in generall euery one of vs hath a court in his owne conscience wherinto all our thoughts words and actions must be presently summoned and inquisition must bee strictly made what error is found in himselfe and finding himselfe guiltie of any negligence in performing his dutie to God commaunded or pronenes to offende God in things forbidden he must as a Iudge farre from partialitie giue sentence against himselfe and commit the euils done to true and vnfained repentance bind himselfe by the law of obedience not to sinne agayne Which were it performed of al men in particular there were no neede of the Magistrates sword to compell the same in generall But sith our corrupt inclinations doe fight daily against this godly course the Magistrate who beareth not the sword for nought must now if euer he did shew himselfe zealous in the Lords cause for the good of al the land in general Which as it seemeth much missed with negligence of euery mans particular dutie to God and his Soueraigne whereby God is not honoured of vs as he ought nor the lawes of the land obeyed as they should be there must be a generall care in the Ministrie to teach euery man his duetie for hee is bound to teach to reproue to approue and improue in season and out of season and in the Magistrate an endeuour to see euery man performe it as farre as to his power and authoritie belongeth who must compell theÌ„ by force that will not doe their dueties in loue And if then the vulgar and inferiour sort striue not to amende and to coÌ„forme themselues to the word of truth taught and to the example of the godly Magistrate propounded before them they shall all dye in their sinnes but the Minister and Magistrate shall be excused But if there appeare negligence in the Ministers the watchmen of the whole flocke the people will also bee negligent if they be ignorant the people will be ignorant if they be wicked the people will be wicked as Hosea saith Such priests such people Therefore now call your dueties to minde ye Ministers and speedily with diligence performe the same And thinke it not enough to bee called the messengers of God vnlesse you speake pronounce the will of God truely and disdaine none that shew their good willes to speake as the occasion of this time requireth For they that feare the Lord vnderstand his will The feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome And therefore euery one from the highest to the lowest Prince and Ministers Magistrates and subiects must here begin As a Prince coueting to gouerne prudently as Ministers endeuouring to speake truly and boldly as Magistrates desiring to rule in their places righteously and couragiously and as people willing to liue obediently and religiously So shall there bee a most happie concord and pleasant harmonie in al estates There shal be no want of blessings no cause to feare the enemie no cause to complaine one of anothers wrongs in our land Sinne shall beare no sway but godlines shall flourish in all parts of this land and then as we haue alreadie seene how God hath fought for vs so he will giue vs new encouragements And as Christ sayd to Nathaniel we shall see greater things then these not onely in his fighting for vs but in powring out his heart vnto vs causing vs to vnderstand his word Prou. 1. 23. when yet â—ee will hold our aduersaries still blind that seeing they shall not see in hearing they shall not heare and nothing that they imagine against vs shall prospet but all shall turne to their owne confusion Therefore let the eyes of vs all be towards the Lord and with Dauid let vs all the day stretch out our hands to him that is one and the same for euer louing and powerfull And forasmuch as Princes and Magistrates must in this necessary reformation giue such examples as may tend to the amendment of the inferiour sort it behoueth that they be learned and wise vertuous and valorous so shall the people follow their steppes as it were a light in the darke And therefore the Magistrate must pray for wisedome not to seeme singular in policie but religious in zeale applying the same to the glorie of God to discerne betwixt good and euill that by them sinne the cause of our daunger may bee remoued and faith and religion the strength of our land may bee increased that the vngodly bee not more set by then the righteous that vice be not more aduanced then vertue so shall euery Magistrate be able to say freely Be thou my Iudge O Lord for I haue walked innocently Surely as the Israelites thought themselues happie when they had gotten Debora to gouerne them so most happie are wee that haue Queene Elizabeth to gouerne vs. For as Debora seemed so much the more to be a carefull mother of Israel by how much she liked those gouernours which were likest her selfe which appeareth