preached at Camp Lake George, Nov. 16, 1755 1

Ecclesiastes 3 ch: 8 vs: There is a lime of War, & a Time of Peace.

This World is a changing uncertain Scene, we can turn our Eyes no where but we see the marks of unconstancy, decay & perpetual Variableness. The Sun brings on the glorious Spring, & refreshes mankind with a most delightsome Prospect. Anon the Scorching Summer succeeds, & either parches up the Fruits of the Earth, or else welcomes us to the Joy of a rip'ned Harvest; But as soon as we begin to enjoy our Fruits, Lo! the frozen Winter comes on, & covers the Earth with a deluge of Snow & Ice.

Nor is this change & uncertainty to be found only in the Natural World. The Common Occurencys of Life & the political State of things, abundantly shew up that Joy & Sorrow, mirth & mourning, getting & Loosing, building up & pulling down, loving & hating, Peace & War, coming into the World & going out, alternately surprize us, & present themselves in unexpected turns. Various Occurrencys befall us, which render those things wch. would be fitting at one time, very improper at another, & things that at one Time are but barely lawful! at another Time may become our Duty. The inspired Pen Man of my Text knew so well, not324only the Truth of this, but also the Importance of the Consideration of it, that he has handed it down to us among the Sayings of his Wisdom, as we find in first 8 verses of the Context. In the 1st. he tells us, to every thing there is a season & to every purpose under heaven. Now whether he hereby means, that God has absolutely foreordain'd & determin'd every individual action that comes to pass, or whether he means that there are proper & convenient Times for every purpose & Business of Man, wch. he is to consult & take notice of, I shall not at this Time consider, but it being most to my present design, I shall understand them in the latter sence, vizt. That there are Times & Seasons proper for all Actions which we ought to Search out & observe, before we enter upon them. For he tells us that every thing is beautifull in its Time. It is beautifull to see the fruitfull showers descending on the growing Fruits, but Rain in Harvest bringeth Sorrow. So it is agreable to have harmony & Peace flowing among the Nations of the Earth & every one enjoying their own Rights & persuing their own Callings. But there is a Time, wn. Peace can be no longer mentain'd, nor forbearance, any longer exercis'd without the destruction of the peacefull, And when this comes to be the case, it is more beautifull to behold the bloody Sword of War, than to suffer the Insults of the Haughty, & more agreable to endure the fatigues of Marching, Encamping, & Battalling than to submit to Slavery thro' An over fond Love of Peace. War surely is a devouring Monster, 'tis the Executioner of Death & sweeps of the Inhabitants of the Earth by Thousands. “Tis Irksome to Human Nature to shed the Blood of our Brother, & 'tis what we have no right to do, but from the calls of Justice, but however Irksome & unpleasant this Business is, yet there are Times in wch. it is absolutely necessary & salubrious; There are Times in wch., it may be said, it is a Time of War.

