in patience For the patient wayting of the righteous shall not alwaies be forgotten Your Highnesses in all humble duty A. L. TO THE PRINCE HIS HIGHNES CHARLES The Hope of great Brittain Most gracious Prince WHILST with mournful eye I often viewed the deepe and long continued distresse of your dearest sister and of her royall Lord it gaue me occasion to inquire into the equitie of their cause which in all impartiall judgemeÌ„t shal be found so just that they and all that loue them may appeale to God for the pleading of it but perceiving the successe not to answer the cause and that some for want of love and some for want of judgement did judge the cause by the events I went with David into the sanctuary whence I discovered the causes of their calamitie notwithstanding of the goodnesse of the cause namely the all-wise God to be the chiefe workman who putteth every one into the refining pot that he appoints for his treasurye they and theirs and in them especially all the families of God to be the gold Aegipt or Babilon to be the sornace the Amalekits to be the fewell or fire-workemen the croaking frogges to be the bellowes and the purging and refining of his owne people to be the worke Vpon this discovery betweene love and feare yea out of more love then skill I must confesse I undertooke the framing of this modell of the sacred War wherein I handle at large the particulars of the said discovery as they doe occur in their proper places Heerin brieflie by way of application I haue laid the particuliar passages of both sides to the generall rules illustrated by the fittest examples that my reading would affoord me that the regularitie or obliquitie of euery passage may appeare I haue laid open according to my small skill the pandâ—micall diseases of warr together with the remedies by the way I haue touched vpon domestick affaires and in all this course I haue made the sacred word the loadstone the compasse and the lesbian rule whereby to square and direct all the rest This I presumed to dedicate to their Highnesses because they are the speciall parties as the Lord speaketh that haue seene affliction by the Rod of Gods wrath Lam. 3. but considering how they and theirs Gods cause in their hands and whatsoever is commended to them standeth need both of a protector and revenger I was emboldened on the knees of my bounden duetie and best affection to intreat your grace that according to your accustomed favour you would vouchsafe to looke into this looking-glasse and howsoever its vnpolished ruggednes may rather be discovered by your compleate skill Heroick experience in Armes then its abilitie to direct so Princely a Director yet that sure word wherewith this glasse is steeled will both be light to leade you and strength to make you victorious and as a Trumpet though a meane Officer serveth to rouse the courage of the greatest Commander so this shall rather give an Alarum to your Martiall spirit theÌ„ ad to your Highnes literature courage or skill Gird on your sword then Gracious Sir goe on in the Lord and for the Lord and prosper Our eies are fixed towards God and then upon you in te unuÌ„ oculi omniuÌ„ conversi you are the tree from whose shade the Saints doe looke for shelter refreshing and which shall kill by Antipathye the Snakes of Babel If your Grace would giue me leaue I could lay downe many motives as first Gods honor in the dust Religion at the stake the healing of the beasts wound and the setting of Dagon againe upon the stumps Secondly it was Iosuahs honor to deliver the craftie Gibionits once become his confederates from the fiue Kings whom he put to the sword what honor shall it be to you to vindicate from disgrace and wrong a paragon of Princes a tryed Iewel aboue the patience of her sex an onely loving and a lovely Sister a Prince persecuted by the wicked and deprived of all for the maintenance of the truth a Princely issue as deare and neare to you as Lot was to Abraham and lastlie the people of God in an Aegiptian thraldome Teares here are the best Orators I will say no more but as the wife of Intiphernes said to Darius concerning her brother you can never haue another Sister Thirdly that cruell and cursed crew that hunt for their soules would devoure you and yours if opportunitie should serve Fourthly it shal be your greatest honour to fight Gods battles and who knoweth but that you are the man for whom God hath reserved that honor Charles the great made Rome great And may not a greater Charles raze Romes greatnes Concerning the ruine of Rome which must be accomplished by your Princelie name I commend to your Grace this prophesie Imperium fâ—sâ—es C. fastus seeptra triumphus Quaefuerant penitus C. veniente cadent Fifthly your late admirable deliverance out of the paw of the lyon out of the Iaw of the Beare requireth by course that you should encounter with Goliah Non potuit perire taÌ„tarum lachrimaraÌ„ filius Aug conf Lib. 3. c. 12. Tu non inventa reperta es Sir God thought on you and on vs in you when you thought not on your selfe and blessed be God his name who hath made that principall good that the sonne of so many prayers could not perish Yea wee may truely say to our comfort that you are found againe Lastly your Princely resolution and irrevocable word hath ingaged you to the service of Sions deliverance if you should leaue Sion helplesse which God forbid it were in a manner hopelesse To inlarge these motives to your Grace were but to bring the gleanings of the grapes to the vintage of your literature and policie craving therefore pardon for my boldnesse of speech bluntnesse of phrase Play my selfe the subject and my humble suite at the soote of your Highnesse censure Your Highnesse his most humblie devoted A. L. TO THE HONOVRABLE AND HIGH COVRT OF PARLIAMENT Right Honourable and most Worthy AS many things fall in between the end and the putting of it in execution So whilst J was in hand with this Treatise by the providence of God and his Majesties call you were assembled in the Honourable and High Court of Parliament Which Assembly we pray may be like that assembly of David and his States in Hebron where first they made a covenant before the Lord and thereafter went to warre against the Iebusites and then against the Philistims and overcame them both 2 Sam. 3.15 Strike your Covenant then with the Lord and your warre shall surely prosper For the discoverie of your Adversaries which is a main principle of warre you need not a Vox populi you haue vivam vocem Principis Onely this little Work which I humbly commend unto your view I wish may be vox tubae to your martiall designes a perspectiue it is whose optic medium is the word
against God God calleth not every man to this he gaue some to be Pastors and some to be Teachers not all Thirdly great are the enormites that doe accompany warre as I haue shewed both in Commanders and in ordinary souldiers Bello nulla salus and therefore they had neede to be hedged in by the Lords husbandmen with the pale of the word Fourthly from their excellency they are the greatest gift saue Christ that ever was giuen to man A Prophet will I rayse up from among their bretheren Dâ—ut 18.18 like unto thee In which words though Christ be especially meant as S. Luke applyeth them Acts 3.22.23 Yet they necessarily imply the giving of others though Christ be the chiefe God by the Prophet Ieremie speaking of the desolation of his people whereunto they were fallen by their owne sinnes and wickednes of their for-lorn Priests telleth them of a great blessing Jerem. 23.4 That he will set up sheepheards over them that shall feede them Such are called Gods in the booke of God I haue made thee a God to Pharao Exod. 7.1 saith the Lord of Moses namely in bringing judgements and removing of them They are said by God himselfe in Ieremie to stand in his counsell Ier. 23. And for their service with God pietie and holines towards him they are called Angells Fifthly for their industry fidelitie they are called Seers Watchmen Elisha kept Centinall against the King of Aram over the King of Israel when he slept So the men of God in the armies of God whether they sleep or wake they are alwayes at Centinall For though they sleepe as Salomon saith yet the heart is awake In this respect Ministers may well be called the foure beasts full of eyes before and behind Rev. 4. being round about the throne to watch and discover As for their industrie and watchfulnes they are the surest guard so for their fidelitie and plainnesse they are the safest counsell Kings with Antigonus and warriours with Severus may all in those dayes goe out of the Court out of the Counsell and out of the Camp to seeke truth because they cannot find it but they shall find it with the watchmen of Israel There were never indeed more vile and wicked flatterers both in Courts and Camps for as flesh-flies and other Vermin are bred out of the putrifaction of some humid matter by unnaturall heat so this kind of vile vermin is bred and fed out of the corruption of the times What a swarme of Munkies and Marmozets and Ianglers and Gnatoes are every whereâ—â— It is not my purpose to particularize their differences but this may be said of them all they are the corrupters and ruine of Kingâ— and Kingdoms To busie the reader with instances of this nature were but to prove that which no body denyeth for Dioclesian one of the worst men that ever was was so pestered with those flyes that from an Emperour he turned a Gardener hauing observed as Flavius Vopiscus observeth of him all their villainies he concludeth thus A good wise and vertuous Prince is bought and sold by this people 2. Sam. 15. Yea David a man after Gods owne heart holding out against the cursing of Shemei was overcome with the flattery of Zyba Yet this one thing is no lesse lamentable then remarkcable that though they be such ravenous vipers and haue eate out the bellies of so many great Ones