Evangelium armatum, A specimen, or short collection of several doctrines and positions destructive to our government, both civil and ecclesiastical preached and vented by the known leaders and abetters of the pretended reformation such as Mr. Calamy, Mr. Jenkins, Mr. Case, Mr. Baxter, Mr. Caryll, Mr. Marshall, and others, &c.

Mr. Marshal in a Sermon before the House of Peers, Octob. 28. 1646. On that Text Psal. 8. 2. Out of the mouth of Babes—hast thou ordained strength—That thou mightest still the enemy, &c.

HE propounds this Quaere, Wherein lyes the Power which proceed∣eth out of the mouth of these Babes? His answer is, There are sive things, which all are the fruit of the mouth, & by them the•…•…e Babes have overcome the enemy and the avenger, 1. Preaching, 2. Confessing or Professing, The Name, Truth and cause of God, and his Christ. 3. Praising, Singing out Praise, &c. 4. Praying, and 5. Covenanting. Then he brings in an Objection, If these be all the weapons and strength whereby the Saints do overcome, why do you use any other means to overcome your enemies? Why rest you not contented with this? either these are not all, or you are not Christians, nor true to your Princi∣ples;—Time was when Preces and Lachrymae, Prayers and Tears, were all the weapons which the Church did use; but now when you have spoke all these things of the power of Preaching, and Praying, and Consessing, and Covenanting, you are glad to betake your selves to Arms, to see what they will do, to help those out, whence it's apparent, you dare not rest in these as sufficient helps. To this Mr. Marshal answers thus, we acknowledge, that as we are Christians (in that capacity; for as they di∣stinguish'd the King into a double Capacity, so they did themselves too, into a natural and a Christian capacity, and in that Capacity, saith He) we use no other wea∣pons than these we have told you of, these onely are proper and peculiar to us •…•…s we are Christians; but the weapons which we enjoy as we are Christians, do not deprive us of those we enjoy in the capacity as Men.—And we challenge in this no more than we may law∣fully use, if we were Papists or Turks, if we were Pagans, Jews or Indians: we challenge not this to be∣long to Christianity, as peculiar to it, we have learn'd, that by the Law of Nature and Nations, men may defend themselves against unjust vio∣lence;

if the Turks should invade a Countrey of Christians, they will tell him, that as they are Christians, Their Praying and Professing and Singing & Covenanting, These Spiritual weapons out of their mouth will quell them; but as they are men, they have a liberty to defend themselves against him, & vim vi repellere; Or if a Christian man were travelling upon the high way, and a Thief should demand of him, how as a Christian, he could defend himself from his Enemies; He would tell him, by Faith, by Prayer, by the word of God, by weapons out of his mouth; but if the Thief assault him and take his life or his purse, •…•…s he is a man he will use his sword, and Christianity will sanc•…•…ifie this use of his sword to him, &c. Thus Mr. Marshal ubi supra. Pag. 27, 28.

And to secure his Party from fear of future vengeance, or damna∣nation, threatned to the Resisters of Soveraign Authority, Rom. 13. 2. He interprets that Text, not of the damnation of hell, but of the Sentence of the Soveraign Power; and that they might not b•…•… frighted with the fear of that Tem∣poral Judg•…•…ment neither, He promiseth them success and victory, in the Name of Almighty God, as above∣said.

Notes

• He makes it Law•…•…ul to do that a•…•… men, which we are 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to do by 〈◊〉〈◊〉 L•…•…ws of Ch•…•…istianity.
• •…•…e 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the 5 Commandment.
• Swe•…•…t incou∣rage•…•…ent.
• Excellent com∣p•…•…risons •…•… be∣tween ones natu∣ral Prince (to whom he hath 〈◊〉〈◊〉) and a Turk, or a Thief.
• See Dr. Ham. of Resisting the Magistra•…•…e under 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Reli∣g•…•…on.