giue ouer let them rather proceede from good to better from one good exercise to another from reading to hearing the word from hearing to more and more knowledge from knowledge to faith and from faith to continuall prayer let them doe it faithfully let them vse it zealously and performe it reuerently For if they bring sinfull prayers to that holy Altar and seem to sacrifice sinne for sinne they increase sinne by dissimulate zeale Sinne cannot obtaine pardon for sinne more then Belzebub can cast out diuels without preiudice to his infernall state And therefore he that praieth let him pray in the spirit and truth And yet there is a matter more to bee considered in such as become suters to God for as he that will be a suter to a king must be sure he hath no shew of disloyaltie treason or disobedience to the king if he haue he must thinke he hath a cold suite So he that is a petitioner to God must clense himselfe from sinne for God heareth not a sinner though he cry vnto him And therefore he that calleth on the name of the Lord must depart from iniquitie They must wash themselues from sinne by faith and repentance in the bloud of that immaculate Lambe Christ Iesus as Naaman washed himselfe in Iordan then may they boldly goe vnto the throne of grace where they shall obtaine mercie and whatsoeuer may stead them in the time of neede Prayer is a most sweete exercise for all men but if a souldier rightly knew it and would rightly vse it he should say as Dauid did of the sea They that goe into the deepe see the wonders of the Lorde But they that vse prayer faithfully shall haue experience of many wonders though God vse not apparant miracles as we imagine at this day Wee deceiue our owne eyes and dissemble with our owne hearts for if we rightly consider Gods mercie towards them that feare him and his iudgements towards the wicked we shall plainly see that the things he doth are admirable to flesh and bloud and aboue all men the souldier may perceiue it in the warres where God is alwaies an appealant or defendant and he sheweth mercie and iustice now as he did in our fathers daies wherein he euer blessed the faithfull and confounded the disobedient Wherefore if a souldier be destitute of Gods feare knowledge faith and prayer he must looke for iudgement the very wicked shall preuaile against him yea the Infidels are ordained scourges sometime of Gods disobedient children though he cast the conquerour as a rod into the fire after his seruice done Ignorant and negligent souldiers are more miserable then al other men because they goe as to a continuall slaughter if God bee not on their side and they haue no assurance of future life without knowledge and faith which is confirmed vnto them by the exercise of diuine prayer without which death is terrible yea the remembrance of death is fearefull because they shall come to iudgement in the end and receiue the portion of careles and wicked ones And howsoeuer they may glorie sometime in victorie and wallow in the wealth gotten by spoyle it is but vsurped glorie which shall increase iudgement sith it is not gotten by the true meane ordained of God namely to sanctifie their proceedings by obedience and prayer to him and to glorifie him with praise as they glorifie themselues with victorie And they can neuer truly giue him thankes after good successe vnlesse they craue his ayde before they aduenture to fight For thankes are due onely for good turnes done and how can they say it came of God when they went on without him and acquainted him not with their desires It is not enough to say he knoweth all and therefore needs no further matter but barely to referre it to him in conceit they must pray his ayde and instantly intreate pardon for their sinnes which are of force to procure ill successe in a iust cause To haue victorie without prayer and to receiue it without praise is proper to Infidels that know not God But to begin with prayer end with thankes is peculiar to Christians And it is as impossible for Christian souldiers to vndertake any expedition without prayer as the Sunne to shine without heate And a man may aswell affirme that fire can haue no smoake as to say a Christian cannot nor will pray There is nothing doth so plainly discouer that wee doe but dissemble our selues to be Christian souldiers then when wee vndertake matter of warre without prayer to God without whom wee can doe no more then Goliah did onely stand vpon our strength and multitude vpon our practise and policie in militarie busines which Papists Turkes and Pagans doe nay they seeke to their saints and gods such as they bee and consult and craue ayde and giue thankes who neuer preuaile against Gods children but where they bee fruitles in faith and prayer to serue the true and liuing God And where that true exercise is indeed and where the inward hearts agree with the outward voyces in a liuely expresse dutie there the Lord of hoasts hath promised to be with an armie of heauenly souldiers to assist them if neede require And as his Angell went before the Israelites to conduct them and came behinde them to defend them so shall hee take charge of them that serue him and seeke him with their whole hearts his windes the Sunne and all other his creatures shall be come souldiers to fight on their behalfe This is Gods promise which will stand fast for euer It behooueth