This is Princely indeed for as we are all born as Tully saith to doe so they especially who are of high place and authority To say much and doe nothing doth not rellish of the English wit nor worth whose noble ancestours for doing haue been too plaguie fellowes and enemies of State terrible as an Army of Banners It hath often been to me a matter of wonder how our Ancestors with so little or no light at all dispatched more work in a week then we in a year of which I conceiue with submission of my iudgement these to bee the reasons They presumed of the work done and made the honour of their house and the glory of their name the height of their ambition but we in greater light know that the work done wilnot serv and as for the assurance of Gods loue which should put confidence in our hearts and courage in our actions but a few labour for it and this is the death of action and they with whom Gods honour is not in the highest esteem never make a true account of their own honour Besides this our ancestors had not such hellish pates and hollow hearts to deale with as our Senate hath I wish they may work while they haue light for when the night commeth they cannot work if they would as I haue often shewed occasion to be the soule of action so when action looseth breath the soule departs and returns no more They want no lawes for their warrant nor patterns for their practise nor wit to apply them Let them up then and doe it and God will be with them Shall the fear of Forraigns freeze the waters of our counsell and never a fire of zeale nor even-down rain of courage to thaw or dissolue them Shall the prophane oppose piety and maintain ungodlinesse and never a Nehemiah to take an order with them Shall Snakes eate out the belly of the Common-wealth and still be kept aliue in our bosoms Shall the eye of our high and honourable Senate be dimmed or dazeled with a white Rochet Shall by him the Scepter of Christ be trampled under foot to the casting away of soules and his soule not pay for it Let me speak freely let them take heed how they let Benhadad that is men committed to their keeping goe lest the liues of them and us goe for their liues whom the Lord hath appointed either to destroy us or to be destroyed Shall a two faced Ianus or a man with a heart and a heart dance in a net or goe masked and no body see him nor unmaske him I hope they will pardon my freedom of speech for my boldnesse is no more then my fidelity loue and service bindes me to The fire of sinne flames through all the land and the fire of judgement is kindled in every corner except some bestir themselues to quench it we shall all be consumed The Lord giue resolution and action to those that are in place to arise for Sion for be they sure if they sit still deliverance shall come to Zion another way but they and theirs shal pay for it As for the Hollander I hope he will be still in action but I would haue him to do as much for God as he doth for himselfe and as much against sin as he doth against the enemy for that is the way to undoe the enemy It were better for them to be cast in the mould by a plaine and round dealing ministery then to be battered by the Popes foure corned Canoniers or the Arminians sacred minions the Prelates These be Hawkes of prey wherewith the Princesse of Parma and Granvil thought to haue seazed upon them in the beginning of their troubles and they haue ever and anone been threatned with them since Let them leaue off provoking God lest they be plagued with them as others of their neighbours be and let them take heed of that Romish Dictatorship of constant Moderation which is the next step to Imperious Hierarchy CHAP. XLIX Of the end of Warre NOW I come to the very last point concerning the end of war which I haue reserved to the end of the Treatise and will shut it up in a word or two 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For a great book is called a great evill The end of it is Gods glory peace and publique good Evill ends may undoe good causes annihilate good means and frustrate the most probable expectations Iehu had a good cause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Maius bonum est sinis quam quod non est finis Arist lib. Rhet. cap. â— Horat. in Arte. and used lawfull means but his end was naught and that marred all to him It is true the worke of the Lord was done but no thanks to him who in seeking of his own ends made his own work the main work and the Lords the by-work The end as the Philosopher saith is the speciall good of a thing Private ends in warre are the greatest enemies of the publique good fuit haec sapientia quondam Publica privatis secernere sacra profanis It was the wisedome once for to perferre Publique to private sacred to profane Si stâ—dium pecuniae suftuleris aut quo ad res feret minueris Orat. 2 de Ordin Reip. Salust hath a pretty rule for the ordering of mens affections in military courses Thou maist bring a great deale of good saith he to the Country to the State to thy selfe and family to all those that haue any correspondency with thee if thou remoue desire of money or at least let is not haue dominion over thee I am here occasioned to direct my speech once more to the Lords of the Vnited Provinces that as publique good is the end of their war maintained so in raising means for the maintenance of warre they would prefer the publick good to the private which is not observed as I think in the still increasing of excize upon victuals for this course injureth a many as Commons Tradesmen Travellers yea and the souldiers whose bloud maintains the war and the private profite redoundeth to a handfull so great ones saving their purses by this disproportionable dealing they who haue least and labour most they haue often the most eaters and payes most Methinkes a Geometricall proportion were a great deale juster then an Arithmeticall and that the strongest horse should carry the heaviest load I speake plainly and out of loue to the State which many waies may be hurt by this inequality By-respect and sinister intent is like a strange fire which blows up the work and brings vengeance on the Workman it a close kind of hypocrisie and therefore the Lord will certainly plague it instance that requitall of Iehu his pretended zeal in the destroying of the house of Ahab First it was the Lords own work and Iehu had his warrant for it in the 2 of the Kings ch 9. v. 7. Thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master c. In the second place obserue
carryed Homers works ever vvith him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the furniture of his iourney and Cyprian used ever and anon to call for Tertullian his Master Oh that those that fight the Lords battels Application Psa 119.98 or hath interest in them would take this course with the Word that they might say with the Prophet David Thy Commandements â—re with me and that they would cast away prophane Pamphlets plaguie play-bookes and froathy complements of â—le loue for as these become not Christian warfare so I â—m sure that Homer and all the Tacktick Writers and rules of Military Discipline in the world are not able vvithout â—his to teach a man the Art of War And therefore David giveth a good reason of his foresaid resolution that the Word should ever be vvith him Thou through thy commandements hast made me wiser then mine enemies If it be objected â—hat many great Warriours and victorious Conquerours â—ever knew vvhat this Word vvas I answer Great they were â—deed but not good And vvhat gaine they by their greatnesse but the greater torments especially they vvho liue in the light of the Word and yet vvill not be guided by it This Word doth stretch it selfe through the vvorld as an infallible rule to vvalk by but Who beleeues the report of it Who vvalketh by the rule of it Wisedome standeth without and cryeth vvithout indeed for she cannot come in Counsel for the Popes war is brought by the froggs from the bottomlesse pit vvhere Ignatius lyeth Leager for the State Professedly they doe disclaim the Word and the Popes unwritten Villanies must be both the ground and guide of all his War As for the Atheist Matchiavils rules or vvorse are his chiefe guide vvith vvhom the Papists doe vvillingly joyâ— hands As for the hypocrite and carnal professors vvhat the Papist speaketh blasphemously of the Word he maketh good in his profession namely he useth it like a Nose of Wax it must be stampt and cast in vvhat mould he vvil haue it but he vvill not be cast by it as in a mould it shal not square his conscience nor his actions but he must square and pare it at his pleasure yea such vvill haue nothing to command in all actions but the great canon of Prosopolatria or humane authority In a vvord in effect they say The word shall not raign over them but they vvil raign over it and the conscience too though it be Gods Cabonet not sit for man to sit in Gods forces must likewise acknowledge their guilt herein vvith this Armorie they are not so acquainted as they should be and must be indeed before things goe vvel This vvould clear the judgement reform the life overcome passions kindle zeale temper vvith discretion incourage the heart strengthen the spirits In a vvord it vvould make a truely valiant man If we would but take this sting of David we should not want a stone to beat out Goliahs braines But every peece of this is like Sauls armour too heavy for flesh and bloud to beare further then in bare discourse But there must be a denyall of flesh bloud before in our courses wee can be happy heere or