by that she sayed My heart is set vpon the gouernours of Israell so doubtles the godly care of our gracious Debora to haue all the causes of Gods displeasure to bee taken away appeareth in coueting as much as in her lieth to place godly Magistrates vnder her God make them apt to answer it She matcheth Moses the Magistrate with Aaron the Minister the Word and the Sword which both truely executed must needes make due obedience in the people to the Magistrate and like in the Magistrate to the law and consequently in all to God And then as the Magistrates are placed aboue other men in authoritie so they will goe before the rest in pietie and then no doubt but our Common-wealth shall be secure and bee in the protection of the King inuincible who iudgeth them that iudge vnder him and he will subdue the disobedient hearts to loue and reuerence rulers and to fight couragiously against the enemies of our state as he subdued the people vnto Dauid and made them all incline to his will That whatsoeuer the King did pleased his people Wee see then that wee neede not feare this vaine hoobub of the Spanyard if euery one would forsake sinne and conforme himselfe truly to seek after God And to the end that God may blesse the hearts of all it behoueth all to pray which shall bee considered in the end of this sillie labour CAP. 3. That all men ought to yeeld their vttermost power to resist the pursuers of this blasphemous Hoobub by experience of the power of God shewed vnto our fathers of old HAuing as it is before sayd taken away the causes why God hath intended to moue this fierce nation against vs by a general reformatioÌ„ of our liues which if it appeare by the fruites of our regenerate mindes let vs rest resolued that God the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob the God of Israel the God of the faithfull will bee assuredly on our side The Lord our God as saith
wealth of your owne countrie to the vttermost of your powers Much more are you tyed to this duty sith the truth it selfe the bond of al obedience calleth you back from your disloyall thoughts wherein you seem to steale couertly away from the substance of naturall loue to run after the shadow of impious zeale zeale not onely without knowledge but zeale builded vpon meere treason Antichrist himselfe being the head corner stone And therefore doubtlesse your vnderstanding is much obscured how wise soeuer you seeme in your selues and howsoeuer you bee flattered by them that would make vse of your wickednes And you can no more perceiue their cunning as appeareth then Dauid could conceiue of the cause why God prospered the wicked in his daies and punished the godly But as hee found it out by entring into the sāctuary of God so seek you how to apprehend your true duetie by becomming conformable to the true word of God casting away the idle inuentions of the man of sinne And as Aaron might not enter into the sanctuary where God did answer vntill he had sanctified himselfe So sanctifie your obedience and enter into league with Christ by becomming loyall subiects to his annoynted And beleeue them not that giue you counsell to lie as you do lurking to looke for a good houre as you are made to beleeue it beware it will bee a dismall day vnto you that you so greedily gape for by what badge soeuer you seeme to be distinguished you will be vnknowen to the Spaniards your speech will bewray you you will not bee able to pronounce Shibboleth as the Spanish Gilliadices doe but Sibboleth like English Ephramites you will as easilie be discerned as the Guelfes from the Gybelines they are a subtill generation that shall deale with you And therefore gather your selues together and before that daye come ioyne with God against Beliall take parte with Christ against Antichrist receiue light and abandon darknes flie treason and become euery man true vnto Queene Elizabeth your countrie Take counsell not o◠me but of Zephaniah the Prophet Seek righteousnes seeke lowlines Submit your selues to her Maiestie before the fierce wrath of the Lord come vpon you Imitate the counsell of the wise man who willeth you to Put away a froward mouth and let all your waies bee ordered aright And thinke not your owne blind conceits to be the way of life for the way of the foole is right in his owne conceit but he that is guided by counsel is wise And therefore refuse not to knowe this that if the people of Israel were commanded to pray for the peace of Babylon wherein they were held captiues and to pray for him that had dispoyled them of all their goods and possessions how much more ought you not onely not to rebel or wish euil vnto your so gracious a soueraigne but to pray for her and for the peace of your countrie wherein also you may haue peace Learne of Dauid who said God