causalitie in this kinde peculiar and proper to him He is the efficient cause thereof By mee Kings raigne and Princes beare rule the great Centurion that saith to euery creature Goe and he goeth Come and he commeth Fight and he fighteth He is the formall and exemplary cause thereof Hee teacheth my hands to warre and my fingers to fight saith Dauid He girdeth mee with strength vnto the battell and subdueth mine enemies vnder me He is the instrumentall cause my rocke and my Fortresse saith Dauid in another place my shield and strong tower and a buckler to all them that trust in him And therfore it standeth with good reason that he should be the finall cause too in whose name all battels must be begunne and to whose glory they must be deuoted And hence it was that the Iewes neuer went out to warre vnlesse they first offered sacrifice and wee in our Baptisme doe take Sacramentum militare an earnest penny or presse-money to become Christs Souldiers And to this end we weare his colours and are attired in his liuerie with a solemnevow to fight for him and that not onely in the spirituall warfare where we put on the armour of God but euen in the corporeall also where we put on armour for God Not that God standeth in need of any helpe of man he requireth no Champion hee can vindicate his owne cause without vs nay against vs but because the law of subordination and retaliation doth exact so much Wee are his vassals vnder him to whom we owne suit and seruice we are children begotten and created by him to whom wee owe feare and reuerence and therefore must thinke our selues obliged in a double bond to defend his cause who doth himselfe pleade ours to die in his quarrell by whose prouidence wee liue whose gracious goodnesse it is to turne that to a blessing which at first was a curse so sweetning death which is a punishment as to cause vs to die for his name so sweetning life which is a warfare as to cause vs to fight for his sake In which quarrell though a man die in warre yet doth he also depart in peace in conflict with men but in peace with God because he putteth on as a militarie habite so a peaceable minde Good Christians go to warre saith Bernard both meekely and couragiously agnis mitiores Leonibus fortiores innocent as Doues because they imitate Christ and bold as Lyons because they fight for Christ And to this end the Christians in their ensignes they beare the Crosse to shew they fight in Christs behalfe And hitherto allude all your auncient orders of Knighthood as Knights Hospitallers and Templers Knights of S. Iohn of Ierusalem and S. Iames of Compostella and Knights of the holy Ghost which Henrie the third of Fraunce instituted whose ensigne was the Doue in the midst of a Crosse intimating that they were not to fight but either in Gods cause implied by the Crosse or in a iust and innocent cause signified by the Doue The Pope he would faine be accounted Master of this order For as though he were elected Gods immediate Vicegerent aboue Caesar and Gideon and all Princes hee taketh vpon him to institute warres at his pleasure against Infidells and those whom he calleth Heretikes or whosoeuer dare but mutter at his vsurped authority And this hee calleth by the name of a Croysadoe or holy warre the marke whereof is a red scarfe which the Souldiers weare in their Troupes Such a warre Pope Innocent decreed against the Valdenses and Pope Martin the fourth against Peter King of Arragon And it is a miserable thing to consider how many hundred thousands of men haue bin cōsumed throughout all Christendome by those voyages into the holy Land at the Popes appointment The zeale of this iourney hath eaten vp Christians and enlarged the Popes territory who tooke this opportunitie to send Emperors and Kings afarre of that hee might wrong them at home without controule What Is this to fight for Christ to spill the bloud of Christians as it were in a humour for his owne gaine Is this to be called a holy warre Sure as improperly as he a holy Byshop or that a holy action whereby he hath diuers times giuen away the Kingdomes of England Fraunce Sicily Naples and the rest to those that could get them or Palestine the holy Land which is rather to be accounted an accursed Land as the Iewes were sometime Gods people but now are an accursed people a Land of it selfe not worth the recouery were it not for the rescue of some Christians there in thraldome and for the expelling the Turke out of the Christian confines Yea and all such proiects as these they were neuer deriued from heauen but hatched in hell This is not to be Gods Vicar but Sathans Liefetenant not Successour to Peter but Predecessour to damnation This is to fight against God and man against the Lord