heereafter It is reported of a king of Aragon to his no small prayse that besides his other literature wherein even in the time of war he much delighted and besides his love to the learned whom he honored and used as his speciall councellours both in peace and in war that notwithstanding of his many waighty affaires he read the Bible ouer foureteene severall times with the speciall comments upon it I wish heartily that all Gods warriours would make this word the treasure of their study and that as I haue said it might alwayes be with them for therein is the fullness of counsell Neyther will a superficiall looke or a bare taste thereof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 3.16 serue to make the persons happy or the affaires prosperous but as the Apostle saith it must dwell plentifully or richly the word doth significantly presse that it must alwayes be with us Wee must be the house it the furniture It is not a lapping of this word as the doggs doe of Nilus nor a talking with it and of it while it is without dores but there must be a diligent searching into it as a man would dig for the finding of the richest treasure Iohn 5.39 So did those truely noble men of Thessalonica they searched duely for the trueth Acts. 17. There be too too many now of Leo the tenth stampe that say in effect they find no profit in the fable of the word for so called that blasphemer the doctrine of Christ And some are like Agrippa they are almost perswaded by it but it is but almost but it must dwell richly in us that is as our onely treasure as David did wisely esteeme of it as you may see through all the 119. Psalme as his richest treasure CHAP. XXVI Gods Ministers the disposers of this sacred Counsell BVt as the word of God must dwel plenteously so it must be used wisely So saith the Apostle in all wisedome As this word is Gods speciall treasure whereby he disposeâ—â— all his mercies towards his so he hath ordayned disposeâ—â— and dispensers of his sacred wisedome namely his Ministers who are to stand betweene him and his people in things appertayning to God Hence it followeth that such stewards must dispose this counsell aswell in war as in peace As Kings haue their Counsellours and Courts haue their learned Counsell to giue them the law so God maketh choyce of these and calleth them from amongst the sonnes of men to be his Counsellours and Embassadours to deliver his will and counsell to their bretheren The necessitie of such dispoâ—ets and the reasoÌ„s The necessitie of such in war ariseth from these grounds First from the depth of the mistery which they are to dispose and the greatnes of the worke they doe undertake for who is sufficient for these things Secondly from the indisposition of man to understand or teach this mistery except a man be sent from God to informe him how can I saith the Enuuch understand except I haue a guide Ananias must be sent to Paul and Peter to Cornelius that they may be instructed It is a mad conceit of many in this age that they know as much as the Minister can doe yea some will say they can teach as well as he though they be not called of God which indeed is to despise the gift of prophesy I speake now of such an one as is called of God for otherwise many private men are better to advise with But it is not learning barely or an aptnesse to discourse but there must be a setâ—ing a part of the man with an endowement of power and authoritie with a holy skill to wound to heale to cast downe to raise up to instruct rebuke correct In a word to cast downe every strange thought that setteth it selfe
heaven Tripartit hist lib. 12. cap. 1. help thou me to root 〈◊〉 them and I shall help thee to overcome thine enemies For thâ—â— hee was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or fling-fire in French Bon te feu Iust so the frogges of the bottomlesse pâ— doe croak and call together the Kings of the eariâ— to the battle of Armageddon with this incouragement Root out those pestilent Heretickes quit your Dominions of them and besides the peace and prosperity with plenty and obedience from your loyall Catholike subjects you shall haue heaven hereafter as sure as the Pope himselfe who hath the disposing of it But how they haue sped and prospered that haue followed their counsell I shall haue occasion to shew hereafter And as they are of their father the Devill and with lying words deceiue men so 〈◊〉 will assure you upon the word of God who cannot lie that if you will procure such Ministers as are of God warranting their Call by their life and doctrine and hearken to such and obey them as from the Lord the Lord hath said it Deut. 28.7 He shall curse thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face they shall come against thee one way Esa 1.19 and flee seven waies before thee If you will be willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land Where obserue especially that there must be a willing obedience otherwise both the Minister and the meanes can doe no good It is a vain thing and the grossest point of Popery to presume upon the ordinances Obadiah 1. or the work done This is to make the Nest in the Clift of the rock out of which the Lord will bring every one down that so doth for God thereby is robbed of his glory and the soule cozened when it commeth to reckon The Trojans trusted foolishly to their Paâ—â—adium the Asiatickes to their Pessimuntius the Romanes to their Ancilia the Papists to the Crosse and holy-water and the Israel of God to the Arke of God As the idolatrous Papist in any common calamity cals for the pax and the host so the Israelites caused bring the Arke and putting carnall confidence in that without any counsell asked of Samuel or commandment from the Lord it must be carryed out to battell They were no better here then the uncircumcised Philistim or rather worse for they feared the Arke more then God and his people trusted to the Arke more then to God but the Arke was so far from saving them that God gaue both them and it into the hands of the enemies Yea for their wickednesse and vain confidence the Lord so abhorred his own Ordinances that he suffered them to be polluted with the foule hand of the uncircumcised Philistim who had nothing to doe with them In the very same predicament be our carnall Gospellers who being confident upon the profession of the outward badges of Christian profession as the Word and Sacraments thinke all shall be well enough they are baptized they haue the Word and receiue the Sacraments and they haue an excellent Teacher and they frequent the house of God and sit before the preacher and commend both him and the Sermon the Word is as a louely song and they shew much loue to him with their mouthes Ezech. 33.31 c. but there is one thing wanting which marreth all They heare the words saith God but they will not doe them If the distressed people in the Palatinate Bohemia and Switzerland examine the cause of their captivity in their own land I beleeue they shall finde their presuming on the meanes with unanswerable walking to haue deprived them of the means and made Ashur to lie heavy upon them their exemplary punishment giues an alarum from the Lord to England and Holland who presuming on some Watchmen upon the walls and some manna about their tents thinkes the Lord will never come against them nor remoue the Candlestick but let them know that except the deadnesse of Sardis and the lukewarmnesse of Laodicea be really repented of the Lord will pull them out of the 〈◊〉 of that rock Yea and rather pollute his own Ordinances then indure their mockerie The Provinces may happiâ—â— presume upon some purer reformation and expulsion 〈◊〉 the Antichristian Hierarchie but I protest upon my knowledge from the griefe of my soule that they carry a name that they liue but they are dead both to the power of the the Word and Discipline for besides the infection of all plaguie heresies that they keep warm amongâ— them where is the power of the Word in Saboath keeping family duties gracious words and holy walking Where is the Pastor that can say here am I and they whoâ— God hath given me Where is the power of the Ministery in shaking of the hearts of great Ones Who will not like the Nobles of the Tekoits Nâ—b 3.5 put their neckes to the work of the Lord Yea their great ones in a manner overtop both Word and Ministery and as their enemies speak like 〈◊〉 many petty Popes they make the power of both swords serue onely humane policy which as it is a justling out of Gods honour in putting the Cart before the Horse so it is a thing that God cannot bear for hee is very jealous of his glory and of the Scepter of his Kingdom If the calamity of the aforesaid people cannot work let them and us take a veiw of Scotland the very paragon of true reformation where there was not so much as one hoofe of the beast left yea where their tallest Cedars were made to stoup at the foot of Gods Ordinances yet for want of fruits worthy of so great a mercie the Lord cast them in the furnace of affliction as famine sicknesse dearth and death yea which is worst of all he hath suffered the stinking carkasse of the interred whore to be raked out of the graue and the froggs of Aegipt to swarm in Goshen which is a great and fearfull wonder What think you Is Israel a servant Is he a home-born slaue Why is he spoyled Ier. 2.14 c. Hast not thou procured or deserved the like unto thy selfe v. 17. My counsell is that Princes States and people both with us and them might be humbled for this particular for God doth threaten us if we doe not Ier. 2.37 that wee shall goe forth from him with our hands upon our head yea he will reject our confidences and we shall not prosper in them The injoying of the meanes without the holy use of them maketh men but the more lyable to the wrath of God The word and works that were taught and wrought in Bethsaida made their case more woefull then the case of Tyrus and Sydon By how much higher Capernaaum was lifted up to heaven in the plenty of the meanes by so much lower was it prest down to hell in the abuse of the meanes Take notice then it is not the Temple of the Lord
