controversie that is betwixt them and God that hee might be on their side secondly the weight of the subject and worth of the object would make them look to the laying of every stone for making sure the building lastly having got a stout resolution from advice wel grounded and the object wel thought upon they would stand fast quit themselues like men and esteem so high a prize worthy of their dearest bloud desiring rather to die with honour then to liue with disgrace Fourthly I come to the utility The utility of counsel Prov 2.11 Lib 8. Apotheg or good of counsell that enfues upon it Discretion or counsell saith the Wise-man shall preserue thee Erasmus citing that saying of Furipides that one good counsell may overcome many forces giveth this comment upon it It is not of so much waight to carry many forces into the field as to haue the Commanders of forces men of counsell because wise counsell and wittie skill is of far greater moment then strength voide of counsell As war without counsell is as a Citie without walls so counsell in war is both wals and munition it affoordeth both invasiue and defensiue Armes Counsell saith Caesar is the same to me against mine enemie Fame potuis quam ferro superandum bostes that the Phisitian is against sicknesse which he haed rather overcome with fasting then with physick so had I rather overcome with famine then with sword As this Counsell hath often more prevailed then the sword so is it grounded upon good reason First Fames intrinsecus pugnat vincit saepius quam ferrum li. 3 cap. 9. famine fighteth within as Vegetius vvell observeth and therefore it prevaileth oftner then the sword Secondly if the Defendant haue to doe with a humane enemy he may saue himselfe by capitulation Lastly the forces of the assaylant are without hazard If you look but on the good successe of counsell yea even then when forces haue fayled the utility of it shall further appear Was not Romes Common-wealth advanced by the counsel of Q. Fabius Cato in his Oration against Catiline said that their Ancestors made themselues great especially by good Counsell Was not the State of Hungaria and Bohemia advanced and maintained to the dishonour and damage of their enemies the one by the counsell and dexterity of that renounmed Hunniades the other by the counsel and prowesse of that admirable Sisca against the two most potent adversaries of the world Amongst all instances of this kind there is none more remarkeable then that of the State of France under the government of Charles the Wise vvho comming to the Crown found a ruinous State ful of confusion and calamity for all Guyan part of Normandy and Picardie were possessed by the English through the great overthrow of Phillip of Valois vvith eleven Princes and tvvelue hundred Knights and Gentlemen given by King Edward himselfe at the battell of Crecy and by another given by Prince Edward at the battle of Poiteiurs wherein King Iohn was taken and his son Philip with many Princes and great Lords sent prisoners into England besides those two sore defeates one on the neck of another whereby the foundation of France was shaken and nothing left but the ruines of a Kingdom These reliques were all on fire by civill dissentions Notwithstanding all these the aforesaid Charles Lesage so called for his gravitie and wisdome comming to the government did with such prudencie and counsell compose and order the affaires of that troublesome state that he first quenched the civill discord and after in time recovered a great part of that which the two former Kings had lost and that not without wonder for he was not so brave a warriour as his father King Iohn nor his grand-father Philip. Againe he had to doe with as wise a Prince as great warriour as happy valliant a Generall as euer Europe had yet for all these necessitie made him wise and he tooke a contrary course to the former undertaking and managing Armes with great advice and counsell without which he would not moue one foote it had indeed an answerable successe beyond the expectation of his adversary who seeing and admiring his wise courses whereby he dulled the edge of the English forces loosing ground they could not well tell how King Edward gaue this testimonie of him Froysord lib. 1. cap. 132. that he never knew king that used armes so little and yet made him so much adoe For as by missives he effected much businesse so said he he makes me more a doe with his Pen then his father or grand father did with their forces and Armes By this his Counsell he brought his Kingdom from being a field of war a triumph of spoile a map of miserable povertie to be peaceable plentifull and rich In these instances I could be larger then the treatise will suffer but I will shut up all with one not unknowen namely of the state of Spaine What I pray you is the roote of his over spreading in Europe and other parts Is it his prowesse valour No the few Spanish warriours of note upon record sheweth the contrary It is then their counsell and slight especially since it hath been fed with a fountain running under the ground In this their craftie disposing of themselves they are not unlike the Hedghogge running with the Hare Let the race be through the hedge the Hedghogge is too good for the Hare for what side soever he be on he is alwayes