be Schaddai that is to say omnisufficiente and strong ynough of himselfe and needeth not the helpe of any creature with whome as the Angell saith nothing is impossible Yet for the greater comfort of his Church hee vseth the industrie of his souldiors in this expidition against the deuyll and leuieth a great mightie armie partlie consisting of pure chaste Angelles who are named in the holie scripture flaming spirites horses and charets of fire who pitch their campe round about the godlie and are appointed to bee ministring spirites sent forth to minister for their sakes vvho shal be hcyres of saluation Of whome the number is almost infynite that mans infyrme nature is not able to comprehend the same Here vnto he adioyneth a great company of vertuous and faithfull men and women picked and chosen out of all callings vocations Which supplie hee vseth not to strengthen him selfe as though he were eyther weake or vnwarlyke but such is his gratious wyll tender kindnesse toward his seruants that he vouchsafeth in some sort to communicate and impart his glorie with his faythfull seruytors and souldiors And fyrst concerning Angelles they are all seruing spirites For their sakes who shal be heyres of saluation For so long as this worlde shall endure Angelles serue and attende in the Church mylitaunt which notwithstanding is not the ende of theyr nature but an office or function temporall for after the generall Iudgement when the Church of God shall obtaine perfit victorie they shall triumphe with the electe euerlastinglie Touching theyr number the Prophete Daniell speaketh after this manner Thousande thousandes ministred vnto him and ten thousande thousandes stoode before him Of the battayle of the Lord of Hostes and his Angelles and of their victorie wee maye reade more in the Reuelation Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon and the Dragon fought and his Angelles but they preuailed not neither was their place founde any more in heauen And the great Dragon that olde serpent called the deuyll and sathan was caste out which deceyueth the whole worlde hee was euen cast into the earth and his angelles were caste out with him Then I heard a lowde voice saying Now is saluation in heauen and strength and the power of our God the kingdom of his Christ for the the accuser of our brethren is cast downe vvhich accused them before our God day and night But they ouercame him by the blood of the LaÌ„be and the worde of their testimonie This Michaell whome the holie ghost in this place maketh the Captaine of the battayle is the sonne of God euen our Lorde Iesus Christe as we maye both by the Prophete Daniell and by the etymologie of the worde easily gather For Michaell is asmuche to saye as vvho is lyke God The Angelles therefore folowing the ensigne and Auncient of Michaell that is to saye of the Lorde of Hostes are celestiall powers and spyrites The manner and order of their seruice is noted in manie places of Gods word But in my iudgement are most effectually collected and set downe in one place by the Prophet Dauid First he sayth That they garde and keepe all the faythfull That is that they kéepe watche and warde in housholdes commonwealths and Churche who as they neuer sleepe themselues so doo they awake those that sléepe when daungers are immynent and at hande for so they raysed vppe Peter and brought him out of prison These kéepers and watchmen neuer departe out of that roume wherin God hath placed them vnlesse is be by his especiall commaundement Some of them therefore are alwaies in all present with vs when we pray when we sing Psalmes when we either héere sermons publickly or priuatly réede the holy scriptures when we eate drinke and fleepe they then fight for vs and defende vs from all firie dartes which the worlde and deuill with greate malice caste and throwe against vs Beholde the great loue of our Emprour Captaine Emanuell towarde his Church in that he vouchsafeth to appoynt some of his heauenlie souldiers to wayte vppon it vnto whome he geueth a singular and an especiall charge that they kéepe vs warely in all our wayes We shall the better perceyue this benefite if we open it with asimilitude There is no worldlie man but hee would accoumpt it a greate signe of loue and an argument of safetie if a worldlye Prince should appoint him a sufficient number of his Garde to wayte attende vpon him daye and night that no misfortune might betide him But there is no comparison betweene this heauenlie Prince and earthly Princes nor betweene their garde consisting of weake men and this of strong Angels appointed to vs by our Captaine in Baptisme to watch and wayte vppon vs both night daye in water and fyre by sea and lande in all our lyfe and at the howre of death Secondlie the Angels beare and cary godly men about in their armes Beholde herein the rage and furie of the deuyll who in euery place layeth shares and stumbling blocks for mennes féete wherby many fall and hurt themselues euen vppon plaine grounde breaking theyr armes and thighes yea and some tymes their neckes The lyuing Lorde and mercifull God therefore minding to preuent these