yet still they creepe into their bosomes and are nourished by the selfe same heat which they doe extinguish Yea they cast King and Court and good counsell and State first in a Marasmos or deadly Hectick and then out at dores yet for all this who but they Comineus giveth one cause of this because such doe best please the humours of Princes Princes love better those that are of Placentia then those that are of Verona They love the things that please better then those that profit â—â—b 1. c. 21 Plutarch rendereth another cause namely they are often touching that string that Princes much affect namely their owne prayses in things many times not praiseable which flatterers can cunningly effect by palliating their vices with the seeming vicinity of some vertues As the despising of his people they wil term it a Princely inawing of them the imposing of what he pleaseth upon them an improuement of his prerogatiue Royall the doing of all out of his own devise the singularity of wit or quintessence of policy Secondly they vvill make them beleeue they are affected and praised of others and then it is as wel as can be when indeed there is nothing lesse But to leaue their shifts and the great Ones evils that accreweth upon them my purpose is to point out the remedy and the Physitian namely that plain-dealing Word from the mouth of the man of God against the venome of those Aspes and the poyson of all the sinnes which they loue to palliate I know no better Physitian then a good Minister That saying of Gordianus is most true and worthy the memory That miserably is that Prince from whom the truth is concealed And Lewis the 11 complained that this one thing wanted in his Court Yea sundry great Princes haue gone in private manner amongst their subjects to un-boult the truth But this is the way for Court and Camp to haue the Trumpet of truth in it that dare not nor will not lye or flatter This impartiall dealing and plain course is set forth at large in Deuteronomy where Moses by the spirit of prophesie declareth the excellency of the Tribes and the blessings that should be upon them upon Levi as he sheweth should be Vrim and Thummim yea he should say of his father and his mother I respect him not Ch. 33.1.9.10 and his brethren he acknowledgeth not and his sonnes he knoweth not Where as there is an allusion both to the commandement Lev. 21.11.12 and to the execution of the idolaters Exod. 32 so the morality of it is his that Gods Ministers gifted with light and perfection shall giue every one his portion from the Word without partiality yea neither Highnesse nor nighnesse shall make him play the Huckster with the word Papinian the Lawyer was never so plaine with Caracalla nor Ephestion so free with Alexander nor Mecenas so faithful to Augustus as Eliah was plaine with Ahab Iohn Eaptist free with Herod and Nathan faithfull to David One instance amongst many is worth the noting When the Gospel of God in the Northern parts of this Iland began to be set on foot the devill bestirred him exceedingly in the enemies of the Gospel Queen mother of the house of Guies with the Scottish Papists and her French Forces did so overtop the Lords and others of the Congregation that with griefe enough they were compelled to quit Edenburgh and to goe to Sterueling where a man of God made a worthy Sermon in his application much lamenting the confusion that was come upon them
evil qualities of the wicked man this is reckoned as the chiefe Ps 140.1.2 that he is prone to war Release thou me Iehovah from the evill man from the man of wrong c. Every day they gather warres Yea in this the wicked man discovers the image of his father the devill Rev. 20.8.9 who being let loose after the thousand yeares expired goeth out to deceiue the people and to gather them together to battell Warre the wages of sin And for the second that it is the wages of sin and that the speciall it is as cleare as the first from plaine places of Scripture from Gods order in his proceeding and Davids avoyding of this when God gave him his choyce of the punishment For the first the Lord threatning to harden himselfe against his people in punishment as they had hardened themselves against him in sin Lev. 26.25 saith thus I will bring upon you a sword that shall avenge the quarrell or vengeance of my covenant It appeareth also in the order of Gods proceeding by comparing of places of Scripture together as the first and second Chap. of the prophesie of Ioel. The Lord having plagued his people with famine by the which they were not moved to repentance he coÌ„mandeth the Trumpet of war to be sounded telleth them that he would bring a fierce and cruell people against them whose mercilesse monstrons tyranny he compareth to the devouring of fire and for the fiercenesse of their consuming wrath he calleth that plague The day of the Lord a day of darkenes a day of blacknes Thirdly and lastly David delivereth thus much in choosing rather the plague Warre the cause of sin Rara fides pietasque viris qui castra sequuntur Lucan then the prevayling hand of the enemye 3. Warre is likewise the cause of much sin as pregnant testimonies and woefull experience teacheth The proverbe is as true as common That faith and pietie are rare in armes Wee may iustlie now with Erasm that great Maister in Arts take up the complaint made by him of his time Wee war continually Nation against Nation Kingdom against Kingdom Citie against Citie Prince against Prince People against People friend against friend kinsman against kinsmaÌ„ brother against brother yea son against the father which the very Heathen held impious and barbarous yea that which is most detestable of all Christian against Christian and yet there be saith he that commend and applaud this hellish practise for a holy course instigating the inflamed fury of Princes by adding oile to the flame as they say till all be consumed And what is come of this I may answer What evill is not come of it I may justly apply that of Aristophanes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Lypsius applyeth to the troubles of his time That God the heaven and earth hath set on fire In war renown honor wealth chastity life wiues and children yea and religion it selfe lyeth at the stake nothing so sacred no sex so tender no age so impotent which the barbarous souldier will not contaminate defloure and kill It is the souldiers sport as one saith truely to ruin houses to ravish Virgins to spoit Churches Iocus ludas in militia c. Ludo. vives in epist ad Henr. 8. Angl. reg Silent leges inter arma to consume Cities and Towns to ashes with sire yea these be the ornaments of war to profit none to hurt every one to respect neither sex nor age yea nor God himselfe for his in warr are neglected and the lawes of peace and war contemned All laws in Armes are silenc't by the sword The world for the proofe of this affoords a world of woefull experience both from sacred and profane Writ To omit the examples of ages past let us view with compassion the instances of our own times and as God usually doth commemorate his latest mercies to leade men to repentance and his latest judgements to terrifie men from their sinnes so let us look upon the latest warres in France Bohemia and the Palatinate Is it not with Gods people every where as it was with them in Asa his time There is no peace to him that goeth out or commeth in but great vexations are upon all the inhabitants of the Countries 2 Chron. 15.6 7. and Nation is destroyed of Nation And though my heart doth quake while I remember Et quanquaÌ„ animus meminisse horret Phil. 2.1 Yet to use the words of the Apostle If there be any confolation in Christ any comfort of loue any fellowship of the spirit any compassion and mercie behold all you that passe by your mournfull sisters Bohemia and the Palatinate with their torn hair about their eyes their vail taken away their crown fallen their sanctuaries defaced their people flain their land laid wast yong old Priest and people exposed to the immane and bloudy cruelty the beastly filthinesse and Ismaelitish mockerie of the cruell enemy In a word was there ever sorrows like to theirs Yea I may safely say the old Threns of Ieremy hath got a new subject And what is the immediate cause of all this evill of sin and punishment Tu bellum causa malorum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Even bloudy warre thou art the cause of all It is the part therfore of wise men saith one if they be not the more provoked to be quiet yea of good men if they be provoked to change peace into warre but so that they change war againe into peace with all possible conveniencie Men disposed to unnecessary warre are compared by some vnto two Gamsters whereof the one is undone and the other is never a whit the richer Plin. l. 8.2 for all the gain is in the box Compared also they may be fitly to the Elephant and the Dragon Plin. l. 8. c. 12. which in their cruel conflict are each killed by other The Dragon as it is written sucketh out the bloud of the Elephant and being drunke therewith the weight of the falling Elephant oppresseth the Dragon and crusheth out the bloud which some calleth but falsly sanguis Draconis but they both perish And so it often falleth out with the unadvised undertakers of warr Vpon this ensuing evill the wise and learned haue taken occasion to check the humors of Princes so disposed as Lodovic Vives to Pope Adrian and in his epistle to Henry the 8 King of England there his motiues and counsels against unnecessary warre are to be seen at large The proverbe is true indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sub melle venenunclâ—tet That warre is very sweet to those that never tasted it but those that taste it shall be forced to confesse that there is poyson under the honey This Hannibal the honour of Carthage knew very well when the Roman Embassadours came from Rome to treat of the continuance of peace one Gisco as great a coward as a vain-glorious bragger without either the practick or
