ride when windes blow and waues rage if heaven and earth be shaken this will hold But because groundlesse hope is no better then an Anchor without ground groundlesse hope saith the Poet for the most part deceiveth I wil point out the grounds of your hope in this great bufinesse and but briefly point at them because I may haue occasion to handle them more at large First consider the goodnesse of your cause of which I neede not much dispute for it will maintayne it selfe in the end A better cause there can not be then Gods right and mans right All Gods people that have scanned it are perswaded of the equitie of it which shall one day manifest it selfe as cleere as the Sunne shine at noon day This was it that maintayned Davids hope for as he often commends the goodness of his cause to God so he bringeth in his hope much depending on the goodnesse thereof Iudge me o God and plead my cause against an ungodly nation and unmercifull Psal 43.1 In consideration whereof he checkes his drouping soule and awaketh it up to waite upon God waite hopefully for God for yet I shall confesse him vers 5. Where observe as he maketh hope his Anchor so the goodnesse of his cause is the cable that he rideth by Bernard hath a pretty saying to this effect if the cause of the warre be good saith he the end of the warre can never be evill Si boun fuerit causa pugnae exitus malus esse non poterit neo bonus iudicabitur finis ubi causa non est bona Serm. ad milites Templi cap. 1. howsoever for many causes it may be long first and may be much at under in the meane time neither can a good end saith he come of an evill cause A second ground may be taken from the nature of hope it selfe which is to maintayne a man when all other things faile this sweeteneth and replenisheth the labour of the husbandman it conforteth the marriner when he seeth no land releeveth the patient when the phisition hath giuen him over and inlargeth the heart of the captive in the darkest prison This sustained David in all his troubles David acknowledged that he had fainted if this had not beene Psil 27. â—3 I had fainted except I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of God in the land of the living Where by the land of the living he meant even this world wherein men liue and in particular that land of Canaan the seate of Gods Church This so supported Iob that he would trust in God though he would kill him This was all that Alexander reserved to himselfe This is pictured like a beautifull virgin for the continuall beautie and vigor that is in it It is compared to brasse by the learned for the durable and impenetrable nature of it This is it that caryeth us aboue hope namely of carnall reason This is both staffe lanthorne when all sight and sence of all secondary means faile yea this is never higher elevated De divinia mâ—seratione tum ampltus spâ—raÌ„dum cum â—â—esidâ— humana â—â—fecerint Hexam then when our State in all mens eyes is at the lowest yea so low that the blasphemous wicked will not sticke to say God cannot restore him or at least God will not restore him Ambrose giveth a good direction from the nature of hope manifesting it selfe in greatest extremitie wee should most of all hope saith he in divine helpe wheÌ„ humane and secundary meanes fayle us so long as there is life there is ‘ DuÌ„ spâ—â—es sâ—â—â—a hope yea if it goe so hard with us that as Seneca saith Wee can hope †Qui nuÌ„â—il poâ—est sâ—e râ—ed dâ—speret nâ—bil nothing yet let us despayre nothing The third ground is from the succefle of hope in most desperate cases therefore it is said of hope that hope maketh not a shamed Which phrase is a Hebraisme denoting unto us the certainty or things hoped for to be accomplished Where first hee putteth a difference between hope in God and hope in man or humane things the latter proveth no better then a broken reed by which when a man is deceived he blusheth at the folly of his confidence but it is not so with that hope that is in God It likewise meeteth with the worlds misconstruction of Gods cause in distresse and the miserable case of his people when they see them deprived of their state their liues hunted like a Partridg how they are forsaken of their friends and made the object of the enemies wrath then the world flouts them Gods enemies whet their teeth on them drunkards sing songs of them vile Varlets bring them upon the Stage exposing their names and persons to all manner of contumelies and open mockery Is not this shame enough No saith the Apostle all this is nothing where hope is all the devils in hell cannot make a man ashamed for the things hoped for shall not deceiue him It is true that in temporall deliverances and vindicating his cause from the calumny of the enemy he hath not promised by this or that particular man yet it is enough to every particular man set a work that hee will doe it by him or another and why not by him as well as by another Let him waite on therefore it is enough that the Lord will doe his work Gen. 48.21 Israel said to Ioseph Behold I dye but God shall be with you and bring you againe to the land of your fathers Was not Davids case desperate in all mens eyes and in his own his hope almost forlorne his heart sunck in his belly Yet the object of his hope was made good Israels hope was very low for comming into the promised land and yet the Lord did not fayle them in any good thing they hoped for I might instance this in Ioseph Iob Mordecai and others But to bee short Let us come to our own times How haue many worthy men out of the sparkes of hope raked up in the ashes made a braue fire how haue they been lifted up out of the dust and their horn exalted on a suddain I will instance but in two or three Antonius Grimanius by noble prowesse and vertue rising from one degree to another till hee came to be Procurator for S. Marke in Venice but being defeated by the Turke in that Sea-fight at the Sporades through the fault of the Gally-masters that came not up to the fight hee was falsly accused to the Senate brought in chaines to his answer condemned to banishment and his greatest enemy Melchior Trivisan set up in his place but having lived in banishment till envy was extinct by the Senate hee was called back with a publique decree Integritatis virtutis ergo intimating his integrity and vertue to be the cause of his restitution and being made one of the Senate and Procurator as he was before he went in a great Embassie to Francis of France and
and quarrell and out-face heaven and earth by his sinnes he is fitter to be a souldier saith the Matchiavillist then he that will say surely and truely and so forth because such a one is a meer Puritan and so weak and faint-hearted that the enemy doth not fear him To come then to the answer of the point there is nothing more impious then the Position and nothing falser then the reason For the first is there any thing more impious then to prefer Paganism to Piety If this had been good in vain had Iohn perswaded the doubtfull Souldiers to take a holy course Likewise the reason that true Religion maketh men cowards it is against all reason against the nature of true magnanimity the power of Religion and the experience of time Standeth it with reason that hee that hath the strongest on his side should haue the least courage True magnanimity makes a man couragious to undertake the good and hate and abhor the evill as a base thing unworthy of such a spirit Who but the religious doe so The power of religiō Also the power of religion doth tie a man that hath it to his God assuring him if he loose this life he shall haue a better The souldier thus perswaded in his conscience and bearing Arms for a good cause as for the glory of God the defence of Religion the good of his Countrey and credit of his Prince will not loue his life unto death in the doing of his service Caesar tells us that the ancient Gaules were a generous and warlike people wherof he giues this ground that they resolutely beleeved the immortality of the soule Haue not all the true Worthies of the world bin religious ones Who more truly magnanimious Who more valorous victorious then David yet a man for zeal piety according to Gods own heart Who more couragious then holy Constantine who vanquished Licinius bringing peace to the Gospell and establishing the Gospel of peace What glorious victories had godly Theodosius who was Gods gift to the Church indeed against the Barbarians and other enemies of the Empire I could bring many other instances but these will suffice The wicked errant Cowards And as none more worthy then such so none more unworthy then irreligious Athiests the openly prophane or rotten hypocrite Was there ever a greater coward then Gajus Caligula Sueton. in Calig ca. 51 Dion in Calig who would hide his head at the Thunder And marching one time on foot through a streight with his Army was put in mind by one if the enemy should charge them what fear they might be in like a cowardly Atheist he mounts himselfe in an instant and fled with all his might though no man pursued him Let the word a witnesse beyond all exception determine this question The sinners in Syon are afraid fearfulnesse hath surprized the hypocrites Esa 33.14 For how can that man stand who is pursued by God and an ill conscience Other instances I might giue of great Tyrants yet starke Cowards but I can giue but a touch onely let me commend to you an instance of this kind worth your observation As the Kings of Iudah were holy and religious so they were valorous and victorious they were as God promised they should be the head and not the tayle but on the contrary as they were impious and idolatrous so they became degenerous and cowardly and so they became as God threatned the taile and not the head And as it is with Commanders so it is with souldiers The vertue of a souldier Xiphil apud Dion in Marc Anto. remarkeable and miraculous was that blessing that God gaue to Marcus Anthonius the Philosopher and his Army and that by means of the Christian companies that warred under him in his war against the Marcomans and Quadians He and his whole Army were inclosed in a dry country having no means to come by water but through a streight passage which the enemy kept and were like to be lost without one strok the Emperours Generall in this distresse told him that he had a Legion of Christians in his Army which could obtain any thing of their God that they prayed for the Emperour hereupon thought himselfe not too good to intreat them this office which they willingly and heartily performed in the name of Christ God as hee is ready to hear answered their desires with lightning upon their enemies and plenty of rain upon themselus which they kept in their Targets and Head-peeces and drunk Whereupon such fear fell upon their enemies that through terrour they were vanquished without stroke wherefore the Emperour called them The Thundering Legion and honoured them ever after and all Christians for their sakes But some will object object doe we not see and reade that men monstrously wicked haue behaved themselues to death so valorously in the field that their names haue no mean place in the book of valour I answer answ ambition may provoke a man to buy a bed of earthly honour vvith his dearest bloud or unadvisedly he may adventure not counting what it may cost him but if he should compare this life with eternall death attending after it upon all those that are not in Christ he durst not for a world be so prodigall of this life except he knew of a better yea he would quake and tremble at the verie thought of death Then to conclude this point as Ioshu◠had a resolution that he and his house would serue the Lord and as David would haue the faithfull to serue him so let those that will be Gods warriours be good warriours For as the evill carriage of Souldiers both Popish and Protestant haue laid Christian Kingdoms open to the Turkes tyrannie so we must confesse to our shame that our unworthy walking and walking after the flesh betrayes our good cause into the hand of the man of sin whose souldiours doe not prevaile because their carriage is better then their cause for both are starke naught but hee cannot endure that in his own Numb 2.31 which for a time he will in his enemies The Midianites that caused the Israelites to sin vvere vvorse then the Israelites but God first corrected his own people and then vexed the Midianites Last of all object 2 If any say that this my frame of a Souldier is like Sir Thomas Moore his Vtopia or Tully his Orator shewing rather what should be then what possible can be I answer it is true answ if we respect the perfection of the thing but it doth not follow that we should not labour for perfection No phisicall rules can be laid down nor receipts given to reduce the body to a perfect latitude of health yet still the Phisitians prescribe and study On all hands Valeat quātum valere potest Aut tales inveniant aut faciant Let bee done what can be done And first let one labour to be such and if they cannot finde such let them striue to make
