delictum c. August de de verbâ— dom Noli exstimare nemineÌ„ Deo placere posse Fortitudo quae per bella tuetur a barbaris patriam plena justitiae est Offici 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Surely this is to bring bloud upon their heads and to sin both against the Law and the Gospell It is not a sin as Austin saith to war but to abuse it Doe not thinke saith the same Father that a man cannot please God in warre for David was a warrior and God gave to him a great testimonie The force of war saith Ambrosius that maintaineth the country against bloudy and barbarous enemies defendeth the weake and such as are subiect to oppression delivereth the confederates that are in danger from the hand of the bloud-thirstie is full of righteousnes There be but two wayes saith Tully to decide matters eyther by dispute or armes and men must haue recourse to the latter when there is no place for the former Thucidides like a wise man pressing all meÌ„ to keepe the peace secludes not the lawfulnes of war if necessitic inforce it Good men saith he if necessitie inforce them change peace into war To conclude this point the Apostle willeth us to haue peace with all men but if it be possible where the Apostle implyeth that it is impossible to haue peace with some Rom. 12.1 Yea while the godly speake of peace their enemies prepare for war Lu. 22.36 Therefore wee must doe as the Apostles were commanded in another kind Sell our coates and by swords Or as Nehemiah Nehe. 4 14 17. in the same kind incouraged the people Fight for your brethren your sonnes and your daughters your wives and your houses yea it standeth us upon it to doe the worke with the one hand and with the other hold the sword CHAP. III. Of the Guide of Warre THus hauing shewed the incommodities of war and the equitie of it I come to the third last point of the treatise namely the ordering of warre This is the main point for the clearing whereof I haue with as much brevitie as I could handled the former two Here againe to Apologize my want of skill and to deprecate censure were to be iealous of the readers good will and to detract from my highest patronage To come then to the point In every warre there be two things especially to be observed That it be Iustum Iuste just in it selfe that is iustly vndertaken and it must be iustly and duely followed For the first we must first know what a iust war is The description of a iust war wich may be thus defined That which is undertaken for a iust cause by a competent person in place of Magistracie in a lawfull maÌ„ner against an externall or internall enemie following it orderly by the law of nature and nations having for the end Gods glory and our owne peace to the same effect as divines tell vs to a iust and lavvfull war three thinges are required A good cause a well ordered affection and a lawfull authoritie Or if yow wil for the better ordering of war by its proper lawes let vs observe three sorts of polemick lawes some concerneth the preparation some the battle it selfe and some the sequele or the event Some parts of the description apperatine to the first lawes some to the second and some to third The iust cause of war To come in order to the first there must be a iust cause which may briefly be exprest under the maintenance of religion or civill right eyther for our selves or our Christian confederates 〈◊〉 Thus was the warre of the Israelits against the Amalekits Exod. 17 So against the Midianites Numb 25.17 18. For they had hurt them both in their bodyes and in their soules A like good ground had Abraham for his war against the four Kings namely the rescuing of his nephevv Lot out of the hands of merciles bloudy enemies It is true indeed that Lot had no good ground for being there neyther is it thought that the King of Elam wanted iust cause to come against Sodome to represse rebells but howsoever they had nothing to doe with Lot by whom they were not wronged and this gaue Abraham just cause without further expostulation of Lots oversight to adventure his owne life and the life of his for the delivery of his friend And indeed as the cause was just he did but what he should haue done yea if he had not done it it had been both sin and shame to him Wilt thou not saith the Wise man preserue those that are led to be slaine Prov. 24.11 In the war injoyned by God to his people against the nations and in other warrs permitted occasionally they were alwayes to looke to the equitie of the cause as the main ground whereupon they were to go For God himselfe injoyneth nothing without a good ground The Romanes who had onely the light of nature to guide them in their procedings had alwayes respect to the ground of their vvar before they vvould undertake it Amongst many instances observe these tvvo The Campani who vvere nieghbours to the Romanes being invaded by the Samnites a mightie people desired ayd against them pressing them vvith many forcible arguments as from the lavv of proximitie or neighbour-hood of affinitie of ensuyng commoditie and finally from the Romans generous disposition but all these allegations not affording a sufficient ground this vvas all the Romanes did for the present they sent Embassadors to the Samnites desiring them to cease from vvar against their neighbours vvhich the Campanian deputies knovving to be lost labor they yeild themselves up as the right of the Romans vvith this speech If you thinke much to defend vs from the unjust invasion of a Tyranons enemy yet defend