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A SEEMON
PREACHED IN THE PARISH CHURCH OF
DEDDINGTON, OXON,
On WEDNESDAY, the 26th day of APRIL, 1854,

BEING THE DAT APPOINTED BY PBOCLAMATION POB GENERAL HUMILIATION
AND PBATEB BEFORE ALMIGHTY GOD.

BY
JAMES BROGDEN, M.A.,
>>>
OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, AND VICAR OF DEDDINGTON.

flttl>li»J)f& li» UUqutst.

LONDON:
WERTHEIM AND MACINTOSH, 24, PATERNOSTER ROW.
HIRON, MARKET PLACE, DEDDINGTON.
1854.

*,* THE PROFITS (IF ANY) OF THIS PUBLICATION, ARE
GIVEN TO THE FUND FOR THE RELIEF OF THE WIVES
AND FAMILIES OF THE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS OF HER
MAJESTY'S FORCES SERVING IN THE WAR.
The Vicarage, Veddington, May, 1854,

SERMON.

Deuteeonomy XX. 1.
When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and
chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them : for the
Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of
Egypt. And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the
priest shall approach and speak unto the people, and shall say unto
them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day nnto battle against your
enemies : let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither
be ye terrified because of them ; for the Lord your God is he that goeth
with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
The calamity of War has been often, and with good reason,
deplored ; that rational creatures should so far imitate the
worst of brutes as to seek each others' destruction by bloody
conflict, seems so unnatural in itself, as to be scarcely
reconcilable with the principles of Christianity.
It is a great calamity ; a calamity made for tears and
wringing of hands; it is justly classed with the two other
scourges of the earth — famine and pestilence.
It is a calamity, to be thought of only in the plaintive
language of the Prqphet — " Oh that my head were waters,
and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day
and night for the slain of the daughter of my people !"*
* Jeremiah ix. 1.

6

Yet in our laments for such a calamity, as in other cases,
where our tears do, or are ready to fall, it will be necessary,
after yielding for awhile to the heart's movement, to call
our reason to our aids not to let pity degenerate into weak
ness, but lead us,'as it ever should, to patient acquiescence,
in the ways of Providence ; — to humble meditation on the.
Holy Word of God.
Peace is a charming sound? — yet the magic of that sound
has delusions in it. There is but one peace, that will ever
come to nations, in which the sword will be turned into the
ploughshare, and the spear into the pruning hook, in which
-war will be learned no more.*
In the, peace of this world, wicked as ifis, there never
can be peace, in the truest sense of that word. " There is
no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked. "f " The sword,
indeed, may be sheathed, and the canno'n laid up, but it is
only the savage part of hostility which is'laid aside; and
although that is the greater. and the worse, yet the other
remains. Nations continue, as ever, in healing and nourish
ing their exhausted strength -for future warfare. The lion
and the tiger retreat into- their, dens only to relieve their
weariness and heal their wounds. In the very intercourse
of peace, men are still at spoil on each other ;_ in the very
barter and exchange of commodities they are feeding their
own, and sucking out one another's strength."! Among the
most vociferous advocates of peace, we unhappily detect the
mercenary chieftains in a war of classes.
But we all love peace, and we have long been permitted
to enjoy its blessing. Religious Princes make no war out
of choice, but when there is no other way to restore justice
and peace, then those arms which are necessary to such
* Isaiah ii. 4. f Isaiah xlviii. 22. % Ramsden.

ends, must be innocent, : especially when consecrated by
prayer. Her Majesty, this day, requires us all to take this
method, because she trusts not so much in the number and
strength of .Her Forces, as in the aid of Heaven.' " Better
is it to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to
divide the spoil with the proud."* She has formed indeed
an alliance with "the bravest of the brave" among all
the nations of the earth. Not for "aggrandizement" — not
for conquest — not for the extension of " territorial limits"
— 'but for freedom ; to soften down the ferocity of despotic
power — to restore peace— and to " re-assure Europe."
The armaments of France and England, by sea and
land, have gone to the East, in the spirit of the good
Samaritan, to succour a nation, not of the same religion
with themselves, but whose sad condition, at "the Holy
Shrines," reminds us too closely, of that of the despoiled
and ill-used traveller, who " went down from Jerusalem to
Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his
raiment, and wounded him, and_ departed, leaving him half
dead."f They have gone to defend the cause of the Sultan, and,
nevertheless, to protect the rights of the Christians. They
have gone to protect the freedom of the Seas, and their own
just influence in the Mediterranean. They have gone
there, finally, with the hopes, the wishes, and the prayers,
of " all those who desire the triumph of Right, of Justice,
and of Civilization.":!:
To the achievement of these pious objects, these ends so
* Proverbs xvi. 19.
f St. Luke x. 30.
J See the Emperor Napoleon's Speech, on Opening the French Cham
bers, March, 1854.

