The Bible Battles, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Of the Generall over the whole Armie.
THough as hath been ſhewed, that Kings in perſon vſually did go into the field with their hoſts; yet did2 Sa. 2. 8. 1 Ch. 11. 6 2 Sam. 23. 37. 1 Sa. 14. 1. Iud 9. 54. 1 Sa. 16. 21 & 14. 1. 1 Ch. 19. 16. 1 Mach. 7. 8. & 4. 100 they appoint one Chiefe Ruler over all, called the Generall, or Captaine over the hoſt, and Chiefe over all the reſt who had his armour-bearer, as it ſeemeth, every great Commander had, as well as Kings, Abimelech had his, Saul his, (in which office was David at the firſt) Ionathan his, which Armour-bearers were alſo valiant men. The Heathen had alſo ſuch Generals, as Phicol was to Abimelech King of Gerar, Shaphach to Hadadezer, Naaman to the King of Syria, Siſera to Iabin, Bacchides to King Demetrius, and ſo others to other Kings. And when there was no King in Iſrael, the Lord made Ioſua his General to fight his battells, and after him he raiſed vp Othniel, Ehud, Barak, Gideon, Iepthah, and other Iudges. This hath ever beene the conſtant order, for preſervationD. Sutcl ca. 4. pa. 51. of vnitie. None had equall authority with them, though others were of great place, as was Abiſhai and Ittai vnderunder David, who divided his hoſt into three parts, one to Ioab, another to Abiſhai, and the third to Ittai. In Iehoſophats time there were then foure that had divided among them into diſtinct numbers 1160000 a million an hundred and threeſcore thouſand: Sometime we reade how2 Mach. 8. 9. the Heathen ioyned two together, as Antiochus with Nicanor, Gorgias as an adviſer and a man of great expe…ience.
The Generals appointed by God were ever aſſiſted by his ſpirit, to become wiſe, valiant, and religious. Kings chooſe their Generals, ſometime, as nigh of blood; but ever worthy men, as Saul did Abner his vncle1 Ch. 11. 6. one wiſe and hardie: So David did chuſe Ioab his ſiſters ſonne, but it was vponupon his deſert. For if ſuch be choſen, as be without due deſert; valorous ſpirits in heart diſdaine them; whence diſorders, contentions, diſgraces, and ill ſucceſſe. The Enemie being a wiſe Commander deſpiſeth the power of ſuch a Leader; So did Caeſar even the old Company of theDe bell… civil…. Spaniards, becauſe he knew Petreius and Afranius their Commanders to be men of no worth. Braue Generals, if God be not againſt them, further the victory mightily, like Marius Coriolanus leading the Romanes Liv.got them the victory over the Volſcians; but after taking the Volſcians Plutarch.part he made them Conquerours over the Romanes: Its better of the two, that a Lyon lead an armie of Harts, then a fearfull Hart an Hoſt of Lyons: For C…ſars invincible ſouldiers…llo Cir. 5 were by their cowardly Sabinus their leader overcome. So as Princes had need of worthy Generals well qualified.
I. They ſhould be religious, for if this be required of all the ſouldiers, if poſſible; much more of the Chiefetayne, the Generall that commandeth all. Such God who is to be followed did chuſe; ſuch a one was that valiant Ioſua, valiant Iudas Machabeus and others, and they proſpered.
II. They muſt be wiſe, for wiſdome,Eccleſ. 10. 10 12: ſaith Salomon▪ is profitable to direct, and a wiſe mans words are gracious. A General ſhould be as David behaving himſelfe ſo wiſely that1 Sa. 18. 13 14, 15. his Enemie may feare him, his friends louelove him and honour him. And the Wiſeman ſaith alſo, that wiſedome is better then weapons for warre: for conſideration and well foreſeeing, and wiſe managing of an Armie, and finding out of ſtratagems may prevaile, where meere force cannot. Pyrrhus the Epirote, and Scanderbag, and Hannibal by wiſdome and forecaſt obteiend great victories. Courage and ſtrength hath gotten many a glorious day, but policie hath the preheminence. It was by policie that Prince Edward, King Edward the thirds ſonne with 8000. overthrew the French Army of 60000. & by policy Henry 5. prevailed with 15000 againſt all the power and Nobilitie of France likewiſe; cunning contriving of matters winneth often▪ where ſtrength would faile. So wiſe ſhould a General be, as that he ſhould not need to be tyed to particular inſtructions, but to be able to proceede wiſely▪ with large Commiſſion, and to vſe it according to preſent occaſions, and difference in the times, and variety▪ of things falling out for advantage to him: which he may loſe by bridling inſtructions. David wiſe and valiant preſcribed not to Ioab what to doe, how, when, nor where in particulars: nor did ſo the Romane Senate to their Generals, they were not limited: ſee for the commodities herein, and yet the cautions withall, in Dr. Sutcliffes diſcourſe of warre.Cap. 4. part 4.
