assurance of Gods blessings and diuine protection both of our selues at home and of our forces abroad confirmed so much the more vnto vs by how much we shew our selues by loue vnfained exercised in faithfull prayer that all things may bee done both of our selues at home and of our Commaunders and souldiers abroad to Gods glory and to our consolation in Christ Iesus in whom we liue and by whom we shall prosper and preuaile To him bee glorie for euer FINIS Iudith 5. Iousha 7.1.2 The sweete effectes of peace Englandes peace neere 40. yeeres God threatneth to â—ouze vs out of our dreame by warre A new song a wofull song 1. Sam. 25.23 Mâ—ny of vs are ignorant of the effectes of warre The fruites of warre Warre a salue for secure kingdomes Gods forewarning of warâ—e a great fauour Generals captaynes and soldiers must take counsell of God 2. Sam. 5.19 Iosh. 8.18 1. Sam. 7.8 The Ministers must pray and exhâ—rt to prayer What moued the auctor to vndertake the worke An Armie of men is a confused multitude without order How an Army may resemble the diuine Image Euery head of an Army must be conformed to the head Christ. The Angels of God shall goe forth with the godly Exod. 14.19 32 34. 2. King 19.35 Rom. 9.7 2 Pet. 1.3.4 An excellent resolution An vncertaine ground of good successe We must aske counsell of God how to order â—ur troupes rightly Deut. 31.22 Iosh 1.1.2 Iâ—sh 1.5.6 The booke of God must be in the handâ—s of a Generall the practise in his heart Iuâ—g 2.25 Iosh. 6.2 The Generall ought to feare God Order gouernement The â—ffectes of Imitation and EmulatioÌ„ Prudence Magnanimitie vaine with out pruâ—ence Effectes of prudence The office of a Generall The approbaâ—iâ—n of a Generâ—ll Râ—ligion â— King 1.4 2. King 19 37 Exod 14.23 The sinne of the people may be the desâ—ruâ—â—ion of the goâ—lâ— Gâ—nerall Iosh. 7 1.2 Iudg. 19 24. 20.13.14 The execution of Iustice and punishment of sin a pleasing sacrifice to God Rom. 1.31 A Generall ought to pray for his people Num. 14.19 1 Sam. 12.19.20 The benefite that the people haue of the Generall fearing God Deut. 1.30 God the Generall of generals God hath neuer shewed his power as it is Gods power cannot be limited Num 21.28 All Gods miracles are alike Dan. 4.29 1. Sam. â—7 51 God doth weightie things by weake meanes Dan. â— 16. Gen. 7. in toto Gen. 19 24. â—hey are stronâ—est that comâ—it their powâ—â—â— to God â—steâ—ming theÌ„â—â—â—hing God hath done great thinges for England Our leaders must feare God Iosh. 1.5 6. The fruites of the booke of God The feare and true seruice of God the most pretious thing in the warre Exod. 17.11 As God is of highest Maiestie so must highest Commaunders be directed by him The true vse of â—eligion Though God answere vs not by mouth his spirit speaketh within vs. God neuer breaketh promise 1. Ioh. 5.14 15. 1. Iohn 3.19 The hypocrite is vnfit to pray Deut. 10.12 What hath the promise of victâ—rie The Romanes got the possessiâ—n of glorie of the world by religion The zeale of the heathen Iames of Compostella Mahomet The Turkes Passaes The Turks and Papists haue many inferiour gods England professeth and holdeth of one only God Warre importeth matter of greatest moment Christ ordaineth ministers to execute iustice in earth True glorie neuer gotten without religioÌ„ The Generall ought to haue a care to prouide Ministers to teach the â—eople The heathen haue honored good men in the warres Iudg. 11.34 1. Sam. 18.6.7 An ouersight in generals A man without vertue is no man The ignorance of wicked Generals is greater then their honor The Israelites neuer ouercome but when they flie from God in their manners Wickednes odious in an armie Sinne the cause of ouerthrow Wicked Christians ouercome of wicked infidels Learning for leaders Chiefe gouernours are as the head of a spring Faith and obedience a two edged sword Religion the Ladie of fame The ground of our enemies hope to preuaile A pernitious conceit Faith hath chiefest dominion in warre Hebr. 11. Vertue withoâ—t faith is as a bastard Plato None can be truâ—y vertuous but from â—od What maketh the Prince to thinke fit in him that she appointeth Generall What inâ—reaseth the hope of the Prince Generals must refuse wicked persons to gâ—e to warre The religious neuer faint hearted in a good cause The issue of the enterpriâ—es of the wicked suspitious Godâ— promise the ground of faith The wicked haue a desire and no hope The conquest of the wicked not honorable The greatest riches and best iewell of a