their fury can procure unto their subjects In the case betweene Kings and Subjects properly so called or betweene superiour and inferiour subjects there is a kinde of allowance to bee made according to Geometricall proportion without swerving from the exact rule of Retaliation It is a memorable comparison which Cominaeus according to this allowance hath made betweene the evills which Lewis the eleventh French King had done to others and the like evils which God in the end of his raigne did bring upon him 2 To be disrespected by them whom hee had advanced far above their deserts and graced with dignities whereof their education and profession was uncapable could not but be a great griefe unto this great King as the like ungratefulnesse would be unto any other yet a just usuall award of Divine Iustice upon such Princes as thus neglect the rule of humane distributive justice in the dispensing of honorable favours But for a Prince which had alwayes required exact obedience alwayes accustomed to expect an observance from his Subjects more than ordinarily is given unto other Princes to be in his old age inforced to observe and flatter the churlish humour of his Physitian whose untoward service hee had recompenced with a standing fee of a thousand Crownes a month besides other gratuities extraordinary this was a perpetuall torment whereof Lewis in his perplexity could not but often complaine unto others yet could not remedy For this was a disease which he durst not make knowne unto his Physitian whose displeasure he feared more than any thing else besides death which was the only cause why he so much feared his displeasure And is it not as the wise King speakes a vanity of vanities or more than so a misery of miseries that the feare of this last point or close of life should make great men slaves for the most part of their lives and bring a necessity upon them of fearing every one with more than a slavish feare that may in probability be conceived as an instrument or messenger of its approach Now this King was so excessively afraid of death that he had given it in strict charge unto his friends and followers not to give him warning of this his last enemy by name whensoever it should to their seeming approach but to exhort him onely to a confession or expiation of his sinnes Yet was it his ill hap or fate after he had set his house in order and after his dejected spirits had beene somewhat raysed with new hopes of recovery to have death rung into his eares by his servants after such an indiscreet and unmannerly fashion as if they had sought to put him into purgatory whilest he was alive His Barber with others whom he had rewarded farre above their deserts without any preamble or circumlocution of respective language as if they had come unto him rather as Iudges to pronounce the sentence of death upon him than as gentle remembrancers of his mortality told him bluntly and peremptorily that his houre was come that hee was not to expect any further comfort from his Physitian or from the Hermit who as he thought had prolonged his life 3 If we could unpartially weigh the quality and condition of the parties who were thus uncivilly and unseasonably bold with him in the one scale of just estimation and the greatnesse of his person his natively timorous disposition and accustomance in the other the disparity would move us to bee of Cominaeus his minde in this point That this untoward remembrance or denunciation of death was more bitter and grievous unto Lewis than the sharp message of death which he had sent by Commissioners unto those two great Peeres of France the Duke of Nemours and the Earle of Saint Paul giving them but a short respite to marshall their thoughts and order their consciences before their finall encounter with this last enemie of mortality which they could not feare so much as Lewis did As this great King had done unto these great subjects so have his servants done to him 4 Lewis again had caused certain places of Little ease to be made or at least did well accept the invention of iron cages or grates little more in compass than the square of a tall mans length wherein he detained such as offended him some for divers months others for many yeares together And through consciousnesse of this his rigorous dealing with others he confined himselfe for a long time to a custody or durance as strait for his greatnesse as the iron cages were for their mediocrity They were not more desirous to see these close prisons opened or to heare of the day of their deliverance from them than he was carefull to cause the iron Fences wherewith he had incompassed the Castle wherein he had imprisoned himselfe to bee close shut save onely at such times as hee appointed them upon speciall occasions to be opened His miserable Captives were not afraid of passengers or of such as came to visit them they needed no guard to secure them Lewis caused certaine Archers to keep Centinell as well by day as by night to shoot at all that came neere his Castle gates otherwise than by his special command or appointment In fine he was more afraid to be delivered out of his Prison by the Nobility of France than his Captives were to be put in such cages That which he feared from his Nobility was not death or violence but his deposition or removall from the present government from which many wise Princes in their declining age have with honour and security sequestred themselves 5 Whether Lewis in entertaining the invention of iron cages and the use which he made of them or the Cardinall which to please his severe humor first invented them were more faultie I cannot tell nor will I dispute the rule of retaliation was more conspicuously remarkable in the Cardinall For as â—ominaeus tells us who himselfe had lodged eight months in one of them the Cardinall was by Lewis command detained prisoner fourteene yeeres together in the first that was made It was well observed whether by a Christian or Heathen I now remember not Neque lex hâc justior ulla est Quam necis artisices arte perire sua A law â—â—â—re just than this cannot beset Which cruell skill doth catch in ijs owne net One Perillus was the body or subject of the Embleme whereof this Motto was the soule He died a miserable death in that brazen Bull which he had made at the Tyrants request for the deadly torture of others And albeit this Cardinall did not dye for ought I reade in the cage of his owne invention yet had he a greater share of vexation in it than was intended for others What good effect this long and hard durance wrought in the Cardinalls soule is not specified by my Author But it is an observation of excellent use which an Heathen Philosopher hath