that which is your owne Vpon this voluntarie dedition Tit. Liv li. 7. Decad. the Senat undertooke the defence of them having a just title for the ground of the vvarre Another instance offers it selfe in that dispute between the wisest man and the best man in Rome namely Cato and Scipio Nassica Because the Carthaginians began to rig ships contrary to the articles of peace it was the judgement of Cato and others that warre should be denounced out of hand but Scipio was of another mind because he thought it was no sufficient ground for warre for they had yet sustained no damage but the Carthaginians had rather indammaged themselues in violating their faith they should rather be summoned to lay down their Armes to untackle their Ships and so to keep the peace Scipio his judgment was approved but the Carthaginians contemned the summons Whereupon the Senate and that upon just ground agreed all in one to take up Armes against them Other memorable examples are extant to this purpose Charles the 8 of France a yong King being instigated to take Arms against Francis Duke of Brittaine and â—o lay hold upon the Dutchy as his right
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
your heads and shame upon your enemies This course will break the heads of the Dragons of your sinns this will offer violence to heaven and as it were inforce God to answer this will be like an earthquake to your enemies it will sinke them it will swallow them up A pretty instance of this I remember from the confession of an arch-enemy of the Gospell namely Queen mother of Scotland who fighting against God and the erecting of his Kingdom confessed openly That she feared more the fasting and prayer of the man of God Iohn Knox and his Disciples then an Army of 20000 armed men As your neglect hath been great in this particular so the blemish of out Nation in neglecting and opposing this office is indeleble No Nation professing the Gospell but they haue publiquely been humbled in some measure we excepted we onely haue not set forth to help thus against the mighty which I thinke verily hath accursed all the rest of our helps that they are as Water spilt upon the ground It is true that the soules of Gods people haue been exceedingly humbled in secret for the afflictions of Ioseph and haue poured out their hearts in aboundance of sighes and teares for their miseries But what is this to the publique discharge Since I am fallen upon the point I cannot but with griefe obserue that this Nation hath been at such opposition and enemity with this duety that it is thought as dangerous a thing to undertake it as it was in Athens to make mention of the recovery of Salamis or as it was amongst the Iewes to speake in the name of Iesus What should be the cause of this I haue often wondred I am sure of this It is an evill sign of an evill cause yea a fearfull fore-runner and provoker of Gods long protracted wrath to fall upon us Not any finne of omission or commission hath a more fearfull threatning against it then this Witnesse the Prophet Esay Ch. 22.12.13.14 When God saith he called to weeping and mourning and to humiliation in the highest degree as the word importeth then behold saith he ioy and gladnesse slaying of Oxen and all the contraries by which they braved out God to his face But what followed A fearfull threatning Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till you dye saith the Lord of Hosts Whose eares should not tingle to heare this And whose heart should not tremble to thinke upon it And yet the best in this is too secure But since the duety is so called for and since it setteth such an edge on invocation it hath so prevailed against the enemies of Sion and the neglect of it is so severely threatned what may be the cause may some say that in a Christian Common wealth it should be thus neglected and withstood If you will haue my opinion in my judgement I conceiue these to be the Remoraes or break-necks of this duty First the universall plenty except the wants of the meaner for so long as there be Oxen and Sheep to kill and sweet wine enough so long no humiliation Ioel 1.13 When the meat offering and the drink-offering fayleth them then will the Priests saith the Lord by Ioel gird themselues in sackcloth and lament and houle A second let is the conceited glory of the Church the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord say they and that imgreat pompe and glory and what need we mourn It is an outside glury indeed but there is but a little glory within A third let is this men are so inslaved to sin and Satan and so vassalled to their own corruptions that they dare not incounter with their Maisters for whose service they haue bored their eares The fourth Remora is this the plants that are not of Gods planting know well that the use of humiliation would find out the causes of our evill amongst which themselues would be found to be the chief So that it is no wonder that they cannot endure to hear of humiliation But if men be thus fearfull to awake sleeping dogs and will hazard themselues and the Nation upon the point of Gods Pike what a fearfull plight shall they be in in that gloomy day that is like to come upon us wherein the Lord shall giue the Alarum May not Ahab condemne us in this Obliviscitur se Regem esse ubi Deum omniū Regem pertimescit purpuram abjicit c. And where shall we appeare when Ninivie sheweth it selfe Of whose King Ambrose giveth this pretty observation that he forgot himselfe to