' G 0 D A M A N OF w A R. GOD A M AN OF wAR. 'I'he .Lord is a Man of War, Exod. xv. 3· 'I"he God of the Armies of lfrael, 1 Sam. xvii. 45· '!'he Lord of Hofls, !fa. xlvii. 4· !11N:llt ;n;;• Dominus Exercituum. Obfervation, God is compared to a Warrior. TO illufl:rate this Similitude, we !hall !hew, x. What Wars the Almighty God engages himfelf in. 2. What Manner of vVarrior he is. 3· In what Refpetl: he is parallel with earthly Warriors. 4· The Difparity betwixt them. 5· Draw fame Inferences or Corollaries from the Whole. Book II; x. The Lord is engaged in a fpiritual War againfl: the Ungodly, that remain ob. fl:inate and rebellious againfl: him. He judges the Righteous, and is angr:; with the Wicked.every Day: If he turn not, he will whet his Sword; he bath bent his Bow, and made it ready: He bath alfo prepared for him the Inflruments of Death, he ordainetb his Al"rows againfl the Perfecutors, Pjal. vii. 11, 12, 13. If I whet my glittering Sword, (faith the Lord) and mine Hand take hold on Judgment, I will render Vengeance to mine Enemies, and will reward them that hate me: I will make mine Arrows drunk with Blood, (and my Sword jhall devour Flejh) and that with the Blood of the Slain, and of the Cap– tives, &c. ]er. ix. 16. and xii. 12. Lev. xxvi. 25, 33· &c. Deut. xxxii. 41, 42. 2. The Lord is concerned, and oftentimes engages himfelf in temporal or national Wars and Battles: It was he that led Jofhuaforth as an armed Man, again/1 the Canaanites, ]ojh. i. 9· Hence he is called, the God of the Armies of lfrael, 1 Sam. xvii. 45· I know not (faith an eminent Writer) any one 2hing, where the Providence of God is more fully Jet out in Scripture, than in the Workings of it about W ars. It was the Lord that brought up Nebuchadnezzar againfl: the Cities of ]udab, and fl:irred up the Medes to defl:roy the Babyloniam, !fa. xiii. 4, 17, 19. Q. But what Mmmer of Warrior is GoJ? · A. r. He is a righteous and jufl Warrior. The proud haughty Princes and Paten· tates of the Earth, many Times take up Arms upon unjufl Grounds, and pick Qt,wrrels for vain-glorious and ambitious Ends: If they fee their Neighbour thrive, as if it were an Eclipfe to their Glory, they invade him, and imbrue their cruel Swords in Blood and Slaughter, facrificing the Lives of many thoufand Innocents, to gratify their avaricious and damnable Lufl:s: \Vhereas God never proclaims War, nor draws the fpiritual Sword againfl: any Soul, People, or Nation, but when there is juft Caufe, and no other M eans will do: Shall not the ]udge of all the Earth (fays Abraham) do right? Gen. xviii. 25. · · 2. The Lord is ajkilful and expert Warrior, he knows how to mar!hal his Ho.fl, and Jet his Battle in Array. There is no Policy in War, nor Stratagem in the Military Art, but he underfl:ands it. 3· He is a mighty and terrible Warrior. He canjhake the Heavens by his Voice, and make the Mountains quake before him, Pjal. xxiv. 8. With him is terrible Majejly; hets the Lord mighty in JJattle, he makes the Earth to fear, mzd the Inhabitants thereof to melt, fo that the Men of Might fhall not find their Hands.. He can make Emperors as Stubble to his Bow, and mtghty Ktngs as Chaff before the Whtrlwmd. He makes Beelzebub, wztb all his Guards, to tremble, andfly into Darknejs itfelf, to hide themfelves. He cuts off!be Spirits of Princes, and is triumphant over the greatejl and proudejl Monarchs, Dan. v. 5· Alexander, Pompey, Crefar, and Tamerlane, have all yielded to this invincible Conqueror. If he jhews but a Finger on the fVall, he makes proudBe!n>azzar quake; and call employ inanimate Creatures, to terrify and dejlroy Pharaoh and hts Hofl. . 4· The Lord is a viflorious and prevailing Warridr; when he rifes up, he devours at once. He bears long, before he fl:irs up himfelt like a Man ofWar; he is not qu1ckly P rovoked. I have (faith he) for a long 'fime held my Peace, I have beenflt/1: Now I wtll
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