his first sinne or appetite of the forbidden fruite to bee necessarie or necessitate his will in his sinister choyces This were all one as to say that God were the immediate and necessarie cause of sinne of death of all the evills that have befallen mankinde since Adam For he is the sole immediate and necessarie cause of all things which hee so decrees as they cannot possibly fall out otherwise For him to erre in decreeing or for the execution of his decree to bee defeated is impossible In respect of his proper and adaequate object and peremptorily intended effect his will is a more irresistible more powerfully necessitating cause than any other cause whatsoever Now if Gods will had beene to leave no possibility for Adams perserverance his fall had beene the compleat object of Gods decree concerning our first estate and by consequence Gods decree or will had beene the first cause of sinnes first entrance into the world CHAP. 14. The former conclusion proved by the consent of all the Ancients whether Christians or Heathens which did dislike the errour of the Stoikes THE incommodious or inconsiderate speeches which some of better note and antiquitie have let fall were as I perswade my selfe but symptomes of their provoked zeale or eager desire to salve those grosse absurdities which they had rightly espied in others But it is alwaies more easie to expugne an errour or salve a particular inconvenience then to provide that no more shall follow upon the cure or medicine Had those famous lamps of Gods Church by whose light many grosse opinions have beene discried and reformed seene the inconveniences which follow upon their owne positions as clearely as many of their friends since have done it would bee a foule slander in us to suspect that they would not wil-willingly have altered their dialect or taken advise for expressing their good meaning in tearmes more safe more proper and scholastique If otherwise we abstract their speeches from that respect and reverence which we owe unto their memorie or that good opinion which best men have had of their sinceritie I cannot see wherein the necescesarie consequences of their opinions as they are usually expressed comes short of the Manichees errors or wherein they differ at all from the Stoicks The Manichees held all evill and mischiefe in the world to fall out by inevitable necessity but this necessitie they derived from an evill Author from a prime cause or Creator of evill onely not of any thing that was good And better it is for it is more consonant to our Saviours advise to acknowledge the tree for evill where the fruite is evill then to justifie it for good when the fruite is apparently and of necessitie naught The pertinacie or stiffenesse in this common error Evils and mischiefe or wicked actions fall out by necessitie being presupposed aequall they adde lesse sinne or errour to it which hence acknowledge a prime cause of evill or a cause evill by fatall necessitie then those which hold evill to be necessary in respect of his Omnipotent decree who is infinitely good In fine the Manichees were grosse haeretiques in holding evill and mischiefe to fall out by inevitable necessitie but this heresie once admitted it was rather a consonancy of error then any addition of new heresie to admit two prime causes or Creators the one of good the other of evill They durst not slander goodnesse with any crime or for being the Author of any thing that was not good nor were they disposed to flatter greatnesse as if evill were no evill because it proceeded from it 2. That which the Ancients reprooved in the Stoicks opinion as most injurious to God and all good men was that they held all things and evill things amongst the rest to fall out by fate or unavoydable necessitie This foundation being once laied the rootes of vertue must utterly perish and that which we call vice should bee a meere name or matter of nothing there is no place left for just reward or punishment Whether by fate the Stoicks meant the influence of starres the course of nature or the decree of GOD who to them was all one with Nature all was one in respect of the former inconveniences which necessarily followed from admission of an inevitable necessitie in humane actions whence soever that be derived To say it comes from the first cause or from the second is meerly accidentall to the error or inconvenience so sharply justly reproved by the primitive Church In respect of a Tradesmans commoditie it is all one whether he be prohibited for setting up or trafiquing by the companie of his own profession or by some higher powers so the prohibition or restraint be as large peremptorie without hope of release or if he bee restrained upon his allegiance by the Prince or privy counsell his hopes of thriving will be much lesse then if he were tied onely by the locall statutes of some pettie Corporation Thus if the Stoick derived the necessitie of all things from the revolution of the Heavens or from other second causes as their supposed guides the impossibilitie of doing otherwise then we doe was in every Christians conceipt evidently much lesse then if we derive this necessitie from the Omnipotent decree Now the danger or incenvenience of their opinion did formally consist in nursing a conceipt in men that it was impossible for them to doe otherwise then they doe or to avoyd the evills and mischiefes into which they fall And these dangers or inconveniences are so much greater in Christians then they were in the Stoicks as the God which wee acknowledge is more Omnipotent then nature or the Stoicks god For the more Omnipotent he is the more impossible is it for any creature to avoid the necessitie which by his decree is layed upon him 3. In respect of the former inconveniences or of the opinion it selfe it is meerely accidentall whether this necessity bee layed upon us by coaction or willingly and cheerefully entertained by us whether it proceed from Gods power or impulsion or from his wisdome so our actions and their issues bee in respect of his Omnipotent power or will alike unavoidable If birds and fishes could speake I suppose the one would as much complaine of those that in hard frost or snow allure them with baites to come within the fall of the trappe as the other would doe of Fishers for driving them violently into their nets If the birds once taken be used as hardly their expostulations would be so much more just as their usage before their taking was more kinde To make a man willing to undoe himselfe upon faire promises made not with purpose to doe him good but to circumvent him is greater cruelty then can accompany open violence Hee that wittingly ministers poyson instead of Physick is in all mens judgement as true a Murderer as hee that kils with the sword albeit the partie to whom it is ministred having no reason to suspect any
danger doe willingly drinke it And the lesse suspitious or more charitably affected hee is to his professed Physitian the greater wrong he hath in being thus uncharitably dealt with It would little boote the malefactor in this kinde to plead Albeit I gave it him hee might have chosen whether he would have drunke it because I did not inforce him with a drawen Dagger or other weapon to be his owne executioner In many cases one may be the true cause of anothers death and deserve death himselfe although he be not any necessarie cause of his death or plot his destruction without possibilitie of avoidance But if our willing choyse of those waies which lead to death be necessarie in respect of the Almighties decree so that there be no possibilitie left to escape it hee is a more necessarie and more immediate cause of all their deaths that thus perish then any man can be of his death whom he poisons And if the case stood thus with any their miserie were greater by how much they did lesse suspect his goodnesse However most miserable because most desperate Reason and knowledge the two ornaments of the humane nature should be to them a curse He that neither knowes nor doth his Masters will shall be beaten because it was possible for him to have known it but w th fewer stripes because not knowing it there was no possibility left for him to doe it But he that knowes it and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes because the knowledge of his will to punish sinners and reward the righteous did include a possibilitie to avoyd death and to be made partaker of life If otherwise there bee no possibilitie left for him that knowes Gods displeasure against sinne to avoid the wayes of sinne those are death his case before and after death is much more miserable than his whom God