Generall Greatest magnanimitie The praise of Alexanders hope The noble minde The noble ignobled True nobilitie The office of a Generall twofold Plato his opinion of the necessitie of iustice Iustice twofold The ground of iustice The truest testimonie that a Generall feaâ—eth God The definition of iustice Iere. 21.12 and 22.3 Iustice a refuge for the good The way to keepe an armie from mutinies Valour of no value without iustice A happie regiment The good examples of gouernours much auailable A cold couert for sinne Exercise and custome the best meane to subdue sinne The Leader must take heed to his walkings The greatest meane to aduance a Leader True honor Cicero his opinion of the prudent Men of great spirits may deceiue themâ—elues What he must doe that deserueth honor Truest glorie The greatest honour is to haue done an honorable thing When a man getteth most glorie When a man may praise himselfe A Generall should not adueÌ„ture his person vpoÌ„ a light occasion 1. Sam 17. â—4 Honor attendeth vertue How a souldier should be iealous of his reputation Honor passeth through many dangers Pride Iam. 4.6 Hest. 7.9 The lowly exalted and the proude cast downe Pride an infernall poyson Diogenes contendeth with Alexander A tollerable pride Enuie coÌ„meth of pride Gen. 4 8. Enuie enemie especially to the vertuous 1. Sam. 18.7 1. Sam 31.4 2. Sam. 3.1 Enuie hurteth it selfe most Gen. 31.1 Gâ—n 37.4 Enâ—ie a grosse wicâ—â—dnesse Dan. 6.4 Enâ—ie followeâ—h honor like a â—ulture to deuoure it The valiant are farre from enâ—ie Enuie a tragedie of â—iuellish practises Exodus 1.12 Reuenge Enuie iniust Enuie will find maâ—ter to beare â—olour of lawfull reuenge Consult with reason before â—eâ—enge Leuit. 24 1â— Psalm 9.9.16 Matth. 5.10 God defendeth innocents from iniust iniurie True valour Wherein true fortitude is seene and not seene The noble hart of Alexander in subduing his desire of reueÌ„ge Pittacus his opinion in pardoning wrongâ— The best victorie ouer an enemie A pretended honest quarrel Matth 5 44. He that reuengeth vsurpeth a law vnto himselfe 1. Thess. 4.6 Rom. 12.21 Ambition and Tyrannie Emulation and flatteâ—ie The nature effects of flatterie They that are truely wise may make vse of flatterers A dâ—ungerous pricke to the noble minded Flatterie hath both an actiue and a passiue part 2. Sam. 15.7 8.9 Flatterie the spurre to
law in euery gouernment yea of armes hath power to punish and which in stead of the first offender being reuenged by the offended inflicteth the lawe iustly vpon him that might iustly haue craued the law against the other Vengeance is the Lords therefore should all men leaue it to him or to the iudgement seate of his scepter bearer in earth But he is the most honorable conquerour that freely forgiueth ouercomming euill with goodnesse which he cannot doe but with the weapons of that heauenly prudence wherewith also he must encounter two other dangerous impediments to honorable reputation Ambition and Tyrannie which daily offer themselues to charge the most heroicall spirit by the instigation of emulation and flatterie two inseparable companions of honour shrowded both vnder one vaile of dissimulate zeale of amitie whose fruites yet import enuie and disgrace And he may bee called prudent in deede that can walke so warily that he be not foyled in honor by the subtile wilines of one of these of which the most daungerous is flatterie which being shaken off the residue cannot with ease subdue the affections of the prudent If flatterie were plainly layd foorth before our eyes in it right shape howsoeuer it appeare being couered and cloaked like loue it would bee seene a pestilent deuourer of vertuous thoughts for it is a spirituall poyson an inuisible murtherer a pleasing voyce whereby aspiring hearts are vnawares wounded and enchaunted it beguileth the minde with vaine conceit of things that neither are nor will bee It promiseth life but practiseth death and worketh vpon the highest and greatest changing it selfe into what behauiour manners guize and quality be it vice or vertue that the obiect imbraceth it giueth a dissimulate eccho to euery sound it boweth and bendeth it standeth stout and becomes mute according to the president of the obiect Insomuch as were it possible the flatterer could transforme his shape into the shape of him whom hee flattereth yea hee would seeme content to dismember himselfe for imitations sake as it is reported that Alexander the great and Alphonsus King of Aragon hauing