1 War is that miserable desolation, which finds a land before it like Eden, and leaves it behind like Sodom, and Gomorrah, a desolate and forsaken wilderness. Happy are we that cannot judge the terrors of war, but by report & hear-say. That never saw our towns and Cities burning, whiles the flame gave light to the Soldiers to carry away our goods. That never saw our houses rifled, our temples spoiled, our wives ravished, our children bleeding dead on the pavements, or sprawling on the merciless pikes. We never heard the groans of our own dying and the clamours of our enemies insulting, confusedly sounding in our distracted ears: the wife breathing out her life in the arms of her husband, the children snatched from the breasts of their mothers, as by the terror of their slaughters to aggravate the ensuing torments of their own. We have been strangers to this misery in passion; let us not be so in compassion. Think you have seen these miseries with your neighbours eyes, and felt them through their sides.
Let it somewhat touch us, that we have been threatened: Octog•simus octanus mirabilis anus, Have we forgotten the ⟨p. 40⟩wonderful year of 88? an enemy of a savage face and truculent spirit; whose arms were bent to harms, to ruin, to blood, to vastation: whose numbers were like locusts, able to lick up a country, as the ox grass: the Ensigns of whose ships were Assurance and Victory: whiles they cast lots upon our nation, and easily swallowed the hope of our destruction: a mortal enemy, an implacable fury, an invincible navy. Lo in the heat and height of all, our God laughed them to scorn, sunk them, drunk them up with his waves; tottered, scattered them on the waters, like chaff on the face of the earth, before the wind and tempest of his indignation. All their intentions, their contentions, their presumption of conquest were disappointed, dissolved, discomfited. These things, though they have not seen, let our children's children to the last generation, that shall inhabit this land, never forget: that we and they may praise God, who ahath made fast the bars of our gates, and hath settled peace in our borders.
2. Famine is a sore outward sickness; an affliction sent by the immediate hand of God. For it is he that withholdeth the influence of heaven, and the kindly heat of the Sun, and the nourishing sap of the earth.
1 Warre is that miserable desolation, which finds a land before it like Eden, and leaues it behind like Sodome, and Gomorrah, a desolate and forsaken wildernesse. Happy are we that cannot iudge the terrors of war, but by report & heare-say. That neuer saw our towns and Cities burning, whiles the flame gaue light to the Souldiers to carry away our goods. That neuer saw our houses rifled, our temples spoyled, our wiues rauished, our children bleeding dead on the pauements, or sprawling on the mercilesse pikes. Wee neuer heard the grones of our own dying and the clamors of our enemles insulting, confusedly sounding in our didistracted eares: the wife breathing out her life in the armes of her husband, the children snatched from the breasts of their mothers, as by the terrour of their •laughters to aggrauate the ensuing torments of their owne. Wee haue been strangers to this misery in passion; let vs not be so in compassion. Thinke you haue seen these miseries with your neighbors eyes, and felt them through their sides.
Let it somewhat touch vs, that we haue been threatned: Octog•simus octanus mirabilis annus, Haue we forgotten the ⟨p. 40⟩wonderfull yeare of 88? an enemie of a sauage face and truculent spirit; whose armes were bent to harmes, to ruine, to bloud, to vastation: whose numbers were like locusts, able to licke vp a countrey, as the oxe grasse: the Ensignes of whose shippes were Assurance and Victorie: whiles they cast lottes vpon our nation, and easily swallowed the hope of our destruction: a mortall enemie, an implacable furie, an invincible nauy. Loe in the heate and height of all, our God laughed them to scorne, sunke them, drunke them vp with his waues; tottered, sca•tered them on the waters, like chaffe on the face of the earth, before the wind and tempest of his indignation. All their intentions, their contentions, their presumption of conquest were disappointed, dissolued, discomfited. These things, though they haue not seene, let our childrens children to the last generation, that shall inhabite this land, neuer forget: that we and they may praise God, who ahath made fast the barres of our gates, and hath setled peace in our borders.
2. Famine is a sore outward sickenesse; an affliction sent by the immediate hand of God. For it is he that withholdeth the influence of heauen, and the kindly heate of the Sunne, and the nourishing sappe of the earth.
- aPsal. 147.13
