The Bible Battles, Title page – Table of contents
THE BIBLE-BATTELLS. Or The Sacred Art Military. For the rightly wage…ng of warre according to Holy Writ.
Compiled for the vſe of all ſuch valiant Worthies, and vertuouſly Valerous Souldiers; as vponupon all iuſt occaſions be ready to affront the Enemies of God, our King, and Country.
By RIC. BERNARD Rector of BATCOMBE SOMERSETSHIRE.
IOAB the Generals ſpeech.
Be of good Courage, and let vsus play the men for our people, and for the Cities of our God, and let the Lord doe that which ſeemeth him good. 2 Sam. 10. 12.
St PAVLS encouragement. Watch ye, ſtand faſt, quit yourſelves like men, and be ſtrong. 1 Cor. 16. 13.
Printed for Edward Blackmore, and are to be ſold by Iames Boler at the Signe of the flowre de Luce in Paules Church-yard. 1629.
TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTY MONARCH CHARLES King of Great Brittaine, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith.
Puiſſant-Prince.
STRONG be Your Armes, and victorious Your Armies, the Lord of Hoſts be with You, and the mighty God of Iacob▪ Your Refuge.
That foretolde by Chriſt is now verified: a noiſe there is of warres, and a rumour of warres: Nation riſeth againſt Nation, and Kingdome againſt Kingdome: and now, as John ſaw in the viſion, is the Holy Citty trodden vnderunder foote. It muſt be ſo for a time. On they goe & hauehave prevailed: but yet there is hope, if we warre aright. The great Man of warre (as Moſes calleth him) hath directed vsus in the Bible battells; vſefull I hope, for theſe times: but yet I leaue this to Your Majeſties Heroicall wiſdome to iudge. Into method and order I hauehave collected them: and am bolde in all humility of heart to preſent them to Your Sacred Perſon. Your Highneſſe the Saints looke vntounto for ſafeguard The poore diſtreſſed Churches cry aloud for help. Is not their habitation become Aceldama, the field of blood? Many Valorous Courages doe attend the opportunity of time; many valiant Martialiſts expect direction, and all hearken after but only a word of command. Diſconſolate Princes craue aide: Religion it ſelfe ſaith to her Defender, ſet forward. The hearts of the people, readie with purſe, I hope, will appeare, as now they pray, generally for the Churches ſafetie.
Stand therefore (ô King) in the Forefront of the Lords Battailes; though not in perſon, yet in the power of Your Might, to ſuppreſſe the inſolencie of high hearted Enemies. And the ſtrong arme of the Subduer of Hoſts be with you, that this great name of Charles the Firſt, amongſt our famous Kings, may become renowned by wiſdome and piety, Proweſſe and Victory, throughout the Chriſtian world. This be the prayer of all faithfull Subiects, and ever mine.
Your Maieſties humble and and moſt loyally devoted Subiect and Servant: RICHARD BERNARD.
TO THE MAGNANIM OVSLY HEAR TED READER, to every heroicke ſpirit, of worthy Reſolution, and whoſoeuer is generouſly affected to Military Profeſsion, and well deſerving the name of a Souldier, and place in ſo honourable an employment.
Wiſdome, valour and victorie attend ever their ſervice for God, for Religion, for his Church, for their King and Country.
Amen.
Noble Worthies
NOW is the time to ſhew wiſdome and courage, for acclamatur vbi que ad bellū: yet to ruſh vnadviſedly into Battaile, is not the way for victory. I here in my labour doe not ſo vndertake to preſcribe Rules, as to write an Hiſtory of Holy Warres. Here is a Patterne from Gods people, who fought many ſet Battailes, and commonly got the day; for God was with them. They ſtood out ſtoutly for him, his worſhip and ſervice. Their footſteps if you follow, you ſhall ſurely ſpeed the better. Let none ſay that this Treatiſe will not ſuite well to theſe times. For the true differences are not many heretofore and now in the vniverſall Courſe Military. But whatſoever the differences be therein my principall aime in the vſe of Armes is to bring into the Campe the Practiſe of Piety. For the ill (though an overtrue ſaying) hath beene, Rara fides, pietaſ que viris qui caſtra ſequuntur. Theſe ſeeming exiled Vertues I deſire to be welcomed amongſt you Valiant Worthies; and Vices ſent packing from every true Souldier with deteſtation. To this purpoſe tend my endeavours with full current. To follow this Streame is to make your Armies ſtrong, and your ſelues victorious.
And here I hauehave a Sute to you (ô you Sonnes of Valour) In going forth, conſider what you be, againſt whom you fight, and for what. Remember that Great Brittaine is inferiour to no Nation; and that by the proweſſe and valour of Engliſh and Scots, glorious victories hauehave beene obtained. You cannot you may not forget the valiant acts of Generall Norice in the Low Countries; of the worthily honoured Lord Grey in Ireland, of the never dying Names of Drake, Furbiſher, & Hawkins, of the right famous Earle of Eſſex, of the deſervedly eternized Veres, of the invincible▪ ſpirited Green▪ field, of the noble Cicill, with many others worthy of an everlaſting Name: Be couragious ſtill, and ceaſe not to vpholde the renowne of this our Name and Nation.