each of them a wry necke the one by nature the other by custome their flatterers to seeme the more applicable to their affections dissembled these their imperfections carrying their neckes also awry testifiyng their affections to bee as crooked Euery obseruing noble Man Men of power place and authoritie that behold their followers may discouer such disguised foxes and it is the part of discretion to discard them as not profitable but pernitious members of whom yet some being indued with perfect Prudence can make vse by carrying themselues so much the more warily by howe much they perceiue themselues inuaded by them And therefore a thing seriously to bee considered of all men but of military guides gouernours and leaders espeacially who ayming their vertues to the marke of honor are yet through originall weakenesse the subtiltie of the maligne spirit carryed to and fro to attayne thereunto by right or wrong And the greatest spurre to pricke them on in the contrary and forbidden course is to hearken and giue consent to the deceyuing perswasions of such as followe them of a meere desire to be aduaunced by them not in regard of that affection which loue grounded vpon the vertuous inclination of him whom they followe ought to inkindle in them The nature of man is most apt to conceyue a good opinion of himselfe and to affect them best that can most sweetly sing him asleepe in this conceit Such a one hath both the passiue and actiue partes of flatteâ—ie for he flattereth himselfe and contentâ— himselfe to be flattered as Absolon that stole the heartes of the people from his father by flattery wherein hee flattered himselfe to be more worthy of the Kingdom and was whetted on to this reprochful ambition by suffering himselfe to bee carried away by dissembling Achitophell whose end as it was wonderfull so is his ambitious practise to be auoyded The man that is deceiued with this counterfeit kinâ—nesse and loue which he seemeth to haue and hath not from other men bemisteth his affections more more by â—herishing those means that couet to iustifie all his actions so that he cannot perfectly see the true meaning of honest duetie and faithfull reuerence which he that vnfeinedly loueth coueteth to shew in discouering plainely what all men iudge and how the wise conceiue of his manners behauiour proceedings and which in all things deliuereth what it thinketh of all things propouÌ„ded to his censure what is sitte to bee done or omitted of him to whome it oweth this dutie were it to Caesar himselfe But plâ—yne simple trueth hath not that grace nor receiueth that entertainment of the most and most noble that it deserueth where it ought to be hâ—lde more deare then all Machiauels politickes But the good man is fauoured of the Lord. And he that can best dissemble is wise in the world who can carrie all vertues in his tongue and all vice and deceit in his heart he liueth he loueth he preuaileth and prospereth and he is fitte to be fauoured and in this he thinketh nothing more sententious then what he speaketh nor more praise-worthy then what he doth But the wise mans opinion is that there is more hope of a foole then of him And the greatest deseruer in his owne conceit gayneth but ignominie without the approbation of the prudent And therefore saith Iob Let all men feare God for he regardeth none that stand wise in their owne conceit We ought not to please our selues saith Paul which importeth that none should flatter himselfe or be puffed vp the more for the flatterie of other men although it bee the mayne troden way to that forbidden apple of ambition which once tasted peruerteâ—h the affections and sealeth vp the conscience that it yeeldeth neither iudgement nor equitie but measureth all thinges by will and iniurie Alexander in that humor put to death Calisthenes Parmenion Philotus to satisfie the desires of his flatterers shewing himselfe more baâ—barous then prudent The practises of Ric. 3. in cuâ—ting away the twigges that seemed to hinder his passage to Ambition is not so auncient but it resteth to this day and will be euer remembâ—ed to his notable ignominie a spectacle of the same nature ouerruleth all that giue place eyther to flatter themselues or to bâ—e carried from duetie by the flatterie of other men And therefore men in office and great place had nâ—ede to carry euer sayle betweene Sylla and Chaâ—ybdis flattering and flatterers least by the one they administer or by the other they take occasion to deceiue or be deceiued that they accept not nor giue fayre pleasant showe of loue which may be dissembled without the true approbation of the one by substantiall iudgement and triall of their inward dispositions which speake them fairest and of their owne true meaning