be a King when once his heart was smitten with the fear of the King of Kings hee casteth away his robes and beginneth by his repentance to be a King indeed for he lost not his command but changed it from the worse the better But to conclude the point oh that my counsell could please all those that I haue spoken to both Kings Ministers and people that we might be humbled as one man together and every man apart by himselfe and renting our hearts before the Lord never leaue importuning him nor let him goe till he were intreated If we would humble our selus the Lord would humble our enemies It is his Covenant Psal 81.13.14 Oh that my people had hearkened to me and walked in my waies I should soon haue subdued their enemies and turned my hand against their Adversaries Oh that wee were like Israel in the Iudges Chap. 20. who went to God the second time humbling themselues and offering burnt-offerings and peace offerings whereupon the Lord gaue their enemies into their hands So if we would humble our selues and kill our sinnes our enemies should quickly loose what they haue got and pay full deerly for all costs and damages But before I conclude the point take one caveat with the duty that it be performed with sincerity and singlenesse of heart for if it be done in hypocrisie or perfunctorily slighted over in the performance it provokes God and plagues the performer The Hollanders and French fast but without exprobation be it spoken they had need to send as God speaks for mourning women Ier. 19.17 that by their cunning they may be taught to mourn A soft heart sets well to a mournfull ditty where this is wanting there is no musick Humiliarion without reformation is a mockery of God and the undoing of a good cause The Lord tels us in the 58 chapter of Esay and the 7 of Zacharie how he abhorred the fasting of his people without reformation he giues a good reason in the fift and sixth verses They fasted not to the Lord but to themselues that is for their own ends as if men would serue their own turns with God and care not a whit how hee be served of them it were just with God to mock both them and us with shews of favours because we mock him with shews of service and amendment And surely if we look not to it in the humbling of
themselues against the disordered pursuers doth alter the case and killeth them right downe as conquered that ere while were the conquerors This change of fight by way of a proverbiall speech is called osculana pugna or a battle wherein they which before had the victory are now overcome as though victory with a kisse had saluted them and so forsaken them So it fell out with Pirrhus who having in a manner overcome Valerius Laevinus the Roman Commander was by him in the same battle by the recollection of forces overcome A notable instance of this Historians give in Q. Fulvius that noble Roman Commander who being overcome by Carus Generall of the Segadans and hauing lost six thowsand he observed the disordered pursute of the enemy out of his too too much pride and confidence as though there had bene no danger of re-encounter whereupon he commanded some troupes of Horse being laid to keepe the strayts to charge the disorderly purfuying enemie who presently-unhorsed killed the Generall Carus Appienus de bello Hispanie being in the front of the followers besides him they slew 6000 and pursued the victory till night Yet with this caution another extreme is to be avoided namely the slacking so of the pursuite that they loose more which they might haue then that which they obtayne is worth This neglect of Hanibal at the battle of Cannas lost Rome which would haue been the crowne indeed of the Charthaginian war had he according to the counsell of his friends flowne to the marke that is pursued the defeated and routed Romanes into the cittie he might haue taken the prey of which againe he had never so faire an offer neither doe I thinke though otherwise a great Commander that he could giue any good account of his neglect oâ—â—ely this generall might excuse him no man is wise at all times Nemâ— omnâ—â—â—s boris sapit Vincere scis Hâ—mbâ—l victorâ—a utinesâ—â— For this Barchab the Carthaginian gaue him this Motto to his ever lasting blemish thou canst overcome Haniball but thou canst not use the victory to thy best advantage The second observation is that they abstayne from spoyle till â—hey haue fully secured themselues Aviâ—itate praeâ—ae saepe exercuus victoriam camiserunt Hantbal Scotus Placentinus from any further re-attempt of the enemie some snatching at the prey before the victory insured haue often lost both prey victory Tacitus giveth an instance in the Germanes who onely out of their greedines of the prey were overthrowne by the Romanes at the battle of ‘ Lib. 1. Aunal Horminius Therefore Saxo Gramaticus giveth a good rule for this with †Auro spreto anrâ— dâ—mâ—nos in sequiminâ— contempt of gold it self pursue the pâ—ssessors of the gold Many examples there be of this kind let this one more suffice The Germans at the battle of Erlam in Hungarie Anno 1596 having thrice defeated the Turkes yet through untimely falling on the spoile were themselues defeated And so much for the insuring of the victory CHAP. XXXIX Of the true Vsofe Victory THus having shewed you as well as I can Fiue things to be observed in the true used of victory Acknowledge victory to be of God be thankfull for the sâ—me how to secure the victory I come now â—o the true use of the victory being thus secured