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
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
consequence then it must necessarily follow that there must be but one Religion and that of Gods own appointment Some Civilians who for the most are too much Matchiavalized loving the profits better then the Law labours to palliate this with utilitie matter of fact and necessity And for instance they bring Sultan Solyman the great Turke a fit example indeed who being moved by the Mufty or chiefe Pope and the Cadilesheiri or Arch-prelates together with some of the Bassaes to abandon the Christians Iews and all of diverse religions or otherwise to force them to Muzilmanize that is to professe Turcism The Turke looking out at a window pointed them to the variety of the flowers in the garden whereunto saith he I compare diversities of religions in my Dominions which are rather usefull then hurtfull so they liue in obedience The like they tell us of Alexander Severus Traian and others but what be these to Christian Kings and Rulers who haue not so learned Christ They must walk by Lawes and not by Examples neither must God loose the least jote of his honour for their greatest gaines As for necessity in regard of disturbance all wisedom is to be used in avoyding of it and all faire meanes used to reduce them to the truth but disturbing must not bee avoyded with sinne It is a clause worthy the observation and by the Popes themselues placed in the Canon right though not observed Reg. 1. de Regiminis num 6. but ill abused That it is far better that offence or disturbance should come then the least truth should be forsaken Is a King a noursing father and will he suffer a plaguy or leprous childe to be in the house or lye in the bed with his childe that is sound Will he suffer poyson to lye strawed about where his childe may reach it This were to murther his childe and not to play the parent to it Will a King suffer forraign Kings to erect their Lawes in his Dominions and permit his subjects to obey some one and some another No hee would scorn it and hold them Traytors that should motion it and will he put that upon God and force him as it were to bear that he will not bear himselfe Surely the Lord will not bear it It was a princely part and a royall resolution worthy the imitation in Edward the sixth a Sunâ—shine over-clouded by the sinnes of this land in the very rising hee being requested with his Councell by Charles the fifth then Emperour to suffer the Lady Mary his sister to haue a Masse in her house the Councell sitting about that and other things sent D. Cranmer and D. Ridley to perswade the King to grant it When he had heard what they could say he so learnedly and grauely did refute it out of the word of God that with astonishment their mouthes were stopt Then they fell to him with false grounds of policy as the loosing of the Emperours favour the hardening of his sisters heart the discontenting of Popish subjects to whom he replyed that they should content themselues for hee would spend his life and all that he had rather then agree or grant to that which he knew certainly to be against the truth Yet for all this they would not leaue him but pressing him further he fell a weeping and willed them to let him alone Fox pag. 1179. Hee had cause to weep indeed but they greater Where they should haue preserved him from sinne they were made the meanes to corrupt him The Prelates and pleaders for Conformity haue no great reason to brag of these men as they were Bishops not of Gods making for whilst their heatts were deceived and their eies vayled with the bewitching honours and glorious shewes of Pabel against the light of knowledge they proved as you see enemies to the crosse of Christ therefore God puld them out of their rags and cast them in the Furnace and then they proved his friends indeed and so may some Prelates proue if God bring them to the stake But to the matter for all that they could doe such was the zeale of that holy Saint and happy King that Lady Mary could haue no Masse at that time To conclude this reason men would haue thought that the union of Britains Kingdomes would haue cut short the increase of Babel his Kingdom and that the Foxes should haue been forced either to change their skins or holes but we see for our sinns by neglect of authority that to the dishonour of God the defacing of his Gospell the griefe of his people and indangering of life crown and dignity they are so hugely increased in both Kingdoms and in Ierland that in their own conceit they are grown too hard fâ—â— us it is most just with God if we spare the Cananits that the Cananits should vexus The fourth reason may be taken from idolaters who to our shame are zealous of their false worship The Lord may justly upbraid us with such as he did his people Israel hathâ— nation changed their gods Ier. 2.11 which are yet no gods but my people haue changed their glory for that which doth not profit So the Lord may inquire of us whether heathen Rome and Antichristian Rome do tolerate any worship but that which is of their owne appointment The Laws of old Rome forbade any strange Gods to be worshipped amongst them that is as Tully expoundeth Cic. de leg privatim adscitos of mens private device but by the Senats publique appointment so new Rome is as strict in that they will haue no mixture but of their own making instance the Tridentin excommunications witness likewise with many others the Doctors of Doway upon the Lords forbidding of mixtures of seed Lev. 19.19 cattle and