The Looking Glass of the Holy War, Chapter 11 – Chapter 12
CHAP. XI. Gods preſence firſt of all to be ſought.
THVS as you hauehave heard, being fitted with men and means, as they can, they are to proceed to the war, be it defenſiue or offenſiue: but obſerving this in the firſt place, Take God with you, if you mean to proſper.that if they mean to proſper, they muſt take God vvith them; and that not barely, by his Generall Providence, as he is vvith all, both good and bad; but alſo by his particular preſence: which Moſes, the great Commander of Iſrael, aboue all things deſired; yea, nothing vvill content him but this, as appeareth by that expoſtulation that he makes with God. If they preſence goe not with us, carry us not up hence. Exo. 33.15Where he intreateth God, that hee would not onelyonly goe before them, by the preſence of his power, as he did to the Heathen when he imployed them in his ſervice, Eſa. 45.1.2.as of Cyrus, I will goe before thee, and make the crooked ſtraight. But that he would be with them by the louelove of his countenance; or otherwiſe, it would be better for them to remiane ſubject to the greateſt danger, then to go on without this preſence. The truth of this, berſ. 17. Non ſolum praeibo. ſed vobiſcum Ero. Galat.plainely appeareth from Gods anſwere. I will doe this alſo which thou haſt ſaid. That is, I will not onelyonly goe before you, but with you alſo. Moſes had, and all others hauehave, great reaſon for this.
Firſt he teacheth his the true Art of war, Reaſons.and inſtructeth them how to fight; he teacheth my hands to war, ſaith the Prophet David, 2 Sam. 22.35.ſo that a Bow of ſteele is broken by my Armes. Where one obſerveth well, that the art of war is commendable; els God would never teach it. So he taught Ioſuah, Ioboſaphat, what to doe with their enemies. Secondly, God fighteth for his, and giueth them victory. The Lord your God (ſaith Moſes) that goeth before you shall fight for you. And ſo he did for them; Deut. 1.30. 2 Sam. 22.36.as for David & others: Thou haſt giuen me the shield of ſalvation; By which he meaneth good ſucceſſe. For theſe and other reſpects (as I ſhewed) God is called an Excellent warriour. Thirdly, without Gods preſence, nothing goeth well; yea, victory where this is wanting is no better them the foyle, Numb. 14.14.becauſe it is in judgement. The Iſraelites went up againſt the Amalekits, but how? The Lord was not amongſt them; and they proſpered accordingly. But by the contrary, Gods preſence was the ſtrong rocke of Abiahs confidence againſt Ieroboam and his great forces. In reckoning up the mercies of God towards them, in his ordinances, his prieſts, and true worſhip of the true God (all which Ieroboam wanted) he bindeth up all with this, 2. Cron. 12.12.and behold (ſaith he) God himſelfe is with us for our Captaine. Where obſerve, the note doth denotate the excellencie of this; that it is all in all to hauehave God to be their Leader.
I preſſe this point the rather, Application.becauſe it is the center from whence all the lines of warres proſperitie hauehave their beginning: A truth acknowledged by the moſt, but by the moſt litle regarded. For by ſome it is altogether neglected; and others by their carriage, declare that in ſhew onelyonly they ſeeme to reſpect it. The Matchiavillian-blush-coulour of the times, hath put the deſire of Gods preſence ſo far ont of requeſt, that it is a counted a coulour ſcarce worthy of a great ſouldier: Doth Liola his brood ſet God before their eyes in their warres; or doe they not rather fight againſt God: If things goe croſſe, they are ready with Iulius the ſecond, their father, blaſphemouſly to caſt of God, by way of contempt. In the battle of Ravenna, on Eaſter day, betweene him and the French, as he ſate by the fire, reading of his prayers, Sit ergo Gallus in no mine diabolorum. Ex Annalibus Galli;and having newes of the defeate, hee flung away the booke ſaying, that which I am afraid to relate. Iudge how much this monſter did eſteeme Gods preſence. I wiſh of God, that the mayntainers of the Lords Battels would eſteeme it more then they doe; for then it ſhould goe better with them then it doth. They may ſay, and that truely with Abijah againſt Ieroboam, they hauehave Gods owne ordinances, the true Miniſters of God, the true worſhip of God; yea and Gods owne cauſe in their hand. Why then, as Rebecca ſaid, is it ſo? What want they for victorie? ſurely an earneſt deſire, vvith an anſvverable courage, that God himſelfe would be vvith us for our Captaine. Our failing in this maketh him often forſake his ovvne cauſe, which if he ſhould not reſpect, he might quite leaue us.