people how they should loath them and account them as a menstruous clout and that they should hold them unworthy of presence should say unto them get you hence Let them plead for Baal that are of Baal Hold never that to be clean in Gods worship that the Pope or Pagan hath once polluted being mans invention No it is unpossible that it should be cleansed With â—he sound of the Trumpet awake the Kings Maiesty awake the Prince the Parliament the Councell the Nobles Gentry and Commons that we may meet our God in sackcloth and ashes for great is the controversie that he hath wâ—th us all You are the Physitians content not your selues with the bare theoricke or generall rules but apply your rules and pick out particular mediâ—ines for particular diseases in particular subjects for Chronical pandemical or Epidemical diseases Haue your specifick rules and receits discover the darke day and the devouring people wherewith wee are threatned Ioel 2 v. 2.3.11 the day of the Lord is great and very terrible who can abide it As for your Majestie on the knees of my soule with all humble duety I doe intreat you as you haue begun in the spirit you would not end in the flesh but that you would beat down that Altar of Damascus bray the golden Calfe to powder crush the brazen Serpent to peeces and break off those bonds of superstition Ease Sion of her burthen under which she groaneth help not those that hate God and hate not those that loue God Let not God be robbed of his Sabboath nor his name be torn in peeces by bloudy oathes for these and the like are like to make your Dominions mourn Yea if your Highnesse loue the Lord your soule your life your Crown your people look to it Aegipt is deceitfull Nilus is ranke Poyson mixture of his worship is a mockery and no worship and God hath said he He will not be mocked For the Lords sake down with Balaam Balaamites and all their pedlery ware giue the Lord all or nothing for he is a jealous God In a word Dread Soveraigne remember I beseech you by how many mercies God hath ingaged you to be zealous of his house and that of all sins he cannot endure back-sliding As for you Gracious Prince If you desire to present your selfe to God as a member of his unspotted Spouse in Christ be not unequally yoked away with that Lincie-wolsie Match with reverence be it spoken it is a beastly greasie and a lowsie-wearing unbefitting your Grace Scripture will apologie my termes which speaking of spirituall whoredome giveth it alwaies the vilest termes Then good Sir curtall Baals Messengers by the middle to their shame Cast out of Gods house all the garish attire of the Whore and bring not an Athaliah what soever she be into your bosome who will adorn Balaams house with the riches of your God Let it never enter into your Princely heart that Dagon and the Ark can stand together for Christ and Belial hath no communion Let no profane person nor Popishly affected like briars and brainbles pester your house nor choake both life and practise of holy disties in you Keep good and plain dealing Physitians for your soule chear the hearts of Gods people with the loue of your countenance and in so doing you may bee assured the Lord will make you a sure house And you right Honourable and most Worthy of the High Court of Parliament together with his Majesties Councell Vse the counsell of a great King to his councell He would alwaies haue them to leaue two things without Simulation and dissimulation be either first for God and the reforming of his house or otherwise you can bring no honour to your selues nor good to your Country You illustrious Princes Nobles and Favorites of the King serue not the times nor your own turnes Ezr. 3.5 with the neglect or opposition of Gods cause withdraw not your neckes from the work of the Lord with the Tekoites nor break not the yoke of Gods obedience by impiety profanenesse and superstition as those Princes did in whom Ieremiah sought some good but found none Ier. 3.5 be not like those Princes of Iuda that with their false flatteries fayned curtesies and fleshly reasons 2 Chro. 24.17 made Ioash cast down all with his heele that he had set up with his hand but let Nehemiah his care Daniels zeale the three Childrens resolution Gid on s valour and Obadiahs loue possesse your soules for the purity of Gods worship with a loathing hatred of all superstition And to you great Prelates or sprightfull Lords the very hearth that keeps in the fire of all this superstition and the Ensigne staffe that fixeth those strange colours in our Camp If I could perswade you let your train fall Away with the little beast with the two hornes Rob not the Nobility and Magistracie of their Titles and places no more then they should usurp the office of the Ministerie Lord it not over the Stewards of Gods house and let not him finde you beating his servants when hee cals you to a reckoning in a word lest Pashur his case proue yours if danger come Let Christ raign in his Ordinances and let that maxime once be made good in a good sense no ceremony no Bishop Lastly to you people which be of two sorts carnall and called of the Lord to the former Thinke not the rotten walls of your profanenesse or meer Civilisme shall still be daubed over with the stinking morter of Romish superstition the durt whereof you cast in the faces of Gods faithfull Ministers if they touch your galled sores away with those fig-leaues and leprous clouts and let the Word haue its course with you To you the latter sort that with some lazie wishes are content to haue it so as the Prophet speaketh giue me leav out of my very loue to tell you that Isâ—char his caraiage or bowing down like an Asse between two burthens will not serue but you must hate the garment spotted with the flesh and say to the Idols Get you hence what haue we to doe with you Lastly to conclude the point to you all I say again from the highest to the lowest with my duety to all in lawfull place reserved if admonition will not work let terrour of iudgement prevaeile Levit. 10. the strange fire in Gods worship was punished with the fire of Gods wrath from heaven God proportions iudgement to the sin we haue ever kept in and pleaded for the excommunicate thing for the which the Lord may plague us we haue like fooles reserved the seedricks of superstition therfore the Lord is like to giue us enough of it Hos 8.11 we haue made many Altars to sin and they may be unto us for sin let King and Prince and Nobles and Ministers 2 Chron. 25 14 c. and people look to it King Amasiah setting up the gods of Seir by the God of Israel
home Deut. 20.7 And to that end hee caused the officers to make proclamation What man is there that is soft or tender that is faint-hearted let him goe and return unto his house The like proclamation did Gideon make at Gods command when he was to fight against the Midianits and of 32000 men that were with him Iudg. 7.3 1 Mach. 7. there returned 22000. Iudas Ma chabeus being to fight against Licias maketh the same proclamation The Law-giver himselfe giveth a reason of this Law that his brothers heart melt not or grow not faint as his heart a good reason indeed for as melting mettall cast upon other may make it also melt so a sort of fainting swoonding fellows may cast all the rest in a syncope As the faint-hearted spyes returning from the view of Canaan discouraged all the rest insomuch that they durst rather rebell against God then look their enemies in the face so a company of cowards may dash the courage of the best and as the Spyes brought a plague upon Israel for their faintnesse and incredulity so faithlesse and fearfull Cradons bringeth the rest to destruction And as this faintnesse is dangerous to their fellow souldiers so it bringeth themselues to further evils then they are aware of It bringeth sin shame and destruction for besides that with deserved ignominy they die often like doggs and swine they bring also as the Hebrews obserue the bloud of all the rest upon their heads Yea these white livered fellowes haue a double curse First this soft feeble and effeminate heart is a curse in it selfe the Lord speaking of the curses that he would bring upon his people if they would not obey threatneth this as a speciall one I will even bring softnesse into their heart in the land of their enemies Lev. 26.36 Secondly they are accursed in with-drawing their hand from Gods work or in doing the work of the Lord deceitfully Cursed is he that doth the worke of the Lord negligently or deceitfully and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from bloud The 300 valiant and couragious men that lapped water with their tongues Indg. 7.4.5 were worth all the 32000. Caleb and Iosua having another heart were of more esteem with God then all the rest of the people I would haue all Gods Warriours to take heed of softnesse of heart in this sense and at any hand not to trust such for commonly they haue hard and cruell hearts against any thing that good is The King of Britaines observation upon the