mischiefes commaundeth his holie Angelles to beare vs in their armes and to carrie vs from place to place that we maye doo the workes of our voration Beholde I saye euen as the Mother with an especiall delyght and pleasure taketh her young chylde wrapped in swathlyng clothes and lying in the Cradle and beareth it in her armes with many kysses vntyll the Chylde be wearie and then shee layeth it downe againe in the Cradle Euen so the Angelles euerie morning doo lyft vs out of our beddes and beare vs about all daye long in their armes that wee maye exercise our selues in the worke of our vocation and in the euening when we are wearie they bring vs to our beddes and refresh vs with many long dayes and yeares and in the ende carrie our soules in their armes with incredible ioye into Abrahams bosome where wee shall beholde the cheerefull countenaunce of God eternally The thyrd kinde of seruice of Angels expressed in that Psalme of Dauid Is that they shall put and submytte euyll beastes and venemous serpentes vnder godly mens feete without any harme as Lyons Leopardes Lyons whelpes Cokatrices and Dragons that is to saye all sortes of Tyrauntes and herytiques vppon whome good Fathers in ther families Schoolemaisters in their Schholes Ministers in their Churches and Princes in theyr Realmes do tread subdue So Iohn the Euangelist with his prayer and preaching trode vpon Cerinthus that Leoparde So was Arius that Cockatrice stamped downe with the seete of Alexander Bishoppe of Constantinople So Polycarpus Iohn the Euangelists scholler Bishoppe of Smyrneus trode vpon that Dragon Marcion And finallye so Constantine surâ—â—â—â—â—â— the great trode vpon and with warlike sworde
suppressed those sauadge cruell Beastes Maximiamis Maxencius and Liciuius his Cosyn when they begonne with fyre and sworde to persecute and afflict the Christians There serue also vnder our heauenly Captaine in this armie godly and â—ertuous men of euery vocation calling And amongst this number Ministers Preachers stande in the forefront of the battayle and fight against the Dragon that is to say against the deuyll and his adherentes who defende blasphemie Idolatrie and all abhomination 〈◊〉 were Moises Elins 〈◊〉 togeather with all the Prophets Apostles 〈◊〉 Pastors in the Church of God theology of all tymes and ages whose armor are not earnall but spirituall as the Apostle sayeth For the vvâ—apons of our vvarfare are not carnall but mightie through God to cast dovvne holdes Casting downe the imaginations and euerye high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringteth into captiuitie euerie thought to the obedience of Christ That is to saye the armor of godly Teachers and Ministers in the Churche of God are the worde of God the holy ghost working effectually in the worde and earnest prayer and inuocations There folowe in this armie godly hearers of the word who for the glorie of God and their owne saluation fighte againste the fleshe sinne world and deuil whose fight and armour are at large described by the Apostle My brethren be strong in the Lorde and in the power of his might Put on the whole armor of God that ye may bee able to stande against the assaultes of the deuill For we vvrastle not aganste fleshe and against blood but againste principaliâ—ies against povvers and against the worldly gouernours the princes of the darkenes of this vvorlde againste spirituall vvicloednes vvhich are in highe places For this cause take vnto you the vvhole armor of God that you may be able to resist in the euill day and hauing finished all things stand faste Or if thou liste to haue a shorter lesson thus he sayeth in another place Fight thou a good hauing faith and a good conscience whiche some haue put avvay as concerning faith haue made shipvvracke Women and feely children who séeme and are indeede moste vnfitte for temporall warres fight not moste faintly in this spirituall battell but with their chaste and deuoute prayers and faithfulnesse in their vocation giue the deuil and his complices a fowle foyle and ouerthrow There are many examples that confirme this matter and amongst others that which happened of late in Germanie both pleasauntlie and comfortable serueth to this purpose When the Emperour Charles the fifte and the Pope of Rome by Campegius his Legate threatned the Protestauntes with fyre and sword and terrifieâ— them with the multitude of Princes and peoples that were ready to subdue them The learned men of Saxonie were commanded by theyr Prince to assemble at Torga to conferre what they thought conuenient to yeelde vnto the Papistes for the iniquitie of the tyme By meanes wherof there mette many learned men and amongste the rest thyther came Martin Luther and Phillippe Melancthon These men came togeather euery day in the Superintendents or Preachers house of the sayde Cittie and in this conference peace was offered by the papistes but with such harde condicions that a noble man sayde the same were paysed in goldsmythes weyghts so vniust and cruell they were for it was apparent and that they sought wayes and meanes to cyrcumuent destroy frawdulently in tyme of peace those