The Soldiers Honor, Part 1
The Alarme.
They chose new gods. Their Idolatrie may be aggrauated by three circumstances or degrees. They are all declining, and downewards: there is Malum, Peius, Pessimum; euill, worse, and worst of all.
1. They chose. Here is Electio, non compulsio; a franke choise, no compelling: They voluntarily tooke to themselues, and betooke themselues to other gods. Naaman begged merciemercy for a sinne, to which he seemes enforced, if he would reserue the fauour of his King, and peace of his estate: and therefore cryed,2. King. 5.18. Be mercifull to me in this; when I bow with my master in the house of Rimmon, in this the Lord pardon me. But here is spontanea malitia, a wilfull wickedness; they chose. There is Euill, the first degree.
2. Gods. What? a people trained vp in the knowledge of one God: Iehouah, I am; and there is none besides me. Vnissimus (saith Bernard) si non est vnus, non est; if he be not one, he is none. The Bees hauehave but one king, flockes and heards but one leader, the skie but one Sunne, the world but one God.
Immemsus Deus est, quia scilicet omnia mensus.
Innumerabilis est, vnus enim Deus est.
Sayes the Epigrammatist. God is therefore innumerable, because he is but one. It was for the Heathen, that had (saith Augustine) mentes amentes, intoxicate minds and reprobate hearts, to hauehave plurimos deos, a multitude of gods. They had gods of the Water, gods of the Wind, gods of the Corne, gods of the Fruits:Aug. Nec omnia commemoro, quia me pig et, quod ill is non pudet. Neither do I mention all, because it grieues me to speake, what they were not ashamed to doe. Prudentius sayes, they had so many things for their god, as there were things that were good.
Quicquid humus, pelagus, coelum mirabile gignunt,
Id duxere deos, colles, freta, flumina, flammas.
Insomuch, that foreign. But Israel knew, that vnicus Deus, there was but one God; that others were dij titulares, gods in name; theirs onelyonly Deus tutelaris, Deut. 32.31.God in power. Their rocke is not as our Rocke, euen our enemies themselues being iudges. Doe these bring other gods in competition with him? Peius, this is worse.
3. New gods. Will any Nation change their gods? no: the Ekromites will keepe their god, though it be Belzeebub: the Ammonites will keepe their god, though it be Melchom: th… Syrians will sticke to their god, though it be Rimmon: the Philistims will not part with their god, though it be Dagon. And shall Israel change Iehouah, viuentem Deum, the liuing God? Pessimum; this is worst of all.
These be the wretched degrees of Israels sinne: God keepe England from such Apostacie. We hauehave one God: let the Romists chuse them another: as the Canonists style their Pope, Dominus Deus noster Papa;Eph. 4.6. our Lord God the Pope. But wee hauehave one Lord, one Faith, one Baptisme; one God, and Father of all, who is aboue all, and thr…gh all, and in vsus all. We hauehave one God in professi…n: this God grant, that we hauehave but one in affection. But vnum colimus ore, multos corde: wee worship one with our mouthes, many in our hearts. Tot sunt nostrae deitates, quot cupiditates: wee hauehave so many gods, as wee hauehave lusts. Honour is the amb…tious mans god: Pleasure the voluptuous mans god: Riches the couetous mans god. Haec tria pro trino Numine mundus habet. This is the Trinitie the world worships. These three Tyrants, like those three Romans, Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey, hauehave shared the world betweene them; and left God least, that owes all.
The people of Israel, when they had turned beast, and calued an Idoll, cryed in triumph, These are thy gods, Exod. 32.4.O Israel. So we may speake it with horror and amazement of soule, of these three Idols; These are thy gods, O England. The Idols of the Heathen were Siluer and Gold, saith the Psalmist. It is but inuerting the sentence: Mutato nomine nos sumus fabula; change but the names, and we… are the subiect or whom the tale is told. Their Idols were Siluer and Gold; and Siluer and Gold are our Idols. He that railed on Belsebub, pulled all Ekrom about his eares: he that sleighted Melchom, prouoked the Ammonites. But he that condemnes Mammon, speakes against all the world.
But if God be our God, Mammon must be our slaue: for he that is the seruant of God, must be the master of his money. If God be our King, hee must be our King onelyonly: for the Bed and the Throne brooke no riualls. When the Souldiors had chosen Valentinian Emper…,Theodoret. they were consulting to ioyne with him a partner. To whom Valentinian replyed; It was in your power to giuegive me the Empire, when I had it not: now I hauehave it, it is not in your power to giuegive me a partner. God must be our God alone. Aequum est deos fingere, ac Deum negare. It is all one to chuse new gods, and to denie the true God. If therefore we will hauehave Nouum deum, a new god; we shall hauehave Nullum Deum, no God. No, let the Heaten chuse new gods; thou O Father of merciemercy, and Lord of heauen and earth, be our God for euer. This is the Alarme: we come now to