The Looking Glass of the Holy War, Chapter 43 – Chapter 44
CHAP. XLIII. The mooving cauſe of the defeate is to be obſerved.
A Second circumſtance of the conquereds carriage, conſiſteth in the inquiring and finding out of the moving cauſe of their overthrow: for though God be the efficient cauſe; yet there is a moving cauſe without him, that provoketh him to give his owne people into the hands of his enemies. Pſal. 94.It is a queſtion moved in the Pſalmes by David, why dealeth the Lord thus, and thus with his people? why dost thou caſt us off for ever? why doth thine anger ſmoke againſt the ſheepe of thy pasture? why withdraweſt thou thine hand? and why haſt thou broken downe her hedges, ſo that all that they paſse by the way doe plucke her grapes? Pſal. 80.12The Prophet anſwereth all theſe queſtions, by quitting God, and charging upon his people the cauſe of all this; namely, their inquitie. When in the 79 Pſalme, he hath layd out the deſolation of the holy temple, the bloudy cruelties cōmitted upon the bodies of his ſaints, their inhumanitie againſt the dead bodyes, the reproch they ſuffered, and Gods wrath againſt them (which was heavyer then all the reſt) he layeth downe their iniquitie to be the cauſe of all; remember (ſaith he) not our former iniquities againſt us; let they tender mercies ſpeedily prevent us: for wee are brought very low. v. 8. In all the places quoted from the booke of Iudges wherein I hauehave ſhewed the overthrow of Gods people to be from God) you ſhall ſtill ſee their ſin laid downe, as the moving cauſe, provoking God to deale ſo with them: Iud 4.1. & 6.1.and the children of Iſrael againe did evill in the ſight of the Lord: ſo that this phraſe of ſpeech is made a preface to uſher in the judgments of God. This was the matter of Abiiahs meſſage to Ieroboams wife: the Lord ſhalt ſmite Iſrael as a reede is ſhaken in the water, and he ſhall roote up Iſrael out of his good land, and ſhall ſcatter them beyond the river; he ſhalt give Iſrael up: and what is the cauſe? 1. King. 14.15.16.becauſe of the ſins of Ieroboam, who did ſin and made Iſrael to ſin. Where obſerve the ſin of the King and his people, to be the cauſe of their ruine. This was propheſied of by Samuel to the people; if you ſhall doe wickedly, you ſhalbe conſumed, both you and your King; Sam. 2.25.and ſo it came to paſſe indeed. In a place of Ieremie, the Lord ſetteth downe the reaſon, why he would ſcatter his people with an eaſt wind before the enemie; why he would ſhew them the backe, and not the face in the day of their calamitie, becauſe ſaith he, my people hath forgotten me. Ier. 18.1…And to conclude; the Prophet Eſay, in the places quoted, layeth down the ſame cauſe; Cap. 42.24.for they would not walke in his wayes neither were they obedient to his law: therefore he hath powred upon them the fury of his anger, and the ſtrength of battel. So in the other place; thy firſt fathers hath ſinned, Cap. 43.27.28.& thy teachers hauehave tranſgreſsed againſt me: therefore, &c. I have prophaned the Princes and hauehave giuen Iacoh to curſe and Iſrael to reproches. The curſe muſt alwayes accompany ſinne, he ſpared not the ſoule of his …eloved when they ſinned; yea, nor the ſonne of his louelove, becomming ſurety for ſinne: no prerogatiue exempts from wrath, but being in Chriſt; witneſſe Gods proteſtation concerning Ieconiah, the laſt and the worſt of the line of Iudah. As I liue, ſaith the Lord, though Coniah, Ier. 22.24.the ſonne of Iehoiakim King of Iudah, were the ſignet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence.
Ioſephus deploring the unparalelled calamitie of his owne nation of Iudea, layeth downe the cauſe of their utter deſolation; namely, the abomniable impietie and iniquitie of the Princes and people; which were growen to ſuch a height, that every one, in their place, did ſtrive to out-ſtrip another; De bello Indaic. lib. 7. cap. 28.in ſomuch that if one ſhould hauehave gone about to hauehave deviſed ſome new ſin, there was no place for him, they were all growne ſo cunning.