also them that exercise warres as they stand vpon the gard of Gods defence so not to presume beyond that which beseemeth them but to submit themselues vnto his will in all humilitie which shall bee no detriment to a liuely faith but a true testimonie of their true obedience to take althings that God seeth fit for them in good part whether prosperous or aduerse successe for God often findeth out the fruites of our corruptions which we ourselues may seeme willing to conceale flattering our selues yet with the hope of his presence and aide when wee rather deserue to bee corrected for our sinnes yea when we haue tasted most of his power in throwing down our enemies before our faces When we shuld be most thankfull we become then secure and securitie breedeth ease and neglect of dutie aâ—d then God in his wisedome and loue euen in hiâ— diuine counsell is forced as it were to trie his children with crosses and to suffer the enemie a little to preuaile to the end that we may the more duly call account of our obedience how it hath stood with vs and so the more seriously and earnestly seeke him againe in true and vnfained repentance and prayer All the godly in former ages worshippers of the onely true and liuing God haue obserued this continuall custome
of his souldiers as of the most vertuous as much as lieth in him after the example of Cyrus who sayd vnto his souldiers My friends I haue chosen you not because I haue had experience heretofore of your manhood but because I haue knowne you readie to doe those things which are honest and to eschew all dishonestie In his choice he seemed to agree with the opinion of valiant Agamemnon a Grecian Captaine who affirmed to Achilles that one man beloued of God is in stead of many men in an armie On the contrarie the Scripture affirmeth that the wickednesse of one man indangereth the state of a whole armie as Achan did the armie of Israel The Emperour Traian sayd to accept of warre to collect souldiers to put them in order and to giue battell belonged to man but to giue victorie was the worke of God onely Whereby it followeth that as victorie is the end of waging battell and battell disposed by best discretion of chiefe Commanders so there is not a more pretious thing in the execution of this busines then to doe all in his feare honor and reuerence that giueth that which is striued for They that couet to vanquish and not to bee vanquished must relie wholly on him that disposeth of victorie and to vse souldiers munition and policie as his meanes for if they be blessed by him they are holie otherwise they may bee aswell instruments of their owne and of the confusion of such as trust in them as of their safetie To the ende therefore that our enterprises may succeede to our comfort it behoueth all men of armes of what qualitie or degree soeuer he bee not to thinke is a blemish to his reputation to be seene vertuous religious and godly but to testifie the same in the view of all men by continuall exercise of prayer and praise to the God of hoasts that he may still blesse those meanes direct their counsels and dispose of their proceedings happily so shall they triumph in victorie as well with few as with many with the godliest and not with the greatest number of men And to the end that all militarie men may be put in minde of this heauenly consideration I haue presumed vnder your fauours to speake a little vnto you in a plaine manner not that I would be seene to presume to teach such as are alreadie furnished with diuine knowledge and are armed with faith and religion but to whet them on to the daily practise thereof and to stirre vp such as are more ignorant to a desire to become also vertuous and obedient to God and in him to their Prince and Commanders that as they seeke honor they may so attaine it as may make them in deede truely honorable Yours in christian good will Iohn Norden THE MIRROR OF Honor. A motiue to the consideration of the necessitie of this worke in regard of the time and of the different effectes of peace and warre THERE is nothing in this worlde more pleasing to fleshe and bloud then peace nor more beneficiall to a commoÌ„ wealth For where no trouble is there is a quiet state fitte for euery honest Artist to practise his skill to the furnishing of the state with Sciences necessarie and profitable In peace are Lawes at liberty to be duely executed and Iustice may flourish without restraint Veâ—tue may then shewe her effectes and Religion bee practised without terror or torture Then may the Church execute necessary Discipline and mannage all thinges to Gods glorie and the comfort and commoditie of all his members This hath England tryed true almost fortie yeeres vnder Queene Elizabeth who from God hath brought vs the blessing of this wished peace together with the rich Iewell of the freedome of Religion whose fruits if they flourish not as they ought amongst vs the fault is ours And that God that hath afforded vs these precious blessings finding vs negligent and colde in our professions threatneth to rouze vs out of our secure dreames by the drum of his surie to awaken vs out of our slumber by the noise of warre nay by the blowes of warre we heare the sound we see the swords the Cannon playes in our eares the armours glitter in our eyes here is the beginning of warre After the sweete song of Peace peace