the almightie threatens and loue that which the almightie promises the whole world shall become so base and contemptible in your eyes that you shall neither loue nor feare that which the worlde promises or threatens The seconde parte The exhortation to the action of warre THe action of war being thus discoursed we are now come to the exhortation wherein the first acte of the soule is to Trust The hope of a Christian is compared sometime to a helmet 1. Thes 5. because it breaks many a blow that would astonish him sometimes to an anchor Hebrewes the sixt chapter because it stayes him when the sea workes and the winde blusters Gregorie likens it to the fasting day that goes before a great holiday because in the midst of our heauinesse it puts vs in minde that ioy and saluation is at hand Bonauenture obserueth that it includes two things it hath two acts which are the very wings that moue it one is an expectation or longing for the thing it selfe that is hoped for Esay 40. ver 21. They that waite vpon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall lift vp the wings as the Eagles they shall runne and not be weary This act is proper vnto hope The other is Trust the act which Iehoshaphat calles for héere this is a perswasion wherby we iudge in distresse that we shal haue help at Gods hand and that without him wée can haue no helpe at all Esay 30. 3. there were some that thoght vpon help from Egipt to whom God saith that the strength of Pharao should be their shame and their trust in the shadow of Egypt their confusion This act is not so proper to hope as the former but is borrowed of faith And if you will sée the necessity of it in the time of warre looke into your own weakenesse What is man but a worme crawling vppon the earth Dauid was a mightie king yet he confessed himself to be a worme and no man As when little children first learne to goe alone feeling the féeblenesse of their owne feete nature teaches them to thrust out the hande to the wall and trust to it to stay them so beeing once made acquainted with our owne weaknesse both nature and religion teach vs to trust to a strenger then our selues This may not be the faire spéech of man Hier. 7. 4. Trust not in lying words nor his faire looks Ezech. 16. there were some that trusted in beautie and were deceiued nor his strength Hier. 17. 5. Cursed is hee that trusteth in man and makes flesh his arme nor his wealth 1. Tim. 6. 17. Trust not in vncertaine riches nor his witte God is able to turne it into foolishnesse as he did the wisedom of Ahitophel Séeing no trust may be reposed in any of these wee must séeke out a better obiect that is heere sette downe to be God himselfe The first obiect God THe reason of it is this that all naturall effects haue recourse to their causes when they stande in neede and they become the stronger The fish distressed slides into the water and it is reléeued the birde flies to the dam and it is shrouded vnder her wings the Childe runnes to his parents the Shunamites Childe complained to his Father hee sent him to his Mother shée layde him vppon her Lappe and forsooke him not in death Strike the dogge he runnes to his master wounde the Souldiour he flies to the armie The Antiperistasis of the cold makes the heate retyre into the fire and the force thereof is greater God is the first cause of all things and all things haue recourse vnto him Psalme The eyes of all things doo looke vppe and trust in thee O Lorde If naturall causes whose goodnesse is finite doo cherishe their effectes howe much more shall God whose goodnesse is infinite Sometimes man lookes about him for the helpe of man and finds none Psal 142. 4. Dauid sayth hee looked about vppon his right hand for helpe and no bodie would knowe him and espying man to faile hée turned him to God that neuer failes The Prophet Hieremie blesses him that takes this course he likens such a man to a trée his trust to the roote Gods fauour to the sap that lies continually at the roote to féede it and defend it The diuell knowes this verie well therefore hath it euer béene his practise to strip vs of this obiect You may sée it in y e spéech of Rabsakeh 2. Kings 18. 29. when the enemie lay before Hierusalem Let not Ezechia saith he deceiue you neither let him make you to trust in the Lord saying the Lord wil surely deliuer vs and this Cittie shall not bee giuen ouer into the handes of the king of Assur Uerily the people of Hierusalem were pitifully streightend when this was spoken and their trouble so ineuitable in mans eye that they sawe no present way to escape nor conceiued any likelihood to auoyde them in time to come The successe of the ennemie many times is so great that hee séemes to bée placed at the right hand of God to prosper in all his actions such a matter it was Rabzakeh vaunted of in his speech that God was on his side in suffering him to come so neare as to whet his tuskes vppon the walles of Hierusalem Gods own people in this case appeare to be at his left hād miserable and vnregarded Yet as Manasses and Ephraim standing one at the right hand of Iacob the other at his left both readie to receiue his blessing Iacob sodainely crossed his handes laying his right hand vpon Ephraim and his left vppon Manasles so God sodainly shifts his hands in the daies of trouble hee laies his right hand vppon his people and deliuers them and his left hand vpon his enemies powring an vnexpected contempt and confusion vppon them all I will giue you twoo examples of it in the Scripture Euen in one night when Ezechiah stoode in feare of all and Rabsakeh thought himselfe sure of all the whole armie of Sennacherib was defeated by an Angell In one day when the forces of Iehoshaphat were verie small and the armie of the inuaders was verie great the whole power of the enemie was sodainely broken they sell one vppon another and Iehoshaphat founde their carcasses dead vppon the grounde before hée could come at them It is a rule in Rhetorique that if a man make choyse of a friende to flie vnto in time of néede hée shoulde surueigh his power in him whether he be able and his kindnesse whether hee bée willing to yéeld him any succor In this maner when wée haue singled out God from all other things in heauen or in earth to trust vnto it is good Rhetorike and good Diuinitie to take a viewe in him of his power whether hée bée able of his knowledge whether hée bee skilfull and of his goodnesse whether hée be willing to releeue vs. His power without question is farre aboue the power of man for mans
