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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	good_a	life_n	see_v	9,943	5	3.4753	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04597	A spiritual chaine, and armour of choice, for Sion souldiers Which, whosoeuer weareth graciously, shall be sure of the best honour, comfort and safetie (whether he liue or die in the battell) that can come to a Christian souldier. Very necessary for these times.	Jones, Anthony, fl. 1622.	1622 (1622)	STC 14717.5; ESTC S114423	39,266	114

neighbour fare you well I am resolued of my course if I neuer come againe to my house I haue a house not made with hands prepared for me By a little shadow of this couragious resolution viz. that it was the most glorious and blessed thing that could be to die for ones country O praeclara mors quae naturae debita patres est redita Cicero in Philip. the old Romanes who were like old wine which is better then new became a kind of Lords ouer their owne liues not caring for death and thereby at length a kinde of Lords also ouer the knowne parts of the world If they could thus resolue vpon so poore weake and sandie a ground what maner of resolution may Sion souldiers make vpon the most faithfull promise and oath of the God of truth Heb. 6.13 to the end 1. Cor. 2.9 1. Pet. 1.4 touching those surpassing ioyes which the eye hath not seen nor the eare heard nor the heart of man conceiued laid vp and reserued in store by our good God for them that loue him Math. 9.29 Math. 10.34 lose any friends for his sake yea and especially for them that die in his cause If mortall Princes and gouernours hold it their renoune to requite their Captaines and souldiers for their constancie and courage how will the immortall God performe this to his worthies If the Romanes could giue their Torquatus a chaine of honour and a name of dignitie which remaineth to this day euen the name of a chaine what will our God giue his valiant men Surely both palmes and garlands and chaines and a celestiall crowne together with an euerlasting name in heauen What is it then to lose our country or friends for such a King such a God What is it to lose a lim for him nay what is it to lose life it selfe for him Surely it is no losse but great aduantage And they who in this sort lose a mortall life shall find an immortall life Therefore you Sion souldiers take this linke of courage together with the rest for making vp a chaine of honor here which will procure you a better chaine then the Romanes could giue their Torquatus O prepare to come from home with resolued couragious mindes And therefore prepare to come also with resolued hearts to behaue your selues so as becommeth Christians in all maner holinesse otherwise doe not loo●e to obtaine true resolued courage from our God For this heauenly resolution can neuer enter into the heart of a wicked man because our God hath threatned yea and assured him the quite contrary euen euerlasting punishment with the Diuell and his Angels except he repent except he amend except he be new borne except he present his bodie a liuing sacrifice Rom. 12.1 holy and acceptable to God which things if by the grace of our most gracious God he performe then shall he be more valiant then any giant then shall he not feare the face of any enemie but strike and dash to peeces the iaw bones of Gods foes flee at them like a Dragon and teare them like a Lion Reu. 5 8. because the Lion of the Tribe of Iuda is with him Such souldiers as these haue no cause to feare any enemies because they feare God and haue him for their friend If they die they die in great honor because they die for God and in God and to God if they liue they liue in great honour both for their good life and for their true valour True valour I say that is stirred vp by a calme and religious minde to fight for the truth Desperate resolutions proceed not from Christian fortitude but from rash furie It is not brainsick venturing in mad moods drunken veins and furious fits that makes a worthy souldier a noble souldier in life and death by such venturing thou maist venture vpon and enter into hell As it is in Martyrdome so it is in battell The cause not the torment maketh a Martyr Right so a good life lead in peace not a bad life lost in warre makes a blessed souldier at his death in the fields Let Sion souldiers therefore be resolued vpon true valour then may they stand to it with courage because they stand vpon a certaintie They shall be certaine either of a glorious victorie in life or of a more glorious victorie by death Such souldiers are far more resolute for Sion then euen the ancient Romanes were for old Rome or the new ones can be for new Babylon Such warriers are indeed more excellent conquerers then euer the most excellent Romanes were For by Christ Iesus their Captaine they become spirituall conquerers of the whole world yea of the flesh and sin and death and diuell and hell These be truly couragious and truly resolued souldiers Thus much for the third worthy namely a resolute courage 4. Worthy Mercie The fourth worthy thing to be considered of Sion souldiers is Mercie Albeit a sacred souldier must be couragious and valorous and that in such sort as to lay about him most manfully without respect of the life of any whosoeuer rather then put