The Soldiers Honor, Title page – Dedication
THE SOVLDIERS HONOVR. WHEREIN By diuers inferences and gradations it is euinced, that the Profession is iust, necessarie, and honourable; to be practised of some men, praised of all men. Together with a short Admonition concerning Munition, to this honour'd Citie. Preached to the worthy Companie of Gentlemen, that exercise in the Artillerie Garden: and now on their second request, published to further vse.
By THO. ADAMS.
EXODVS. 15.3.
The LORD is a man of warre: the LORD is his Name.
LONDON, Printed by Adam Islip and Edward Blount, and are to be sold in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the blacke Beare. 1617.
To the well deseruing Captaine EDWARD PANTON, the Captaines and truly generous Gentlemen, Citizens of London, of the Societie of ARMES, practising in the Artillerie Garden.
WEe are all Souldiers, as wee are Christians: some more specially, as they are men. You beare both Spirituall Armes against the enemies of your Saluation, and Materiall Armes against the enemies of your Countrey. In both you fight vnderunder the Colours of our great Generall Iesus Christ. By looking a little into this mysticall warre, you shall the better vnderstand how to be Milites cataphracti, good Souldiers in all respects.
Iob calls mans life a Warfare: and wee find, Reuel. 12. that there was warre in heauen: Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon; and the Dragon & his Angels. Where by Heauen is meant the Church of God vponupon earth; as Interpreters obserue generally. For in Heauen aboue there is no warfare, but welfare: no trouble, but Peace that passeth all vnderstanding: Now to this War eueryevery Christian is a professed Souldier: not onelyonly for a spurt, for sport; as young Gentlemen vse for a time to see the fashion of the warres: but our Vow runnes thus in Baptisme; that eueryevery man vndertakes to fight manfully vnderunder Christs Banner against Sinne, the World, and the Deuill; and to continue his faithfull Souldier and Seruant to his liues end. And this Battell let vsus fight with courage, because we are warriours vnderunder that Generall that (without question) shall conquer. Nil desperandū Christo Duce, & Auspice Christo. They ouercome by the blood of the Lambe. Reu 12.11. Though they loose some bloud, they shall be sure to winne the victorie.
Bernard supposeth a great war between Christ the king of Ierusalem, & Satan the K. of Babylon. The Watchman on the wals spies a Christian souldier to be surprised by the Babylonian Host, & carried captiue to their Tents. Hereof he informes the king, who presently chargeth Timorem, the Feare of God, to run & redeeme the souldier. Feare comes thundring vponupon the aduersary power, & forceth thē trembling to surrender backe their prey; which he is now returning home to the king. Hereupon steps vp Spiritus Tristitiae, Sadnes; & cryes, O ye Babylonians, is it not a shame that one man should rescue a prisoner from such a multitude? Well ne timeatis a Timore isto, be not afraid of this fellow Feare: I will giuegive you a stratagem how to reduce him. This must not be done Marte sed arte; not by force but by fraud: marke the euent.
This Spirit of Sadnesse lyes in the way, and falls in with the Souldiers, colloguing as a friend, as a fiend; amica sed iniqua collocutione. Suspectles Feare followes a little off. But Sorrow had brought the Souldier to the brinke of a deepe Pitte, Desperation; and was euen vponupon the point of thrusting him in; The Watchman obserues it, and againe tells the king: who (quicker then thought) dispatcheth a fresh supply of succour, Hope, to his deliuery. Hope mounted vponupon a swift horse, Desire; comes amaine: and with the Sword of Gladnes puts Sorrow to flight; so quits him from the gulfe of Despaire. Once again is the Citizen of heauē freed: now Hope sets him (being weary) on his own horse, Desire: himselfe leads him with the Cord of Promised mercy: Feare comes after with a switch made of Remembrance of sinnes, and so sets him forward to Ierusalem.