A fearfull and incorrigible caſe, Applicatiōand yet (woe is us) no worſe in a manner then our owne is, though wee will not know it: the fearfull things, giuen out of this nation, both for ſin and judgment may make our eares to tingle, and our hearts to tremble; yea as the ſame Author reporteth, and that in grief of heart, that if the Romanes had not come againſt them to execute the fierie wrath of the Lord upon them, he thought a new deluge would hauehave ſwallowed them up with the old world; Ibidem lib. 6. cap. 16.or fire from heanen would hauehave conſumed them with Sodome; for (ſaith he) they exceeded eyther of their ſinnes. The like is related by one of our owne Authors concerning the laſt looſing of Hieruſa…em to the Saracens under Saladine their Commander. When the Chriſtians had kept it 80 yeares, Gulielm. Neabrigens. rer. Anglicar. lib. 13. cap. 14.after the recovery of it by Godfrey Duke of Bullion, the height of their iniquities wherto they were come, did ſo aſcend in Gods preſence, and made ſuch a ſhrill cry in his eares, that he caſt them out againe, making their civill diſſention, ſerve for the Saladines advantage. So that you ſee the cauſe is within our ſelues: wee neede not ſeeke it without: Ne te quaefieris extra.it is not in God; for he delighteth to do good to his people: nor is it in the wicked; for he hateth them as they hate both him and his people: it is not in the creature of what kind ſoever; for he made it good, and he loveth every thing as the workmanſhip of his hands: It is then the ſin in our boſome, or our boſome ſin that maketh him deale thus with us. As ſin doth ſeparate the ſoule from God; ſo it often ſeparateth the whole perſon from Gods houſe, from country, from wife, and familie, from King from ſubject; and from what not? Therefore in this our ſeparation, wee ſhould ſearch our ſin, Lam 3 40and every man know the plague of his owne heart which hath made the Lord to plague us. Search your ſelue (ſaith the Prophet) and turne unto the Lord.
But herein wee are all faultie; men eyther ſearch not at all, or they ſearch as though they deſired not to find; they ſearch, as mē doe for their bade mony, they know they hauehave it but they would gladly hauehave it paſſe for currant amongſt the good money. Laſtly, they ſearch not for that which eſpecially they ſhould find out. It was a very pertinent queſtion of the Iſraelits when 4000 were ſmitten by the Philiſtins: wherefore hath the Lord ſmitten us to day before the Philistims? 1. Sam. 4.3.But their anſwere was not anſwerable. O (ſay they) let us fetch the Arke of the covenant that it may come among us, & ſaue us out of the hand of the enemie. What, were they ſmitten becauſe the Arke of the covenant was not among them? So they conceived, and would conceive no better: but the trueth was, their ſinnes had cauſed the God of the covenant to depart, he went not out with them, Samuel went not with them: theſe were they that laid both the Arke and themſelues in the mouth of the Philiſtim: and yet theſe were they, that they never ſuſpected till the battle was loſt, wherein 30000 were ſlaine, their Prieſts were gone, Eli his necke broken, and which was worſte of all, the Arke of God was taken; Then they began in their calamitie to call a new queſt of inquirie, to make a new ſearch, and to find out this execrable thing, namely, their ſin, 1. Sam. 7.….for the which (as it is ſaid) all the hoaſt of Iſrael lamented before the Lord. The like neglect, wee may behold in the people of Iſrael going againſt Beniamin. The firſt day they loſt 22000; they lament indeed, and looke about them what ſhould be the matter: but they go the wrong way; they fall to doubt of their commiſſion, as though there had been ſome fault in that; they ſuppoſed they could not proſper, becauſe they had lift up their hand againſt their brethren, although God had bid them doe it: but there was another matter in it, that they were not a ware of, that was their ſin, which queſtionleſſe God did puniſh by thoſe two overthrows: Firſt they were altogether become corrupt and abhominable in their courſes & worſhip of God; inſomuch that (as the Lord ſpeaketh) every man did what ſeemed good in his owne eyes. It is true, when they heard of the beaſtly and abhominable act of killing of the Levits wife under their filthy luſt, their hearts roſe againſt it, they would be avenged on all the whole tribe, if the tranſgreſſors were not delivered. This was all well, but this was not all; they ſhould hauehave begune at home, and purged themſelues of ſpirituall uncleanneſſe, and other ſinnes that doe accompany that, and then they had been fit to hauehave puniſhed the beaſtlineſſe of the Beniamits. Againe, for number they were ſo many, and the other not a gleaning to them, that they made no queſtion of the victory; ſo that they thought it needleſſe to ſeeke to God (by humbling of themſelues) for a good ſucceſſe. But God for thoſe met with them, and ſet them in the right way ere he had done with them: for when after the ſecond defeate, they got ſight of their ſin, and humbled themſelues for it; by faſting and praying they received a better anſwere, with aſſurance of the victory.
