one is life and of the other hell death and damnation Whether agreeth best with the honor and reputation of a souldier to be carnall and careles or to bee watchfull and sober Put away then all wrath anger maliciousnes cursed and filthie speaking out of your mouthes It shall nothing diminish your valour neither shall you appeare more singular then becommeth Christians if you cleerely put off the old man with all his workes which clogge you that you cannot march rightly like souldiers to the end of true honor Put on the new man which is shaped in holinesse and knowledge for by it most high and pretious things are gotten euen al things that pertaine to life and godlines through the knowledge of him that hath called vs all from the corruptions which are in this world to be partakers of heauenly things And therefore we must indeuour to adde vertue to vertue and faith to faith that we may attaine to that absolute perfection which imbracing temperance bringeth foorth patience which importeth that contentation that is neuer moued with any temptation but delighteth only in godlines approued by brotherly kindnes which commeth of loue He that attaineth vnto this marke which is set before all men to aime at hath the true fruites of the knowledge of our chief Lord and commander Christ who knoweth how to deliuer his out of all temptations and to reserue the vniust vnto the day of iudgement to be punished and chiefly them that walke after the flesh in the lusts of vncleannes and despise gouernment which are presumptuous and stand in their owne conceit and feare not to speake euill of them that are in authoritie ouer them Thus doth the spirit most euidently depaint out the true mortification of our corruptions and the terrible threats of Gods vengeance for disobedieÌ„ce to Rulers and loosenes of life It is dangerous to shew our selues rebellious against this sacred counsell And by their patience souldiers may be put in minde of too much forgetfulnes of their duties to God and their immoderate boldnes to sinne wherein as I cannot altogether excuse my selfe or any other so I heartilie wish reformation in all and all estates For it is time to thinke of Gods iudgements begun not onely against our Christian armies abroad encountering the Turkes our owne and our neighbours neere but also against our selues here at home whom God hath forwarned to forsake our pleasures by plagues lately past by dearth and famine present and by warres threatned Among many other enormities proceeding of the want of warres true discipline it is not the least that our pretended souldiers returning from the warres should haue either hearts in themselues or sufferance by law to become vagabonds for their parts they bewray their cowardly mindes in that they will leaue the honorable practise of warre and betake them to ignominious begging whereby the profession of armes is dishonored and the Magistrates power is thereby discredited the force of the lawes shewed to be of small effect and the common quiet disturbed But for such idle persons as pretending shame to begge which indeede is shamefull to able persons seeme not to be ashamed that they work and labour not which is both an honest and godly meane to relieue themselues without disparagement of the reputation of their militarie profession as they vainly pretend it Indeede such is the casuall course of warre that thereby sometime the rich are made poore and the poore inriched And therefore it behooueth a souldier to lay downe before hand to bee constant in euery fortune for if he faint vnder the burden of the aduerse and become more grieued than agreeth with his professed magnanimitie hee bewraieth himselfe to be but a dastard For it is no shame for a man to become poore for his countrie in the warres but the disgrace is his countries if he deserue well and yet wanteth reliefe If he be ouer much eleuated in conceit with prosperitie he bewraieth his vainglorie which hee knoweth by experience may alter in a moment If he bee sicke in the warres it is incident euen to Princes that liue in pleasure at home with dainties and phisicke therfore let the souldier beare it with courage wherein it beseemeth the most worthie yea the best Commanders to be seene carefull that al possible comfort be yeelded to such as are visited for that they haue no reliefe or comfort but inwardly from God in whom they ought to trust and from their companions strangers in effect who indeede if they be true souldiers will aide one another To be wounded in the warres is glorie and to dye in a iust cause purchaseth immortall memorie And because of all other things incident to militarie men nothing is so certaine as death for that it is decreed that all flesh shall dye and the effect of warre is to kill and to destroy men euery souldier must say vnto himselfe when hee goeth to the warres hee goeth to finish a long pilgrimage Though wee see it happeneth not to all souldiers to dye in the warres yet some spend many yeares euen from their yong yeares to gray haires continually in the warres induring many bickerings fightings hurts and hurting and yet end their daies in peace at home in their beds Our own late deseruers testifie the same to their glorie that shall not dye But admit thou knewest thou shouldest die in the field be couragious for