Lords prayer maketh this good by the instance of the Deer which being the softest hearted and fearfullest of all other beasts yet is the cruellest of all to minde an injury and an opportunity to revenge it Hence a fearfull man is called A Man like a Hart. Ancients doe tell us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and examples doe testifie that there is no greater Tyrant then a cowardly King Witnesse Nero Caligula Tiberius yea according to Plutarch as feare and cowardize is the cause of their cruelties so the greatest coward of all is a faint hearted souldier The idolatrous Gentiles both Roman◠and Grecians Dii 〈…〉 made a Temple to Fear as to one of their 〈…〉 which they sacrificed a dog intimating thereby Alex. ab Alex. l. 1. cap. 13. p. 21 that they should haue no fellowship with feare It is better to haue a coward to thy foe then to thy counsellour or copartner for a man can look for no true good from the fearfull Benevolentiae vis est metus insbecillis 2. off Faint feare saith Tully is an enemy to good will The Camelion saith Pliny is the fearfullest creature of all other and therfore it turneth it selfe into all colours that it may shift for it selfe So fearfull men without respect of faith or friendship they turn themselues into all colours but the truth that they may saue themselues And whom they fear most they serue most though it be least to their credit or commodity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cowardize is well compared by the Grecians to a white livered disposition whence we take our proverbe white livered as that waterish duscrasie or distemper of the liver causeth dropsies and Lienteries and so hurteth the body more by corrupt humours then it helpeth it by sanguification and howsoever life for a time be protracted yet colour strength and appetite faileth exceedingly and breath at length forsaketh the body so a fearfull white livered friend may seem to keep life in a good cause for a time but it is but an hydropick or lienterick life which being both together are symptomes of inevitable death Some corrupt counsell luke-warme comfort and weake forces to no effect they may affoord but it is but a palliation it is no cure it is but to quench the Citie with a pottle pot when it is all on fire which indeed will make it burn the faster In a word the fearfull man is a foe to his friend and a sriend to his foe What made Saul eye David continually to doe him hurt but his conceived feare though other causes concurred yet this was the speciall 1 Sam. 18.8.9 What can he haue more but the Kingdom Whence arose the ruin of Achaz and all his but from the servile feare wherewith they were possessed as the the holy Ghost by the Prophet Esay witnesseth When hee heard that Syria was confederate with Ephraim hi◠heart was moved and the heart of his people 2. Tim. 1.17 as the trees of the wood Where this spirit of slavish feare is the spirit of God is not God saith Paul to Timothy hath not given the spirit of feare but of power of love and of a sound mind Where the Apostle opposeth the spirit of God or the graces of the spirit as power loue and soundnes of judgment to this slavish feare which for the prevayling power of it he calleth the spirit of feare which cannot consist with the power of the foresaid graces whether it be in ministers souldiers Captaines Generalls or Kings As it is spoken there directly to the Ministers so of all men they had most need to looke to it for the spirit of feare in a Minister is a most fearfull plague to himselfe and others especially in these fearfull times that requireth so much use of the Spirit of power A sound conclusiō But observe this as a main conclusion from the place touching all persons that where this spirit of feare resideth there is neither soundnes of judgment nor sinceritie of affection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor power of action to be looked for What should men then doe with such Ministers friends souldiers or any other such these white livered men as the Grecian noteth well are good for nothing As I desire that all men might remember the fearfull punishment of this slavish feare namely the burning lake for the fearefull and unbeleeving Rev. 21.8 c. Where observe they
consequence then it must necessarily follow that there must be but one Religion and that of Gods own appointment Some Civilians who for the most are too much Matchiavalized loving the profits better then the Law labours to palliate this with utilitie matter of fact and necessity And for instance they bring Sultan Solyman the great Turke a fit example indeed who being moved by the Mufty or chiefe Pope and the Cadilesheiri or Arch-prelates together with some of the Bassaes to abandon the Christians Iews and all of diverse religions or otherwise to force them to Muzilmanize that is to professe Turcism The Turke looking out at a window pointed them to the variety of the flowers in the garden whereunto saith he I compare diversities of religions in my Dominions which are rather usefull then hurtfull so they liue in obedience The like they tell us of Alexander Severus Traian and others but what be these to Christian Kings and Rulers who haue not so learned Christ They must walk by Lawes and not by Examples neither must God loose the least jote of his honour for their greatest gaines As for necessity in regard of disturbance all wisedom is to be used in avoyding of it and all faire meanes used to reduce them to the truth but disturbing must not bee avoyded with sinne It is a clause worthy the observation and by the Popes themselues placed in the Canon right though not observed Reg. 1. de Regiminis num 6. but ill abused That it is far better that offence or disturbance should come then the least truth should be forsaken Is a King a noursing father and will he suffer a plaguy or leprous childe to be in the house or lye in the bed with his childe that is sound Will he suffer poyson to lye strawed about where his childe may reach it This were to murther his childe and not to play the parent to it Will a King suffer forraign Kings to erect their Lawes in his Dominions and permit his subjects to obey some one and some another No hee would scorn it and hold them Traytors that should motion it and will he put that upon God and force him as it were to bear that he will not bear himselfe Surely the Lord will not bear it It was a princely part and a royall resolution worthy the imitation in Edward the sixth a Sunâ—shine over-clouded by the sinnes of this land in the very rising hee being requested with his Councell by Charles the fifth then Emperour to suffer the Lady Mary his sister to haue a Masse in her house the Councell sitting about that and other things sent D. Cranmer and D. Ridley to perswade the King to grant it When he had heard what they could say he so learnedly and grauely did refute it out of the word of God that with astonishment their mouthes were stopt Then they fell to him with false grounds of policy as the loosing of the Emperours favour the hardening of his sisters heart the discontenting of Popish subjects to whom he replyed that they should content themselues for hee would spend his life and all that he had rather then agree or grant to that which he knew certainly to be against the truth Yet for all this they would not leaue him but pressing him further he fell a weeping and willed them to let him alone Fox pag. 1179. Hee had cause to weep indeed but they greater Where they should haue preserved him from sinne they were made the meanes to corrupt him The Prelates and pleaders for Conformity haue no great reason to brag of these men as they were Bishops not of Gods making for whilst their heatts were deceived and their eies vayled with the bewitching honours and glorious shewes of Pabel against the light of knowledge they proved as you see enemies to the crosse of Christ therefore God puld them out of their rags and cast them in the Furnace and then they proved his friends indeed and so may some Prelates proue if God bring them to the stake But to the matter for all that they could doe such was the zeale of that holy Saint and happy King that Lady Mary could haue no Masse at that time To conclude this reason men would haue thought that the union of Britains Kingdomes would haue cut short the increase of Babel his Kingdom and that the Foxes should haue been forced either to change their skins or holes but we see for our sinns by neglect of authority that to the dishonour of God the defacing of his Gospell the griefe of his people and indangering of life crown and dignity they are so hugely increased in both Kingdoms and in Ierland that in their own conceit they are grown too hard fâ—â— us it is most just with God if we spare the Cananits that the Cananits should vexus The fourth reason may be taken from idolaters who to our shame are zealous of their false worship The Lord may justly upbraid us with such as he did his people Israel hathâ— nation changed their gods Ier. 2.11 which are yet no gods but my people haue changed their glory for that which doth not profit So the Lord may inquire of us whether heathen Rome and Antichristian Rome do tolerate any worship but that which is of their owne appointment The Laws of old Rome forbade any strange Gods to be worshipped amongst them that is as Tully expoundeth Cic. de leg privatim adscitos of mens private device but by the Senats publique appointment so new Rome is as strict in that they will haue no mixture but of their own making instance the Tridentin excommunications witness likewise with many others the Doctors of Doway upon the Lords forbidding of mixtures of seed Lev. 19.19 cattle and garments here all participation say they with heretikes and schismatickes is forbidden Philip of Spaine said he had rather haue no subject then subjects of a divers religion and out of a bloudy zeale suffered his oldest sonne Charles to be murthered by the cruell inquisition because he seemed to favour profession for which Non pepercit filio suo sed dedit pro nobis Hieron Catina that mouth of blasphemie the Pope gaue him this for his panagyr that he had not spared his owne sonne but had given him for them As old Rome called the Christian religion a new religion so new Babilon calleth the ancient trueth a new religion or heresie and therefore they hold it a damnable thing to haue any thing to doe with it expecting but a day when they may race out the remembraÌ„ce of it As for our drawing nigh unto them in superstitious rites they flout us to our face and tell us in a bravado that let us come as nigh to them as wee will they will not come one haires breadth nigh to us yea they asperse our religion with this Quo vadis pag. 13. Heylin pag. 249. that if it were true wee would never bland it How bitter then
