N00746:37
The man of war. A sermon preached to the Artillery Company at Boston, on…
The man of war. A sermon preached to the Artillery Company at Boston, on June 5. 1699. Being the anniversary day for their election of officers. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. ; [Three lines of quotations]
Boston: printed by B. Green for Benjamin Eliot, 1699
The Man OF WAR › DOCTRINE. It is a great point of Prudence, in times of Peace, to ma… › USE.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Which Consideration might be improved both for Rebuke & Caution. It hath doubtless ⟨p. 18⟩been a fault among us, that this Rule of Prudence hath been so poorly attended. Peace hath bred Security, and times of Trouble have found us unready; and the most of our Surprises and Defeatments by the Enemies, have deserved to be imputed to this. I spare to enumerate the many instances that are at hand; Of how many of our surprised Garrisons, in which our people have been miserably butchered, may that of the Poet be asserted, Invadunt urbem, somno— Sepultam.
Which Consideration might be improved both for Rebuke & Caution. It hath doubtless ⟨p. 18⟩been a fault among us, that this Rule of Prudence hath been so poorly attended. Peace hath bred Security, and times of Trouble have found us unready; and the most of our Surprizes and Defeatments by the Enemies, have deserved to be imputed to this. I spare to enumerate the many instances that are at hand; Of how many of our surprized Garrisons, in which our people have been miserably butchered, may that of the Poet be asserted, Invadunt urbem, somno— Sepultam.
And there have been complaints made, that our very Trainings have been too often idle Complements, of at least, that there hath been in them too much neglect of, and too little proficiency in the things that are properly designed by them.
And be we warned not to fall asleep, because the Sword of War is at present sheathed; remembering that the Book of the Histories of the Wars of the Lord, is not yet completed, nor will be till the great Battle of Armageddon is fought. Babylon is not yet fallen. The Churches Adversaries are still in their strength. God will call out his Armies ere long; and then Cursed will he be who cometh not forth to the help of the Lord against the mighty.