in just judgement hath deprived of knowledge And the Praeserver of men should be accounted much more favourable to stocks and truncks than unto many men upon whom hee bestoâ—es his best gifts in great plentie if these be bestowed upon the Conditions now mentioned or be charged with remedilesse miserie 4 But admitting their miserie to be fatall and inevitable by divine decree is it not possible to acquit this decree or the Author of it from being the Author of evill did the Stoick condemne all Iudges of injustice that sentenced malefactors unto violent death whereto by their opinion all that suffered it were inevitably destinated Perhaps the feare of censure in publique Courts did make them silent in this point But was not this care to keepe themselves harmelesse or feare not to offend Magistrates altogether fatall Galen 〈◊〉 my remembrance in his Stoicall discourse quòd mores animi sequuntur temperamentum corporis hath framed this answer to the question proposed We doe not offend in killing Snakes or Toades or other like venemous creatures albeit their naturall temper or disposition be unaltrably harmefull unto men And if nature or temper of bodie make some of our owne stamp and ranke more noysome than these creatures are unto their neighbours to fit the one sort with the same measure of punishment which is due unto the other is no injustice no inequality And Lipsius a man not too much abhorrent from any opinioÌ„ that was fashionable to his new stile or might serve to set forth the point which for the present he much affected gives this briefe placet in favour of the Stoicks opinion Fatali culpae fatalis paena punishment is fatall to fatall crimes But this is principium petere to take that for granted which is questioned For if the harmes which malefactors do and suffer be truly fatall the one is no true crime the other is no just punishment To Galen I answer that if we could by any skill in physick or complexions discerne some men to bee as naturally disposed to mischiefe all that come in their way or by chance offend them as are the Snake the Sloworm or other serpent it would be the wisest way for such as love their lives to rid the world of these fatally mischievous reasonable creatures as fast as they met with them or to appoint some certaine daies for hunting them as wee do noysome beasts But to examine their suspitious intentions to question their actions to arraign their persons or put them upon a formall or legall tryall of their life would be as ridiculous as to produce witnesses against a Snake to empannell a Iury upon a mad Dog or to take bale for a Wolfes appearance before a Butcher in an assembly of Mastives 5 The common notions of good and evill the ingraffed opinion of contingency in humane actions have taught the Lawgivers of every nation to put notorious malefactors unto more exquisite tortures than we do harmfull creatures either to enforce them to utter what no destiny nor complexion makes them voluntarily confesse or else to deterre others that are as naturally disposed to evill as they were from doing the like Scarce any malefactor unless he be poysoned with this opinion of absolute necessity but will acknowledge that it was possible for him to have done otherwise theÌ„ he hath done possible for him to have avoided the doome which is passed upon him by man which to have avoided had been absolutely impossible if it were to be awarded upon him by Gods eternall decree or which is all one if in respect of this decree it had been necessary As ignorance of the true God and his saving truth makes the former error more excusable in the Stoicks than in such Christians as shal maintain it so might impotency exempt that God which the Stoicks worshipped whether Nature Fate or some other distinct celestiall power from those imputatioÌ„s unto which omnipotency makes the God of Christians lyable if all things were by vertue of his decree absolutely necessary It was a received opinion among many Heathens that the gods themselves were subject unto Fate for this reason when any thing fell out in their judgement amiss Fates commonly did either intirely bear the blame or the greatest part of it And their gods indeed had deserved pity rather than blame if they could do no better than they did as being over-mastered by Fates But for a Christian to inveigh against Fates is to accuse or deny his God If Fates be nothing hee hath no reason to complaine of them if any thing they bee they are of the true Gods making who made all things who cannot possibly be subject to any thing that he hath made Nor can it stand with our allegiance to say when any disasters befall us that our God could no otherwise choose that our mischances were the absolutely necessary effects of his Omnipotent decree One speciall cause of this error and of some mens adherence to it is a jealousie or zealous needlesse feare lest they should grant God to be impotent or not so omnipotent but that
the present service and of his seeking to expresse himselfe in outward performances albeit young Samuel-like he could not distinguish the callers voice wanting an Ely to instruct him yet can no Atheist bee so impudent as to surmis◠that Esay leremy and Xenophon should conspire like partners to make a faire game by seeing one anothers hands For what common stake could they hope to gaine by this practice but to omit generalities for justifying Xenophon and Herodotus in relating such rare documents of Cyrus his infancy albeit these being compared with the former prophecie and sacred relations concerning Salomon or others whom God hath called by name are in themselves capable enough of credit we will descend to such particulars in Heathen Writers as are consonant to the sacred passages concerning the Babylonian warre and may serve to set forth the wisedome and providence of God in effecting his good purpose towards the captive seed of Abraham for according to the intent and purport of the former Prophecy the Reader is alwayes to beare in minde that the true and finall cause of Gods extraordinarie blessings upon Cyrus and of his conquest of the Babylonians was the appointed deliverance of his chosen people and the manifestation of his power and wisdome to the ends of the world 4 A man of moderne experience in treatise of Leagues and but of speculative acquaintance with the difficulties which interpose to hinder the association of lesser Segniories against mighty neighbour Monarcks would happely deeme that Xenophon had framed his relations of Cyrus his successe in linking bordering Nations to the Medes and Persians by the modell of some Academicall canvas or suit for some annuall office amongst fellow Citizens The Armenians the Hyrcanians the Cedrosians with many other naturall subjects to the Babylonian all unacquainted with the project at the beginning come over unto Cyrus with as great facility and speed as if there had beene no greater danger in undertaking this doubtfull and in common experience most desperate war than in giving a free voice to one competitor before another in a free and popular State But Xenophon was not so meane a contemplative Scholar as to commit so foule a solaecisme as this had beene albeit his pupose had beene to poetize in these narrations Poeticall fictions must beare a true resemblance of probability Truths themselves must bee set forth in their native colours although they appeare to ordinary experience most incredible Such was the successe of Cyrus in the former businesse if it were to bee deriued onely from his owne witt or contriuance But Xenophon might have good historicall reasons not to suspect the Persian annalls or Persians reports of Cyrus as