God and our spirits as euery good thought but conceiued in the heart is present with God and his mercies againe of his loue and bountie in Christ meete our desires and supply our necessities with all thinges expedient yea better then wee can aske or thinke Prayer is a lifting vp of the heart to God by the motion of this diuine spirit And this is that spirituall thing that armeth and defendeth the christian soldier it is a helmet and a sword a weapon both offensiue and defensiue The Iewes preuailed more by this against Amalâ—â—k then by fighting And therefore as Paul commandeth it as a thing necessarie before we eat and before we vndertake any labour so much more before we march toward the battell most of all before we fight But how should men pray to him in whom they beleeue not they do but for fashion they speake but the wordes that are good of themselues if they proceeded from knowledge and beleefe but because they know not they beleeue not and because they pray and beleeue not the wordes they speake yea be it the Lordes prayer it selfe profiteth nothing And therefore such as couet to pray aright must first learne then beleeue with a full assurance of the heart builded vpon that knowledge which is reueiled out of the word of God by the spirit whereby the promises of safetie and saluation of rest and refuge are declared vnto them and they apprehending them by faith are rightly prepared and made fitte to talke with their Creator not by the mediation of Saint or Angell but by the immediat intercession of the man Christ Iesus who knowing their infirmities and temptations standeth assured vnto them euermore in whose name and for whose sake they may aske and haue all thinges Let euery man therefore examine whether he know aright and beleeue aright then doubtlesse he may pray aright But it is the fault of too many not onely of soldiers but of all sorts of men to say in their heartes there is no God and therefore they say no praiers though they seeme to pray often because they haue no faith and yet they babble with their lippes as if they were truely deuout But as none examineth the heart but God and none findeth out the Hypocrites Atheists and such as deceiue themselues and the world with fained shewes of religion but God so I leaue iudgement to God But I say with Dauid such as deceiue themselues in dissimulation say in their hearts there is no God to finde them out But they are fooles and become odious and abominable before God If souldiers be abominable where is their hope of Gods presence with them If God refuse them nothing remaineth with them nor comfort for them but feare and confusion And therefore if they regarde their safetie here in this life and their saluation to come let them imbrace that knowledge that may ingender faith that may bring foorth praier which shall conioyne and knit them so to God as they shall be able to say with Job I know that my redeemer liueth So euery souldier shall be able to assure him that his defender liueth that his strength castle comfort and refuge is in heauen readie to helpe him and to relieue him and to deliuer him here in earth Some are apt to many things some to all things but they cannot pray They can handle their peece well they can tosse the pike well they can vse the sword well decent qualities for vertuous men most fit for souldiers Some can sweare well swagger well carrouse well dissemble well things proper to vitious men most vnfit for souldiers But when they come to heare the word well when they shuld beare it away well practise it well to beleeue wel pray wel they put it ouer to other men say they be souldiers But they are but single soule souldiers souldiers that haue but the carnal not the spiritual power that was in Moses Dauid Ioshua Hezekiah Sampson and others without which twofold blessing they seeme to be but are not true souldiers as y e diuel seemed to be but was not Samuel It were a happy thing therfore if our English souldiers would looke backe a little into the time they haue had to learne wisedome and knowledge and faith and praier liuing as they haue done in a kingdome of peace brought vp in Christian warres and haue had the vse of the Gospell freely If they bee ignorant sinne followeth ignorance and