8

great and good, we can scarcely conceive any impediment
so formidable, as our own sins — any means so effectual, for
securing success^ as humiliation and prayer — and any
prayer, so needful, as a prayer for peace, and for our
enemies. We endure this necessary war, as we do a bitter medicine,
in hopes by these ungrateful means to obtain the blessed end
of peace. Our arms are not put on to avenge past, but to
prevent future, mischiefs ; and they, as well as our prayers,
entirely aim at peace. For the general subject of our
prayers must be peace. Our God, is the God of Peace ;
our Saviour, the Prince of Peace ; the Spirit of our Holy
Religion, the Gospel of Peace.
Prayer is the means to procure the blessings of peace.
Jacob's prayer, procured him peace both from his incensed
father-in-law, and his enraged brother.* Moses by the same
means got a glorious victory over Amalek, which opened to
him a passage to the land of Canaan :f and when David's
ungrateful foes combined together against him, "he gave
himself unto prayer."! Need I tell you how the good King
Hezekiah prevailed over Sennacherib and his Minion
Rabshakeh ?§ or how the first Christian Emperor Oonstan-
tine ordained that there should be forms of prayer, used by
the Clergy, in times of war, for the prosperity of the King,
and the peace of the Church ?|| One instance alone will
suffice from the history of our own Church and Nation —
"the assertion of her Majesty's pious ancestor, King Edward
the Confessor, who declared, as it is now made manifest to
ourselves, both by the precept, and the example of our
Queen, that the Sovereigns^ of England, " trust more, in
* Genesis xxxi. and xxxiii. f Exodus xvii. 11, 12.
% Psalm cix. 4. § Isaiah xxxvii. 15 — 30.
|| Euseb. vita Constant, lib. ii. cap. 4.

9

the Church's prayers, than in all other weapons."* " They
go to the Temple before battle. They pray against the
visitation of the sword, as a plague of God. They mourn
over that which they are about to take into their hands.
They pray against their own ambition, injustice, And love
of rapine. They appoint fasts before battle. They fast
against their own strength. They weaken themselves, and
then, so weakened, lie prostrate before the. superior strength
of God. They bid all their subjects seek in this humiliation
and acknowledgment, the anointing from above, before they
descend on the plain to wrestle."
"Happy are the people that are in such a case: yea,
blessed are the people who have the Lord for their God."+
And what is the Christain Minister's duty on this solemn
occasion ?
He is " to stand in the gate of the Lord's house ;"J to tell
the people of their sins; to admonish them of Divine wrath
and vengeance ; to denounce the self-righteousness of the
hypocrite; and bring low the scornfulness of the proud.
Amidst "wars and rumours of wars,"§ he must be alike
courageous and tranquil ; for he is at once " the messenger
of the Lord of Hosts," || and the herald of the "Prince of
Peace. "% Though " the earth be never so unquiet," he
knows that " the Lord is King."** Though " the waves of
the sea are mighty and rage horribly,"+f he trusts in the
protecting Providence of Him, whom " the winds and the
sea obey."JJ
He is to humble the arrogance of man, and proclaim the
Omnipotence of God.
* Spelm. leg. Edw. Conf. — Concilia, torn. i. p. 631.
f Psalm cxliv. 15. % Jeremiah vii. 2. § Mark xiii. 7.
|| Malachi ii. 7. 5f Isaiah ix. 6. ** Psalm xcix. 1.
ff Psalm xciii. 5 ++ Matt. viii. 27.

10

He must grieve himself, while he consoles ;~rebuke, while
he gives encouragement; teach men to fear no earthly foe;
and terrify them with dread of a Spiritual enemy.. Against
sin he must be unsparing ; for repentance he must -pry
alottd ; but he must refrain his lips from the bitterness of
imprecation, even against enemies.
He must " put on the whole armour of God," and teach
his -brethren, to " be strong in the Lord, and in the power
of His might."*
To those who boast exceeding proudly, he must say,
" Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his
wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let
not the rich man glory in his riches : but let him that
gloriefh glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth
me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness,
judgment, and righteoitsness, in the earth: for in these
things I delight, saith the Lord."t
Having stripped the carnal man of all his vain confidences,
he must inculcate this just and necessary truth — " that the
religious acknowledgment of God's Providence, in the
wise and righteous government and disposal of all human
affairs, joined with an humble dependence and firm trust on
Him, in the way of obedience to Him, is man's best and
indeed only security."
Of this fact there is abundant proof in Holy&Scripture.
Hear, my brethren, some few, of many places, which might
be produced.
" The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in
heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of
men. The Lord trieth the righteous : but the wicked and
him that loveth violence his soul hateth."f
* Ephesiane vi. 3 1 — 20. f Jeremiah ix. 23, 24. % Psalm xi. 4, 5.