we haue sacred authoritie to beleeue the matters reported by them He that called Cyrus by his name before hee was borne and had now set him vp as Competitor with the Babylonian for the Asiaticke Monarchie had layd the plot and made the canvas for him before hee set forth and which is principally to bee obserued had giuen publick warning to those Nations which Xenophon mentions more then threescore yeares before to bee ready with others in armes against Babell Set up a standard saith Ieremie in the land blow the Trumpet among the nations prepare the nations against her call together against her the kingdomes of Ararat Minni and Ashchenash appoint a Captaine against her cause her horses to come up as the rough Caterpillers Prepare against her the nations with the Kings of the Medes the Captaines thereof and all the Rulers thereof and all the land of his Dominion And the land shall tremble and sorrow for every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon to make the Land of Babylon a desolation without an Inhabitant It is intimated by another Prophet that the Lord would have these prophesies concerning Babylon so remarkeably fulfilled that all the world might take notice of them The Lord answered mee and said Write the vision and make it plaine upon tables that he may runne that readeth it For the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speake and not lye though it tarry waite for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Behold his soule which is lifted up is not upright in him but the just shall live by his faith Yea also because he transgresseth by wine hee is a proud man neither keepeth at home who inlargeth his desire as Hell and is as death and cannot be satisfied but gathereth unto him all nations and unto him all people Shall not these take up a parable against him and a tanting proverbe against him and say woe to him that increaseth that which is not his how long and to him that ladeth himselfe with thick clay Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee and awake that shall vex thee and thou shalt be for booties unto thē Because thou hast spoyled many nations all the remnāt of the people shall spoyle thee because of mens blood and for the violence of the land of the Citie and of all that dwell therein Cyrus in the beginning of this expedition was but Cyaxarez his agent to regaine the revolted Armeneans The warre was managed in the King of Media his name albeit God according to Esaias Prophesie did prosper Cyrus under him as hee did David under Saul The same did goe of Cyrus amongst the Medes and Persians as it had of Dauid through the host of Israell Cyaxarez hath slaine his thousand and Cyrus his tenne thousand The Monarchy was to be setled on the Persian Cyaxarez was feoffee in trust for Cyrus as Saul was by Gods appointment for Dauid 5 Their taking of armes was just and in their owne defense Their first resolutions did reach no further then to the safeguard of their borders much trespassed upon by the Caldeans untill unexpected successe hopefull opportunities of better daily presenting themselves without seeking did invite them to come neerer After they had gotten secret intelligence of the enemies estate many new associates and qui◠possession of so much of his dominions as would suffice to maintaine their doubled armie they had no hope to conquer no purpose to besiege the Metropolies of the kingdome That which after a doubtfull consultation did chiefly sway them in the height of all their strength to continue their war was the complaint of their trusty confederates justly fearing lest they should become a prey to the insolent Tyrant much exasperated by their revolt as ready as able to take revenge upon them if once their armie should be dissolued The overthrow of Craesus following upon their resolution to continue the warre brought great accesse of new associates and fresh supplies unto their armie Had Cyrus or his confederates understood the tenour of the Commission which the Lord of hoasts had sealed them before they undertooke this warre they had no question giuen the onset upon Babylon before the overthrow
effects are all directed to the accomplishing of Gods revealed purpose or consequent will upon Babylon as it were so many arrowes to their marke The Lord of hoasts was the Archer and Cyrus his bow whose intentions against Babylon must therefore prosper because The Lord of hoasts hath sworne by himselfe saying Surely I will fill thee with men as with caterpillers and they shall lift up a shout against â—hee Ier. 51. vers 14. There is not one clause of Cyrus his advise or exhortation to his followers after they had found the river to bee passable or of his proclamation after their entrance through the water-gate which Xenophon relates but is parallell to some part or other of Ieremies Prophesies Wee may boldly say all that Cyrus commanded was faithfully executed that the scripture might bee fulfilled 8 That which in reason might most daunt or deterre his souldiers from raunging the streets of Babylon was opportunitie of annoyance from the tops of their flat-roofed houses But this inconvenience Cyrus by his good foresight turnes to his advantage If any sath hee clime up to the tops of their houses as it is likely many of them would we have God Vulcan our confederate for their porches are very apt to take fire their gates being made of palmetrees asphaltites inunctae which will serve as oyle to cause them to take fire and wee have store enough of torches pitch and straw to inlarge the flame after the fire be once kindled By this meanes either we may enforce them to forsake their houses or burne both together The execution of this stratagem would quickly amate men already affrighted with the sudden surprisall of the Citie To this purpose the Lord had spoken long before The mightie men of Babylon have forborne to fight they have remained in their holds their might hath failed they became as women they have burnt their dwelling places her barres are broken Ier. 51. vers 30. One post shall runne to meete another and one messenger to meet another and shew the King of Babylon that his citie is taken at one end And that the passages are stopped and the reedes they have burnt with fire and the men of warre are affrighted verse 31 32. Xenophon tels us that after Cyrus had given Gobrias and Gadatas in charge to conduct the Armie with all speede to the Kings Palace Si qui occurrebant of such as came in their way some were slaine others retired againe into the citie others cryed out That which made the noyse more confused and the danger lesse apprehended was that Gobrias and his souldiers being Babylonians by birth did counterfaite the roaring of that unruly night Whatsoever occasion of distast or implacable discontent the proud King had given to these two captaines whether those which Xenophon reports or others the finall cause of that successe which their bloody intentions against their native King did finde was the accomplishment of Gods will reuealed against him for his Grandfathers crueltie against Ierusalem whereof being gently warned by Gods Prophet he no way repented but added gall to wormwood and thirst to drunkennes O thou King the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdome and majestie and glorie and honor And for the Majestie that he gave him all people nations and languages trembled and feared before him whom he would he slew and whom hee would he kept alive and whom hee would hee set up and whom hee would hee put downe But when his heart was lifted and his minde hardened in pride he was deposed from his Kingly throne and they took his glorie from him And hee was