meane whome they could hardly touch intyme of warre This lyttle flocke therefore continued theyr conference with prayers and supplications reposing theyr whole confidence in the lyuing God who in the myddle of dystresse prepareth out a way for man better then him selfe can deuise or thinke On a certaine daye after long delyberation Phillippe Melancthon euen tyred with labor and heauy with cares rose vp verye sorrowfull sadde went out to speake with a straunger who at the gate had knocked and made inquysition for him Nowe after he had geuen the straunger answere and sent him awaye hee hasteth to this assemble againe and in his returne through a gallory he heareth lyttle Chyldren pronounsing theyr Cathechisme which moued him to put open the Parlor doore euen in his waye to talke with those lyttle Babes whose mouthes he hearde so sweetely vtter the prayfe of God For amongst his recreations and pastimes this was the chiefe with pleasaunt and wyttie questions to laugh with lyttle Chyldren and towarde them he woulde shewe howelles of compassion and the entrye affection of a naturall Parent When he came into the Parlor he fouÌ„d there three Women with theyr lyttle Chyldren about them These were the Preacher and the two Dyacons wiues of that place who were dressing and féeding their yong Babes But there was one thing wherewith all hee was then especially delyghted he sawe one of the Dyacons wiues geuing her young Infaunt sucke and therewithall paring parsneppes for her Husbandes dynner and thyrdly hearing another of her children recyting the Lordes Prayer the ten commaundementes and the articles of the Christian fayth Phillippe stoode styll and with great admyration and pleasure lystened vnto as he was woont the heauenly sounde of those swéete Chyldren mindefull of that saying Out of the mouthes of Babes and sucklings hast thou ordained thy praise that thou mightest styll the enimie and the auenger and therewithall exclamed O three vvorkes so holie and acceptable vnto almightie God. So hee lefte them and returned vnto his company exceeding merrye and cheerefull Luther espying his gladsome countenaunce sayd thus vnto him Phillippe howe commeth it to passe that you returne so ioyfull that went out but euen nowe so sorrowfull he answered Let vs bee of good comfort for I haue séene those that wyll fight for vs and defende vs Luther asked what where those stoute and valyant Captaines and souldiers Phillippe answered the chaste wiues and vertuous Chyldren of godly men whose earnest prayers I hearde right now which God wyll accept with vigilaunt and carefull eares For the lyuing and mercifull father of our Lord Iesus Christ hath not hytherto dispised them neither wyll he henceforth as we trust stoppe his eares vnto them The holie scripture in many places maketh mencion of suche denoute women and vertuous Children as of Myriam the Prophetesse syster of Aaron and all the women of Israell who song prayses for theyr delyueraunce out of the lande of Egipte And in lyke maner we reade of certaine good women that serued at the doore of the Tabernacle who gaue theyr glasses to make a Lauer of brasse for the Lorde Such women were Debora and Iaell by whome the Tyraunt Sicera was ouerthrowne And of lytle Children our sauiour saith See that ye despise not these lytle ones for I saye vnto you that in heauen there Angelles alwayes behold the face of my Father who is in heauen And of other Children aduaunsing and
King inferior to none in temporall battayles For his Ancient once displayed in the fielde he neuer turned his backe or gaue grounde vnto the enimie Hee forsawe daungers had a present minde in perylles hee was fierce in fight and mercifull in victorie And in all these thinges it was his chiefe prayse that he fought Bella domini The Lords warres But as hee was notable that waye so was he an Artificer and as they say his Craftsemaister in spirituall warfare wherein he susteyned so many temptations and assaultes of sathan and so often caryed away victorie through Gods assistaunce that next after Iob I maye place him the seconde Captaine vnder Christes banner And albeit there maye at the first sight séeme to be some diuersitie betwéene the holy Apostle and him touching their Armour and weapons Yet wee must remember the occasion thereof to bee the sundrie sleyghtes and craftie pollicies of sathan rather then the dissenting mindes of these spirituall warriours For the deuyll vseth not alwayes one kind of weapon maner of warre but hath his dayly deuises to inuade the faithful he must therfore be encountred lykewise w store of weapons and varietie of armour if we meane to gette the victorie In olde time the black Byll and Bowe bare the price in battayles but nowe the Gonne and Pyke are better lyked These two Captaines therfore are no more blame worthie in furnishing Christes seruitors with sufficiencie of Artyllarie then a temporall Prince who opening his Armorie wylleth his souldiours to make their choyse of such weapons and armour as maye séeme fyttest and commodious for theyr strength and abilitie And if there bee any difference in theyr preceptes touching this