them and the rest being emulous of their commendation Oratio saepe plus valet quam pecunia Comment did striue to deserue it as well as they Thus by experience Caesar made good the proofe of his own position That a good speech prevaileth sometimes more then money The motiues whereby Generals may perswade are these The motiues of an exhortatory oration and the like as first from the goodnesse of the cause for every one at least pretendeth a good cause as you may see in all the speeches of this nature From this Ioab did inforce valour upon his souldiers 2 Sam. 10.12 Be of good courage saith he and let us play the men for our people and for the Cities of our God Of which one saith very well Non potuiâ— vox duce dignior câ—gitari Pellic. That though he was no good man yet no speech could be worthier of a great Captain Secondly they perswade from the valour of the enemy and sometimes from the weaknesse of the enemy to overcome the former it is exceeding great glory Pro aris focis pugnatur and to haue the other to fight with assureth victory Thirdly from the preservation of them and theirs for goods liberty wiues and children life honour and religion it selfe lyeth upon it When the Romanes were to fight they brought all the prey the sallary and richest substance that the souldiers had Alex. ab Alex. lib. 4. c. 2. and laid it bound in fardells hard by the colours that thereby they might be whetted on to fight The Persians bring their wiues and preciousest things into the field and so doth the Spanyard the richest things he hath Fourthly they moue with hope of glory and promise of reward Feare and punishment are the bonds of Camp Discipline but the souldiers must be carryed on to the battle on the wings of hope and reward Fifthly it is no small motiue to obserue the impossibility to escape the enemie if they should flye through the nature of the place wherein they fight Myronides the Athenian Generall leading his souldiers against the Thebans brought them into a fair large field where they were to fight where he caused them all to lay down their Armes view the place all round about You see my souldiers said he what a large field is heer and our enemies are brauely mounted on swift horses therefore if we flee there is no possibility to escape but if we stand to it there is good hope of victory Vpon which speech they pur on resolution to stand it out to a man and did second the same with such courage Polyaen l. 1. that they carryed the day and had a great victory which they followed to Phocis and Locris The last motiue and that of no small force is taken from the cruelty and inhumane condition of the enemy with whom they are to fight If men fight against such as are worse then Beares and Lyons that are never satisfyed with bloud such as the brood of Gog and Magog Turkes and Papists whose very mercies are cruelties Were it not better to die upon the sharp with honour in the field then to be reserved for a while unto some cruell torment intollerable sorrow and disgracefull reproach Fpaminondas Generall of the Thebans being to fight with the Lacedemonians that he might not onely strengthen his souldiers but also sharpen their indignation against their enimies delivered in his Oration that it was the determination of the Lacedemonians if they overcame to kill all the Males of the Thebans man and mothers sonne and further to make slaues and captiues of their wiues and daughters and last of all to equall Thebes with the ground This did so inflame the Thebans against the Lacedemonians that at the very first shock they overcame them Doth not the belluin rage and cruelty Application executed upon the Germanes and Bohemians by woefull experience tell us what mercilesse and inhumane enemies we contend with namely the bratts of the bloudy whore The ripping up of women the shamefull abusing of them not to be named the torturing of men with new devised torments the bathing in the bloud of inoffensiue children the cruel murthering of Gods Ministers who by the lawes of God and Nations haue alwaies been sacred In aword their unparallâ—ld immanity aboue Turkes or Barbarians would put life in a man to fight to the last gaspe rather then to liue and see the least part of these horrible indignities To passe by the Spanyard outrage upon the Indian and Hollander whose resolution and valour ariseth out of the Spanish cruelty and perfidie cast but your eye upon the Spanish provision for 88 and you may see how like the base bramble Abimelech they were determined to burn up the inhabitants and as the scourges of Gods wrath to whip us to death with tormenting scorpions as if they would haue made the torments of the English a terrour to all nations But by you my Lords and people of the Vnited Provinces let this particular be observed in your encounter with the Spanyard I know the monuments of the more then Saracen cruelties remains with you you haue pictures in your houses and draughts drawn in the tables of your hearts Yet let this sharpen your resolution to fight it out to the death that if ever the black brood be masters you shall haue the blackest day that ever men had If Radamanthus and Minos were come out of hell to torment they could not exercise more cruelty then they would upon you and yours yea as they would make you a spectacle to all the world so they would send you bodies and soules to hell if they could As Hanibal therefore was a sworn enemy to the Romans in his childhood so teach your youth rather to die then to liue at the mercy of the Spaniard But withall fit your selues and yours for death better then you doe and then let fire or water haue the land and all that you haue yea if I may so say and make it good in dispute let the devill haue it as he had all Iobs substance rather then the Spanyard haue it who is a devill incarnate As the bloudy disposition of so devilish an enemy should put you on to fight it out to the very last pinch so should it likewise terrifie you from any terms of peace which if once you intertain you are caught in the trap The Spanyard is like the Irish who under a perfidious peace doth his adversary more mischiefe then in open war Your charge and paines in peace shall be never a whit lesser for I am sure you dare not trust them your damage and danger shall be greater For who ever gained by peace with the Spanyard England excepted who hath of late gained repentance I wish they be not too late in bringing forth the fruits of it But to speake of this though I cannot speak enough I shall be further occasioned onely I will shut it
shee had lived to haue taken up her fathers bones and burned them In this popish Rome is worse then heathen Rome who had written in their Capitol for moderation of victory parce victis frange superbos spare the conquered and bring under the proud Epaminondus may be a patterne to all in this who hauing reioyced for his victory at Luctris came forth the next day amongst his souldiers all evill put on and with a sad countenance the cause whereof being demanded by his friends I did please my selfe too much said he yesterday with conceit of the victory but thinking on the bloud that is shed I chastise my selfe to day Agiselaus after his great victory at Corinth seeing a great number of Corinthians and Athenians lying slaine was so far from reioycing or growing proud of the victory that in sorrow he cryed out woe is me for Greece Plutarch in Lacon Malo unū civem servare quam mille hostes occidere who in civill combustions hath lost so many brave souldiers as might haue conquered all the barbarians for so they termed other nations It was a frequent and a worthy saying of Antonius Pius for the which Capitolinus commendeth him much that he had rather save the life of one subiect then kill 1000 enemies Fourthly they must not abuse the conquered captive detracting from him and taking arrogantly to themselues that which doth not become them This did cruell Adonibezeck who cut off the Thumbes of 70 Kings and made them gather their meate under his table like Doggs So Tigranes King of Armenia caused four Kings to waite on his table Sesostris had his chariot drawen with Kings and Tamarlan carried Bajazet about with him in an iron cage That dishonorable hatefull contempt done upon the supposed body of Iames the fourth found dead as they said in the field of Floudon was both voide of generositie humanitie but because he tooke Armes against Iulius the second his usage could not be bad enough Yea Thomas Howard Earle of Surry Commander of the field being puft up with the glory of the day forgot his distance excedingly in the adding to his Armes for where before he gaue the white Lyon he gaue it then upon the red Lyon tearing him as it were with his clawes Rer. Scoticar lih 13. pag. 422. But this his insolencie is thought to haue been plagued in his posteritie whose ends for the most part and that in both sexes were stigmatized with some note of disgrace Borbon and Lanoy carried themselues more noblie toward Francis King of France being taken at the battle of Pavia for supper being prepared Lanoy and Alphonsus Vastius did serve the King with Bason and Ewer both they and Borbon could hardly be intreated to sit downe Bartholomeus Chasaneus in Catalog gloriae mūdi Pars 9.19 Consid in fine but still they desired to attend him at supper The like or greater generositie was showen by Prince Edward the mirror of man-hood towards King Iohn his captive before whom he stood uncovered and would hardly be intreated to sit down at supper Fiftly and lastly they are to keepe quarters with captives being taken For to cast off prisoners and put them to the sword is against the lawes of Armes though Turkes and Papists make no bones of this amongst the rest of their cruelties yet far be it from any so to doe that professeth Christ truely And thus much for the conquerors carriage towards the conquered Amongst many motives that I might giue for this moderation take onely this that the conquerour sometimes may come to stand in neede of the conquered who as they will remember moderate usage and repay it with good so they will requite tyranny with evill Historians tell us how the Lacedemonians the great Masters of Armes through all the world having so great an overthrouw at the battle of Luctris that they were forsaken of all their confederates and had no refuge but to betake themselues to the Athenians against whom they had warred and whose Walls they had raysed yet for all this they received them very lovingly The fourth main thing followeth how to demeane themselues in the use of the goods or possessions of the conquered It is true that the spoyle is theirs but the good creatures of God they must not spoile The Lord giveth a strait charge against this in Deut when thou shalt lay siedge to a cittie and take it thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof and thou shalt not cut them down onely that which is not for meate thou mayest cut downe By this prohibition God restrayneth the waste and spoyl which souldiers usually make in warre and teacheth them thereby that there is a kind of mercy to be manifested toward the creatures specially those that serve for the maintenance of mans life This respect had Christ to the creatures when he caused his disciples to take up the broken meate after the people had eaten and were filled that nothing should be lost It is reported of the Danes Io. 6.12 that with such crueltie and outrage they made havocke of all where they came that they seemed not so much to conquer the land as to consume it not so much to possesse it as to race out the remembrance of it Now I come to the last main thing required in the conqueror namely his carriage towards his own That Generall will never deale well with his enemies nor get glory to himselfe that dealeth evill with his owne As they haue bought the victory with their bloud and the hazard of their lives Salustais Tacitus Livius Amain Polyb. their is no reason but they should be both commended and rewarded It was the custome of the chiefe Commander as all our ancient writers do record after the victorie to go up to some pulpit and there with a solemne oration to commend the souldiers according to every mans place worth and present service neither was that enough barely to commend or giue thē thanks but with their prayse they distributed divers gifts Is it equitie or conscience that all should fight and one or a few carry a way the spoyle David was of a more equall mind who did not onely willingly divide the spoile of the Amalekits to those that were in the fight but also gaue the 200 weake and wearyed ones a share that stayed by the stuffe and that was made a statute and an ordinance for Israell as his part is that goeth to the battle 1. Sam. 30.24 so shall his part be that tarryeth by the stuffe neither was there any wrong done to those wicked men who grudged at it for first they wanted not will but power to goe to the battle Secondly they stayed by the stuffe to keep it as necessary a peece of service as to fight and that with as great danger as those that fought if they had been overcome And lastly they had but a Geometricall share not an Arithmeticall or equall with the other The like