his forces But because this succeded not the great Armado in 88 was set out to sinke our nation For both the matter of that warre and the cruell manner of the execution intended if the ground be well searched I thinke it will be found no better then the successe As for that Hispaniolized Popish pamphleter indevouring with tooth and nayle to make good that Spanish invasion from provocation given by her Majesty to the Spaniard he shevveth himself a Viper to the honor of his Countrie concealing treacherously both the iniquitie of the Spanish ground and his trechery in the manner of proceeding The affairs of Holland pag. 53. under the colour of a treatie But him in his coulours I shall haue occasion in some other treatise to discover more largely Lastly for these present warrs maintayned with much outrage and crueltie by the popish faction what good ground can be given I see not unlesse their Trent designe be a good ground which was to root out the Gospell and to ruine the Professors thereof throughout all Christendome If this rule should hold in every war No war but just let Magistrates maintayn Bella magistratus non nisi justa gerat Then I am sure that all the aforesaid Warres of the crew recited are against this rule yea a just quarrell in the Popes or Spaniards hand is a very rate thing Witness their practises and possessions the right whereof now I mean not to canvasse I am sure of this that they contend for much and keepe much that they haue as much right to as the Devill had to the body of Moses One thing I could wish them that they would follow Charles the 5 in one thing who in his retired life taking account of his actions which were in number twenty more remarkeable he viewed them often and amongst all the rest when he looked upon that unjust war made against the Duke of Saxon and the rest of the Protestant Princes with sighes and words hee much regrated the same But I fear they must be cloystered up before they doe the like But if intreatie or example cannot moue let the infamie of unjust war and the issue of it terrifie all the undertakers of it It is a shame for a Christian to play the Matchivilian Now this is one of his most impious and hellish principles that upon any occasion a Prince may undertake-warre although there be no just ground for it Vpon which fals ground he perswaded Laurence de Medicis to undertake the conquest of Italy which he might easily atchieue by the help of the Church by the which he meant Leo the 10. He propounds likewise before him and others that monstrous abortiue Caesar Borgia as a pattern to be followed but to follow this pattern or to usurp anothers right is the very note and work of a tyrant as the Chancellour of Rochel wel observed in the advice formerly mentioned As for the issue both sacred Writ and humane Histories The bitter fruits of unjust war doe tell us that remarkeable ruin yea and sometimes utter extirpation hath followed upon unjust warre For brevities sake I will onely instance with these two well known but yet very memorable examples The former of Amaleck Deu. 25 1â— concerning whom the Lord giues a strict charge that hee should be rooted out yea his people should doe it and not forget iâ— so the Lord is said to haue him in remembrance till he did see the charge fully executed Dent. 32. Another instance obserue in Simeon when Moses before his death blesseth all the Tribes Simeons name is quite omitted which is not without matter of note especially if we compare this with other passages answerable to this as vvhen the blessing was first given he looseth his honour Gen. 49.5.7 his posterity in the wildernesse was diminished from 93000 at the first muster to 22200 at the latter muster Numb 1.26 14. neither were there Iudges of his Tribe as of others he had no possession by himselfe The ground of all which as I conceiue vvas their unjust war and bloudy execution Yea the moving of unjust warre argueth exceedingly the want of the fear of God Deut. 2â— 18 for by the feare of the Lord men depart from evill Prov. 16.6 And what fear of God is there in those Captaines Colonels or Souldiers that never lookes to the cause nor cares not whom they serue so it be a golden service CHAP. IIII. Of the Authority required in waging War THVS much having spoken of the equity of the cause I come now to the second circumstance of the description which requireth competency of person A just cause of warre doth not warrant every man to undertake warre Egâ— enim existimo in summo imperatore quatuor has res esse o â—ortere scilicet scientiam rei militaris virtutem authoritatem foelicitatem Cic. in orat de laud mâ—g Pomp. 1 The necessity of authority Things required in warre may be reduced to these foure heads authority vertue fitnesse and discipline though others may reduce them to some other heads yet all comes to one effect Tully requireth in the supreme Commander these foure things Knowledge of War Vertue Authority and Successe Successe here required by Tully must of necessity follow the circumstances by me forementioned The first thing then is authority primarily in the Magistrate and from him derived to the Souldiers both Commanders and others What the meanest souldier doth hee must doe it by authority which doth warrant him to doe many things which otherwise were unlawfull as to kill sack and spoyl which vvithout authority were murther robbery and cruell oppression Authority then is the Key of War vvithout the which warre is a meer Aceldema or field of bloud and a chaos of confusion Moses the great Commander of the Lord had authority to fight the battels of the Lord Like authority did he at Gods command Numb 27.18 v. 23 put upon Ioshua Take saith the Lord Ioshua the son of Nun a man in whom is the spirit and put thy hand upon him c. which Moses did as you may see in Numbers by the renewing of the same charge especially for the warr Moses strengthens and confirms Ioshua And Moses called to Iosâ—hua Deut. 31.7 and said to him in the eyes of all Israel be thou strong and couragious for thou shalt goe in with this people c. Thus the war against the foure Kings was undertaken at Abrahams command That rash and heady adventure of the Israelites against the Canaanites and Amalekites as it was without Gods approbation so it was without authority for neither Moses Aaron nor the Arke went up with them and therfore Moses doth call their attempt a bofty presumption And such was their successe for they were smitten to Hormah Numb 14.45 a name answerable to the event namely destruction Such be the warres made by the man of sinne and the Locusts of the bottomlesse
and quarrell and out-face heaven and earth by his sinnes he is fitter to be a souldier saith the Matchiavillist then he that will say surely and truely and so forth because such a one is a meer Puritan and so weak and faint-hearted that the enemy doth not fear him To come then to the answer of the point there is nothing more impious then the Position and nothing falser then the reason For the first is there any thing more impious then to prefer Paganism to Piety If this had been good in vain had Iohn perswaded the doubtfull Souldiers to take a holy course Likewise the reason that true Religion maketh men cowards it is against all reason against the nature of true magnanimity the power of Religion and the experience of time Standeth it with reason that hee that hath the strongest on his side should haue the least courage True magnanimity makes a man couragious to undertake the good and hate and abhor the evill as a base thing unworthy of such a spirit Who but the religious doe so The power of religiō Also the power of religion doth tie a man that hath it to his God assuring him if he loose this life he shall haue a better The souldier thus perswaded in his conscience and bearing Arms for a good cause as for the glory of God the defence of Religion the good of his Countrey and credit of his Prince will not loue his life unto death in the doing of his service Caesar tells us that the ancient Gaules were a generous and warlike people wherof he giues this ground that they resolutely beleeved the immortality of the soule Haue not all the true Worthies of the world bin religious ones Who more truly magnanimious Who more valorous victorious then David yet a man for zeal piety according to Gods own heart Who more couragious then holy Constantine who vanquished Licinius bringing peace to the Gospell and establishing the Gospel of peace What glorious victories had godly Theodosius who was Gods gift to the Church indeed against the Barbarians and other enemies of the Empire I could bring many other instances but these will suffice The wicked errant Cowards And as none more worthy then such so none more unworthy then irreligious Athiests the openly prophane or rotten hypocrite Was there ever a greater coward then Gajus Caligula Sueton. in Calig ca. 51 Dion in Calig who would hide his head at the Thunder And marching one time on foot through a streight with his Army was put in mind by one if the enemy should charge them what fear they might be in like a cowardly Atheist he mounts himselfe in an instant and fled with all his might though no man pursued him Let the word a witnesse beyond all exception determine this question The sinners in Syon are afraid fearfulnesse hath surprized the hypocrites Esa 33.14 For how can that man stand who is pursued by God and an ill conscience Other instances I might giue of great Tyrants yet starke Cowards but I can giue but a touch onely let me commend to you an instance of this kind worth your observation As the Kings of Iudah were holy and religious so they were valorous and victorious they were as God promised they should be the head and not the tayle but on the contrary as they were impious and idolatrous so they became degenerous