242 AUTHENTIC HISTORY 



and courage, he may rely on God for strength and protection. Then 

 it is drawn for these reasons, or else it cannot be lawful ; either to oppose 

 a foreign enemy — or to assist the magistrates to suppress a riot, or wicked 

 faction and rebellion that may have broke out, by a lawless set of ruffians, 

 that will be under no restraint of law or to oppose the unjust, usurped, 

 anti-constitutional claims of mere tyranny — or the essential and unalien- 

 able rights of the people. 



2d. Every soldier should see to it above all things, that his peace is 

 made with God, by believing in his Son Jesus Christ for salvation ; and 

 have some comfortable evidences of the truth of his faith, by his love to 

 Jesus Christ, in keeping his commandments ; else how can he expect a 

 blessing, or success, even in a just cause, if he is himself in a state of 

 enmity and rebellion against that God, in whose hand his life is, and 

 whose are all his ways? For no soldier is so undaunted and truly cour- 

 ageous, as he that on the principles of true religion, is above the fear 

 of death. 



To rush forward on death, thoughtless of, and unprepared for, a future 

 eternity, is rather a species of mere madness, than true heroism. 



3dly. As the Christian soldier must set out in the fear of God, so he 

 must persevere, fully confiding in, and relying on, the justice and right- 

 eousness of the superintendency of Jehovah, over all the fates, and to us 

 unforeseen occurrences, that may or can happen in time ; and thus with 

 becoming boldness and Christian serenity, accompanied with true courage, 

 put his life in God's hands. 



4thly. The soldier must observe strictly those directions in our text : 

 He must do violence to no man; as soldiers carry with them the instru- 

 ments of death, they are too prone to conduct themselves towards the 

 defenceless with pride and insolence ; something of this temper discov- 

 ered itself, at the time that these Regulars asked John in the manner of 

 their asking the question ; others treated John with respect and manners ; 

 the very Publicans called him Master ; but the Red- Goats came and de- 

 manded of him, as if they were his superiors, and he must obey them. 

 As standing armies are too frequently made up of the scourings of 

 gaols, and the refuse an(i filth of the people, that make that the last shift 

 for a living — they are but too often found destitute of either good prin- 

 ciples or education, and sunk into every species of dissoluteness and de- 

 bauchery. We could wish the King's troops at Boston had not by their 

 cruelty and inhumanity of conduct, given the world too lively and 

 striking a proof of the truth of this observation ; hence the very name 

 of a Red- Coat (pardon the expression) stinks in our iiostrih. 



But blessed be the God of heaven, that the gentlemen who now form 

 our militia, in America, are the Americans themselves, whose characters 

 are known to be not such as but just now described; and who we hope, 