forbid that I should lay hands vpon Gods annoynted for who saith he can lay his handes vpon the Lords annoynted and be guiltlesse It is needlesse to tel you how the pope that lyar doth yet encounter Dauid and saith goe and lay thy handes on the Lordes annointed and thou shalt merit heauen oh impious wretch that commaunds forbidden things and forbids thinges commanded And yet alas wretches how are you blinded that will not see Learne therefore that it is your dutie aboue all things to beware of contemning or violating the authoritie of your prince who is replenished with vertue religion and Maiestie amongst you and all confirmed by God whose ordinance you breake in contemning her much more in your treasons against her Therefore most happie were you if after these your dangerous consultations and rebellious practises you againe would returne and imbrace obedience consecrating your soules to God onelie with vnfained dedication of your bodies liues and goods to the seruice of her that in so doing will louingly imbrace you and God most assuredly will pardon you Come out from among them then and be saued A dutifull admonition not only to all inferiour Magistrates but to all loyall subiects to shew themselues watchfull in these dangers and with carefull diligence to seeke to preuent all occasions which may moue the vnaduised multitude to any sudden and vndiscreet hurly burlies with an exhortation to all men to be valorous HE that seemeth worthie to bee a Magistrate or to bee termed a fit man to gouerne the least charge in a Common wealth not onely a kingdome a prouince a hundred yea a familie must endeuour himselfe to know what dutie is required at his hands and the same to performe with premeditate discretion And for that I wish wisedome to all being able to teach none I will omit the superiour and giue my best aduise to the lower sort He is indeede a sillie man and not worthie to beare the burthen of a Tithingman much lesse of a high Constable least of all of a superiour Magistrate that cannot examine how he standeth in his place whether he bee as a hande an eye a finger or a foote of a Common-wealth knowing that euery Common-wealth is a bodie politique compared to a bodie naturall And as the head is the chiefest part the guide and superiour gouernour of the bodie and all the members are as officers vnder the same some of a higher qualitie and authoritie then other as the heart the eyes the hands and legges which are principall members seruants in office to the superiour so are the fingers toes c. petie officers vnto the former euery of them being bound to his next superiour and so all by a naturall dutie are seruants to the head and that for the preseruation and supportation of the entrailes and maine bodie which is so much the more safe from daunger by how much euery member hath ablenes and skill to performe his place in true duetie not one part whereof is void of some necessarie function as reason it selfe accompanied with our dailie experience doth plainly witnes vnto vs. So is our superior Magistrate the head and gouernour of vs who being many in number make vp a compleat bodie politique some in Magistracie and superiour authoritie and some in inferiour functions and all in true dutie to one head who being by our negligence or vnaduised proceedings in our seuerall places any way endangered the daunger cannot but descend from it to our owne confusion And therefore doth policie dismember a bodie of a legge an arme a hand or foote desperatly infected to preserue the rest of the bodie So a Common-wealth cutteth off euery euill member thereof as wee see by the lawes of our land lest it should infect the rest and so endaunger the whole state politique And as it fareth with a Common-wealth in generall so it doth with the parts thereof as with a prouince shire and
seeme to tend to stop it such is the force of it in all that al drinke of one cup and like birdes of a feather holde all together they strayne curtesie who shall begin to reforme it and yet contend who shall exceed in it I haue no more to saie but to assure you that this is one of the ankers that holdeth fast the shippe of our perill to the shores of our seas And are these all Alasse no. Let not couetousnesse be forgotten which is a thirstie sinne the sinne of the wiser fellowes a husbandly sinne therefore is not to bee punished in anie case being condemned of none but of the beggerly minded as affirmeth the vsurer the mannor-monger the farme buier the hoorder of golde and siluer But alas what fooles are these either they neuer reade it or neuer heare it or els they forget it that Christ cries Wo vnto the rich for that they haue their consolation heere But if this did turne but to their owne euils it were the more tollerable It reacheth to