his worship and that he should not be the appointer of it Hence it is that not onely the Hebrews but also all Greeks and Barbarians did rest from work on the seventh day witness Iosephus Clemens Alexandrinus and Eusebius lastly it afronteth Christs institution included in the very name of the day Why is it called the Lords day Rev. 1.10 1 Cor. 16.2 is it not because it was appointed by the Lord and to continue for the Lord as the Sacrament for the same reasons is called the Supper of the Lord. To make an end of the point let the Magistrates of London and other parts who haue kept back their authority from sanctifying of the Sabboth look to the end fire is broke out already but I fear if we will not â—earken to hallow the Sabboth of the Lord that the fire spoken of by Ieremy shall break forth in our Gares and not bee quenched till it haue devoured us I might say much in this point both by reason of the commonnesse of the sin and plenty of matter against it but I will onely say this Where there is no conscience of keeping of the Sabboth sincerely they haue no ground to expect any good As for Stage-plaies they are the devils chaire the seate of Scorners the plague of piety and the very pox to the Common-wealth but I haue a whole Treatise against them And as for the other sins mentioned it is counted but Puritanism to count them sins but so much the worse As our Nation is a field of crying sins so the cry of some sinns must not be discovered but countenanced in a searfull manner who knows but the things which we count trifles may be the speciall matter of our controversie with God A little other fire then God had ordained might seem a small matter in the eyes of indifferency yet it was such a sinne as made all Israel guilty as appeareth by the sacrifices offered for that sinne Levit. chap. 16 yea it brought such a fire from the presence of the Lord as could hardly be quenched These sinnes therefore must be taken by the poll and others of the like nature as contempt of the Word and hatred of Gods people and they must be beaten to powder with the Israelites Calfe Goe from a Tribe to a Family from a Family to a house and so to every man of the house till the golden wedge be found out We must not trust our wicked hearts with this work for corrupt nature is blind as a beetle in the finding out of sinne witnesse the Israelites even then when all the plagues of God were comming upon them they sayd What is our iniquity or sinne against God Ier. 16.10 Princes and people had need of good Seers whom they must suffer to shew them their sinne that either they cannot find or will not finde such was Nathan to David they must not count such men of contention and busie-fellows as the Iewes called Ieremiah but our evill age doth not onely hide sinn but maintaine sinne There is also too much propensitie both in the bade and also in the good to palliate sin to tranfer their troubles to other causes then to it I remember that Traian Generall to Valence the Emperour that mirror of impietie going against the Gothes he was defeated in the very first battle for which Valence upbrayded Trajan at a feast with cowardize and sloth as being the causes of the overthrow but noble Traian not enduring that indignitie with freedome of speech told enduring that indignitie with freedome of speech told the Emperour in plaine termes that he had lost the day for you do so war against God saith he meaning his persecuting of Christians that you abandon the victory and send it to your enemies Niceph. Calist lib. 11. Cap. 40 Eccle. Hist it is God saith he that overcommeth and he giveth the victory to those that obey him but such are your adversaries and therefore you haue God to fight against you how then can you overcome Here you may see a patterne of a wicked disposition well taken up and the saddle set upon the right horse And not onely doe such bloudy monsters as this shift off their calamities from their sinnes but also Gods people by falling in sin and lying in sin may be tainted with it witnesse David a man otherwise after Gods owne heart yet tainted with this Amongst the rest of his trickes of legerdemain when he spun the spiders webbe of his implicit sin this was one to cover the murther of Vriah he useth a principall experimentally knowen the sword devoureth one at well as another make thy battell more strong against the cittie and so overthrow it 2. Sam. 11.25 David spake the trueth but not truely for he knew that it was not common lot that had cut off Vriah but his owne heart and hand had caused him and others to fall yet he would daube over a filthy peece of business with a litle white plaistring but when once he was awaked he was so far from daubing as that he chargeth himselfe more deeply with every circumstance then any other could haue done I am the man And after the numbring of the people when his heart smote him grieving at the punishment of the people he taketh the whole sin upon him and vvould cleere the people both of the sin and punishment Loe I have sinned and I haue done wickedly but these sheepe what haue they done 2. Sam. 24.77 let thy hand I pray thee be against me and against my fathers house CHAP. XLIIII Of quitting God of all injustice A Third thing in the behaviour of the conquered is this since sin is the cause they must quit God of all injustice how heavy soever their burthen lye upon them David quitteth the Lord of all injustice if he should adjudge him to eternall death Lament 〈◊〉 18. so doth the people of God in the lamentations being under the verie rod of his wrath The Lord is righteous for I haue rebelled against his commandment By condemning of our selues to acquit God De summo bono lib. 3. is the readiest way to get an acquitance from God Yea as Isedor saith let a man learne not to murmur when he suffereth although he were ignorant for what he suffereth let this suffice to tell him that he suffereth justly because it is from him that cannot deale but justly Pompey was herein exceedingly mistaken who seeing all to goe on Caesars side doubted not to say that there was a great deale of miste over the eye of divine providence for with him that offered nothing but wrong to the commoÌ„ wealth all things went well but with him that defended the common-wealth nothing succeded But Pompey blamed the Sunne because of his sore eyes There be many in our age of Pompey his saucie humor yea arranter wranglers then he because of greater light and showes of profession who if their corruption be never so litle crossed or the Lord
This is Princely indeed for as we are all born as Tully saith to doe so they especially who are of high place and authority To say much and doe nothing doth not rellish of the English wit nor worth whose noble ancestours for doing haue been too plaguie fellowes and enemies of State terrible as an Army of Banners It hath often been to me a matter of wonder how our Ancestors with so little or no light at all dispatched more work in a week then we in a year of which I conceiue with submission of my iudgement these to bee the reasons They presumed of the work done and made the honour of their house and the glory of their name the height of their ambition but we in greater light know that the work done wilnot serv and as for the assurance of Gods loue which should put confidence in our hearts and courage in our actions but a few labour for it and this is the death of action and they with whom Gods honour is not in the highest esteem never make a true account of their own honour Besides this our ancestors had not such hellish pates and hollow hearts to deale with as our Senate hath I wish they may work while they haue light for when the night commeth they cannot work if they would as I haue often shewed occasion to be the soule of action so when action looseth breath the soule departs and returns no more They want no lawes for their warrant nor patterns for their practise nor wit to apply them Let them up then and doe it and God will be with them Shall the fear of Forraigns freeze the waters of our counsell and never a fire of zeale nor even-down rain of courage to thaw or dissolue them Shall the prophane oppose piety and maintain ungodlinesse and never a Nehemiah to take an order with them Shall Snakes eate out the belly of the Common-wealth and still be kept aliue in our bosoms Shall the eye of our high and honourable Senate be dimmed or dazeled with a white Rochet Shall by him the Scepter of Christ be trampled under foot to the casting away of soules and his soule not pay for it Let me speak freely let them take heed how they let Benhadad that is men committed to their keeping goe lest the liues of them and us goe for their liues whom the Lord hath appointed either to destroy us or to be destroyed Shall a two faced Ianus or a man with a heart and a heart dance in a net or goe masked and no body see him nor unmaske him I hope they will pardon my freedom of speech for my boldnesse is no more then my fidelity loue and service bindes me to The fire of sinne flames through all the land and the fire of judgement is kindled in every corner except some bestir themselues to quench it we shall all be consumed The Lord giue resolution and action to those that are in place to arise for Sion for be they sure if they sit still deliverance shall come to Zion another way but they and theirs shal pay for it As for the Hollander I hope he will be still in action but I would haue him to do as much for God as he doth for himselfe and as much against sin as he doth against the enemy for that is the way to undoe the enemy It were better for them to be cast in the mould by a plaine and round dealing ministery then to be battered by the Popes foure corned Canoniers or the Arminians sacred minions the Prelates These be Hawkes of prey wherewith the Princesse of Parma and Granvil thought to haue seazed upon them in the beginning of their troubles and they haue ever and anone been threatned with them since Let them leaue off provoking God lest they be plagued with them as others of their neighbours be and let them take heed of that Romish Dictatorship of constant Moderation which is the next step to Imperious Hierarchy CHAP. XLIX Of the end of Warre NOW I come to the very last point concerning the end of war which I haue reserved to the end of the Treatise and will shut it up in a word or two 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For a great book is called a great evill The end of it is Gods glory peace and publique good Evill ends may undoe good causes annihilate good means and frustrate the most probable expectations Iehu had a good cause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Maius bonum est sinis quam quod non est finis Arist lib. Rhet. cap. â— Horat. in Arte. and used lawfull means but his end was naught and that marred all to him It is true the worke of the Lord was done but no thanks to him who in seeking of his own ends made his own work the main work and the Lords the by-work The end as the Philosopher saith is the speciall good of a thing Private ends in warre are the greatest enemies of the publique good fuit haec sapientia quondam Publica privatis secernere sacra profanis It was the wisedome once for to perferre Publique to private sacred to profane Si stâ—dium pecuniae suftuleris aut quo ad res feret minueris Orat. 2 de Ordin Reip. Salust hath a pretty rule for the ordering of mens affections in military courses Thou maist bring a great deale of good saith he to the Country to the State to thy selfe and family to all those that haue any correspondency with thee if thou remoue desire of money or at least let is not haue dominion over thee I am here occasioned to direct my speech once more to the Lords of the Vnited Provinces that as publique good is the end of their war maintained so in raising means for the maintenance of warre they would prefer the publick good to the private which is not observed as I think in the still increasing of excize upon victuals for this course injureth a many as Commons Tradesmen Travellers yea and the souldiers whose bloud maintains the war and the private profite redoundeth to a handfull so great ones saving their purses by this disproportionable dealing they who haue least and labour most they haue often the most eaters and payes most Methinkes a Geometricall proportion were a great deale juster then an Arithmeticall and that the strongest horse should carry the heaviest load I speake plainly and out of loue to the State which many waies may be hurt by this inequality By-respect and sinister intent is like a strange fire which blows up the work and brings vengeance on the Workman it a close kind of hypocrisie and therefore the Lord will certainly plague it instance that requitall of Iehu his pretended zeal in the destroying of the house of Ahab First it was the Lords own work and Iehu had his warrant for it in the 2 of the Kings ch 9. v. 7. Thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master c. In the second place obserue
of God which will make you perfect to this and every good work As for order I hope your Honours are advised to take a strict order with the enemies of your own House that is the Draconarie companies of English Romanists whom I need not describe to you for you know them by their colours onely they may be noted by this briefe Description They are the Popes Asses the Devils Dromidaries the Spaniards familiars and the Iesuits Cabinat Ere you goe to war doe as Joshua did with the fiue Kings whom he couped up in a caue that they should not make head with recollected forces Ies 10. Shut up the Amorits and roule the stone to the Caues mouth and then fear not but you shall deal well enough with Amaleâ—k 2 Sam. 5. As David made sure the Jebusites that dwelt in the prime place of his Kingdom before be went against the Philistims doe you so with these Iebusites that dwell in the heart of your Countrey David took in Metheg Amath by which is meant Gath the word signifieth the bridle of Amath or of the hilly Tract 2 Sam. 8. For being the strength of the Philistims David made it a bridle to them So take in Gath that is the strong Fort of our home Philistims and it will be a bridle to our enemies abroad The Princes of the Philistims would not trust David but caused the King to send him back from the battell least he should betray them to his Master Saul Cap. 29. and should the Princes of Israel trust the Philistims who haue devoted themselues to Babel and their Country to their Cyrus as they call him You are the Eyes and Armes of our Soveraign the Body of the land the Councell and Strength for warre the Sword and Shield of Gods distressed cause the Terrour of the Adversary the rod for the wicked the Sithe to mowe down sinne and in a word the very Helm of the State Then as you look to haue honour here and glory hereafter Stand fast and quit your selues like men for God and your Country As the Greek Ephori the Roman Senators and the States of Venice to this day doe lay down themselues and all private passions of fear flattery and the rest before they enter the Senate house Vt Reipub. serviant so you must be all the Common-wealths and none of your own You had need of the Senatory ornaments enumered by Iethro especially Wisedom and Courage The greatest good hath the greatest opposition A Crown cannot be had without contending for it you haue not onely the weale of Caesars Crown but of Christs Crown to look to a jealous care of the latter is the safety of the former for they who honour God God will honour them As the