The Looking Glass of the Holy War, Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Of the good of War.
NOtwithſtanding of all this, that hath been ſaid of war; yet Warre vvell undertaken is not onelyonly lawfull but alſo neceſſary: and that upon a two-fold ground, either upon the law of Nature and Nations, not repugnant to the Law of God, undertaken for the defence of our ſelues or confederates; and this is called a Defenſiue War; ſuch was that of the Iſraelites againſt the Amalakites Or it is grounded upon the abſolute command of God, for the revenging him upon his enemies, or the delivery of his friends: as Moſes is commanded to take vengeance of the Midianites; Numb. 31. Deut. 25.17.18. Gen. 14. v. 14.20.yea, to remember Amaleck, and not to forget him, but to raze out his remembrance. By the ſame warrant did Abraham reskue his nephew Lot, from the foure Kings. The like warrant and vvatch-word is given to vvarr againſt the Whore and her confederates. Rev. 19.17I ſaw an Angeil ſtand in the Sunne, who cryed with a lowd voyce, ſaying, So that War, both defenfiue and offenſiue (the due circumſtances thereof obſerved) is lawfull.
The reaſons thereof be many, The lawfulneſſe of warre a gainſt the Anabaptiſts. 23. Num 31. Iud. 1.2.6.which I the rather preſſe, for tha… frantick and groundleſſe conceit of the Anabaptiſt, holding it altogether unlawfull for Christians to make warre. Firſt wee hauehave (as I hauehave ſhewed) Gods commandment for it, as wee may ſee in the places quoted. Which commā dement is not onelyonly peculiar to that time and people, but it belongeth to all upon the like occaſions. Secondly, God hath ſet downe lawes of war. Thirdly, Num. 1.2… & 10.13. chap. 13.20. Deut. 20. Gen: 14.14.2. 1. Sam. 23. Luke 3.4. S… Chriſtiana diſciplina omnia bella damnaret, hoc potius concilium, &c. ut arma abijcerent. Aug: Ep. 5. ad Mar. 11.God is called the God of warre as well as of peace. Iehovah is a man of war, that is an exellent warriour. Fourthly, the practice of the Saintes approved by God, as of Abraham, David, &c. Yea Iohn Baptiſt in correcting of the abuſes of the calling, did not caſhire the calling, but rather approved it. Austin, wel obſerveth, that if Christian diſcipline had condemned all Armes, then Iohn had given the ſouldiers counſel to caſt away their Armes. The good Centurion goeth on in his calling; and the devout ſoudier is a ſouldier ſtill. ‘Act. 10.13.Sergius Paulus, a prudent man, heard the word and beleeved, yet ſtill remained Deputie. Yea, warre is lawfull by the law of nature and nations, becauſe it is, as one ſaith, a ꝰ Quia opus eſt juſticiae defendentis pios, & effendentis impios.worke of righteouſnes, defending the good and offending the bad: Therefore not abrogated by the goſpel. Yea, they who omit this worke of righteouſnes upon good ground, are ”Homicidae ſunt ipſorū & paricidae ſunt Eccleſiae.called homicides of themſelves, and paricids of the Church, & common wealth. As for the obiectiōs of the Anabaptiſtes, it is more time to fight then to anſwere them. The places of Scripture by them wreſted; reſiſt not evil. And when any ſmite thee on the one cheeke turne the other alſo, and ſuch like, may be anſwered thus; that rather then private men ſhould revenge their owne private wrong, they ſhould ſuffer wrong; eſpecially, if it make for the glory of God, or gayning of their brother. As for Chriſts leaving of his peace with his, and the accompliſhing of that propheſie, Eſa. 2.….they shall break their ſwordes into mattockes, and their ſpeares into ſithes; I anſwere as the propheſie is true and truely accompliſhed, yet but in part, and not ſo fully accompliſhed as it ſhalbe; it is likewiſe true, that Chriſtian Princes ſhould labor for ſuch peace as is both propheſied of, and partly accompliſhed; and ſo ſhould all men labor both for the internall and externall peace ſpoken off: foreign Iliad.But wee muſt underſtand with whom wee live in this world, with men of ſtrife, men of blouds having Dragons hearts, Serpents heades, Bloudy coulors with that cruell Motto of the wicked man, ſpoken of by Homer, deadly warre delights him. Such is that incarnate divell in the Revelation, called the red Dragon; by which is meant bloudy Rome, Rev. 12.3.in her perſecuting Emporours, deciphered there by her Armes. Of as deepe a dye is that bloudy whore in the armes of her laſt lover the Pope; for the which ſhee is called the ſcarlet whcore, Rev. 17.4. & 16.which is not onelyonly bathed in the bloud, but is drunke with the bloud of the Saints. Such is the nature of all the devills limmes and bratts of the whore, Nil niſi bella crepāt.they thinke of nothing but war; They ſound nothing but warr: and ſhall the Saints that be ſlaine, and the ſoules under the altar cry ſtill for revenge, and Chriſtian Kings and Princes keepe their hands in their boſome? Militare nō eſt delictum, &c. Auguſt. de de verb… dom: Noli exſtimare neminē Deo placere poſſe. Fortitudo quae per bella tuetur a barbaris patriam plena juſtitiae eſt. Offici: foreign.Surely this is to bring bloud upon their heads, and to ſin both againſt the Law and the Goſpell. It is not a ſin (as Auſtin ſaith) to war, but to abuſe it. Doe not thinke (ſaith the ſame Father) that a man cannot pleaſe God in warre, for David was a warrior, and God gave to him a great testimonie. The force of war (ſaith Ambroſius) that maintaineth the country againſt bloudy and barbarous enemies; defendeth the weake, and ſuch as are ſubiect to oppreſsion; delivereth the confederates that are in danger, from the hand of the bloud-thirſtie, is full of righteouſnes. There be but two wayes, ſaith Tully, to decide matters, eyther by diſpute or armes, and men muſt hauehave recourſe to the latter when there is no place for the former. Thucidides, like a wiſe man, preſsing all mē to keepe the peace, ſecludes not the lawfulnes of war, if neceſsitic inforce it. Good men (ſaith he, if neceſsitie inforce them change peace into war.
To conclude this point; the Apoſtle willeth us to hauehave peace with all men, but if it be poſsible: where the Apoſtle implyeth, that it is impoſſible to hauehave peace with ſome. Rom. 12.1Yea, while the godly ſpeake of peace, their enemies prepare for war. Lu. 22.36.Therefore wee muſt doe, as the Apoſtles were commanded in another kind; Sell our coates and by ſwords. Or as Nehemiah, Nehe. 4 14 & 17.in the ſame kind, incouraged the people: Fight for your brethren, your ſonnes and your daughters, your wives and your houſes; yea, it ſtandeth us upon it to doe the worke with the one hand and with the other hold the ſword.