Mr. Forbes's ARTILLERY-ELECTION SERMON.
THE Dignity and Importance of the Military Character illustrated. A SERMON PREACHED TO THE ANCIENT AND HONORABLE ARTILLERY COMPANY, IN BOSTON, NEW-ENGLAND, JUNE 3d. 1771. BEING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR ELECTION OF OFFICERS.
By ELI FORBES, A. M. Pastor of the Second CHURCH in BROOKFIELD.
LET us be of good courage; and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: And the Lord do that which seemeth him good.
BOSTON, NEW-ENGLAND: Printed by RICHARD DRAPER, in Newbury-Street. M, DCC, LXXI.
TO HIS EXCELLENCY THOMAS HUTCHINSON, Esq Captain-General and Governor in Chief, &c.
AS the following discourse was designed to do honor to the military character, and revive the true martial spirit; and as it was delivered at the first Anniversary after our most gracious Sovereign, as a fresh instance of his paternal care, was pleased to appoint you to the first military, as well as civil office, within this Province, I hope I may with the greater propriety beg leave to [Page ii] send it abroad under your Excellency's patronage, as the best means of rendering effectual its primary design, and as expressive of that general felicity which your appointment has diffused through the hearts of the good people you command, in which no one claims a larger share, or relishes the favor with a more grateful sensibility, than
WHEN I wrote the following discourse, I was indifferent about its being printed; but as it has been misunderstood by some, the partiality of my friends perswaded me to send it abroad into the world to speak for itself. And I beg leave to observe to the reader by way of preface, that my capital design in this sermon was to do honor to the military character, without keeping up those dividing names, or party distinctions of British and American when applied to a general character; and that I might revive the true martial spirit, which is sunk in this province much too low, for the present day.
IN illustrating the importance of the military character, I consider the troops raised in Europe and America as joined in one British victorious Army,—enlisted under one head,— engaged in, and pursuing one common cause,—the mutual interest and safety of the whole.
WHEN I speak of the skill or courage of any European troops or commanders, I do not mean to derogate any thing of the military honors of my dear country-men, or any of his Majesty's troops raised in America;—their native courage has been too often tryed to leave any room to dispute it, or to doubt of its being equal to any that can be found throughout the British dominions; and their improvement in the military arts, has [Page ii] been as great as could perhaps be expected, considering the infancy of the country;—the vast demand of labourers in the arts of agriculture and trade; — and the very little use we ever had for regular troops on this continent, till the last war.
WHEN I speak of the preservation of the public tranquillity, as connected with the military character, well supported,—I do not mean to intimate as if I thought the keeping an armed force, within our thick inhabited towns or cities in a time of peace, was either safe or necessary to the preservation of the public peace: But that the state should be able on every emergency to send an army of well-disciplined troops, men of valour, expert in war, either into the field, or to the sea-coast or frontiers, to withstand or repel a foreign enemy, or if need be, aid, under the direction of the Laws, the civil powers at home, when the public peace is endangered or disturbed by the sons of violence.
IT is a hard question, how wars became necessary? — But instead of puzzling ourselves about the origin of war, let us unite in ardent prayers to the Prince of peace, that he would hasten the happy time, according to the prophecy and the promise, when he shall erect one universal kingdom of peace under the whole heavens, and reign from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
AN Artillery-Election Sermon.
The Lord is a man of war, the Lord is his name.
WAR is a political evil, which is become necessary, upon the introduction of natural and moral evil: And will remain necessary so long as they are allowed to prevail in this degenerate world: Therefore the man of war is become an interesting and important character:—And though it connects a train of very gloomy ideas, in the human breast, especially when inspired with the genius of the gospel, yet, from its importance, and the noble principles by which alone it can be supported, it is become truly honorable.
[Page 2]THE honor of this important character, cannot rise higher, nor gain an attitude more sublime, than that which it assumes in the style of my text. The Lord is a man of war, the Lord is his name.
FROM which words I shall endeavour to vindicate the dignity and importance of the military character.