is the friut of D. Hall his correspondencie with poperie for which he pleadeth in his treatise of travells and urged hard for conformitie with popish ceremonies by Heylin in his Geography As for the Papists applauding of our leiturgie as he speaketh there it is but a sorry prayse to it when they reckon with him they will pay him for this as they doe in the Epistle to Spalatoes recantation where belying him falsly with the name of an unlearned Minister they flout him for his bragge In the honour of the maried clergie pag. 55. that the English Church was honoured with a Dalmatian pall put upon a Bandogg indeed I know the Doctor knoweth them well enough and that there is no peace with Rome who haue sworne themselues deadly enemies to the gospel and the Professors thereof It is the oath of the Kinghts of the holy Ghost ordeyned by Henry the third of France Anno 1570. that they should persecute the Hugonits Now I come to the last argument which is the evill ensuyng upon the toleration of any false religion The Lord telleth the Israelits that if they destroy not all the idols of the Canaanits that his angershould be kindled against them Deut. 7.4 and he would destroy them suddenly How angry was God with Iehosaphat for hauing any thing to doe with idolatrous Achab therefore he rebuketh him sharply threatneth him fearfully by the mouth of Hanani the Seer 2. Chron. 19 2. shouldest thou helpe the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. And falling in the same fault againe in ioyning with wicked Ahaziah King of Israel he telleth him by the mouth of Eliezer because thou hast joyned they selfe with Ahazia the Lord hath broken thy workes 2. Chron. 20 37. If the Lord were thus angry for joyning in civill affaires how angry would he haue been if he had admitted their idolatry or matched with them The most part of the Kings and great ones Applicatiō they eyther forget God altogether or they thinke he is not the same God I would therefore haue them to cast but their eyes upon examples of later times and see how the Lord hath met with tolerators of false religion Henry the fourth of France begun well but he held not out whose tolerating of others though upon extremitie and imbracing of popery for a kingdom though from the teeth outward caused the Lord as one said well to him to smite first at his tongue wherewith he had denyed him and at last to smite at his heart by one of the furies of the same hellish religion which for the world he was content for a time to tollerate How did Q. Mary pay Cranmer and Ridley for pleading so hard to the King that she might haue a Masse Men must not thinke first to serve their owne turnes and then to serve Gods turne to goe on with policie making religion dance attēdance to it which indeed should serve religion is to set the Asse upon Christ and not Christ upon the Asse The disturbance and distraction of the Germanes which weakeneth them exceedingly against the common enemie ariseth especially from the toleration of diversitie of religion No thing as one saith well doth more combine the minds of men together then unitie of religion and nothing more dis-ioyneth them then diversitie of religion And it were good me thinke for the united Provinces to make up their union with unitie of religion And I may say boldly upon my former grounds made good by instances that they indanger themselues most by toleration of diversitie of religion Besides the multitude of idols in their houses whereof they make no bones though thereby they keep life in Poperie what a confused chaos of heresies what a State renting breach of Schismaticall divisions with a hotch-potch of opinions are to be found with them wherin to their blemishes they are holden the Antesignans or ring-Leaders through the world so that it is growne to a proverbe If a man had lost his religion he might find it at Amsterdam Which proverb I think may rather be inverted thus If a man bring any religion to Amsterdam he had best take heed he loose it not for reason and experience makes this position good that a place of opposition is not so dangerous to Religion as that place where for Religion every man may doe what he list They must not think that their manner of government or necessitie of trading or any other thing will serue to tolerate this toleration against the Law of God and nature the office of the Magistrate the example of the enemy and the evill ensuing on it I wish they may obserue and ponder together with the aim of their cruel enemy who looketh for more advantage out of this evill then out of any other thing Where there be many Apes there be but a few men Many weeds a little corn So a small deale of true religion where is so much diversity of religion Where there is a Cachexia or evill habite of humours there is but a little good bloud so an evill habit of corruption taketh away the life of true Religion in which indeed consisteth the life of true policy I pray God they may look to it and that he would open our hearts from the head to the foot to look to it at home where Popery is as freely practised as if it had publique toleration and that by connivency which God will not winke at And because matching with Idolaters setteth up the greatest gate to idolatry and by consequence layeth us open to Gods heavy wrath as God himselfe doth witnesse Deut. 7.4 They will turne away thy sonn◠from following me that they may serue other gods so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you and destroy you suddenly We must shut that floud-gate if we will not haue the plague come in and consume us I wonder how men can hold up their faces to speak for such Matches They are first flatly against the Word 2 Cor. 6.12 be not unequally yoked which the Doctors of Doway quote in their Marginall note upon Levit. 19 to condemn all matches with schismaticks and hereticks For confirmation whereof they cite Theodoret. Secondly the Lord taxeth such Matches as a high measure of sin instance in Ahab of whom it is said as if it had been a light thing to haue walked in the waies of his father 1 King 16.31 hee took to wife Iezabel who served Baal Thirdly of the evill effects of these Matches we need not goe no further then our own Nation It is reported in our Histories of Vortigern who Anno 450 at the perswasion of Hengist brought in a multitude of Saxons and marryed Rowen daughter to Hengist Intravit Satanas in cor eius Math. Westmonasteriens pa. 156. of whom it is said that the devill entred into his heart because being a Christian by profession he matched with
Philistim and yet these were they that they never suspected till the battle was lost wherein 30000 were slaine their Priests were gone Eli his necke broken and which was worste of all the Arke of God was taken Then they began in their calamitie to call a new quest of inquirie to make a new search and to find out this execrable thing namely their sin 1. Sam. 7. â— for the which as it is said all the hoast of Israel lamented before the Lord. The like neglect wee may behold in the people of Israel going against Beniamin The first day they lost 22000 they lament indeed and looke about them what should be the matter but they go the wrong way they fall to doubt of their commission as though there had been some fault in that they supposed they could not prosper because they had lift up their hand against their brethren although God had bid them doe it but there was another matter in it that they were not a ware of that was their sin which questionlesse God did punish by those two overthrows First they were altogether become corrupt and abhominable in their courses worship of God insomuch that as the Lord speaketh every man did what seemed good in his owne eyes It is true when they heard of the beastly and abhominable act of killing of the Levits wife under their filthy lust their hearts rose against it they would be avenged on all the whole tribe if the transgressors were not delivered This was all well but this was not all they should haue begune at home and purged themselues of spirituall uncleannesse and other sinnes that doe accompany that and then they had been fit to haue punished the beastlinesse of the Beniamits Againe for number they were so many and the other not a gleaning to them that they made no question of the victory so