the ruine of the poorer sorte and it is seene so apparantly held so dearly amongst vs in these daies that it is a fault to be frugall and therefore to spend all or spare all are most imbraced the one consumeth what another hath gotten the other hoordeth vp what by force and fraud hee can get and this is meere prodigalitie in the one and idolatrie in the other the one spends lewdly is praysed for a gentlemanlike mind and the other keepes wretchedly and is counted to be a good husband two horrible euils but maiden euills for neither of them was euer punished by any lawe yet meerely against Gods lawe and argumentes that they are nothing seasoned with the continuance and long vse of religion which teacheth loue where the rich is to support relieue comfort and stead the poore that want his aide And so farre are they from these vertues that they not onely not comfort them but seeke how to vncloath them howe to vncouch them and howe to vnfurnish them of landes liuing and all other necessaries And it is not lightly to be passed ouer which by meanes of these cormorants hath euen nowe taken holde as in the iudgement of God vppon this lande wherein no doubt and as is helde euen of such cut-throates themselues there is sufficient plentie of corne butter cheese and all other necessaries and yet such is the decay of loue as it will not be brought forth but vppon prices at their owne wills as though they only were Lords of Gods blessings and that the poore haue no share in them but to stand at their colde deuotion And thus to rest vnreformed and the crye of the poore not heard is a maine cable to pull the enemie vpon vs. It is a heauie iudgement of God when there shall bee a common dearth in a common plentie as nowe there is and who so affirmeth the contrary is no good member of the common wealth but sauoreth alltogether of priuate gaine who grinde the faces of the poore with want of that wherewith they abound But surely as for disobedience to God there may be a feare where no feare is so by our fruitles profession whose effectes are loue there may bee dearth where plenty is And surely it were good it were considered why such a iudgement should light vpon vs in the time of the Gospell and that the decay of loue should appeare so farre as to shut vp not onely Christianitie but all humanitie among mē Why may not a man glance at a great cause of this iudgement which as no doubt it is one and the same with that which calleth our enemies euen our sinnes Yet there is a peculiar cause which stinketh in the nostrils of God namely the consuming of corne the meere earthly blessing of God to preserue man abut the strengthening of pride in making of starch A toeration intolerable Woe vnto him that brought the deuise first into our land For it crieth out mainly to God who will not abide that about our neckes in pride that should bee consumed which should feede our bodies in penurie But it is made they say with the coursest part of the wheate Alas let not Magistrates bee deceiued it is the most purest of the purest corne Oh that it were reformed for it is a wofull euill drawing with it both famine and warre and yet this among many other sins trippeth on like a vice that maketh not only the vitious but the virtuous to taste of her vanitie Infinit euils there accompanie these former vnpunished sinnes and they are assuredly the maine winde that filleth as it were the sailes of the Spanyards to inuade vs whom the Lord hath stirred vp either in mercie to reforme vs or in iudgement to punish vs. And surely as euery one hath his hand in these euils and none can excuse himselfe from bringing and heaping one sinne vpon another bewraying thereby the breach of al our duties to God in generall in not performing what we professe let vs not perswade our selues of safetie vnles wee can frame vs to repentance and reformation And as no doubt in this the negligent Minister hath much to answer by whose careles discharge of his dutie function many of these euils haue crept in and taken deepe roote So they must thinke that now is the time wherein they must redeeme what they haue long omitted and so by their new diligence endeuour to roote out sinne and plant faith that there may appeare fruits of euery mans profession that the cause of this fearefull hoobub being taken away wee may still possesse our libertie and that our religion bee not in shew onely but in the simplicitie of our hearts so shal it be vnto vs as the bloud of the paschall Lambe striken vpon the shores of our seas that the destroying Angell may passe by vs and cast our enemies into the deuouring gulfe Yet let mee speake a little more without suspition of being too officious or too forward Surely the delayes of poore mens causes in our courts of England and the procrastinations