A S H O R T ADDRESS TO Perfons of all Denominations, OCCASIONED BY THE Alarm of an Intended Invasion, ..J _ By GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Chaplain to the Right Honourable the Countefs of Huntingdon. I will alfo Jhew my Opinion. Job xxxii. lo. The Third Edition. LONDON Printedj Philadelphia Re-printed, and Sold by B. Frank^ LIN, and D. Hall, at the New-Printing-Offifi^ in Market-Jireeti Mdcclvi. [ 3 ] A SHORT ADDRESS, Men, Brethren, and Fathers, THO' fo many alarming Warnings, pa- thetic Exhortations, and fuitable Direc- tions, have already been given both from the Prefs and Pulpit, by Way of Prepa- ratives to our late publick Day of Humiliation ; yet Ihould one, who is lefs than the leaft of all his Brethren, now that Solemnity is over, prefume to trouble his dear .Countrymen with a IKort Addrefs, by Way of Supplement to what hath already been offered, it is to be hoped none will be fo unkind as to look upon it altogether as fuperfluous and need- lefs, much lefs, be fo ungenerous as to cenfure it as proceeding from the Pride and Naughtinels of his Heart.-— But lliould this be the Cafe, I fhall make no other Apology (as I think there needs no other) than that which David, the youngeft of the Sons of Jejfe, made long ago upon a like Occafion, *' Is there not a Caufe ?'* An infulting, enraged, and perfidious Enemy is now advancing nearer and nearer to the Briiijb Bor- ders.— Not content with invading and ravaging our rightful Sovereign King George's Dominions in A- mrica^ our Popifli Adverfaries have now the Am- A 2 bition [ 4 ] bit'ion to attempt, at leafl to threaten, an Invafion of England itfelf •, hoping, no doubt, thereby not only to throw us into Confufion at Home, but aHb to divert us from more effe6lua11y defeating their maUcious Defigns Abroad. That fuch a Defign (however chimerical it may feem) is now aftually on foot, the Royal Proclamation lately iflued forth renders indifputable. — Which Proclamation, as it plainly befpeaks his Majelly's paterjial Care, doth ar the fame time loudly call upon all his faithful and loving Subjedts, not only to ftand upon their Guard, but alfo to exert their utmoft Efforts, in De- pendance on ditine Proterflion, to prevent and ren- der abortive fuch an iinjufl and daring Enterprise. BlelTed be God, as a profeffing, tho' flnful, Peo- ple, We have lately taken one efiedual Step to- wards bringing about fuch a falutary E.nd. In Obedience to a Call from the Throne we have been humbling ourfelves in the moft public and fo- lemn Manner before the mofl High God — And *tis to be hoped that the many Tear§ that were that Day fhed, and the Thoufands and Thoufands of Prayers that were then offered up, have long fincc been regarded by, and entered into the Ears of, tiie I-ord of Sabbaoth. —Infidels may perhaps laugh and make themfelves merry with fuch an Infinuation : But ferious People (and to fuch in a more peculiar Man- ner is this Addrefs direded) will account it no "Ways enthufiaftic to affirm that folemn Humilia- tions, whether performed by public Communities in general, or Individuals in particular, have always met with fuch a Divine Acceptance, as to obtain at leaft a Reprieve from, if not a total Removal of, the threatened Evil. — The deferring of an impend* ing Judgment only upon the hypocritical, but pub- lic Humiliation of a wicked Jhab Thtiiiature and [ S ] and providential Deliverance of the J^wi/h People from the cruel Plot of an ambitious Haman, which Queen £:jlher, Mordecai, and the other diftrefTed Jews ibught fo earneftly for by public Fading and Prayer — And what is yet more, the total and en- tire Sufpenfron of the Dcftrudion of Nineveh, that exceeding great City, tho' fo peremptorily denoun- ced, upon the Fading, Praying, and Repenting of ttue j^ing. Nobles and Commons,, at the Preaching of Jcn&h. TJiele, I fay, not to mention many more that might be adduced from facred Story, are rnoft pregnant, and, at the lame time, very en- couraging Proofs, that thofe that humble them- felves ihall in God's due Time be exalted ; and that therefore, as a Nation, we may boldly infer, that the righteous L-ord, who delights to fliew himfelf ftrong in Behalf of thofe who are of an up- right Heart, will favour, plead and vindicate our r^hteous Caufe. 