his owne life and his countries and his cause in danger yet on the other side there are times when and persons to whom mercy must be shewed I pleade not here for Agags 1 Sam. 15.33 Iudg. 2.21 nor for Zeba's and Zalmunna's whom the Lord will haue destroyed principall irreconcilable enemies such must find no fauour the blood which they haue mercilesse spilt crieth out for their blood without mercie Benhadad 1. King 2. Sam. 15.11 But the thing which I would say is this Such as are mis-led ignorantly like those two hundred whom Absalon abused mercie is due to them Such as before haue shewed mercie to others mercie is due to them If Zeba and Zalmunna had been mercifull vnto Gideons brethren Gideon saith Iudg. 8.29 he would not haue slaine them Babel was commanded to leaue her throne and sit in the dust because she shewed no mercie to the Israelites but laid a very heauie yoke vpon the ancient Isai 47.6 Deut 20 10. 2. Sam. 20.18 Psal 137. Obed. The like is said also of the children of Edom Such as yeeld in due time without resisting mercie is due to them Such captiues as may be spared without any danger of present or future harms through their trechery or multitude it is better to shew mercie there then rigor Matrons and virgins vnlesse they haue bin like Iesabel it is good in sacking of townes to shew mercie to them whom to handle in the least vnchaste maner let the thought thereof be far from all Sion souldiers The great huffing Harlot mother of the Stues leaue villanie to her sonnes fie vpon such filthinesse let it not once be named among Protestant souldiers but rather giuing of thanks for the victorie Moreouer yong children if there be any kinde of hope to stay them by the word it is pitie to slay them by the sword

worthy names as are here giuen them for this departures sake so much the more they haue to answer hereafter because they abuse their honorable calling and name It is my dutie and not my offence to iudge in loue of such and to giue the best titles and termes I can to such whose Baptisme Profession Vowes Education Vocation and God do call them with a loud voice to be the selfe same in deed which I in words name them Sion souldiers sacred souldiers Gracious men wil not take so high titles in vaine but abandon vanities and follow the wayes of wisedome I desire that this little booke may do them good herein It cometh not hastily abroad no sooner penned but printed Lapwing-like They report that this bird is more forward both for foote and wing then other birds are insomuch as it will runne away with the shell on it head and quickly take flight also so do many Lapwing bookes now adayes For in our time this saying of Solomon is more and more verified There is no end of making many bookes and much studie is a wearinesse to the flesh and that also of the Poet Seribimus indecti doctique poemata passim Both learned and vnlearned men Each where apace we plie the pen. Had I therefore knowne of any in our dayes who had written purposely of this subiect I would haue kept silence and not ventured vpon the hazard of doing so needlesse a worke as that which already is done But finding none by sight or report who haue made it their labour in such sort as they who take it for their taske though some haue dealt graciously therein by the way and perceiuing it to be a thing worth the labour yea and a whole and long labour rather then it should be vnhandled I haue set a weake hand to it This matter offereth one iust occasion before I go any farther to write at large of the most worthy and ancient profession of a Souldier yet sith I doubt not but this truth is generally receiued I will onely handle it in briefe and so come to the maine point which I aime at that is The holy cariage of good souldiers whereby they ought to honour this high profession of theirs Touching the calling of a souldier to fight corporally that I may speake for better vnderstanding as the thing is indeed I say that the heauenly armour of a souldier was in truth and substance before the earthly howsoeuer for our weake capacitie the spirituall armour was afterwards made plaine to vs by the corporall so as according to a supernaturall sence the bodily armour may be said to take denomination of the armour of the spirit and the corporall combat denomination also of that spirituall combat which the children of God haue with Satan and his children For why the armour of armours belonging to this combate euen the armour of God was before any corporall combat could be vsed Adam presently after the promise no doubt did put it on I will put enmitie saith our God betweene thee and the woman Gen. 3.15 and betweene thy seed and her seed Hee shall breake thy head and thou shalt bruise his heele Here is mention made of a spirituall warre to which belonged spirituall armour instantly and the grand Captaine of the war pointed vnto That promised seed Christ Iesus whose souldiers all godly people must be both Captaine and souldiers fighting against the euill one Now as this enmitie is manifest in the soule of good men carying a godly hatred against the diuell continually and against the qualities of the wicked whilest they remaine in the old birth so it is also declared by an open corporall combat hand to hand against Gods foes in battell when our God will haue them punished