externall evils of the body such as heat cold and wounds may well be prevented and easily cured but internall evils as sicknesse vlcers and the like are not commonly fore-seen nor easily cured so the open enemies of State are quickly discovered and easily opposed but the mothes and cankers ulcerous plagues and hecticks arising out of the State it selfe are so hardly discovered till they be past cure that they become the spoyle of policie and opprobrie of States-men Polib lib. 11. bist Of those inward evils haue a speciall care and keep close to your rules without slavish fear And howsoever it fall out it is greater cunning and matter of more commendation in the Phisitian to make a true use of his rules then to eure the Patient As tediousnesse is not for such a presence nor weaknesse worthy to direct such a Senate I deprecate what may be found amisse and with this close I shut up all Doe you what you should and let God doe what hee list Your Honours in all possible service A. L. TO THE TRVELY SINCERE READER IT is a common Apologie Iudicious and Christian Reader that men are Ioath to write because so many write It is true in deed that this is the first of the three main remoraes in way of writing for there be too many bookes either to no end or to an evill end the former blurreth paper the latter blotteth the mind the former cloyes the latter corrupteth like flies in hot weather The other two letts are neglect of mens paines storming at the trueth yet for al these the abuse of a good thing or evill interâ—animent must not stop the use of it Yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because so many speake as the Philosopher saith I was ashamed to be silent Manie poysons must haue many antidotes As the Popes shop wanteth no sort of workmen some to mine and some to vndermine some to cosen some to cut some to poyson some to dispute some to fight and some to giue the Alarum so with these souldierly Ignatians or men-Serpents treatise doth incounter not teaching treacheries and treasons or an Equivocall holy warre but the true art of the holy warre indeed Instances of such flery and flying serpents wee haue had too many at home as Morton for the Northerne rebellion Saunders for Ireland and to omit the treasons against the person of the Queene by Parrie Balliard Somerfield Watson Lopes and the rest Would not Garnet at one stroke haue cut the heads from vs all These fellowes haue more cunning then Archimedes they would move the whole earth if they had but England to stand on It is to be feared that they haue got too much footing and that wee haue more Legions of those evil Spirits amongst vs then wee are aware of Paracelsus telleth vs when frogges heap together one upon another it is a signe of a plague so wee haue cause to feare those plaguy froggs whose doctrine and practice sound nothing but treachery and Armes Classasicum bellisacri witnesse Shoppius in his Alarurn manie others of that graine They tell us indeed that Englands feare of them is like that of Alexanders espiall who discovering Apes imitating a march from the mountaines tooke them to be souldiers indeed Mâ—derat Answ Cap. 1. Apes they are indeed for counterfetting of Christ for malice mischeife subtilitie against his flocke the Metempsuchosis well beommeth them but they march from the mountaines of Babel like souldiours and it is to be feated that with Aelians-Ape they will kill our young ones in the cradle if they be not lookt to They mocke and disgrace the Lyon whose onely cure and best securitie consisteth in their ruine Against their Apish flatteries and overtures of peace â—â—â—c non 〈◊〉 the law of not beleeving is the best remedie for an ape will ever be an ape Simia semper erit simia He that relieth upon the faith of the faithlesse papist may one day with woefull experience say as Bricidas the Lacedemonian said I was wounded my shield betraying me As for the matter Prodente me clypio vulneratus sum the generall subiect thereof hath been handled by divers but in every particular
evil qualities of the wicked man this is reckoned as the chiefe Ps 140.1.2 that he is prone to war Release thou me Iehovah from the evill man from the man of wrong c. Every day they gather warres Yea in this the wicked man discovers the image of his father the devill Rev. 20.8.9 who being let loose after the thousand yeares expired goeth out to deceiue the people and to gather them together to battell Warre the wages of sin And for the second that it is the wages of sin and that the speciall it is as cleare as the first from plaine places of Scripture from Gods order in his proceeding and Davids avoyding of this when God gave him his choyce of the punishment For the first the Lord threatning to harden himselfe against his people in punishment as they had hardened themselves against him in sin Lev. 26.25 saith thus I will bring upon you a sword that shall avenge the quarrell or vengeance of my covenant It appeareth also in the order of Gods proceeding by comparing of places of Scripture together as the first and second Chap. of the prophesie of Ioel. The Lord having plagued his people with famine by the which they were not moved to repentance he coÌ„mandeth the Trumpet of war to be sounded telleth them that he would bring a fierce and cruell people against them whose mercilesse monstrons tyranny he compareth to the devouring of fire and for the fiercenesse of their consuming wrath he calleth that plague The day of the Lord a day of darkenes a day of blacknes Thirdly and lastly David delivereth thus much in choosing rather the plague Warre the cause of sin Rara fides pietasque viris qui castra sequuntur Lucan then the prevayling hand of the enemye 3. Warre is likewise the cause of much sin as pregnant testimonies and woefull experience teacheth The proverbe is as true as common That faith and pietie are rare in armes Wee may iustlie now with Erasm that great Maister in Arts take up the complaint made by him of his time Wee war continually Nation against Nation Kingdom against Kingdom Citie against Citie Prince against Prince People against People friend against friend kinsman against kinsmaÌ„ brother against brother yea son against the father which the very Heathen held impious and barbarous yea that which is most detestable of all Christian against Christian and yet there be saith he that commend and applaud this hellish practise for a holy course instigating the inflamed fury of Princes by adding oile to the flame as they say till all be consumed And what is come of this I may answer What evill is not come of it I may justly apply that of Aristophanes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Lypsius applyeth to the troubles of his time That God the heaven and earth hath set on fire In war renown honor wealth chastity life wiues and children yea and religion it selfe lyeth at the stake nothing so sacred no sex so tender no age so impotent which the barbarous souldier will not contaminate defloure and kill It is the souldiers sport as one saith truely to ruin houses to ravish Virgins to spoit Churches Iocus ludas in militia c. Ludo. vives in epist ad Henr. 8. Angl. reg Silent leges inter arma to consume Cities and Towns to ashes with sire yea these be the ornaments of war to profit none to hurt every one to respect neither sex nor age yea nor God himselfe for his in warr are neglected and the lawes of peace and war contemned All laws in Armes are silenc't by the sword The world for the proofe of this affoords a world of woefull experience both from sacred and profane Writ To omit the examples of ages past let us view with compassion the instances of our own times and as God usually doth commemorate his latest mercies to leade men to repentance and his latest judgements to terrifie men from their sinnes so let us look upon the latest warres in France Bohemia and the Palatinate Is it not with Gods people every where as it was with them in Asa his time There is no peace to him that goeth out or commeth in but great vexations are upon all the inhabitants of the Countries 2 Chron. 15.6 7. and Nation is destroyed of Nation And though my heart doth quake while I remember Et quanquaÌ„ animus meminisse horret Phil. 2.1 Yet to use the words of the Apostle If there be any confolation in Christ any comfort of loue any fellowship of the spirit any compassion and mercie behold all you that passe by your mournfull sisters Bohemia and the Palatinate with their torn hair about their eyes their vail taken away their crown fallen their sanctuaries defaced their people flain their land laid wast yong old Priest and people exposed to the immane and bloudy cruelty the beastly filthinesse and Ismaelitish mockerie of the cruell enemy In a word was there ever sorrows like to theirs Yea I may safely say the old Threns of Ieremy hath got a new subject And what is the immediate cause of all this evill of sin and punishment Tu bellum causa malorum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Even bloudy warre thou art the cause of all It is the part therfore of wise men saith one if they be not the more provoked to be quiet yea of good men if they be provoked to change peace into warre but so that they change war againe into peace with all possible conveniencie Men disposed to unnecessary warre are compared by some vnto two Gamsters whereof the one is undone and the other is never a whit the richer Plin. l. 8.2 for all the gain is in the box Compared also they may be fitly to the Elephant and the Dragon Plin. l. 8. c. 12. which in their cruel conflict are each killed by other The Dragon as it is written sucketh out the bloud of the Elephant and being drunke therewith the weight of the falling Elephant oppresseth the Dragon and crusheth out the bloud which some calleth but falsly sanguis Draconis but they both perish And so it often falleth out with the unadvised undertakers of warr Vpon this ensuing evill the wise and learned haue taken occasion to check the humors of Princes so disposed as Lodovic Vives to Pope Adrian and in his epistle to Henry the 8 King of England there his motiues and counsels against unnecessary warre are to be seen at large The proverbe is true indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sub melle venenunclâ—tet That warre is very sweet to those that never tasted it but those that taste it shall be forced to confesse that there is poyson under the honey This Hannibal the honour of Carthage knew very well when the Roman Embassadours came from Rome to treat of the continuance of peace one Gisco as great a coward as a vain-glorious bragger without either the practick or
his forces But because this succeded not the great Armado in 88 was set out to sinke our nation For both the matter of that warre and the cruell manner of the execution intended if the ground be well searched I thinke it will be found no better then the successe As for that Hispaniolized Popish pamphleter indevouring with tooth and nayle to make good that Spanish invasion from provocation given by her Majesty to the Spaniard he shevveth himself a Viper to the honor of his Countrie concealing treacherously both the iniquitie of the Spanish ground and his trechery in the manner of proceeding The affairs of Holland pag. 53. under the colour of a treatie But him in his coulours I shall haue occasion in some other treatise to discover more largely Lastly for these present warrs maintayned with much outrage and crueltie by the popish faction what good ground can be given I see not unlesse their Trent designe be a good ground which was to root out the Gospell and to ruine the Professors thereof throughout all Christendome If this rule should hold in every war No war but just let Magistrates maintayn Bella magistratus non nisi justa gerat Then I am sure that all the aforesaid Warres of the crew recited are against this rule yea a just quarrell in the Popes or Spaniards hand is a very rate thing Witness their practises and possessions the right whereof now I mean not to canvasse I am sure of this that they contend for much and keepe much that they haue as much right to as the Devill had to the body of Moses One thing I could wish them that they would follow Charles the 5 in one thing who in his retired life taking account of his actions which were in number twenty more remarkeable he viewed them often and amongst all the rest when he looked upon that unjust war made against the Duke of Saxon and the rest of the Protestant Princes with sighes and words hee much regrated the same But I fear they must be cloystered up before they doe the like But if intreatie or example cannot moue let the infamie of unjust war and the issue of it terrifie all the undertakers of it It is a shame for a Christian to play the Matchivilian Now this is one of his most impious and hellish principles that upon any occasion a Prince may undertake-warre although there be no just ground for it Vpon which fals ground he perswaded Laurence de Medicis to undertake the conquest of Italy which he might easily atchieue by the help of the Church by the which he meant Leo the 10. He propounds likewise before him and others that monstrous abortiue Caesar Borgia as a pattern to be followed but to follow this pattern or to usurp anothers right is the very note and work of a tyrant as the Chancellour of Rochel wel observed in the advice formerly mentioned As for the issue both sacred Writ and humane Histories The bitter fruits of unjust war doe tell us that remarkeable ruin yea and sometimes utter extirpation hath followed upon unjust warre For brevities sake I will onely instance with these two well known but yet very memorable examples The former of Amaleck Deu. 25 1â— concerning whom the Lord giues a strict charge that hee should be rooted out yea his people should doe it and not forget iâ— so the Lord is said to haue him in remembrance till he did see the charge fully executed Dent. 