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
Lord thou hast bin our habitatiō from generation to generation Comparisons bewray him Wisd 7. Golde is but Grauell in respect of him the creatures confesse him Ipse fecit nos et non ipsi nos it is he that hath made vs and not we our selues What a shame is it that the younge both of menne and beastes are no sooner borne into the world but by by nature teacheth them to turne their mouth to the breastes that brought them foorth and men should liue in a religious kingdome vntill they come to the yéeres of discretion and neyther by nature nor religion yet be taught to turne the mouth of confession vnto God to finde him out that set his hande to the wombe to bring them foorth I will leaue all other proofes and examples that may serue this purpose to bring you néere to our owne times There was but few yéeres since a prophane company about this Cittie which were called the damned Crewe menne without feare or feeling eyther of Hell or Heauen delighting in that title It pleased God to drawe them all into one net They were shipt all into one Bark and passing downe the Riuer with sound of Trumpets in a faire day a faire tide a faire winde and a faire new bark sodainly about one of the Reaches a perry of winde came from the lande so filled the sailes that they were all run vnder water before they came to Grauesende I coulde neuer heare to this day that any one of them escaped Yf that the Bark did appertaine to any of this honorable city you may remēber this great iudgment of God by your owne losse I doe but gather it vp as I goe to put you in minde that if God did bles Laban for Iacob and Putifar for Ioseph he shal blesse you and your affaires for receiuing of such as receiue him and curse and crosse you and your affaires for entertaining of such as doe not entertaine him It is wel noted in Gregorie that the performance of things past bréeds an assurance of things to come The experience of Gods Judgments executed vpon his enemies and of his fauors and deliuerances extended to them that feare him are sufficient arguments of the care he hath of vs Tho. 1. 2. q 40. a. s. shewes y t experience makes a man cōfident two waies the one is by making a matter easie that which a man hath doone often he can easely doe againe he hath no distrust at all to worke it Eth. 3. ca. 8. He that hath often ouercome in war trustes to ouercome againe The other is the perswasion experience breeds that the thing which we goe about may be compassed Both these are in Dauids experience and in Paules Dauid hauing found deliuerance by Gods hand out of many trobles saith y t in the name of his God he wil leap ouer the wal His experiēce had made the matter so easy to him that it was but a skippe or a iumpe in his conceipt Paule confesseth 2. Cor. 1. 8. of the troubles that hapned to him in Asia wherwith he was pressed out of mesure that they were cast vpon him to this end that he might not trust in himselfe but in the Lord which hath deliuered him and doth deliuer and wil deliuer him hearafter Séeing then God hath a care to saue and defend his seruants as it was a base feare of the Israelits after so long experience of his mighty hand so many miracles wrought signes and wonders shewed on their behalfe in Egypt in the red sea and in the wildernesse to distrust of their entrie into the land of promise So after so many tryals of Gods fauour in the deliuerie of this kingdome from the hands of the enimy it were a vilde and contemptible cowardize to distrust of the like hereafter And because in the time of warre the feare of one makes many fear and the running of one makes many flie I wil end the discourse of this obiect with the speach which Vitalis a souldier and a martyr vsed to Vrsicinus a Phisitian which suffered many bitter torments for religion but at last Vitalis perceiuing that as his paines began to encrease his corage coūtenance began to be abated Noli Vrsicine saith he quialios curare consueuistite ipsū perdere post tot vulnera accepta corona frandari sempiterna Do not now Vrsicinus which hast vsualy healed others destroy thy selfe and after so many wounds receiued loose an eternall crowne of glorie Uerily the attempts of the enimy vppon this land haue béen many hitherto your courage and forwardnes in the defence of your Country hath encoraged others if you chance at any time to espy the drifts of the enimy to encrease or his rage grow greater and greater be notnow apalled after so many and furious brunts manfully withstood loose an eternall crowne of glory The first consequent safety THe first consequēt flowing frō this act and this obiect you sée is safety you shalbe assured To vnderstand this security aright you must consider that our trust lookes two waies one is towards God and there it hath assurance because his power is such as cannot be masterd his knowledge such that none can go beyond him and his goodnesse such that he is euer ready and willing to help his seruants Es 28. 6. He is a strength vnto them that turne away the battell from he gates They that trust in the lord saith Dauid shall be as mount Sion that cannot be moued Psa 125. Dauid found him to be his viceadmirall that caried the light before him in the darkest times of trouble and guided him with wisdome out of heauen Ps 27. 1 The lord is my light and my saluation The other way it looks is to the thing hoped for which is saluation and this is of two sorts eyther eternall or temporall God promises neyther of these absolutly but vpon condition The condition of the former is Ro. 8 Si tamen compatimur If we suffer with him we shalbe glorified with him The condition of the latter is Inuoca me eruante God enters into a couenant with his people Exo. 23. to cast out their enemies by little little the people enter into a couenant with God also Ex. 24. to do al that he commandeth It was the order that God Salomon tooke one with another 1. kin 8. 44. That when the people went to war they should pray towards y e temple Therefore if you trust to receiue at Gods hands any of these two things you must do it per debita media debito sperandi mod◠otherwise it is presumption But if you goe the right way to worke in the time of warre if euery man reforme his own life it was it that A chior told Olophernes If there were no sin in the inhabitants of Bethnlia hee should fall before them and become a reproch and a scorne onto all the world if euery man betake himselfe to such a care and preparation