11

"The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above
the heavens. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who
dwelleth on high, who humbleth himself to behold the
things that are in heaven, and in the earth !"*
"For the Lord God is a sun, and shield; the Lord will
give grace and glory : no good thing will he withhold from
them that walk uprightly."t
"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is
tried :. he is a buckler to all them that trust in> him. "J
" When thou goest out to battle against .thine enemies,
and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou,
be not afraid of them : for the Lord thy God is with thee,
which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And it
shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the
priest shall approach and speak unto the people, and shall
say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto
battle against your enemies : let not. your hearts faint, fear
not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of
them ; for the Lord your God is he that goeth.with you, to
fight for you against your enemies, to save you."§
I have chosen this text, my brethren, for consolation and
encouragement. It is, you will observe, a divinely prescribed
and set form, of religious duty, during war.
It teaches an unerring lesson,, and requires but little com
ment ; it assures the humble and the contrite heart, that
God's ., loving-kindness and protecting power are ever shewn
towards those who fear and honour Him ; and that as the'
pillar of fire, of old, protected the children of Israel, in their
escape from bondage, so even now, the shadow of the Lord's
wings, will for ever be extended to shield and to sustain all

* Psalm cxiii. 4, 5, 6. f Psalm lxxxiv. 11.
| 2 Samuel xxii. 31. § Deut. xx. 1 — 4.

12

those who firmly put their trust in Him ; for "His righteous
ness is like the great mountains," — " His judgments are a
great deep," — " His mercy is in the Heavens, and his faith
fulness is in the clouds."*
Of all the prescribed and set forms of prayer and praise
and thanksgiving' to Almighty God, contained in Holy
Scripture, none, with the sole exception of the Lord's
Prayer, are more remarkable than these -three, — the Song
of Triumph by Moses and Miriamf— the form in which
Aaron was commanded to bless the peoplej — and the form
for use during war — to which I have directed' your attention. §
Did I call them forms ?
Permit me, in conclusion, to remind you of their spiritual
power, for there is«much instruction, of highest moment, to
be derived from them. Consider how suited they are to
each other, and to us : — the first inspires confidence, the
second records victory, and the third implores the blessing
of peace. They all blend together in a Christian point of
view, and are radiant with " faith, hope, and charity ;" for
we are all sinners, and we are all Christ's soldiers, at war
against our ghostly enemy, the Devil. Like Pharoah, -he
seeks to enslave us — like him, to pursue us — like him, to
overtake us, and force us upon destruction. But " the deep
waters" have not "gone over" our souls: Christ "has
triumphed gloriously ;" He has fought " for us against our
enemies, to save us ;" He has given us the victory over
death and the grave. The Holy Spirit of God has dispelled
all " the mists of darkness." Only think, then, with
confidence, and with gratitude and love, what a comfort it is
to have these words of encouragement^applied and realized
spiritually to your soul's deliverance — "fear not, let not
* Psalm xxxvi. 5, 6. f Exodus xv.
% Numbers vi. 22 — 26. § Deuteronomy xx.

13

your hearts faint, and do not tremble ; for the Lord thy
God is with thee, to fight for thee against thine enemies."
And now, my brethren, I conclude, with the appointed
prayer for blessing : —
" The Lord bless thee, and keep thee : the Lord make
his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: th&
Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee
peace."* * Numbers vi. 23 — 26.

DEDDINGTON :
S, HIRON, PRINTER, MARKET PLACE.

THE
FOLLOWING WORKS, BY THE SAME AUTHOR,

ABE SOLD BY

JOHN S. HIRON,
PRINTER, BOOKSELLER, and STATIONER,
MARKET PLACE, DEDDINGTON?

THE DUTY OF CHRISTIAN SUBJECTION AND
THE UNREASONABLENESS OF SEPARATION
CONSIDERED. A SERMON. Price Is. London: T.
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THE DUTY OF ENQUIRING AFTER GOD. A SER
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A LETTER RELATING TO THE RESTORATION
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OF DEDDINGTON, OXON. Addressed to the Rev.
William Wilson, D.D., late Curate. Price G'd. London :
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ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE LITURGY AND RITUAL
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IRELAND. Being Sermons and Discourses selected from the
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RECORDS OF THE SUPREMACY OF THE CROWN,
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CATHOLIC SAFEGUARDS AGAINST THE ERRORS,
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