* The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but victory is of the Lord,' Prov. xxi. 31.
How oft have you in the Psalms that proud warlike creature disparaged, because naturally men are more bewitched with that than with any other creature. If they have store of horses, then they think they are strong. Therefore God forbids the king ' to multi^jly horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end he should multiply horses,' &c., Deut. xvii. 16, because God is the strength of his chm-ch, when there is no multitude of horses. You see it is a bewitching creature, and yet a vain help. A place like this we have, Isa. ii. 7, complaining there of the naughty people which were among the Jews, at that time as bad as the IsraeUtes. Saith he, ' Their land also is full of silver and gold ; neither is there any end of their treasures ; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots.' What, is there a fault in that ? No. Luther saith, ' Good works are good, but the confidence in them is dam- nable.' So gold and silver, horses and chariots, are good creatures of God. But this was their sin, confidence in these things. ' There is no end of their treasures.' If they had treasure enough, they should do well enough.
* Their land also was full of horses.' Was this a fault? No ; but their confidence in them. They thought they were a vdse people to have such furniture and provision of munition for war. But God was their king, and the chief governor of his people ; and for them to heap up these things, to trust over-much in them, it was a matter of complaint. ' Their land also is full of idols.'
Thus you see there is no confidence to be put neither in the one nor the other, neither in the association of foreign friends, who will prove deceit- ful, ' reeds of Egypt,' that not only deceive, but the splinters thereof fly about, and may run up into the hand. Such are idolaters and false friends, deceitful and hurtful. Nor in home. There is no trust in horses, muni- tion, or such like. WTiat doth this imply ? That to war and have provi- sion in that kind is unlawful and unnecessary, because he finds fault here with horses and the like ? No ; take heed of that ; for John Baptist, if the soldier's profession had been unlawful, he would have bid them cast away their weapons ; but he bids them ' do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely,' &c., Luke iii. 14. And God would never style himself ' the Lord of hosts, and a man of war,' Isa. xlii. 13, and ' he that teacheth our hands to war, and our fingers to fight,' Ps. xviii. 31, unless it were
282 THE BETURNING BACKSLIDER. [SeRMON III.
good in the season. Therefore war is lawful, seeing in the way to heaven we live in the midst of enemies.
Therefore it is but an anabaptistical fancy to judge war to be unlawful. No, no ; it is clean another thing which the Holy Ghost aims at : to beat back carnal confidence. For it is an equal fault to multiply help and to neglect them. Either of both are fatal many times : to multiply horses, trusting in them, or to spoil horses and other helps vainly, so to weaken a kingdom. Therefore there is a middle way for all outward things, a fit care to serve God's providence, and when we have done, trust in God with- out tempting of him ; for to neglect these helps is to tempt him, and to trust in them, when we have them, is to commit idolatry with them. Be- ware of both these extremes, for God will have his providence served in the use of lawful means. When there is this great care in a Christian commonwealth, there is a promise of good success, because God is with us. Otherwise, what is all, if he be our enemy ? So we see the second point made good, that these outward things of themselves cannot help. Therefore comes this in the thu-d place : —
Ohs. That ivhen God alters and changes and nwiddeth anew the heart of a man to repentance, he altereth his confidence in the creature.
A Christian State will not trust in Asshur, nor in horses. It is true both of State and persons. The reason will follow after in the end of the verse, ' For in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.' Because, when a man hath once repented, there is a closing between God and him, and he seeth an all-sufiiciency in God to satisfy all his desires. Therefore he will use all other things as helps, and as far as it may stand with his favour. For he hath Moses's eye put in him, a new eye to see him that is invisible, Heb. xi. 27, to see God in his greatness, and other things in their right estimate as vain things. What is repentance but a change of the mind, when a man comes to be wise and judicious, as indeed repentant men are the only wise men ? Then a man hath an esteem of God to be El-shadai, all-sufficient, and all other things to be as they are, uncertain ; that is, they are so to- day, as that they may be otherwise to-morrow, for that is the nature of the creatures. They are in potentia, in a possibility to be other things than they are. God is alway ' I am,' alway the same. There is not so much as a shadow of changing in him. Wherefore, when the soul hath attained unto this spu'itual eyesight and wisdom, if it be a sinful association with Egypt or Asshur, with this idolater or that, he will not meddle ; and as for other helps, he will not use them further than as subordinate means. When a man is converted, he hath not a double, not a divided heart, to trust partly to God and partly to the creature. If God fail him,* he hath Asshur and horses enough, and association with all round about. But a Christian he will use all helps, as they may stand with the favour of God, and are subordinate under him. Now for trial.