before But that the Spaniard should not be proud of this let Alva his Trophees stay his boasting If he had beene a man of as much counsell as crueltie he might haue saved a sea of bloud his Master a masse of mony and prevented Spaines greatest losse which I hope he shall never reedeeme What is it but the wisedome and counsell of a Prince assisted by his privy Councell that commendeth himselfe commandeth others It is not any personall indowment nor the Princely perogative of place without this that ever will advance his glory or his subjects good neyther can he without this procure his subjects continuance of obedience in love nor cause his name to smell like a precious oinâ—ment What made Severus to be beloved feared and obeyed but his prudent counsell Witnes that exemplary act of his when his souldiers mutined because he was carryed lame of he gout in his Horse litter theâ— would haue his sonne Bassianus to governe He called the Commanders together and after a grave and wise remonstrance made to the Army he caused the chiefe mutiniers to be beheaded giving this item to the rest that they should know that it was the head and â—ot the feet that commanded meaning thereby that it is counsell and wisdom in the Superiour that commandeth and not any gift of the body CHAP. XXI The evill of evill Counsell or want of good Counsell THe last ground for use of counsell is taken from the evill that
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
a broken title This I was forced to cleer as briefly as I could that the right of King Frederick might be the clearer which being laid in the ballance of equity with the former pretended right shall shew it selfe of a just weight which the other vvants First the place was orderly quitted of all lavvfull challenge Secōdly he vvas called vvithout seeking or intruding Thirdly he had an orderly unanimous and plenarie election all vvhich as I haue shevved vvere vvanting in the former Neither did ever the said king infringe any of their liberties This being as you see his undoubted right stood it eyther vvith equitie or pietie not to maintaine it Compare his right and maintenance of the same vvith the examples quoted of the Campani the Romanes and out of them you shall see as from the minor to the maior that his cause action is as just as may be First the Campani vvere a free people to make choyse at their pleasure of their Head and Governor so vvere the Bohemians and ever haue been since their first being Witnes all the Histories of Bohemia Hungaria Polonia the Annalls of Cilecia and the examples monuments of the Bohemians Aeneas Silvius in hist Bohem. To the vvhich I may add for the better cleering of the point that Embassye of Charles the seventh of France to the Bohemians after the death of Ladislaus to vvhom he had contracted his daughter vvherein he requested them eyther to chuse one of his sons for their King or such a one on vvhom he might bestovv his daughter Secondly they vvere unjustly invaded by a mightie people the Samnites so did the Bohemians suffer much from the hovvse of Austria and no litle by the present Emperour Thirdly they sought aide from the Romanes vvho would not but on just ground undertake the vvarre and therefore they became their subiects and so they vndertooke it so the Bohemians made suit to the Prince Elector in their feare of cruell dealing that he vvould become their King and take the maintenance of their iust cause which he did and that lawfully not undertaking any thing for them directly or indirectly before he vvas their King Compare these together In Nevio licet quod in Gais non licet and except that we wil say that it is lavvful in Nevius which is not lawful in Gaius or a heathen Senate may doe for their subiects vvhat a Christian King may not doe for his I see not whye the one in him is not as lawful or more lawful then the other was in them But to conclude this point If his successe of possession had seconded his right of election a great many of our English Imperialists other drowsy Sybarits would never haue torne his title nor exclaimed on his practise as they now doe To them for the present I will say no more but to iudge actions by events right of titles by present possession is in these evill dangerous dayes rather to approve of tyrannous intruders both in church commō wealth then of the true owners As for the latter point of the ground namely truth of religion the defence whereof he undertooke It is the trueth and none but it against which the gates of hell the dragon beast and false Prophet the croaking frogges and all the drunken Princes of the earth with the cup of the whore doe what they can shall never be able to prevayle As hitherto then appeareth the equitie of the warre on the Kings part The iniquitie of our onemies war so likewise from the want of this ground is laid open to the view the iniquitie of all the warres vndertaken by the enemies of God against his people as the warres of Gog and Magog and of the heathen Emperours made vpon Gods inheritance What ground had the great red Dragon for making warre against the woman and to stand before her to devour the man child when it was brought forth Rev. 12.3.4 As for the greatnes of this persecution by the Roman Emperours and for the bloudy crueltie of it it may justly