driven from the sonnes of men and his heart was made like the Beasts and his dwelling was with the wild Asses they fed him with grasse like Oxen and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till hee knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdome of men and that hee appointeth over it whomsoeuer he will And thou his sonne O Belshazzar hast not humbled thine heart though thou knewest all this but hast lifted up thy selfe against the Lord of heaven and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee and thou and thy Lords thy wives and thy Concubines have drunke wine in them and thou hast praysed the gods of silver and gold of brasse yron wood and stone which see not nor heare nor know and the GOD in whose hand thy breath is and whose are all thy wayes hast thou not glorified Then was the part of the hand sent from him and this writing was written And this is the writing that was written MENE MENE TEKEL VPHARSIN This is the interpretation of the thing MENE God hath numbred thy kingdome and finished it TEKEL thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting PERES thy kingdome is divided and given to the Medes and Persians Dan. 5. vers 18. to 29. 9 Thus wold Daniel have cured Babel but she was not cured by him howbeit Belshazzar was more kinde to Daniel then to himselfe then most great Princes are to Gods best Prophets that reprove them For he commanded and they cloathed Daniel with scarlet and put a chain of gold about his neck made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third Ruler in the kingdome In that night was Belshazzar the King of the Caldeans sâ—aine And Darius the Median tooke the kingdome being about threescore and two yeere old Dan. 5. vers 29 30 31. For it is not the bestowing of a Scarlet robe of Court holy water or of reall honour in greatest measure upon Gods servants that can couer a scarlet sinne in Princes The staine of blood can never be washed off nor the crie of the oppressed blowne away though the whole element of water winde ayre were at their commands without the teares and sighs of the oppressors whose hearts cannot be cleansed without repentant prayers Ierusalems sighs and teares in her sorrow had sunke too deepe into the Almighties eares to be expiated without the sacrifice of many sorrowfull hearts and contrite spirits throughout Babel Israel is a scattered sheepe the Lyons have driuen him away first the king of Assyria hath devoured him and last this Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon hath broken his bones Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel behold I will punish the King of Babylon and his Land as I have punished the king of Assyria And I will bring Israel againe to his habitation c. Ier. 50. vers 17 18 19. Thus Israel is revolved from Gods consequent wil to his antecedent Babylon from his antecedent to his consequent will And for the speedy execution of both parts of this his will for Israels good and Babylons hurt the Persian Monarchy is with such speed erected 10 But some happily will here demand wherein the similitude mentioned by Ieremie betweene the King of Assyria and the King of Babylons punishments did consist Senacharib
carve opportunities out of perplexities Yet for all this â—ad no skill or forecast to prevent no fence to put by the sudden stroke of Death which seâ— a short period to his farre reaching plots and dashed the masterpiece of his projects when it was come to the very height and ready to fall upon the marke it aymed at The Spaniards have more cause to blesse the day of this Princes death then the day of their victory over the Duke of Saxony his uncle For if he had lived but a little longer the wings of Austria and Spaine had in all probability beene cut a great deale shorter throughtout Germany and the Low-Countries than since they have beene by the confederacy which the French King and he had made lately for ruinating Charles the fift But whatsoever devices were in their hearts the counsell of the Lord was against them and that must stand though by the sudden fall of the Confederates 11 To reflect a little upon the more speciall interpositions of Gods providence in moderating the proceedings and issues of this warre The Romanists have small cause to brag though many of them doe so of Charles his victorie over the two confederate Princes as of some speciall token of Gods favour to their Church and religion Chytreus a most unpartiall Writer and well acquainted with the State of Germany as then it stood and with the severall dispositions of the chiefe confederates ingenuously confesseth as a speciall argument of Gods favour towards the professors of the reformed Religion throughout Germany that the Duke of Saxony and Landgrave of Hessen had not the victory which they expected over the Emperour Hee might have more reason thus to write then I know or now remember but certainly their agreement during the time of the war was not altogether so good as to promise any lasting concord or sure establishment of true Christian peace throughout the severall Provinces of Germany if they had prevailed Shertelius who commanded in chiefe for the free Cities did as some write forsake the Campe as being wearie of their wranglings However their few yeares captiuitie was a fatherly chastisement no plague or token of Gods wrath against them As the unjust detention of the Landgrave brought greater dishonour to the Emperour Charles then any one Act that ever he did so the Duke of Saxonie wonne himselfe more honour by his durance then the Emperour could bestow upon him Victorie in battaile abundance of wealth and titles of honour are gifts and blessings from the Lord yet of which Pagans and Infidels are capable and such as many Heathen have scorned or not affected But for a Prince by birth which had beene continually borne upon the wings of better Fortune alwayes reputed the chiefe stay and pillar of his Country to endure captivity in an uncouth Court with such constancy of minde as could turne the intended contempt and scorne of his witty enemies into kindnesse and admiration and cause such as had led him captive not only to pitie but to honour him and propagate his fame unto posterity This was a blessing peculiar to Gods Saints That character which forraigne Writers have put upon him will hardly befit any that is not a Christian inwardly and in heart Neque in prosperis elatum neque in adversis dejectum sui hostes unquam vidêre His enemies did never see him either puft up with prosperitie or dejected with adversity But was it not the greater pitie if we may speake after the manner of most men and as many Germanes in those times did that so noble a Prince should be punished with the perpetuall losse of his Electorall dignity Yet even this that we may with veneration rather admire than question the secret wayes of Gods providence was no losse but gaine unto Gods Church and the publique weale of Saxony which he more sought than his owne ends or commodities For by his falling into Charles his hands the Electorall dignity of Saxony fell into another Collaterall line which proved as beneficiall and favourable to good learning and Reformed Religion as any other Princely Family of Germany in those times Witnesse to omit their other good deeds in this kinde that Princely munificence of Duke Augustus brother and heyre to Maurice the victorious annually exhibited to Ministers Orphans related by Polycarpus Lyserus How well those good examples which Maurice himselfe and his brother Augustus had set have beene followed by their Successors falls not within my reading or observation But surely these two advancers of this second