AS the words are found in that celebrated song of Moses, which he inscribed to the Lord, who triumphed gloriously over Pharaoh and his host at the red-sea; so they are to be understood poetically. And the divine personage, who is called a man of war, whose name is Jehovah, is probably the blessed Messiah, then in the form of God, under whose special protection and guidance, as the constituted Lord of providence, Israel passed from a state of bondage in Egypt, through the red-sea, safe, as on dry-land, while Pharaoh's chariots, and his pursuing hosts sank amidst the closing billows to the bottom, as a stone, and were drowned in the mighty waters.
[Page 3]THE military character, in this connection stands in a very amiable, as well as eminent point of light.
THE dignity and importance of this character, has, I know, been the common professed subject of this day; yet, I will not say, it has been exhausted: For the dignity originates in him whose perfections are infinite, and, its importance keeps pace with life, liberty, religion and happiness.
THE subject remains inexhaustible, and furnishes still, with new matter to stimulate, direct and facilitate the duties of this Anniversary: And will continue to do so, till the blessed Millennium shall take place, when the nations shall, with one consent, beat their swords into plow-shares, and their spears into pruning hooks, and shall learn war no more; but form under the gentle reign of the Prince of peace, one grand universal Monarchy of harmony and love.
TO be like our Father who is in heaven, or to resemble the blessed Immanuel, in those characters which he assumed for our [Page 4] instruction and imitation is the highest honor, and the truest felicity we can aspire to.
AND tho' the divine Being seems to glory in the title, God of love and peace; and tho' the blessed Jesus, his incarnate son is emphatically the "prince of peace," and came to make peace, and has left it in command, as the leading precept of christianity, "follow peace with all men:" Yet sin having entered and fired the passions of men, and bid lust, ambition and fell discord, spread wild disorder through these regions of mortality;— since stern tyranny and cruel oppression, twin-brats of hell, extend their iron bands to enslave the free-born mind, saying, "bow down your souls that we may go over you;" —the God of peace sounds an alarm and calls to arms! —to arms! And his divine Son, the meek and lowly, assumes the character in my text, the man of war.
AND as a mighty Prince of meek majesty, he places himself at the head of his numerous hosts, and girds on the sword upon his thigh, with his bow and crown he [Page 5] marches on, conquering and to conquer. And to his enemies he proclaims ‘What have I to do with peace! I am not come to send peace but a sword, and cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully, cursed be he that with-holdeth his sword from blood:—Blessed are they who do to their enemies as they have done to them—blessed is he, who taketh and dasheth their little ones against the stones.’ —I shudder at these last expressions:—I would not misrepresent the sacred text; nor do I mean to represent the Divine Being, as laying aside the amiable character of the God of love, or as if he ever acted in opposition to it; or as if the compassionate Jesus, that friend of mankind, delighted in blood and slaughter: An idea this, most abhorrent of the Deity, and infinitely remote from the character, or from being any essential part of that character I mean to honor. But when war becomes necessary, through the lusts of men, God for the vindication of his own honor, and the defence of his peoples rights, consecrates the sword to religion, and ‘his right hand takes hold on vengeance;’ —and having commissioned his eternal Son, to do all his dreadful [Page 6] work of judgment; He, as captain of the Lord's hosts, takes the field, and connects the man of war, with the christian Hero, and makes the fidelity of the good soldier, an essential part of that religion which is founded on the immoveable basis of moral virtue and christian grace—a part of that religion which unites love to God with benevolence to men.
THIS divine personage assumed and supported the military character, especially in the theocracy of the Jews, his own people, to whom he stood in a political relation, as their Prince and governor, as well as redeemer and Savior.
AND that he might strengthen their faith, animate their courage, and secure to himself their allegiance, he stipulated with them the Sinai-covenant, and under the oeconomy of that covenant frequently appeared to them in human form, to anticipate his future incarnation.
AND He chose to appear sometimes under the military character, that he might support its dignity, as in that remarkable [Page 7] instance, to Joshua, near the well of Jericho. For ‘it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, he lift up his eyes and looked, and behold their stood a man over against him, with a drawn sword in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and saith unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy; and Joshua did so.’ †
[Page 8]AND as captain-general of all the hosts of heaven and earth, He mustered martialed, and marched them to the field of battle, when he pleased, for the defence and salvation of his chosen people:—And under him they always proved successful, and came off more than conquerors; for he formed visible or invisible guards round about them that feared him, or were faithful in their allegiance to him.