Hereupon the King of Babylon calls a Councell; where some grieue, others rage, all Hell rores, that they had lost a prisoner, of whom they lately thought themselues so sure. There is not more ioy with the Angels in heauen, then there is sorrow with the deuils in hell, for this Sinners conuersion. But yet all is not well, as the Watchman certifies the King of Omnipotence. The Souldier is mounted vponupon Desire, Hope leads him, and Feare driues him amaine: but I doubt he comes too fast, because he hath neither Bridle nor Saddle. Hereon the Kings, that hath euerlasting care of all Christian soules, sends forth two of his graue Councellors to him, Temperance and Prudence; Temperance giues him a Bridle, that is Discretion; and Prudence a Saddle, that is Circumspection. This is not all: Feare and Hope giuegive him two Spurres; on the left heele Feare of punishment, on the right, Expectation of blisse. Knowledge cleares his Eye, Diligence opens his Eare, Obedience strengthens his Hand, Deuotion rectifies his Foot, Faith encourageth his Heart. And if he want any thing, Prayer offers him her seruice, to wait vponupon him as a faithfull messenger; promising that whensoeuer he sends her to the King with a Petition, she will bring him backe a Benediction.
Thus as in a little Tablet you see the whole world; that all of vsus must be Souldiers on earth militant, that will be Conquerors in heauen triumphant. But are there not enemies in the flesh, so well as enemies in the Spirit? Is mysticall armour only necessarie to a Christian, & is there no vse of materiall? No; Aequū est Deum illis esse propitium, qui sibi non sunt aduersarij; it is iust, that God should be a friend to thē, that are not enemies to themselues. I know prayers are good weapons: and Exo. 17. there was more speed made to victorie by lifting vp of Moses hands, then of Ioshu's word. He that would ouercome his enemies on earth, must first preuaile with his best friend in heauen. If the mercy & strength of God be made thine by prayer, feare not the aduerse powers. Ro. 8. We shalbe conquerors through him that loued vsus. But is it enough to bend the knee, without stirring the hand? Shall warre march against vsus with thundering steps; & shall we only assemble our selues in the Temples, lie prostrate on the pauements, lift vp our hands & eyes to heauen, & not our weapons against our enemies? Shal we beat the aire with our voices, and not their bosomes with our swords? only knock our own breasts, & not knock their heads? Sure, a religious conscience neuer taught a man to neglect his life, his libertie, his estate, his peace. Pietie and Policie are not opposites: he that taught vsus to be harmelesse as Doues, bad vsus also be wise as Serpents. GiueGive way to a fiction: fables are not without their vsefull morals. A boy was molested with a dog; the Frier taught him to say a Gospell by heart, and warranted this to allay the dogs furie. The mastiffe spying the boy, flies at him: he begins (as it were) to coniure him with his Gospel. The dog (not capable of religion) approcheth more violently. A neighbor passing by, bids the boy take vp a stone: he did so, and throwing at the dog, escaped. The Frier demands of the lad, how he sped with his charme. Sir (quoth he) your Gospel was good, but a stone with the Gospel did the deed. The Curs of Antichrist are not afraid of our Gospel, but of our stones: let vsus fight, & they wil flie.
Fight say you; why who strikes vsus? Yeeld that no enemies doe, are we sure that none will doe? When our securitie hath made vsus weake, & their policie hath made thē strong, we shal find thē (like that troublesome neighbour) knocking at our dore early in the morning, before we are vp; when it wil be too late for vsus to say, If we had known of your cōming, we would hauehave prouided better cheare for you. They thank you, they wil take now such as they find, for they purpose to be their owne caruers, and the worst morsels they swallow shalbe your hearts. Let vsus therfore like good housekeepers, whō such vnbiddē guests come, hauehave alwaies a breakfast ready for thē: which if we giuegive thē heartily, they shal hauehave smal stomach to their dinners.
Be you but ready for warre, and I durst warrant your peace. Whilst you are dissolute, they grow resolute. Ludouicus Viues reports, that the yong nobles and gallants in a citie of Spaine were falne to such leuitie of carriage; that in stead of marching to the sound of a Drum, they were dancing leuolto's to the Lute in a Ladies chamber: their Beauers were turned to Beuer hats. EueryEvery one had his mistresse, and spent his time in courting Venus; but Mars was shut out at the backe gate. The ancient Magistrates obseruing this, consulted what should become of that country, which these men must gouerne after they were dead. Hereupon they conferred with the women, their daughters, the Ladies: whom they instructed to forbeare their wonted fauours, to despise the fantasticall amorists, and to afford no grace to them that had no grace in themselues. This they obeyed diligently, and wrought so effectually, that the Gentlemen soone began to spie some difference betwixt Effeminatenes and Noblenes. And at last in honourable and seruiceable designes excelled all their Ancestors. If we had in England such Ladies, (though I doe not wish them from Spaine) wee should hauehave such Lords. Honour should goe by the Banner, not by the Barue: and Reputation be valued by valour, not measured by the acre: there would be no ambition to be carpet-Knights.
