Gods Three Arrows, Section 57 – Section 59
§. 57. Of the ſucceſſe of warre well waged.
II. *See §. 55. David nunquam niſi conſulto Domino bellumadorſus eſt. Ideo in omnibus victor praelijs. Ambr. Offic. lib. 1. cap 35. Vnlawfull wars unprofperous.LAwfull warre well waged proves proſperous. Many many inſtances out of holy writ may be produced for proofe of the truth hereof: but not one I dare boldly ſay, to the contrary. We do indeed oft read of many wars, wherein the better have had the worſe, and the wicked have devoured men more righteous them themſelves. But it hath been either becauſe thoſe better have undertaken warres not warrantable, or els not well waged the ſame. The warre which Iehoſaphat undertooke with Ahab, was not warrantable: For, beſide that b2 Chro. 19. 2.He ſhould not have helped the ungodly, c—18. 14, &c.a Prophet foretold him that God liked not that warre. d—35. 20, &c. Lawfull wars not wel wagedThe warre alſo that Ioſiah undertooke againſt Pharaoh Nechoh was unlawfull. For, Nechoh intended no evill againſt him. No marvell therefore that the warre of the one and other, though otherwiſe they were good men, was unproſperous. The like may be ſaid of the batteli betwixt Amaziah and Ioaſh, wherein Amaziah, who in meere pride without juſt cauſe provoked Ioaſh to fight, was overthrowne. But eIoſ. 7. 10, &c.the warre which Ioſhua waged againſt the men of Ai, though lawfull in the kind of it, was not well ordered, becauſe he did not before he entred the field, ſearch his army to ſee whether any accurſed thing were therein, or no. Nor was fIud. 20. 21, &cthe lawfull warre of the Iſraelites againſt the Benjamites well ordered, becauſe they went about to puniſh ſinne in others before they had purged their owne ſoules of ſinne. h1 Chro. 10. 13Saul before he entred into that battell wherein he and his ſonnes and many of the Iſraelites were ſlaine, asked counſell of one that had a familiar ſpirit and not of the Lord. i2 Chro. 36. 13. Ezek. 17. 18.Zedekiah perfidiouſly and perjuriouſly maintained war againſt Nebuchadnezar, & was overthrown. If a view be taken of all thoſe wars wherin Gods people have bin foiled by their enemies Quos arma & equi, & milites, & machinamenta capere non potuerunt, hos peccati natura vinctos hoſtibus tradidit. Chryſ. Hom. 7. in 1 Tim. 2. Why warres proſperous.at any time, by diligent ſearch it may be found, that ſom fault or other in Gods people hath beene the cauſe that they have beene given over into the power of their enemies. Such as armes, and horſes, and ſouldiers, and engines could not overcome, ſinne hath delivered (as bound) to the enemy. But whenſoever they well ordered juſt warres they alwaies proſpered.
In ſuch warres Gods honour is engaged: ſo as his people if they ſhould be foiled, might juſtly ſay unto him, What wilt thou do unto thy great name? Ioſ. 7. 9.
They who in their war expect good ſucceſſe (and who Iuſt wars to be undertaken.goeth to war that expecteth not good ſucceſſe?) let them firſt be ſure that their war be juſt and warrantable, and then very circumſpect in the maner of waging it: that that which is lawfull may be lawfully proſecuted. Thus may they confidently promiſe unto themſelves victory. True it is, that when Heathen with Heathen, Idolaters with Idolaters, wicked men with wicked men make warre, the iſſue of warre is Incerti caſus pugnarum: Marſ que communis. Cicer. in Orat pro Mil.uncertaine: For, God engageth himſelfe on neither ſide; but now uſeth one ſide, then another, as ſeemeth good to his ſecret and unſearchable counſell, to be his ſcourge to puniſh the other ſide. But in his peoples wars the caſe is otherwiſe, in caſe they go along with him, and fight not without good warrant from him, nor ſwerve from the directions which he preſcribeth to them. Such warres are Gods warres, l1 Sam. 17. 47—25. 28.the battels of the Lord, which he can and will proſper. mIoſ. 5. 14.That which was once viſibly repreſented to Ioſhua, is alwayes really performed in all ſuch warres, The Lord is the chiefe Captaine and Generall in them. In faith therefore may ſuch warres be waged, and with confidence may good ſucceſſe in them be expected.