The true use or good carriage of the victory consisteth in these fiue particulers Thankfulnesse to God moderation of themselues Câ—emencie toward the conquered Lawfull usage of the creatures and due respect to their owne souldiers Now to the first wherein there be two things to be noted First an acknowledgment of the victory to come of God and next to be thankfull to God for it For both those there be plentie of testimonies both in Goods booke and other writers the former of these two all men will easily acknowledge in word except they be Atheists but the neglect of the latter sheweth the former in the most to be but verbal for if men would acknowledge that victory were from God indeed they would never carry themselues so insolently in their victories against God as they doe But to come to some proofs First that all victories are of God Samuel speaking of the victories that David and his worthies obtayned 2. Sam. 23.10 Gen. 14.20 Iosuab 11.6 Exod. 15. Iudg. 5. and the Lord wrought a great victory that day God is said to giue AbrahaÌ„ the victory ouer his enemies So to giue Iosua his enemies into his hands So you may see in that song of Moses and in the song of Deborah As victory is of God so all the Saints of God haue attributed their victories to God thanked God for them as may appeare at large in the aforesaid songs Blessed be the most high God saith Melchizedeck to Ahraham which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand Moses after the victory obtayned over the Amalekits in token of his thankfullnes erecteth an Altar to the Lord which he calleth by the name of Iehovah is my banner Iâ—hovab Nissi Exo. 17.5 The Prophet David at Gods commandement having smitten the Philistins attributed all the power unto God for the victory giveth him all the prayse The Lord hath broken forth saith he upon mine enemies as the breach of many waters therefore he called the name of the place Baal Perazin where observe how he asâ—ribeth the victory wholly to the power of God and in token of his thankfulnes for the same obtayned he leaveth a monument thereof in the name of the place calling it Baal Perazin or the plain of division or broken assunder because he brake in upon them by the power of God like the inundation of waters To this purpose the 22 of the second of Sam is worth your reading The very heathens who were ignorant of the true God yet did acknowledge their victories to be of God and therefore laboured to intice from their enemies their tutelar gods to get them on their side that they might the easier ouercome them Of that mind were the Philistims in that battle against the Israelites when they perceived that the Ark of God was come into the Campe though he were not there himselfe yet were they exceedingly afraid and said God is come into the Camp and they said woe unto us 1 Sam. 4.6.7 who shall deliver us out of the hand of those mighty Gods c. They spake not this out of any true fear or yet out of any true knowledge that they had of God but onely they feared that the Gods of Israel for so they called the Ordinances would plague them as the Aegiptians were plagued by them but God in just wrath gaue his people into their hands which victory they attributed to their god Dagon and in token of their thankfulnesse they sacrificed the best of their spoiles to him namely the Arke of God which they had taken from the Israelites The Thracians though a warlike people yet
lastly Iovinian in elog illustrvir after the death of Lauderanus the Prince hee was chosen by sway of consent in his place One more of Matthias Hunniades the thundering son of a lightening father against the Turke who being cast in prison by Viadislaus King of Hungary and Bohemia was sent into Bohemia to be executed Vladislaus dyed of a poysoned apple as it was thought wherupon by the Hungarians partly affected with the merite of his father and hopes of his own valour against the Turke and partly by the labourious solliciting of his friends he was chosen King of Hungary whereof to giue notice they sent messengers with letters to Pogâ—brachius King of Bohemia with whom Matthias was prisoner which hee receiving at supper presently raised Matthias from below where he sate and set him aboue himselfe willing him not to be dismayed for hee had glad and happy tydings for him which after supper hee would reveale and so hee did saluting him King of Hungary and he gaue him Katherine his daughter to wife Where first obserue by the way how absolutely free an electiue power the Hungarians and Bohemians haue in the choyce of their King which the said Matthias in a great battell made Frederick the Emperour to know Secondly it sheweth how strangely it pleaseth God to exalt from the very graue to the thron for when he looked for nothing but every houre when he should haue lost his head he was made head of the people and had a Crown set on his head so that the saying of the Wise-man is made good out of the prison he commeth to raign Eccles 4.14 â— carcere hic ad aurea decore multo culmina transcendit wheras also he that is born in his Kingdom becommeth poore From prison some to golden State with glory great ascends If we look back upon the Romanes men without hope yet under such hope as they had did raise their states from hopelesse ruines to the highest pitch of worldly glory What strayt was Massinissa King of Numidia put to Who for his own right with sore wounds upon him was forced to swim a river having no followers but foure wherof two