now is the dreadfull dumpe of Warre warre And what is Warre a May-game Noe it is the wofull messenger of confusion without the mercie of our offended God which is to be obtayned by faith and repentance We all know that peace is plausible a ioyfull and wished thing and yet we seeme full of it or at least of the fruites of it which is plentie and ease fulnesse and forgetfulnesse of God and our selues But if we had seene warre as we haue tasted peace we should esteeme the better of peace and prouide against the feare of warre in meeting the God of hoastes to appease him as Abigail did Dauid But England God be praysed hath beene made acquainted with warre by report from our neighbour territories and the most of vs are ignorant whether it be sweete or sowre by experience and therefore thinke not that it bringeth the miseries which Fraunâ—e Flaunders Holland Zeland Brabant and sundry other most pleasant Landes and Prouinces haue long time endured wherein Iustice hath beene suppressed and iniurie violence will and the swordes surie preuayled These infernall fire-brands inkindle warre whence proceed the outrage of bloudy furies wherein spoyles are helde lawfull prize riots maintained as rightfull lawes innocents murthered maydens wiues and most graue matrons violently abused and forcibly deflowred churches destroyed religion confouÌ„ded houses consumed with fire all vertue and honest duety abandoned vice exalted and imbraced the seruice of God contemned Gods children murdred euery degree sexe and qualitie grieued and oppressed all trades and traffique hindred the best men troden downe and all this with many other miseries by a crewe of most mercilesse and wicked men Heere are in parte the fruites of furious warre And yet it is the salue that our most louing God applieth to the infections of such Kingdomes and Countries as abuse his most sweete blâ—ssing of peace We are not ignorant of this though wee haue yet but giuen ayme as it were to forraine broyles not considering or at least not reforming the euilles that long peace hath bread at home For which our forgetfulnesse and neglect of duetifull diligence to reforme vs the same God that found out this remedie for the sinnes or iudgement for the transgressions of other Nations hath threatned the same to vs for that we repent not at his many other most gentle admonitions It seemerh he hath decreed somewhat against vs for the common report is that there will bee waâ—res and that England must prepare for warres surely this gentle forewarning of God among many others is to be helde a precious fauour for that he giueth vs time to consult with him what is
the weapons they beare so it behooueth him daily to take view of his vertues how they stand vndefiled and how he hath subdued the sundrie enterprises and preuented the many inuasions of vaine desires which often preuaile where watch is not kept ouer the thoughts Euery pleasure that a man imbraceth is a delight either of the bodie or of the minde but where there is an absolute consent there is the whole man become a captiue and a slaue to that whereby he is ouercome whether it be the lust of the eye or concupiscence of the flesh which indeede include all the rest And therfore aboue all other persons the martiall man who standeth vpon his magnanimitie and fortitude vpon his ordering and gouerning of things tending to victorie must stand vpon his valour in thâ—se assaults of sinne wherewith if hee suffer himselfe to be ouercome he loseth the greatest part of his glorie in that he presupposâ—th an abilitie to encounter any other man and yet is ouercome of his owne weakenes as if a man should inuade a house abroad and lose his owne citie at home But it is a great argument that hee that can subdue him selfe and resist the pleasures of sinne is worthie to be a souldier in the warres yea he deserueth the place of a Leader because he knoweth how to conquer the greatest and mightiest enemie which indeede is his owne delight and carnall desires whereof whosoeuer is ouercome is not worthie the name of a souldier much lesse of the place of a Commander But I haue heard some of no small place in the warres affirme with no lesse audacious insolencie then hee ought to haue sinceritie that it is enough for the Ministrie to be masters of sinne and that it beseemeth souldiers to liue like souldiers to sweare like souldiers and to sinne like souldiers Wherein he shewed little the parts of a true souldier but rather thereby discouering the libertie of souldiers the securitie and careles liues of souldiers who ought indeede to striue to goe before all other sorts of men in vertue and godlinesse hauing like soule and like bodie like account to make and like reward to receiue Nay what should so besot a souldier or miscarrie a Gouernour that they should not haue greater regard to liue well then all other sorts of men considering that other men haue naturall infirmities onely and accidentall casualties to bring their carcases to the graue but they beside those haue the furie of mortall blowes and danger of the bullet to finish their race suddenly And therefore should so vprightly walke in their liues and conuersations as becommeth Saints knowing this that after death is no redemption And that they shall answer for euery sinne they commit and for euery idle word they shall speake much more for