and against Gideon not to crie with the people here For the Lord and for Gideon But for vs Beloued let vs bee sure as in all our actions so especially in warre cases to take God along with vs. For as there is no Captaine to be compared to the guidance of his Spirit no policy to his prouidence no aides nor allies to his assistance so on the contrary no sword woundes so deepe as his desertion no Foe like his frowne no danger like his displeasure As if hee be with thee no man can be properly against thee because all things worke together for the best of those that are his So if he be not with thee all men may be said to be against thee because all creatures bow at his becke and become as roddes of his indignation to take vengeance on those that doe euill You know how in the old Testament they still asked counsell of the Lord before they went vp to fight against any people and the Heathen themselues vsed in like manner to aske aduice at their Oracles so let vs be sure that we haue the Lords call and the Lords allowance Otherwise we shall haue the same successe that the Israelites had when they fought against the Amalakites contrarie to the Lords will Numb 14. Wherefore as Barak said to Deborah Iudg. 4 8. If thou wilt go with mee then I will go but if thou wilt not go with me then I will not go so must we to God Let his cause awaken vs let his presence prepare vs let his glory prouoke vs let his Spirit possesse vs let his name go before vs and then no enemie can annoy vs. Stand wee for the Lord and the Lord will stand for vs. If wee fight with Gideon for the Lord the Lord will fight with vs for Gideon Which is the second part of the first generall braunch As
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Warre it is as the sister so the parent of peace and yet what so opposed to peace as warre a good end of a bad medium and an happie daughter of a disastrous mother Repugnant indeed to the foecunditie of nature as an enemie to her numerositie but consonant to the prescript of nature as a preseruer of her proprietie the causa sine qua non and finall arbitratour of all generall important controuersies Thus for Nature Now for Scripture we haue God himselfe commanding it Ioel 3. 9. the Angell of the Lord cursing the neglect of it Iudg. 5. 23. Iohn Baptist directing soulders in it as a lawfull calling Luk. 3. 14. And lastly the examples of Gods Saints practising it as Abraham Moses Ioshua and so many others that the time would be too short to recount them and withall to tell of Barak and of Sampson of Iephthah also and of Dauid wee need goe no further then Gideon here in the Text whom God elected by the ministerie of an Angell to destroy the Host of Midian confirming his courage by diuersitie of signes and directing his course by a most famous stratageme whereof there are fiue most notable parts First that hee should reduce the two and thirty thousand to three hundred Trecenti sed viri sed Lacones Who so is fearfull and afraid let him returne verse 3. And this we reade to be the policie of Epaminondas when he saw many of his Armie faint-hearted he caused to be proclaimed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whosoeuer would faine be gone let him straight be packing Likewise of Iphicrates who to rid his Armie of whiteliuered Souldiers he made the Crier proclaime 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If any man haue left his heart behinde him let him returne Lastly of Chabrias who commanded his Souldiers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if they were not well at ease to put off their armour Secondly that he should take the aduantage of the night verse 9. for as Aurora Musis so Nox Martis amica any stratageme will take best in the night which is the fittest time to plot and the best curtaine to conceale 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Greeke prouerbe Thirdly that he should giue them euery man a Lampe verse 16. And this policie likewise Iphicrates that excellent Captaine vsed against the Barbarians he made his horsemen euery one to take ardentem facem a burning lampe in their hands at the vnaccustomed sight whereof the Barbarians horses fled backe And the like tricke it was that Hannibal put vpon Fabius Maximus Fourthly euery man with his Trumpet in his hand as it is in the same verse And this proiect Mnasippidas is said to haue vsed when hauing but a small company of Souldiers he made his light horsemen in the darke ride about the enemies euery one with a Trumpet in his hand the sound whereof bred in the enemies a supposall of a huge multitude Fiftly and lastly that hee should vse this famous watchword in my text For the Lord and for Gideon You know what was wrote in