In speaking to these words I shall Inquire

1. When may it be said to be a Time of War

2. Take Occasion from the Words to enquire wt. are the Dutys relative to such a Time:

1 When may it be said to be a Time of War—To answer the Question, we are naturally led to enquire into the right of making War. For when our Circumstances are such as that we have a right to make War, 'tis then a Time of War, or a Time proper for War, according to our Explination of the Words. Let it then be premis'd that every man has by the Laws of Nature a Right to defend himself against unjust Violence. It is gen'rally325agreed upon that nothing is more consonant to the Law of Nature than that no man should offer Violence to another & on the other hand that all men should shew Kindness to one another & be perticularly exact in the Observation of Agreements & Compacts, & wn. men obey these Laws, they may be said to enjoy Peace. Peace is a State proper to the Human Nature as such, for it arises from a Principle peculiar to mankind above the Brutes. 'Tis man only that can voluntarily undertake or forbear the Performance of any action which may bring Good or Harm upon another Person, upon a Consideration of certain Obligations on one side, & certain rights on the other, all which intirely depends on the use & Exercise of Reason. Furthermore, Nature has infus'd into Mankind a certain Sociableness of Temper & Constitution which has engaged them to unite into Nations & to erect Citys & Common Wealths. 'Tis true that every man brings into the World with him a certain Liberty & Freedom, & by the bare Law of Nature no one man can be said to be subjected to another, till Mankind by mutual Consent having form'd themselves into Nations & join'd their Interests made the good of the whole Body the concern of each Individual Member. This National Body thus form'd, become naturally the Possessors of many rights & Privelidges, as the Land they Live on may be theirs by right of Prior Possession or by Civil Contract by means of which they may have acquired such a reall Property in their Riches & have establish'd among themselves Such Privelidges, as that none other can lay any reasonable claim to them. Now from all this it follows, that if one Nation should seize upon & detain this Property, or any ways infringe on their Libertys, that the Nation thus impos'd on have an undoubted Right, & by the Laws of Natural Preservation ought, to defend themselves & rescue their Own from the hands of the Oppressor. But furthermore as a Nation in the Vindication of their own Rights, must unavoidably be put to expence & suffer many Calamitys thro' the hardships of War, which their vexatious Neighbours have unjustly brought on them. It hence follows from the same Laws of Nature, that such a Nation has not only a right to recover by force of Arms wt. has been thus taken from them, but also may seize their Enemies Substance, till they have paid themselves, for the expence & Fatigues of War, for Nobody will deny but that Wealth & Comfort are as much the Property of the lawfull possessors as any thing we can have, & if we have a right to vidicate our Property, then we have a right to take Satisfaction of our Enemies for the Wealth Expended & the Comfort lost by their injurious War. And hence326furthermore it follows, that if one Nation oppresses another, seizes on their Goods & make incroachments on their Boundaries, & will not by Reason, Treaties, or any Agreements however Strong & firm be confin'd to their own Limits & property. That the Injured Nation have a right, not only to proceed against them in a hostile manner, & to exact Satisfaction for all Damages but even to root them from the Face of the Earth & cause the memory of them to be no more known, for if it be Unavoidable, that one Nation must be destroy'd by the other (wch. is the necessary consequence of perpetual Warring) that Nation which has the right of the Cause, has as good a right to destroy the other as a man has to kill an assaulter in defending himself; & furthermore because the Event of War is uncertain and tho' the Nation that has the right side of the Cause may obtain a Victory, yet if they but barely take their own, & leave their malicious Enemies as strong as they found them, they can have no Reason to expect a lasting Peace, but may possibly repent when too late, when Fortune shall have turn'd the Scale of Triumph & they find themselves involv'd in Ruin by a treacherous & cruel Enemy. What has been said may be reduced to these 4 Heads 1st. That mankind have many Libertys, Privilidges & Possessions that they enjoy by natural Right or by National advantages. 2dly. That mankind have a Right to defend these Privelidges. idly. They have a Right to make Reprizals on their injurious Enemy for Satisfaction of Damages. 4thly If their Enemy persists in Oppressing & Encroaching on them Contrary to Treatys, they have a right to subdue them till they are rendered unable to hurt them & even to destroy them from off the Earth if nothing short will secure their own Property.

But perhaps it may be objected, That this way of Arguing, however seemingly agreable to Reason & the Laws of Nations, yet is bloody, cruel & in no Shape compatible with the meek mild & Compassionate Dispensation of the Gospel. For there we are commanded to seek Peace & persue it; & Our Saviour tells us, blessed are the Peace-Makers for they shall be called the Children of God. If it be possible in as much as in you lieth live at Peace with all Men; from whence come Wars & fightings, are they not of your Lusts? And besides all this the Gospell teaches us to lay aside all malice & Revenge, even to so great a degree, as that wn. one is smote on one Cheek to turn the other, & beside all to pray for our very Enemies; so that it appears from the whole run of the Gospel, that it was design'd to make men live godly & sober & peacable Lives without327Bitterness or Envy & therefore whosoever takes up arms against his Brother Man, pervents the design of the blessed Gospel & can therfore never hope to be saved by it.

There are many that argue after this manner, too many for the Honour of Christianity or the safety of the Community where they live; but I shall breifly endeavour to shew the falsity of this Reasoning & wipe of the blot they would cast on Christianity while they set it forth as a System that erases the very Principles of Nature.