Now give me leaue to applie (and that in all humilitie. Application.) The ground of your enterpriſe was good; the commiſſion faultleſſe; and the end (for any thing I know) upright; yea, and the enemie Gods enemie; yet for all this, thus far they hauehave prevayled, and doe prevaile: the cauſe (I feare) is want of reformation at home, and it may be too much preſuming of worldly forces and friendſhip, which the Lord would hauehave to prove no better then a broken reede. If the commiſſion be good, and the parties diſable themſelues from the execution of it, what fault is in it, or in him that gaue it out. As it is far from me to charge any thing upon any mans conſcience; ſo I intreate every man to charge his owne conſcience, as David did, and ſay, I am the man. A generall view or ſearch will not ſerue: for ſo long as men keepe themſelues at generals, they never find out that in themſelues, which moſt diſpleaſeth God, but often miſtake that to be no ſin which is ſinne, or that to be ſin which is no ſin. Men muſt not ſtay themſelues in the Procatartick, or remote cauſes; but they muſt dive unto the Proegumene conjunct, or eſſential, & imediate cauſe. Empyrickes miſtaking ſymptomes for the ſickneſſe it ſelfe, are fayrer to kill then to cure: ſo in finding out ſome petty ſinnes, ſome never look at the main ſinnes; like thoſe that lop off branches of the tree, but never ſtrike at the roote: and as by this pruning the trees grow bigger; ſo by daliance in ſearch, all growes worſe and worſe: therefore to the boſome ſin, the darling-ſin, the ſeed-ſinne, that is deer as hand and foot, cut it off, and caſt it away. Let every man be ſevereſt with himſelfe, and favour himſelfe not in the leaſt ſin: that ſin that hee leaſt lookes after, and will not acknowledge to be ſin, is commonly the capital ſinne; as taking liberty to profane the Sabboth; going to ſtageplaies, ſcoffing preciſeneſſe, pettie oathes, abuſe of the creatures, & uſury; theſe be Nationall ſins, and ſet ope the gate to all other ſins, and conſequently to judgment. On the firſt, my heart giues me to dwell, if it were my place, and the Treatiſe would permit: for as it is the ſin of Nations, ſo it is the capitall ſin, though leaſt thought on; the threatnings againſt the breach of this commandement, the promiſe annexed to the keeping of it, the backing of it with reaſons, and fore-fronting of it with a remember, Zacor.doe neceſſarily imply all theſe leſſons; as firſt, the antiquity of it, and the continuance of it, that as it was from the beginning, ſo it ſhould be remembred to the end, Gen. 2.3: ſecondly, it diſcovers the propenſity of man to the light eſteem of it, and to the breaking of it: thirdly, it ſhews, the greatneſſe of the ſin, Ezech. 20.12.22: fourthly, Gods great deſire to hauehave it kept, calling it the holy, honourable day, yea, and the delight of the Lord, Eſ. 58.13. All theſe cords will pull down inevitable judgements upon all the palpable profaners of this day, by their pleaſures, or ordinary imployments, except they repent. This ſin cryes in England; and roares in Holland, where by open ſhops, and other works of their calling, they proclaim, with open mouth, their little regard of God, or his Sabboth. Iudgement likewiſe hangs over the head of all halvers of the Lords day, making it neither Gods, nor theirs, but divide it: All Iewiſh tranſlators of the Sabboth: all toleration from higher powers to profane it, at which we may lay our hands upon our mouths. But I hope the Parliament will redreſſe it: likewiſe on all that dare proclaime it from Pulpit, to bee onelyonly a Ceremoniall Law; and that the reſt now injoyned is a meer Civill Ordinance. The Papiſts preſſe this as a meer humane Inſtitution in religious Worſhip. Spalato, a little before