A sermon preached unto the volunteers of the city of Norwich and also to…A sermon preached unto the voluntiers of the city of Norwich and also to…

And as your work is honourable, so your work is safe. In times of war, the safest place is the Camp, and whilst that those of poor spirits, that love only to be in their beds, and in their houses, shall be pillaged and plundered, men of brave spirits that are willing to be in the Field shall be secured. A valiant and courageous mind commandeth all thing, says Seneca: he that commandeth death commandeth all things, as the valiant man doth. Now Beloved, you see into what times we are fallen, of necessity things must either go well or ill: if things go ill, the worst is death, and what great matter is it to dye for your God, a little before your time, who would live when Religion is dead? who would live to out-live his Religion? Cicero tells us of some Indians that having many wives, when the husband dyed the wives strived to be burned with him, and she that was the strongest prevailed to be burned, and the rest went away very sorrowful as having met with a great loss that they might not be burned with their husband; and do you desire to live a day after the protestant Religion, that you have bin married too now for many years together? It is no great matter to live, the beasts, birds, and fishes live, this is truly great to dye well, honourably freely, wisely, as Seneca saith, It is better to dye in the Field for the cause of God, then die in ones bed, by the hand of a sickness. It is storied of one Bibulus, a great Roman, that having obtained many victories, he came to Rome to ride in triumph, where a Tile falling off the house, stroke him so deeply and mortally into the head, as he dyed of it. Thus may you dye by an unworthy Tile as you walk in the streets, or by the turning of some humour in your bodies; and is it not better then to dye for the truth? Can you lose too much for Christ that hath lost so much for you? Death is the worst. ⟨p. 17⟩And if things go well, I cannot but think it will go with the popish Malignant party, as once with the Freislanders, when the Earl of Holland had overcome them, they took up Arms to resist him again; whereupon he ordered,¹ that the doors of their houses should be made so low, as they should always stoop when they went in, noting their subjection;

And as your worke is honorable, so your worke is sase. In times of war, the safest place is the Camp, and whilst that those of poor spirits, that love onely to be in their beds, and in their houses, shall be pillaged and plundered, men of brave spirits that are willing to be in the Field shall be secured. A valiant and couragious minde commandeth all thing, sayes Seneca: he that commandeth death commandeth all things, as the valiant man doth. Now Beloved, you see into what times we are fallen, of necessity things must either go well or ill: if things go ill, the worst is death, and what great matter is it to dye for your God, a little before your time, who would live when Religion is dead? who would live to out-live his Religion? Cicero tells us of some Indians that having many wives, when the husband dyed the wifes strived to be burned with him, and she that was the strongest prevailed to be burned, and the rest went away very sorrowfull as having met with a great losse that they might not be burned with their husband; and do you desire to live a day after the protestant Religion, that you have bin married too now for many yeers together? It is no great matter to live, the beasts, birds, and fishes live, this is truly great to dye well, honorably freely, wisely, as Seneca saith, It is better to dye in the Field for the cause of God, then die in ones bed, by the hand of a sicknesse. It is storied of one Bibulus, a great Roman, that having obtained many victories, he came to Rome to ride in triumph, where a Tile falling off the house, stroke him so deeply and mortally into the head, as he dyed of it. Thus may you dye by an unworthy Tile as you walk in the streets, or by the turning of some humour in your bodies; and is it not better then to dye for the truth? Can you lose too much for Christ that hath lost so much for you? Death is the worst.