AS captain of the hosts of the Lord, he promised his people that he would fight all their battles for them, so long as they steadily adhered to him:—He would be as a ‘wall of fire round about them, and the glory in the midst of them:’ He therefore forbid them making those war-like [Page 9] preparations which otherwise would have been absolutely necessary for their defence and safety.
UNDER this character he has all nature at command;—no clerk of the muster-roll can call over the list of his forces: for the number of his armies is countless. The heavenly hosts:—the angelic legions are his chosen troops: — The chariots of the Lord are twenty thousand; thousands of Angels. If but one of these take the field under the direction and commission of his divine leader, the camp is spread with more than an hundred and eighty thousand slain:— Next to these the starry legions, which belong to his alarm-list, muster, march, and fight in their courses, under his command, and discomfit the enemies of his people. The clouds, winds, storms, tempest, thunder and hail, are but different battalions, and compose his army of observation, which he "reserves against the day of battle and of war."
AND there is not an element, insect or reptile, but, when commissioned by him, who is the Lord of hosts, may style itself [Page 10] God's host, and become "terrible as an army with banners:" As that reptile and insect-army did, the grand and figurative description of which, we have in the 2d Chapter of Joel.—The prophet Habakkuk describes the military manoeuvres of this mighty warrior in a style peculiar to himself:— ‘He came from Teman, and the holy one from mount Paran, and he went forth for the salvation of his people. He marched through the land in indignation;—He threshed the heathen in his anger;—the stubborn nations were cut in sunder—the everlasting mountains were scattered, the immoveable hills bowed,—the river's rapid stream passed on in silence,—the deep uttered her voice:—the sun stood still, amazed:—the moon hid her pale face:— the pillars of heaven shook for fear, and the earth trembled to her center, while the God marched on in martial pomp, and displayed the honors of the man of war.’
THOUGH this divine man of war, has long since droped the political relation which he bore, as a prince or political Father to the Israelitish nation, which [Page 11] relation terminated with the Sinai-covenant, yet he continues to sustain the military character with equal dignity, under the milder dispensations of the covenant of grace. Here indeed he appears under the form of a servant;—the gentle Lamb of God: And in his general deportment he breathed nothing but love; and peace, and goodness; yet such rays of meek majesty broke forth through the cloud of humanity, as proclaimed him the ‘Son of God with power—the King of Zion, who had more than twelve legions of Angels at command, and all nature obedient to his will.’
WHEN he was about to close up the vision, and to make an end of prophecy, he shewed himself to his ancient apostle John, under the most magnificent titles of a victorious commander:—In one point of view, we behold him mounted on a war-horse, with his bow and with his crown, to denote his martial skill and royal dignity, and he rides on victorious, from one conquest to another; imparting the ensigns of victory to his faithful followers. In another point of light, he is represented as leading forth the armies of heaven against [Page 12] the enemies of his church, while on his robe and on the sword upon his thigh, is wrote "King of Kings and Lord of Lords;" to signify universal empire over all princes and potentates in earth and heaven.—Thus he raised the military character to the highest dignity, which was the first thing I had in view:—The next, is to illustrate the utility and importance of this character to public happiness.
THIS point is established by the former: For if the military character is of such dignity, that, the incarnate Redeemer, ‘who is the brightness of the Father's glory,’ has seen sit to assume and act under it, through the varying modes of the theocracy, when in the form of God, and supported it through the state of his incarnation, when in the form of a servant, and still continues to honor it, as the Lord of Sabaoth, and will, till he has gained the final conquest over all the powers of earth and hell, when he will ‘resign the kingdom unto the Father, and God shall be all in all;’ then certainly, it must not only be a character of the highest honor, but of the greatest utility and importance [Page 13] to public happiness: For happiness is the great good;—to insure and promote this, was the beneficent design of his mission, and the leading characters he assumed and acted under;—the grand point in view was, that he might defend the rights of his people, and bless the world with peace and happiness. But that I might animate your hopes and invigorate the true principles of heroism implanted in your generous breasts, give me leave to point out to you, a few particulars, wherein public happiness stands connected with the military character, well supported.