32. Another instance obserue in Simeon when Moses before his death blesseth all the Tribes Simeons name is quite omitted which is not without matter of note especially if we compare this with other passages answerable to this as vvhen the blessing was first given he looseth his honour Gen. 49.5.7 his posterity in the wildernesse was diminished from 93000 at the first muster to 22200 at the latter muster Numb 1.26 14. neither were there Iudges of his Tribe as of others he had no possession by himselfe The ground of all which as I conceiue vvas their unjust war and bloudy execution Yea the moving of unjust warre argueth exceedingly the want of the fear of God Deut. 2â— 18 for by the feare of the Lord men depart from evill Prov. 16.6 And what fear of God is there in those Captaines Colonels or Souldiers that never lookes to the cause nor cares not whom they serue so it be a golden service CHAP. IIII. Of the Authority required in waging War THVS much having spoken of the equity of the cause I come now to the second circumstance of the description which requireth competency of person A just cause of warre doth not warrant every man to undertake warre Egâ— enim existimo in summo imperatore quatuor has res esse o â—ortere scilicet scientiam rei militaris virtutem authoritatem foelicitatem Cic. in orat de laud mâ—g Pomp. 1 The necessity of authority Things required in warre may be reduced to these foure heads authority vertue fitnesse and discipline though others may reduce them to some other heads yet all comes to one effect Tully requireth in the supreme Commander these foure things Knowledge of War Vertue Authority and Successe Successe here required by Tully must of necessity follow the circumstances by me forementioned The first thing then is authority primarily in the Magistrate and from him derived to the Souldiers both Commanders and others What the meanest souldier doth hee must doe it by authority which doth warrant him to doe many things which otherwise were unlawfull as to kill sack and spoyl which vvithout authority were murther robbery and cruell oppression Authority then is the Key of War vvithout the which warre is a meer Aceldema or field of bloud and a chaos of confusion Moses the great Commander of the Lord had authority to fight the battels of the Lord Like authority did he at Gods command Numb 27.18 v. 23 put upon Ioshua Take saith the Lord Ioshua the son of Nun a man in whom is the spirit and put thy hand upon him c. which Moses did as you may see in Numbers by the renewing of the same charge especially for the warr Moses strengthens and confirms Ioshua And Moses called to Iosâ—hua Deut. 31.7 and said to him in the eyes of all Israel be thou strong and couragious for thou shalt goe in with this people c. Thus the war against the foure Kings was undertaken at Abrahams command That rash and heady adventure of the Israelites against the Canaanites and Amalekites as it was without Gods approbation so it was without authority for neither Moses Aaron nor the Arke went up with them and therfore Moses doth call their attempt a bofty presumption And such was their successe for they were smitten to Hormah Numb 14.45 a name answerable to the event namely destruction Such be the warres made by the man of sinne and the Locusts of the bottomlesse
affected vvhen they heard these evill tydings They mourned and no man put on him his ornaments Where observe as by the force of the reason the threatning concerneth us so it standeth us upon to be affected and humbled by the threatning as they vvere Though the Lord had promised to send his Angell to cast out the nations before them to giue them the good land yet all this vvithout Gods familiar presence vvould not content them Oh that this mind vvere in us and that vvee could mourne as they did he vvould be intreated to goe vvith us as he went still vvith them at Moses entreatie If vvee vvill but looke upon the practise of the heathens in this particular Si dii voluerint Expeditio in Dei nomine Sacra fecere ante egressionem Herodian lib. 6. it may make us ashamed of our neglect Hauing prepared their forces their Edicts for setting forth vvere given out in the name of their gods to vvhom before they vvent forth they preformed all religious services yea they had such an esteeme of the tutelar gods of nations that they held them invincible except their gods should forsake them which made all the foolish nations exceeding carefull to keepe and please their foolish gods and their enemies as diligent to inveigle them As it is reported of Diomedes and Vlisses who inticed out the Troyan Palladium So the Talmudists and Cabalists fable of Moses that he should overcome Amonino the God or intelligence for so they call nationall gods of the Epgytiās Beatū esse hominem Deo fruentem sicut oeulus luce Lib 8. de Civit. Dei. The Platonists could say as Austin witnesseth that that man was happy who inioyed God as the eye doth the light If thus the blind heathens did toyle themselves to please their mouldy gods or rather devills heaping sorrow on their own soules and if Rome yet take so much paines with her Bellona for the successe of warre how should wee labor to haue his presence with us who is the God of all the world who needs not our keeping save onely by faith but he will keepe us and make the hearts of the Caneanits to melt yea the joints of every Balshazzer that is drunke with the whoores cup to tremble and shake Therefore let us never cease nor giue the Lord rest till wee haue his familiar presence with us CHAP. XII Of depriving the Enimy of all Means THVS an Army having got his presence may go on with Iosuah and be couragious yet vvithall no secondary mean must be neglected And first of all a people must look to maintayne what they haue already in possession Omnem alumoniam virtus intra muros debent studiosissime conlocare Veget. lib. 4. cap. 7. Qui frumētum nō habet vincitur sine ferre Caesar sexto bello gallice that especially by fortifying all places of strength vvhereunto they may bring all their victuals and other substance And that for tvvo causes as Vegetius vvel observes The first that if they be beseiged they may want no necessaries The second that the beseiger may eyther be forced to fight with disadvantage or to returne home with disgrace This the Romanes gaue in charge to their subjects and appointed officers to see it done Caesar gaue the like charge upon the same grounds to the Vbij G. Marius as Plutarch reporteth put this also in practise The Walles of Bisantium and Saguntum vvere very strong as vvee reade in Dio and Livi yet the Lacedomians held it a point of vvorth to haue no vvalls but the citticens valour and so they did inhabite unvvalled citties as Plutarch in Apotheg Divers are the judgements of Philosophers in this point Aristoile refuteth this opinion of the Lacedomians vvith Plato his defence of the same Lib. 7. de optima reip as very incommodious to a common-vvealth And so it is indeed for vvhy should men expose themselves and theirs to more danger then needs or presume so much upon their ovvne valour as to neglect so good meanes vvhich indeed saveth often a great deale of bloud that otherwise should be shed Yet this much I will say except valour maintayn the Walles and sin be cast ouer the Walles and God watch the cittie a wall of brasse is but a vaine thing To this effect speaketh the Comic Plaut Si incolae bene sint morati pulchre munitam arbitror at nisi invidia avaritia ambitio c. Exulent centuplex murus parum est Et quae opportari nequierint exurenda Veget. Yea whatsoever cannot be got or contayned within the strength is to be consumed with fire that it may not serue the enemy Such was Sampsons practise in burning of the corne Yea the townes themselves as warriours relate haue been by the defendents set on fire As for instance twenty of the Bituriges that they should not come into the enemies hands As for the raysing of the trenches with their dimensions of depth and bredth together with other workes for holding themselves and annoyance of the enemy I leaue them to their present occasions the particular Masters in that Art CHAP. XIII War must be as well Offensiue as Defensiue FVrther when they haue thus fitted themselues for defence they must alwayes know that the nature of war requireth that it be as well offensiue as defensiue and that diversion of forces doth often helpe where direct opposition prevayleth not A war meerly defensiue where they may offend is worse then yeelding at the first for it inureth the assailant to cunning and courage and it driveth the defendant from good opportunities to desperate conditions Neyther doth it a whit abate the crueltie of the enemy in whose heart is the roote of bitternesse and in whose eare the trumpet of destruction is ever sounding this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Revenge thy selfe upon thine enemies Yea barely to defend without laying hold on every opportunitie of offence is against the rules of the Art militarie the nature of war and the practise of good souldiers It is a main rule in warre whatsoever doth advantage the enemy it hurteth thee Quod illū luvat tibi semper officit Veget. lib. 3. cap. 26 Therefore thou shouldest doe all that may advantage thy selfe and hurt him Againe the body of vvar requireth as much offence to accompany defence as the naturall body requireth for its actions a right hand and a left or as the right hand and the left require in sight a sword and buckler To the which Tully alludeth speaking of Marcus Coelius Bonā dextram inquit sed malam sinistram babet who could accuse well but defend meanly He hath a good right hand saith he but a naughty left hand So he that faileth in offending of his enemy and cleaveth close to his own defence hath a good left hand and a naughty right hand Yea the very words of Military Art doth joyn these two inseparably together with them the word defend
controversie that is betwixt them and God that hee might be on their side secondly the weight of the subject and worth of the object would make them look to the laying of every stone for making sure the building lastly having got a stout resolution from advice wel grounded and the object wel thought upon they would stand fast quit themselues like men and esteem so high a prize worthy of their dearest bloud desiring rather to die with honour then to liue with disgrace Fourthly I come to the utility The utility of counsel Prov 2.11 Lib 8. Apotheg or good of counsell that enfues upon it Discretion or counsell saith the Wise-man shall preserue thee Erasmus citing that saying of Furipides that one good counsell may overcome many forces giveth this comment upon it It is not of so much waight to carry many forces into the field as to haue the Commanders of forces men of counsell because wise counsell and wittie skill is of far greater moment then strength voide of counsell As war without counsell is as a Citie without walls so counsell in war is both wals and munition it affoordeth both invasiue and defensiue Armes Counsell saith Caesar is the same to me against mine enemie Fame potuis quam ferro superandum bostes that the Phisitian is against sicknesse which he haed rather overcome with fasting then with physick so had I rather overcome with famine then with sword As this Counsell hath often more prevailed then the sword so is it grounded upon good reason First Fames intrinsecus pugnat vincit saepius quam ferrum li. 3 cap. 9. famine fighteth within as Vegetius vvell observeth and therefore it prevaileth oftner then the sword Secondly if the Defendant haue to doe with a humane enemy he may saue himselfe by capitulation Lastly the forces of the assaylant are without hazard If you look but on the good successe of counsell yea even then when forces haue fayled the utility of it shall further appear Was not Romes Common-wealth advanced by the counsel of Q. Fabius Cato in his Oration against Catiline said that their Ancestors made themselues great especially by good Counsell Was not the State of Hungaria and Bohemia advanced and maintained to the dishonour and damage of their enemies the one by the counsell and dexterity of that renounmed Hunniades the other by the counsel and prowesse of that admirable Sisca against the two most potent adversaries of the world Amongst all instances of this kind there is none more remarkeable then that of the State of France under the government of Charles the Wise vvho comming to the Crown found a ruinous State ful of confusion and calamity for all Guyan part of Normandy and Picardie were possessed by the English through the great overthrow of Phillip of Valois vvith eleven Princes and tvvelue hundred Knights and Gentlemen given by King Edward himselfe at the battell of Crecy and by another given by Prince Edward at the battle of Poiteiurs wherein King Iohn was taken and his son Philip with many Princes and great Lords sent prisoners into England besides those two sore defeates one on the neck of another whereby the foundation of France was shaken and nothing left but the ruines of a Kingdom These reliques were all on fire by civill dissentions Notwithstanding all these the aforesaid Charles Lesage so called for his gravitie and wisdome comming to the government did with such prudencie and counsell compose and order the affaires of that troublesome state that he first quenched the civill discord and after in time recovered a great part of that which the two former Kings had lost and that not without wonder for he was not so brave a warriour as his father King Iohn nor his grand-father Philip. Againe he had to doe with as wise a Prince as great warriour as happy valliant a Generall as euer Europe had yet for all these necessitie made him wise and he tooke a contrary course to the former undertaking and managing Armes with great advice and counsell without which he would not moue one foote it had indeed an answerable