They cry up Peace & extoll the beauty of Brotherly Love & harmony among Mankind; & he that does not do so, at once commences Brute & is unworthy the Name of a Man. The Gospel undoubtedly is the Revelation of Peace to mankind & requires that Peace should be practised in the World, but then surely this must be understood in a qualified sence; for if we must sit still & bear the Insults of our haughty Enemies, without asserting the rights of Liberty & Property, we should not only be at Peace, but also very soon might be at Silence in our Graves: Peace is a mutual Tranquillity. It is not possible for One to be a peace among Enemies, therefore our Saviour says, blessed are the Peace makers, wch. certainly implys something to be done. Which is, to reduce Mankind to Peace by Reason & soft means, if that won't do, we must make Peace by Force of Arms, & then live peacably without giving others occasion to complain of us. But those People who argue thus forget, that besides the Libertys we enjoy by Nature Birth &c We have many glorious Privilidges wch. this same Gospel that proclaims Peace declares unto us. For Instance, we are obliged to call no man master on Earth relating to things Spiritual &c. There are also many Dutys incumbent on us as Christians, such as that we honour the Son as we honour the Father & that we pay no Adoration to the Work of Man's hand &c &c. But if in no Shape we are allowed to take up Arms against our Enemies & defend our Property when they invade us, & even persue our Conquests for Satisfaction, it thence follows, that if they forcibly require us to give up our Religious Privelidges & Dutys, we are constraind to Obey, because the Gospel says we must live in Peace wth. all. So that the sum of their Argument is this: The Gospel tells of many Dutys incumbent on us as Christians, the which we must practice & keep the Truth till Christ come. Our Enemies would oblidge us to forsake these Truths & to act contrary to them, but we may not defend our Selves or chastize our Enemies, because this same Gospel tells us that we must live at peace with all Men; And thus unless we take328such Expressions in a qualified sence, we bring our Selves into a necessity of breaking the Gospel in one sence or another. But such arguing as this speaks forth a Cowardly Soul, or else a mind but little concern'd for their Religion their Libertys or themselves. The Gospel teaches us to lay aside Malice & Ill = Will Revenge & Blood thirstiness, but no where teaches us to bear patiently those insolencys of our Enemies wch. would reduce us to superstition & all manner of Wickedness. Cruelty can never be excus'd even in a just War any more than in Peace. The true Object of War is Victory, the true object of Victory is Peace; so that from the whole it appears that there are Times in which if we would mentain Peace we must practice War, & then a War may be necessary because without it, Peace cannot be had. This then is a Time of War.

2dly Let us very briefly enquire what are the dutys relative to such a Time of War.

If we have a Right to any Privelidges, or Property in any Goods, which should be handed down to Posterity, it thence follows by the Laws of Natural Love that we are bound to defend 'em.

If we have any Privilidges of a Religious Nature, Christianity, & the Laws of God, oblige us to defend them. hence then the Dutys incumbent on us in a Time of War, are to use all our Vigilance, Courage, Activity & good Conduct, intermingling it with Mercy & Compassion, to subdue our Enemies & reduce them to Peace: As on the one hand we make use of Strength & Resolution, so on the other hand we may make use of Stratagems to gain the Advantage over our Enemy, provided there is no Treachery or violation of Faith.

Instances of this Nature we find many in the sacred writings. In a Time of War every one ought to consult the public Good, because his private Good is so connected with it, that it must fail in the common destruction. This surely then reflects hard on those who by any correspondence given Information to the Enemy, or by any conveyance supply 'em with Provisions or Warlike Stores; Such surely are like some Creatures we hear of, that gnaw out their Mother's Vitalls to fatten themselves. Furthermore in a Time of War, it is a Duty incumbent on those whose Business & Circumstances will best admit, to enter voluntarily into the Service of their Country & to determine resolutely to stand by their Interest & Cause, & such as do engage ought to be satisfy'd of the Justness of the War, because on the Confidence we have of our Cause being Good, in a great Measure depends our Courage & Resolution. And when such Per-329sons are once engaged, 'tis their Duty to behave soberly, Watchfully, & dutifully, avoiding all Strife & party Contentions, while they go forth to fight the common Enemy, to yeild a due repect to their officers & leaders, & to preserve themselves from all Sin which might bring down the Judgments of Heaven & defeat the best concerted Expedition. They ought to raise up their Hearts to the Great God of Armies, who ruleth in Heaven & in Earth, praying that he would give Wisdom to our Counsellors, Courage to the Warriours, favour them in all Events of Providence & finally give Victory. And lastly if God should thus bring matters to an happy Issue, it becomes a Duty, to exercise Lenity & Mercy to the conquered, & in no ways to satiate a revengfull Bloodthirsty Disposition, remembring that in a Nation, there must needs be many Innocent, as well as many Haughty. Let this Suffice as a Scetch of the Dutys Relative to a Time of War.

