The Trumpet of VVarre A Sermon preached at Paules Crosse the seuenth of Maie 1598. By M. Steph. Gosson Parson of Great Wigborow in Essex STANTIA LABORâ—â— ET Printed at London by V. S. for I. O. dwelling in Paules churchyard at the signe of the Parot To the most reuerend Father in God Richard Bishop of London my verie good Lord health and happinesse heere and in the world to come RIght reuerend my verie good Lord euerie diuine knowes that there is a store-house in the Church of God into which euerie good christian brings some affliction suffered or some trauell vndertaken for Gods sake And although that from Abel to Christ and from Christ Iesus to this present day there haue beene many prizes of both sorts carried into this treasurie yet will it not be full before the ende of the world vntill which time neither the teares nor the trauels of the Church are like to cease Therfore seeing it hath pleased God of his goodnesse to make mee a little Naile in his Temple to hang some part of his seruice vppon and hath from time to time affoorded me a place among many learned men called out from their studies in the Vniuersities or from their particular charges in the country to the publike seruice of the church at Paules Crosse where euerie man bestirres him like a Bee to carrie waxe and honny to the hiue and euerie man is profitable in his paines I haue brought in these labours to the church fitted as well as I could both to the time wherin we liue and to that honourable assemblie to which I spake And because S Augustine confesses that when he beholdes men carried away with a loue of this present world he cannot tel how wisdome should come in season to do them any good in that people blowen vp with prosperitie despise all that is saide vnto them finding a great parte of the ancient glorie of this kingdome blasted with the breath of schisme and with an expectation of warres and troubles and espying also with the Prophet Ieremie that there is no taking the wilde Asse in the wildernesse before she be with foale I haue slept in in such a time as wisedom may happely come in season The matters I intreated of are great and I am little but God which when he was great became little to preach vnto the world hath assisted me and what I haue deliuered men shall best see to be true when reading and preaching shall be remooued the cloude of this bodie rent in peeces and wee with purified and glorified bodies shall looke vppon the Lorde I knowe that whilst wee liue here below as preaching is compared in the Reuelation vnto thunder so it is like it in the cause and effects of thunder Thunder proceedes from a vapor lifted vp from the earth and compassed with a colde cloude in the motion and agitation it catcheth fire which breaketh out presently where the cloude is thinnest and being out sometime it strikes the bodie of a man and not the cloathes sometime the cloathes and not the bodie Preaching proceedes from the meditation of the heart lifted vp from earth to heauen cold flesh is the cloud that keeps it in in the motion and agitation of the minde it catches fire while I missed saith Dauid the fire kindled being streightned within vs it striues to vente it selfe and breakes out at the lippes of the preacher where the cloude is thinnest and being forth somtime it strikes the princes of the earth and not the people that stand about them sometime againe it hittes and mooues the poore people and not the Potentates When these arrowes of the almightie flie abroade a preacher must not be dismaide to see them glaunce in the going for they sticke not euerie where Nay it falleth out sometimes that the hearers deale with vs as Saul did with Dauid who threw a speare at him when he plaide vppon his harpe to charme the eiull spirite that was in Saul Of which action it was wittily deuised and written by him that cutte the whole Historie of Dauid for the King of Spaine and sette it out in pictures Dura est mens hominis ac sancto ingrata labori The heart of man is harde and vnkinde to holie labours I speake not this in respect of any crooked measure laide vnto my trauailes for then I should detract from that religious auditorie which gaue me gracious hearing acceptance the glory shal be Gods which wrought it in their hearts and I trust their answeres a rewarde to them in heauen for the heede and regard they gaue vnto me And that my sermon might remaine somewhat longer with them then the time wherein it was deliuered I haue at the request of my friendes put it foorth in print to the view of all dedicating it vnto your Lo. partelie to submit it to your L. graue and learned censure and to the censure of the Church of England according to the rule of the holie ghost which will haue the spirits of the Prophets subiect to the Prophets which course if euerie man could be content in humilitie to take the controuersies of our church would quikly be composed partly to giue some publike testimonie of my thankeful heart and dutifull affection to your Lordshippe which hath enabled me to do some good in the church of God in some inferiour seruices therof according to the talent bestowed vppon me Thus humblie beseeching God which is the beginning and the ende of all things to giue peace to his church and to our