Weigh your Enemies. They proſper you will ſay; oh that our Sinne & Slackneſſe were not the cauſe. Their ſucceſſe is but now of late, conſider you the former times; ſtay and wonder at our incredible victories: we may yet hope well, if we would do well for our ſelues. They are in their height of Pride, and their downefall is neere: Courage then, and expect the iſſue.
Our cauſe is iuſt, though God pleaſe a while to afflict vsus. Set the worth of our Religion before your eyes: Its the truth of the eternall God. The Scriptures command it; and thereby our conſciences bound▪ doe tie vsus vntounto it. It hath beene confirmed by the blood of Martyrs, Reverend Biſhops, and godlie Divines, learned Lawyers, and innumerable others. Our Kings hauehave eſtabliſhed it; good Lawes are inacted for it; peaceably we hauehave enioyed it: Miraculous deliverances we hauehave had, ſince we profeſſed it. And what ſtill maintaines it? Power or Policie of man? No, no ſuch thing; but the hand of the Almightie. Who it was that delivered vsus from the intended Invaſion; who it was that prevented the helliſh Powder-plot, who it was that freed vsus from the many Treacheries and Treaſons practiſed againſt vsus.
Remember theſe things (ô yee true-hearted Engliſh) ſtand ye (ye Valerous Minds) cloſſe to the cauſe of God. Fight vnderunder his Banner againſt theſe Enemies of our Faith, our King, and Kingdome: goe on ſo, and proſper; and the Arme of Ieſus ſtrengthen you.
Doe not marvaile (Honourable & honoured Martialiſts) that I, Vnus de multis inter Obſcuros, & not de magnis inter Notos, ſhould thus preſume to ſpeake vntounto you. I hope you will rather conſider the worth of the matter, then weigh the defects of the man. Neither let me be blamed, that being by profeſsion Ʋir Pacis, Miniſter Eccleſiae Anglicanae, ſhould thus thruſt my ſelfe into Campum Martis. The Sacred Bible, my daily ſtudie, gaue mee the grounds; my delight in Hiſtories of this ſubiect enlarged my meditations. That I finde in holy Writ. I thinke I may write of: Hoc inſtituto meo alienum eſſe non putavi. The Prieſts of God went out with the Lords Hoſts in former times, and that by his appointment. Iohn the Baptiſt ſpake vntounto Souldiers; they asked him what they ſhould doe; and he adviſed them in ſome things. I hauehave laboured for your good, bonâ ſaltem intentione: I pray my endeavour may not be reckoned minoris pretii, quia ego Miniſter. The worth of a true Souldier I hauehave ever honoured; I prize at an high rate a Man oſ valour▪ and hee well deſerues it. I wiſh ex animo that illuſtrious eminency may ever attend him, that is by vertue Valiant.
I doubt not therefore, but that this Work, from the word (not hitherto publiſhed by any) will be favourably accepted of you. That if it make you not Souldiers according to Men, (becauſe perhaps more you know already by practiſe and experience) yet am I ſ…re it may make you vertuouſly valiant, and good men according to God. And being ſo, then, though you die here in Battell, you may hereafter liue in bleſſedneſſe: Which I heartily wiſh you may attaine vntounto, there to triumph for ever.
Yours in his prayer, and at command in all Chriſtian Services, RICH: BERNARD.
The Contents of every Chapter in this Booke.
CHAP. I. OF the excellency of the Hiſtorie of the warres in Holy Writ.
CHAP. II. Of the warres of God with man.
CHAP. III. Of the warres of man with man, and of the lawfulneſſe of ſuch warres.
CHAP. IV. Of the honourable calling and employment of a right Souldier.
CHAP. V. Of the iuſt cauſes and true grounds of making warre.
CHAP. VI. Of neceſſary warre.
CHAP. VII. Of the chiefe Authority moving to warre, and of Kings going out with their Hoſts.
CHAP. VIII. Of Preſt men, and Voluntaries.
CHAP. IX. Of the muſtering and choice of Souldiers.
CHAP. X. Of the Armes in olde times, the view of them, and of the exerciſe before Souldiers goe to warre.
CHAP. XII. Of the Generall over the whole Armie.
CHAP. XIII. Of Counſell for Warre.
CHAP. XIV. Of the diſciplining of an Armie, and orderly government thereof.
CHAP. XV. Of the evills to bee avoided in a Campe, and to be puniſhed.
CHAP. XVI. Of a convenient Army, and of neceſſaries prepared aforehand to maintaine the ſame.
CHAP. XVII. Of meanes abroad to be vſed before the warre begin.
CHAP. XVIII. Of the religious preparation before the Army march.
CHAP. XIX. Of laying good grounds aforehand to ſpeede well, and of a peaceable and lawfull proceeding againſt ſuch an Enemie.
CHAP. XX. Of marching forward and encamping.