§. 58. Of the overthrow of ſuch as begin warre.
III. *See §. 55.THey that firſt begin warre may have the worſt in warre. I ſay, may have, becauſe there may be juſt cauſe of beginning warre, and anſwerably God gives good ſucceſſe thereto: ſo as it cannot be generally ſaid, that all in all caſes that firſt begin warre go by the loſſe. Experience of all times gives evidence againſt this. But yet that this may ſo fall out, like experience giveth demonſtration. Inſtance aNum. 21. 23, 33.Sihon, Og, bIoſ. 10. 5.the five Kings of the Amorites, c—11. 5.Iabin with all that tooke part with him, dIudg. 11. 12.the Ammonites in Iephtahs time, e1 King. 20. 21the Aramites in Ahabs time, f2 Chro. 20. 23the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites in Iehoſaphats time, and many other of the Churches enemies at other times. Yea alſo the gNum. 14 44.Iſraelites when they firſt went out to ſet upon the Amalakites and Canaanites, and upon the hIudg. 20. 21.Benjamites, and againe upon the i1 Sam 4. 1.Philiſtines, and upon the k1 King. 22. 4.Aramites, and others.
Many do oft moſt unjuſtly, either for no cauſe, or for ſleight cauſes, or for wrong cauſes, in the pride of their What makes offenſive war unproſperousheart, puffed up with ambition, or inflamed with undue revenge, or fraughted with malice, or ſet on worke by ſome other corrupt humour, undertake warre: which being a publique execution of juſtice, is for the moſt part very fierce and fearefull, and therefore not to be undertaken without juſt, weighty, and neceſſary cauſe, even ſuch as by no other lawfull meanes can be accompliſhed. No marvell then that they who unjuſtly, or unadviſedly and raſhly thruſt themſelves into warre, be made ſenſibly to feele the ſmart of their folly.
Well therefore may that proverbiall ſpeech which Ahab uſed to Benhadad, be applied to ſuch as are over-forward to warre, Let not him that girdeth on his harneſſe boaſt himſelfe 1 King. 20. 11.as he that putteth it off. Let men be ſlow to warre; and not enter thereinto without urgent neceſſity.
§. 59. Of the puniſhment of acceſsaries.
IIII. *See §. 55.ACceſſaries make themſelves liable to the judgement which falleth on the principall. In this caſe 22000 of the Aramites were ſlaine by David for comming to ſuccour Hadadezer, Dauids enemy. And at another 2 Sam. 8. 5.time 700 chariots, 40000 horſemen, and their Captaine, beſide —10. 18.many other ſoldiers for taking part with the Ammonites 2 Chro. 22 7, &c.againſt David. This was the occaſion of Ahaziahs ruine: he went out with Ioram againſt Iehu.
Such as are Acceſſaries animate the Principall to do what Vidiſti cos lenonis agere officium in regis gratiam, &c. Quapropter non ipſe ſ…l…u, ſed & omnes qui adhaerebant, poenae ſuerunt participes. Chryſ. Hom. 32. in Gen. 12. 2 Sam. 10 19. 2 Chro. 18 31. & 19 2.he doth: who, if he were not backed and ſtrengthened by Acceſſaries, might be reſtrained from attempting ſuch acts of hoſtility as by the aſſiſtance of Acceſſaries he attempteth. Iuſt therefore it is, that they who take part in others ſinnes, ſhould alſo have a part in their puniſhment.
Feare therefore to aid the wicked. Had the fore-wit of the Aramites beene as good as their after-wit, many thouſands of them had ſaved their lives: for, after two overthrowes it is ſaid, the Aramites feared to helpe the children of Ammon any more. This had almoſt coſt Iehoſaphat his life. Sharply therefore was he reproved by the Prophet.