and cowardly and so they became as God threatned the taile and not the head And as it is with Commanders so it is with souldiers The vertue of a souldier Xiphil apud Dion in Marc Anto. remarkeable and miraculous was that blessing that God gaue to Marcus Anthonius the Philosopher and his Army and that by means of the Christian companies that warred under him in his war against the Marcomans and Quadians He and his whole Army were inclosed in a dry country having no means to come by water but through a streight passage which the enemy kept and were like to be lost without one strok the Emperours Generall in this distresse told him that he had a Legion of Christians in his Army which could obtain any thing of their God that they prayed for the Emperour hereupon thought himselfe not too good to intreat them this office which they willingly and heartily performed in the name of Christ God as hee is ready to hear answered their desires with lightning upon their enemies and plenty of rain upon themselus which they kept in their Targets and Head-peeces and drunk Whereupon such fear fell upon their enemies that through terrour they were vanquished without stroke wherefore the Emperour called them The Thundering Legion and honoured them ever after and all Christians for their sakes But some will object object doe we not see and reade that men monstrously wicked haue behaved themselues to death so valorously in the field that their names haue no mean place in the book of valour I answer answ ambition may provoke a man to buy a bed of earthly honour vvith his dearest bloud or unadvisedly he may adventure not counting what it may cost him but if he should compare this life with eternall death attending after it upon all those that are not in Christ he durst not for a world be so prodigall of this life except he knew of a better yea he would quake and tremble at the verie thought of death Then to conclude this point as Ioshu◠had a resolution that he and his house would serue the Lord and as David would haue the faithfull to serue him so let those that will be Gods warriours be good warriours For as the evill carriage of Souldiers both Popish and Protestant haue laid Christian Kingdoms open to the Turkes tyrannie so we must confesse to our shame that our unworthy walking and walking after the flesh betrayes our good cause into the hand of the man of sin whose souldiours doe not prevaile because their carriage is better then their cause for both are starke naught but hee cannot endure that in his own Numb 2.31 which for a time he will in his enemies The Midianites that caused the Israelites to sin vvere vvorse then the Israelites but God first corrected his own people and then vexed the Midianites Last of all object 2 If any say that this my frame of a Souldier is like Sir Thomas Moore his Vtopia or Tully his Orator shewing rather what should be then what possible can be I answer it is true answ if we respect the perfection of the thing but it doth not follow that we should not labour for perfection No phisicall rules can be laid down nor receipts given to reduce the body to a perfect latitude of health yet still the Phisitians prescribe and study On all hands Valeat quātum valere potest Aut tales inveniant aut faciant Let bee done what can be done And first let one labour to be such and if they cannot finde such let them striue to make
fore-running singes of the latter day As Iosephus excedingly commends the strictness of militarie Discipline that he observed among the Romanes so the best and greatest souldiers amongst Christians haue heavily complained of the want of this amongst us and that not without cause for this appeareth in the losse of our renowne and Territories to the Turke whose observancie of Discipline to his advantage our losse may make us blush Our woe for want of Discipline Seidlitzius a Noble and militarie man being captiue to the Turke did admire as he writes the discipline of the Turkish armie the modestie of their carriage Historia Peregrinat and the securitie of the country people by whom they did March But on the contrary with detestation he vehemently reprehendeth the dissolution raven and more then beastly loosness of our souldiers that will be called Christians Whence is our fall and their rize and standing but from these contrary courses The Turkes strictness of discipline hath got what he hath and our loosness of living hath lost what he hath got Non est mihi crede tantum ab hostibns armatis periculi c. Lib. 10. Decad. 3. I may well take up the complaint in the words of Scipio in Livi speaking to Masinissa wee need not so much to feare the forces of our enemies as wee haue cause to feare our owne ill conditions Therefore all Christian Commanders this day if they would haue Gods war to prosper honour to themselves glory to God and good to the common-wealth must goe about reformation of this so absolutely necessary discipline It is true that great Commanders as Emperours and others haue not onely exercised discipline strictly but caused books to be written as a booke in Greeke and Latine of Discipline set forth by the command of Iustinian The Emperiall sanction for discipline in the Parliament of Spier Anno 1570 But for want of executors of these good lawes wee may cry out with Horace ‘ Quid leges sine moribus vanae proficiunt Lawes are in vaine where manners are not mended All good Commanders of what sort soever should take that charge to themselues that Aurelianus gaue to his Generall in a military Epistle ‘ Si vis Tribunus esse imo si vis vivere contine manus militum Recensetur If thou wilt be a Tribune saith the Emperour yea if thou wilt liue keepe backe the souldiers hand from doing evill In this worke wise Commanders must begin with themselves the greatest that is must not say with Pericles I am not subiect to order but for this he became a proverbe and was called by the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Flavio Vopisco Commanders must begin with Discipline at themselves He that orders others must first order himselfe The discipline of a loose Commander will doe little good upon others And therefore Adrian is much commended not onely for his admirable valour and exquisite experience but also for his strictnesse towards himselfe In the warres he fared hard his lodging was answerable he marcht many times on foot with his souldiers he spared no paines underwent willingly all labours insomuch that Florus the drunken Poet would not haue his honour with his paines His eie was alwaies over his souldiers he desired to know them in partiticular he would visit them in sicknesse and hee removed all things from the Camp that might remoue Discipline So Alexander the Great would desire his Souldiers to undergoe no stricter rules then he would himselfe Such were Severus Scipio Phirrhus and others Would to God our Commanders would imitate those Application and doe but as much for an eternall weight of glory as they did for their Country and a name upon earth I haue not onely read but mine eares haue heard to my griefe the heavie and true complaints of Souldiers injuried by their Captaines and higher Commanders namely in detayning of their pay which is indeed next unto sacriledge It offers violence to the whole Army indangers the cause be it never so good it cuts the throat of discipline And therefore great Ones if they loue their liues and the honour of themselues and their Country let them with Caesar and others take heed that this strange fire be not in their Armies for fear they cannot quench it when they would This is one main cause why our Souldiers now a daies come short for the most part of the Romanes valour that they are neither so regarded rewarded nor justly dealt with For besides the punishment it was an indeleble Character of infamy to defraud a souldier of his due Souldiers should not wrong any Disâ—â— line ad duo dividitur in instructionem correctionem quoruÌ„ primum amore secunduÌ„ timore efficitur De moribus Ecclesia Minimae negligentiae erant eapitales lib. 3. de bell ludaico But as they should haue no wrong so they should be kept from wronging their calling themselues or others and that by the exercise of discipline whereof there be two parts as Austin well observeth though in another kinde namely Instruction and Correction the former of these must be effecâ—â—d with loue and the latter with fear Alexander Severus â—â—d his name from his watchfull eye that he had over their â—erformances and his strict punishment of delinquency â—uch were the Laws of the Romans as Iosephus telleth us that the least negligence was capital and the Captains were more terrible then the Lawes themselus Labienus the Capâ—â—in being forbidden by Caesar to fight before he came though in likelyhood by an advantage given he might haue defeated the enemy yet he would not violate the Lawes of Discipline Yet in the exercise of discipline a Commander should be discreet for as the Commenter upon Vegetius well observeth Too too much lenity marreth all so too too â—uch acerbity hazardeth all Therefore the golden mean is to bee kept but alwaies with Tully his observation Rigor salâ—taris vincere debet inaneÌ„ speciem Clementiae Acer in rerum gestarum rationibus reposcendis inexorabilis autem in suppliciis Dion in vâ—ta Pomp. That â—â—saving rigidity should goe beyond a vain shew of clemency â—ucullus otherwise a braue Captaine undid himselfe with â—is too grear severity He could command much but hee was â—ot affable He was severe in the exaction of service but â—e was indeprecable in punishment at length he was forsaken of his souldiers who proved as faithfull to Pompey as they were unfaithfull to him which argued much his indiscretion Traâ—an in his discipline had such a braue temper that â—is souldiers vvere more ashamed then afrayed to be insolent Likewise Souldiers must learn to subject their necks to the yoke of discipline which is the bond of war for the Commander beareth not the sword for nothing and the souldier that doth well need not fear They must not repine 〈◊〉 the due inflicted punishment for as the Commander doth â—ot willingly inflict it so one must
