracles of God, (Pfal. xxxiii. 16.) No Prince is faved by the Multitude of an Hoft, nor any mighty Man by his great Strength. And we are af fured (Pfal. cxxvii. 1.) that all human De fence is infufficient to preferve the strongest Town except the Lord keep it. And if we confider the Nature and Reafon of Things, we must grant, that no Courage can be fup. posed to be fo brave and manly, as that which is grounded on the Hope of Allegiance to GOD, and Affiftance from Him.

But fome will fay, that we very often fee profane and profligate Troops, ftoutly contemning Death and Dangers, prevailing in Battle, and carrying all Things before them with great Succefs. To this I reply; That where there are great Provocations of GOD on both Sides, he ufually makes them Scourges to one another, and fo they are raifed up and

im

impowered to beat and trample on each other by turns; and usually it pleases GOD to permit the evil Spirits to have, a great Hand in this, who will eagerly blow up the Wrath and Rage of each Party, to the Defolation and Destruction of each other.

We have many Inftances of this in the Hiftories of the Bible, which go beyond all other Hiftories in this, that we have there a View of the hidden Springs and Causes of the Tranfactions that are there related. And there we read how fome Princes were infpirited by God to undertake brave and noble Enterprizes; and then we see with what matchlefs Courage they made their Onsets, and carried the Day; as when David in his Youth flew Goliath the vast Giant of the Philistines; and when Jonathan and his Armour-Bearer attacked their whole Army, encamped on a high Hill that was almoft inacceffible; with many like Inftances. And on the other hand, we find Saul, Ahab, and other wicked Princes, merely drawn out to the Battle, and pushed on to their Ruin by evil Spirits; who, partly by firing the Rage of these Men, given up to their Power, and partly by blinding and hardening them, as to their present or future Dangers, did moft dreadfully bring to pafs their Ruin in this World and the next.

By all which, it appears to be a Truth that cannot be queftioned by any, but fuch

as

as deny the Truth of the Holy Scriptures, and GOD's Government of the World; that all true and manly Courage is the Gift of GOD, together with all the Victory and good Succefs that attend it, either in a single Perfon, or in a whole Army.

Be affured therefore, my Brother, that our Almighty GoD is the over-ruling Generalif fimo of all the Armies in the World; and that it is his moft undeniable Prerogative to be the LORD OF HOSTS, or Armies; a Title given to GoD above fifty Times in the fingleProphecy of Isaiah; and we know, He will not give his Glory to another.

I have infifted the longer on this first Maxim, my Brother, because this is the very Foundation of all Virtue and Goodness. If Man had no dependance upon GOD, even in the Affairs of War, (which are the most important of any under the Sun) he would have fomething to fay for his Impiety and Immorality. But fince it is the glorious Attribute of GOD to have the Rule over all his Works; and fince it is the very Nature. of a Creature, to Live, Move, and have his Being in, and from his GOD; we muft even be conftrained, by the manifeft Force of Reafon, and the concurrent Testimony of the Confciences of all Men, to aver, that it is the moft foolish and moft pernicious thing in the World, for any reasonable Creature to neglect, or to offend the All-governing GOD; and that there can be no folid

Peace

Peace or Comfort to Man in this World, without the Friendship of the Governor of it. And when the Soldier feriously thinks of this, he will be convinced, that it is more especially hazardous, and an indiscreet Thing in one of his Profeffion, to be a Contemner of God, or an Offender against Him; fince a Soldier is, more than all other Men exposed to continual Danger, and needs a more peculiar Defence from God's Providence; and therefore ought in Prudence to endeavour to fecure it by a more than ordinary fober and good Life.

We fee with what Caution, and with what ftrictness of Difcipline, a prudent General marches his Troops thorow the Country of any powerful Prince, whofe Friendship he is concerned to preferve: No Soldier fhall be permitted to take the Worth of a Penny, without paying for it, upon pain of Death; nor prefume to open his Lips provokingly against any Subject of that Prince, without a fuitable Penalty; and whofoever offends, is immediately and impartially punished by Martial Law, as a Terror to others. And all this is well. But then, who can juftify the Conduct of that General, who takes no effectual Care that his Soldiers do not offend the LORD OF HOSTS? and who restrains not the Vice, and Profanenefs of his Army, that they break not their Peace with the Lord their God? Nothing but Atheism and a wicked Life, can make us think, that the Anger

of the Almighty GoD is lefs to be dreadedthan that of an earthly Prince: Or that any Intereft in this World is greater than that of our Peace with GOD.

These Things being confidered, it is scarce imaginable, what Glory might be given to GOD, what Succefs to the Enterprizes of an Army, and what Comfort would accrue to the Minds of fuch Generals and other Officers, who should take great Care to suppress the Vices of those under their Command; particularly the horrid Impiety of profane Swearing and Curfing, which, as the great Duke of Scomberg told his Soldiers, is a Sin that has the least Temptation, and is of the moft heavy Guilt; to which, as Soldiers are too often very fubject, so being committed openly, and thereby made liable to Obfervation, may be very eafily punifhed and fuppreffed. The meer Frown of Officers would do much towards the fuppreffing of this Sin, but the conftant Refentment of it would do it more, and a general Punishment of it, moft effectu ally; as we may be convinced by the happy Effects of the putting the Laws in Execution for fome Years paft against this and other Impieties and Immoralities in the City of London, and throughout the Kingdom; whereby the fuppreffing of them in the Army is now become much more easy to be effected.

Wherefore I once more intreat you, my Brother, to fix a deep Senfe of this my firft