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
evil qualities of the wicked man this is reckoned as the chiefe Ps 140.1.2 that he is prone to war Release thou me Iehovah from the evill man from the man of wrong c. Every day they gather warres Yea in this the wicked man discovers the image of his father the devill Rev. 20.8.9 who being let loose after the thousand yeares expired goeth out to deceiue the people and to gather them together to battell Warre the wages of sin And for the second that it is the wages of sin and that the speciall it is as cleare as the first from plaine places of Scripture from Gods order in his proceeding and Davids avoyding of this when God gave him his choyce of the punishment For the first the Lord threatning to harden himselfe against his people in punishment as they had hardened themselves against him in sin Lev. 26.25 saith thus I will bring upon you a sword that shall avenge the quarrell or vengeance of my covenant It appeareth also in the order of Gods proceeding by comparing of places of Scripture together as the first and second Chap. of the prophesie of Ioel. The Lord having plagued his people with famine by the which they were not moved to repentance he coÌ„mandeth the Trumpet of war to be sounded telleth them that he would bring a fierce and cruell people against them whose mercilesse monstrons tyranny he compareth to the devouring of fire and for the fiercenesse of their consuming wrath he calleth that plague The day of the Lord a day of darkenes a day of blacknes Thirdly and lastly David delivereth thus much in choosing rather the plague Warre the cause of sin Rara fides pietasque viris qui castra sequuntur Lucan then the prevayling hand of the enemye 3. Warre is likewise the cause of much sin as pregnant testimonies and woefull experience teacheth The proverbe is as true as common That faith and pietie are rare in armes Wee may iustlie now with Erasm that great Maister in Arts take up the complaint made by him of his time Wee war continually Nation against Nation Kingdom against Kingdom Citie against Citie Prince against Prince People against People friend against friend kinsman against kinsmaÌ„ brother against brother yea son against the father which the very Heathen held impious and barbarous yea that which is most detestable of all Christian against Christian and yet there be saith he that commend and applaud this hellish practise for a holy course instigating the inflamed fury of Princes by adding oile to the flame as they say till all be consumed And what is come of this I may answer What evill is not come of it I may justly apply that of Aristophanes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Lypsius applyeth to the troubles of his time That God the heaven and earth hath set on fire In war renown honor wealth chastity life wiues and children yea and religion it selfe lyeth at the stake nothing so sacred no sex so tender no age so impotent which the barbarous souldier will not contaminate defloure and kill It is the souldiers sport as one saith truely to ruin houses to ravish Virgins to spoit Churches Iocus ludas in militia c. Ludo. vives in epist ad Henr. 8. Angl. reg Silent leges inter arma to consume Cities and Towns to ashes with sire yea these be the ornaments of war to profit none to hurt every one to respect neither sex nor age yea nor God himselfe for his in warr are neglected and the lawes of peace and war contemned All laws in Armes are silenc't by the sword The world for the proofe of this affoords a world of woefull experience both from sacred and profane Writ To omit the examples of ages past let us view with compassion the instances of our own times and as God usually doth commemorate his latest mercies to leade men to repentance and his latest judgements to terrifie men from their sinnes so let us look upon the latest warres in France Bohemia and the Palatinate Is it not with Gods people every where as it was with them in Asa his time There is no peace to him that goeth out or commeth in but great vexations are upon all the inhabitants of the Countries 2 Chron. 15.6 7. and Nation is destroyed of Nation And though my heart doth quake while I remember Et quanquaÌ„ animus meminisse horret Phil. 2.1 Yet to use the words of the Apostle If there be any confolation in Christ any comfort of loue any fellowship of the spirit any compassion and mercie behold all you that passe by your mournfull sisters Bohemia and the Palatinate with their torn hair about their eyes their vail taken away their crown fallen their sanctuaries defaced their people flain their land laid wast yong old Priest and people exposed to the immane and bloudy cruelty the beastly filthinesse and Ismaelitish mockerie of the cruell enemy In a word was there ever sorrows like to theirs Yea I may safely say the old Threns of Ieremy hath got a new subject And what is the immediate cause of all this