death neuer appaleth the vertuous For as Cicero saith All wisemen dye willingly But the word of God affirmeth that the godly dye more willingly for that they be the Lords And that made Thomas to exhort his fellowes to dye with Christ. Paul sheweth a reason why the godly need not onely not to feare but to bee willing to dye namely to be with Christ. There is a notable mirror of this disdaine of death in Callicratides General vnto the Lacedemonians who being readie to giue battell to his enemies was warned by his Soothfayer that the entrailes of the sacrifice promised victorie to the armie but death to the Captaine whereunto he answered as one resolute to dye Sparta consisteth not in one man for when I shall bee dead my countrie shall be nothing lessened but if I to saue my self should absent me from the battell or goe backe the reputation thereof will be diminished Whereupon he substituted Cleander in his place and gaue battell wherein he was slaine What Christian souldier will not imitate his râ—solution to dye sith wee haue a better assurance to liue after death And if our Creator haue decreed our death sith it cannot be auoided let no man couet to start aside contrary to dutie in hope of safetie for it not onely auaileth nothing but it increaseth the burden of our feare and it argueth distrust in his prouidence that made vs and who can find vs out and confound vs. But rather grounding our assurance
God and our spirits as euery good thought but conceiued in the heart is present with God and his mercies againe of his loue and bountie in Christ meete our desires and supply our necessities with all thinges expedient yea better then wee can aske or thinke Prayer is a lifting vp of the heart to God by the motion of this diuine spirit And this is that spirituall thing that armeth and defendeth the christian soldier it is a helmet and a sword a weapon both offensiue and defensiue The Iewes preuailed more by this against Amalâ—â—k then by fighting And therefore as Paul commandeth it as a thing necessarie before we eat and before we vndertake any labour so much more before we march toward the battell most of all before we fight But how should men pray to him in whom they beleeue not they do but for fashion they speake but the wordes that are good of themselues if they proceeded from knowledge and beleefe but because they know not they beleeue not and because they pray and beleeue not the wordes they speake yea be it the Lordes prayer it selfe profiteth nothing And therefore such as couet to pray aright must first learne then beleeue with a full assurance of the heart builded vpon that knowledge which is reueiled out of the word of God by the spirit whereby the promises of safetie and saluation of rest and refuge are declared vnto them and they apprehending them by faith are rightly prepared and made fitte to talke with their Creator not by the mediation of Saint or Angell but by the immediat intercession of the man Christ Iesus who knowing their infirmities and temptations standeth assured vnto them euermore in whose name and for whose sake they may aske and haue all thinges Let euery man therefore examine whether he know aright and beleeue aright then doubtlesse he may pray aright But it is the fault of too many not onely of soldiers but of all sorts of men to say in their heartes there is no God and therefore they say no praiers though they seeme to pray often because they haue no faith and yet they babble with their lippes as if they were truely deuout But as none examineth the heart but God and none findeth out the Hypocrites Atheists and such as deceiue themselues and the world with fained shewes of religion but God so I leaue iudgement to God But I say with Dauid such as deceiue themselues in dissimulation say in their hearts there is no God to finde them out But they are fooles and become odious and abominable before God If souldiers be abominable where is their hope of Gods presence with them If God refuse them nothing remaineth with them nor comfort for them but feare and confusion And therefore if they regarde their safetie here in this life and their saluation to come let them imbrace that knowledge that may ingender faith that may bring foorth praier which shall conioyne and knit them so to God as they shall be able to say with Job I know that my redeemer liueth So euery souldier shall be able to assure him that his defender liueth that his strength castle comfort and refuge is in heauen readie to helpe him and to relieue him and to deliuer him here in earth Some are apt to many things some to all things but they cannot pray They can handle their peece well they can tosse the pike well they can vse the sword well decent qualities for vertuous men most fit for souldiers Some can sweare well swagger well carrouse well dissemble well things proper to vitious men most vnfit for souldiers But when they come to heare the word well when they shuld beare it away well practise it well to beleeue wel pray wel they put it ouer to other men say they be souldiers But they are but single soule souldiers souldiers that haue but the carnal not the spiritual power that was in Moses Dauid Ioshua Hezekiah Sampson and others without which twofold blessing they seeme to be but are not true souldiers as y e diuel seemed to be but