Constantines Ensigne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this signe shall yee ouercome And Attalus when he fought with the French had this poesie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Kings victorie And here in my Text you haue both these included both in whom we should ouercome that is the Lord in hoc signo vinces and vnder whom we should ouercome and that is Gideon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both from whom victorie commeth and for whom it is got God and the King For the Lord and for Gideon So that you see the text it is Theandricall it hath as it were two natures it consisteth as it were of God and Man Deus Rex He that is God essentially and hee that is called God metaphorically God and his Viceroy the Lord and Gideon Which if you examine by Analysis it sets downe first the two wayes which euery Souldier must walke in vnto the battell via sacra the Ecclesiasticall way hee must fight for God and holy Church via regia the Politicall way he must fight for the King and his Countrey Secondly the Persons vpon whom the successe of warres depends God and Gideon God as Captaine Gideon as Lieutenant God as the Efficient Gideon as the instrument and so we may learne hereby to giue God what belongeth vnto God and to giue Caesar what belongeth vnto Caesar thus harmonically ioyning together religion and policie Church and Common-wealth God and the King For the Lord and for Gideon There are some translations that reade it the sword of the Lord and of Gideon but because the particle Sword is not in the originall I rather follow those which reade it thus For the Lord and for Gideon In the words obserue two things First the parts of the distribution both for God and for Gideon Secondly the order of the parts First for God and then for Gideon First of the first the parts of the distribution where the first clause is For the Lord. That warre is not warrantable which is not grounded on a iust cause For as it is not the death but the cause that maketh a Martyr non simpliciter mori sed pro Christo mori so it is not the fight but the cause that maketh a Souldier non simpliciter pugnare sed pro Domino pugnare If a warre be begunne without cause it shall end without comfort for God is an impartiall spectator of all these actions partem quam inspicit iustam ibi dat palmam saith Augustine So then a Souldier may not fight as a Sophister may dispute in vtramque partem pro contra his limits are not so large as those of the Logicians de omni themate Nay he is absolutely confined to aequum iustum licitum honestum it is equitis that maketh a good cause and a good cause that maketh a good Souldier Now what better cause can there be then that which concerneth the Lord who himselfe is prima causa the first mouer and sole doner of whatsoeuer we haue For of him and through him and for him are all things Let vs therefore returne the honour of all to him Of our selues we haue nothing we are not so much as our owne men our eyes and tongues and armes and legges they are not our owne we haue no true title either to body or soule Wherefore let vs glorifie God both in our bodies and soules for they are Gods There is no peace you know to the peace of God nor no warre to that which is for God Hence bella Iudaeorum bella Dei the warres of the Iewes were called the warres of God vel quia pro ipso vel quia ab ipso either be cause God fought for them or because they fought for God For God he hath the relation of euery
Iudge Belli susceptio penes Principem executio penes Militem saith Augustine For the continuance of our fight we must take heed of relying more vpon Gideon then vpon God Take heed of trusting to the arme of flesh before the outstretched arme of God It is better to trust in the Lord then to put confidence in Princes saith the Princely Prophet And lastly in the end of the fight take we heede of ascribing more honour to Gideon then to God For Gideons power is from God Omne regnum sub regno est God is King among the Gods Reges in ipsos imperium est Iovis For euery King is the Minister of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and though they be Gods with men yet they are but men with God who is Rex regum Dominus dominantium King of kings and Lord of lords Reuel 19. Hence it was that King Henry the fifth of England that good and valiant Prince after his conquest in France would not suffer his Helmet which was full of blowes and dintes to bee brought ouer into England with him nor to be welcomed home with any songs of the successe but would haue all the glory ascribed to God Because the key of victorie God keepeth in his owne power It commeth neither from the east nor from the west nor from the north nor from