to the Kings Majestie at Chatton That it stood him upon it to looke to his Ordinance for they were his walles of brasse I would I could ring a peal of complaint that might make all your ears tingle A peal to the Patliament by rubbing up your memories It is not unknown how Gondomar that craftie Marchant who lay here to buy and sell our State did by the grand Papists his factors get up about some 400 chests of Ordinance which he sent away in a fortnight This he did when he lay in Barbican in the year of our Lord 1618. Add to these the 500 Truncks heavie laden sent from the Embassadors house the many brasse peeces of Ordinance the 30000 Muskets conveyed to Rome What meant the Archduke when a little before the Gun-powder Treason by his forces at Dover he bought up all the gun powder in Kent Yea what shall I say of our home bred Harpies who haue got the most part of our Armes into their hands that therby they might serue the enemy and undoe us What meant he that some two moneths before the powder-plot did beg of his Majestie all the refuse Armour and Artilery as he called it in the Tower which vvould haue served to haue inarmed some 16 or 17 thousand men I verily beleeue that the devill might haue had it for money That Marshall or rather Marre-all that sent away two ships laden with Artillary vvas passed over with a little imprisonment or why did you so my son If this vvill not awake you I fear the clattering of your own Armes shall awake you Besides the danger I appeal to your conscience if the like was ever suffered in any Nation that meant not to play the Sybarits vvherein the crowing of a Cock much lesse the sound of a trumpet might not be heard But the Lord in mercy awake you CHAP. XI Gods presence first of all to be sought THVS as you haue heard being fitted with men and means as they can they are to proceed to the war be it defensiue or offensiue but observing this in the first place Take God with you if you mean to prosper that if they mean to prosper they must take God vvith them and that not barely by his Generall Providence as he is vvith all both good and bad but also by his particular presence which Moses the great Commander of Israel aboue all things desired yea nothing vvill content him but this as appeareth by that expostulation that he makes with God If they presence goe not with us carry us not up hence Exo. 33.15 Where he intreateth God that hee would not onely goe before them by the presence of his power as he did to the Heathen when he imployed them in his service Esa 45.1.2 as of Cyrus I will goe before thee and make the crooked straight But that he would be with them by the loue of his countenance or otherwise it would be better for them to remiane subject to the greatest danger then to go on without this presence The truth of this bers 17. Non solum praeibo sed vobiscum Ero. Galat. plainely appeareth from Gods answere I will doe this also which thou hast said That is I will not onely goe before you but with you also Moses had and all others haue great reason for this First he teacheth his the true Art of war Reasons and instructeth them how to fight he teacheth my hands to war saith the Prophet David 2 Sam. 22.35 so that a Bow of steele is broken by my Armes Where one observeth well that the art of war is commendable els God would never teach it So he taught Iosuah Iobosaphat what to doe with their enemies Secondly God fighteth for his and giueth them victory The Lord your God saith Moses that goeth before you shall fight for you And so he did for them Deut. 1.30 2 Sam. 22.36 as for David others Thou hast giuen me the shield of salvation By which he meaneth good successe For these and other respects as I shewed God is called an Excellent warriour Thirdly without Gods presence nothing goeth well yea victory where this is wanting is no better them the foyle Numb 14.14 because it is in judgement The Israelites went up against the Amalekits but how The Lord was not amongst them and they prospered accordingly But by the contrary Gods presence was the strong rocke of Abiahs confidence against Ieroboam and his great forces In reckoning up the mercies of God towards them in his ordinances his priests and true worship of the true God all which Ieroboam wanted he bindeth up all with this 2. Cron. 12.12 and behold saith he God himselfe is with us for our Captaine Where observe the note doth denotate the excellencie of this that it is all in all to haue God to be their Leader I presse this point the rather Application because it is the center from whence all the lines of warres prosperitie haue their beginning A truth acknowledged by the most but by the most litle regarded For by some it is altogether neglected and others by their carriage declare that in shew onely they seeme to respect it The Matchiavillian-blush-coulour of the times hath put the desire of Gods presence so far on t of request that it is a counted a coulour scarce worthy of a great souldier Doth Liola his brood set God before their eyes in their warres or doe they not rather fight against God If things goe crosse they are ready with Iulius the second their father blasphemously to cast of God by way of contempt In the battle of Ravenna on Easter day betweene him and the French as he sate by the fire reading of his prayers Sit ergo Gallus in no mine diabolorum Ex Annalibus Galli and having newes of the defeate hee flung away the booke saying that which I am afraid to relate Iudge how much this monster did esteeme Gods presence I wish of God that the mayntainers of the Lords Battels would esteeme it more then they doe for then it should goe better with them then it doth They may say and that truely with Abijah against Ieroboam they haue Gods owne ordinances the true Ministers of God the true worship of God yea and Gods owne cause in their hand Why then as Rebecca said is it so What want they for victorie surely an earnest desire vvith an ansvverable courage that God himselfe would be vvith us for our Captaine Our failing in this maketh him often forsake his ovvne cause which if he should not respect he might quite leaue us I presume to speake freely yet friendly Infensibile incurabile Ex. 33.3.4 The evill must be felt before it be removed The Israelites did so forfeit this presence that he absolutely denyed to let them haue it any further I will not goe up in the middest of thee One reason because they vvere a stiffnecked people But hovv vvere they
turned to the undoing of himselfe and of the businesse Another notable instance vve haue in the aforesaid Lewis Sforcia a Prince as Histories report highly adorned vvith all endowments of nature Non tutor at crudelis hostis proripit imperium nepoti lov l. 4 de El. and ornaments of the minde a quick vvit eloquence at vvill but that the bloud of his Nephew did staine all these excellencies for of a Tutor he proved a Traytor like Richard the third he might vvell haue deserved the name of a meek and benigne Prince but as his haughtinesse and arrogancie vvas such that he thought to dispose of Italy at his pleasure so he vvas puft up vvith such a false-conception of his ovvn selfe-sufficiency that he contemned and rejected all counsell For though he made a shew thereof in his coulors as I shewed you yet indeed he made use of nothing lesse hee carryed all by the compasse of his own opinion whereunto he was so much addicted that nothing relished with him that came not from himselfe But this selfe-confidence and despising of counsell brought him to a tragicall end as witnesseth Guicciarâ—ne For being foyled by the French Lib. 4. Hist Ital. he betooke himselfe â—ong the Switzers to the habite of an ordinary souldier â—t he was discovered and taken by the French and in an â—ominious manner vvas conducted to Lyons vvhere in the â—ew of a great concourse of people he was tossed betwixt â—vie and pitty for a time and being denyed the Kings preâ—nce which he did exceedingly desire vvas shut up in â—ison which served both to limit his ambitious thoughts â— which all Italy could not contain and likewise to put a â—riod to his disgracefull and disdained life after ten yeares â—prisonment One instance more let me giue you in Iames the 4 King â—f Scots as braue a man as vvitie a King so benigne and â—acious a Prince to his subjects as Europe had not so great â—usticiarie so that he seemed to be composed of clemency â—nd equity and vvhich surpast all the rest he vvas so guarâ—ed vvith the tranquillity of a good conscience arising from â—he innocency of his princely carriage that he counted â—ot the aspertions of the wicked vvorthy of requitall with so much as an angry vvord In a vvord he did so ravish vvith â—oue the hearts of his subjects that as he vvas deerer to them â—hile they had him then their very liues so the rememâ—rance of his death did so gall their soules vvith sorrow that â—ever a Prince in the world lived more desired and dyed more â—mented Yet this one Coliquintida put death in the pot nameâ—y neglect of counsell both in undertaking and managing â—he war against the English which put an untimely end Jncertum est peiore concilio an eventu B. R. Scotie lib. 13. â—oth to his being and his princely vertues Insomuch that â—t is well observed by the learned authour It is uncertaine whether the counsell or event was worse These examples and many others of the same nature makes good that position of Plato That a proud man carryed altogether on the wings of his own conceit scorning the advice both of the wise and warriour is left at length by God to be his own destruction To this effect Comineus a Statesman infâ—riour to none laies this down as an infallible prognostioâ— of