Gods Three Arrows, Section 47
§. 47. Of the uncertainty of warre.
V. *See §. 42.VVArre is wavering. Sundry proverbiall ſentences are uſed in Scripture which give evidence hereto: as, a2 Sam. 11 25.The ſword devoureth one as well as another. b1 King. 20. 11Let not him that girdeth on his harneſſe boaſt himſelf as he that putteth it off. cEccl. 9. 11.The battell is not to the ſtrong. Time and chance happeneth to all. dPro. 21. 31.The horſe is prepared againſt the day of battell: but ſafety (namely in battell, or victory) is of the Lord. eIer. 50. 23.How is the hammer of the whole earth cut aſunder and broken? f1 Sam. 15. 33.As thy ſword hath made women childleſſe, ſo ſhall thy mother be childleſſe among women. gIudg. 1. 7.As I have done, ſo God hath requited me. Take for inſtance the Kings that upon their conqueſt over Sodome and Gomorrah were overthrowne by Abram, Gen. 14. 11, 15. And the Amalakites that ſacked Ziklag and were ſurprized by David, 1 Sam. 30. 1, 17. All ages have given wofull demonſtrations herof. I will (in that innumerable variety of inſtances which might be produced, inſiſt only on ſuch as ſhew how the Church and people of God have had the worſt in battell. hIoſ. 7. 4.Victorious Ioſhua and his army not onelyonly here, but after he began to conquer Canaan, fled before their enemies. iIudg. 20. 21, 23The eleven Tribes were twice put to the worſt by the Benjamites, and after that the Benjamites utterly vanquiſhed by them. kIudg. 3, &c.The Iſraelites were oft overthrowne by their enemies in the Iudges time, and in the Kings time. Valorous David was forced to fly from l1 Sam. 21. 10.Saul, and from m2 Sam. 15. 14Abſalom. n1 Sam. 30 1.Davids city was ſpoiled and burnt by the Amalakites. o2 Chro. 25. 11 22.Amaziah that overthrew the Edomites was ſoone after overthrowne by Ioaſh King of Iſrael. Not to inſiſt on any more particulars, The manifold complaints of the Church in this caſe give further evidence to the truth thereof. They are ſuch as theſe, pPſal. 44. 7, &cThou haſt ſaved us from our enemies, and haſt put them to ſhame that hated us. But thou haſt caſt off and put us to ſhame, and goeſt not forth with our armies: Thou makeſt us to turne our backs to the enemy, &c. There are many more like theſe thorowout the Scripture. The heathen by their experimentall Leviſſimus ſaepe caſus ex victo victorem, ex victore victum exercitum reddit. 10. vian. de bello Neopolit.obſervations were moved to acknowledge as much.
True it is that warres are ordered by God: ſo as this uncertainty of warre is not without him. And yet is it not thorow any neglect or impotency in him. Our God is not like the Gods of the Heathen, who by ſuch as tooke them for gods are accounted oftentimes unable to helpe in battell: yea —antiquo memores de vulncre poenas Exigit alma Venus—Ovid. Metamorph lib. 14. De Marte a Diomede vulnerato. Homerus Iliad. β foreign. 1 Sam. 3. 18. 2 Sam. 15. 25.when they came themſelves to ſuccour ſuch as they favoured, they are ſaid to be wounded. But our God is farre from any ſuch impotency. He is able at all times to make whom he will victorious. OnelyOnly in his wiſdome he ſeeth it meet ſomtimes to ſuffer enemies to have the better over his people. Though we could ſee no reaſon why he ſhould ſuffer enemies to prevaile, yet ought we to lay our hands upon our mouth, and not dare to impeach his power, wiſdome, juſtice, truth, or any other of his infinite, excellent properties; but rather to ſay as good old Elie did, It is the Lord, let him do what ſeemeth him good. And as David, If I ſhall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me againe. But if he thus ſay, I have no delight in thee, Here I am; let him do to me as ſeemeth good to him. Yet in Scripture many weighty reaſons are implied, to demonſtrate to us the equity of Gods providence in this particular. Some of theſe reaſons are ſuch as theſe that follow.
1. To cauſe his Church and people more narrowly and Why God ſuffereth enemies to prevaile over his Church.thorowly to ſearch themſelves. For many evils many times are ſo cloſely conveighed and concealed, as unleſſe God by ſome viſible judgement force men to ſearch it out, it may lie and feſter, and ſo cauſe the greater miſchiefe. This was the chiefe cauſe that moved God ſo to leave Ioſhua and his army, Ioſ 7. 10, &c.as they fled before the men of Ai,
2. To puniſh ſome ſcandalous ſin whereby the profeſſion of godlineſſe is ſlandered. This reaſon God himſelfe renders 2 Sam 12. 10.of thoſe croſſes which by the ſword befell David. Thus did God puniſh the Iſraelites for their preſumption.Num. 14. 44.
3. To bring people to ſound and ſolemne repentance. Iudg. 20 26.This fruit was manifeſted in the eleven Tribes, after they had beene twice foiled by the Benjamites.