the south Vnlesse God hold vp his hand Gideon cannot preuaile Not the people without Gideon nor Gideon without God For the Lord and for Gideon And now beloued brethren that I haue ripened my discourse and brought it as it were to a head in it selfe I come in a word to shew you how it fitteth and suiteth this present solemnitie And therefore for you Generous Gentlemen and Heroicke spirits that haue an exemplarie Campe in your companie and a Colledge of Souldiers in your societie it will serue both as a warrant for your profession and an acquittance against all discouragement in that ye know assuredly in whose name for what end to whose seruice you haue dedicated your selues and all your endeuours What though some goe about to slander your societie and discountenance your vndertakings speaking euill of all because some few miscarrie It will be your glory to contemne the cauill and forgiue the wrong remembring that he will neuer endure a blow who cannot concoct a word he is not likely to ouercome an enemie who cannot vanquish himselfe he is vnfit to fight for equitie that hath not learned to passe by an iniurie But if there be any such disordered persons crept in among you who are lead with the spirit not of fortitude but faction not of conscience but of insolence not of zeale but ambition milites non tam emerti quà m malè meriti expell them your lists let them not march vnder your colours that so you may stop the mouthes of your opposers and open the hearts of men in place and gouernment to aduance your intendments both with countenance and maintenance if neede so require In which dutie if they shall be backward wee may well account them as base and ignoble Caitiffes neither good seruants of God nor trustie subiects of our King seeing neither in conscience to the one nor allegeance to the other they will giue due respect nor lend assistance to you who by your continuall practise both for Gods sake and for Gideons sake doe preserue intemerate that honourable forme of militarie discipline which in times of peace vseth to grow obsolete and out of vse Howsoeuer goe ye on happily in your courses your memory shall suruiue in a second age and your names shall be had in euerlasting remembrance those that are yet vnborne shall blesse you and blesse God for you Yet withall be informed that this your daily exercise is but a medium to a further end a preparation to a greater performance You doe but now spend your paines and your purses time may require your persons You now vse rather fulgentibus armis quà m fortibus weapons defensiue then offensiue and fight gloriously without an enemie Time may make triall of your courage in hotter skirmishes and more bloodie opposition Indeed for the present it may be said of vs as of Israel and Iuda 1. Kings 4. euery man dwelleth safely vnder his owne vine and vnder his owne figtree there is no leading into captiuitie no complaining in our streets but peace within our walles and prosperitie within our palaces And long may it bee continued to vs to the glory of God and quiet of our Nation But wee cannot promise to our selues any perpetuitie of this felicitie the hideousnesse of our sinnes may giue vs good cause to expect a change Therefore it is your parts to reserue your selues chiefly for worse times whensoeuer God shall send them lest you bee thought like those doubtfull companions whom Diogenes is said to affect in Laertius that would still bee about to marry and yet did not marry and that would still be about to rule and yet did not rule I may adde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that would still be about to fight and yet did not fight Wherefore I say no more but as Saul to Dauid 1. Sam. 18. Be valiant for your King and fight the Lords battels And as Ioab to the people 2. Sam. 10. Be of good courage and play the men for the people and for the cities of your God In the meane time all true Subiects will pray to the God of peace to gird you with strength vnto the battell to teach your hands to warre and your fingers to fight that so being well appointed both with the spirituall armour of a Christian and the corporeall armour of a Souldier intus fide foris ferro muniti you may be able both to defend your selues against the siege of Sathan and your Country against all forraine inuasions and I doubt not but all true-hearted Subiects will say Amen Wherefore wee humbly beseech thee O Lord God of Hosts looke downe from heauen and behold and visit this vine and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted amongst vs. Let not the Bore out of the wood destroy it nor the wilde Beasts of the field eat it vp but forgiue the crying sinnes of the same remoue thy iudgements that hang ouer vs and teach vs to know the things which belong vnto our peace And because there is none other that fighteth for vs but only thou O God pleade our cause O Lord with them that striue with vs and fight against them that fight against vs. And thou that art a man of warre whose name is Ichonah oh teach our hands to warre and out fingers to fight that the Heathen may neuer come into thine inheritance and make this our Ierusalem an heape of stones but that thou maist still blesse vs with peace