were drowned He lived in a Caue till his wounds were healed by hearbs and setting to his work again some forces being gathered to him he was encountred again by Siphax and by him overthrown so that of 6000 there escaped but 70 but at length by the help of the Romanes under the conduct of Scipio Africanus he was not onely restored to his own Kingdom but possessed also the Kingdom of Sâ—phax Valer. Max. for his fidelity to the Romanes who after lived in great prosperity and Maiesty having 50 sonnes he dyed of a good age namely 100 yeares After the battle of Cannas the hearts of the Romans were so shaken that despairing of recovery they consulted of the forsaking of Italy whereupon Publius Scipio a braue yong Noble drew his sword and sware he would kill the first man that refused to take the oath which he himselfe would take namely not to forsake the Common-wealth So that the rest for fear and partly for shame following him in the oath stood to it Front lib. â— cap. 6. till they had raysed their State to incomparable greatnesse It was a desperate part in Lucius Paulus the Consul at the battell of Cannas to reject a horse by Lentulus whereon he might haue escaped but he scorning to surviue victory sate him down being wounded on a stone till the enemy came upon him and slew him But Varro his Colleague was of another heart and shewed greater constancie of hope in reserving his life to further service for his Country Idem for which the Senate thanked him much that he did not despaire of the Common-wealth I will conclude the point with one instance not unworthy our memory namely of Robert le Bruise King of Scots whose strayts were as many and case as desperate and calamities as great as any I reade of his wife led captiue his foure brothers all worthy men put to death his whole friends and family partly slain and partly spoyled of all they had and made the subject of calamity himselfe deprived of great inheritance yea of a Crown and Kingdom and forced sometimes with one and sometime by himselfe to liue like a wilde man in the Mountains amongst the beasts and whatsoever he attempted for a long time miscarryed yet in all his misery and penury he sustayned himselfe with hope and as he did not doubt but one day he should be King indeed So in all his distresse he did or spake nothing unworthy of a King He put not hand to himselfe with Marcus Brutus or Cato he cryed not with Casar when his Companies and dearest and neerest were lost His happy successe in the end did answer his noble and hopefull expectation for he was not so low but God exalted him as high When once he rose all went with him victory and glory did still attend him he was happy in his Issue in his friends in his subjects in the esteem of all Nations and most of all in his temperance equity and freedome from revenge In the time of his prosperity for his providence and care in peace and valorous magnanimitie in warre he might well be called the father of the country yea I thinke verilie and am able to maintaine it that if he be compared with the best Kings that wee read of in histories he shall cary the laurell from them all The illustrious Hamilton enioyeth to this day the honour and inheritance conferred upon his ancestor being an Englishman by that mirror of Princes the glorie of whose Majestie he maintained both by word sword in the court of Edward the 2 where he killd one of the Spencers for his contumelious opposing of King Robert his due deserved praise As I desire of God that Kings now living would pick a patterne out of him so my soules desire is out of my loue to that magnanimious Prince of the forefaid familie that he would remember whence he is fallen and return to doe his first works yea that he may never giue his soule rest till he wash out with teares the stain of his unadvised service against Sion If all these will not serve to establish then take one for all from the booke of God when good Mordecai was upon the verie pinnacle of Hamans contempt just over the gulfe of imminent and inevitable death his hope maintained him still and made him stay by it at the Kings gate in despite of Haman the issue was answerable above expectation for he was taken out of the lowest pit carried on the wings of the highest honor but Haman his cruell enemie was throwen from the cloudie sphere of his swelling pride into the bottomles pit of shame and confusion so let all the enemies of God secret or open perish and let the horn of those that love Sion be exalted The fourth ground
and the removing of the plagues of the Common wealth and expulsion of the Canaanites I fear our Parliamentary hopes proue the failing of our hearts or at the best they be but like odors they refresh a little but they doe not feed Therefore let me not be thought too bold in intreating your Maiesties and all the sonnes of hope again and again to make sure this loue unto you and that not onely for the eternall good of you and yours but even for the glory of God for the weale you wish to Zion for the hatred you beare to Gods enemies and for your desire of Babels fall get but the first and all the rest will follow a sure evidence wherof is newnesse of nature and life If any man be in Christ he is a new creature 2. Cor. 5.17 then be renewed in the spirit of your mind and get a new soule new body new apparell new armour new language a new house and all new and without doubt for old injuries and contumelies you shall haue new words of courage with meanes unlooked for to