death and hell sinne But it is not too late being late to seeke knowledge to exercise faith and practise prayer This is the way to become the souldiers of Christ brethren with Christ and heires with Christ who will yet grace them if they come quickly with the title of Christian souldiers and crowne them with the glorie of conquering souldiers but if they be negligent and will continue foolish still they may couet it too late and bee shut out like the improuident virgins If then they haue any sparke of that spirit which teacheth wisedome let them presently striue and without delay take hold of time for it is slipperie and swift yet pretious and not to bee redeemed for any price A souldier thinketh it a great grace that can obtaine the place to leade the Vangard of a battell the Forlorne hope which is to betake him into the greatest danger for a little glorie among men and priseth life of little value in regarde of the reputation of being desperate in the field but when they bee called to the most honorable seruice the seruice of the liuing God which consisteth in the former most sweet exercises of faith religion and prayer they seeme happiest that come in the rereward the forlorne hope indeede for they deceiue themselues in preferring vaine honor before immortall glorie But were they qualified with these heauenly vertues then should their valour shine as the Sunne in the forward of the battell and draw with them the maine bands with such godly resolution as should quaile their enemies with a spirituall terror It were a most worthie sight to see souldiers in the field to flocke about the preacher and to accompanie and conferre with the godlie and to contend in vertuous emulation who should bee most religious in an armie who could speake best of God liue best before GOD and pray best vnto GOD. This is the weapon that must preuaile if wee at all preuaile this is the fort that must preserue vs if we be at all preserued and without this haue they neuer so glorious a promise of the flesh it is peeuish and vaine Some in an armie may perchance haue an inclination to serue the Lord which is a good token of a desire But they bee not graced of their fellow souldiers nor of their Leaders as they ought they become rather scorned then fostered or followed But let them not
which they feare not This is the sequele of ingratitude to God who will haue all the glorie as the chiefe worker giueth vnto man the glory of faithfull soldiers which is more honorable theÌ„ any humane praise can expresse So that it appeareth that it sufficeth not him to haue the bare name as in our conference to be said to haue fought for vs but we must expresse our thankes by a greater loue in our heartes to his sacred word and by our renewed obedience toward him wherein wee must cast off all occasions to offende his Maiestie endeuouring by all godly meanes to become so vnited vnto his fauour as hee may continue the same his assistance for euermore towardes vs for his blessed Sonnes sake our euerlasting redeemer A plaine and forcible motiue to stirre vp such as tarrie at home aswell as they that are addressed to the warres to reforme their liues and to serue the liuing God not onely in regard of their owne safetie at home but also of their brethren abroad most necessaâ—ie for all men to reade and consider IT hath been spoken in all the former part of this treatise vnto militarie men stirring them vp to vertue and religion in their proceedings in the warres And now it is fit that such as remaine at home should be put also in remembrance how requisite a thing it is for them to serue the Lord in feare and to keepe themselues vnspotted in their waies And that we should consider what dutie is required at our hands towards God not onely in regard of our owne safetie at home but of theirs also which are in the warres in our behalf Without whom our wealth is threatned to be turned into want our peace and plentie into the dismall broyles of wofull warres whose dreadfull noyse is the messenger of Gods irefull indignation in kindled against the disobedient and whereby he hath euer shewed himselfe a triumphant conquerour ouer all his proud aduersaries Not onely ouer Turks Pagans Heathen and all other Antichristian infidels but ouer such as professe his name with their lips and prophane him with their hearts and deedes Such as haue had the true vse of religion offered them by the right knowledge of his crucified Christ and yet haue denied the power of his crosse by