was not Samuel It were a happy thing therfore if our English souldiers would looke backe a little into the time they haue had to learne wisedome and knowledge and faith and praier liuing as they haue done in a kingdome of peace brought vp in Christian warres and haue had the vse of the Gospell freely If they bee ignorant sinne followeth ignorance and death and hell sinne But it is not too late being late to seeke knowledge to exercise faith and practise prayer This is the way to become the souldiers of Christ brethren with Christ and heires with Christ who will yet grace them if they come quickly with the title of Christian souldiers and crowne them with the glorie of conquering souldiers but if they be negligent and will continue foolish still they may couet it too late and bee shut out like the improuident virgins If then they haue any sparke of that spirit which teacheth wisedome let them presently striue and without delay take hold of time for it is slipperie and swift yet pretious and not to bee redeemed for any price A souldier thinketh it a great grace that can obtaine the place to leade the Vangard of a battell the Forlorne hope which is to betake him into the greatest danger for a little glorie among men and priseth life of little value in regarde of the reputation of being desperate in the field but when they bee called to the most honorable seruice the seruice of the liuing God which consisteth in the former most sweet exercises of faith religion and prayer they seeme happiest that come in the rereward the forlorne hope indeede for they deceiue themselues in preferring vaine honor before immortall glorie But were they qualified with these heauenly vertues then should their valour shine as the Sunne in the forward of the battell and draw with them the maine bands with such godly resolution as should quaile their enemies with a spirituall terror It were a most worthie sight to see souldiers in the field to flocke about the preacher and to accompanie and conferre with the godlie and to contend in vertuous emulation who should bee most religious in an armie who could speake best of God liue best before GOD and pray best vnto GOD. This is the weapon that must preuaile if wee at all preuaile this is the fort that must preserue vs if we be at all preserued and without this haue they neuer so glorious a promise of the flesh it is peeuish and vaine Some in an armie may perchance haue an inclination to serue the Lord which is a good token of a desire But they bee not graced of their fellow souldiers nor of their Leaders as they ought they become rather scorned then fostered or followed But let them not
in the time of all their perils and greatest daungers to flye vnto him by hartie prayer that it might please him to yeeld them his strength and power which they acknowledged farre to exceede the power of the strongest and policie of the wise on earth and yeelded themselues vnto his will in a liuely hope of his helping hand And wee haue no lesse reason in religion hauing Christ our sworne defender as long as we continue true Christians but to be faithfull and forwarde and in all our attempts to flye vnto God in the name of our deare and neuer failing Mediatour by whom the weakest are made strong to ouercome the strongest and without whom the mightiest fall to the ground before the weakest So that we see God is all in all powerfull and alsufficient and as Dauid saith he is present with all that call vpon him in faith and becommeth vnto them a tower of inuincible strength to keepe them from their enemies furie a sworde vnresistable to confound their aduersaries on euery side Happie are they that dwell vnder the shadow of his protection for they abide safe for euer The very Name of this great King is terrible vnto our enemies our prayer a greater terror vnto our aduersaries theÌ„ the roaring Cannon prayer blesseth our counselles and consultations it incourageth the hearts it strengthneth the bodies it obteineth surest victories best confirmeth peace They called vpon the Lord saith Dauid and he deliuered them And of his owne experience he speaketh saying I called vpon the Lord and hee heard me at large Wherein is expressed the patience of the Lorde who disdaineth not to heare a mans whole griefe The immortall God is not so curious to be spoken with as mortall man Nobles men in great place dignitie in the warres or common wealth thinke it a great sauour to heare a poore suiter shortly and thinke long ere they haue done they must be briefe to tell their tale and they shall haue answere at leasure but the Lord of Lordes heareth the poorest man at large he is not wearie to heare a poore suiters complaint And therefore may euery poore soldier captaine and Generall haue like free scope to speake their fill to this most louing God who will most assuredly answere euery one according to the necessitie of his cause and according to the substance of his petition And as he is the God of hoastes so he disposeth of Armies as he will and euer to the good of his children howsoeuer it fall contrary to the hope of flesh bloud The godly find not this true onely but euen the very heatheÌ„ can confesse that a diuine power beareth rule in the warres And therefore such as attribute the successe of warre and other waightie things to vncertaine