Line did better imitate the princely vertues of their deprived Vncle than his owne sons were likely to have done For the judicious unpartiall French Historian assignes this as one speciall reason why the fame and memory of Iohn Duke of Saxony did not continue so fresh and pretious after his death as he deserved Quia reliquit filios sui dissimillimos CHAP. 29. Of Gods speciall providence in making unexpected peace and raising unexpected warre 1 THE hand of the Almighty is not more conspicuous in managing warres begunne by men than his finger is in contriving their first beginnings Love is his nature and friendship or mutuall love betwixt man and man Princes or Nations is a blessing which descends from him alone who is the onely Author of all true peace but not the Author onely of peace Sometimes hee kindles unquenchable dissentions where the seeds of secular peace have been sowne with greatest policy and watered with continuall care and circumspection Sometimes againe hee maketh sudden unexpected concord between spirits which jarre by nature and joynes the right hand of inveterate foes to strengthen the stroke of Iustice upon his enemies 2 Later Chronicles will hardly afford any example of worse consort betweene neighbour Princes than was betweene Charles of Burgundy and Lewes of France whether wee respect the contrarietie of their naturall dispositions or the incompossibilitie of their projects or engagements Nature had planted and policie had nourished a kinde of Antipathy betwixt them And yet how quickly and unexpectedly did these two great Princes after irreconcileable variances close and agree together to crush the wise the rich and martiall Earle of Saint Paul then High Constable of France He that had beene of both these Princes Courts and of both their Counsels hath left it observed that they could never bee brought in all their life time to concurre in any other action or project besides this albeit they had often greater motives to entertaine peace betweene themselves than provocations to conspire against this Earle Perhaps his experience of their ill consort made him more confident than otherwise hee would have beene though confident he might have beene upon better grounds than most great Subjects or inferiour Princes can be if wit if wealth if policie if martiall power or authority could secure any from the execution of Gods Iustice 3 The best use which Machiavel or his Scholars make of this Potentates mishap is
that they would adventure both body and soule at any time for his sake yet thus farre infatuated he was as not to consider that some of them which were so willing to worke a publique mischiefe for his pleasure might also have a desire to secure their private friends from danger by giving them some generall or ambiguous admonition albeit against their oaths of secrecie That one of them should seeke to admonish his Honourable friend of the instant danger was a thing not extraordinary except in this that so much good nature could be left in his brest that could consent unto his Countries ruine That a man of the Iesuites instruction should finde an evasion in an oath which he held lawfull is a matter usuall And who knowes whether hee that permits evill because he knowes to turne it unto good did not at this time make use of the Iesuites doctrine of playing fast and loose with his sacred and dreadfull name to animate this Discoverer to dispense with that solemne oath of secrecy which he had taken and afterward to forsweare the fact so deeply I do not think he durst have adventured upon either without some secret mentall reservation But without all question it was his counsell which moderateth the maine devises of mans heart that moved him to expresse his minde in such termes as might represent or call the fathers disaster unto the remembrance of his royall sonne whom nature had taught to make jealous constructions of every speech word or circumstance that might revive the memory of the intendments against his father and to forecast all possible interpretations of all occurrences which might portend or intimate the like designes against himselfe As the sincerity of his royall heart and consciousnesse of clemency towards all especially towards that faction which deserved none had brought our Soveraigne asleepe in security so the collections which he made out of the disclosers aenigmatical admonitions were such as a man would make that had heard the Letter read in a dreame or slumber not such as so wise and learned a Prince would in other cases have made in his vigilant and waking thoughts But from what cause soever the dreame came the interpretation was from the Lord and Let it be unto the Kings enemies for ever The event hath proved the discloser to have beene a false Prophet and to have spoken presumptuously when he said that God and man had concurred to punish the iniquity of those times by such a blow as he meant We must with the true Prophet make confession Not unto us Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give the glorie It was not God and man but God alone that did sute and order the severall occurrences by which the intended blow was prevented It was not God but the devill that did intend it 5 That the Iewes in the dayes of Mordecai that the Genoezes within this age that this Land and people within our memory have not become a prey unto their malicious enemies was meerely from the counsell of the Lord which must stand for our good if we decline not unto evill It is not the breath or vapour of Hell that can undermine our State or shake our Princes Throne whilest God is with us But if he be against us what can be for us If he doe but speake the word even the least word of mortall man whose breath is in his nostrils shall be sufficient to blow up or overturne a Kingdome If subjects should rebell as often as Princes breake jests upon them they might worke their owne greater real disgrace and wrong both themselves and their posterities farre more in deed than the other had done in words But opportunitie makes a theefe and want of opportunitie oftimes keepes great mindes much discontent from rebellion But when it shall please him that hath reserved the perfect knowledge of times and seasons to himselfe not to dispose their opportunities to any Land or peoples good a womans unseasonable word may breed mightiest Empires greater reall mischiefe than Emperours Swords for many generations can redresse So it fell out when Iustin the Emperour had removed Narses the Eunuch from his regency of State upon importunate accusations which for the present he could not put off but only by putting him from his place Sophia his Empresse not so wise herein as after-experience might have taught her to have beene whether willing as the old proverb is to adde scathe to scorn or whether desirous to sooth Narses his calumniators in their humour said she would have Narses come unto Constantinople there to spin amongst her maids The jest being brought unto his eares provoked him to give her proofe of his masculine spleene and indignation For he thus resolved Seeing it hath pleased her Excellency to appoint mee this taske I shall shortly spinne her such a threed as shee and her Husband shall hardly bee able all the dayes of their life to untwist Not he but the Lord by his mouth had spoken the word and it was done For Alboinus King of the Lombards comes instantly out of Hungary at Narses his call who could not disswade him from entring into Italy after it repented him of his former spleene against Sophia and of his encouraging of this King to revenge his wrong The Easterne Empire had received many wounds before this time but lately