How Do We Know?

About

In this sermon delivered on June 26, 1755, Jonathan Ashley urged Massachusetts men marching to war against the French to "be a Soldier under his King...gird on his armour" to "fight against the enemies of his Country – and Shew himself a man." Three months later, many of these same soldiers were killed in an ambush known as "The Bloody Morning Scout" at Lake George, New York.

Transcript

No. 2336// Prov. 24.21. My Son Fear thou ye Lord
& the King & meddle not with them yt
are given to change

Deerfield June 26, 1755 To Some Soldiers going
into the Crown point expedition
The Duty of a minister is very Various Sometime they are
to be Sons of Thunder – sometimes of [?]
Sometimes they must teach & instruct – other times re
prove. ----------Sometimes they must Counsel respect [?] &
beseech to peace –to gentleness to bear long to forgive
injuries – to prefer all afront to God & not among our
Selves at other times they must exhort them to ra
ise their Spirits – to pursue their enemies & must re
prove for the Sloth & negligence of a people in tak
ing up arms ----------
So ye Duty of a [?] is very various – Sometimes
he is to pray to meditate to forgive injuries –
at other times he must be a Soldier under his King
he must gird on his armour, must fight against
the enemies of his Country – and Shew himself
a man.
at present God Calls upon you to discharge the
Duty of Soldiers & me to Speak to you and in [torn]
character
and your Duty is pointed out in the words of our
text
Fear God & the King & meddle not with them [yt]
are given to changes.
1 The Soldier is in the first place & above every thing
else to fear God
2 next to God the Soldier must See to it yt he fears the
king
3 he must have nothing to do with them yt are given to change
1 the Solder must fear God ______________ and it Seems if any
man in the world would fear the Supreme being ye
Soldier would _________ Shall he who is in deaths oft & knows
not how Soom he may be cut off from ye Land of
the Living harden his heart against God & love
to provoke his maker to anger _____ if ye folly in assg [?]
more not to fear him who can Destroy Soul & Body
But madness for a Soldier Who knows not but a Sho[?]
may send into Immediately to appear before an in
raged God