Page:The Works of the Reverend George Whitefield, M.A., late of Pembroke-College, Oxford, and Chaplain to the Rt. Hon. the Countess of Huntingdon (1771 Volume 2).djvu/87

 to give him a single eye; that the means proposed to take Louisburgh, in the eye of human reason, were no more adequate to the end, than the sounding of rams horns to blow down Jericho; that the eyes of all would be upon him; and if he should not succeed in the intended enterprize, the widows and orphans of the slain soldiers would be like lions robbed of their whelps; but if it pleased to give him success, envy would not suffer him to take the glory, and therefore he should take great care that his views were disinterested, and then I doubted not, if providence really called him, he would find his strength proportioned to the day, and would return more than conqueror." He thanked me, and his Lady having given her free consent, he commenced general. The sound now was to arms! to arms! new recruits were eagerly sought after, and my worthy friend Mr. S was appointed one of the commissaries. Being at his house, he told me one evening that he was preparing the flag, and that I must give him a motto, and that the people must know it too. I absolutely refused, urging that it would be acting out of character; he replied, that the expedition, he believed, was of, and that if I did not encourage it, many of the serious people would not inlist. I still refused; he desired me to consider, and sleep upon it, and to give him my answer in the morning. I retired, I prayed, I slept; and upon his renewing his request in the morning, I told him, that since he was so urgent, and as I did not know but divine providence might intend to give us Louisburgh, therefore he might take this motto. Nil desperandum Christo duce. Upon this, great numbers inlisted, and before their embarkation, their officers desired me to give them a sermon: I preached from these words: "As many as were distressed, as many as were discontented, as many as were in debt, came to David, and he became a captain over them." Officers, soldiers, and others attended. I spiritualized the subject, and told them how distressed sinners came to the Son of David; and in my application exhorted the soldiers to behave like the soldiers of David, and the officers to act like David's worthies; then, I made no manner of doubt, but we should receive good news from Cape-Breton. After this, I preached to the general himself, who asked me if I would not be one of his chaplains: I told him, "I should