successe beyond the expectation of his adversary who seeing and admiring his wise courses whereby he dulled the edge of the English forces loosing ground they could not well tell how King Edward gaue this testimonie of him Froysord lib. 1. cap. 132. that he never knew king that used armes so little and yet made him so much adoe For as by missives he effected much businesse so said he he makes me more a doe with his Pen then his father or grand father did with their forces and Armes By this his Counsell he brought his Kingdom from being a field of war a triumph of spoile a map of miserable povertie to be peaceable plentifull and rich In these instances I could be larger then the treatise will suffer but I will shut up all with one not unknowen namely of the state of Spaine What I pray you is the roote of his over spreading in Europe and other parts Is it his prowesse valour No the few Spanish warriours of note upon record sheweth the contrary It is then their counsell and slight especially since it hath been fed with a fountain running under the ground In this their craftie disposing of themselves they are not unlike the Hedghogge running with the Hare Let the race be through the hedge the Hedghogge is too good for the Hare for what side soever he be on he is alwayes before But that the Spaniard should not be proud of this let Alva his Trophees stay his boasting If he had beene a man of as much counsell as crueltie he might haue saved a sea of bloud his Master a masse of mony and prevented Spaines greatest losse which I hope he shall never reedeeme What is it but the wisedome and counsell of a Prince assisted by his privy Councell that commendeth himselfe commandeth others It is not any personall indowment nor the Princely perogative of place without this that ever will advance his glory or his subjects good neyther can he without this procure his subjects continuance of obedience in love nor cause his name to smell like a precious oinâ—ment What made Severus to be beloved feared and obeyed but his prudent counsell Witnes that exemplary act of his when his souldiers mutined because he was carryed lame of he gout in his Horse litter theâ— would haue his sonne Bassianus to governe He called the Commanders together and after a grave and wise remonstrance made to the Army he caused the chiefe mutiniers to be beheaded giving this item to the rest that they should know that it was the head and â—ot the feet that commanded meaning thereby that it is counsell and wisdom in the Superiour that commandeth and not any gift of the body CHAP. XXI The evill of evill Counsell or want of good Counsell THe last ground for use of counsell is taken from the evill that
doth accompany the want of Counsell Because I haue many things to handle I would be as brief in every thing as I could God himselfe telleth us what an unhappy state that people is in whether in peace or warr that want counsell When Israell had provoked God so highly that he had resolved to make their remembrance cease Deut. 32.26 What was the cause of this wrath of God and fearfull desolation furely their sinnes as you may see in the Chapt which the Spirit of God reduceth to two heads waxing fat in the abuse of Gods blessings and foâ—saking of the living God to follow Idolls The ground of this their fearfull condition the Lord layeth downe in the 28. verse namly want of Counsell They are a nation saith he voide of Counsells in the plurall number that is there is never a whit at all amongst them there is no understanding in them Where you see what a vvoefull case that people is in that is void of counsell And if effects demonstrate causes Application and poysonable springs shew corruption of the fountaines head then let us behold our nation overgrowen with fatness in the abuse of Gods blessings our kicking with the heele against him and provoking him to jelousie with the abhominatioÌ„ of strange Gods and these shall cry aloud to the shame of our faces that wee are void of counsell let some talke what they will to the contrary Though this be by the way yet it is not beside the way For to our hearts griefe you may see what ground I goe upon But I proceed Tully though speaking lyke a heathen hath for the matter a divine position Lib 3. Rhetor that a man that runneth and rusheth upon attempts he cannot expect any helpe from God Belluae pueri non sunt participes consilij lib. 3. Eth. cap. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ' Chap. 28.28 Yea without counsell what better is a man be he never so great then a child or a beast which as Aristotle saith doe not partake of counsell It is observed both by divines and humanists that it is a fearfull token of Gods indignation when a man looseth his counsell Yea it is the very finger of God taking counsell from him because he hath a purpose to bring some great mischiefe upon him or to destroy him God saith Appianus hurting his mind or taking counsell from him calamitiâ— is not far of The Lord doth threaten the same to the disobedient in Deuteronomy ' The Lord shall smite thee with madnes and with blindnesse with astonishment of heart and thou shalt be groping at noone day which as it is one of the heaviest punishments as Flaminius wel observeth that God layeth upon man So it is just that it should be so God sending them strong delusions that they may beleeve lyes because they would not beleeue the truth 2. Thes 2.11.12 Because they would not be ruled by counsell saith the same Author God giveth them up to their owne lusts and to follow their owne counsels which proveth their bane in the end even then when they least looke for it The man thus groping for counsell where there is none but destruction insteed of counsell is well compared by Plini unto the Polypus or manie-feet which thinking to catch the Oyster is often caught in the Trap so the Blindman is often caught in his owne snare CHAP. XXII That great Ones must use Counsell THVS having laid down the grounds why both in peace and warre vve must vvalk and vvork by counsell I come now to lay down what kinde of counsel this must be and of whom it must be taken All men will seeme to agree that all must be disposed by counsell but by what counsell and from what counsellors there they disagree The better sort loue not to doe all of their own head but be they never so great in peace and war they use the counsell of others Iulius Capitolinus delivereth this to the commendation of Authonius Pius That hee would never doe any thing in Civill or Military affaires which he had not first consulted of with graue and wise Counsellors Aequius est ut ego tot taliumque amicorum consilium sequar quaÌ„ ut tot talâ—sque am ci meam unius sequantur voluntatem Dâ—onis Hâ—lic lib. 2. giving this good reason allowed by all that loue counsell It is greater reason saith he that I alone should follow the counsell of so many of my faithfull friends then that they being so many should follow my will being but one Dionisius giveth a particular instance of this Emperours practise in a case controverted betwixt him and his Councell of which was Scoevola that great Lawyer and many others of good note To whose advice after much debating of the matter he yeelded willingly I see quoth he Masters it must be thus as you would haue it giving the same reason already alledged This course did not Salomon despise This course did Caesar Alexander Severus and all good Warriours and Magistrates follow both in peace and war Neither is this any disparagement to the Prince or Generall as though he had no wit or counsell but from others braines but it rather addeth to their dignity because a Prince is alwaies holden so much the wiser the lesse he is addicted to his own opinion Gostorum suorum theatrum sublatum esse dixit Plâ—tarch in Apoth When Zeno the great Philosopher dyed of whose judgement and advice Antigonus that wise King made use in all his actions he was not ashamed to say That the theatre of his actions was removed But there be another sort of great Ones vvith whom it is nothing so they like no counsell but of Matchiaviâ— his cutting out that a Prince must haue no counsell but of his own coyning What fair coulors he draweth upon this false principle I haue now no time to discover I referr you therefore to his first and second maxime of Counsell But to learn the lesson it selfe without further scanning of the truth Many haue been too apt to their own overthrow Princes are naturally addicted Natura laena suae SauctuÌ„ est quod volu mus to admire what is their own and to presume of an absolute perfection in themselues as though they vvere Gods and needed no more And so it vvas vvith Dioclesian Caligula and Nero vvho scorned to hearken to any thing but their own vvils and vvhat pleased their humour This vvas the fault and vvrought the overthrow of Lantrechius the Frenchman vvhom Guicciardine doubteth not to call the chiefe Chieftain of France but being of a lofty nature and high spirit through his experience in Arms and authority in the Army he vvas so ravished with the conceit of selfe sufficiency that he contemned every thing that came not from himselfe He thought it a disgrace not to be reputed a domine faâ—-totum neglecting many times better counsell then his own as for instance in the warres of Naples vvhich
wee not prosper in any thing whither soever wee goe as Iosuah did euen because wee doe not as Iosuah did Wee walke not according to all the law of God which he hath commanded and yet for all this if we would turne to the Lord wee need not to feare the increase of their forces It is true that they doe increase and must once make a head that in great number for as the great Whore sitteth upon many waters that is as the spirit expoundeth to be the inhabitants Kings of the earth so the three uncleane spirits come out of the mouth of the DragoÌ„ of the beast of the false Prophet to gather the Kings of the earth of the whole world to the battle of Harmagiddon that they may the more prevayle they come with lying miracles in iudgment to those whom they doe deceive You see their number must be great for they must be many Kings yea of the whole world in account theÌ„ there must needs be many people to maintayne the tottring Kingdom of the devill wheÌ„ it is euen at the downefull Yet for all these hands they shall haue enough to doe The Angell that powreth out the seventh violl saith it is done Rev. 16. yea the cup of the wine of the fiercenes of Gods wrath shal be giueÌ„ her by the hand of Gods litle flocke The multitude shal neyther maintayne her nor themselves but all shall perish together Avoide superstition The seventh thing to be looked to is that superstition be avoyded whereunto as corrupt nature is very subject In Moral so most of all in extremitie A superstitious man as Plutarch well observeth feareth every thing except that which he should feare Foure especiall wayes doe men in this particular commit superstition by consulting with sorcerers or southsayers How many waies superstition is coÌ„mitted by taking some casualties as ominous by observing of dayes and by seeking to Idols To the first Gaius Marius had a Witch out of Scythia with whom he alwaies consulted of the event of warr Front lib. 1 Cap. 11. before he undertooke it Did not Saul in the like case seeke to the Witch at Endor They who forsake God and whom God hath forsaken may run to the devil for counsell for that is all their refuge yea when men take that course it is a shrewd evidence that they are forsaken of God As he would not answere God with any kindly obedience so God would not answere him by any manner of manifestation not by a dreame for he had no temper of the spirit not by the Vrim or Priest for he had killed the faithfull ones and so in his greatest necessitie he wanted the comfort of them not by a Prophet for he despised the spirit he runneth therefore to the devills dame for so the word doth signifie or the mother of a familiar â—al alah obâ— 1. Sam. 28. and she must tell him what shall be the event of the battel When God leaveth men to themselues they know not what to doe all his wit and policie and all the cunning of his courtiers could not helpe him out with this lurch This amongst the rest made way for Pompeys overthrow for he consulted with a woeman of Thessaly who brought him a souldier as he thought from the dead Luc. lib. 6. declaring to him the bad successe of the Pharsalian battel Iulian after his apostacie betooke him wholy to Sorcerers and Conjurers Richard the third made this a speciall part of his counsel Iames the third of Scotland was much corrupted with this kind of vermin and so much was the more pittie for he was a Prince of excellent parts but he plagued himselfe with two sorts of euill beasts namely superstitious figure-flingers and cater-piller favorits whereby he brought desolation upon the land and himselfe to an untimely end Considering Gods hatred against the sin and the euill end of all such as haue taken this course it is a wonder especially that men illuminated should looke this way but whom God will destroy he giueth them up to corruption of judgement and madnesse of mind as Austin well observeth of Saul being become a reprobate he could not haue a good understanding Mox reprâ—bus factus non potuit habere bonuÌ„ intellectum As for the Papists conjuring and consultation it is a main part of their Leiturgie Yea they haue one tricke more of this kind namely to giue Amulets to souldiers going to fight whereby they assure them of securitie from all hurt A worthy Historiam giueth an instance of this The French under the conduct of Charles Alobroge going against Geneva in the yeare of our Lord 1502 had Amulets from their charming fathers to hang about their necks wherein were ingraven crosses with the beginning of S. Iohns Gospell the name of Mary Iesus of the Trinitie with many odd Characters inscriptioÌ„s promising to all those that should wear them that they should not perish that day by earth water nor the sword But the devill was cunning enough to cozen theÌ„ Salustius Pharamumdus de adventu Alobrogum in Genevam for though they scaped those particulars yet they perished another way In the night their Characters were taken from them they were strangled and blowne in the ayre Iesuits know it is foule play to wear amulets in fight and against the lawes of Armes and yet they will be doing Let such as loue soule or life beware of these for such things haue neyther hid force nor elementary qualitie to saue or preserve Austin of such hath a very good speech with a counsell subioyned Many saith he being driven to a strayt seeke helpe of the devill in the persons of Charmers or Enchaunters and in the supposed force of Amulets what is this but to goe to our invisible enemies who kill the soule perswading us that there is no helpe with God The eares of such saith he are shut at the voice of God saying In Psalm 34. the Lord is my salvation but let us saith the father inquire of God and not of any other for our deliverance is of God howsoever he worke it by lawfull secundary meanes which wee may use but all the meanes of charming wee must hate as the devill from whence they are The second thing to be avoided is an ominous construction of casualties When Scipio transported his souldiers out of Italie unto Africa as he went a shore his foot slip and he fell on his face whereat his souldiers being astonished conconceiving it as a token of evill successe Scipio with a braue courage making a better construction Goe sport your selues said he my souldiers for I haue already taken possession of Affrica It is fit for avoyding this that a wise Generall be seen in some measure in the causes of naturall things which seeming to the ignorant prodigious they may therin giue them satisfaction Lucius Sulpicius Gallus foretold to his souldiers the Eclips of the