be called a wonder so not vnfitlie may it so be called because there was no cause given them by those whom they persecuted but rather by their quiet and holy behaviour they deserved to live in peace So the Psalmist speaketh of the rage of the wicked against Christ his Church Psal 2.2 Why doe the people tumulteously rage Where David marveileth at the tumulteous hurling together of the wicked as if they would devoure the godly as they would indeed What ground had the scarlet whore to bathe her leprous carkasse in the bloud of the Saints Where observe likewise Rev. 17.6 that it is called a great wonder What equitie was there that the Popes unholinesse under a pretence of the inlargement of Peters patrimony took armes against Kings and Emperours as Iulius the second against Lewes the tvvelfth of France Yea he gave battel on Easter day against the French at Ravenna Innocent the second against Roger king of Cicilie What ground of stirring up one Prince against another giving of Kingdoms from hand to hand the French against the English as Lewis against King Iohn by Innocent the third the English against the French as Rich of England an Vrbanist made war at the Popes command upon the King of France a Clementine Paul the third sent Cardinall Poole to forraigne Princes to stir them up against Henry the eight giving him his people as a prey to their enemies So how like is the Pope to the devill his father in being prodigal of Kingdomes which are none of his to deale Doe wee ever reade as a fryer Minorite said well that Peter did so Vpon what ground doe they incite subiects to take armes against their soveraigne Kings and Princes as Pius quintus Sixtus quintus the one by his Bull the other by his Declaration excited the subiects of England to take armes against their soveraigne Queene Elizabeth yea to lay hands on her and punish her What just cause had Philip the 2 of Spaine to undertake by force of Armes against law and covenant the establishing of the bloudy Inquisition in the Low countries The best ground I can find was Duke de Alva his hart-burne against the people and Cardinall Granvils spleene against the Gospell What account in conscience could the Duke and Red-cap giue to counsell the King to conquer England whereto he had no right at all and to suppresse religion in all other places For the effecting of this Chiapin Vitelli Duke de Alva his Chiefe Captaine was sent with some faigned message to the Queene but indeed his errand was to try the Papists for immediatly after his departure out of England the Earles rebelled in the North. And for fuell for this fire Duke de Alva had ready in Zealand 10 Regiments to be imbarkt for England but God quenched our fire quickly and found him enough to doe at home for all
Falli portus ips fidem Propert. So that the good Princes may say with the Psalmist if our enemies bad done it we could haue born it A wound from a friend is a double vvound Shipwrack in the Haven is grievous But what should we say Though David in amazement complain it must be thus partly that the tryals of those that stand for God may be the closer and partly that false friends may be unmasked and lastly that Poperie may proclaim to the world as it ever hath done that there is no cord so strong nor bond so strict but it will either cut it or untie it CHAP. X. The orderly pursuit of War THE fifth circumstance especially to be observed and insisted on is the orderly following of warre or proceeding in it PreparatioÌ„ In which we must begin with preparation of all things fitting as Souldiers Armes Money Munition Victuals and the rest What circumspection Princes ought to haue in vvar the book of God teacheth us What King going to warre against another King Luk. 14.13 Longa pre paratio belli celerem facit victoriaÌ„ Chrysost Pacis tempore exercitatio lyronum non negligenda Longa securitas pacis c. Lib. 1. cap. 28. sitteth not down first and consulteth whether he be able c. A long preparation saith one maketh a speedy victory Yea in our greatest peace or ease we should be fitting for warre A good note of Theoderic King of the Gothes Let a souldier learn while hee is at ease that which may stand him in stead when he is in fight Long peace saith Vegetius breedeth deep security security neglect of Armes whereon followeth saith the same Authour a dissembled shew or bare flourish of Armes and last of all the true use of Armes falleth in utter oblivion The truth hereof by relation of antiquity and late experience is manifest The twenty yeares peace of the Romanes after the first punick warre together with their ease and victories and disuse of Arms did so enervat their skill and courage that they were not able to stand before Hannibal in the second punick vvar Insomuch that till by the losse of many Captains and many Armies they redeemed their use of Armes and skill in fight they never got the victory As for late experience look upon the Germans who as Isidore saith haue their name from their war-like stature who for their prowesse in Armes haue been admired and extolled highly by the Caesars of the vvorld yea who haue eternized their names by vindicating the Gospell of Christ and the professors thereof from that man of the Popes right hand Charles the 5 whose forces they did not onely foile but quashed the