4. To ſhew that victory commeth not meerely from Iudg. 20. 17. &cmans preparation. For, after that the foreſaid eleven Tribes had loſt at one time two and twenty thouſand men, and at another time eighteene thouſand, then God gave them the victory.
5. To turne the boaſting of enemies to their greater ſhame and dammage: as that advantage which the Philiſtims got againſt Sampſon did. Read for this purpoſe Iſa. 10. 5, &c.the juſt inſultations over the proud King of Aſſyria.
6. To give evidence of his wiſdome and power in caſting downe and raiſing up againe; according to that which 1 Sam. 2. 6, 7.is ſaid of him, The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth downe to the grave, and bringeth up: he bringeth low and lifteth up. On this ground, when David was forced out of his native country, and the city which he had in a ſtrange country was ſpoiled and burnt by enemies, and his owne —30. 6.ſouldiers ſpake of ſtoning him, he encouraged himſelfe in the Lord his God.
7. To make men more fervently, inſtantly, and conſtantly to call upon God: as Moſes here did. For obſerving that when his hands fell, Amalek prevailed, he uſed all the helpe he could to keepe his hands up and ſteddy, as is noted in the next verſe.
Good ground of hope and comfort is hereby miniſtred to Hope to ſuch as are overcome.ſuch as ſomtimes have the worſt in war, and againſt whom enemies have prevailed, that the ſtreame may turn, that they who are overthrowne may riſe againe, and the conquered prove conquerers. For, the Lord, who is the orderer and diſpoſer of the ſucceſſe of war ever remaineth the ſame, as wiſe to know when to ſuffer Amalek, and when Iſrael to prevaile, as able to give victory to the conquered, as ready to heare the cries of thoſe that are overthrowne, and to receive ſuch as thereby are brought to renew their repentance, as carefull of his owne honour, as obſervant of enemies inſultations, as ever he was. Let us wiſely obſerve the ends of Gods permiſſion in this caſe, (whereof ſome are noted) and anſwerably make uſe thereof. Theſe times give juſt occaſion Miſ-judge not ſuch as are vanquiſhed.to make a wiſe application of this point. Enemies as hatefull to God as Amalek was, have in many places had the upper hand of ſuch as have had as true notes of the true Church as Iſrael had. What then? ſhall we hereupon impeach God of injuſtice, or make queſtion of the truth of their religion, or, ſo loade them with ſinne, as if they were the greateſt ſinners of all. Farre bee that from us.
1. Concerning God, we ought not to ſuffer a thought to ariſe in our minds, derogatory to his juſtice: but if any ſuch do begin to riſe, preſently to quaſh and ſuppreſſe them. God in juſtice may make Idolaters his rod (as he did the Heathen, Iſa. 10. 5.) to puniſh thoſe that are of the true Religion. But after the rod is thus uſed, to what end is it but to be caſt into the fire?
2. Concerning the difference of religion betwixt Proteſtants and Papiſts, we are not to judge of it by event and ſucceſſe in warre. There are other more ſure evidences grounded on Gods Word, which give ſuch demonſtrations of the truth of the one, and falſhood of the other, as we may pawne life, ſoule, and eternall ſalvation, upon the truth of that which we profeſſe: and renounce ſalvation, if Popery be the means of attaining thereto.
3. Concerning their ſins, whether they be more or greater then the ſins of others that are of the ſame profeſſion, but not ſo trampled upon as they, we are to leave to the determination of the higheſt Iudge. The Lord hath given us a wiſe caveat in this caſe, Luke 13. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Let us believe and hope the beſt; and do as Moſes here did, be more earneſt in prayer for them, Iudg. 20. 26. Ioſ. 7. 6, &c. Num. 21. 2.
To conclude, when the cauſe of warre is juſt, the danger or conqueſt of a Chriſtian is to be ballanced by the affection of the heart, not by the iſſue of warre. The iſſue of the combate can not be ill where the cauſe of the combatant is good: as the Ex cordis affectu non belli eventu penſatur vel periculum, vel victoria Chriſtiani. Si bona ſuerit cauſa pugnantis, pugnae exitus malus eſſe non peterit: ſicut nec bonus judicabitur finis, ubi cauſa non bona, & intentio non recta praeceſſerit. Si in voluntate alterum occidendi, te potius occidi contigerit, moreris homicida, Quod ſi praeval…s, & voluntate ſuperandi vel vindicandi fortè occidis hominem, vivis bomicida. Non autem expedit ſive vivo ſive mortuo, ſive victori, ſive victo eſſe homicidam. Infoelix victoria, quae ſuperans hominem, ſuccumbis vitio. Bern, ad Mil. Tēp. c. 1iſſue may not be accounted good, when a good cauſe and right intention hath not gone before. If with a mind of ſlaying men thou art kild, thou dieſt a murtherer. But if thou prevaileſt, and in deſire of conqueſt and revenge thou ſlayeſt another, thou liveſt a murtherer. But it becomes not a Chriſtian, whether he live or die, be a conquerer, or be conquered, to be a murtherer. Vnhappy is that victory where a conquerer of man is conquered by ſin.