or brought in subiection or put to death Therefore though fields and campes could not be at first till multitudes were increased yet a disposition to warre both spirituall and corporall was at first and that as well in the bad to offend as in the good to defend This euill disposition was quickly seene in Cain Lamech and Esau And a kind of duell there appeared when as yet there were but a few men in the world namely betweene Cain and Habel Cain offending and Habel we may well thinke striuing as nature taught to defend himselfe but he was a stronger spirituall souldier then temporall God suffering his bloodie brothers strength to preuaile so far as to take away his mortall life in that corporall combat Here were both warres begun in two brethren Cain exercised a most vngracious fleshly warre as his wicked murder declared he fought for Satan Habel by his fathers example practised the gracious spirituall warre as his holy and well accepted sacrifice declared Gen. 14. he fought against Satan The father of the faithfull did know and practise this warre both wayes with faith he made warre against Satan and with weapons of warre against fiue wicked Kings Hereby it plainly appeareth that the calling and dignitie of them that warre on Gods side is very ancient and no lesse honorable then that calling whereof Christ Iesus being King of Kings and supreme Commander in the warres is Head and chiefe Leader If we looke to the temporall warre this he acknowledgeth himselfe to be euen a Captaine of the Lord of hoasts we may perceiue in the booke of Iosua Ios 5.13.14.15 at the besieging of Ierico And it came to passe when Iosua was by Ierico that he lift vp his eyes and looked and behold there stood a man ouer against him with his sword drawne in his hand and Iosua went vnto him and said vnto him Art thou for vs or for our aduersaries And he said Nay but a Captain of the hoast of the Lord am I now come And Iosua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped If wee looke to the spirituall warre there also he professeth himselfe to be our most powerfull Pr●nce and gouernour yea the author and finisher of our faith without whom we can do nothing a Captaine of Captaines therefore and we also most ioyfully confesse this esteeming it our greatest renoune to fight vnder his banner though with afflictions as his souldiers So saith Saint Paul to his sonne Timothy Thou therefore suffer affliction as a good souldier of Iesus Christ And of himselfe he saith I haue fought a good fight Abraham I say againe was such a souldier both spirituall and temporall Spiritually wee may see it vvhere our God saith I know him that hee will command his children and his houshold after him Gen. 18.19 and they shall keepe the way of the Lord to do iustice and iudgement that the Lord may bring vpon Abrahā that which he hath spoken of him And corporally we may not doubt but that he taught his people what to do in battell against those cursed Kings And no maruell that so good a sonne and seruant as Abraham did imitate so good a father and master

louing souldiers held out with him to the end without any storming at all meerly for want of mony or meate So let Sion souldiers do with their Dauids and not stand vpon their due or right in times of difficultie Let souldiers learne to make a difference of times and according thereunto now and then to flourish in all things now and then to fade in all things saue onely in one that is to say the assurance of a powerfull glorious and gracious God to supply all their wants if they will ply him with earnest petitions and trust to him who neuer failed any One way or other a faithfull man shal be supplied yea and sometimes that way hee least thought on as Lot from his bondage and the Israelites from the famine which the Aramites caused Therefore I say once more that a Sion souldier must still looke vpon that famous worthy linke of his heauenly chaine Resolued courage and not be clamorous or detected for want of his due in time of aduersitie Is this a souldiers case alone when he is abroad in war No surely It is the Mariners case at Sea yea and more then that also it is the Plowmans case at home it is the Artificers case at home nay and it may be the Pastors and the very Kings case himselfe at home All these haue their portions allowed of the Lord our God and according to their places plentifull portions in time of prosperitie but in aduersitie in troubled waters in stormes in dearths in time of pestilence in persecutions for the Gospell each of these euen the Lords annointed must be content to abate of their due of their right yea and come to sackcloth and ashes with fasting sometimes they must not looke continually for such plentie recompence attendance and respect as belongs vnto them No no they are in their right way when in such cases they abate of their right If this contentednes with want of their due belong to Prince and Pastor how much more to common people If to Kings and Captaines how much more to souldiers All men must receiue their state calling and place vpon condition that if our good God wil call them to wants they must be as wel contented with penurie as with plentie and say with patient Iob The Lord hath giuen the Lord hath taken away Iob 1.21 Iob 2 10. blessed be the name of the Lord Shall we receiue