that they thought it needlesse to seeke to God by humbling of themselues for a good successe But God for those met with them and set them in the right way ere he had done with them for when after the second defeate they got sight of their sin and humbled themselues for it by fasting and praying they received a better answere with assurance of the victory Now give me leaue to applie and that in all humilitie Application The ground of your enterprise was good the commission faultlesse and the end for any thing I know upright yea and the enemie Gods enemie yet for all this thus far they haue prevayled and doe prevaile the cause I feare is want of reformation at home and it may be too much presuming of worldly forces and friendship which the Lord would haue to prove no better then a broken reede If the commission be good and the parties disable themselues from the execution of it what fault is in it or in him that gaue it out As it is far from me to charge any thing upon any mans conscience so I intreate every man to charge his owne conscience as David did and say I am the man A generall view or search will not serue for so long as men keepe themselues at generals they never find out that in themselues which most displeaseth God but often mistake that to be no sin which is sinne or that to be sin which is no sin Men must not stay themselues in the Procatartick or remote causes but they must dive unto the Proegumene conjunct or essential imediate cause Empyrickes mistaking symptomes for the sicknesse it selfe are fayrer to kill then to cure so in finding out some petty sinnes some never look at the main sinnes like those that lop off branches of the tree but never strike at the roote and as by this pruning the trees grow bigger so by daliance in search all growes worse and worse therefore to the bosome sin the darling-sin the seed-sinne that is deer as hand and foot cut it off and cast it away Let every man be severest with himselfe and favour himselfe not in the least sin that sin that hee least lookes after and will not acknowledge to be sin is commonly the capital sinne as taking liberty to profane the Sabboth going to stage-plaies scoffing precisenesse pettie oathes abuse of the creatures usury these be Nationall sins and set ope the gate to all other sins and consequently to judgment On the first my heart giues me to dwell if it were my place and the Treatise would permit for as it is the sin of Nations so it is the capitall sin though least thought on the threatnings against the breach of this commandement the promise annexed to the keeping of it the backing of it with reasons and fore-fronting of it with a remember Zacor doe necessarily imply all these lessons as first the antiquity of it and the continuance of it that as it was from the beginning so it should be remembred to the end Gen. 2.3 secondly it discovers the propensity of man to the light esteem of it and to the breaking of it thirdly it shews the greatnesse of the sin Ezech. 20.12.22 fourthly Gods great desire to haue it kept calling it the holy honourable day yea and the delight of the Lord Es 58.13 All these cords will pull down inevitable judgements upon all the palpable profaners of this day by their pleasures or ordinary imployments except they repent This sin cryes in England and roares in Holland where by open shops and other works of their calling they proclaim with open mouth their little regard of God or his Sabboth Iudgement likewise hangs over the head of all halvers of the Lords day making it neither Gods nor theirs but divide it All Iewish translators of the Sabboth all toleration from higher powers to profane it at which we may lay our hands upon our mouths But I hope the Parliament will redresse it likewise on all that dare proclaime it from Pulpit to bee onely a Ceremoniall Law and that the rest now injoyned is a meer Civill Ordinance The Papists presse this as a meer humane Institution in religious Worship Spalato a little before his departure told a man in dispute with him that that Commandement was done away Many Libertine Ministers and Prelats in England maintain the same in effect and the worst of the Ministers of the Vnited Provinces concur with them in this point for though some presse the keeping of it yet they urge it not as a divine Precept but as a time appointed by a meer positiue law for the worship of God but this crosseth the nature of the commandement being Morall given from the beginning before the Ceremoniall Law written by Gods own finger proclaimed to all the people to continue to the end It substracts from the number of the Precepts being ten Exod. 34.18 Deut. 10.4 it oppugneth the practise of God which is for a president to us It is against naturall reason and divine prerogatiue that God should not haue a solemn time appointed for
his worship and that he should not be the appointer of it Hence it is that not onely the Hebrews but also all Greeks and Barbarians did rest from work on the seventh day witness Iosephus Clemens Alexandrinus and Eusebius lastly it afronteth Christs institution included in the very name of the day Why is it called the Lords day Rev. 1.10 1 Cor. 16.2 is it not because it was appointed by the Lord and to continue for the Lord as the Sacrament for the same reasons is called the Supper of the Lord. To make an end of the point let the Magistrates of London and other parts who haue kept back their authority from sanctifying of the Sabboth look to the end fire is broke out already but I fear if we will not â—earken to hallow the Sabboth of the Lord that the fire spoken of by Ieremy shall break forth in our Gares and not bee quenched till it haue devoured us I might say much in this point both by reason of the commonnesse of the sin and plenty of matter against it but I will onely say this Where there is no conscience of keeping of the Sabboth sincerely they haue no ground to expect any good As for Stage-plaies they are the devils chaire the seate of Scorners the plague of piety and the very pox to the Common-wealth but I haue a whole Treatise against them And as for the other sins mentioned it is counted but Puritanism to count them sins but so much the worse As our Nation is a field of crying sins so the cry of some sinns must not be discovered but countenanced in a searfull manner who knows but the things which we count trifles may be the speciall matter of our controversie with God A little other fire then God had ordained might seem a small matter in the eyes of indifferency yet it was such a sinne as made all Israel guilty as appeareth by the sacrifices offered for that sinne Levit. chap. 16 yea it brought such a fire from the presence of the Lord as could hardly be quenched These sinnes therefore must be taken by the poll and others of the like nature as contempt of the Word and hatred of Gods people and they must be beaten to powder with the Israelites Calfe Goe from a Tribe to a Family from a Family to a house and so to every man of the house till the golden wedge be found out We must not trust our wicked hearts with this work for corrupt nature is blind as a beetle in the finding out of sinne witnesse the Israelites even then when all the plagues of God were comming upon them they sayd What is our iniquity or sinne against God Ier. 16.10 Princes and people had need of good Seers whom they must suffer to shew them their sinne that either they cannot find or will not finde such was Nathan to David they must not count such men of contention and busie-fellows as the Iewes called Ieremiah but our evill age doth not onely hide sinn but maintaine sinne There is also too much propensitie both in the bade and also in the good to palliate sin to tranfer their troubles to other causes then to it I remember that Traian Generall to Valence the Emperour that mirror of impietie going against the Gothes he was defeated in the very first battle for which Valence upbrayded Trajan at a feast with cowardize and sloth as being the causes of the overthrow but noble Traian not enduring that indignitie with freedome of speech told enduring that indignitie with freedome of speech told the Emperour in plaine termes that he had lost the day for you do so war against God saith he meaning his persecuting of Christians that you abandon the victory and send it to your enemies Niceph. Calist lib. 11. Cap. 40 Eccle. Hist it is God saith he that overcommeth and he giveth the victory to those that obey him but such are your adversaries and therefore you haue God to fight against you how then can you overcome Here you may see a patterne of a wicked disposition well taken up and the saddle set upon the right horse And not onely doe such bloudy monsters as this shift off their calamities from their sinnes but also Gods people by falling in sin and lying in sin may be tainted with it witnesse David a man otherwise after Gods owne heart yet tainted with this Amongst the rest of his trickes of legerdemain when he spun the spiders webbe of his implicit sin this was one to cover the murther of Vriah he useth a principall experimentally knowen the sword devoureth one at well as another make thy battell more strong against the cittie and so overthrow it 2. Sam. 11.25 David spake the trueth but not truely for he knew that it was not common lot that had cut off Vriah but his owne heart and hand had caused him and others to fall yet he would daube over a filthy peece of business with a litle white plaistring but when once he was awaked he was so far from daubing as that he chargeth himselfe