1 am very fenfibie that artful Infinuations have been induftriouily publifhed, in order to lay all die Blame of this War upon us. — But bold Afiertions and folid Proofs are two different Things :-— For it is plain, beyond all Concradi6tion, that the French^ fond of rivaling us both at Home and Abroad, have rnoft unjuftly invaded his Majefty's Dominions in Afiierka ; and have alfo not only by the rnoft vile Artifices and Lies been endeavouring to draw the Si^ Nations of htdums from our Intereft ; but, in fhort, almoft all their Proceedings, ever ^mct the late Treaty of Ah:-la-Chap£lle, have been httlc elfe than Preparations for, or a tacit Declaration of. War.— But he that fitceth in Heaven, as we may humbly hope, laughs them to Scorn ; and, as he once de- feated the Counfel of Jhkophel, and came down to confound the Language of thofe afpiring Projedors who [ 6 ] who would fain have built a Tower, the Top of which fhould reach even to Heaven ; fo we truft (whatever dark Providences may intervene) that He will in the End fruftrate the Devices of our Adverfa- ry's moft fubtle Politicians, and fpeak Confufion to all their Projedls, who, by aiming at univerfal Mo- narchy, are more than attempting to ere6t a fecond Babel. I have heard, or read fomewhere, of a Turkifh General, who, being call'd to engage with a Chri- ftian Army that had broken through the moft fo- lemn Ties, ftood up at the Head of his Troops, and then drawing out the Treaty which they had broken out of his Bofom, and holding it up in the Air, thus addrefled the Throne of Heaven : " O Almighty Being, if thou art, as they fay thou ■" art, thefe Chriftians God, Thou loveft what is ** right, and hateft Perfidy : look down therefore " and behold this Treaty which they have broken ; *' and, as thou canftnot favour what is wrong, rcn- *' der their Arms, O God, fuccefslefs, and make ^' mine vi(5lorious.'*— He ended— Immediately the Sword was drawn.— The two Parties vigoroufly en- gaged, and the perfidious Chrifbians were beaten off the Field.— Thus may our Proteftant Generals, or- at leafb their Chaplains, deal with our Enemy's Forces, in rcfpeft to the Treaty oV Aix-la-Chapelk, —They, not we, have broken it.— They, not we, have been the AggrefTors :— And therefore, not- withftanding we are look'd upon as Hereticks, and they fight under the Banner of onq who ftiles him- felf His moft Chriftian Majefty ; a righteous God, we truff, in Anfwer to Prayer, will humble France, and make tlie Briiiftj Arms both by Sea and Land more than Conquerors thro' his Love. It is true (and God knows with Grief of Heart I fpeak \t) pray- ing [ 7 ] ing is become too unfafhionable amongft our People in general, and among our military Men in particu- lar ; but wherein either the Piety, and confequently true Policy, of fuch a Procedure confifts, I believe will be very difficult to determine. If we have Recourfe to Mr. Rollings Antient Hiftory, I believe we fhall find that neither Darius, Cyrus, Jlexander^ or indeed fcarce any of the Egyptian, Grecian, Per- Jian, or Roman Generals, ever undertook any ha- zardous Enterprize, without making fome publick Acknowledgment of a Deity. And if we con- fult that Hiftory of Hiftories, that too much ne- gledted Book (as Sir Richard Steel exprefles himfelf ) emphatically call'd the Scriptures, we may always remark that thofe heroic Worthies, who by Faith .fubducd Kingdoms, and put to Flight the Armies of the Aliens, were