country and to blesse and continue your honourable labors in them both and to crowne them in heauen when your race is runne I humbly take my leaue Your Lordships most humble seruant Stephan Gosson The Trumpet of VVarre The Text. 2. Chro. 20. vers 20 And when they arose early in the morning they went foorth to the Wildernesse of Tekoa and as they departed Iehossaphat stood said Heare ye me O Iudah and ye inhabitants of Hierusalem putte your trust in the Lord your God and ye shalbe assured beleeue his Prophets and ye shal prosper IT is a wonder Right honourable to sée the base feare of man the people of God may somtime be cast into when they heare the enimy is in arms or approacheth the Land or hath taken some fort to intercept the passages and annoy the land It was Asa his case king of Iuda when Baasa King of Israel was come to Rama and had fortified there in such sort that hee stopt the passages of Asa his kingdome and none coulde safelie gette in or out This did cast Asa into a feare and Hananie the prophet reproued him for it 2 Chro. 16 7. Indèede as Hambal neuer sawe Fabius appeare vppon the mountaines but he likened him to a cloud that threatned raine So when the enemie is possessed of places of aduantage it is humane wisedome to reckon vppon a storme but if hee bee Gods enemie it is humane weakenesse to stande in
power is finite and Gods power is infinite Psalme 89. O Lorde of hoastes who is like vnto thee which art a mightie Lorde Dauid acknowledges him to haue such a power as cannot bee matched Ephesians 1. 19. Paul desires God te lighten the eyes of their vnderstanding that they may knowe what the exceeding greatnesse of his power is towardes them that beleeue In Arithmetike set one against tenne ten against a hundred a hundred against a thousand a thousand against tenne thousand although there be great oddes yet there is some comparison but if you could set downe an infinite number then there could be no comparison at all because the one is finite the other infinite so is it betwéene the power of God and man sette all the Princes of the earth in opposition against God they shall neuer bee able to withstand him Pompey was wont to say that with one stampe of his foote hee could haue all Italy in armes God may say that with one stampe of his foote hee can ouerthrow all Italy and all the worlde beside when it is in armes Psal 68. 1. Let God but arise his enemies shall bee scattered and they that hate him shall flie before him God is said Psa 149. to bind kings in chaines and their nobles in fetters of iron if he once fal into fettring of princes it shal be done so sure that no flesh shal be able to knock off their bolts again Pâ— 147. God is reported to make fast the bars of your gates If he once make the barres of your gates fast trust to it they shall be so fast y â— no preparation of the inuader shall breake them open We haue thrée rules in Philosophie that will make this plaine vnto you The first is that where there be two agents a superiour and an inferiour the inferiour can neuer ouercome the superiour because the superiour is more actiue Wée say in Philosophie that that is most actiue which is most seperated from earthly parts most eleuated à materia The phisition distilles his simples into waters hee makes his extractions and quintessences that the more they bee eleuated à materia they might be the more actiue and worke the better Water is stronger then earth because it is more actiue and more eleuated à materia Fire is stronger then water because it is yet more actiue and eleuated à materia You shall finde it in the sacrifice of the Prophet where the fire lickt vp the water burnt the wood and consumed the sacrifice Angelles are stronger then men because they are much more eleuated à materia God is stronger then the Angelles because hee is most eleuated hée is aboue earth aboue water aboue ayre aboue fire aboue men aboue Angels aboue all and ouer all Actus purus so ful of actiuitie that none is able to inflict any passion vpon him The second rule is that variante materia forma manet eadem according to the change alteration of your diet according to the variation of the ayre wherin you liue your blood your humors your bodies your complexions doe change and alter but your soule is the same still A mans ennemie may cutte off a péece of his bodye a legge or an arme but hee cannot cutte off a péece of his soule Looke what the soule is to the bodie that is God vnto his church all the prophets and apostles thousands of holy and learned bishops and preachers haue béene cutte off some by persecution some by naturall death yet religion stands and the Church stands to this day which is a signe that it is maintained by such a forme as can not varie Séeing then that all worldly things be transitorie men vary the times varie the pollicies of warre varie the weapons varie the squares and orders of fight vary the places of aduantage and disaduantage varie it is best trusting to such an obiect as cannot varie such a one is God that hath esse quoddam magnum such a great and inuariable essence that a man safely say vnto him Pone me iuxta te manus cuiusuis pugnet contra me Lord set me by thee then let euery hand fight against me I feare no variation The third rule is