a fast through all Iudah vers 3. I shew the scantling of the place the rather 2. Chron. 32 20.21.22 because I know no place in all the booke of God fitter for this purpose Other instances there be as that prayer of Hezekiah against the Asstrians The like course tooke the Israelits being to ioyne battle with the Philistins So Iacob looking for nothing but for battle from his brother he prepareth himselfe by prayer So did Ezra I urge the more places the rather because I would inforce the necessitie of the duetie and manifest the good effect of the same being performed and justly to tax our selues to our humiliation for the neglect or uniound performance of this duetie To the first you may see by this cloud of witnesses how strict Gods people haue beene in this duetie To the second it is likewise cleare that good successe hath followed the duetie in all the quoted testimonies Ezra relating how he had commended the cause to God wheÌ„ they stood in feare of their enemies sheweth us what was the issue of this their holy practize Ezra 8.23 So wee fasted and besought our God for this and he was intreated of us And for the last namely our neglect would to God our mourning for the sin were as manifest as the sin it selfe looke but on the successe of our battles that argueth our neglect God is one the same God the cause is likewise Gods but God is not sought unto he is not importuned Wee are like to the Israelits going against Beniamin who inquired of the Lord whether they should goe up against them or no and what tribe should lead them and hauing their direction in both these they set themselues in order Heare they make the cause sure and for avoyding contention about the leading they haue the bravest Leaders allotted them Iudges 20. and for their forces they were eyther enough or too many yea of the choyce souldiers and very well ordered but how sped they But very meanly as you may see in the text they were twice foyled and lost to the number of 40000 men But what was wanting heare I answere even the selfe same things that are wanting in us Search of sin and seeking to God Wee doe not read in all the text that they did eyther of these till they were beaten to it And what needed they in their owne conceit They had a just cause and the Lord his owne warrant and braue Commanders and for multitude they might haue eaten them up and why should they goe to God for the victory they doubted not of that but as they looked least to the matter of greatest waight so they were plagued in that which they least feared to teach them and others to take their whole errand with them God gaue them twice into the hand of their enemies and then they saw their ouersight and went up to the Lord and wept and fasted Vers 26. and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord then by the Lords direction they went up and prospered So wee may lay our hands upon our mouthes in this case and proclaim our selues to be faulty for wee haue presumued much upon a good cause and secundary meanes but wee haue not wrastled with God for the victory The Pagans and Papists doe condemne us in this who toyle themselues with their idols babling out many blasphemons prayers and that for the most part for the prosperous successe of wicked designes Lib. de bello punico Appianus telleth us that before the Romans ioyned battel they sacrificed to Audaciâ—ie and Feare Plutarch Satim ante acient immolato equâ— concepere votum Florus telleth us that the Lacedemonians before the fight sacrificed to the Muses The MysiaÌ„s before they fought did sacrifice a horse To what a number of Saints doe the Papists sacrifice when they goe to fight how doe they ply the idoll of the Masse in which they put their considence The Iesuits indeed the Popes bloud-hounds trust more to the prey then to their prayers They much resemble as one saith well the Vultures whose nests as Aristotle saith cannot be found yet they will leave all games to follow an Army because they delight to feed upon carryon neyther will they be wanting with their prayers such as they are for the successe of the great Cracke and blacke day as they call it wherin these harpies thought to haue made but a breakfast of us all they erected a new Psalter for the good successe of a wicked counter parliament the depth of whose consultation was fiery meteors the proiect whereof was the rending of mountaines and tearing of rockes with an earthquake of firie exhalations to consume and swallow up both hils and valleys and to increase the iniquitie with wicked Iesabel they would colour it with a fast and with blasphemous and lying Rabshakah they would beare the world in hand by this their Psalter that they came not up against us without the Lord 1. Reg. 25. and the Lord had bidden them doe it Their develish dittie consisteth of a seven-fold psalmody which secretly they passed from hand to hand set with tunes to be sung for the cheering up of their wicked hearts with an expectation as they called it of their day of Iubilie The matter consisteth of rayling upon King Edward and Elizabeth and our Soveraigne that now is of perition imprecation prophesie and prayse for successe I will set downe some of these because the Psalter it selfe is rare or not to be had For they are taken up by the Papists as other books be that discover their shame Prayer Psalme 1. Confirme say they the heart of those thy laborours endue them with strength from aboue and giue successe unto their endeavours Embolden our hearts with courage to concur with them freely in the furthering of thy service Confirme your hearts with hope Prophesie Psal 2. for your redemption is not far off The yeare of visitation draweth to an end and jubilation is at hand The memorie of novelties shall perish with a cracke as a ruinous house falling to the ground he will come as a flame that bursteth out beyond the fornace His fury shall fly forth as thunder and pich on their tops that maligne him Howsoever God in mercie disappointed them yet by these you may see as by so many ignivomus eruptions of the helfiry-zeale of Aetna what their diligent endevour was for they would be wanting in nothing The necessitie therfore of the duetie the good successe of it the sinister zeale of idolatrie in this point according to their kind and the danger of the neglect of it may provoke us if wee be not void of sense to set upon the duetie If idolaters who by their prayers and sacrifice bringing nothing but sorrow upon themselues doe so bestir themselves what fooles are wee in slighting off so excellent a duetie wherein the Lord hath promised to be with us yea
giue me leaue to speake the words of trueth whereat I would haue none offended but rather offended with their owne negligence that all that haue had their hand in Gods battels from the Kings Majestie himselfe to the meanest souldier haue bene and are yet exceeding faultie in this as their owne hearts I know upon examination will tell them which neglect indeed to them and us both doth minister matter of great humiliation If they doe reply Instance that prayer hath been made God hath been sought to by themselves and others for them To this I answere Answ why doth not God heare them is his eare deafe or his hand shortned or is his good will to his abridged that he will not or cannot heare or helpe No no the fault is in our selues and our prayers our sinnes haue made a separation betwixt us and God so that if wee cry and shout Lament 3.8 yet as the Prophet saith he shutteth out our prayers The lineaments of prayer Though it be not my purpose nor for the place to handle the common place of prayer yet for the better discovery of our neglect and the amendment of it let me briefly lay downe what things in prayer if wee would speed by it should be observed namely the matter of it the person that maketh it the manner of it the qualitie of it and the helpes to sharpen it First for the matter it must be such as the spirit approveth on the rule whereof is laid downe in the word For the person he must be good otherwise his prayer is not good nor can it do any good The prayer of the just maÌ„ prevayleth much If I regard iniquitie in my heart saith the Prophet the Lord will not heare me And as the blind man in S. Iohn Ios 9. God heareth not sinners Moses Iehoshaphat Ezechiah Ezra were all good men their prayers were of force against their enemies The Lord heard them gave them the victory Kings Commanders should be good themselves if they would haue any good by their prayers for God is no respecter of persons the greaterâ—he partie is if he be not good the worser is his prayer in the sight of God yea let them haue some good men of God to be their mouthes to God The people of Israel being to ioyne with the Philistins 1. Sam. 7.8 they say to Samuel Cease not to cry to the Lord our God for us that he will saue us out of the hands of the Philistins Where no doubt the people ioyned with him but he led them in the duetie and was their mouth I shewed the necessitie of such before the Lord touch your hearts with a desire of such and stir up such for you Thirdly the manner of the prayer must be performed by going along with the spirit who helpeth our infirmites with sighes and sobs that cannot be expressed We must not be like to Iulius the second in our devotion who sate by the fire and said over his prayers in the time of the fight It is not the ringing nor chanting with the voyce nor the Barotonus lowing of a mightie lung that will prevaile with God Moses cryed hard to God Exod. 14. â—5 though he spake newer a word Which cry did so ring in Gods eare that he could not but answere why cryest thou Moses Egit vocis sileontio ut corde clamaret Aug Q. 52 in Ex yea as one saith well upon that place he held his peace that he might cry the louder not that the cry of the voyce is to be condemned but the cry of the spirit commendeth the matter to God Fourthly for the qualitie of it it must especially be fervent it prevayleth much if it be fervent This is the fire that doth burne the odors in the Censor Moses zeale in this particular was so fervent in that battle against Amaleke that to use the words of the Prophet David It did eate him up A key cold Leiturgie galopt over or cast through a sive with a many parat-like Tautologies or a luke-warme lip-labour can never bring downe a blessing from God Fifthly and lastly the helps of prayer are fasting and mourning wherein and whereby the soule is humbled with God and fitted to hear from God and to speake to God The necessity of these you may see by the practise of Gods people in all the former examples 1 Sam. 7. â— The people of Israel in Mizpeth are said to draw water and poure it out before the Lord and they fasted What is that but as the Chaldee well observeth they poured out their hearts before God and shed teares in such aboundance as if they had drawn water So Iehoshaphat proclaimed a fast So Ezra proclaimed a fast and he and the people afflicted themselues before God Witichindus It is recorded of Otho the great Emperour to his great commendation that being to joyn battell with the Hungarians he proclaimed a fast in his Camp and called on the name of God This afflicting of the soule and pouring out of the heart is not yet come home to you the Warriours of the Lord and giue me leaue a little in particular to intreat your Highnesses to lay home the neglect of these duties to your hearts with both your hands Affliction or nothing will driue men to God God threatning his people that hee will leaue them which is indeed the fearfullest punishment tels us Hos 5.15 that in their affliction they would seek him early Histories tell us that the dumb son of Croesus found his tongue in the danger of his father The Lord hath been sought for you both frequently and fervently but you must seek him earnestly your selues or all is lost labour Hezekiah in his trouble sent to Esay the Prophet desiring him to lift up his prayer for the remnant that were left ch 37. v. 4 but in his own person also he fasted mourned and prayed hard v. 1.15 You should not want some of Gods Maisters of requests to lift up their prayers for you but you must also in your own persons with Hezekiah cry mightily to God if you mean to be heard There be too many though your Graces are not of the mind of that popish Earle of Westmoorland who said He needed not to pray he had Tenants enough to pray for him Turn in for Gods cause upon the closets of your own hearts examine your selues and be still And that it may not be a lame nor a liuelesse prayer get matter from reading hearing and meditating on the Word Labour for holiness without the which it is impossible to see God Get the guidance of the Spirit for bare saying is not prayer be fervent frequent and for fitting you the better afflict your souler in fasting and mourning as your State is afflicted With Hester make your servants fast and pray Try but this course in truth and as sure as the Lord liveth hee shall heap glory and honour upon