future ruin both of King and Kingdom when a Prâ—â— neglecting counsell cleaveth onely to his own wit Yea he sheâ— eth it plainly to be a fearefull fore-runner of Gods judgment when God doth infatuate the heart so that it 〈◊〉 not hearken to counsell The instance that vvee had last in hand maketh it plaiâ—â— For the wise Councel of that good King did earnestly 〈◊〉 swade him from vvarre Besides that strange monitor thâ— appeared to him at prayer as a man of credit vvith the Kinâ— informed the Historian David Lin desius eques Montanus that he saw him with his eyes yâ— for all this by the instigation of Lamote the French Emâ—â— sador he would to it The English forces being gathered 〈◊〉 gether under the conduct of the Earle of Surry and Heraâ—â—â— being sent to the King desiring that he would design thâ— day and place of battel his wise and warlike councel dissâ—ded him from it and that upon substantiall grounds first they had already the better and so much as they could we desire secondly the English were twice so many and thâ—â— fresh souldiers against them being wearyed vvith taking iâ— of Castles thirdly by delaying fight they might vvearâ— the English out or at least draw them to such a disadvantage of place that they might carry the victory rather by Coursell then by Armes Victoria magis consilio quam Armis maximi ducis proprium vvhich as the Earle of Anguiâ—â— said vvell is the property of a good Commander The saiâ— Earle likewise refuted all the allegations of the French whâ—â— put the King on onely for their own ends But all this vvould not vvork upon the King vvho in great indignation against the noble Earle vvilled him to depart if he were afraid for I vvill fight saith he against the English if theâ— vvere a hundred thousand Which hee did but to his ovvâ— undoing and the griefe and damage of his Nation The vvhich I rather relate for confirmation of the former position That when God hardens the heart againsâ— councell in judgement hee maketh way for ruin Foolish then is that forgery of those who attribute this â—â—ngs fall to the taking sacrilegious Armes as they call them â—gainst Pope Iâ—lius the second Englands holy Lord. It was â—e Lord of heaven that gave him this defeat neglect of â—unsell being the secondarie cause I might instance this â—â—t further in Richard the second a stout Prince and goverâ—ng well for the time that he was counselled by his three â—od uncles the Dukes of Lancaster Yorke and Gloucester â—ut the rejecting of them their counsell made vvay to the â—sse of his Crovvn dignitie life Iratus ad paenaÌ„ Deus si quis trahit auferre mentem talibus primü solet Poets and other writers â—e plentiful to this purpose wherof I give you but a taste When God in wrath will men to judgement bring The soules cleare light from such he first removes So another to thesame effect A supreme power void of councell good Falls of it selfe as though it never stood And there is great reason why ruine should follow negâ—ct of counsell not onely from the equitie of Gods judgment but also from the dangerous disposition of a Princes â—ounsell without the mixture of advice For as the â—imple or pure element would not feed or nourish but â—ill or starve so the counsell of a compound body The necessite of a mixt Counsell had â—eed to be a compound counsell Plato and others explane â—his wel by comparison taken from the two-fold course of â—he Sunne The Counsell of the soveraigne power say they is
the honour of his Majestie to take the power into his own hand and to quit himselfe of that yong fellow Zacharie who would be as saucily peremptory as his father As for the people it would be meat and drink to them to haue their Groues and Gods in pomp and his Majestie should finde more obedience from them and more loue amongst themselues then ever he found under all Iehoiada his preaching as for a few precise fellows that would grumble at it that would be but for a time an act of Parliament would fright them and make them as mute as fishes Lastly their conformity with israels worship and others might gain their loue and good liking yea who knows but it might bring again the ten Tribes To these or the like speeches of the corrupt Courtiers the unhappy King is said to hearken with whom presently the case is altered he becommeth an apostata from God a plague to his people and that deservedly both in their bodyes and soules an ungtate full and a cruell tyrant in murthering of the priests But marke what was the end even such as the proceedings The wrath of the Lord came upon him and his and a small company of the Assirians routed their great hoast he spoyled the land in giving all to the enemies The Lord smote his heart which cowardyse and his body with diseases his servants conspiring against him slew him he wanted the honour of a kingly buryall 2. Chro 24. The speciall cause of his death is set downe to be the shedding of the innocent bloud of Iehoiadaes sonne The like example wee haue in Rehoboam who forsaking the good counsell of the vvise and ancient and following the counsell of young and heady Courtiers set himselfe besides the throne Not to take up time with instances I will but touch some of our owne nation Sigibert King of the West Saxons hated good counsell so much that he killed Combranus his faithfull Concellor the rest taking indignation at that conspired against him thrust him from the throne who seeking shelter in a wood was found by Combranus his swineheard who killed him because he slevv his Master Edward the second not hearkening to the counsell of his dying Father Pâ—hil lib. 4. namely that he should take heede of loose counsell but following the Counsell of the Spensers and Gaveston lost his Crovvn and his life So Richard the second rejecting the counsell of the three noble Dukes as I shevved you and follovving the vvill of the tvvo Earle Marshalls one after another brought not onely himselfe to disgrace and ruin but also by his fall that fire of civill war was kindled which was not quenched but by an ocean of English bloud One instance more in Iames the third King of Scottes who being of an ingenuous disposition and a Prince of much hope yet through custome and euill counsell being corrupted became a very unhappy Prince for casting of his Nobilitie and addicting himselfe to the beastly humors of a few base fellowes as Preston Cocheran English Roger Andrew a Phisitian he spared not his owne bloud So he runne from one evill to another till in the midway that overtook him Vt Leo a catulis extingueretur which Magitians told him he feared for he was much addicted to divination namely that the Lyon should be torne of his owne whelps One reason more which might make Princes to be choyse in their counsel may be this In my reading I haue observed great ones miscarryed by corrupt counsellours to haue cryed out when it was too late An example wee haue in Theodorick Marquies of Brandenburgh who being of a haughtie spirit not hearkening to the counsell of the wise but to the counsell of the vitious and proud he ran unto all kind of tiranny and insolency At last abusing one Mistovius a Vandalian king provoked him by his rayling speeches to forsake Christianitie for he was christened and marryed to the Duke of Sax his sister Theoderick rashly adventured with his owne forces to giue him fight who being defeated was banished from his dominions for ever hated of all forsaken of his friends and lived extremely poore in Madburgh upon the Almes of the Monkes Being thus brought low with many teares he confest his outrages in particular and that by them he had justly provoked the wrath of God against him Excitavi ego iram Dei adversus me George Sabin in vita Theodor This he regrated much that he could never endure sound counsell but followed such wicked and corrupt counsellers as soothed his humor and were bellowes to all his bloudy designes So you see how mislead Princes in the midst of their misery can see the evill of evill counsell I could bring more examples but let this suffice Notwithstanding of all these waighty reasons Elige tibi conciliarios Deum timentes veritatem amantes sepe enim adulatores blanda facie decipiunt animas audientiuÌ„ intcrimunt Epist ad Iulian. Comitem this rule is not regarded Augustine giveth excellent counsell if Princes and Generalls would hearken to it Choose to thy selfe saith he councellors fearing God loving the truth for flatterers with a faire shew deceive and kill the soules of those that hearken to them But alas few or none looke to this A forme changing Proâ—eus a treacherous Seianus a time-serving Abiathar a statiâ—ing Architophel a calumniating Doeg are the onely counâ—ellers Is not civill honestie the most that by most is â—â—oked for who looketh for religious pietie or truth of reâ—igion †Qui suo numini fidi non sunt nec mihi Euseb lib. 1. cap. 11. de vita CoÌ„stant Constantine tryed his courtyers fidelitie to him â—y their pietie towards God but now a man truely religious 〈◊〉 thought unfittest of all for State affaires They cannot say it may be but that he is an honest man but with this conâ—itionall if he were not a ranck Puritane ‘ Bonus vir G. Sejus sed in hoc tantuÌ„ malus quia Christianus Tertull. lib. 3. Apolog. Tu haec pateris tu hoc times ignoras te Caesarem esse teque illorum potestatem habere non illâ—s tuis Xiphilim in Nerone Men shew what they are by their practice Many Councellers of this age are like those of Cesars They make Kings beleeve what they list and doe what themselves list Nero was bade â—â—ough of himselfe yet wicked counsellours made him worse They were alwayes buzzing in his eare What Sir will â—ou suffer this what neede you to feare know you not that you are â—esar and that you haue power over all but none hath power over â—ou I will conclude this point with that speech of Comineus 〈◊〉 man of much experience out of which all Princes peoâ—le may pick a lesson Where wise counsell is rejected and novists â—nd noddies and arrant assentators are set up in their place the â—uine of that realme and Prince is nigh at hand Thus
