Gods Three Arrows, Section 4 – Section 5
§. 4. Of undue beginning warre.
II. THe evidence of the Amalakites malice is noted in theſe two words, came, fought. The firſt word, aforeign foreign.came, implieth that the Amalakites firſt ſet upon the Iſraelites. The other, and fought, importeth an hoſtile attempt againſt them, whereby the Amalakites thought to have utterly deſtroyed the Iſraelites. bforeignThe word ſignifieth to devoure and conſume, as well as to fight againſt; or to joyne both together, it ſignifieth by fighting to conſume. In alluſion whereunto David ſaith of the ordinary inſtrument of war, c2 Sam. 11. 25The ſword devoureth one as well as another. And where dDeut. 32. 24. foreign foreign ſumpti, comeſti, excſi. Malice provokes to do wrong.Moſes ſpeaketh of devouring, he uſeth this word.
From this evidence of their malice we may inferre, that
It is a property of a malicious enemy firſt to ſeeke others deſtruction: or cauſeleſly to begin warre. This is noted as an evidence of the malicious mind of the eExo. 14. 5, 6.Egyptians, fNum. 21. 1.Canaanites, g—23.Amorites, and of all thoſe enemies which invaded and annoyed the Iſraelites, in the time of the Iudges and Kings. On this ground the Prophet makes this complaint, hPſal. 120. 7.I am for peace, but when I ſpeake they are for warre. And oft doth he complaine that i—35. 7, 19.—69. 4.without cauſe they laid a net for him, without cauſe they digged for his ſoule: wrong fully they were his enemies, they hated him without cauſe: k—109. 3.they fought againſt him without cauſe: l—119. 161.they perſecuted him without cauſe: mLam. 3. 52.They chaſed me ſore (ſaith the Church) like a bird without cauſe.
Malice hath no reſpect to equity or honeſty, nor to honour or reputation. It onelyonly careth to ſatisfie its owne venomous End that malicious aime at.humour, which (as we heard before) can never be ſatisfied. It is therefore impatient at all delaies. It is ready to take all opportunities of doing miſchiefe, whether they be juſt or unjuſt: whether there be cauſe or no cauſe. And whereas that light of underſtanding which is in men, even as they are reaſonable creatures, might ſomwhat direct them in points of common equity and policy, malice, like a thick cloud, ariſeth before that light, and ſo obſcureth and hideth it, as no direction can from thence be taken. Herein then men offend againſt the light of nature. For the Heathen Philoſophers who had no other light, accounted that Summa quidem authoritate Philoſophi, quicquid juſtum ſit, id utile etiam eſſe cenſent. Cic Offic. l. 2. Complex eſt honeſtatis ſemper utilitas, & utilitatis honeſtas. Amb. Offic, l. 3. c. 14.which was juſt and honeſt to be profitable: and nothing but that. Profit is alwaies a companion of honeſty: and honeſty of profit.
Ob. Were the two ſonnes of Iacob, who firſt ſet upon the Shechemites and ſlow all the males among them, (Gen. 34. 25.) and Ioſhua, who went and fought againſt the Canaanites, and utterly deſtroyed them, Ioſ. 12. 7, &c. and David, who went and ſmote the Philistines, Moabites, Edomites, Syrians, and other nations, (2 Sam. 8.) were theſe and others of the people of God-blinded with hatred, and whetted on with malice, in that they firſt ſet upon their enemies?
Anſw. 1. All particular actions of ſuch as are otherwiſe good men are not every way juſtifiable, and imitable. Inſtance that of qGen. 49. 7.Simeon and Levi which their old good father by divine inſtinct curſed.
2. That which thoſe ſonnes of Iacob did, they did not altogether without cauſe. They did it in rGen. 34. 31.revenge of the diſhonour done to their ſiſter. But this is not altogether to excuſe them. For their anger was fierce, and their wrath was cruell.
3. As for Ioſhuaes rooting out of the Canaanites, he was How warre juſtly begun.not moved thereto by malice, because he did it not of his owne motion, but by expreſſe sIoſ. 1. 1.charge from God himſelfe. For the Canaanites by their extreme wickedneſſe had deſerved utterly to be rooted out of their land: God therefore (the ſupreme Lord over all nations) made Ioſhua his Miniſter to execute his juſt judgement upon them.
4. The enemies whom David ſubdued, had before his time done exceeding great wrong to Iſrael; that therefore which he did was partly as a juſt puniſhment of their unjuſt wrongs, (for lawfull warre is a publique execution of publique juſtice) and partly as a means to ſecure Iſrael for the time to come from further wrong. Theſe premiſes duly conſidered, it may truly be ſaid that David never began Nunquam David niſi laceſſitus bellum intulit. Amb. Offic. lib. 1 cap 35. Deus hoc providit ne David prior illis inferret bellum, ne videretur ingratus. P. Martyr. Comment. in 2 Sam. 5. 17. Fories & magnanimi ſunt habendi, non qui faciunt, ſed qui propulſant injuriam. Cic Offic. l. 1.wa…re, but provoked thereto. Of the Philiſtines it is in ſpeciall ſaid, that when they heard that David was annointed King over Iſrael, all the Philiſtines came up to ſeeke David, (2 Sam. 5. 17.) that is, to prevent David by giving the firſt on-ſet, and beginning warre. For God ſo ordered it, that David ſhould not begin warre againſt them, leaſt he might ſeeme ungratefull.