within our walles and prosperitie within our palaces while the Sunne and the Moone endureth These things we begge at thy hands in the name of thy beloued Sonne and our blessed Sauiour to whom with thee and the holy Spirit be ascribed all praise honour and glory now and for euermore Amen FINIS Matth. 24. 6. The necessary vse of warre appeareth 1. By nature The originall of warre is from originall sinne Genes 11. 7. Gen. 29. 17. Gen. 25 25. 2. By Scripture Ioel 3. 9. Iudg. 5. 23. * Quibê° propriuÌ„ stipendium sufficere debere praecepit militare vtique non prohibuit August epist 5. ad Marcellinum Luk. 3. 14. Gideons warre accompanied with stratagems 1. In reducing the 32000. to 300. verse 6. In taking the aduantage of be night In giuing eueâ—y man a lampe 4. In putting a Trumpet into euery mans hand 5. In the vse this watchword For the Lord for Gideon The contents of the Text. God and the King Psal 82. 6. The two wayes for a Warriour to walke in 1. Via sacra â— Via regia The persons vpon whom the sucâ—esse of warres dependeth Matth. 22. 21. Two things to be handled 1. The parts oâ— the distributioâ— The first clauâ—â— For the Lord It is not the fighâ— but the cause that maketh a Souldier August de câ—â— Dei li. 17. ca. 1 â—o better cause â—â—en the cause of â—â—rd â—â—m 11. 36. * Psal 12 4. Cor. 6. 20. God is euery wâ—â—â—â— the cause of warre 1. The efficienâ— cause Prou 8. 15. Matth. 8. 9. 2. The formall cause Psal 144. 1. Psal 18. 39. 3. The instrumentall cause Psal 18. 1. 4. The finall cause Prou. 18. 10. Psal 115. 1. â— Baptisme wee â—â—ceiue our presseâ—oney to become â—hrists souldiers Not that God â—eedeth it â—ut our dutie reâ—uireth it Mal. 1. 6. Acts 17. 28. Rom. 8. 28. Gen. 2. 17. Iob. 7. 1. Luk. 1. 29. Veri profeâ—â— Israelitae proâ—â—cedunt ad beâ—â— pacific c. Ber. ser ad mâ— Tem. cap. 4. For this cause tâ—â— Christians beaâ—â— the Crosse in their ensignes The cruelty and â—mpiety of the Pope of Rome â—mulata sanâ—itas This is not to fight for Christ Neither can it be called a holy Warre Christians must not warre without a calling from God Rom. 8. 32. Rom. 8. 28. Esai 10. 5. Iudg. 20. 27. 2. Sam. 5. 19. Numb 14. 45 Iudg. 4. 8. The second clause For Gideon Added for incouragement to them and terrour to the enemie â— King 19. 17. Gideon a â—eane man Iudg. 6. 15. Not trained vp in armes Psalm 115. 1. A good Captaine is aequipollent to the whole armie In vnius salute salus omnium in Imperatore vniuersorum periculum The weaknesse of the meanes not to be regarded when wee haue Gods warrant 1 Cor. 1. 25. 26. Iudg. 6. 12. 2. Gideon a single-man Better in waâ—re to haue one Generall then many Malo vnum ZopyruÌ„ quam centum Babilonios capere Note 1. the people content with the Captaine whom God set ouer them 1 Sam. 25. 10. Where God is honoured there Gideon will be obeyed It is requisite that euery warre be grounded either on religion to God or loyaltie to the Magistrate vnder God Prou. 28. 1. Th Aqu 2. 2 2ae qu. 40. Art 1. Against Duellists whose combates haue no iust ground or warrant It is hard to determine in this kinde of quarrells who escapes best whether the partie killing or party killed Gen. 4. 10. Leuit. 24. 17. 2. The order of the parts First for God and then for Gideon A threefold caution to Souldiers 1 Giue not Gideons cause the predominancie before the cause oâ— God Aug. lib. 21. contra Manichaeos 2. Relie not morâ— vpon Gideon then vpon God Psal 118. 8. 3. Ascribe not more to Gideon then to God Rom. 13. 1. Psal 82. 1. Rom. 13. 4. Psal 82. 6. 7. Reuel 19. 16. The royall and religious disposition of KING Henrie the fifth Psal 144. 10. Psal 75. 7. Application of the Text to the Gentlemen assembled Exhortation To contemne a slanders raised against them Prou. 20. 3. â—o expell all faâ—tious spirits froÌ„â—mong them â— Thess 3. 6. To goe on with an vndaunted spirit in that honourable exercise To prepare for worse and harder times 1. King 4. 25. Psal 144 14. Psal 122. 7. Wee cannot promise to our selues perpetuall peace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 1. Sam. 18. 17. 1. Sam. 10. 12. Psal 18. 39. Psal 144. 1. Ephes 6. 11. Bern. ser ad mil. tem cap. 4. Psal 80. 14. Luk. 19. 42. 〈…〉 â—sal 144. â— â—sal 79. 1. â—sal 122. 7.