euery oth they vainly sweare for euery blasphemie against God and for euery iniurie done to their brethren And it will bee no excuse to say I was a Souldier I was a Captaine I was a Generall and I sinned but like a Souldier I did but like a Captaine or like a Generall This generall answer will be a generall rebuke to as many as take not hold by times of the promised mercie in Christ in true repentance reformation faith and exercise of all godlines and pietie I counsell therefore euery militarie man to whom especially I bend my speech in this poore treatise that he will bethinke himselfe that he is a man and that he must liue as a godlie man that he may dye like a godly man If he be honorable and haue dominion and rule ouer others he resembleth the neerer the diuine power of religious men faithfull and fearefull to sin he so much the neerer commeth to the heauenly nature If he be a man inferiour and knoweth his dutie to God and forgetteth or neglecteth it God will remember it against him in iudgement If he be ignorant and refuse knowledge his iudgement shall be iust But the poorest fearing God is alreadie exalted to the high and powerfull protection of the chiefe Soueraigne whose hand hath taken charge to support him in the field and to adorne him with the diademe of mercie which is the crowne of eternall glorie after death I haue aymed this sillie treatise to the good of the most glorious Commaunders and officers in our warres in simple termes and vnfained zeale of their welfare whose prosperitie as it is the generall happines of all so all ought to set their helpes by best practises and pray that God will blesse their proceedings And because the function of militarie gouernment is high and sacred Reason willeth and true duetie and reuerence to God commandeth that all suspition of offending that high commander Iehouah should be taken away by clensing euery part of this bodie of gouernment from the daungers likely to fall on vs by suffering vnlawfull things to follow our armies And although no doubt â—uery Commander in policie grounded vpon true religion can of himselfe discouer the enormities and reforme them which seeme to be most perillous yet I may vnder their patieÌ„ce briefly remember that where the discipline of warre is truly executed there is commonly good successe and where it is neglected there it is vncertaine And therefore if abominable blasphemies beastly drunkennes common carding dicing and whoredome Atheisme and Papisme with such like were repressed no doubt but vertuous exercises wold be better accouÌ„ted of for God would blesse the godly endeuours of the Commanders and fructifie the obedience of them that are commanded And for the more profitable exercising of all it behooueth the Generall to enioyne his Captaines the Captaines their souldiers that they will abandon Jdlenes the mother of all sinfull actions and that they will betake them to the hearing reading and discoursing of the diuine word which is the lanterne to light them to true dutie both to God and their gouernours And let the spirituall minded haue encouragement that they may strengthen the more weake either by conference or reading some diuine treatise to the increase of a more generall knowledge and zeale in all wherein they may betake themselues to often prayer that God may garde their courts of gard and be present in their armies to comfort euery member by supply of their priuate and publike wants And what can this diuine course of life and daily exercise impayre the credite honour or reputation of the chiefest Nay what an ornament will it be vnto them to be seene first in the sacred seruice of God with the people It is too coldly imbraced of many and lâ—ttle practised of the most who thinke it more coÌ„sonant to their professions to betake them to more offensiue exercises wherein neither can the God of heauen be glorified nor their dutie in armes truly discharged What hope then can there bee of victorie or good successe which commeth of nothing els nor by any other meanes
who may through terror or subtiltie be also seduced and wonne from the trueth as we see daily dangerous relapses in many by the inchantments of Antichrists ministers a most wicked and mercilesse people who yet iustifie themselues to bee Saints being indeede diuels in the flesh roring out this terrible noyse of mortall warre against the Lord and his Whose furie malice and arrogancie the God of hoasts and armies high and inuincible Iehouah our God alsufficient and louing in Iesus Christ hath not onely willed vs to resist but hath affoorded vs meanes to defend our selues in his feare and to stand vpon our guard in his crucified sonne who as he is a partie in the dishonor done vnto his Church whereof he is the head so he will be a partie with vs in our defence if wee behaue our selues as his reformed children Wee ought therefore to doe nothing nor vndertake any thing without him whose wil is warranted by his word And as wee are in him allowed to vse men and munition and other militarie necessaries abroad for our safetie at home so wee are commanded to serue the liuing God in their behalfes that he will blosse them and vs in them considering it is our sinnes and theirs that haue raised vp this vnpleasant noyse of warre and stirred vp that proud people to thunder out their vaine furie Howsoeuer wee may seeme