more deeply with every circumstance then any other could haue done I am the man And after the numbring of the people when his heart smote him grieving at the punishment of the people he taketh the whole sin upon him and vvould cleere the people both of the sin and punishment Loe I have sinned and I haue done wickedly but these sheepe what haue they done 2. Sam. 24.77 let thy hand I pray thee be against me and against my fathers house CHAP. XLIIII Of quitting God of all injustice A Third thing in the behaviour of the conquered is this since sin is the cause they must quit God of all injustice how heavy soever their burthen lye upon them David quitteth the Lord of all injustice if he should adjudge him to eternall death Lament 〈◊〉 18. so doth the people of God in the lamentations being under the verie rod of his wrath The Lord is righteous for I haue rebelled against his commandment By condemning of our selues to acquit God De summo bono lib. 3. is the readiest way to get an acquitance from God Yea as Isedor saith let a man learne not to murmur when he suffereth although he were ignorant for what he suffereth let this suffice to tell him that he suffereth justly because it is from him that cannot deale but justly Pompey was herein exceedingly mistaken who seeing all to goe on Caesars side doubted not to say that there was a great deale of miste over the eye of divine providence for with him that offered nothing but wrong to the commoÌ„ wealth all things went well but with him that defended the common-wealth nothing succeded But Pompey blamed the Sunne because of his sore eyes There be many in our age of Pompey his saucie humor yea arranter wranglers then he because of greater light and showes of profession who if their corruption be never so litle crossed or the Lord
ride when windes blow and waues rage if heaven and earth be shaken this will hold But because groundlesse hope is no better then an Anchor without ground groundlesse hope saith the Poet for the most part deceiveth I wil point out the grounds of your hope in this great bufinesse and but briefly point at them because I may haue occasion to handle them more at large First consider the goodnesse of your cause of which I neede not much dispute for it will maintayne it selfe in the end A better cause there can not be then Gods right and mans right All Gods people that have scanned it are perswaded of the equitie of it which shall one day manifest it selfe as cleere as the Sunne shine at noon day This was it that maintayned Davids hope for as he often commends the goodness of his cause to God so he bringeth in his hope much depending on the goodnesse thereof Iudge me o God and plead my cause against an ungodly nation and unmercifull Psal 43.1 In consideration whereof he checkes his drouping soule and awaketh it up to waite upon God waite hopefully for God for yet I shall confesse him vers 5. Where observe as he maketh hope his Anchor so the goodnesse of his cause is the cable that he rideth by Bernard hath a pretty saying to this effect if the cause of the warre be good saith he the end of the warre can never be evill Si boun fuerit causa pugnae exitus malus esse non poterit neo bonus iudicabitur finis ubi causa non est bona Serm. ad milites Templi cap. 1. howsoever for many causes it may be long first and may be much at under in the meane time neither can a good end saith he come of an evill cause A second ground may be taken from the nature of hope it selfe which is to maintayne a man when all other things faile this sweeteneth and replenisheth the labour of the husbandman it conforteth the marriner when he seeth no land releeveth the patient when the phisition hath giuen him over and inlargeth the heart of the captive in the darkest prison This sustained David in all his troubles David acknowledged that he had fainted if this had not beene Psil 27. â—3 I had fainted except I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of God in the land of the living Where by the land of the living he meant even this world wherein men liue and in particular that land of Canaan the seate of Gods Church This so supported Iob that he would trust in God though he would kill him This was all that Alexander reserved to himselfe This is pictured like a beautifull virgin for the continuall beautie and vigor that is in it It is compared to brasse by the learned for the durable and impenetrable nature of it This is it that caryeth us aboue hope namely of carnall reason This is both staffe lanthorne when all sight and sence of all secondary means faile yea this is never higher elevated De divinia mâ—seratione tum ampltus spâ—raÌ„dum cum â—â—esidâ— humana â—â—fecerint Hexam then when our State in all mens eyes is at the lowest yea so low that the blasphemous wicked will not sticke to say God cannot restore him or at least God will not restore him Ambrose giveth a good direction from the nature of hope manifesting it selfe in greatest extremitie wee should most of all hope saith he in divine helpe wheÌ„ humane and secundary meanes fayle us so long as there is life there is ‘ DuÌ„ spâ—â—es sâ—â—â—a hope yea if it goe so hard with us that as Seneca saith Wee can hope †Qui nuÌ„â—il poâ—est sâ—e râ—ed dâ—speret nâ—bil nothing yet let us despayre nothing The third ground is from the succefle of hope in most desperate cases therefore it is said of hope that hope maketh not a shamed Which phrase is a Hebraisme denoting unto us the certainty or things hoped for to be accomplished Where first hee putteth a difference between hope in God and hope in man or humane things the latter proveth no better then a broken reed by which when a man is deceived he blusheth at the folly of his confidence but it is not so with that hope that is in God It likewise meeteth with the worlds misconstruction of Gods cause in distresse and the miserable case of his people when they see them deprived of their state their liues hunted like a Partridg how they are forsaken of their friends and made the object of the enemies wrath then the world flouts them Gods enemies whet their teeth on them drunkards sing songs of them vile Varlets bring them upon the Stage exposing their names and persons to all manner of contumelies and open mockery Is not this shame enough No saith the Apostle all this is nothing where hope is all the devils in hell cannot make a man ashamed for the things hoped for shall not deceiue him It is true that in temporall deliverances and vindicating his cause from the calumny of the enemy he hath not promised by this or that particular man yet it is enough to every particular man set a work that hee will doe it by him or another and why not by him as well as by another Let him waite on therefore it is enough that the Lord will doe his work Gen. 48.21 Israel said to Ioseph Behold I dye but God shall be with you and bring you againe to the land of your fathers Was not Davids case desperate in all mens eyes and in his own his hope almost forlorne his heart sunck in his belly Yet the object of his hope was made good Israels hope was very low for comming into the promised land and yet the Lord did not fayle them in any good thing they hoped for I might instance this in Ioseph Iob Mordecai and others But to bee short Let us come to our own times How haue many worthy men out of the sparkes of hope raked up in the ashes made a braue fire how haue they been lifted up out of the dust and their horn exalted on a suddain I will instance but in two or three Antonius Grimanius by noble prowesse and vertue rising from one degree to another till hee came to be Procurator for S. Marke in Venice but being defeated by the Turke in that Sea-fight at the Sporades through the fault of the Gally-masters that came not up to the fight hee was falsly accused to the Senate brought in chaines to his answer condemned to banishment and his greatest enemy Melchior Trivisan set up in his place but having lived in banishment till envy was extinct by the Senate hee was called back with a publique decree Integritatis virtutis ergo intimating his integrity and vertue to be the cause of his restitution and being made one of the Senate and Procurator as he was before he went in a great Embassie to Francis of France and
