When the Soldiers sat under the Ministry of John Baptist, he said not unto them, Lay down your Arms; but as in Luc. 3. 14. Be content with your Wages; which was as good as saying, Be content to be Soldiers. The believing Centurion ⟨p. 18⟩did not look upon himself as obliged to throw up his Commission, tho it had a Roman Original: and yet of him it was said in Matt. 8. 10. I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel, as in him. It is recorded of the Patriarch Abraham, (of that Father of the Faithful) in Gen. 14. 14. that he had a kind of Artillery Garden at his house; an Artillery Company was under his Conduct, whereto about forty Files belonged. Shall we imagine that GOD will teach any unlawful thing? No; The ever-glorious GOD Himself is called, The God of Armies. But He is never called, The God of Thieves, or The God of Murderers; or the God of any thing that is to be thought sinful. It is indeed said, that They that take the sword, shall perish with the sword. But this refers to taking up the Sword without a right Cause, and without a just Call. When men meddle with Swords without a sufficient Call from both God and man, they are wont to come off like those Ephraimites which the seventy eighth Psalm singeth of, among other ancient things, who would needs break prison out of Egypt and seize upon Palestine, by Force of Arms, before they had a good Warrant for it, and were slain by the men of Gath, to the great grief of their Father, ⟨p. 19⟩and the increase of their Servitude. It is also said, Whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. But private, personal Revenge is the thing forbidden there. Tis to be suspected, that the people who make Out-cries against all Use of carnal Weapons, would (as One ingeniously saith) use the Weapons very carnally, yea, very bloodily, if they had them in their own Hands.
When the Souldiers satt under the Ministry of Iohn Baptist, he said not unto them, Lay down your Arms; but as in Luc. 3. 14. Be content with your Wages; which was as good as saying, Be content to be Souldiers. The believing CenCenturion ⟨p. 18⟩did not look upon himself as obliged to throw up his Commission, tho it had a Roman Original: and yet of him it was said in Matt. 8. 10. I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel, as in him. It is recorded of the Patriarch Abraham, (of that Father of the Faithful) in Gen. 14. 14. that he had a kind of Artillery Garden at his house; an Artillery Company was under his Conduct, whereto about forty Files belonged. Shall we imagine that GOD will teach any unlawful thing? No; The ever-glorious GOD Himself is called, The God of Armies. But He is never called, The God of Theeves, or The God of Murderers; or the God of any thing that is to be thought sinful. It is indeed said, that They that take the sword, shall perish with the sword. But this refers to taking up the Sword without a right Cause, and without a just Call. When men meddle with Swords without a sufficient Call from both God and man, they are wont to come off like those Ephraimites which the seventy eighth Psalm singeth of, among other ancient things, who would needs break prison out of Egypt and sieze upon Palestina, by Force of Arms, before they had a good Warrant for it, and were slain by the men of Gath, to the great grief of their FaFather, ⟨p. 19⟩and the encrease of their Servitude. It is also said, Whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. But private, personal Revenge is the thing forbiden there. Tis to be suspected, that the people who make Out-cries against all Use of carnal Weapons, would (as One ingeniously saith) use the Weapons very carnally, yea, very bloodily, if they had them in their own Hands.