to father the cause vpon other reasons as vpon the ill disposition of the aduersarie his ambition and malice which though they also appeare manifest we must yet acknowledge and conclude that our sinnes haue inkindled their fierce furie to flame out against vs either in the mercie or iudgement of God either to rouze vs out of our securitie to seeke the Lord in repentance or to make vs partakers of his wrath by the destroying sword of this cruell people Whom as we need not to feare if we feare and reuerence the Lord were each of them as Goliah in strength or as Achitophel in policie So if wee liue after our owne lusts and flatter our selues in our sinnes they may preuaile were they but gnats and wee all as valiant as Hercules and strong as Sampson And therefore the Lord open our eyes that wee may see the causes of these dangers for surely if we dulie search we shall finde the same to be euen in our selues in our Cities and in the Countrie in our Courts and in our Cloysters in our hands and in our hearts in euery man aswell mightie as meane And as euery man hath a share in the cause of this vnsauourie noyse of warre so are wee all like to be partakers of the dangers without true humiliation and heartie reformation of our corrupt liues For if falshood deceit lying swearing blasphemie enuie dissimulate loue flatterie Adulterie drunkennes cruelties iniustice neglect of the true practise of religion and aboue all if pride and couetousnesse the two infernall strumpers and bawds of all other mischiefes and impieties bee found fruitfull amongst vs and to passe currant without punishment wee haue cause to feare for the least of these former euils hath heretofore brought not onely whole families but great cities countries and flourishing kingdomes to ruine and most lamentable desolation All former worlds haue tasted the wrath of God for these sinnes which when they haue growne hot by vse and toleration haue inflamed and become impostumate and at last to ripenes and ruptures and consequently haue yeelded so loathsome a stink as the true comforting spirit hath abhorred to lodge neere the same so that there hath followed deserued confusion God forbid therefore that we should bee thus infected for then can we not be sure of our safety at home nor of our forces abroad who cannot but prosper the worse for our wickednesse It may be thought these euils are not great amongst vs because wee little consider them they lye not heauie vpon vs as it seemeth because wee so little feele them But there bee some sicknesses the more dangerous they be the lesse sensible they appeare to the patient And as that patient prepareth least to dye because he little suspecteth death and yet dyeth suddenly So a secure kingdome little regarding vengeance threatned may be soonest snared in it own sinne and soonest confounded in it owne vanitie And therefore we that are English Christians ought carefully to consider that as a bodie seeming lustie and strong may be suddenly be wrapped in mortal diseases without carefull obseruation of a salutarie diet so a â—late may be changed that standeth in conceit without danger if it be not guided by vertue and practise of Christian religioÌ„ It is in it selfe a dangerous thing for a man to looke into the sinne of another and to regard his owne little or nothing at all If we should gaze vpon the infirmities of our aduersaries admiring their grosse corruptions and in the meane time wallowe with pleasure in our owne daungers our condemnation wee hauing eyes to see should be more iust then theirs whom we hold blind We haue the light let vs make vse of the light and shew it by walking vprightly for if wee goe astray in the cleere shining of knowledge we shall be lesse excusable then they that wander in the night of ignorance It is not for nought that the noyse and rumors of warres are in our eares for if they forerunne not destruction yet we must confesse what Christ affirmeth them to be the beginning of sorrowes And as the lightning commeth before the thunder and a clowde before the storme so the noyse before the effects of warre The wise seaman prouideth against the tempest not yet come to escape the daunger comming So let vs by our repentance appease the God that raiseth this shadow before the substance of greater perill fall vpon vs. God speaketh daily vnto vs by his word to tell vs that the people that sinne shall dye Let vs reply by our workes that we be sorie for the sinnes which haue stirred him vp to threaten vs that he finding vs a reformed nation a people in whose lippes may be found wisedome and in whose hearts he may see righteousnesse and faith whose proceedings may fauour of his feare and due reuerence at home may alter his purpose and blesse vs and our forces for armour and men of strength preuaile little abroad vnlesse there be both godly counsell and faithfull prayer at home And therefore as our share is in their perils that follow the waâ—res for our defence so let vs serue the liuing God for them that he will be their defence for vs. It is no argument that wee are safe at home because our forces are strong abroad but if they feare him in the field and wee serue him truly at home if wee carrie inuiolable hearts and vndefiled hands our state is irremoueable for God shall be both a rocke of defence for vs and a sword of offence vnto the proude that