garments here all participation say they with heretikes and schismatickes is forbidden Philip of Spaine said he had rather haue no subject then subjects of a divers religion and out of a bloudy zeale suffered his oldest sonne Charles to be murthered by the cruell inquisition because he seemed to favour profession for which Non pepercit filio suo sed dedit pro nobis Hieron Catina that mouth of blasphemie the Pope gaue him this for his panagyr that he had not spared his owne sonne but had given him for them As old Rome called the Christian religion a new religion so new Babilon calleth the ancient trueth a new religion or heresie and therefore they hold it a damnable thing to haue any thing to doe with it expecting but a day when they may race out the remembraÌ„ce of it As for our drawing nigh unto them in superstitious rites they flout us to our face and tell us in a bravado that let us come as nigh to them as wee will they will not come one haires breadth nigh to us yea they asperse our religion with this Quo vadis pag. 13. Heylin pag. 249. that if it were true wee would never bland it How bitter then
delictum c. August de de verbâ— dom Noli exstimare nemineÌ„ Deo placere posse Fortitudo quae per bella tuetur a barbaris patriam plena justitiae est Offici 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Surely this is to bring bloud upon their heads and to sin both against the Law and the Gospell It is not a sin as Austin saith to war but to abuse it Doe not thinke saith the same Father that a man cannot please God in warre for David was a warrior and God gave to him a great testimonie The force of war saith Ambrosius that maintaineth the country against bloudy and barbarous enemies defendeth the weake and such as are subiect to oppression delivereth the confederates that are in danger from the hand of the bloud-thirstie is full of righteousnes There be but two wayes saith Tully to decide matters eyther by dispute or armes and men must haue recourse to the latter when there is no place for the former Thucidides like a wise man pressing all meÌ„ to keepe the peace secludes not the lawfulnes of war if necessitic inforce it Good men saith he if necessitie inforce them change peace into war To conclude this point the Apostle willeth us to haue peace with all men but if it be possible where the Apostle implyeth that it is impossible to haue peace with some Rom. 12.1 Yea while the godly speake of peace their enemies prepare for war Lu. 22.36 Therefore wee must doe as the Apostles were commanded in another kind Sell our coates and by swords Or as Nehemiah Nehe. 4 14 17. in the same kind incouraged the people Fight for your brethren your sonnes and your daughters your wives and your houses yea it standeth us upon it to doe the worke with the one hand and with the other hold the sword CHAP. III. Of the Guide of Warre THus hauing shewed the incommodities of war and the equitie of it I come to the third last point of the treatise namely the ordering of warre This is the main point for the clearing whereof I haue with as much brevitie as I could handled the former two Here againe to Apologize my want of skill and to deprecate censure were to be iealous of the readers good will and to detract from my highest patronage To come then to the point In every warre there be two things especially to be observed That it be Iustum Iuste just in it selfe that is iustly vndertaken and it must be iustly and duely followed For the first we must first know what a iust war is The description of a iust war wich may be thus defined That which is undertaken for a iust cause by a competent person in place of Magistracie in a lawfull maÌ„ner against an externall or internall enemie following it orderly by the law of nature and nations having for the end Gods glory and our owne peace to the same effect as divines tell vs to a iust and lavvfull war three thinges are required A good cause a well ordered affection and a lawfull authoritie Or if yow wil for the better ordering of war by its proper lawes let vs observe three sorts of polemick lawes some concerneth the preparation some the battle it selfe and some the sequele or the event Some parts of the description apperatine to the first lawes some to the second and some to third The iust cause of war To come in order to the first there must be a iust cause which may briefly be exprest under the maintenance of religion or civill right eyther for our selves or our Christian confederates 〈◊〉 Thus was the warre of the Israelits against the Amalekits Exod. 17 So against the Midianites Numb 25.17 18. For they had hurt them both in their bodyes and in their soules A like good ground had Abraham for his war against the four Kings namely the rescuing of his nephevv Lot out of the hands of merciles bloudy enemies It is true indeed that Lot had no good ground for being there neyther is it thought that the King of Elam wanted iust cause to come against Sodome to represse rebells but howsoever they had nothing to doe with Lot by whom they were not wronged and this gaue Abraham just cause without further expostulation of Lots oversight to adventure his owne life and the life of his for the delivery of his friend And indeed as the cause was just he did but what he should haue done yea if he had not done it it had been both sin and shame to him Wilt thou not saith the Wise man preserue those that are led to be slaine Prov. 24.11 In the war injoyned by God to his people against the nations and in other warrs permitted occasionally they were alwayes