this Animalia multa aguÌ„t patiuntur per phantasiam liuing creatures here beneath doe many things and suffer many things by reason of their apprehension of their obiect The sheep at the first sight of the wolfe apprehends him for a terrible obiect and naturally feares flies him the lion quite contrary appreheÌ„ds no terror in the wolfe at all but passes by him and by all the beastes of the forrest with an honourable scorne and disdaine of all About mans apprehension of feare or courage the situation of his eie either maketh all or marreth all When you stand here below vpon the ground and looke vp to the top of Paules they that stand vpon the stéeple appéere small of stature to you although they be tall great and they that are next to you séeme great by reason of the distance of the one and the néerenesse of the other but if you stood vpoÌ„ the top of Paules and looked downe then they that are aboue woulde séeme great and they that are beneath woulde séeme little So is it with men in the time of trouble if their eyes be fastned vpon the earth their enemies wil appeare vnto them to be great and mightie and God which is so high will appeare little Neuerthelesse if their eyes be in heauen as Iehoshaphats eyes were 2. Chro. 20. 12. Our eyes are towardes thee and looke downe from thence vppon their enemies God will appeare strong and mightie and the enemie weake and withered I will giue you thrée instances of it in the scriptures Numbers 13. Espialles were sent out to discouer the land of Promise some of them hadde a shéepes eye they no sooner sawe the great stature of the Inhabitaunts all Giants or Giants fellowes the high wals of their citties reaching vp to heauen but they were afraide they tooke the people to be inuincible the towns impregnable Caleb quite contrarie hauing his eie in heauen vppon Gods power and promise and looking downe thence vpon the people and the Cities apprehended no terror in them at al let vs go vp saith he without doubt we shall ouercome them Caleb had a Lions eye he passed by the people and their Cities with an honorable scorne of all 2. King 7. Samaria was in great distresse a mighty enemie befor it a sore famine within it there was a noble man vppon whome the king leaned that had so base an eye that looking vppon the present miseries hée tooke them to bee greater then God he perswaded himselfe that although God should raine vittailes out of heauen the famine could not be speedily remooued But Eâ—â—â—a had his eyes in heauen and looking downe from thence dispised the present calamities in respect of the present helpe and hand of God that by next
I passe along and let in the true The first of them is infidelitie the second is the reuenge of the iniuries done vnto God by the sinne of Idolatrie because Deut. 2. 34. the children of Israe warre vppon Sehon king of Hesbon an Idolater they destroy his people and take his citties And Deut. 13. 13. this title séemes to be expressed God chargeth his people that when they shall heare anie hath gone out from among them and drawen other to the worship of strange gods they shall destroy the inhabitantes of that cittie and race the cittie The third is supreame authority in things teÌ„porall They that holde this opinion imagine the heathen not to be Lordes of their owne lands but either the Emperor or the Pope The fourth is vnaptnesse to gouerne because the heathen are barbarous and vnfit to gouerne and the lawe of Nature willes that such shoulde bée ruled by wiser than themselues Aristotle saith that warre vndertaken against such is iust and lawfull bicause it is attempted against those that are borne to obey and will not This title is vphelde by Maior 2. d. 44. and by Sepulpeda 7. polit cap. 3. They are all foure false and erroneous the two first because God hath not giuen euery man authoritie to reuenge the iniurie done to him but saith Mihi vindicta ego rependam Neither is it expedient for the race of man that it should be so for by this meanes the garboiles and troubles of the earth would be so great that Gods iniuries woulde rather bée wultiplied than auoided And séeing this cannot be demonstrated Idolaters might lawfully betake themselues to armes in their own defence wherby warre should be iust on both sides which is vnpossible As in things naturall Simile non agit contra simile Fire doeth not fight with fire but fire against water one contrary struggles with an other so in things morall â—nnocens non agit contra innocentem The innocent striues not with the innocent but the innocent with the offender and the offender with the innocent the warre can be iust but of one side As for the instance of the wars of Gods people vpon Idolaters diuers titles haue bin sifted and soght out by diuers authors to iustifie them of which I will yeeld you but two both discouered in the scriptures The one is Gods donation Psal 105. 44. He gaue them the lands of the heathen they tooke the labours of the people in possession Iphtah pleades this title against the king of the Ammonites Iudg. 11. 