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
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
is a question moved in the Psalmes by David why dealeth the Lord thus and thus with his people why dost thou cast us off for ever why doth thine anger smoke against the sheepe of thy pasture why withdrawest thou thine hand and why hast thou broken downe her hedges so that all that they passe by the way doe plucke her grapes Psal 80.12 The Prophet answereth all these questions by quitting God and charging upon his people the cause of all this namely their inquitie When in the 79 Psalme he hath layd out the desolation of the holy temple the bloudy cruelties coÌ„mitted upon the bodies of his saints their inhumanitie against the dead bodyes the reproch they suffered and Gods wrath against them which was heavyer then all the rest he layeth downe their iniquitie to be the cause of all remember saith he not our former iniquities against us let they tender mercies speedily prevent us for wee are brought very low v. 8. In all the places quoted from the booke of Iudges wherein I haue shewed the overthrow of Gods people to be from God you shall still see their sin laid downe as the moving cause provoking God to deale so with them Iud 4.1 6.1 and the children of Israel againe did evill in the sight of the Lord so that this phrase of speech is made a preface to usher in the judgments of God This was the matter of Abiiahs message to Ieroboams wife the Lord shalt smite Israel as a reede is shaken in the water and he shall roote up Israel out of his good land and shall scatter them beyond the river he shalt give Israel up and what is the cause 1. King 14.15.16 because of the sins of Ieroboam who did sin and made Israel to sin Where observe the sin of the King and his people to be the cause of their ruine This was prophesied of by Samuel to the people if you shall doe wickedly you shal be consumed both you and your King Sam. 2.25 and so it came to passe indeed In a place of Ieremie the Lord setteth downe the reason why he would scatter his people with an east wind before the enemie why he would shew them the backe and not the face in the day of their calamitie because saith he my people hath forgotten me Ier. 18 1â— And to conclude the Prophet Esay in the places quoted layeth down the same cause Cap. 42.24 for they would not walke in his wayes neither were they obedient to his law therefore he hath powred upon them the fury of his anger and the strength of battel So in the other place thy first fathers hath sinned Cap. 43.27.28 thy teachers haue transgressed against me therefore c. I have prophaned the Princes and haue giuen Iacoh to curse and Israel to reproches The curse must alwayes accompany sinne he spared not the soule of his â—eloved when they sinned yea nor the sonne of his loue becomming surety for sinne no prerogatiue exempts from wrath but being in Christ witnesse Gods protestation concerning Ieconiah the last and the worst of the line of Iudah As I liue saith the Lord though Coniah Ier. 22.24 the sonne of Iehoiakim King of Iudah were the signet upon my right hand yet would I pluck thee thence Iosephus deploring the unparalelled calamitie of his owne nation of Iudea layeth downe the cause of their utter desolation namely the abomniable impietie and iniquitie of the Princes and people which were growen to such a height that every one in their place did strive to out-strip another De bello Indaic lib. 7. cap. 28. in somuch that if one should haue gone about to haue devised some new sin there was no place for him they were all growne so cunning A fearfull and incorrigible case ApplicatioÌ„ and yet woe is us no worse in a manner then our owne is though wee will not know it the fearfull things giuen out of this nation both for sin and judgment may make our eares to tingle and our hearts to tremble yea as the same Author reporteth and that in grief of heart that if the Romanes had not come against them to execute the fierie wrath of the Lord upon them he thought a new deluge would haue swallowed them up with the old world Ibidem lib. 6. cap. 16. or fire from heanen would haue consumed them with Sodome for saith he they exceeded eyther of their sinnes The like is related by one of our owne Authors concerning the last loosing of Hierusaâ—em to the Saracens under Saladine their Commander When the Christians had kept it 80 yeares Gulielm Neabrigens rer Anglicar lib. 13. cap. 14. after the recovery of it by Godfrey Duke of Bullion the height of their iniquities wherto they were come did so ascend in Gods presence and made such a shrill cry in his eares that he cast them out againe making their civill dissention serve for the Saladines advantage So that you see the cause is within our selues wee neede not seeke it without Ne te quaefieris extra it is not in God for he delighteth to do good to his people nor is it in the wicked for he hateth them as they hate both him and his people it is not in the creature of what kind soever for he made it good and he loveth every thing as the workmanship of his hands It is then the sin in our bosome or our bosome sin that maketh him deale thus with us As sin doth separate the soule from God so it often separateth the whole person from Gods house from country from wife and familie from King from subject and from what not Therefore in this our separation wee should search our sin Lam 3 40 and every man know the plague of his owne heart which hath made the Lord to plague us Search your selue saith the Prophet and turne unto the Lord. But herein wee are all faultie men eyther search not at all or they search as though they desired not to find they search as meÌ„ doe for their bade mony they know they haue it but they would gladly haue it passe for currant amongst the good money Lastly they search not for that which especially they should find out It was a very pertinent question of the Israelits when 4000 were smitten by the Philistins wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistims 1. Sam. 4.3 But their answere was not answerable O say they let us fetch the Arke of the covenant that it may come among us saue us out of the hand of the enemie What were they smitten because the Arke of the covenant was not among them So they conceived and would conceive no better but the trueth was their sinnes had caused the God of the covenant to depart he went not out with them Samuel went not with them these were they that laid both the Arke and themselues in the mouth of the
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
most moved of all since wee provoke him by our sinnes to forsake his owne inheritance and to leaue his owne cause to his owne dishonour unmaintained This lay heavy upon Eli who when he heard of the loosing of the day the slaughter of the people and the death of his sonnes could sit still and beare it out but when he heard of the taking of the Arke he could sit no longer So Phineas his wife made more of the losse of the Arke then of all the rest then of the people of her father in-law then of her husband or whatsoever yea her reioycing for the sonne she had gayned was swallowed up in sorrow so that shee left a character of her killing griefe in the name of her sonne calling him Ichabod where is the glory or there is no glory It is the speciall matter of the complaint of Gods people in their greatest desolation that the heathen in an insulting braverie did dishonor their God upon the seeming denyall of his presence and providence over his owne people yea many speeches in the Psalmes hath reference to the thoughts of the wicked concerning God Psal 79.10 Retsach Murther for a murthering weapon why shall the heathen say where is their God yea David sheweth how he was affected in this case that the reprochfull words of the adversary were as a dagger thrust into this bones with a murthering weapon in my bones Psal 42.11 my distressors doe reproch me when they say unto me all the day long where is thy God When Hezechiah heard how cursed Rabshakah had blasphemed reproched the Holy One of Israel 2. King 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hipp. Aphoris how grieved was he in heart he got him to the house of the Lord spread the letter before him humbled himselfe in prayer It is a principall in phisicke that when two evills or sicknesses concurre together the greater taketh away the senoe of the lesser Experience did instance this in a man so oppressed and pained with the gout that he could neither stir foote nor hand but feared the very touch of a fether but being taken with a cruell fit of the stone he forgat the gout and run and stampt in the chamber as though he would haue beaten it downe To an honest servant dishonour done to his Master goeth neerer to his heart then the cut of a sword the true child of a father had rather loose his life then suffer his father to be dishonored This then ApplicatioÌ„ by it selfe were matter enough of humiliation why should the brats of Bable say where is the God of the Calvinists as they call them No should not this pierce our hearts while thus they say of our God but doth not all or the most lay this especially to their heels that all should lay to their heart witness the securitie of all the avarice oppression ambition and time-ferving humor of some the epicurish beastly life of others giue the men of this world gain honor office yvorie beds wine in bowles lascivious Musick joviall companie and beastly songs lordly prelacies and fat livings Let Ioseph carrie his afflictions as well as he can and let the Lords honor lie unlamented in the dust but woe be to them that are at ease in Zion Amos 6.1 the Lord suffereth sometimes himself to take wrong to see how men will take it but when he sees