I preſume to ſpeake freely, yet friendly. Infenſibile incurabile. Ex. 33.3.4.The evill muſt be felt before it be removed. The Iſraelites did ſo forfeit this preſence, that he abſolutely denyed to let them hauehave it any further, I will not goe up in the middeſt of thee. One reaſon becauſe they vvere a ſtiffnecked people: But hovv vvere they affected vvhen they heard theſe evill tydings? They mourned, and no man put on him his ornaments. Where obſerve. as, by the force of the reaſon, the threatning concerneth us; ſo it ſtandeth us upon, to be affected and humbled by the threatning as they vvere. Though the Lord had promiſed to ſend his Angell to caſt out the nations before them, & to giuegive them the good land; yet all this, vvithout Gods familiar preſence, vvould not content them. Oh that this mind vvere in us, and that vvee could mourne as they did: & he vvould be intreated to goe vvith us, as he went ſtill vvith them at Moſes entreatie. If vvee vvill but looke upon the practiſe of the heathens in this particular, Si dii voluerint. Expeditio in Dei nomine. Sacra fecere ante egreſſionem. Herodian. lib. 6.it may make us aſhamed of our neglect. Hauing prepared their forces, their Edicts for ſetting forth, vvere given out in the name of their gods, to vvhom before they vvent forth, they preformed all religious ſervices: yea, they had ſuch an eſteeme of the tutelar gods of nations, that they held them invincible, except their gods ſhould forſake them; which made all the fooliſh nations, exceeding carefull to keepe and pleaſe their fooliſh gods; and their enemies as diligent to inveigle them. As it is reported of Diomedes and Vliſses, who inticed out the Troyan Palladium. So the Talmudiſts and Cabalists fable of Moſes, that he should overcome Amonino, the God or intelligence (for ſo they call nationall gods) of the Epgytiās; Beatū eſſe hominem Deo fruentem ſicut oeulus luce. Lib 8. de Civit. Dei.The Platoniſts could ſay (as Auſtin witneſſeth) that that man was happy who inioyed God, as the eye doth the light. If thus the blind heathens, did toyle themſelves to pleaſe their mouldy gods, or rather devills, heaping ſorrow on their own ſoules; and if Rome yet, take ſo much paines with her Bellona, for the ſucceſſe of warre; how ſhould wee labor, to hauehave his preſence with us, who is the God of all the world, who needs not our keeping (ſave onelyonly by faith) but he will keepe us, and make the hearts of the Caneanits to melt; yea the joints of every Balſhazzer, that is drunke with the whoores cup to tremble and ſhake? Therefore let us never ceaſe nor giuegive the Lord reſt, till wee hauehave his familiar preſence with us.
CHAP. XII. Of depriving the Enimy of all Means.
THVS an Army having got his preſence, may go on with Ioſuah and be couragious; yet vvithall no ſecondary mean muſt be neglected. And firſt of all, a people muſt look to maintayne what they hauehave already in poſſeſſion; Omnem alumoniam virtus intra muros debent ſtudioſiſſime conlocare. Veget. lib. 4. cap. 7. Qui frumē tum nō habet vincitur ſine ferre. Caeſar ſexto bello gallice.& that eſpecially by fortifying all places of ſtrength, vvhereunto they may bring all their victuals and other ſubſtance. And that for tvvo cauſes, as Vegetius vvel obſerves. The firſt, that if they be beſeiged they may want no neceſſaries. The ſecond, that the beſeiger may eyther be forced to fight with diſadvantage, or to returne home with diſgrace. This the Romanes gaue in charge to their ſubjects, and appointed officers to ſee it done. Caeſar gaue the like charge upon the ſame grounds to the Vbij. G. Marius, as Plutarch reporteth, put this alſo in practiſe The Walles of Biſantium and Saguntum vvere very ſtrong, as vvee reade in Dio: and Livi: yet the Lacedomians, held it a point of vvorth to hauehave no vvalls but the citticens valour, and ſo they did inhabite unvvalled citties, as Plutarch in Apotheg. Divers are the judgements of Philoſophers in this point. Ariſtoile refuteth this opinion of the Lacedomians vvith Plato his defence of the ſame, Lib. 7. de optima reip.as very incommodious to a common-vvealth. And ſo it is indeed: for vvhy ſhould men expoſe themſelves and theirs to more danger then needs, or preſume ſo much upon their ovvne valour, as to neglect ſo good meanes, vvhichwhich indeed ſaveth often a great deale of bloud that otherwiſe ſhould be ſhed? Yet this much I will ſay, except valour maintayn the Walles, and ſin be caſt ouer the Walles, and God watch the cittie, a wall of braſſe is but a vaine thing. To this effect ſpeaketh the Comic. Plaut.Si incolae bene ſint morati, pulchre munitam arbitror, at niſi invidia avaritia, ambitio, &c. Exulent, centuplex murus parum eſt. Et quae opportari nequierint exurenda. Veget.Yea, whatſoever cannot be got, or contayned within the ſtrength, is to be conſumed with fire, that it may not ſerue the enemy. Such was Sampſons practiſe in burning of the corne, Yea the townes themſelves, as warriours relate, hauehave been, by the defendents ſet on fire. As for inſtance, twenty of the Bituriges, that they ſhould not come into the enemies hands. As for the rayſing of the trenches, with their dimenſions of depth and bredth, together with other workes, for holding themſelves, and annoyance of the enemy, I leaue them to their preſent occaſions, & the particular Maſters in that Art.