fortune doe slatly deny there is a God whose power is alsufficient and whose iustice is inuiolable and that the effects both of falshood and trueth were of like hope or probabilitie and that the issue of the one as of the other should like necessarily follow which should depriue man meerely of all faith assurance which are grounded vpon a certaine knowledge of an absolute power And it behooueth a soldier to haue an especial consideration of this point of the deuils fallacies who to bereaue him of faith the maine anchorholde of safetie saluation setteth this glimmering before the eyes of his thoughtes to hinder the pure pearcing light of diuine reason whereby he may easily discouer all thinges to come to passe by an ineuitable ordinance of God Who alâ—hough he precisely gouerne all thinges by his owne power affordeth vnto man sundry secondary meanes to effect their endeuours And by reason of mans owne imbecillitie and corruption these meanes be often peruerted and come not with wished effectes to the ende intended because they wholy depend vpon the bare meanes themselues and cast behind their backs the helpe which is froÌ„ aboue without which nothing commeth well to passe whereby they want that blessing which is promised to the faithfull which relie vpon God stumble vpon that which is contrary to their desires accusing then this peeâ—ish and false gouernour of euents Fortune neuer reproouing their owne ignorance infidelitie to God whereby they runne headlong into that which he hath forbidden and refuse that he hath commanded But the faithfull and the true children of God vse not to attribute the issue of their affaires to fortune that is so muffled as it knoweth not the faithful from the infidell but to the God almightie of whose mercie loue power and prouidence they are so assured as they lay downe all their endeuours in faith at the throne of his grace assuring themselues that what is fittest for their good they shal receiue whether it be prosperitie or aduersitie life or death and that the godly shall not be sent away emptie and the wicked rewarded as it faâ—eth with such as thinke that fortune and meere casualtie dispose all thinges wherein they argue against all diuine power and seeke to maintaine humane policie and warlike stratagemes aboue all religion faith and prayer which is a most infernall practise coined to the destruction and ouerthrowe of all godly discipline in warre which yet shall preuaile when all Machiauils witty propositions shall be confuted together with all carnall hope and inuentions But as it is strongly defended by the word of trueth that onely God alsufficient by his power effecteth all thinges as hee will yet it disalloweth not but appointeth inferiour meanes vnto his children to worke by as hath appeared by all the actes of our godly fathers as of Dauid â—y a sling ouercame Goliah Ioshua by the noyse of trumpets of Rams hornes threwe downe the walles of Iericho Gideon with pitchers and lampes discomfiâ—ed the Madianâ—tes and many such like which are most weake meanes but being blessed of God by prayer they preuaile mightily But such as feare God attribute their good successe to the sword of the Lord and not to fortune they accompt not that casuall which is assured theÌ„ by faith and if they succeede not as they desire they attribute their losse and the contrary issue of their hope vnto their owne sinnes as gentle corrections for their offences and leaue not the Lord vpon their fall but seeke him againe and againe in faith by prayer and leaue him not til they preuaile againe This is the operation of faith founded vpon true knowledge and this is the power of prayer builded vpon a true faith So that neither wished successe can make theÌ„ proud neither doth aduerse dismay the godly vpon earth but the more they are afflicted and discomfited the more they sticke vnto this meane and the better they prosper the more thankefull they are to God Ioabs incouragement vnto his brother when they were to fight against the Sâ—rians may be remembred of Christian soldiers wherein he
rise vp against vs. But if we leaue off to do good if we neglect godlines and imbrace vanitie our staffe is broken and our streÌ„gth departed from vs yea when wee thinke wee stand vpon a sure ground For God is ielous of our obedience as also he is powerfull he can doe what he will he is absolute and not partiall in his proceedings and being moued to anger who is able to abide his furie He is not satisfied with the bloud of some of his enemies he threatneth all and spareth none abroad or at home but such as feare him repent their sinnes and walke in his waies And he reputeth none more deadly enemies vnto his maiestie then they that haue tasted the sweetnes of his word the comforts of his preseruation and protection and the multitude of his blessings and yet neglect him in his due seruice dâ—sobey his will walke after their owne lusts and stand vpon their guard without him as if they were Lords of their owne and could by themselues and of themselues defende themselues and theirs It displeaseth him deeply when mens confidence in him decaieth or when men presume on him without testimonie of obedience to him by godly life and religious conuersation For what is it but to denie him to bee God when man trusteth in his owne wisedome