good at the hands of the Lord and not receiue euill And they must say with Paul I haue learned in whatsoeuer estate I am therewith to be content I can be abased and I can abound euery where in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungrie to abound and to want Is not our heauenly Father most wise most prouident most powerfull and most louing He is Therefore this affliction this want is good for vs otherwise he would not suffer it to fall vpon vs. Now know this moreouer that such wants as these may come to the most godly souldiers as wel as to the most vngodly ones For in things of this nature There is as Solomon saith one euent to the righteous and to the wicked to the good and to the euill to the cleane and to the vncleane to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner and he that sweareth as he that feareth an oath Good souldiers may doe good an hundred times and yet sustaine many wants afterwards wicked souldiers may do euill yea commit foule outrages an hundred times and yet remain in great plentie yea and go away vvith notable victories Howbeit in the end there shall be a differeence made and seene as both Dauid and his son Solomon say Eccles 8.11 12 13. Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sonnes of men is fully set in them to do euill But though a sin-do euill an hundred times and his dayes be prolonged yet surely I know that it shal be well with them that feare the Lord but it shall not be well with the wicked neither shal he prolong his days which are as a shadow because he feareth not before God And again Mark the way of the vpright man and behold for the end of that man is peace A good souldier considering this end wil not be discouraged in a faithlesse manner for want of wages and victuals when the enemy hath aboundant and thereby grieue his gouernour Act. 21.13 but as Paul said in his kind of war What meane you to weep and to breake mine heart I am readie not to be bound onely but also to die for the name of the Lord Iesus So should a holy Sion souldier say Why breake you my heart O louing Captaine by grieuing for my wants I am ready not onely to want my wages and foode for the cause of my Christ but to spend my dearest drop of blood for him and with you Zach. 11.11 Gracious Iosian souldiers so I call the tender hearted to their gouernours wil mourne to see their Captain come to any griefe or wound by the Captaines owne failing in any of his plots or cariages how will they feare then to bring their Captaine to mourning by their owne failing in any dutie of kindnesse to their Gouernour A holy souldier will say thus in time of his gouernours disabilitie to pay wages I serue a good Lord euen the Lord Iesus Christ who hath promised not to leaue vs nor forsake vs he will pay you and me our wages good Captaine And thus he will say in time of distresse for food Deut. 8.3 Math. 4.4 I liue not by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of my God hence am I strengthened I did put on this mind at home in my country before I stept a foote towards this war therefore be not grieued I beseech you for any wants of mine as I haue bin well contented with my wages heretofore so am I as well content without it now and as for food O Captain I wait vpon my good God for it and here will I stand for him and to you come what may come till death it selfe come God assisting me onely be you strong and of good comfort Thus much for the sixt Worthy wherein I haue bin the longer because many souldiers haue bin so short in this contentednes with pay prouision as thereby to hazard or dissolue or destroy mightie armies 7. Worthy linke Armour The seuenth vvorthy linke which I aduise Protestant souldiers to consider of is their spirituall armour they must haue much more care of putting on and keeping on that armour then of their corporal armor this is that true armor of proofe which Paul for the excellencie thereof doth call The Armour of God By this armour Gods children are enabled through him by whom they can do all things to stand against the greatest assaults of all Take vnto you

whosoeuer entreth into followeth anie path let him be sure to misse the King of Kings high way though he should plot with Ieroboam and out plot Achitophel which were hard for the best wit to doe Nay grant that he hit her plot of profit pleasure or honour yet shall he misse the path of heauen except he returne The waies of man may seeme straight green pleasant at first but if he consult not with the word of his God they wil proue crooked black and mirie at last But why go I about to praise the Sunne for light the fire for heate siluer seuen times tried for purenesse and that which passeth the honie and the honie-comb for sweetnesse They praise themselues yea and God himselfe praiseth them Onely this I will say more As no godlie Captaine or souldier will do anie thing how meane or how great soeuer except he haue Gods word to allow it so also no godly Captaine or souldier wil do anie doubtful thing be it euer so small how much lesse the weightier things of such a priuat wit or conceit in the word as to become his owne iudge what is the will of God therein but rather aduise with holie Seers Coloff 3.2 such as haue set their affections on things aboue and not on things below A mans own praier to God according