AS the military, is not an original character;— it became necessary and important upon the introduction of sin; so it must be useful and important as long as sin corrupts the world;—fires the passions of men, and disturbs the public tranquility.
IT is necessary and useful for the defence of our lives, our liberties, property and peace. If these are dear and important, the military character is so, as by that, these, under God are defended and preserved to us.
[Page 14]IT is necessary, to withstand the powers of hell;— to resist the boundless ambition of tyrants;— to curb the lawless pride of nations, and the impetuous lusts of men. To these, where the military character has been wanting or not well supported, life and liberty, states and kingdoms, have fell, devoted victims.
IT was the military character well supported, that contributed very much to raise ancient Rome to her glory and opulence; and the want of this exposed the world to the ravages of the Pompies, the Caesars and the Alexanders.
IT was skill in arms, and the well improvements of that skill, which gave the appellation of the "thundering Legion" to the christian battalions in defence of their natural rights, when invaded by the powers and malice of the infidel world. In short, it is this, under Providence, which has saved Great-Britain more than once, from impending ruin; and transmitted down to us both our civil and sacred rights.
AND we can not so soon forget of what [Page 15] importance or how useful the military character has been to us, British-America, especially in the late war when the British arms were made to triumph over more than half the globe:—From Lake Superior to the Manillas.
WHAT distress were the British Colonies in, soon after the opening of the last war, when we saw a potent, subtle and treacherous enemy at the head of almost all our commanding waters, aided by savages, the hardy sons of the wilderness, whose tender mercies are cruelties.
WE attempted to repel force by force, but the want of a thorough acquaintance with the art military, obstructed the councils of war at home, and the want of disciplined troops, who were bred to war, and who could well support the military character in the field, rendered our first attempts abortive;—the consequence of this was, we saw our fortresses, taken from us;— our frontiers were depopulated and burnt, our wives ravished and then butchered;— our daughters deflowered and led away captive, and our children confined in [Page 16] savage dens;—our brethren slain in the encounter, and left scalped, mangled, unburied, food for savage beasts as well as footless worms, and their bones to this day whitening in the sun:— Horrid scenes! I forbare. —We cried to God, and the Lord of hosts heard, and sent us aid—but chose to honour the military character; and the British troops, veteran, disciplined troops, bred to war, when joined with those of the colonies, were the instruments of our deliverance and safety.—The British troops crossed the Atlantic with their heavy artillery, under the command of gentlemen who were not wanting in military skill, yet unacquainted with the genius of the enemy they had to oppose, and therefore did not succeed at first to their wishes and our sanguine hopes, yet put a stop to the progress of the enemy till the cool, but intrepid AMHERST came, who was a man of war from his youth, and to whom heaven decreed the principal honor of our salvation.
HE, happy man! entered at once into the genius of the enemy; — acquainted himself with the exact situation of those places [Page 17] in which he designed should center his future capital operations; and from his consumate skill in arms, and the art military, he so disposed of the main body of his army and their several detachments, as entirely frustrated the designs of the enemy, and conspired to general conquest. What a croud of victories attended in close succession, and crowned the military operation, which took place under the direction of this able General! —Cape-Briton, Niagara, Ticondaroga, Crown-point, Quebec, Montreal, in short, all Canada and her dependants. †
[Page 18]FAIR victory held out her honors to this her favourite son, while she proclaimed through all America the dignity and importance of the military character. This character will always be important and useful, till that religion, which is first pure and then peaceable, gains an universal influence over the hearts and lives of men, and subjects mankind to her gentle and benign precepts: Then, and not till then, will wars cease;—then, and not till then, will the military character cease to be important and useful.
AND as the present state of things is, and so long as divine providence preserves its ordinary course, the public tranquillity cannot be long preserved, peace maintained at home, or our sacred and civil rights and liberties secured from foreign invasion of ambitious and unreasonable men, without [Page 19] drawing the sword in their defence. Though the sword is a devourer, yet "out of the eater cometh forth meat," necessary to support and defend public happiness.
IMPROVEMENT.