courage and brake the heart of him that was not easily daunted yet for all this without contumely be it spoken through their long injoyed peace their plenty disuse of Armes and want of exercise they are become the scorn of the Turke and are like to be made a prey to him that casteth at all But to come home to our selues Application Quid nos decipimus non est extrinsecus nostrum malum intra nos est ad Lucel ep 50. I may say with Seneca why deceiue we our selues This evill we speake of is not a forraign but a domestick evill not without us but within our bowels From use of Armes we are come to neglect and to palliate our neglect with shews Oblivion is the last degree in which I fear vvee are gone too farre Neither â—ould I goe so farre in opening of the dore to let the eneâ—y look in but that I know he is already in our bosome For the Roman Dog and the Spanish Linx haue so profited â—n the optic Art that by the help of Risnerus his glasse they â—an see into our houses what Armes we haue and into the Fields what skill we want We are just like unto Seneca his old blinde woman vvho vvas starke blinde but vvould not beleeue it but in this Coeci ducem qâ—ae uÌ„t nos tamen sine duce erramus vve are vvorse then she as he saith for she would haue one to leade her but we will not suffer our selues to be led Our bodily Leaders are like Oysters in May and they say to our spirituall Leaders prophesie not But to goe on Provision necessary As preparation and fitting of souldiers is necessary so with Victuals and Armes and other necessaries they are to be fitted An Army without provision Piut. Apoth Gâ—sper Collâ—gni Admâ—â—all of France as Quintus Flaminius said of Philopomenes his Army hath legs â—nd armes but hath no belly To this effect one said well That bee that will shape this beast must begin with the belly Therefore saith ‘ AntequaeÌ„ iuchoctur bellum de copii expeÌ„sisque solert debâ—t esse tractatus lib. 3. cap 3. Vegetius diligent care should be had of maintainance He giveth a good reason Ferro sevior fames est hunger is sharper then the sword It was well considered of †Disci linam noÌ„ potest servare te unus exercitus Câ—ssid l 4. Theodeâ—ic that an Army in want cannot obserue discipline Caesar Adrian and other Emperours and Roman Generals had a speciall care that due maintainance should not be wanting â—o the Souldiers And as for Armes they had a special care that none should come into the hands of any that might annoy them And therfore by the constitution of Martian the Emperour to Aulus or as some to Constantine the Treasurer it was enacted that neither ,, Nilprorsâ—â—â—â—rrt vel fâ—â— vel infâ—â—lt â—â— uit Marchant nor Souldier upon any pretence whatsoever should sell or exchange any pecce of Arms or matter wherof Arms are made upon pain of confiscation of his goods and losse of his head Yet notwithstanding of this streight charge and watchfull care some treacherous fellows and runawayes betrayers of the State such as cur Romanists be were now and then conveying their Armes to their enimies by the which as Herodian observeth they sustained great hurt and damage God grant we be not so served with our Ordinance ApplicatoÌ„ What universall hurt and damage brought he to all Christ endome that taught the Great Turke the use and making of Ordinance What evill some of Gods people yea our neerest and deerest friends haue sustayned by our conveyed Ordinance Or what evils our selues may sustain we know not Yet this we know that we haue as good Laws in that behalfe as others haue but the maxime proveth true Silent leges inter arma It is not unknown to all that knoweth any thing in State businesses how the State was gulled by a great Ones transporting of Ordinance with a double Bore Which being complained of in Parliament was put off by that little great Statist that it was a Mysterse of State Richard of England was slain vvith an Arbalist the use whereof he had shewed to the French It was a good blunt saying of Blunt the Master
them and the rest being emulous of their commendation Oratio saepe plus valet quam pecunia Comment did striue to deserue it as well as they Thus by experience Caesar made good the proofe of his own position That a good speech prevaileth sometimes more then money The motiues whereby Generals may perswade are these The motiues of an exhortatory oration and the like as first from the goodnesse of the cause for every one at least pretendeth a good cause as you may see in all the speeches of this nature From this Ioab did inforce valour upon his souldiers 2 Sam. 10.12 Be of good courage saith he and let us play the men for our people and for the Cities of our God Of which one saith very well Non potuiâ— vox duce dignior câ—gitari Pellic. That though he was no good man yet no speech could be worthier of a great Captain Secondly they perswade from the valour of the enemy and sometimes from the weaknesse of the enemy to overcome the former it is exceeding great glory Pro aris focis pugnatur and to haue the other to fight with assureth victory Thirdly from the preservation of them and theirs for goods liberty wiues and children life honour and religion it selfe lyeth upon it When the Romanes were to fight they brought all the prey the sallary and richest substance that the souldiers had Alex. ab