of dispatch of causes before Magistrates hath a share in this matter the free oppressions of the poore by the rich without remedie doe crye among the rest to God for iustice and God againe calleth the Spaniards to execute the same Would God wee could shew our selues no lesse tractable then children who can leaue their wantonnes if they see but the rod. And if wee could leaue our vices and imbrace religion God would not proceede further to strike vs but like a louing father would cast this his rod into the fire CAP. 2. What is to be done to escape the iudgements of God intended by this Antichristian hoobub FOrasmuch then as no man can denye but that the cause of this daungerous hoobub of the Spanyard is our sinne which foldeth vp our feare as it were in a foure folde mantle answerable to the
countie whereinto a kingdome is diuided with Hundreds Rapes Wapentakes wherinto prouinces are diuided with Tythings Borowsheads such pettie limits wherinto Hundreds Rapes and Wapentakes are diuided yea with families and hâ—uses wherinto Parishes Tythings Borowsheads and such pettie liberties are diuided euery of which is of it selfe a pettie bodie politique of the vniuersall politique bodie of the kingdome And this for the better mannaging rule and gouernment of the whole euery of these seuerall bodies haue like members the Earle or Shiriffe of the shire is the head Magistrate of the prouince shire or countie The Constable of the Hundred the Headborow or tithingman of the parish or tithing the master and father of the familie These seueral charges thus politikely distinguished ought to bee disposed all to the good of the supreame head from whom proceedeth by her lawes a kind of spirituall power whereby they all worke liuely as members powerfull in their places And he that beareth the name of chiefe in any of these and yet is either negligent or ignorant is foorthwith to be cast out and a more fit to be placed for him For this kinde of politique diuisions is an experienced rule to be preserued inuiolate both in peace and danger of warre For as peace may breede securitie and securitie emulation and emulation discord so may peace bee sayd to vrge cause of sedition And therefore peace must be regarded preserued and maintained by diligence of officers when there appeareth no suspition of warre But much more are officers and men of all sorts subiect to any politique bodie to be watchfull carefull diligent and circumspect when there is feare of warre least that among them and within their seuerall charges there lurke any dangerous member whose concealemeÌ„t may be hurtfull not onely to that familie Tithing Hundred and Prouince but vnto that kingdome wherein hee is As hath appeared vnto vs all in sundrie places of our Common-wealth in our daies And no doubt although in the kingdom of God as Paul saith there is neither Iew nor Grecian bond nor free Scithian nor Barbarian but Iesus Christ is all in all yet amongst vs there are stil both loyall subiects and couert traytors good Christians and dangerous Papists and therefore euery man must waite in his office and performe his dutie to reueale the euill to take them away to approue the good and to foster them And forasmuch as these ciuill offices cannot bee performed by man onely as they ought without some further working of a better spirit Let euery man subiect himselfe to the higher powers knowing that they are of God So shall they learne euery man his owne dutie by the ordinance of God wherby he teacheth al men both how to gouerne and how to bee subiect how to command and how to obey Aristotle saith to command and to obey are necessarie and profitable So that Magistrates must learne how to obey the power aboue them that they may know the better how to command such as are vnder them both which doe tend to the preseruation of ciuill iustice which is the Common-wealths publique benefit And sith it is apparant that religion is the foundation of all Common-wealths of the execution of good lawes of the obedieÌ„ce of subiects towards their Magistrates of their reuerence towards princes of mutuall loue among themselues and of iustice towards others And that it hath pleased the Almightie to lay amongst vs this sound foundation let euery one build thereupon such affections and such obedience to God and man as may season their places whether they bee Magistrates to rule or subiects to be ruled as may stand with their allegiance to both which no doubt may easily appeare in all euen in the worst while peace affoordeth all safetie but warre and the noyse of warre will approue or reproue what now seemeth indifferent And therefore it is to bee carefully considered how euery of these before sayd chiefs or heads ought to behaue themselues in the time of triall of their