III. Generalls ſhould be, as religious and wiſe, ſo alſo very valiant men, ſuch as God choſe were valiant, the Angel called Gideon a valiant man, ſuch a one was Dauid; Among the Heathen, the Generals were found to be valiant; Alexander the great performed many valiant Acts againſt the Perſians and Indians; and ſo did Iulius Caeſar againſt the fierce Nervii, and at the battle of Mumida he ſhewed himſelfe moſt valiant in leaving his horſe, and ſetting himſelfe foremoſt in the front of his foote, to ſtir vp their courages. Scanderbeg was wiſe and valiant, ſo was Pirrhus: for the fearefull ſoone turne Cowards; and in Cowards is no truſt: for they will betray King, Country, Gods Cauſe, even true Religion, and all, for bodies ſafety. So hatefull are CowardsRev. 21. 8. and the fearefull as they are the foremoſt in the ranke of the damned crue going to Hell.
IV. Generals ſhould be courteous and affable to their ſouldiers, not proud, nor diſdainfull, courteous behaviour, in a wiſe, valiant, and worthy Commander ſtealeth away the hearts of inferiours, and knits them to him: How did Abſalom win all hearts in a manner to him: which I note, for the Courteſie, not for his Craft therein, which a Generall muſt be farre from; leaſt he proue a Traitour, and find the Reward of ſuch a one. The …ff…ble Courteſie here intended is the gaining of the hearts of ſouldiers to obey from louelove, rather then of feare. Caeſar would call vponupon his ſouldiers, and terme them by the name of companions and friends. Diſdaine is proper to a dunghill Knight; Mithridates, Cyrus, Scipio, yea great Alexander, were very courteous and reſpectiue to their ſouldiers, ſo alſo was Charles the fifth.
V. Generals ſhould be faithfull of their words, to performe what they promiſe, or what others by their warrant doe promiſe for publick good: this was the valiant worthy, the religious Ioſua, very carefull of, even toIoſ 6. 22, 23. & 9. 19 the deceitfull Gibeon…t…, as alſo afterwards to Rahab according to theIud. 1. 15. 1 Sam. 30. 15. word of the ſpies, and their promiſe vntounto her; and in like manner with the man of Luz the ſpies kept their word: So David performed what he promiſed vntounto an Amalekite.
It is much derogatory to the honour of a General to be found falſe on his word: Alexander being adviſed by Parmenio on a time to breake his word, ſaid, if I were Parmenio, I ſhould perhaps doe ſo, but its not lawfull for Alexander ſo to doe. The Romane Commanders were moſt praiſe-worthy in this. A General to be a treacherous Triphon to a Ionathan is odious to any noble and valiant heart; and he deteſteth to be a fedifragous Hamilcar; the f…ith of a ſouldier1 Mach. 12 42. 49. ſhould be inviolable.
