Gods Three Arrows, Section 15 – Section 17
§. 15. Of preparing for warre in peace.
HItherto ye have heard of the Honour of your profeſſion, and of the Valour required by virtue thereof. The last point noteth the neceſſity and benefit thereof, which is this. In peace to prepare for Warre, is a principall part of prudence.
The moſt prudent Prince that ever governed people, put in practice this point of policie: even Salomon, to whom God ſaid, I have given thee a wiſe and an underſtanding heart, 1 King. 3. 12.ſo that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee ſhal any ariſe like thee. This Salomon enjoyed much peace, and had a promiſe to enjoy peace all his daies, and had no cauſe to feare any aſſaults or invaſions of enemies, all the nations round about being brought under by his Father David: Yet this Prince of Peace built fenced cities with walls, gates and barres, and chariot-cities, and cities of horſemen, and had his 2 Chron. 8. 5, 6 9.trained men of Warre, which are here noted in my Text; yea, to ſhew his store of warlike proviſion, it is expreſly noted, that he had 40000 ſtalls of horſes for his chariots, 1400 1 King. 4. 26. 2 Chron. 1. 14. Abrahams Artillery Garden.chariots, and twelve thouſand horſmen. The firſt Father of that ſtocke, wiſe Abraham, whoſe houſe was a place of peace, (for the feare of God fell upon all nations round about him, they honored & reverenced him, they accounted him a Prince of God) yet had this Abraham his Artillery Garden, wherein Gen. 14. 14. The number by Patent granted to the Artillery Company of London, is 500. which number was not full at the time of preaching this Sermon.were trained up and fitted for Warre, ſuch as were borne and brought up in his houſe: the number of which Company I ſuppoſe was greater then the number of your Company. For, at once on a ſudden he armed and led to the War more then three hundred trained men. And it is not likely that he left his houſe deſtitute of all defence. He had queſtionleſſe many more of that his Artillery Company. Now note the benefit hereof. On a ſudden, in a time of neceſſity, and caſe of extremity, he had them ready to reſcue five Kings, that were overthrowne by their enemies. To preſſe this patterne yet further for the point in hand, the Holy Ghoſt noteth that Melchizedek King of Salem, whoſe name declared him to be a King of Righteouſneſſe, whose nation ſhewed him to be a Prince of Peace, this Melchizedek King of Gen. 14. 18 19. 20. Heb. 7. 1, 2. foreign.Salem, met Abraham with his forenamed troupes, bleſſed him and them, gave good entertainement to them all, and congratulated their returne, giving thereby an evident demonſtration of his approbation of Abrahams providence and prudence in maintaining an Artillery Garden for his houſe. The condition of Iehoſaphats Kingdome (who was the fourth ſonne that by lineall diſcent came from Salomon, 2 Chron. 17. 10, 11, 13, &c.and ſate on his Throne) was much like to Salomons. For the feare of the Lord was upon all the kingdomes of the land that were round about Iudah, ſo that they made no warre againſt Iehoſaphat: But in Teſtimony of amity, they ſent him yeare after yeare many preſents: Yet he placed ſorces in all the fenced cities of Iudah, and ſet garriſons in the Land, and had eleven hundred and threeſcore thouſand Men of Warre, mighty men of valour that waited on him, beſides thoſe whom he put in the fenced cities thorow out all Iudah. Admirable it is, and (but that the word of truth records it) incredible, that in ſo ſmall a Kingdome as Iudah was, there ſhould be ſo many trained, expert, valiant men of Warre, as were in Iehoſaphats time. When Iudah and all Iſrael were joyned together, even all the twelve Tribes in one Kingdome, that Kingdome was nothing ſo ſpacious as England is. For, ſome of our Shires are larger then ſome of their Tribes were: and yet our Shires are in number above foure times more then their Tribes were: For, wee have *In England 39. in Wales 13.above foure times twelve ſhires. How farre then do the three Kingdomes under the Dominion of our Soveraigne, England, Scotland, and Ireland, how farre do they exceed in ſpaciouſneſſe, the Kingdome of Iehoſaphat? Yet queſtion may be made, whether in theſe three Kingdomes, there be ſo many ſcore thouſands of trained Souldiers, well diſciplined men of Warre, mighty men of valour, as there were hundred thouſands in Iudah. We account twenty or thirty thouſand a great Army, fifty thouſand a royall Army. What then an hundred thouſand? What an hundred thouſand eleven times multiplied, and threeſcore thouſand added thereto? All theſe were under their Captaines, by name, Ready for Warre, Waiting on the King, to be ſent forth at his command: and yet all the fenced cities, which were very many, well repleniſhed with Garriſons, over and above thoſe 1160000. Surely they counted it an honour and ſafety to their land to have ſtore of trained ſouldiers, men expert, and ready for Warre at all times. Therefore frequent mention is made thereof. To omit other particulars, in Davids time, Ioab gave up the number and ſumme of fifteene hundred and ſeventy thouſand men of Warre, and yet left two 1 Chron. 21. 5.Tribes un-numbred. Surely there muſt needs be many Artillery Gardens, and they well repleniſhed, Martiall diſcipline muſt needs be there much exerciſed, where were ſo many thouſands, yea hundred thouſands trained up to Warre. If the wiſeman might ſend men to the Ants to learne of them Pro. 6. 6, &c.to provide meat in the ſummer, and to gather food in the harveſt, much better may men be ſent to ſuch worthy patterns as were guided and approved by God, to be alwaies provided with expert Souldiers trained up to Warre, even in times of peace. A maine difference is herein put betwixt wiſemen and fooles. We have a proverbe that ſaith, A foole will take his cloake in foule weather. But a wiſe man takes it with him at all times. He knoweth that a bright ſun-ſhine day may be ſoone turned into a cloudy rainy day. Peace is not like the unmoveable mountaines, but rather like to the variable skie. Wiſdome teacheth men to forecaſt the worſt, that they may be provided againſt the worſt, yea and thereby prevent the worſt. It is an old and true Motto, Pax armis, Peace is procured, preſerved, ſecured by preparations and proviſions for Warre.