of your hope is from the enemie with whom you haue to deale namely the beast the Dragon and the false Prophet whose ruine the Lord of hoasts hath vowed and determined It is a great advantage to know our enemies but a greater incouragment to know that our enemies are Gods enemies and God their enemie so that they cannot stand What your enemies are and what attempts they shall make and how certainely and suddenly they shall fall it is cleare in the Revelations It is true indeed you haue monstrous enemies unparaleld by any other Sagitta disbolt Hon. 3. in Psal 38. Imo peior Diabolo Hom. 8. in Esech namely the devill the Imperiall force giving the devill or Dragon for his Armes and the Pope or Anti-Christ whom Origen termeth truely the arrow of the devill yea and worse in a manner then the devill himselfe whose chiefe instruments be these hellsh furies the Iesuits these shall gather together all the waters of the whore on which shee sitteth but the Sun-shine of the Lords wrath shall dry them up her flesh shall be given to be eaten and shee shall be made naked her wound shall not be cured shee shall be burned with fire shee goeth to utter destruction And for the more certainty hereof it is set downe as though it were already done Rev. 16.17 18. cap. It is done it is fallen it is fallen Babilon that great cittie I might bring a world of proofes both from the ancient fathers from the Sybills from their owne Prophets and others that fearfull and finall shall be the fall of Rome That Roma as the Sybills say shal be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ruin indeed but the thing is so cleere to those that haue read any thing whose eyes God hath not blinded that to deny it is both to contradict God and man It hath beene often to me matter of wonder above all all other their oppositions of the truth how they could deny this but I am perswaded the learned of them withhold the trueth of God in vnrighteousnesse Otto Frisingensis an ancient Author who lived 1161 speaking of the ruine of Rome as it hath been the head of all both for dominion and sin so in Gods just judgment it shal be measured to as it hath measured to others I could cite Hildegard Abbas Ioachimus Chrisostom Bernard and others but I rather reserve the larger handling of it to another treatise Beda hath a prettie verse to his purpose Regna ruent Romae ferro flammaque fameque Romes Kingdome falls by famine fire and sword Which to referre to the Gothes and Vandalls were impudencie since that was long before To apply it Applicatiin lovers of Rome and lookers toward Rome and all that loue to be peddling with it and under-propping it secretly looke to it for the day shall come that they shall cry alas for it and shall perish with it As for those that set their heart and hand against it by prayer or sword and hate all communion with it yea every patch of it or garment spotted with the flesh let them go on and prosper howsoever it may be nay it must be through fire and water yet the day shal be theirs There is a Spanishfied popish pamphleter endeavouring to maligne the State of the Vnited Provinces erected maintayned by the finger of God who disswadeth all men from the maintenance protection and partaking of and with the Hollanders and that by sundrie calumnious idlements rather then arguments He draweth one from the fatall end of all such as haue undertaken that businesse beginning with Monsieur de Lemmay and ending with the late Queene Elizabeth of happy memory aspersing like a blacke mouthed Cur as much he can the life and death of a famous nursing mother of vertue and religion giving up also his virulent gorge upon that rightlie renoumed Prince of Orange To which I answer First that as unnaturall and violent death doth not alwayes argue an evill life so it doth not prejudice the goodnes of the action in hand and therefore he is a greater calumniator then argumentator againe if this without further limitation be a good argument then all men haue reason to forsake the maintenance of Babel whereof he is a brat for who haue led such monstrous lives and made such prodigious ends as the maintayners thereof yea I shall be able to prove punctually that never a man that hath put his hand to the maintenance of that Babilonish altar carry it as cleanly as he could but the Lord set Ieroboams marke upon him in one kind or other but that I refer to another treatise To the partie himselfe I will say no more now but that by way of retortion which he putteth upon Sir Ralfe Winwod namely if he had been as good an Englishman as a Hollander the Cautionarie Townes had not been released so had he been as good an Englishman as he is an arrant traytor The affaires of Holland pag. 71. and a spaniolized sycophant he had never profaned with aspertion the ashes of his native Soveraigne nor presumed to suggest false matter of iealousie against the King of Bohemia The last ground of hope or rather the first though I put it in the last place is the love of God in Christ Iesus This is the procatartick cause of hope Spes bona praestat opē this is the ground wheron the Anchor is cast where this is there must be hope and where hope is there is both helpe and assured good successe Rom. 5.5 Hope maketh not ashamed saith the Apostle because the loue of God is shed abroad in our hearts This is a good ground indeed this will never let the Anchor come home all the other grounds are made good to your Majesties your faith and the spirit must make good this to your soules which is the ground of grounds Without this all the other are nothing as the Apostle saith neyther circumcision Gal. 5.6 nor uncircumcision prevayleth any thing but the new creature in Christ Iesus so neyther a good cause nor the nature of hope nor experience of helpe nor the wickednesse of their enemie will doe any good without this main good the assurance of Gods love So long as men walk saith the Prophet Ieremy after their own devices and doe the imagination of their evill hearts so long they say and can say no other that there is no hope Ier. 18.12 What hope can these men haue of good successe to their courses or to see the face of God with comfort that crosseth God and themselues and his people in all their courses God showes what came of Zedechiah his hopes Shall he scape saith the Lord that doth such things Ezech. 17 1◠Or shall he break the covenant and be delivered All Gods people this Summer haue refreshed themselues with the hope of the English Parliament but except they make sure Gods favour by the zeale of his glory the amendment of life
his great show of zeal and ostentation of uprightnesse of heart in the execution of it Come see saith he to Iehonadab my zeale for the Lord but selfe-respect marred all for he wrought for himselfe and not for God he looked more at the Kingdom then Gods command and therfore he who saw the thoughts and hollownesse of his heart requites him in his kind Hee avenged the bloud of â—ezrel upon the house of Iehu Hos 1.4 They who now and then can affoord their hand and tongue to lend Gods cause a lift for their own advantage will discover themselues when their own ends are served yea God will uncase them walk as closely as they can As I often cast mine eyes upon the over-clowded estate or defaced beauty of the Scottish Church I was occasioned to call to mind the prompt indeavour of the great Ones to ruin Babel and to rear up Ierusalem It was a good work indeed if it were well done but as they made the Ministers coat too short their own too side so I fear that the sweetness that they found in Gods bread as one called it and Babels spoyles made them stand so stoutly to it but these being raked out of their budgets by the long-necked-crains that are come from the Egiptian-lake the most of them looks upon the cause now as though they had lost their purses And last of all to giue a touch upon our English Plantators in Virginia I advise them especially to examine the ends and the means for all knows the issue is worse and worse and like to proue starke naughts therfore both the end and the means stands need of rectifying The Lord himselfe giveth a good direction to this same effect that such as had planted vinyards and maried wiues they should not goe to War the reason is given because the thougths and cares of these things should not intangle them and hinder them from fighting of the Lords battells in the field by leaving their hearts at home 2 Tim. 2.4 No man that warreth intangleth himselfe with the affaires of this life that he may please him who hath chosen him for a souldier As the speciall end of War is peace Bellum ita sustipiatur ut nihil aliud nisi pax quaesita videatur l. 1. Offi. Deâ—ertanduÌ„ manu est Ibid. so as Tully saith War must be so taken in hand that it may appeare that nothing is so much sought for as peace It is true as the same Author hath it when necessitie requireth as I said that men must fight and prefer death it selfe to slavery or basenesse And this was the end and ayme I am perswaded of his Majestie to preserve in peace the people of God and the practise of religion as appeareth both by his declaration and his omitting to take his enemies at advantage in the beginning for which they haue given him a cruell requitall yet as his ground was good so his end was good Let them talk of peace what they will they haue no such end except they giue all the conditions and then that peace is no better then slavery Look but to the Spanish practise Is he not like a Moule once in never out if he can chuse And if the fox be unkennelled he leaveth ever an evill smell behind him yea and litters of cobs that pesters the Nation or he is like the winding-Ivye which sheweth a naturall appetite to help it selfe by cleaving to other things but it undoes all other things wherunto it cleaveth Great Brittain had best look to her Vine Private gain and by-respect was one of the three Romish plagues I pray God rid our land of it Thus far I haue ingaged my poor labours in the troublesome warr of this present time desiring God who sitteth aboue as Iudge and Moderator of all mens actions and seeth and heares the teares and prayers of his distressed people that he would awake us all to repentance finish the afflictions of his children and fling the rod in the fire AMEN Errata LET me intreat thee â—ourreous Reader to bear with errours from the presse as some literall faults defects of Accents or Points misplacing or wanting of a word Three Greek words in the Margine hath likewise faults in them In the Epistle to the Reader pag. 2. line 1. for treatise reade this treatise Pag. 49 Marg. for alumoniam reade alimoniam Ibid. for virtus reade victus pag. 87 l. ult for that like r. that it is like pag. 159 l. 13 for ebary r. chair pag. 186. l 20 for for r. far Ibid. l. 32 for 1180 r. 11800 pag. 208. l. 18 for the better r. to the better FINIS