matter it consisteth chiefly in this poynt That the Apostle kindlesh mans industrie the Prophete calleth to our remembraunces Gods prouidencie the Apostle calleth for the labour work of man the Prophet encourageth the same in the power of God the Apostle sheweth how the Lorde blesseth the trauailes of his Childrē in mercy the Prophete openeth howe God tryumpheth ouer his enimies in his myghtye maiestie And although as I sayde before the temptations of Sathan the veration of Gods seruants and his present aide are dispersed lyke swéete spice throughout all the Psalmes yet he séemeth of purpose to haue handled this matter in one place where he also numbreth two kinds of Armour the one defending our selues the other offending the enemie Of the firste sorte are those whiche the holye ghoste nameth The winges of God the worde of the Lorde and the knowledge of his holye name For thus he sayth 1. He will couer thee with his vvinges 2. His trueth shal be thy shield and buckler 3. I vvill defende him because he hath knovven my name For about the Cittie of God where sincere doctrine is deliuered with fruit receyued and sacramentes rightlie administred Gods Angels pitch their campe and builde such high walles that no Tirant is able to scale thē or with gunnes to batter them That Cyttie is couered and shadowed by almighty God euen as an henne hideth her chickens vnder her winges according to that saying of the Prophēt I vvill defende this Cittie Almightie God therefore draweth the Curtayne casteth a cloke as it were ouer that Citie that no stormes tempest nor rayne shall fall vpon it or if it so doo it shall turne to the profitte and benefit of the godly and to the trouble and ruine of the vngodlie as the historie of M. Aurelius Antonius surnamed the Philosopher plainly declareth This Emperour had warres againste the Marcomanes and Quades which people are named at this day Morauians Sylecians in his armie there serued a Legion of Christians who were of the I le of Malta where Saint Paule preached the gospell This Legion dyd not onely serue with swoorde but fought with prayer For when many of the Horsemen and Horses peryshed for wante of water this Legion tooke a publique fast vpon them with prayer humblie crauing at Gods hande rayne and a happie ende of the warre And immediatlye there arose a myghtie storme and tempest whereby God gaue both great store of raine to the Romane armie and cast downe lyghtening and thunderboltes vpon the Morauians and Quades The Romane armie therfore was couered vnder Gods wings the other were terryblie ouerthrowne and destroied The other sorte of Armour whereby the violence force of our enimies are broken and beaten backe are named in this Psalme 1. Desires of God. 2. And the clamours or cryes of the oppressed For he sayeth Bicause he hath loued mee or desired mee therefore vvyll I delyuer him there shall no euyll come vnto thee neither shall any plague come neere thy tabernacle These Armours proceede from a pure harte and true faith kindled by the holy ghost through the sounde of his worde which doo euen enforce and after a sorte compell our heauenly Captaine to succour and defende vs And when he commeth out of his Chamber hee is not vnfurnished of Armour and Artyllarie for he hath famine pestilence thunderboltes haylestones vehement blasts of winde mundations of waters the sounde of Trumpettes and other infinite terrors The Lorde dyd helpe Titus Vespasianus in the besiege of Ierusalem not onely with the sworde but with famine and pestilence insomuch that when Titus him selfe had taken the Cittie and sawe the Munition Bulwarkes and Trenches made for their defence in the Cittie hee eryed out with great admyration saying VVe haue foughten God assisting vs and it was he that drewe the Ievves from their holdes and defences When Antiochus in his pride sayde that he would make Ierusalem an heap of graues vtterlie destroye the Iewes that beléeued in God he was sodainlie stricken with tormentes and wringing of intestines insomuch that lyfe increased in his bodie which by little and little rotted awaye and annoyed the whole armie with a poysenous odour stincke and so God stryke the Philistians with Emrodes and a flyxe because they tooke the Arke of the Lorbe from the chyldren of Israell The Marcomanes and Quades as I saide before were destroyed with lyghtning thunderbolts And so the Lorde rayned downe greate haylestones from heauen vpon the fiue kinges of the Amorites that a great deale moe perished that way then with the swoorde of the chyldren of Israell Hereof commeth that sētence of Sirache Fire hayle famine death al these are prepared for vengeaunce And in another place They fought from heauen against them the starres fought against Sycera So Theodosius the Emperour fighting against Eugenius and Arbogastus was holpen with vehement blasts of winde which blewe mightily against the Infidelles The windes are also created to hurt and to reuenge Pharao with his Horsemen and Chariots were drowned in the red sea By the hands of those noble women Debora Iael and Iudith hee slewe those cruell Tyrants Sycera and Holofernus With Kinges