§. 16. Of the benefits of Artillery Gardens.
WHere are many Artillery Gardens, and they much frequented, and Martiall diſcipline therein daily and duly exerciſed, Amitie with ſuch Kingdomes will be earneſtly deſired, and welcomely embraced: Kings of ſuch Kingdomes will be admired of their friends, and feared of their foes: Subjects of ſuch Kingdomes will find juſt and kind entertainment in forraigne parts: Natives and Allies wilbe ſecured: All manner of callings freely exerciſed: Lands and inheritances quietly enjoyed: Enemies danted: Invaſions and inſurrections prevented: and many, many evills avoided. They who reverence nor God nor man, where they ſee or heare of an over-maſtering power, wilbe kept within compaſſe; and though conſcience do not alter their inward diſpoſition yet conſtraint will order their outward converſation. But on the contrary, by fearleſſe and careleſſe ſecurity, The damage of neglecting Armes.by neglect of Artillery and Military exerciſes, by want of men meet for Warre, whole Cities and Kingdomes are oft made a booty and prey to their enemies, and ſuddenly ruinated. Inſtance Laiſh, they were a people that were at quiet and Iudg. 18. 27.ſecure, and the Danites on a ſudden ſmote them with the edge of the ſword, and burnt their Cities with fire. For a City and Nation to be without Artillery Gardens, is as dangerous as for a traveller to be without a ſword.
If the fore-mentioned patterns of prudent Princes, and wiſe Stateſ-men, recorded and approved in Gods Word, for training up armies of men in warlike exerciſes, and that in times and places of peace: If the many great benefits which therby ariſe and acrue to a Land and Kingdome, and the many great miſchiefs which are like to follow, upon a careleſſe neglect therof, be motives of force, motives of force are not wanting to prove, that, In peace to prepare for Warre, is a principall part of prudence.
§. 17. Of the commendation of Artillery Gardens.
THe Application of this point, doth as neerly concerne this Artillery Company, as any of the former, both for juſtification, and alſo for approbation and commendation therof. Were our daies more halcyon, more quiet and peaceable then they are, or were they more free from feare of danger then they are, yet were your Artillery exerciſes lawfull, needfull, uſefull. True it is, that they are not in pitcht fields, pede pes, & cuſpide cuſpis, face to face, foot to foot, ſpeare to ſpeare againſt enemies. They are in a quiet City, in a time of peace among your ſelves. They are like the Olympian games (inſtituted Plutarch. in Vita Theſei.by potent & prudent Hercules) and the Isthmian ſports (ordained by Theſeus in imitation of Hercules) as delightſome preparations for war. They are like to the Pyrrick dancing foreign. Euſtat. foreign. Athen. foreign. Plat.which was invented by Pyrrhus, called armed dancing, becauſe it was performed by men clad in armour, and warlike dancing, becauſe it was a repreſentation of ſundry kinds of battels, and a means to make them well to weld their Armour in War. They are like thoſe warlike ſports & paſtimes which were practiced by Cyrus when he was a youth, and by his coequals, and play-fellowes. They are delightſome recreations. But what then? Are they therfore not lawfull? Or not needfull? Or not uſefull? He is too ſevere and cenſorious, and Xenoph de Cyri inſtit l. 1. Idem de Cyri min. Exped l. 5.goeth beyond the liberty of Gods Word, that condemneth all recreations, all delightſome paſtimes. He is too improvident and imprudent, that conceiveth nothing needfull or uſefull, wherof there is not neceſſary uſe in that preſent and inſtant time wherin it is uſed.