Improvement

From what we have heard of a Time of War, we learn that it is a Time of War now, or that the War we are now Engag'd in is a just War on our side. In Order to make this appear we have nothing more to do, but to compare the Circumstances of the present Times with the Description given of a just War. Let us then look into the Circumstances of our Nation & we shall find that we have been a free People for a great many Generations back govern'd by our own Monarchs & Laws of our own Enacting, Blessed be God from early Ages we were enlightned with his Gospel, & for some Centurys have had Liberty of Conscience. Our Nation has moreover extended its Settlements upon the continent of No. America, and either by Discovery, right of Prior Possession, Compact with the Natives & finally by Treaty & Agreement with the Powers of France at Utretch, have establish'd to themselves an undoubted Property in a Tract of Land Limited by certain Boundaries. But now the everacting Powers of haughty France no longer suffer us to be at Peace. Turn your Eyes which way you will, & you see them breaking their Treatys, in some Places by Forces & Arms mentaining that Property wch. is Ours; & in other places insinuating themselves into the midst of us, & as it were endeavouring to coax us out of our Liberty & Property. 'Tis true, they have not in an open hostile manner descended upon our Settlements & declar'd a genrall War, no, they had rather stay till they are become Sufficiently strong & conveniently Scituated about us to swallow us at a Meal.330They are not willing we should have a common chance of defending ourselves, but that we should be oblig'd to yeild ourselves up, all our Riches & Enjoyments, all our Setled Towns & cultivated Farms, all our Rights & sacred Privelidges, & in short our very Posterity to become their property Slaves & Vassals. Have they not very lately attack'd us in our own Boundaries, & shed of our Blood on our own Land, but tho' perhaps this was not done under the Licence of an Open War, yet it is most certainly a Truth, that they have constantly mentain'd the Indian Salvages to be Tormentors to us, to hinder the Growth of our Infant Settlements, to slay & to terrify us on all sides, thus by continually employing these Wolves of the Wilderness to worry us, they have thought to hinder our encreasing till they could gather strength & Numbers sufficient to strike the fatal Blow. And does it appear proper that we should be at Peace wth. these treacherous & designing Enemies, or does it not rather appear our Duty to drive them into the Woods to their Brother Heathen since they deny to be at Peace with us on honest Terms.

The Time would fail me if I should pretend to repeat the various Instances of Perfidy & Treacherry which we have received from this Nation. There has not been a War with them time out of mind in which they have not struck the first blow, contrary to all Reason & honest Peace. But now God be thank'd the true English Spirit seems to be reviv'd, & Great Britain unable any longer to bear the Insults of this haughty Enemy, calls out, To Arms & rouzes up the hardy Sons of America to unsheath the Sword of Justice & War & espouse the cause of Religion, Liberty, Property & Life. Hark, the Perjury of broken Treatys & prostituted Faith tells us we can no longer be at Peace, unless wee'll be Slaves. Lewis all =grasping Monarch, tho' he be a King only of Vassals, would feign be Tyrant of free= born Souls. The base Subjects of France, that never knew what it was to eat their own Bread, begrutch us our Sweet Morsels, & because they have not this Freedom, like the Father of Liars & Envy, they would feign deprive us of the happiness, even tho' they shall reap no Benefit by it themselves.