By theſe anſwers the difference betwixt warres begun lawfully on juſt cauſes, and unlawfully and maliciouſly upon no juſt ground, may be diſcerned.
The application of this point eſpecially concerneth Kings, Princes, States, Generalls, Captains, Souldiers, and all ſuch as wage warre, to take heed that inward paſſion, hatred, malice, undue deſire of undeſerved revenge, or any ſuch like unjuſt and unwarrantable provocation whet them not on to begin warre. They are to be accounted truly valorous, The iſſue of unjuſt war begun.and magnanimous, not who offer, but who protect from wrong. I ſhall afterwards (§ 18.) have occaſion to treat of the juſt cauſes of lawfull warre. In the meane let notice be taken of the ill ſucceſſe that ſuch warres have. Not to inſiſt on this of Amalek, or of other malicious enemies of the Church, let the wofull iſſue of Ioſiah his going to fight 2 Chro. 35. 20, &c.againſt Necho King of Egypt without any juſt cauſe on Nechoes part, be noted. If God puniſhed this fault ſo ſeverely in ſuch a worthy, ſuch a beloved one as Ioſiah was, who not in hatred, or malice, but upon raſh ſuſpicion, and unadviſed policy went out and fought againſt Necho, how can they, whom malice ſets on worke in like caſes, looke to eſcape the revenging hand of a juſt God? Behold, the righteous ſhalbe recompenced in the earth: much more the wicked and the ſinner: Pro. 11. 31.
§. 5. Of the title Iſrael.
Cum Dco invaleſeens, eſt in terpretatio Iſraelis. Tertul adverſ. Marcion l. 4.III. THe party aſſaulted was Iſrael. Iſrael was a name given to Abrahams grand-child, who was firſt called Iacob. But in memory of his ſtedfaſt faith, whereby foreign b comp…nituo ex foreign principatum obtinuit, & foreign Deus. Eſt igitur foreign Princeps Dei, nut qui principalem potentiam obtinuit à Deo.he is ſaid to prevaile with God, who wreſtled with him, hee was called Iſrael, Geneſis 32. 28. The word is compounded of two words, the one ſignifieth to obtaine principality, or to prevaile: the other is the name of God: ſo as it ſignifieth (as the Holy Ghoſt himſelfe expoundeth it) a Prince that hath power with God. So doth the Prophet cHoſ. 12. 3. foreign principent ſe geſſit cum Deo.Hoſea alſo expound the meaning of this word: for in relation to this name Iſrael he ſaith of him that was ſo called, He had power with God, or he behaved himſelfe princely with God. This being a title of much honour, and a name which gave evidence of Gods great favour to him, and of his ſtrong faith in God. It was firſt given to dGen. 32. 28.Iacob himſelfe.
2. To an e—33 20. foreign Deus, Deus Iſraelis. Vel, ut Trem. & Iun. ſic Altare Dei ſortis, Dei Iſraelis.altar that Iacob built to God, which was called, God, the God of Iſrael, or (as ſome by inſerting the word, altar, expound it) thus, The altar of the ſtrong God, the God of Iſrael.
3. To all the Poſterity of Iacōb: who as they are called fGen 32. 32.The children of Iſrael, ſo alſo are they called g—47. 27.—48. 20.Iſrael. And this name was in common given to all the twelve Tribes that deſcended from the twelve ſonnes of Iacob, till the Tribe of Iudah together with the Tribe of Benjamin, that bordered next to Iudah, and lay part within him, grew ſo populous and ſo potent, as it got a peculiar name to it ſelfe, which was h1 Sam. 18. 16. 2 Sam. 5. 5.Iudah, and the other ten Tribes retained this name Iſrael. This diſtinction betwixt i1 King. 12. 19, 20.Iudah and Iſrael was afterwards more inviolably ratified, when by the apoſtaſie of the ten Tribes from the houſe of David in Rehoboams time, Iſrael under the raigne of Ieroboam and his ſucceſſours became one kingdome, and Iudah under the raigne of Davids linage became another.
4. By a Trope the land where the children of Iſrael inhabited is ſtiled kLev. 20. 2.Iſrael.
5. By another Trope the Church of God, whether Iewes or Gentiles, is called lGal. 6. 16.Iſrael.
6. By a kind of propriety it is applied to God, who is ſtiled mIſa. 37. 16.The God of Iſrael, n—21.The Lord God of Iſrael, oIſa. 1. 4.The holy one Iſrael, p—24.The mighty one of Iſrael, q1 Sam. 15. 29.The ſtrength of Iſrael, &c. Or, as ſome interpret ſome of thoſe phraſes, The holy Iſrael, The mighty Iſrael, meaning the holy and mighty God.
In this place, Iſrael, being a collective word, is put for all the poſterity of Iacob that came out of Egypt thorow the Red Sea, aſſembled in the wilderneſſe: which congregation was at that time the only viſible Church of God on earth. So as in this inſtance we may behold the Condition of Gods Church in this world.