his departure, told a man in diſpute with him, that that Commandement was done away. Many Libertine Miniſters, and Prelats, in England, maintain the ſame in effect: and the worſt of the Miniſters of the Vnited Provinces concur with them in this point: for though ſome preſſe the keeping of it; yet they urge it not as a divine Precept, but as a time appointed by a meer poſitiue law for the worſhip of God; but this croſſeth the nature of the commandement, being Morall; given from the beginning, before the Ceremoniall Law; written by Gods own finger; proclaimed to all the people to continue to the end. It ſubſtracts from the number of the Precepts, being ten, Exod. 34.18. Deut. 10.4, it oppugneth the practiſe of God, which is for a preſident to us: It is againſt naturall reaſon, and divine prerogatiue, that God ſhould not hauehave a ſolemn time appointed for his worſhip, and that he ſhould not be the appointer of it. Hence it is, that not onelyonly the Hebrews, but alſo all Greeks and Barbarians, did reſt from work on the ſeventh day; witneſs Ioſephus, Clemens, Alexandrinus, and Euſebius: laſtly, it afronteth Chriſts inſtitution, included in the very name of the day: Why is it called the Lords day, Rev. 1.10, 1 Cor. 16.2, is it not becauſe it was appointed by the Lord, and to continue for the Lord? as the Sacrament, for the ſame reaſons, is called the Supper of the Lord. To make an end of the point, let the Magiſtrates of London, and other parts, who hauehave kept back their authority from ſanctifying of the Sabboth, look to the end, fire is broke out already; but I fear if we will not …earken to hallow the Sabboth of the Lord, that the fire ſpoken of by Ieremy ſhall break forth in our Gares, and not bee quenched till it hauehave devoured us. I might ſay much in this point, both by reaſon of the commonneſſe of the ſin, and plenty of matter againſt it, but I will onelyonly ſay this: Where there is no conſcience of keeping of the Sabboth ſincerely, they hauehave no ground to expect any good. As for Stage-plaies, they are the devils chaire, the ſeate of Scorners, the plague of piety, and the very pox to the Common-wealth: but I hauehave a whole Treatiſe againſt them.
And as for the other ſins mentioned, it is counted but Puritaniſm to count them ſins; but ſo much the worſe. As our Nation is a field of crying ſins; ſo the cry of ſome ſinns muſt not be diſcovered, but countenanced in a ſearfull manner; who knows, but the things which we count trifles may be the ſpeciall matter of our controverſie with God? A little other fire then God had ordained might ſeem a ſmall matter in the eyes of indifferency: yet it was ſuch a ſinne as made all Iſrael guilty, as appeareth by the ſacrifices offered for that ſinne, Levit. chap. 16; yea, it brought ſuch a fire from the preſence of the Lord, as could hardly be quenched. Theſe ſinnes therefore muſt be taken by the poll, and others of the like nature; as contempt of the Word, and hatred of Gods people: and they muſt be beaten to powder, with the Iſraelites Calfe. Goe from a Tribe to a Family, from a Family to a houſe, and ſo to every man of the houſe, till the golden wedge be found out. We muſt not truſt our wicked hearts with this work; for corrupt nature is blind as a beetle in the finding out of ſinne; witneſſe the Iſraelites, even then when all the plagues of God were comming upon them, they ſayd; What is our iniquity or ſinne against God? Ier. 16.10. Princes and people had need of good Seers, whom they muſt ſuffer to ſhew them their ſinne, that either they cannot find, or will not finde; ſuch was Nathan to David: they muſt not count ſuch, men of contention, and buſie-fellows, as the Iewes called Ieremiah; but our evill age doth not onelyonly hide ſinn, but maintaine ſinne.