cured of the most dangerous by Narses his good service This was the first perpetuall and irrecoverable maime the second more grievous did follow upon as light occasions but where in the concourse of many circumstances were more notable 6 When Mahomet first begun to counterfeit extaticall visions and practise Sorcery he aymed perhaps at no greater matters than Simon Magne did onely to be accounted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some great one among his fellow Badgers and Camel-drivers He did not so much as dreame of Nestorius or his heresie And Sergius the Monke when he began to maintaine that heresie at Constantinople did think as little of Arabian Sorcery After these two by Satans instigation and Gods permission had made a medley of Iewish infidelity and Grecian heresie as if it had beene a garment of English wool and out landishâ—â—int they least thought of any mutinie towards in Heraclius his camp for want of pay The Romane Quaestor was altogether ignorant of Mahomets visions or his new coined Lawes when he thus disgracefully intreated the Arabians or Sarazens There is scarce sufficient provision for the Romane and Grecian Souldiers and must this rascality of Dogs be so importunately impudent in demanding their pay Sed habet Musca splenem These poore Barbarians were such hungry Dogs as looked to be cherished where they fawned and could be content to change many masters rather then be continually raited thus Now albeit the Romane Quaestor did thus uncourteously dismisse them without a pasport or direction whither to goe yet the Lord by his harsh language did hisse for these Hornets unto Mahomets Campe
who had beene lately foiled by the Persian untill these fugitives raised him up and made him Lord of Aegypt Thus of the heresie of Sergius by birth an Italian by profession a Monke and of Mahomets sorcery and of these Sarazens mutiny hath the Divine Providence made up a triple cord which cannot to this day be broken having continued almost these thousand years as a fatall scourge to Christendome 7 A meere Politican that considers the causes of Iustinus his losse by the discontent of Narses or of Heraclius his prejudice by these Sarazens revolt would from both draw that Aphorisme which divers have done from a trusty Gascoignes answer unto Charles the 7. French King The Aphorisme is that Princes must beware what speeches they use unto great Souldiers or men of valour seeing that Gascoigne ingenuously told his Lord and Master that for a foule disgrace he could turne Traytor though all the riches of France though the French Kingdome it selfe would not suffice for a bribe to make him prove false or to corrupt his loyall minde The Rule or Aphorisme is in many cases good Yet if this and all other like caveats were strictly observed and other matters not amended he that at his appointed time turnes disgracefull speeches unto the speakers overthrow can make the mildest words which Generalls or other Confederates in Armes can utter for accomplishing their joynt purposes to effect their owne ruine and delivery of their enemies 8 It is a knowne story of a Family or faction in Perusium who having gathered a competent armie of their Allies to surprise the citie from which they had beene lately banished made their forcible entrance into it by night but sting all the chains that otherwise would have hindred the passage of the horsemen untill they came unto the Market stead or chiefe place to bee surprized But here their Hercules wanting roome by reason of the presse to fetch a full blow with his club for bursting that chaine much stronger in all likelihood than the rest cries Back back unto those that were next unto him and they the like unto such as were behinde them untill the same words had run like an eccho to the hindmost ranks or reere who imagining that those in the front had descried some danger resolved to be the first in retiring as they had beene the last in entring and hence they in the front perceiving themselves suddenly destituted of their company give their enterprize for lost which one blow more or one word lesse had presently effected But perpetuall exile was by Divine justice the enterprisers due and though iron chaines may be burst by the strength of man yet the Counsell of the Lord that shall stand more firme than walls of brasse or rocks of Adamant that his enemies at the appointed time may fall before it The onely use which the Politician hath made of this and like experiments is this First that Generalls should bee very wary what words should passe throughout their army and for this purpose to keepe servants women or other talkative or clamorous creatures farre from the army when any service is toward Secondly to accustome their Souldiers onely to respect their Commanders speeches and to account of others as winde that blowes afarre off These caveats were given above 70 yeares agoe and yet have greater forces than these Italians had beene upon as light occasions defeated in their intended surprisalls of Cities by night after they had blowne open their Gates with Petars However the admonition hath its use and seasons though oftentimes observed without successe because it is too much relyed upon Mordecai spake with confidence unto Ester If thou holdest thy peace at this time comfort and deliverance shall appeare unto the Iew out of another place because as he supposed the counsell of God was for their good But though Souldiers should hold their peace and Generalls speake nothing but what the Politician should prompt yet shall destruction come upon them upon other occasions if the counsell of the Lord bee once against them Yea though the parties disagreeing should lay all enmity aside and consult for the establishing of peace yet shall they conclude in blood if the Lord of Hosts be displeased with them 9 A fit instance to this purpose is registred as Camerarius tels us in foraigne Annalls though not intimated by our English Historians who had as much reason as any other to have recorded it if the story had beene true But seeing they have omitted it I will not expect the Readers historicall assent unto it but only commend it unto him as an example for illustrating the probability of the last observation The English and French Army being ready to joyn battell in Normandy the French Captaines perswade their King to intreat a parley with the King of England that so all matters might be compromised without further harme or danger to either partie The place agreed upon for the parley was a ruinated Chappell a little distant from both armies A friendly compromise was by both Kings resolved upon to be further ratified upon deliberation of their severall Counsells But before their parting a huge Snake whether stirred up by the noise of their attendants which waited without or upon other occasions seemed by her hissing and swelling necke to make towards them Both of them alike afraid draw their swords and yet neither willing to trust other within the walls run out with their naked Swords in their hands their attendants upon this sight misdeeming some outfall in the Chappell betweene them doe the like and the Armies upon this view joyne battaile and could not bee recalled untill much blood on both parties was and more had beene spilt unlesse the night had come vpon them 10 Be this as it may be a true story or a fiction the possibility of such unexpected occurrences all which are at the Almighties disposition are infinite and cannot be comprehended much lesse prevented by the wit of man which is but finite So that although the plots and devises of mans heart be many yet hath the Lord more counterplots perpetually in store and therefore of all counsells the counsell of the Lord it shall stand Whilest I reade some speculative Politicians that seeke by observing the errors of former times in managing civill affaires or projects to rectifie or correct their oversights and take upon them to make an Ephimerides of future events their Discourses in my slender observation argue a greater ignorance in them of divine Providence than their practises would in the Mathematicks that would labour out of a surd number to extract a perfect square He that knowes the rules of Arithmeticall division might in every working or attempt of resolving a full number into its proper square come nearer and nearer to the square number and yet be sure not to finde it though he spent Nestors yeares in dividing and subdividing the same number or resolving fractions into fractions The reason is this