wisedomes care and loyaltie which will then be seene when any occasion of sudden tumult among the rude multitude shall bee offered Discreet premeditation therfore is of al things most to be regarded in Magistrates what and when they are to command and in people what and when they in dutie to the highest and chiefe head are to obey least the Magistrate discouer his weaknes by saying non putabaÌ„ I did not thinke it would haue fallen out so and the people their disloyaltie by their rash and vnaduised tumult saying afterward we did it in a good intent Therefore there must appeare neither ouermuch negligence in the one nor ouermuch rashnes in the other But as euery man hath two eyes in his face to see the things present so the Magistrate ought to haue the eye of the mind alwayes open to foresee things to come And this is the eye of wisedome and prouidence that seeth in the time of peace what is to bee done against the time of warre and in the danger of warre what is to be done to redeem peace or to preuent warre The rumors of warre are to the weake fearful to the rude dreadfull or desperate and to the wise a cause of watchfulnes The report then of inuasion must of necessitie draw in all men either courage to resist or a present bewraying of the cowardly minded For the examination of euery mans affections in himselfe cannot but testifie one of these in him And as I take it none of our English nation can retaine the last sith all their progenitors haue so resolutely in deedes witnessed the former And therefore sith all no doubt as it were with one minde one heart one hand and one consent will bee readie vpon occasion to encounter the enemie so shall their magnanimitie the more bee approued by how much they shall proceed by discretion and militarie direction and not by a desperate hardines according to euery mans conceit and inward humour whereby they may seeme to couet to shew their forwardnes which being rashly put in execution without regard of the matter reported or forme to be vsed in the proceeding will either discouer them to bee wilfull tumultuous ouerhastie or els procure vnto themselues the daunger of seditious people For it behoueth vs to thinke that as the enemie boasteth of his strength so he standeth vpon his policie wherein as hee hath many wayes practised by secret treasons to moue and stirre vp ciuill sedition among our selues which God hath reueiled and our watchfull Magistrates discreetly preuented so hath he published by his wicked ministers lurking amongst vs sudden reports daungerous brutes and open hoobubs to moue an vndiscreet tumult among the rash multitude to the ende that by reason thereof some factious people might drawe the rest to violate their sworne obedience and by their forcible rashnes bring a daunger in conceit of the rest where
none is indeede which kinde of practise is new in our thoughts most friuolous for his purpose praised by God Yet hee that hath been so long his open prompter the blasphemous beast he euen he will leaue no mischiefe vnpractised to pull on the vndiscreet multitude vnder colour of some publique good for them or of some imminent daunger towards them to runne out like men vnaduised to the end they might worke their owne confusion and yeeld the more ease to the enemies purpose And therefore it highly behoueth all men both Magistrates and priuate people to haue an eye to euery alarum and not vpon the sudden to be ouer rash nor too secure but to looke into the cause and shape their proceedings accordingly and in euery of the particular limits before rehearsed to play the Bees not to swarme before the master Bee and whē the Magistrate shall sound a call and enter into the action as the king of Bees going forth first then ought the inferiour to follow and to keepe themselues in diligent attendance performing what is commaunded onely wherein whosoeuer Magistrate or common person shall shew himselfe more forward then shall be warranted from the superior Magistrate shal no doubt incur the danger of disobedience therfore must euery inferior haue an eye vnto the superiour so by degrees shall there be true obseruation of dutie in euery place her Maiestie and Counsell is as it were primum mobile whatsoeuer moueth must begin from thence and by direction from thence must all the rest moue as vpon the axetree which carieth about al the gouernment of this commō-wealth and as all inferiour Magistrates namely the chiefe of euerie prouince citie town ecorporate cunstable of hundred and the rest are to moue by degrees so must the priuate multitude moue but as the first mouer shall direct and which can not immediately bee sensible vnto them vntill it bee by the ordinary motious of the other mouers intimated And whosoeuer seemeth to moue of himselfe and to moue others