to looke to the equitie of the cause as the main ground whereupon they were to go For God himselfe injoyneth nothing without a good ground The Romanes who had onely the light of nature to guide them in their procedings had alwayes respect to the ground of their vvar before they vvould undertake it Amongst many instances observe these tvvo The Campani who vvere nieghbours to the Romanes being invaded by the Samnites a mightie people desired ayd against them pressing them vvith many forcible arguments as from the lavv of proximitie or neighbour-hood of affinitie of ensuyng commoditie and finally from the Romans generous disposition but all these allegations not affording a sufficient ground this vvas all the Romanes did for the present they sent Embassadors to the Samnites desiring them to cease from vvar against their neighbours vvhich the Campanian deputies knovving to be lost labor they yeild themselves up as the right of the Romans vvith this speech If you thinke much to defend vs from the unjust invasion of a Tyranons enemy yet defend that which is your owne Vpon this voluntarie dedition Tit. Liv li. 7. Decad. the Senat undertooke the defence of them having a just title for the ground of the vvarre Another instance offers it selfe in that dispute between the wisest man and the best man in Rome namely Cato and Scipio Nassica Because the Carthaginians began to rig ships contrary to the articles of peace it was the judgement of Cato and others that warre should be denounced out of hand but Scipio was of another mind because he thought it was no sufficient ground for warre for they had yet sustained no damage but the Carthaginians had rather indammaged themselues in violating their faith they should rather be summoned to lay down their Armes to untackle their Ships and so to keep the peace Scipio his judgment was approved but the Carthaginians contemned the summons Whereupon the Senate and that upon just ground agreed all in one to take up Armes against them Other memorable examples are extant to this purpose Charles the 8 of France a yong King being instigated to take Arms against Francis Duke of Brittaine and â—o lay hold upon the Dutchy as his right
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
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
with Millaine he made his end CHAP. XXXII The Exercising of Forces in the Field NOw I come from oppugnation and defence of places to speake of exercising forces in the field the ordering and ioyning of battle the lawfull use of victorie and the behaviour required in the conquerour and conquered As the neerer things come to their Center they move the faster and the nigher the Sun approcheth the Zenith it is the hotter so this the last part of my subiect being the chiefest part highest point of all the warlike motions it requireth the speciall workmanship that of such a workman as is highly guifted with wit and experience Haniball could not but laugh at a stoicke disputing by arguments that onely a wise maÌ„ should be a commander not knowing that use and experience must concurre to the making of a militarie man Stobeus Serm. 52. so if my affection to the businesse should not gaine excuse in place of approbation I should move laughing and insteede of a plaudite I should gaine an apage but hauing experience that men of Armes are generous eueÌ„ in affecting them that loue Armes I proceed to touch though not to sound the depth of those things And if my skill were to my affection yet could I not direct in every particular because necessitie offereth many inconveniences in war which the wisest and expertest Commander cannot avoid for the which notwithstanding there is a good generall rule to correct that by art and counsell which of its owne nature is adverse The hearts of souldiours should be knit together by the bond of loue Lib. 2. cap. 21. Caritas inter milites comilitio augesst To this rule for the better directing of all the particular passages let me add or perfix the counsell of Vegetius that the hearts of souldiers should be knit together by the bond of love yea they should be compacted and united together not onely in order but also in affection so they all should be but one body or one soule in divers bodyes where an Army thriveth aâ— Tryphonius the lawyer observeth not onely knowledge familiaritie but also loue increaseth in the fellowship of war The Army being thus bound together as head and body in their severall places and functions ready to serve one another Two Speciall things there be two things which the leader especially must set before his eyes namely laying hold of present occasion and celeritie of dispatch The former as I shewed is the soule of the action and the latter is the quick passage of the animall spirits Lay hold on occasion effecting the functions of the soule Life once lost cannot be recovered occasion once past cannot be recalled Lucius Portius Cato speaking of Catelin taketh this as he sheweth for a rule approved on by all that in all our affaires opportunite is to be served and nothing more to be avoided theâ— neglect of occasion Stobeus Serm. 52. Agesilaus being demanded what were the rarest ornaments of a commander summed them in these three particulars Valor Counsell and laying hold on occasion That proverbe of Vespatians courtiers taking their best opportunitie to petition him is an excellent motto for a commander know thy time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Avidius rapiendum quod cito praetervolat A man in this sence must be a time-server as