how little soever a surd number exceeds the next square yet the overplus is in division infinite And so are the events which the Politician seeks to rectifie or determine of and therefore not certainly rectifiable or determinable save onely by him whose wisdome is actually infinite It is an errour incident to little children to think they might easily shake hands with the man in the Moone or with Endymion kisse the Moone it selfe if they were upon the next hill where it seemes to them to set and if you bring them thither they think they came but a little too late if they could bee now at the next hill where they see it goe downe they imagine they might doe so yet Such for all the world is the practicall Politicians errour the cause of both in proportion the same Children are thus deceived because they imagine no distance betweene heaven and earth or betweene heaven and that part of earth which terminates their sight And so the secular Politicians minde reacheth no farther than the hemisphere of his owne facultie Either he knowes not or considers not how farre the height and depth of his wisedome and counsell that sits in the heavens and rules the earth exceeds the utmost bounds or horizon of his foresight and limited skill in this only different from the childe that his wit is more swift and nimble than the others body so that he is not so soone weary of his pursuit But if hee misse of his purpose at the first he hopes at his next flight to speed and thus in seeking after true felicity which was hard by him when hee beganne his course he runnes round all the dayes of his life even as he is led by him that daily compasseth the earth Better might Painters hope by looking on the multitude of men now living to draw accurate pictures of such as shal be in the Age to come than any Politician can expect either by observation of former times or experience of his owne to prescribe exact rules for managing of future projects For if we consider the whole frame or composition of circumstances or all the ingredients if I may so speake of every event there is as great a varietie in humane actions as there is in mens faces Never were there two events of moment upon earth altogether alike each differs from other either in the substance number or quality of occurrences or in the proportion of their consonancie or dissonancy unto the counsell of the Lord as there is no visage but differs from another if not in colour or complexion yet in shape or figure I have beene perhaps rather too long then too bold in decyphering the vanity of this proud Criticke which accuseth Christianity of cowardize in actions and devotion of stupiditie and dulnesse in consultation of State But so might Bats and Owles condemne the Eagle of blindnesse were tryall of sight to be made in that part of twilight wherein darknesse hath gotten the victory of light Some men not able to discern a friend from a foe at three paces distance in the open Sunne will reade their Pater noster written in the compasse of a shilling by moone shine much better than others clearer sighted can reade a Proclamation print The purblinde see best by night yet not therefore better sighted than others are because the absolute triall of â—ight is best made by day So is the meere Politician more quick fighted than Gods children in matters permitted by divine providence to the managing of the Prince of darknesse For albeit the righteous Lord do in no case permit or dispense with perjury fraud or violence yet he suffers many events to be compassed by all or some of these or worse meanes Now when matters usually managed by speciall providence come by divine permission once to catching hee that makes least conscience of his wayes will shew most wit and resolution For whatsoever falls to Satans disposalls shall assuredly bee collated on him that will adventure most It is his trade and profession to lend wit might and cunning for satisfying present desires upon the mortgage of soules and consciences And his Scholar or Client the politique Atheist perceiving fraud and violence to prosper well in some particulars imagines these or like meanes throughly multiplied to be able to conquer all things which he most desires But when Satans commission is recalled or his power by Gods providence contracted the cunningest intentions or violent practises of Politicians prove much like to a peremptory warrant out of date which being directed to one County is served in another Both indanger the party prosecuting and turne to the advantage of the prosecuted I conclude this Chapter and Section with the observation of a namelesse Author but set downe in verses related by Camerarius Si vitam spectes hominum si denique mores Artem vim fraudem cuncta putes agere Si propius spectes Fortuna est arbitra rerum Nescis quam dicas tamen esse vides At penitus si introspicias atque ultima primis Connectas tantum est Rector in orbe Deus Who looks on men and on their manners vile Weenes nought is wrought nought got sans force or guile Who nearer looks spyes who knows what her wheele Who coozneth fraud and oft makes force to reele But Eagle sights which pierce both far and neare Eye One who onely ruleth all this Spheare SECTION IV. Of Gods speciall Providence in suiting punishments unto the nature and qualitie of offences committed by men CHAP. 31. Of the rule of retaliation or counterpassion And how forcible punishments inflicted by this rule without any purpose of man are to quicken the ingraffed notion of the Deitie and to bring forth an acknowledgement of Divine Providence and Iustice 1 ARISTOTLE did rightly denie retaliation or counterpassion to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exact justice and yet it may be Pythagoras his thoughts did soare much higher than his when he pitched upon the affirmative In ordinary offences committed by unequall or extraordinary persons Pythagoras his tenent is not universally true As if a great person should beat his farre inferiour without just cause it stands neither with the Law of God or rule of equity to beat him in the same fashion or according to the same measure againe But when Kings and Monarks doe extraordinary wrongs unto their subjects or practise prodigious cruelties upon their inferiours they usually suffer the like harmes or plagues themselves But who saith Cominaeus shall call Potentates in question who shall accuse who shall condemne who shall punish them All as he resolves that can be required to a formall processe shall be supplyed by the complaints and teares of such as are agrieved by them by the sighes and grones of the fatherlesse and widowes These are more authentique than any witnesses of fact more powerfull then any Atturney or Advocate before the supreme tribunall of God So good and gratious a Iudge is He and so