that none regards it he will quit himself by the power of his own Arme and when he rekoneth with the coward and the carelesse he will pittie them as little as they did pittie him Yea what reckoning can our State make who helps to deface the honour of God by suffering our people to serue Gods enemies against those that fight the battles of the Lord in this is a greater masse of mischiefes then we are aware of for beside the setting subject against subject bloud against bloud yea brother against brother which is worse then toleration of duels it smites at Gods cause it makes his honour bleed it heartens and hardens Gods enemies it grievs the heart and weakens the hand of Gods forces it proclaims that we are not Gods friends indeed what show soever we make and it threatneth the wrath of God against us I cannot but with griefe and fear make use again of Gods anger threatned against Iehoshaphats sin of this kind Shouldst thou help the ungodly c. therfore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. Let us humble then our selues unfaynedly let us afflict our selues and powre out our hearts before our God and doe no more so Let us sow in teares for this especially if ever we mean to reap in joy Gods honour in the dust and all the rest of the former motiues cals us to mourning and baldnesse and girding with sack-cloth If we will not seek God with sorrow in affliction we will never seek him It is no time to hang our hearts upon the merry pin when we should hang up our harpes upon the willow trees if we doe the Lord hath threatned us as I haue formerly shewed not to purge this iniquitie till we die Let us doe as the Israelites did when the Lord did rebuke them by his Angel for not overthrowing of the Canaanits altars and that therefore he would not cast out the Canaanits but they should be as thornes in their sides Iudg. 2.2 and their gods should be snares to them all the people upon this lift up their voyce and wept and from their weeping called the name of the place Bochin so let us weep much for weâ— haue much matter of weeping but we must not onely weep bitterly for sinne but we must abandon sin there must be a totall change of the inward and outward man wee must cease to doe evill and learne to doe well the golden Calfe must be beaten to powder yea and the powder must be drunk as Moses made the Israelites to doe with thâ— golden Calfe Divers reasons whereof are given by the Fathers partly to put away all impressions and reliques of idolatry partly to shew the vile and base esteem that weâ— should haue of Idols as of things to be carryed into the draught and by the bitternesse of the water they might partly be admonished of the bitter curse whereunto all by nature without Christ are subject and partly how sin by the bitternesse of repentance must be done away I will not with some of the learned Chymists take this act of Moses as an instance of Chymicall projection but I am sure that out of it we may pick the true projection of repentance Ezekiah must break the brazen Serpent into peeces Iosua must find out the excommunicate thing and consume it with fire for so long as it is with us God will not be with us Non unum tantum vitulum sed multos habemus As Ferus did wish for the Romish Synagogue I woâ—ld we had some Moses saith he to take away
but more their sinnes vvhich were the cause And as he had the Duke and other Nobles for his Hearers so he gaue him and all the rest their portion shewing their particular faylings in that businesse which they all intertained as from God and acknowledging their sinns they were mightily encouraged and began to wax strong so that by Gods mercy in the end they prevailed as hereafter you shall hear Last of all the necessity of such doth appear in the happy successe of such Warres as haue made use of them Was not Elisha better to the King of Israelâ— then all his strength and counsel beside Eleazar was joyned with Ioshua the Priests bare the Arke and blew the Trumpets in the Lords warre for that was the Lords appointment Numb 1.10 31.6 One instance may serue for many namely of that great battel betwixt Abijah King of Iudah and Ieroboam King of Israel Where Ieroboam had the oddes in forces to the number of three hundred thousand men yet Abijah by his oration sheweth that he was confident he had the better And why 2 Chro. 13.12 Because saith he God is with us for our Captaine and his Priests with sounding Trumpets to cry alarum against you Where you see that Abijah conceived and that truely â—â—at he had great oddes of Ieroboam even in this particular â—at he had the Priests of the Lord and they the Priests of â—ols We may see how much the Priests and Prophets are â—steemed in warre even of the wicked by Balaâ—ms desiring â—f Balak to come and curse the people of God The hoâ—ourable esteem that Balaâ—m had of Baâ—aâ—k Num. 22.36 appeareâ—h in this â—at he went out to meet him Yea the Iewes in their rebelliâ—n against Adrian the Emperour had their Bar Cochab that 〈◊〉 the son of the Starre And so hath the Romish Iebusites And as to the Iewes finall undoing he proved Bar Cozibae the â—nne of falshood so shall the Iesuites proue in the end when â—heir seduced Crue shall see themselues deceived Who â—ught Ioash the King of Israel to smite his enemies but â—e Prophet Elisha 2 King 13.14 I will add but one instance more very memorable and admirable In the warres 〈◊〉 Scotland for the establishing of the Gospel the Protesâ—nt Army being nigh S. Andrews resolved upon â—eliberation not to goe thither by reason of the Queens â—reat forces in and about it that godly Minister spoken of â—efore being with them in all their troubles told the Arâ—â—y that he was resolved to preach there the next day being â—e Lords day According to which resolution he taketh his â—ible and goeth on When he came to the Citie the Queen â—nd her forces were fled for fear That night and the next â—ay he taught laying open the haynonsnesse of the sin of â—dolatry pressing the Magistrates with the ejecting of it â—d erecting of Gods true vvorship which so wrought upâ—n their hearts that the effect followed Yea that very act by Gods blessing was the very break-neck of Babel in those â—arts Thus you see the grounds cleared for the necessity of such â—cred Councellours in Gods Warres wherein I haue been â—â—e larger because howsoever this is universally slighted â—ver as a matter of least moment yet if it be judiciously and religiously weighed it shall proue a point of 〈◊〉 greatest importance Doth reason direct men to provide good souldiers a goâ— Generall good Officers a good Phisitian a good Chiâ—gian and shall they neglect the providing of a good Minister of whom I may say truely that in an Army he is boâ— Fabius and Marcellus a sword and a bucklar But by how much the necessity of such is the greater Application 〈◊〉 much the more is the neglect and contempt of such to bâ— regrated Neither in peace nor warr are the Watchmen 〈◊〉 God in their deserved esteem The counsell and commaâ— of such by men of all sorts as it is from God should bâ— obeyed and followed God commandeth us to obey sâ—â— as haue the oversight of us and to haue them in singular esteeâ— for the works sake They that murmur against such theâ— murmur against God and they that reject such they rejeâ—â— God If Eliah be found out he is charged to be the enâ—my of the State because he speaketh the truth They thâ—â— be indeed the troublers of Israel doe falsly charge it upoâ— the Watchmen of Israel Time-serving Amaziah will conjuâ— Amos from the Court and the Kings Chappell Lyiâ— Hananiah will not stand to contest against God himseâ—â— speaking by Ieremiah If Micaiah will not sooth with a hâ— to destruction hee must be hated and beaten for thâ— truth Zedekiah giveth him a bok on the ear and 〈◊〉 ther setteth him packing or fast by the heeles In a word if the man of God with the Apostle Paul deâ—ver painefully faithfully and freely the whole counsell of God he 〈◊〉 presently charged with conspiracie against the State the land cannot beare the words of such an one God indeeâ— hath given such counsellers but the rebellious of this time cannot brooke them eyther they choake them or chop them on the cheeke Our case and Israells is much alike I raysed up your sonnes for prophets saith God by Amos you â—ong men for Nazarits but how doe they use them They gaue their Nazarites wine to drinke Amos 2.11 and commanded their Prâ—â—bets saying prophesie not It is holden a great policie now for Micaiah that his word be like one of the rest and that he speake â—ood whatsoever come of it but a Micaiah indeed dare not â—ally for a world but whatsoever the Lord saith that he will beake Men had best looke to it for whosoever he be that â—eepeth backe one iote of Gods counsell for feare of the â—ce of a mortall man shall never be able with Paul to make a â—omfortable account of his Embassye to God which is far â—etter for a Minister then life it selfe Yea this huckstering of Gods counsell is the very way to bring the Minister to a â—earfull visible and exemplarie confusion The speech of God to Ieremie should be the word in the Ministers Banner â—ird up thy loines and arise speake unto them all that I command â—ee be not dismayed at their faces lest I consume thee before them Ier. 1.17 Indeed the faces of Kings and great Ones especially Generals in a field are full of feare and terrour to weake â—llie men that carry no Armes but the Word To this purâ—ose the Sermon of one Gregory Preacher to Fredericke Duke â—f Saxon a man much approved by Luther is not unworthie your view This man dealing roundly in the Dukes â—udience against the sinnes of the time being somewhat â—fraid to smite at the Princes sinnes in a publique place he â—ame home to him very handsomely with this similitude A Preacher saith he is not unlike to one that uncaseth a Hare it is an easie matter to uncase or take the skin of all the