24 Wouldest not thou possesse that which Chemosh thy God giueth thée to possesse So whomsoeuer the Lorde our God driueth out before vs them will wee possesse The other is the wrong first done vnto Israell in their passage as they went out of Egypt for which God gaue Sihon and his people into the handes of Israel and they possessed their landes 27 verse of the same chapter The third title is as false as the former in that all the kinges of the earth doe holde their crownes of GOD that â—aith Per me Reges regnant by me Kinges rule and Princes decree Justice in their landes and dominions temporall neither Pope nor Emperour haue any thing to do And Caietan auoucheth that to giue any such right to Pope or Emperour is to take away the distinction of iurisdictions and to bring in a confusion into the world Last of all how vntrue and erronious the fourth title is may easilie appeare in that many pagans and infidels are more ingenious politike and apt to gouerne then many christiaÌ„s Neither is it inough to iustifie the warre that the people vpon whome the warre is made are inferiour in witte vnto the warriour except they be so poore that they liue like bruite beastes or feede vppon humane flesh In which case peraduenture it may bee lawfull to inuade them not to kill them as the Spaniardes did the naked Indians but to bring them in order to liue like men Aristotle holdes this to bee lawfull when such people differ as farre from men as the bodie differs from the Soule Yet is this either seldome or neuer to bee admitted except vpon some occasion of innocents or wrong and the warre rather reuoked to a defensiue then an offensiue warre The false titles excluded there remaines but one iust in generall that is Necessitie Nullum bellum iustum nisi necessarium It may be iust and necessarie twoo wayes the one is in defence of the innocent the other is in reuenge of iniuries In defence of the innocent because God hath giuen all the kingdomes of the earth to his sonne Christ Jesus Ps 2. Princes are exhorted to kisse the sonne of God least he be angrie and they perish In another place of the Psalmes Princes are commanded to set open their gates that the king of glorie may come in Therefore if either Turke or Pope or Idelatrous Princes force the law of Mahomet or Idolatrie vpon their poople when they are desirous to embrace the Gospel the Gospel may then bee bronght in by armes but if the Turke or Pope or Idolatrous Princes beguile their people and their people willingly entertaine a false religion there is no violence offered and Vbi non est vis non habet locum defensio where no violence is offered defence can take no place On the contrarie if the Turk Pope or Idolatrous Princes conspire to driue out the Gospel from those Christian kingdomes where it is preached Non est simile ius The case is not alike to banish the Gospel is to do an iniurie The iniuries that may make warre to be iust and lawfull are of diuers sortes Either when one Prince withholdes that which is anothers or when iura gentium the lawes of nations or passages are denied Deut. 25. 17. When Ameleâ— had vexed the Israelites as they went out of Egypt and smote the hindmost of them God commanded them to reuenge it and to roote out the remembraunce of Amelec from vnder heauen Moreouer if the fame and honour of a Prince be hurt or disgrace and indignitie offered to his embassadours warre may lowfully be waged to reuenge it 2. Sam. 10 Uppon the like wrong doone to Dauids Messengers sent to the King of Ammon when their cloathes were cutte and their beardes shaued Dauid reuenged it by armes Yea it is sufficient if iniurie bée done to a Princes friend Gen. 14. Iniurie was done to Lot in surprising him and Abraham rescued him by sword 1. Macha 11. 27. Demetrius promiseth succor to Ionathan against them that kept the Castle of Hierusalem and commaunded the forts that annoyed the Jewes Ionathan reciprocally sent a supplie of thrée thousand braue souldiers to Demetrius when his owue companies had forsaken him The reason of it is this Amicus est alter idem Wrong done to a princes friend is done vnto himselfe but this caution must be added that is that he that standes in néede of succour doe
heigth the beautie the strength the riches the happinesse and the safety that accompanies religion but fewe or none willing to tast of the basenesse the deformitie the weaknesse the pouertie the miserie and the daunger that waites vpon religion Many deale with vs as Demas did with Paule that forsook Paule and be tooke himselfe to the present world The fift reason is the combat of contraries when fier and water méet you shal heare a ratling and hissing in the water which procéedes from the encounter of two contraries the one striuing to destroy the other The end of Gods word is to reforme mans iudgement and his life Gods worde is true but Omnis homo mendax Euery man is a lyar his iudgement erroneous and his life erroneous When truth and falshood the word of god and the word of man doe méet there begins the conflict the one striues to destroy the other Gods word is a fier mens affections are water when fier and water ioine they begin to rattle and bisse one at another Paint a fier vpon a péece of cloth and cast that into the water you shall heare no hissing at all because it is no true fier Paule preaching at Ephesus against their idols hee scatterd true fier among them Demetrius startles at it and stirres vppe sedition among the people there the contrarie roares and