But besides the Subjects of France against whom we are engaged; lift up yr. Eyes & behold a black Swarthy Tribe of Indian = Heathen, that fill the Woods with Murder & the Sky with Perjury! Behold their hands embrac'd in the Blood of English Men & their Faces spattered with the Gore of Infants! How often have they sworn Freindship & taken the presents of Peace, & how often have they made use of our Kindness to331strengthen themselves to kill us? Hark! The Groans of poor prisners, drag'd by these savage Tyrants to live a Life worse than Death; Behold them mock'd, insulted & abused, & recieving Treatment that the Brute Beasts don't deserve, & except a few none would give. Behold your Country-Men, perhaps your Freinds & Relations, leaving their fruitful Feilds & confining themselves in Garrisons spinning out their Lives in Slavery, thro' Fear of Death & unable to take the lawful Comforts of Life; or else behold them knock'd down & Butcher'd by those they thought their Freinds, or else drag'd into Captivity by those with whom they were at Peace.

And now can any one see the Clouds of Popery, Slavery, Superstition & even Heathenish Darkness gathering around us, can we see the French encroaching on our Land, building strong Forts & Garrisons & preparing to hold them in spight of Force, & by degrees thus crawling in upon us, 'till they shall sap the Vitalls of our Land? Can we see the perfidious Salvages of the Woods, stalking thro' our Towns, molesting our Settlements, & glutting themselves in Blood & hoping one day to sacrifice us all, & yet ever doubt whether it be not only lawful, but even our Duty to go & fight them? You might as well doubt whether you might defend your selves if you were surrounded with Wolves, or kill them if they devoured not only your sheep but yourselves. Arise, Arise, O Abinoam, ye sons of War arise, unsheath the glittering Sword, quit yr. selves like men & make your Enemies to know you fight the Battles of yr. God. What can ye Expect if a too long Love for Peace, should suffer your Enemies to gain the Advantage over you before you're aware? What could ye expect but to loose all your glorious Privelidges & throw up your Religion? How could you bear to see graven Images set up, where you have Worshipped the true God? How could you bear to see Ignorance & Superstition cover the face of that Land, where you have enjoy'd the Purity of the Gospel how could you have answered it to God and your own Consciences to have been thus Negligent, & so by your mistaken Zeal for Peace, have entail'd Tyranny, Biggotry & Antichristianism on all your Posterity. Don't you hear the Voice of God & your Consciences calling on you to fight, fight, fight the Battles of the most High? Don't you hear the Voice of Nature & of Reason, the Voice of Self Love & self Defence, the Voice of yr. Country Men your Freinds & Relations, the Voice of yr. murthered Freinds & Butchered Relations, the Voice of yr. tender Wives & innocent Children, the Voice of Posterity yet to come, All cry aloud To Arms, To 332 Arms, revenge us O, our Freinds, preserve us O our Freinds transmit to us the Libertys of our Country & the Privelidges of our Religion, O our Friends

What should we have been if our Forefathers, had not been zealous to defend Our Rights, & the glorious, Privelidges of the Gospel & to transmit them down to us; we should now have been wallowing in ignorance & stupidity, seeking Light by the Glimmering of a Glow Worm, & expecting a strange sort of Heaven by the help of Beads & Images, & trembling at the Thoughts of a Purgatory; and Shall we be indolent & careless, or shall we not exert our selves, & leave the Event with God. hence then

2ndly From wt. we have heard let us all be exited to live in the Practice of those Dutys, which are more peculiarly incumbent on us in a Time of War.

My Brethren & Worthy Auditors, I really believe you all think our present Circumstances to be such, as loudly calls upon us, to rouze up our courage, & put on a martial resolute Disposition of Soul. How can the true born Sons of Liberty sit still at Ease, while the subtil Enemies are busily employ'd in making shakles for their Bodys & Fetters for their Souls? How can the Sons of War be still while the Enemies of Peace are preparing to root Brotherly Love & Kindness from among the Nations. How can the Saints & lovers of true Religion be still, when they see Error & Superstition surrounding them like a Flood & like the raging Ocean striving to break over its Banks & Drown the World? How can you Fathers & ye Lovers of yr. Country be easy while you see your Children a Hopeful Generation, growing up in the Prospect of Slavery & Tyranny unless some speedy means, be us'd? Can ye ever be contented that ye live happy & easy in your Day, & leave your Posterity to take care of themselves? Would ye be easy to see the last mouthful of Bread set before yr. innocent & darling children & take no care to provide for the future? And are not Liberty & the Sacred Privelidges of our Country as dear to an English Man as the very Bread he eats? And can we bear to see our Liberty drawing to a close, & our glorious Privelidges in danger of sinking, & not strive to reinstate them on their firm Foundation & transmit them unviolated to the latest Posterity?