I SHALL not so far forget my own character as to point out to you the particular duties of yours. The gentlemen who have done me the honor to appoint me chaplain of the day, must be supposed to understand them much better than I.
IT is my department to recommend, and to urge in his name who is a man of war, the practice of his religion which gives virtue to the military character; without which its true honor and dignity can never be supported, and its usefulness and importance must in a great measure be lost; and what is worse, without religion it will degenerate into an engine of infamy, and prove most destructive of public happiness.
THAT the knowledge and practice of the religion of the blessed Jesus, is essential to the honor and usefulness of this character [Page 20] I am pleading for, is most obvious, from his assuming and acting under it himself.
I WOULD not intimate that every good christian is of consequence a good soldier, — an accomplished man of war; but this I will venture to say, there cannot be a good soldier, an accomplished man of war, destitute of the principles and practice of christianity. The good soldier, whether officer or private, whose mind is formed upon the genius of the gospel, and life, upon the model of the doctrines and precepts of christianity, while at home, in the city or village, will behave himself as a good citizen, in strict conformity to the laws of the land, lead a ‘peaceable life in godliness and honesty,’ in adherence to that christian precept, "be pitiful, be courteous," and under the auspices of magistracy, will always be ready, to suppress riot, tumult and sedition, which endanger the state and disturb the public tranquillity: — When called to jeopard his life in the high places of the field, he will play the man for his God, for the cities of his God, and for his country. He considers that not a sparrow falls to the ground without the knowledge of his heavenly Father; and is therefore [Page 21] not afraid, with any amazement of ten thousand of the people, and though a thousand fall at his right hand, and ten thousand on his left, yet he knows that so long as life is a blessing, the deadly shot shall not come nigh him:—So that in the midst of the horrors of clashing arms, and of garments rolled in blood, he remains intrepid: the thought of dying for his country in the cause of truth and duty, and living with his God and Saviour in a better world, animates and imboldens him to encounter the most hazardous enterprizes. ‘By faith he waxes valiant in fight—escapes the edge of the sword, and puts to flight the alien army.’
YOU see, Gentlemen, the dignity and importance of the character you sustain. It is truly honorable,—'tis very ancient,—'tis almost as old as the creation, and as important as life and liberty, as public peace and happiness. I know, Gentlemen, you mean to support the dignity and continue to answer the laudable end of your original institution:—a seminary of the art of war:— a nursery of heroes for the field. Be then religious, list under your Captain-general, who styles himself a man of war—the Lord [Page 22] is his name. And while you act the soldier, act the christian, emulate the example of your divine leader. Breath his spirit, and form upon his model:—this will preserve from that horrid abuse of arms, which has too often detracted from the true dignity and utility of the military character, and enstamped an infamy that the brazen pen of time can scarcely erase. * This will render you the honor of human nature, the guardians of our dearest rights, and the glory of British-America, "The chariots of Israel and the horse-men thereof."—May all your military improvements and operations be always under the government of these generous, manly, noble and virtuous principles.—And we trust your eye will be always upon Gentlemen for your officers who will support the dignity, and perpetuate the importance and utility of the character you invest them with, by uniting the christian hero with the man of war: In this you will have the patronage of him, who has the honor, and we the happiness of his being appointed Captain-general and Governor in chief; whose extensive knowledge, great abilities, unblemished vertue and native love of his country, will lead him to protect, support and favour a character which [Page 23] looks with such a promising aspect on public happiness.
BUT to conclude, may what we have heard of the honor and usefulness of the military character, serve to revive a true martial spirit, and inspire with a laudable zeal, not only to improve but excel in the art military; that the native courage which has always distinguished British-America,—especially the sons of the Massachusets, may appear to the best advantage, and produce future heroes, who may vie not only with Greece and Rome, but even with Great-Britain. And may all my brethren of the field be exhorted to act with honor and fidelity, as the servants of the most high God, the disciples of his divine Son, and friends to mankind: Then I have the honor and pleasure to assure them that they shall not only be esteemed by men as guardians of our dearest rights, but shall be finally crowned by the supreme Leader as conquerors, and be seated on triumphal thrones of glory, when they will lay aside the harness, and drop the military character, and ceasing from the fatigues of war,— will rest in everlasting peace, harmony and joy.