VI. Generals ſhould be temperate, ſober & chaſt, vertues ever accompanying true graces: we never reade of any of the valiant worthies, ſuch as Ioſua, Ehud, Othniel, or Davids worthies to be given to gluttonie, drunkenneſſe, or to filthy luſts of Adultery and fornication; where reade we in Iſrael or in Iudah, of valorous ſpirits to hauehave beene drunkards, or to hauehave raviſhed women or mayde…s? Indeed this was1 K▪ 20. 16. Lam. 5. 11. 1 K. 16. 9. Ioel 3: 3 Iudeth 13: the courſe and cuſtome of▪ the Heathen; and of ſome idolatrous Elah, who in his drunkenneſſe loſt his life, as did drunken and luſtfull▪ Holofernes; Ioab, though otherwiſe bad enough, yet we doe not reade of any drunken humour in him, nor to be addicted to filthineſſe, nor yet his valiant brethren. Indeede Sampſon was ſomething given to luſt, but he payed well for it, even contempt, loſſe of his eyes, impriſonment, and death. This ſinne of luſt and drunkenneſſe in Captaines and ſouldiers is heatheniſh, which yet ſome Heathen hauehave ſo deteſted, as they may riſe vp in iudgement▪ againſt many called, but vnworthily Chriſtians. Great Alexander vſed the wife and daughters of Darius and other beautifull women of Perſia very honourably, without any ſuſpicion of vnchaſt behaviour, yea ſo he hated filthy luſts, that when two ſouldiers one Damon, and an other Tymothe…s, vnderunder Parmenio had forced mens wiues he commanded them to be put to death as brutiſh and wilde beaſts. Young Scipio the noble Romane, not then aboue 22. yeare olde is praiſeworthy in this alſo, who commanded (as Plutarch recordeth) that women taken in warres ſhould not be defiled, and when a beautifull d…moſell was at a time preſented to him, he did not onelyonly conteine himſelfe from violating her chaſtity, but ſent her to the Noble man to whom ſhe was betrothed, with an enlargement of her dowrie: behold theſe you Commanders. It were too long to enlarge every worthy quality required in a Generall: briefly therefore for the reſt▪ he ſhould be without envie, not an envious Saul to ſee a David doe well, and hauehave his deſerved praiſes, but rather rejoyce thereat, and be like the noble M…tius Scev… la, who to match the good ſervice of Co…les done for Rome, adventured into the Hetrurian Campe to kill their King in his tent. He ſhould be like Fabritius the Romane beſieging Fideva, who when a Schoole-maſter perfidiouſly betrayed his Schollers, Children of the chiefe Citizens, into his hand, refuſed the advantage thereby to gaine the Citty, and ſent the Traytour bound, and cauſed the boyes to whip him againe into the Citty, by which he wonne the affection of the Citizens, and wrought them by this act to become Tributaries to the Romanes. He ſhould be watchfull, as the eye of the whole hoſt, and very painfull; Iulius Caeſar may be a patterne herein to ſuch as pleaſe to reade his Commentaries. Alexander the great to keepe his ſouldiers from ſloath, in the intermiſſion of warres, exerciſed them in hunting wild beaſts which were of fierce natures, and he himſelfe fought with a Lyon very dangerouſly, a Lacedemonian Ambaſſadour beholding the combate. By induſtry and great paines taking Hanibal and Iugurthe vexed the Romanes. He ſhould be temperate in diet; as was Alexander, for when a Princeſſe called Ada ſent him delicate diſhes of meate, he ſent her word againe, he knew not what to doe with them: for his Governour appointed him, ſaid he, for his dinner to ariſe before day, and to march in the night, and for his ſupper to eate but a little at dinner: a ſpare diet for a King. A braue Commander ſaith, one ſhould more feare a wanton banquet, then a bloudy battell: For after Alexander gaue himſelfe over to effeminate delicacies, he loſt his honour and life. The conquering Romanes ſo hated belly cheere and voluptuouſneſſ…, that when Lucius Pius got the Sarm…tes by his often banqueting them, to ſubmit to the Romanes, and he comming to Rome demaunded to triumph, they did not onelyonly deny it him, but in deteſtation of his belly▪ victorie▪ they put him to death, ſet an Epitaph of reproach vponupon his tombe, and ſet the Sarmates free from them againe as diſhonourably wonne to their obedience. The General muſt be tenderly reſpectiue to the life and health of his ſouldiers: and a liberall rewarder of the worthy; this was Caeſars excellency, who ſaid to Mamillus, that he▪ held himſelfe in nothing more honoured and happy, then in liberally rewarding the well deſerving, and mercifully pardoning the Enemie: for the one will make ſouldiers reſolute in execution, and the other will allure the enemies to yeeld and not in a deſperate obſtinacie ſtand out, as they will doe in feare of a bloudy Tyrant, a Turke, a Tartar, and a proud Spaniard.