one injoyneth us serve time A man as Erasmus saith must snatch at that which fleeth away Scipio the great Cunctator did call it the part of a sluggard to pretermit occasion The neglect of this lost Pompey his greatnesse First not to dispute whether he did well or no in quitting Rome at Cesars approching I am sure he lost his way when he went to Greece to cast himselfe upon inexpert and weake forces degenerate from the use of Armes Had he rather gone into Spaine of whose warlike and strenuous souldiers of proofe when with Q Metellus he warred against Sertorius he had experience without question he had made his part good against Cesar for which I haue this ground that Cesar in his last fight in Spaine with Pompey the elder was put to such a desperate pinch that he was in parle of offering violence to himselfe What would he haue done if Pompey himselfe had been there especially in the beginning when Cesar was neyther of any great power nor authoritie in the place This errour of Pompey made way for many others for his campe in Greece began to grow effeminate lazie full of ryot and neglect of all good occasions and that out of the abundance of good things euilly abused insomuch that it was liker the camp of Darius or Sardanapalus then of the ancient Romanes such as Camillus Fabritius c. But the neglect following is most palpably of all without excuse neyther thinke I if Pompey were alive that he would deny it namely in the battel of Dyrrachium wherein he overthrew routed Cesar but he neglected to follow the victory which when Cesar perceived he said of Pompey Negavil eum scire vincere Semper nocuit de ferre paratis that he knew not how to overcome You may see then in this instance and others of the like nature the saying of Lucanus made good Neglect of time doth ever hurt the cause As occasion thus doth animate the businesse Vsâ— celerity so celerity in performance is the energetical power of life in military performances In rebus bellicis celeritas amplius solet prodesse quaÌ„ virtus Qucknesse as Vegetius saith is often moâ—â— helpfull then valour it selfe That golden saying of Caesar should in capitall letters alwaies be in the eyes of greaâ— Commanders That whatsoever he had effected celerity hâ—â— done it Another thing to be thought on in the leading of Forces How to quit themselues in a strayt is how to quit themselues when they are brought into a strayt and so invironed with the enemy that there is no way to passe without hazard then and there is the speciall use of some cunning stratagem Examples of such we haue many of good note in Frontine and none more wittie then that of Hanibal against Fabius A witty Stratagem although none more common Where Hanibal was brought to such a strayt that he could quit himselfe no way but through the narrow passages that Fabius kept Lib. 1. c. 5. He tyed bundles of combustible matter between the Hornes of Oxen and set them on fire The Romans sent out by Fabius could not tell at first what 〈◊〉 make of it for they thought it had been some prodigiouâ— thing but conceiving what it was they told the Generall who fearing it to be some slight to draw them out kepâ— close in their Camp so that Hanibal with all his Forces past without opposition This was indeed a witty one but yet a costly one for the pattern out of which he had it coâ—â— his father Amilcar his life The Dukes of Spain againâ—â— whom he warred yoked up Oxen in
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
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
there is a Diapason which Art cannot transcend so there is a diaposon or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the highest-period of Kingdoms and Dominions aboue the which they cannot passe The place of it selfe is so obscure that Aristotle in his fifth book of the Politicks and 12 chapter passeth it over so doth Proclus who illustrateth the other seven bookes with notes but doth not touch that That opinion is much like to another saying of his Naturales sunt rerum publicarum conversiones That the conversions or translations of Common-wealths run by the course of nature It is true indeed as Kingdoms haue their beginnings increase and height so they haue their declinings and their ruins All that hath a beginning hath an ending and as Philo saith the greater height of outward bappinesse that a people attaineth to the lower is their fall As after an inundation the waters are dryed up so States are emptied of their flouds of prosperity to the very channell Experience maketh good that of the Poet. sic omnia verti cernimus atque alias assumere pondere gentes concidere has Thus all things chang'd we see some Kingdoms fall and some advanc't Yet for all this these Philosophers and Sects are a ground in giving the ground of this But Daniel a better Polititian then either Plaâ—o or Aristotle Dan. 2.20 giveth the true ground indeed Blessed saith he be the name of God for ever and ever for he changeth times and seasons he remeveth Kings and setteth up Kings That which Heathen Writers Military men and others doe attribute to fortune namely events of battles victories and foiles Daniel doth attribute to God Multum tum in omuibus rebus tum in re militari potest fortuna Lib. 6. belli Gallie Applicatiâ—Ì„ Caesar that great man at Armes and man of great successe was greatly deceived in the ground when he gaue so much to fortune Fortune saith he in many things but especially in military affaires may doe very much It is not onely their fault for they knew little better but it is more the fault of