without this ordinarie motion he cannot but bee censured a vsurper of that office an vntimely comet which would shew light being darknesse it selfe and therefore to be abondoned out of all the true constellations which haue their due motions and light from the first It is a daungerous thing in these daies to admit anie newes of matters of inuasion to flie abroad whereby extraordinarie motions may bee stirred vp amongst the people Howsoeuer it seemeth necessarye that truth shuld bee deliuered to the ende it may bee apprehended of such especiallie as haue authoritie and discretion to mannage a course accordingly And because none ought to set his hande vnto the arke but he must be called thereunto so none must vndertake as of himselfe to lead any tumultuous crue vpon anie supposed alarum without superiour direction And for that the great charge lieth most yea altogether vpon the Magistrates how farre behooueth it them to be both wise to direct and couragious to goe before the rest wherein they must flie three things feare whereby they should be moued to flie cowardlines whereby they may discomfite their followers rashnes wherby they may endaunger themselues and others but to bee truely magnanimous dismaid at no tidings fearing no danger nor admitting no occasion to absent them from the face of the enemie For to liue or die are not of themselues good but to doe both of them rightly and in a good matter bringeth honour And therefore Cato Senior to encourage a man to true fortitude without too much feare or too much rashnes faith that there is great difference betweene much esteeming of vertue and little waying of life whereby he sheweth that it is a commendable thing to desire life to be vertuous rather then rash without discretion to bee famous But if you shew your selues prouident in your charges and as occasion serueth forwarde in true fortitude for your countries safetie you shall be reuerenced and be worthily famous and not for desperate running on with a furious crue of brainesicke people but for your discretion which more preuaileth by a fewe then hastie furie by a multitude That prayer must be added vnto all the former meanes which in Christian policie we are allowed to make to resist this Antichristian hoast IT cannot be denied but weapons are fit and very necessary for wars walled cities fortes and castles for defence policie is a requisite matter in martiall affaires But all these are to no more effect then a wooden dagger to defende one or offend another as of thēselues without GOD blesse the vse of them For hee can frustrate euery action by his power hee can withstand the proud and defend the simple vnarmed Dauid by him was able to smite armed Goliah and kill him with his owne sword And as therefore it is most expedient that in his feare all thinges bee carefully prouided in a Common-wealth fit for the warres so to put no more confidence in the same then in a reede vnlesse withall wee craue God to blesse them who by his prouidence and power can conuert al things as he wil namely the sword of him that trusteth therein to kill himselfe A horse is a vaine thing to saue a man whereby Dauid proueth all militarie implements friuolous if God giue not power thereunto and vnlesse hee teach a man to fight strength or policie can preuaile nothing And although we may see daily that the sword of the wicked preuaileth against the wicked and sometimes against the godlie which may argue a vertue in the same thing it must not so be taken for that the prouidence of God hath a share in a combate between two sparrowes and whether of them he will preuaileth And therefore we that pretend to bee true Christians haue a peculiar promise to be defended and preserued by him and betweene him and vs is such a spirituall affinitie that if we adde vnto these outwarde things inwarde faith and faithfull prayer to him hee will so blesse our weapons and our proceedings against the enemie that we shall accōplish that admirable matter which hee hath promised vs to performe namely ten to chase an hundred and one hundred to put 10000. to flight The Israelites fighting with the Amalekites preuailed more by Moses prayer then Iosua and the souldiers did by battell Exo. 17. 11. The like did they against the Philistines by the prayer of Samuel 1. Sam. 7. 3. The prayer of the iust person auaileth much and therefore saith Dauid Cal vpon the Lord in the day of trouble and he shall heare thee and thou shalt glorifie him The eies of the Lord are ouer the righteous and his eares are open vnto their prayers Whereby wee may assure vs of his presence with vs in this daungerous Hoobub if we pray to him And for our further encouragement against this wicked nation he saith The Lord is against them that rise against his Prayer is a most