the loosenes of their liues they especially are most deeply threatned with the rod of Gods reuenging furie A matter not lightly to be passed ouer of vs English Christians who haue so long and so largely tasted the sweete bountie of his fauour in the free vse of his sacred word which is the pledge of our saluation in Christ the sauour of life vnto life if we heartily imbrace it and truly practise the substance of it But vnto the wicked to such as heare it and hate to be reformed by it it is the sauour of death vnto death So that it appeareth to be the meere touch-stone of euery mans standing or falling of their election or reprobation But forasmuch as in the latter times Christ foresaw that many should fall away and depart from the faith that loue should be cold among men and that the fruites of this diuine blessing of God should bee very thinne and wickednesse to grow ripe and full of force he proclaimed that these weâ—e the tokens that the end should be theÌ„ neere By which meanes and for which things sake another most notable signe should foregoe this generall consummation of al earthly things namely the rumors of warres For as sinne followeth securitie so warres and other iudgements of God followe sinne But it may be sayd that not only the rumors of warres but warre it selfe hath been in all ages And therefore these new rumors aâ—e the lesse to be feared for they are but the fruites of ambition and enuie which haue been from the beginning and not to be held so precise an argument that our generall account is neere Were not al the former Monarchies established and brought againe to naught by warres Haue not all nations of the earth both heard the noyse and felt the blowes of warres why then should wee thinke this time and this noyse more like to argue an end than the former If wee rightly conceiue the meaning of Christ in foretelling that rumors of warres should goe before the dreadfull day of his second comming wee may holde that this is the time aboue all the rest past because it commeth neerest the end in the declining estate of the world though there were bitter persecutions by the sword in the primitiue time of the Gospell when Christ and his word began to be imbraced by the good and repugned by the wicked According to his owne words that he came not to bring peace but the sword Contentions began immediatly after his death about the mysterie thereof and the comforter which hee promised and did send reueiled the trueth to many the Church increased notwithstanding the sharpe encounters of the carnall minded but the brute and rumors of warres were not so generall as now they are We see all Europe and other parts of the world diuided within themselues one kingdome against another nation lifteth vp the sword against nation and all for Christ or against Christ not that the comforter the spirit of Christ which teacheth the trueth and discouereth falshood should be held the cause of these diuisions being pure holie and vndefiled or that true Christians stirre vp or long for warre which is of it selfe impure and more and more polluted by mans corruptions but the great Antichrist Sathan boyling in continuall hatred against the child of the woman hath heretofore and now especially dooth vomit out his poyson and furie into the hearts of his great ministers to y e end that they may powre out flouds of bloudy broyles against such as professe Christ truly and maintaine his truth constantly and follow it faithfully who are the poore offended and the Antichrists and their adherents the offending partie Who yet as the woolfe challengeth the Lambe so they and theirs seeke quarrell against Christ and his Church whose harmeles and innocent members are by their tyrants numbred alreadie to the slaughter their liues reckoned alreadie among the dead their soules accounted among the wicked And this is a vniuersall terror sent abroad into the eares of all by the rumors of these threatned warres which in their conceits tend to the meere extirpation of all true Christians and Christian religion that the prince of darknesse might rule his kingdome soly and alone in carnall securitie without resistance of any true member of Christ. And by how much the more he preuaileth so much the more the trueth sustaineth iniurie and true religion is neglected and by so much the more may we assure vs that this is the time foretold of the rumors of warres foregoing the end of all flesh Which time shall be the sooner accoÌ„plished for the elects sake