Professors who know indeed the true ground but in their carriage they doe not acknowledge the ground they confesse the ground but in their profession they follow not to the ground Obserue a courtly complement with us in England wherein great Ones bewray their faultinesse in this kind they denominate the evill or good that befalls a man or State from fortune He hath a good fortune say they his fortune is undone bee their meaning what it will I would haue them as Austine counsels them to change their words and as the Apostle wills them to use a sound forme of phrase 2 Tim. 1.13 beseeming Christian profession Mardonius said well It cannot be denyed but all these foiles and defeats and outrages and spoyles and desolations are of Gods own doing but men will not beleeue it applicatiuely or runne the right way though it be not onely beaten in their eares but they see it cleerly with their eyes Men in this are like the uncircumcised Philistims who though they knew and confessed that the hand of God was upon them for abusing the Arke yet they would try whether or not iâ— were by chance Men thus called by affliction to see the hand of God in it they are like unto Samuel when God called him they runne many other waies before they run to God they run to the bloudy cruelty of one to the innaturallity of another to the falshood under fellowship of the third to the pusillanimity of the fourth and lastly to the conspiracie or concurrence of all the Crue against them who haue vowed their destruction without a cause It is lawfull and expedient to haue an eye to all those and to view every one of them in their kind but first of all we must look to the sin-revenging eye of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to his all-disposing hand of the very least circumstance of our troubles Hence it is that they are called the waues of God and the arrowes of God yea God doth afflict his own that they should see his hand in it and seek to him for deliverance out of it The Lord doth threaten that he will be unto Ephraim as a Lyon and to the house of Iuda as a yong Lyon yea he will teare and take away and none shall rescue him The Lord here in effect doth threaten to send such enemies against them as like roaring cruell and devouring Lyons should tear them all in peeces but the Lord is said to doe it because without him neither foe nor friend can doe any thing But what is the end of this Is it not that they might seek the Lord Hos 5.14.15 I will goe and returne to my place saith he till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face in their affliction they wil seeke me early If a man be wounded will he rather look at the sword then at the man that gaue the blow If a stone be cast at a man will he like a dog run to the stone not looking to the hand that cast it Or if it fall from a height will he not look up to the place from whence it fell When Rebecca felt that strange unusuall struggling of the two twins in her wombe which prefigured the strife between the godlesse and the godly to know the cause of this she goeth unto the Lord Gen. 25.22 and she went to enquire of the Lord saith the Text. To him indeed in our troubles we should goe since it is his doing Heavie and dolefull was that message that Samuel had to Eli insomuch that he feared to shew him the vision yet Eli would haue it out of him that he might know the Lords mind which when Samuel had delivered hee runneth presently to the ground from whence it was and not to any by or secundary meanes by which it might be brought to passe for the Lord wants no means to accomplish that which once hee doth determine 1 Sam. 3 1â— It is the Lord saith he let him doe what seemeth him good He acquiesceth in the good will of God and embraceth the judgement though it were against himselfe and his he like a well nurtured child kisseth the rod though it were made for his own back Then in the name of the Lord both King and Queen and subjects take notice of this that the hand of God is upon you and upon us in you it is the Lord that hath done it and so let us all acknowledge And thus much for the first particular CHAP. XLIII The mooving cause of the defeate is to be observed A Second circumstance of the conquereds carriage consisteth in the inquiring and finding out of the moving cause of their overthrow for though God be the efficient cause yet there is a moving cause without him that provoketh him to give his owne people into the hands of his enemies Psal 94. It
Philistim and yet these were they that they never suspected till the battle was lost wherein 30000 were slaine their Priests were gone Eli his necke broken and which was worste of all the Arke of God was taken Then they began in their calamitie to call a new quest of inquirie to make a new search and to find out this execrable thing namely their sin 1. Sam. 7. â— for the which as it is said all the hoast of Israel lamented before the Lord. The like neglect wee may behold in the people of Israel going against Beniamin The first day they lost 22000 they lament indeed and looke about them what should be the matter but they go the wrong way they fall to doubt of their commission as though there had been some fault in that they supposed they could not prosper because they had lift up their hand against their brethren although God had bid them doe it but there was another matter in it that they were not a ware of that was their sin which questionlesse God did punish by those two overthrows First they were altogether become corrupt and abhominable in their courses worship