How necessarie the readinesse of Armes, and of men practised to those Armes, hath beene to the common good; what Nation hath not found, either in the habite to their safetie, or in the priuation to their ruine? OnelyOnly we blesse our selues in our peace; and say to them that aduise vsus to militarie preparations, as the Deuils said to Christ, that we come to torment them before their time. But let them rest, that thus will rust: and for your selues, worthy Gentlemen, keepe your Armes bright; and thereby your names, your vertues, your soules: you shall be honoured in good mens hearts, whilst wanton and effeminate Gulls shall weaue and weare their owne disgraces. Spernite vos sperni: there are none that think basely of you, whose bosomes are acquainted with other then ignoble thoughts. But I hauehave held you too long in the gates, vnlesse I could promise you the sight of a better Citie. Yet enter in, and view it with your eyes: it hath alreadie entred your eares; God grant it may enter all our hearts. So your selues shall be renowned, our Peace secured, and the Lords great Name glorified, through Iesus Christ.
Yours to be commanded in all Christian seruices, THO. ADAMS.
THE SOVLDIERS HONOVR. Wherein by diuerse inferences and gradations it is euinced, that the Profession is iust, necessarie, and honourable: to be practised of some men, praysed of all men. Together with a short Admonition, concerning Munition, to this honoured Citie.
IVDG. 5. VER. 8.
They chose new gods: then was warre in the gates: was there a shield or speare seene among fortie thousand in Israel?
My heart is toward the Gouernours of Israel, that offered themselues willingly among the people. Blesse ye the Lord.
IT was a custome in the Heathen world, after victorie to sing songs of Triumph.
This fashion was also obserued among the Iewes; as we frequently find it. After a great conquest of the Philistins, the people of Israel sung; Saul hath slaine his thousand, and Dauid his ten thousand. When Ioshua had ouerthrowne those fiue Kings;Iosh. 10.12. at whose prayer the Sunne stood still, and the day was made longer then euer the world saw before, or since; the people sung, The Sunne stood still in Gibeon, and the Moone in the valley of Aialon. When Israel had crossed the red Sea with drie feet, and the returning waters had drowned their pursuing enemies; Moses and the people sung this Song,Exod. 15.3. The Lord is a man of warre, the Lord is his Name, &c. Here Debora hauing conquered Sisera, with his nine hundred Chariots of yron, shee sung this triumphant Song to the Lord; Praise ye the Lord for the auenging of Israel: Heare O ye Kings, I will sing to the Lord.
I hauehave chosen two straines of this Song; from which, as they shall teach me, so I purpose to teach you, to blesse the Lord that teacheth vsus all. So the Psalmist; It is the Lord that teacheth our hands to warre, and our fingers to fight. This Lord giuegive me a tongue to sing it, you eares to heare it, and vsus all hearts to embrace it.
In all I obserue two generals, which expresse the nature of the two verses. There is great Affliction. There is great Affection.
The Affliction; They chose new gods: then was warre in the gates, &c. The Affection; My heart is toward the Gouernours of Israel, that offered themselues willingly among the people: Blesse ye the Lord. In the Affliction, me thinkes I find three points of warre:
The Alarme; They chose new gods.
The Battell; Then was warre in the gates.
The Forlorne hope; Was there a shield or a speare seene among fortie thousand in Israel?
Here is 1. Superstitio populi, the Apostacie of the people; they chose new gods. This I call the Alarme; for Impietas ad arma vocat, Vngodlinesse calls to warre. If we fight against God, we prouoke God to fight against vsus. Then 2. Inflictio Belli, a laying on of punishment: God meets their abhomination with desolation; the hand of Iustice against the hands of vnrighteousnesse; then was warre in the gates: This I call the Battaile. Then 3. Defectus remedij, a destitution of remedie: Was there a shield or speare secne among fortie thousand in Israel? Sinne had not only brought warre, but taken away defence; in praelia trudit inermes, sent them vnarmed to fight. And this I call the Forlorne hope. You see the particulars: now ordine quidque suo.