to the word and his owne consultation with God by the word are not enough in these cases Rom. 12.3 This ouerweening wit presuming to vnderstand aboue that which is meet hurteth the most godly when they fall into it And as for the wicked who contually both worke and play with their fine refined wits Prou. 26.12 there is more hope of arrant fooles then of such Good men may faile in this by trusting too much vnto their owne iudgement and thereby meete with a temporall punishment for such slips But the wicked make a continual practise of relying on their owne policie quite neglecting yea and some of them contemning the the word Was not Achitophel a patterne of such fooles Doubtlesse he was And if you see an example of a holy man quite ouerturned by trusting to his owne counsell see it in gracious Iosiah when this good King this peerlesse King for in that respect so I may say of him tooke aduice by the word from the mouth of Hulda the Prophetesse 2. Chron. 34.21 he receiued a right comfortable answer from the Lord his God but afterwards for want of taking such aduice that most famous religious zealous King perished in the battell against Pharao Neco 2. Chron. 35.20 We do not find that he did then consult with his God by the help of his gracious Prophets Now if it be a thing so dangerous not to aske counsell of holy Ministers what is it to refuse their good counsell giuen what to enterprise things quite contrary to the word Surely a double and treble fault full of double and treble danger By obstinate refusing good counsell from the Lords true messengers Num. 14.45 you may see that the Israelites were ouerthrowne in fight against the Amalekites and Canaanites 1 King 22.17.28 And so also came Ahab to his desperate death he would go vp to Ramoth Gilead though the Prophet shewed him his fall most plainly Happie then are they who giue eare and obedience to the word of our God Mal ● truly opened by his faithfull Ministers The Priests lips should preserue knowledge For whom For all sorts both high and low rich and poore learned and vnlearned and they should seeke the law at his mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of hoasts Yea and as he should counsell all sorts of warriers by the word so should he comfort and encourage them in the verie time of entrance into the battell When thou goest out to battell against thine enemies saith our God by his seruant Moses and seest horses and chariots Deut. 20.2.3.4 and a people more then thou be not afraid of them for the Lord thy God is with thee which brought thee out of the land of Egypt And it shall be when ye come nigh vnto the battell that the Priest shall approach and speake vnto the people and say vnto them Heare O Israel yee approach this day vnto battell against your enemies let not your hearts faint feare not and do not tremble neither be troubled because of them for the Lord your God is he that is with you to fight for you against your enemies to saue you Thus you see what great vse and neede there is of the Ministers priuate counsell and publick instruction euen in war These things so it alwaies behoueth both Captaines and souldiers to be frequent in consultation with their God touching all matters belonging to their places Consultation I say by often and feruent praiers and consultation by aduice of godly and learned Preachers This consultation must begin at the first houre and neuer end till a souldiers last houre be ended yea and Sion souldiers ought also to ioyne priuate reading and meditation in the word together with this consultation according to that in the first Psalme His delight is in the law of the Lord Psal 1.2 and in his law will he meditate day and night and agreeable also to that in Iohn Search the Scriptures Iohn 5.39 for in them ye thinke to haue eternall life and they are they which testifie of me And specially as our God cōmandeth Iosua which commandement extendeth to all souldiers Let not this booke of the Law depart from thy mouth Ios 18. but meditate therein day and night that thou maist obserue and doe according to all that is written therein for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous and then shalt thou haue good successe For this purpose if they reade Psal 3. Ps 27. Psa 57. and Psal 118. they may finde much comfort in these places And thus much for the eight worthie linke here ioyned with the rest as the last linke to make vp a heauenly Chaine for Sion souldiers Such as keepe these links together in a gracious order are fitly adorned to wait vpon the true God of battell that King of glorie and they to whom our God giueth these eight worthies for a spirituall chaine are fittest and likest to performe most valiant actions and worthy of great honour here with their Kings and Princes and shall be accounted worthy to reigne as kings with that King of Kings for euer Shall I now say that here touching these eight links which I said before concerning those seuen peeces of armour viz. suffer thy Pastor to ioyne these eight links together for thy good and to fit them to thee for thy defence I might say so but I will say thus Do not onely suffer but intreate thy Pastor also to ioyne and fit these seuen peeces of armour aboue named as heauenly and compleate armour of choice to defend thee and these eight links also as a heauenly