redresse your wrongs For the rayling of the vile and wicked you shall haue the new praises of the Saints for your old fail-friends you shall haue such new ones as will never faile you And lastly for your old defeats and overthrows you shall triumph in new victories so be you new and all the old things shall passe away yea all things shall become new The Lord will not doe his own that good they desire untill hee make them good because if hee should they should get no good but hurt by it The Lord tels Iuda that they should bear the punishment of their iniquity but why That they may goe no more astray from me saith the Lord neither be polluted any more with their transgressions but that they may be my people Eze. 14.10 â—â— and I may be their God I cite the place because it is worth your observing I presume to presse this petition upon your Majesties because I take you to be of the generous mind of Augustus who loved plainnesse so well Senec. lib. 6 de Benef. cap. 30. that he much lamented the death of his servant Barus who would ever tell the Emperour his Master the truth A rare Iewell indeed and a truely princely mind that made so much of him It was a good saying of Hierome of Sicilie that none that spake freely to him did importune him or was unseasonable to him So I hope this free and plain speech concerning so good and necessary a duty will not be unwelcome to your Highnesses The last point of the conquereds carriage Action with all the former necessary consisteth in action patience without hope is apoplectick and hope without action paralitick Charles the wise came rather to the ruines of an estate then to the state of a Kingdom yet under hope he so laboured and that with good and happy successe that he repaired his ruines beyond all expectation so that for his wisedome and industry hee might wel be called the restorer of the Country The like industry wee may see in Francis In his captivity hee carryed himselfe prince-like and patiently yet he neglected not the working out of his deliverance and that upon good terms wherat that old Fox the Chancellour of Spain was much offended insomuch that he would not seale to the conditions The like I might instance in David who in the very depth of his troubles never ceased with prayer to use the secondary means untill at last he saw that which he hoped for namely the goodnesse of God in the land of the living Nothing is too hard for labour for it overcommeth every thing and without it we haue no promise of good successe One Industriaâ—â— adjubat Deus Spes bona absque labore nihil utile parit Stob. Sâ—â— 119. One saith well God helpeth industry That which the Heathens fondly said of fortune because they knew no better may fitly be said of God when we pray to God let us put to our hand Socrates had wont to say As a woman cannot conceiue without a man so the best hope can bring forth no good without labour It is true indeed that the Psalmist saith If Iehovah build not the house in vain doe the builders thereof labour therin if Iehovah keep not the Citie Is 127.1.2 in vain doth the keeper watch But it is as true by the Text that we must both watch and build else God will not watch over us nor build for us Democritus was asked by one what an industrious man did differ from a sluggard he answered as much as the godly differ from the ungodly namely in hope intimating thereby that Sluggards can haue no hope because they will not labour Then once againe gracious Sir fix your hope to hope add diligence abandon sloath cashier trifles and Triflers as unworthy of your person and unfit your estate and condition be either doing or devising things worthy of a King for you haue many lookers on as industry is good for the body and good for the soule so negligence is naught for both standing water is quickly corrupt especially in an evill aire In a word as diligence overcommeth all so lazinesse undoeth all As the sweet Rose groweth out of the sharpe prickes so shall sweetest fruits grow out of your bitter labours It was a good resolution of that King and a fit president for the wise to follow If he overcame he carryed himselfe as though the next day he might be overcome but if hee were overcome hee set himselfe to it againe in hope for to overcome Is seu victor erat tum crastina bella timebat Is seu victus erat tum crastina bella parabat Cast your eyes upon the indefatigable labours of the Worthies as on David Iosiah Iosua and others as Vespasitian Charles the Great Maximilian together with their happy successe and they shall lead you on both to the like labours and like successe Feare not nor faint not but continue to the end and without doubt you shall see your desire upon your enemies to your glory and their shame All that loues Zion would gladly see our Parliament in this predicament of action all predicaments without this are no better then bare predicables or secundary notions if men must be doing even when they are almost undone it is supine negligence for men not to doe to keep themselues and theirs yea and the whole State from being undone It is easier indeed as a father saith to say then to doe Dicere quidem est ficde agere autem difficile Chrisost homil 2 ad Thess Sermo ab actione remotus res imperfecta Nâ—ziens de Basil Magorat 20. Ad agendioÌ„ nati lib. â—â— de finiâ— but as another saith saying without doing is but a lame yea a lost labour and therfore he commends highly Basil the Great that hee was ever as furtherly with his work as with his word