evill of sin and punishment Tu bellum causa malorum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Even bloudy warre thou art the cause of all It is the part therfore of wise men saith one if they be not the more provoked to be quiet yea of good men if they be provoked to change peace into warre but so that they change war againe into peace with all possible conveniencie Men disposed to unnecessary warre are compared by some vnto two Gamsters whereof the one is undone and the other is never a whit the richer Plin. l. 8.2 for all the gain is in the box Compared also they may be fitly to the Elephant and the Dragon Plin. l. 8. c. 12. which in their cruel conflict are each killed by other The Dragon as it is written sucketh out the bloud of the Elephant and being drunke therewith the weight of the falling Elephant oppresseth the Dragon and crusheth out the bloud which some calleth but falsly sanguis Draconis but they both perish And so it often falleth out with the unadvised undertakers of warr Vpon this ensuing evill the wise and learned haue taken occasion to check the humors of Princes so disposed as Lodovic Vives to Pope Adrian and in his epistle to Henry the 8 King of England there his motiues and counsels against unnecessary warre are to be seen at large The proverbe is true indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sub melle venenunclâ—tet That warre is very sweet to those that never tasted it but those that taste it shall be forced to confesse that there is poyson under the honey This Hannibal the honour of Carthage knew very well when the Roman Embassadours came from Rome to treat of the continuance of peace one Gisco as great a coward as a vain-glorious bragger without either the practick or
is on the doers part to deceiue With this soule blemish Lucullus that great Roman Warriour did stain all his honour He being under termes of peace with the Portugals whose forces lay in severall places desired them so to remain and he would shew every company where they should build and seat themselues most conveniently He commeth to the first company and under shew of friendship perswadeth them to lay down their Armes whereupon he causeth his Army to fall upon them and kill them every man yea so quickly was it done Appian in hist. bellor Hispan perfidiae non stratagematis nomen meretur that the last knew not of the murthering of the rest From this treacherous Massacre a very few with Viriatus escaped One speaking of this giveth it the proper name namely Perfidie and not a Stratagem Likewise in a stratagem the least lye is to be avoyded It is true that the most of your memorable Stratagems where speeches hath past haue been strewed with untruths but we must not use in the best presidents â—he least evill that is in them Gen. 12.27 We should follow the Midwiues piety in saving the children Exod. 1. Rev. 19. Abrahams charity in securing of himselfe Rahabs mercy in saving the Spyes Iaâ—obs industry in getting of the blessing and Iohn his zeale and admiration of Gods good power and of the glory of the Saints but withall we must not follow Abraham his counterfeiting Rachabs and the Midwiues lye Iacob his untruth nor Iohn his doâ—ing on the Angell I know some will hold it much precisenesse in Stratagems to be effected with speech not to allow an officious lye since all such Stratagems hath been so effected and almost it is impossible without such a lye to bring it to passe I answer First what hath been done de facto will not serue but what may be done de jure we must examine Secondly the Word is so precise both in the generall and even in the very particular that it will allow no lye at all For the generall this rule is without exception We must not doe the least evill that the greatest good may come of it Rom. 3 8. Epes 4.25 As for the particular put away lying saith the Apostle Lye not one to another And least men should take these places with a Pharisaicall glosse Lev. 19.11 that the Spirit forbiddeth lying one to another that is to a brother or neighbour but to â—â— enemy we may especially upon necessity the Spirit will haue no lye at all upon whatsoever good intent to come from the children of truth â— Ioh. 2.21 No lye saith S. Iohn is of the truth that is no lye will sort with the truth let the ground or pretence seem what it will Heathens that sees no further then Owles permits lyeâ— upon some necessity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pâ—sâ—nder De repub lib. 3. Iob. 13.17 as a certain Poet he is not to be blamâ— that maketh a lye for saving his life Plato affirmeth that Physitians upon necessitie must haue leaue to lye that they may comfort the sick and hold them up with hopes althoughâ— there be none But neither recovery of health or saving oâ— life is a sufficient ground for a lye because we may not lye for the glory of God which should be deerer to us theâ— our own salvation Will you speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him Hence it is that the defence of an officious lye fals to the ground We haue examples indeed both of pernitious merry and officious lyes but in the book of God Duo mendaciorum genera in quâ—bus non est magna culpa sed tamen non sine culpa in Psal 5. Ex si quis peccatum non putet seipsum decipit every lye is condemned and no lye warranted Austiâ— having spoken much of the divers kinds of lyes upon good deliberation giveth this resolution There be two kinds of lies saith he that are lesse faulty yet are not voide of fauitâ— for he who thinks any kind of lye not to be sin deceiveth himselfe Neither is there any reason we should use this lie if we consider it well First by this we cannot effect anything for it is not a lye that can saue life nor gain advantage of the enemy Secondly we dishonour God exceedingly and shew our distrust in the using of evil means Thirdly and lastly we provoke God to curse his own work for mixing that with it which is an abomination in his sight We must not then imitate Sopyrus mangling of himselfe and lay it upon others though it be to gain dominion to Dâ—rius glory and grace to himselfe and the good of hiâ— Countrey Neither must Synons cogging craft be a warranâ— to doe so though it were to gain Troy Neither must we emulate or imitate the new Synons of Rome the croaking frogges and other Papists who are become their crafts-masters in shamelesse lying and hellish equivocation They are apt schollers in Lysanders schoole tell them to their Thame as some did to him That by divellish lyes they haue brought many massacres treasons and outrages to passe They laugh it off and answer with their Master That a man must put on the Fox skin when the Lyons will not serue that is as Plutarch expounds it that which cannot be done by fair dealâ—ing must by fraud and dishonest meanes be accomplished But they need not goe so farre to schoole their hollow fathers fogged up with deceit will teach them to cast the keyes in Tyber and the Sacrament in the fire when plain dealing will not serue Yea old Leo the tenth hath taught the yong Whelps a Text which all of them hath by heart and all the comments upon it Flectere si nequeo superos c. Fetch help from hell if heaven deny you aid Neither last of all must we follow a multitude to doe evill The whole world lyeth in wickednesse and truth and faith haue left the world Men are now grown naturall Cretians It is a great peece of policy with great Ones to lye as ordinarily as to speak but it is a great shame and disgrace to them Prov. 17.17 Excellent speech becommeth not a foole much lesse doe lying lips a Prince For this quality in great Ones I cannot passe a remarkeable passage in the Scottish History Yong Malcom King of Scots fled into England from the cruelty of Macbeth who had murthered his father and usurped the Kingdom Macduff Earle of Fife escaped likewise from the Tyrant and comming into England to the King did solicite and incite him with arguments to labour for the deliverance of his people from the tyrannie of a Traytor Malcom fearing deceit which Macbeth by sundry means against him attempted he desired to be excused because he had two evill qualities incompatible to Kingly government namely avarice and lust Macduff answered that these might be remedied by matrimony and aboundance The King replyed that he would be
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
must be well bound so all the parts of the crosse must be compacted and bound up together for if one part hang from another it is very troublesome Secondly it must be well laid on a butthen well bound up and well laid on is halfe carriage to the bearer Thou must willingly lay thy shoulder under the burthen and thy neck under the yoke and thy yoke shall be easie and thy burthen light This is that assuescing or inuring of a mans selfe to the bearing of the burthen that the Prophet speaketh of Lam. 3.27.28 29 It is good for a man that he beare the yoke in his youth hee sitteth alone and keepeth silence because he hath born it hee putteth his mouth in the dust if there may be hope Where obserue that a man inuring of himselfe to the carriage of the crosse becommeth a cunning carryer and his cunning in carriage maketh him a mirrour of patience An old Cart going still without any noise under the burthen may be a good Hyerogliffe of this cunning where as a new Cart unused to loading maketh a huge noyse so the old beaten porter to the Crosse Maluit tolerare quam deplorare had rather endure it then deplore it Thirdly he must goe steady with his joynts straight and a stiffe neck for if his joynts bowe and his neck budge he will as the Poet saith fall under the burthen Sustineas ut onus nitendum est vertice recto Ac flecti nervos si patiare cades With ioynts out-stretcht thy burthen carry straight For if thou budge thou fal'st under the waight So if a man wag to and againe and