your heads and shame upon your enemies This course will break the heads of the Dragons of your sinns this will offer violence to heaven and as it were inforce God to answer this will be like an earthquake to your enemies it will sinke them it will swallow them up A pretty instance of this I remember from the confession of an arch-enemy of the Gospell namely Queen mother of Scotland who fighting against God and the erecting of his Kingdom confessed openly That she feared more the fasting and prayer of the man of God Iohn Knox and his Disciples then an Army of 20000 armed men As your neglect hath been great in this particular so the blemish of out Nation in neglecting and opposing this office is indeleble No Nation professing the Gospell but they haue publiquely been humbled in some measure we excepted we onely haue not set forth to help thus against the mighty which I thinke verily hath accursed all the rest of our helps that they are as Water spilt upon the ground It is true that the soules of Gods people haue been exceedingly humbled in secret for the afflictions of Ioseph and haue poured out their hearts in aboundance of sighes and teares for their miseries But what is this to the publique discharge Since I am fallen upon the point I cannot but with griefe obserue that this Nation hath been at such opposition and enemity with this duety that it is thought as dangerous a thing to undertake it as it was in Athens to make mention of the recovery of Salamis or as it was amongst the Iewes to speake in the name of Iesus What should be the cause of this I haue often wondred I am sure of this It is an evill sign of an evill cause yea a fearfull fore-runner and provoker of Gods long protracted wrath to fall upon us Not any finne of omission or commission hath a more fearfull threatning against it then this Witnesse the Prophet Esay Ch. 22.12.13.14 When God saith he called to weeping and mourning and to humiliation in the highest degree as the word importeth then behold saith he ioy and gladnesse slaying of Oxen and all the contraries by which they braved out God to his face But what followed A fearfull threatning Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till you dye saith the Lord of Hosts Whose eares should not tingle to heare this And whose heart should not tremble to thinke upon it And yet the best in this is too secure But since the duety is so called for and since it setteth such an edge on invocation it hath so prevailed against the enemies of Sion and the neglect of it is so severely threatned what may be the cause may some say that in a Christian Common wealth it should be thus neglected and withstood If you will haue my opinion in my judgement I conceiue these to be the Remoraes or break-necks of this duty First the universall plenty except the wants of the meaner for so long as there be Oxen and Sheep to kill and sweet wine enough so long no humiliation Ioel 1.13 When the meat offering and the drink-offering fayleth them then will the Priests saith the Lord by Ioel gird themselues in sackcloth and lament and houle A second let is the conceited glory of the Church the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord say they and that imgreat pompe and glory and what need we mourn It is an outside glury indeed but there is but a little glory within A third let is this men are so inslaved to sin and Satan and so vassalled to their own corruptions that they dare not incounter with their Maisters for whose service they haue bored their eares The fourth Remora is this the plants that are not of Gods planting know well that the use of humiliation would find out the causes of our evill amongst which themselues would be found to be the chief So that it is no wonder that they cannot endure to hear of humiliation But if men be thus fearfull to awake sleeping dogs and will hazard themselues and the Nation upon the point of Gods Pike what a fearfull plight shall they be in in that gloomy day that is like to come upon us wherein the Lord shall giue the Alarum May not Ahab condemne us in this Obliviscitur se Regem esse ubi Deum omniū Regem pertimescit purpuram abjicit c. And where shall we appeare when Ninivie sheweth it selfe Of whose King Ambrose giveth this pretty observation that he forgot himselfe to be a King when once his heart was smitten with the fear of the King of Kings hee casteth away his robes and beginneth by his repentance to be a King indeed for he lost not his command but changed it from the worse the better But to conclude the point oh that my counsell could please all those that I haue spoken to both Kings Ministers and people that we might be humbled as one man together and every man apart by himselfe and renting our hearts before the Lord never leaue importuning him nor let him goe till he were intreated If we would humble our selus the Lord would humble our enemies It is his Covenant Psal 81.13.14 Oh that my people had hearkened to me and walked in my waies I should soon haue subdued their enemies and turned my hand against their Adversaries Oh that wee were like Israel in the Iudges Chap. 20. who went to God the second time humbling themselues and offering burnt-offerings and peace offerings whereupon the Lord gaue their enemies into their hands So if we would humble our selues and kill our sinnes our enemies should quickly loose what they haue got and pay full deerly for all costs and damages But before I conclude the point take one caveat with the duty that it be performed with sincerity and singlenesse of heart for if it be done in hypocrisie or perfunctorily slighted over in the performance it provokes God and plagues the performer The Hollanders and French fast but without exprobation be it spoken they had need to send as God speaks for mourning women Ier. 19.17 that by their cunning they may be taught to mourn A soft heart sets well to a mournfull ditty where this is wanting there is no musick Humiliarion without reformation is a mockery of God and the undoing of a good cause The Lord tels us in the 58 chapter of Esay and the 7 of Zacharie how he abhorred the fasting of his people without reformation he giues a good reason in the fift and sixth verses They fasted not to the Lord but to themselues that is for their own ends as if men would serue their own turns with God and care not a whit how hee be served of them it were just with God to mock both them and us with shews of favours because we mock him with shews of service and amendment And surely if we look not to it in the humbling of
meet with them in the crossing of a way they will grumble against God as though he had done them wrong or as though there were not in them for the which the Lord might not onely cross them but crush them but let them know if they change not their note the Lord will note them for his enemies and thurst them out for wranglers CHAP. XLV Of humiliation for sin and forsaking of it FOurthly as the conquered seeth sin to be the cause of his euill and therein cleareth the justice of God so he must be humbled for sin and so forsake it that God reconciled to him may be on his side It shall nothing prevayle men to see sinne as Pharao did and never to mourne for it or to mourne for it as Achab did and not to forsake it Israel after their second defeat humbled themselues and mourned exceedingly So Iosua when the people that went up to take A◠fled before their enemies and were smitten to the number but of 30 persons fell on his face mourned and cryed unto the Lord but what meant Iosua might some say was this the courage of so great a Generall thus to be daunted for the losse of 30 men was that such a matter might it not be a chance of war no there was another matter in it It was not the 30 men nor 3000 that would haue so much dismayed Iosuah he wisely fore-saw that all was not well at home and therefore he would not on againe till the matter was cleared the execrable thing was found out To be briefe the Israelits under the yoke of the Philistims found out their sin mourned for it It is said in their humiliation that they drew water and powred it out before the Lord that is they shed teares abundantly before the Lord. 1. Sam. 7.7 The roring Goliahs of our age scorne a stone out of this running brook to beat the brains out of their roaring sins oh mourne and cry Applicatiō that is womanish Well I am sure there was more true worth and valour in in one litle David then in all the roarers in Ram-alley or milford-lane and yet he mourned wept and cryed and roared for griefe of sin but not as they doe Foure motives of mourning in Gods people defeated For four things the people of God are to mourne being defeated for their sin because they grieved God by it for the want of Gods presence for making him depart from his inheritance for the defacing of Gods glory by the wicked in their ruffe For the first many will mourne but rather for the punishment of sin then for the sin it selfe whē the worm of conscience begins to knaw the terrours of hell present themselues to them then they cry and roare as though hell roard for them but they are just like Mariners when the storme is ouer or like fellous they cry rather for the sentence giuen against them then for the felony committed And some will cry for their sin but rather because it is hurtfull and shamefull then for grieving of God by it as if a man by his lewdnes cast into some loathsome disease regrateth the sin for the disease it hath brought upon him and not because thereby he hath offended God but David cryeth out on himselfe and his sin especially for the offence done to God by it against thee against thee onely haue I sinned Psal 51. and haue done that which is evill in thine eyes As for the want of Gods presence so other things goe well with them it is the thing that the most least regard but for the godly they make more of it then of all the things in the world yea nothing without this will suffice the godly giue them this with whatsoever they can be content the good things or hid treasure of this life will serve the wicked well enough without this many say who will shew us any good that is for the belly backe possession or height of ambition but lift thou up over us the light of thy face Iehovah for that is more joy to me then all the riches of the world wherein worldlings most delight And herein is a main difference betweene the child of God and the wicked let Ismael live and be great and let Isaack be the heire with all the troubles that belong to the executorship let Esau haue pottage and let the blessing goe where it will let Saul be honored before the people and let him be an off-cast from the Lord but let all this be put together it is but trash in the eyes of the godly in comparison of his face Observe their desire in the burthen of the 80 Psal where in their captivitie still they desire oh God returne us and cause thy face to shine and wee shall be saved their deliverance and all the happines that may follow it will not be worth any thing to them without the amiable looks of Gods countenance So that as Absalon seemed rather to make choyce of death then not to see the Kings face so Gods people had rather die or endure any sorrow or calamitie under the countenance of a reconciled God then liue Methusalahs age and inioy what the world could afford under the frowning lookes of a displeased God Yea there is no temptation so sharpe no plight so dolorous no fright so fearfull nor agony so in expugnable as the angry countenance of a forsaking God for this maketh a man apprehend and conceive of God as a God inarmed against him for his destruction This the people of God conceive of their state as it appeareth by that patheticall expostulation in the aforesaid Psalme how long wilt thou smoake or shew the tokens of an angry countenance against the prayer of thy people vers 6. What maketh the wound of cōscience so unsupportable but that the Chirurgion denyeth to looke at it he letteth it ranckle and fester till who can beare it yea if the spirit of God should not support his owne by the finger of the spirit though unsensiblie the best should be at their wits end and Sauls impatiencie should drive them to desperate courses But in this he differenceth his owne from the damned that as his one hand is over them so his other hand is under them he supporteth them wonderfully when they conceive nothing lesse and by a secret instinct extorts prayer from them even in the fearfull agony of their soules distresse whē their prayers seeme to be rejected of him but it is nothing so with the wicked in their distresses from God his justly conceived wrath for eyther they seek not at all for the appeasing of Gods angry countenance or with lost labour they leaue presently of and run to the devill directly or indirectly for the alaying of the same I touch these things but briefly leaving the further enucleation to accurat theologs and sound soule-phisitians Lastly for the glory of God trampled under the foote of pride wee should be