Alex. lib. 4. c. 2. and laid it bound in fardells hard by the colours that thereby they might be whetted on to fight The Persians bring their wiues and preciousest things into the field and so doth the Spanyard the richest things he hath Fourthly they moue with hope of glory and promise of reward Feare and punishment are the bonds of Camp Discipline but the souldiers must be carryed on to the battle on the wings of hope and reward Fifthly it is no small motiue to obserue the impossibility to escape the enemie if they should flye through the nature of the place wherein they fight Myronides the Athenian Generall leading his souldiers against the Thebans brought them into a fair large field where they were to fight where he caused them all to lay down their Armes view the place all round about You see my souldiers said he what a large field is heer and our enemies are brauely mounted on swift horses therefore if we flee there is no possibility to escape but if we stand to it there is good hope of victory Vpon which speech they pur on resolution to stand it out to a man and did second the same with such courage Polyaen l. 1. that they carryed the day and had a great victory which they followed to Phocis and Locris The last motiue and that of no small force is taken from the cruelty and inhumane condition of the enemy with whom they are to fight If men fight against such as are worse then Beares and Lyons that are never satisfyed with bloud such as the brood of Gog and Magog Turkes and Papists whose very mercies are cruelties Were it not better to die upon the sharp with honour in the field then to be reserved for a while unto some cruell torment intollerable sorrow and disgracefull reproach Fpaminondas Generall of the Thebans being to fight with the Lacedemonians that he might not onely strengthen his souldiers but also sharpen their indignation against their enimies delivered in his Oration that it was the determination of the Lacedemonians if they overcame to kill all the Males of the Thebans man and mothers sonne and further to make slaues and captiues of their wiues and daughters and last of all to equall Thebes with the ground This did so inflame the Thebans against the Lacedemonians that at the very first shock they overcame them Doth not the belluin rage and cruelty Application executed upon the Germanes and Bohemians by woefull experience tell us what mercilesse and inhumane enemies we contend with namely the bratts of the bloudy whore The ripping up of women the shamefull abusing of them not to be named the torturing of men with new devised torments the bathing in the bloud of inoffensiue children the cruel murthering of Gods Ministers who by the lawes of God and Nations haue alwaies been sacred In aword their unparallâ—ld immanity aboue Turkes or Barbarians would put life in a man to fight to the last gaspe rather then to liue and see the least part of these horrible indignities To passe by the Spanyard outrage upon the Indian and Hollander whose resolution and valour ariseth out of the Spanish cruelty and perfidie cast but your eye upon the Spanish provision for 88 and you may see how like the base bramble Abimelech they were determined to burn up the inhabitants and as the scourges of Gods wrath to whip us to death with tormenting scorpions as if they would haue made the torments of the English a terrour to all nations But by you my Lords and people of the Vnited Provinces let this particular be observed in your encounter with the Spanyard I know the monuments of the more then Saracen cruelties remains with you you haue pictures in your houses and draughts drawn in the tables of your hearts Yet let this sharpen your resolution to fight it out to the death that if ever the black brood be masters you shall haue the blackest day that ever men had If Radamanthus and Minos were come out of hell to torment they could not exercise more cruelty then they would upon you and yours yea as they would make you a spectacle to all the world so they would send you bodies and soules to hell if they could As Hanibal therefore was a sworn enemy to the Romans in his childhood so teach your youth rather to die then to liue at the mercy of the Spaniard But withall fit your selues and yours for death better then you doe and then let fire or water haue the land and all that you haue yea if I may so say and make it good in dispute let the devill haue it as he had all Iobs substance rather then the Spanyard haue it who is a devill incarnate As the bloudy disposition of so devilish an enemy should put you on to fight it out to the very last pinch so should it likewise terrifie you from any terms of peace which if once you intertain you are caught in the trap The Spanyard is like the Irish who under a perfidious peace doth his adversary more mischiefe then in open war Your charge and paines in peace shall be never a whit lesser for I am sure you dare not trust them your damage and danger shall be greater For who ever gained by peace with the Spanyard England excepted who hath of late gained repentance I wish they be not too late in bringing forth the fruits of it But to speake of this though I cannot speak enough I shall be further occasioned onely I will shut it
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