Men of Prayer as well as Men of Valour. And if our Refearches defcend for- wards down to our own Annals, we fhall be foon fatisfied, that the Britijh Arms were never more for- midable than when our Soldiers went forth in the Strength of the Lord, and with a Bible in one Hand, and a Sword in the other, chearfully fought under his Banner, who hath condefcended to ftilc himfelf a Man of JVar. Such an Appellation as this, methinks, may fuf- ficiently juftify the Lawfulnefs of bearing Arms, and drawing the Sword in Defence of our civil and religious Liberties. — For if God himfelf is pleafed to ftile himfelf a Man of War, furely in a juft and and righteous Caufe (fuch as the Britijh War at prefcnt is) we may as lawfully draw our Swords, in order to defend ourfelves againft our common and public Enemy, as a civil Magiftrate may fit on a Bench, and condemn a public Robber to Death. Our excellent Reformers, fenfible of this. [ 8 J !n the Thirty-fecond Article of our Church, afte# having declared " that the Laws of the Realm •' may punifh Chriftian Meti with Death fpr iiei^ ** nous Offences ;** immediately fubjoins, " thai •' it is lawful for Chtiflian Men, at the Command* *' ment of the Magiflrate, to wear Weapons, and •' ferve in the Wars." — And therefore, what Bi- fliop SaUnderfoH fays of Study, may be likewife faid of Fighting : " Fighting without Prayer is Atheifrh^ •' and Prayer Without Fighting is Prefumption.'*— * And I would be the more particular on this Point, becaufe^ through a fatal Scrupulofity againfl bear* 3ng Arms^ even in a defenfive War, his Majefty hath been, and is not yet out of Danger of lofmg that large, extenfive, and that lately mofl ffeuriHi* ing Province of Pennfyhania, the very Centre and- Garden of all Nortb-Jmerka.— But whilfl I fed fuch very fcrupulous Perfons grafping at every Dt^ gree of worldly Power, and by all the Arts of worldly Policy labouring to monopolize and rctairt \n their own Hands all Paits both of the legifla- tive and executive Branches of Oivil Governmbnt jf to fpeak in the mildefl Terms, we may honeftly affirm, that they certainly aft a moft inconfiftent| and if not prevented here at Home, to ThoufandS of their Neighbours, I fear a Very fataF Part.— For, fay what we will to the contrary, if we fearcH to the Bottom of Things, we may foon be con- Viricedi that Civil Magiftracy and Defenfive Wat tnufl ftand or fall together.-^-Both are built nport the fame Bafis ; and there cannot be fo much as bne fingle Argument urged to eftablifh the one,' which doth not at the fame time corroborate and confirm the other. Far be it from me, who profefs myfelf a Difci** tic and Minifter of the Prince of Peace, to found a Trum- [ 9 ] 14 Trumpet for War : But when the Trumpet is already founded by a perfidious Enemy, and our King, our Country, our civil and religious Liber- ties are all, as it were, lying at Stake, did we not at fuch a Seafon lend our Purfes, our Tongues, our Arms, as well as our Prayers, in Defence of them, ihould we not juftly incur that Curfe which an- in- ipired Deborah^ when under the immediate Influ- ence of the Holy Spirit, once uttered, Curfe ys Meroz, curfe ye bitterly the Inhahitants thereof he- taufe they came not to the Help of the Lord, to the Help of the Lord againjl the Mighty ? — Known un- to God, and God alone, are all our Hearts. — Daily and repeated Experience convinceth us, that the greateft Talkers are not always the greateft Doers. •-■"How therefore any of us may behave when put to the Trial, the Trial itfelf can only prove.- -But, for my own Part, whatever my fu- ture Condu6t may be (and I know it will be down- right cowardly, if left to myfelf) yet, upon the matureft Deliberation, I am at prefcnt fo fully con- vinced of the Juftice of the Britiftj Caufe, that fuppofmg it (hould be faid of me, as it is of Zwing- Uus, Cecidit in Pr