of God insomuch that as the Lord speaketh every man did what seemed good in his owne eyes It is true when they heard of the beastly and abhominable act of killing of the Levits wife under their filthy lust their hearts rose against it they would be avenged on all the whole tribe if the transgressors were not delivered This was all well but this was not all they should haue begune at home and purged themselues of spirituall uncleannesse and other sinnes that doe accompany that and then they had been fit to haue punished the beastlinesse of the Beniamits Againe for number they were so many and the other not a gleaning to them that they made no question of the victory so that they thought it needlesse to seeke to God by humbling of themselues for a good successe But God for those met with them and set them in the right way ere he had done with them for when after the second defeate they got sight of their sin and humbled themselues for it by fasting and praying they received a better answere with assurance of the victory Now give me leaue to applie and that in all humilitie Application The ground of your enterprise was good the commission faultlesse and the end for any thing I know upright yea and the enemie Gods enemie yet for all this thus far they haue prevayled and doe prevaile the cause I feare is want of reformation at home and it may be too much presuming of worldly forces and friendship which the Lord would haue to prove no better then a broken reede If the commission be good and the parties disable themselues from the execution of it what fault is in it or in him that gaue it out As it is far from me to charge any thing upon any mans conscience so I intreate every man to charge his owne conscience as David did and say I am the man A generall view or search will not serue for so long as men keepe themselues at generals they never find out that in themselues which most displeaseth God but often mistake that to be no sin which is sinne or that to be sin which is no sin Men must not stay themselues in the Procatartick or remote causes but they must dive unto the Proegumene conjunct or essential imediate cause Empyrickes mistaking symptomes for the sicknesse it selfe are fayrer to kill then to cure so in finding out some petty sinnes some never look at the main sinnes like those that lop off branches of the tree but never strike at the roote and as by this pruning the trees grow bigger so by daliance in search all growes worse and worse therefore to the bosome sin the darling-sin the seed-sinne that is deer as hand and foot cut it off and cast it away Let every man be severest with himselfe and favour himselfe not in the least sin that sin that hee least lookes after and will not acknowledge to be sin is commonly the capital sinne as taking liberty to profane the Sabboth going to stage-plaies scoffing precisenesse pettie oathes abuse of the creatures usury these be Nationall sins and set ope the gate to all other sins and consequently to judgment On the first my heart giues me to dwell if it were my place and the Treatise would permit for as it is the sin of Nations so it is the capitall sin though least thought on the threatnings against the breach of this commandement the promise annexed to the keeping of it the backing of it with reasons and fore-fronting of it with a remember Zacor doe necessarily imply all these lessons as first the antiquity of it and the continuance of it that as it was from the beginning so it should be remembred to the end Gen. 2.3 secondly it discovers the propensity of man to the light esteem of it and to the breaking of it thirdly it shews the greatnesse of the sin Ezech. 20.12.22 fourthly Gods great desire to haue it kept calling it the holy honourable day yea and the delight of the Lord Es 58.13 All these cords will pull down inevitable judgements upon all the palpable profaners of this day by their pleasures or ordinary imployments except they repent This sin cryes in England and roares in Holland where by open shops and other works of their calling they proclaim with open mouth their little regard of God or his Sabboth Iudgement likewise hangs over the head of all halvers of the Lords day making it neither Gods nor theirs but divide it All Iewish translators of the Sabboth all toleration from higher powers to profane it at which we may lay our hands upon our mouths But I hope the Parliament will redresse it likewise on all that dare proclaime it from Pulpit to bee onely a Ceremoniall Law and that the rest now injoyned is a meer Civill Ordinance The Papists presse this as a meer humane Institution in religious Worship Spalato a little before his departure told a man in dispute with him that that Commandement was done away Many Libertine Ministers and Prelats in England maintain the same in effect and the worst of the Ministers of the Vnited Provinces concur with them in this point for though some presse the keeping of it yet they urge it not as a divine Precept but as a time appointed by a meer positiue law for the worship of God but this crosseth the nature of the commandement being Morall given from the beginning before the Ceremoniall Law written by Gods own finger proclaimed to all the people to continue to the end It substracts from the number of the Precepts being ten Exod. 34.18 Deut. 10.4 it oppugneth the practise of God which is for a president to us It is against naturall reason and divine prerogatiue that God should not haue a solemn time appointed for
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