There is alſo too much propenſitie both in the bade, and alſo in the good, to palliate ſin, & to tranfer their troubles to other cauſes then to it. I remember that Traian, Generall to Valence the Emperour, that mirror of impietie, going againſt the Gothes, he was defeated in the very firſt battle; for which Valence upbrayded Trajan, at a feaſt, with cowardize and ſloth, as being the cauſes of the overthrow, but noble Traian, not enduring that indignitie, with freedome of ſpeech told enduring that indignitie, with freedome of ſpeech told the Emperour in plaine termes, that he had loſt the day; for you do ſo war againſt God (ſaith he, meaning his perſecuting of Chriſtians) that you abandon the victory, and ſend it to your enemies: Niceph. Caliſt. lib. 11. Cap. 40 Eccle. Hiſt.it is God (ſaith he) that overcommeth, and he giveth the victory to thoſe that obey him; but ſuch are your adverſaries, and therefore you hauehave God to fight againſt you; how then can you overcome? Here you may ſee a patterne of a wicked diſpoſition well taken up, and the ſaddle ſet upon the right horſe.
And not onelyonly doe ſuch bloudy monſters as this, ſhift off their calamities from their ſinnes; but alſo Gods people, by falling in ſin, and lying in ſin, may be tainted with it; witneſſe, David a man otherwiſe after Gods owne heart, yet tainted with this. Amongſt the reſt of his trickes of legerdemain, when he ſpun the ſpiders webbe of his implicit ſin, this was one, to cover the murther of Vriah, he uſeth a principall, experimentally knowen; the ſword devoureth one at well as another; make thy battell more ſtrong againſt the cittie, and ſo overthrow it. 2. Sam. 11.25.David ſpake the trueth but not truely: for he knew that it was not common lot that had cut off Vriah, but his owne heart and hand, had cauſed him and others to fall; yet he would daube over a filthy peece of buſineſs with a litle white plaiſtring; but when once he was awaked, he was ſo far from daubing as that he chargeth himſelfe more deeply with every circumſtance, then any other could hauehave done; I am the man. And after the numbring of the people; when his heart ſmote him, grieving at the puniſhment of the people, he taketh the whole ſin upon him, and vvould cleere the people both of the ſin and puniſhment: Loe I have ſinned, and I hauehave done wickedly, but theſe ſheepe what hauehave they done? 2. Sam. 24.77.let thy hand I pray thee be againſt me, and againſt my fathers houſe.
CHAP. XLIIII. Of quitting God of all injuſtice.
A Third thing in the behaviour of the conquered, is this, ſince ſin is the cauſe, they muſt quit God of all injuſtice, how heavy ſoever their burthen lye upon them. David quitteth the Lord of all injuſtice, if he ſhould adjudge him to eternall death; Lament. … 18.ſo doth the people of God in the lamentations, being under the verie rod of his wrath; The Lord is righteous; for I hauehave rebelled againſt his commandment. By condemning of our ſelues, to acquit God, De ſummo bono. lib. 3.is the readieſt way to get an acquitance from God. Yea (as Iſedor ſaith) let a man learne not to murmur when he ſuffereth, although he were ignorant for what he ſuffereth: let this ſuffice to tell him, that he ſuffereth justly, becauſe it is from him, that cannot deale but juſtly. Pompey was herein exceedingly miſtaken, who ſeeing all to goe on Caeſars ſide, doubted not to ſay, that there was a great deale of miſte over the eye of divine providence: for with him that offered nothing but wrong, to the commō wealth all things went well; but with him that defended the common-wealth, nothing ſucceded. But Pompey blamed the Sunne becauſe of his ſore eyes. There be many in our age of Pompey his ſaucie humor; yea arranter wranglers then he, becauſe of greater light, and ſhowes of profeſſion; who if their corruption be never ſo litle croſſed, or the Lord meet with them in the croſſing of a way, they will grumble againſt God, as though he had done them wrong; or as though there were not in them for the which the Lord might not onelyonly croſs them, but cruſh them; but let them know if they change not their note, the Lord will note them for his enemies, and thurſt them out for wranglers.