Forgive me O my Freinds (if Love for your welfare requires forgiveness) that I urge these matters with Such Freedom.

I repeat them not as tho' I thought you Ignorant, for I bless God, that I here see so many of my Fathers in Years & Religion come forth from333their peaceful Habitations so nobly to jeopard their Lives for the good of their Country. But I recite these matters that we may all be perswaded to practice those Duties which our present Circumstances subject us to. Let every one therefore whose Business will best admit, & all who are the most qualified to govern to fight & to endure Hardships, enlist voluntarily into the Service of their King & Country, & when they have once engaged, let every one be careful to behave faithfully in their several stations; Those that are Officers are to consult all Strategems for the Destruction of the common Enemy, & to teach the Soldiers the Art of War, ruling them in all Justice & Tenderness, looking to it that they do their Duty faithfully, keeping up a regular Authority without which there can be no tenderness, mentaining that Fear wch. the Apostle tells us is a Terror to evil Doers, & a Praise among those that do well; setting a good Example of Sobriety, good Language, Industry, Loyalty to the King, courage, Watchfullness, & regular attendance on the Worship of the living God as Circumstances will admit. Those that are soldiers ought to be obedient to every Ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, avoiding all prophane Language so notoriously practic'd by many that engage in a Warfaring Life avoiding Quarelling, Backbiting, Speaking evil of their Officers, or anything that has the least tendency to raise a Mutiny & break the good understanding of those who are embark'd in the same cause, for if we have not one mind & one Hand, how can we expect to prosper? Let us all therefore be hearty in the Cause, & fight & Labour from a true Principle of Love to God & the good of Our King & Country, this Principle will make us resolute to stand by the common Interest, & not give out because a Life in the Camp is not so agreable as a Life in our own Houses. This Principle will Support our Courage tho' we Should fail in Several attemps to rescue our Property. The more unsuccessful our Efforts prove, like the Noble Lioness the more Resolute shall we grow, when bereaft of our more darling Privelidges. This Principle will make us more careful to break off our heinous Sins wch. may provoke God to blast our lawful Enterprizes & give us a Prey to our Enemy. This Principle will support our Spirits to endure Hardships & Fatigues as good Soldiers of Jesus Christ. It will remind us, that we dont fight for our King only, nor yet for our Neighbours only, but that every Man may expect to reap a profit to his own soul, for if while we defend the Honour of God, by his alwise Providence he should bring us into Trouble & Affliction, yet he has promised he will abundantly reward all those that thus espouse his334cause here. How can we be slack in such Expressions of our Love & Gratitude to God who has done so much for our good? What was it but the tenderest Love to the Wandering Sons of Adam, that drew down our blessed Saviour from the Realms of Glory above even the Bosom of his Father to reveal his glorious Gospel on Earth & thro' much Trouble & affliction even to his own Death, to teach mankind the way to Life? Shall we not then be carefull to preserve the Purity of the Gospel & mentain the true Worship of God by defending our Liberty of Conscience For how can we Worship God in Spirit & in Truth if our Spirits be not free? Let none of us then, ever think our Comfort, our Estates, or even our Lives, our own, when the Glory of God, our holy Religion & the good & Welfare of Our Country calls for them.

MS ; undated. A rough version of this sermon is docketed: "Dd. at Camp Lake George Novr. 16. 1755. PM."

1.

This is a selected sample sermon from among eighteen which RTP preached at Shirley and/or Camp Lake George. The sermons were gathered together by Charles Cushing Paine and bound in a separate volume, now with the RTP Papers.