rattles in comes the Towne-clarke with the magnificence of Diana a false fier a counterfait fier there is no contradiction to him at all It is the very case oftentimes if the preacher come to you with a painted fire and stroake your spléene and tell you that all is well because you are predestinate you shall goe to Heauen sleeping as men carried in a Coatch without any action or motion of your owne we shall neuer be gainsaide But come to you with a true fire and tell you you muste worke out your saluation with feare and trembling you beginne to murmur because you are contrarie vnto vs. The word in vs labours to destroy sin in you sin in you labours to destroy the word in vs and thus we become despised These fiue reasons are on your part The next is on our part and it is drawne from generation Preaching is an acte of generation it begettes faith Among other things in the talke of Esdr as with God 2. Esd 5. 49. Gods tels him that in generation Infans non parit ea quae sunt senum a childe cannot performe that which a man performes Therfore Paul would not haue a preacher to be a yong scholler A great part of y e troubles of the church of England hath sprung out of gréene heads that haue much busied theÌ„selues about the state of bishops these are yong cockerels that haue learned only to clap their féeblewings to crow vpon the roost in time of peace but when religioÌ„ is in danger they dare not come into the cockpit to trie masteries for religion as M. Iewel and many other good bishops haue done that are gone to God As preaching is an act of generation that requires growth so it is an exercise of artilery that requireth strength and knowledge The souls of men are the fairest marks that can be shotte at and we must do as archers do The archer first takes a viewe of his marke then considers the distance of the ground after that he carries his eye ouer all the shafts in his quiuer he pulles out and puts in one after another vntill hee haue made choyse of his arrow then hee prooues it with his finger and iudges by his eare whether it bee drie and fitte to flie vnto the marke then he markes how the winde sittes to helpe him or to hinder him when he hath put his arrow into the bow and begunne to draw if there come a guske of contradiction in his way he hath the discretion to pawse and to beare with it vntill it haue spent it selfe when the blast is ouer he settes his foote to the grounde lies close to his bowe drawes his arrow vp to the head and sticks it vp to the feathers Either want of yeares for the act of generation or want of growth to draw the bowe of the Prophets and Apostles want also of skill to shoote and care to shoote when wee haue taken our aime makes vs many times to misse the marke and so we become despised The seuenth and last reason is on Gods part and this is fearefull When God is determined to destroy a people he makes their harts fat and their eares heauie and they become carelesse of the word of God It was it that the Prophets noted in Amaâ—aâ— By this I know saith he that God is determined to destroy thée Quia non acquieuisti consilio meo Because thou hast not followed my councell I pray you thinke vpon it in this opposition of yours against the Church of England it is verie ominous a feareful signe that God is determined to destroy you Quia non acquieuistis consilio nostro Because you haue bin taught the trueth euer since the beginning of the blessed raigne of her maiestie and you haue not hearkened vnto our counsell Lette vs yet obtaine the credit at your hands which you ought to yéeld vs and you shall see what wilfoow of it euen this consequent which he Iehoshaphat speaketh of You shall prosper The second consequent Prosperity THis may séeme strange that Iehoshaphat in this busie time of warre drawes the people to haue regarde vnto the Prophets with an expectation of prosperitie at such times men commonly dare not giue any countenance to the prophets for feare of the trouble that is annexed to religioÌ„ This is to exhort the faithful to build vpon the sand A man would think hee should rather haue mooued theÌ„ to prepare themselues vnto temptation as Saint Iames doth or for trouble as our Sauiour Christ doeth pressuram habebitis you shall haue trouble or to look for persecution as Paul doth He that wil liue godly saith he must suffer prsecution Of which kind of spéech Saint Augustine saith Qui hoc loquitur confortat infirmum vt non cum ille crediderit prospera huius saeculi speret Si autem doctus fuerit prospera huius saeculi spcrare ipsa prosperitate corrumpitur superuenientibus aduersitatibus sauciatur aut fortassis extinguitur Hee that speaketh this speaketh not this to the end that a man when hee hath beléeued shoulde looke for the prosperitie of this worlde for if hee bee taught so to doe prosperitie it selfe corrupteth him and when aduersitie commeth either it woundeth him verie sore or dispatcheth him outright A Preacher of the worde of GOD builds not vpon the rock wheÌ„ he builds so but vpon the sand and when the raine falleth the wind blows and the waues of aduersitie beat vpon his worke the fall of his house is great But if ye looke well into the scriptures you shal finde that according to the difference of times and of the affections