strength or policie things of themselues good profitable and necessarie and yet become vnprofitable vnto them that hold them as absolute meanes of themselues to defend preserue or relieue man And how doe they argue other thing then trust in these things meerely when seldome or not at all they seeke God to blesse and prosper such meanes vnto them Such as sit at home may not thinke it enough to number their forces abroad and according to the strength and weakenes multitude or paucitie of them to measure their hope or feare of successe for so they shall shewe themselues either to presume or to despayre two forbidden extreames for were our forces abroad in our owne conceits inuincible and our countrie at home by nature and scituation most strong we haue no assurance thereby of securitie without God more then had the people of Jdumea a prouince of Canaan who putting their trust in the strength of their countrie being rockie and vnapt to be inuaded were threatned by the king of kings to be subdued cast downe and confounded for their disobedience There is no safetie to the wicked whose hope is in carnall streÌ„gth though they can say with their lippes The Lord is our strength For as they haue no loue to him whom they grieue by their sins so is their offended God farre from them in the time of their greatest neede yea though they cry out The mercie of God is ouer all his workes and make it therefore an argument it is with them who are also the woâ—ke of his hands But herein consisteth their presumption for that though all creatures may say they are the worke of God by creation the disobedient man may least bragge of it And therefore they that testifie not by godlines faith and the practise of religion that they bee the worke of God in Christ by spirituall regeneration they shall be found bastards children of darknes and infernall degeneration who being led by vanitie to an vncertaine hope haue no further assurance of Gods defence then such as measâ—re euery issue by good or euill fortune the blind god of wicked men But as wee are professed Christians so our hope ought onely to be in the power of the God alsufficient in Christ in whom we may assure our selues if we be fruitfull Christians that the God of hoasts is with our armies abroad and with vs at home and he will giue them and vs by them most wished successe as hee hath alreadie and many waies done But where is our thankfulnes As we looke to be alwaies partakers of his power and prouidence of his mercie and protection as wee hope happie issue of our enterprises so we must shew our gratitude for his former benefits by our conformed liues and by daily prayers both abroad and at home For if the Lord regarde not the strength of an horse it followeth he hath no pleasure in the force of flesh and bloud But his delight is in them that feare him and walke according to his commaundements faith preuaileth most with God being fruitful and liuely As for armour or armies they neither preuaile against him nor without him But that part wherewith he is a partie preuaileth alwaies for he blesseth their counsels how and when to proceed he strengtheneth their hearts and teacheth their fingers the faculties of warre And therefore when wee speake of a multitude of men whether of our owne or of the aduersaries wee speake but as of a huge heape of grasse of many bubbles of water of many withering weedes of the earth But when we speake of men fearing God when we speake of the faithfull and of men truly religious wee speake of diuine strength for the Lord is with them the God of hoasts fighteth for them and by them who then can resist them But he that hath millions of men and trusteth in theÌ„ as in a prophane and faithles multitude is in the same accursed because he maketh flesh his arme as Goliah did who putting his trust in his huge masse of arrogant dust faithfull Dauid tumbled him to the earth as a handfull of dung in the name of the Lord of hoasts whom wee are also to hold our onely strength And that we trulie doe it indeede we must bring foorth the fruites of obedience to his will to testifie the same which is shewed in loue to himselfe aboue all men and in him one towards another Besides which there is no true token that we are the people for whom the Lord hath promised his protectioÌ„ abroad or at home The badge of that religion which is trulie of Christ is to shew it in loue for it is a thing so pure and holie as it doth no euill at all to his neighbour Wherefore loue is the very fulfilling of the law But if ye bite and deuoure one another sayth the Apostle ye shall be consumed one of another The effects of this loue are infinite whose diuine sacred properties are discouered in many places of the word of God at large Saint Paul wisheth increase of this pretious vertue to the faithfull because Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith which he cannot doe vnlesse they be rooted and grounded in loue And this I pray sayth he that your loue may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all iudgement that ye may discerne things that differ one from another that ye may bee pure and without offence vntill the day of Christ filled with the fruites of righteousnesse which are by Iesus Christ vnto the praise and glorie of God And againe The Lord increase you and make