Military duties recommended to an artillery company

That elegant Resemblance of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the close of His last Letter from Heaven to the Church on Earth, Rev. 22. 2. A tree of Life which bears twelve manner (a blessed variety) of Fruits, the leaves whereof also are for the healing of the Nations, hath been sometimes not unfitly applied unto the Scriptures, those precious Leaves of the Bible, which testify of Him. ⟨p. 2⟩There is in these Oracles of God, a delicious Entertainment for the innumerable sorts of Readers to whom these presents come; and the Benefit of the Soldier particularly is not left unconsulted in them. The blessed Suitableness of this miraculous Book unto the Affairs and Concerns of all men, is, to be found (as the Philosopher saith, of the Soul in the Body) in every part thereof; but the Book of Psalms (a Little Bible, as Luther styled it) in peculiar wise, is so remarkable on this score, that it was no imprudence in old Jerome to bid his Friend make This his Vade mecum, his constant Companion, it was no folly in the holy Minister of Constantinople being driven out of that City, to take no part of his Treasures but This, which was unto him pro et prae Divitiis, instead of and better than all the Riches of the World; the renowned Basil therefore very rightly recommended it as A Divine Treasure, and the eloquent Chrysostom no less appositely reputed it as, a Panoply for the Christian. From this Panoply, from this well-furnished Armoury, give me leave to offer something for the Use of this Armed, and much honoured Auditory. For this cause the name which the Holy Spirit in a certain place (in Col 3. 16.) putteth upon these Psalms is that of spiritual Songs; ⟨p. 3⟩partly because the Spirits of men are most singularly suited therein: every man may conceive, as Athanasius long ago observed, That they speak de se, in re sua, to his own case directly. Tis to be hoped that the Spirit of the Soldier especially will anon herein meet with what shall not be impertinent unto him.

THat elegant Resemblance of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the close of His last Letter from Heaven to the Church on Earth, Rev. 22. 2. A tree of Life which bears twelve manner (a blessed variety) of Fruits, the leaves whereof also are for the healing of the Nations, hath been sometimes not unfitly apply'd unto the Scriptures, those precious Leaves of the Bible, which testify of Him.