struggle and striue under the crosse he weakeneth himselfe Pondus ipâ—â— laâ—â—atione incomodius fit making the burthen heavier and at last hee cashiers both sortitude and patience To this point Seneca speaketh well the burthen by rowling to and again becommeth very heavy The last point in the carriage that gaineth patience is cheerfulnesse a cheerfull heart maketh a strong back Alexander Aphrod giveth a reason why porters under their but thens goe singing because the minde being delighted with the sweetnesse of their musicke the body may feele the lesse waight under the burthen Problem 1. Numb 78. So the Apostle willeth us to count it exceeding great ioy when we fall into divers temptations A third meane to obtaint patience Iam. 1.2 is to attend upon the reading and hearing of the word ioyning thereunto conference and meditation This is Salomous tower out of which this armor of proofe is fet and therefore the heathens had none of this no more have our pictures of professors make what shewes they can for where the power of the word worketh not Rom. 15.4 there can be no true patience Whatsoever things were written before time were written for our learning that wee through patience and comfort of the scripture might haue hope Apoc. 3.10 So it is called the word of patience not onely so called because it doth exhibate to us the patience and long suffering of God but also because it worketh patience in us as a friute offaith The last meane is prayer by which wee doe intreat the God of patience to grant us patience It is not natures gift though men by nature will make a brave florish it is the gift of God to you saith the Apostle it is not onely given to beleeve Philip. 1.29 but to suffer Affliction of it self worketh not patience but rather impatiencie yea the word cannot worke it without the working of the spirit and therefore if any be afflicted let him pray namely eyther for deliverance from the crosse or for patience under the crosse and let a man know this that patience to beare the crosse is a greater gift then deliverance from the crosse The last thing of patience is the true use of it which in regard of the foure-fold obiect is foure-fold First in respect of God we must not so much as in thought murmur against him but approve of all he doth The second in respect of the devill if he by Gods permission torture or tempt wee must be patient till the Lord rebuke him Thirdly in respect of our selues if the pricke of the flesh buffet us wee must by patience beare it if by prayer wee cannot remove it Lastly in respect of others if they be good wee must haue patience with their faylings if bad be patient though they prosper and beare if they persecute Two things especially do further the use of patience removall of sin and fixing of our eyes on Christ both these as usefull to the third Heb. 12.21 are laid downe in the Hebrues Let us lay a side every waight and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Iesus the Author and finisher of our faith And so I end the point desiring the God of patience to grant you this patience and giue it to haue a perfect work in you CHAP. XLVIII Of the Hope of the Conquered FOurthly the conquered with this patience must ioyne hope for that is the sheet-Anchor by which a man may ride be the storme never so great Without this patience is cold almost in the fourth degree and that is but a little from poyson The hopes of the godly indeed may be exceeding low and their patience may be much weakened yet on better resolution they re inforce themselues to endure the worst and to hope the best David said in his feare every man is a lrar even the Prophet that had promised the Kingdom Ps l. 116.11 â—1 2â—.1 Sam. 27.1 yea likewise that he was cut downe or as the Greeke transiateth it cast a way yea he said in his heart one day he should perish by the hand of Saul but this was his frayle feare as he confesseth and appeareth by the sequell of his flying to the Philistins which he should not haue done but for all this he reareth up his hope Psal 31.23 and continueth his prayer yet certainly thou heardest the voyce of my supplication You may see hope and patience commonly ioyned together the one being the fruit of the other Rom. 5.3 patience bringeth experience and experience hope Ieremy commending the carriage of a patient man sheweth us what is the stay of his patience Lam. 3.29 namely Hope he putteth his mouth in the dust if there may be hope To summe up the common place of hope as I haue done of patience it shall not be so expedient for he that hath patience shall know what hope is I come therefore to ply it to the particular object for I desire to make an end As hope is the anchor of the soul Heb. 6. ApplicatioÌ„ so distressed Princes I desire you and yours to come to this Anchor which in the greatest storme and tempest will never come home 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By this you may all