The Bible Battles, Chapter 3
The III. Chap. Of the warres of man with man, and of the lawfulneſſe of ſuch warres.
VVArre is the contention betweene Princes or States by armes or force of men, vnderunder order and good gouernment to obtaine victory, and ſo …he conquering and ſubduing of the Dominions, bodies and goods of one another, to liue the better afterwards in peace and honour. ForS. Aug: ad Bonifac. ſaith a Father, the true ſeruants of God make warres, that the wick…d may be reſtrained, and good men be releeued.
Warre vponupon iuſt cauſe vndertaken is vndoubtedly lawfull: And this is neceſſary to be knowne and beleeued of all that vndertake warres. For there is nothing more for encouragement, in any action then to hauehave conſcience ſatisfied in the lawfulnes thereof.
Some, as the Anabaptiſts, hold it not lawfull for Chriſtians vnderunder the Goſpell to make warre; but ſuch are but dreamers; for
1. God is pleaſed to he called a Exo. 15. 3.man of Warre; now he neuer admitteth a title of a thing vnlawfull.
2. He hath giuen commandement to his people ſometimes to fight: Numbers 31. 3. 1. Sam. 15. 3. Deut. 2. 24.
3. Hee made lawes for direction to them, when they went to warre, Deut. 20. 10. 15.
4. Holy men of eminent place and graces hauehave made warre, as didGen. 14. Abraham, Ioſua, David, and others.
5. God would ſend his ſpirit vponupon them to encourage them to the warre, as he did vponupon Gideon, Ehud, Sampſon, as we may read in the book of Iudges.
6. God raiſed vp ſome Prophets to comfort, and ſet forward his people to warre; thus he mooued Deborah Iud. 4. 2 Ch. 20. 14, 15.to call Barak into the warres: and Iahaziel to encourage Iudah to goe againſt their enemies.
7. God taught David to play the part of a valiant Capraine and ſouldier;Pſ. 144. 1. & 18, 39, 40. he made his hands to warre, and his fingers to fight, and made his arme ſtrong to draw a bow of ſteele, as before is ſhewed; for which David rendered thanks to him: yea David often conſulted with God aforehand2 Sa. 5. 19. 23. and had anſwer from God, with promiſe to giuegive him victo…ie in▪ battell before he went out, which he would not hauehave afforded him in an action ſinfull and vnlawfull to be done.
8. In Battell, when his people reſted vponupon him, and cryed to him, he1 Ch. 5. 20. did helpe them and made them Conquerours.
Laſtly, war againſt Gods enemies, and the battle fought againſt them, is called the Lords battle, and his work2 Ch. 20. Ier. 48 10. which they do, which God ſo alloweth of, as he denounceth a curſe againſt them that ſhall doe it deceitfully or negligently.
Thus we ſee what warrant warre hath from the Lord of Hoſts in the old Teſtament. But they will grant this to be ſo in that time, for then God ſhewed himſelfe a man of warr, and was as it were delighted with the title of Lord God of hoſts ſo▪ often giuen to him, and ſeldome hardly once the name of the God of peace.
But in the new Teſtament the caſeIam. 5. 4. is otherwiſe, for hee is but once or twice at moſt called there the Lord of Hoſts, more often the God of peace: wee be now vnderunder the Lord Ieſus the Prince of peace, and doe profeſſe the Goſpell, the word of peace, which ſhould mooue all Chriſtians to liue in peace and hauehave warres, battell, and ſlaughtering of men.
Its very true, that all men ſhouldPſ. 34. 14. ſeek peace and enſue after it, as a bleſſing of God: yet iuſt and neceſſary warre is not to be condemned, for as a Father ſaith, it is a part of iuſtice by warre to defend our Countrey andAmbroſ de Of. confederates, and ſuch as need ayde from ſpoylers and oppreſſors. Neither doth the New Teſtament diſallow of war ſo it be iuſt.
1. Our Prince of peace telleth vsus of warrs, and is pleaſed to be ſet outMat. 24. Reu, 19. &▪ 17. as a Captaine of an Hoſt riding on horſe backe, and ſubduing his enemies; and making a ſlaughter of them. Hereby ſhewing that his Church ſhall have warrs, and he will take their part and helpe to ſubdue their enemies, as he hath often done and yet will doe.
2. When the ſouldiers asked Iohn Luk. 3. 14.Baptiſt what they ſhould doe? hee did not will them to forſake their calling: but admoniſhed to doe violence to none, to accuſe none falſly, and to be content with their wages, as allowing the calling, but reforming the abuſe.
3. We find religious ſouldiers in the new Teſtament, the religious Centurion, Cornelius a Captaine,Mat. 8. 8 10 Act. 10. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7. and a ſouldier fearing God that waited on him.
4. Saint Paul maketh it a fruit of faith, to be valiant in battle; if theHeb. 11. 34 lawfulneſſe of warre had been out of date vnderunder the Goſpell, the Apoſtle would have left that out, as now no fruit of faith.
5. God hath now appointed Kings to vſe the ſword: not onelyonlyRom. 13. 4. to puniſh offenders vnderunder them; but alſo to defend their ſubiects from violence and wrong at home and abroad.
6. The Lord in calling the Gentiles to the Goſpell made choiſe in the firſt place to begin with one of this calling before another: even a Captaine called Cornelius, to whom he ſent his Angell, and after Saint Peter to inſtruct him, and to make him and his, the firſt fruits of the Gentiles, ſo far was he from diſeſteeming of the calling.
7. We muſt know that the Goſpell taketh not away the law of nature to defend our ſelues by forcible meanes againſt violent enemies: yea with a good conſcience may wee take vp armes when there is no ſafety but in armes. And what hindereth Princes and States to recover what is iuſtly their owne, if otherwiſe not to bee gotten but by force of Armes?
8. Hereto adde the practiſe of all Chriſtian Emperours, Kings, Princes, and States in all ages vſing vponupon iuſt cauſe armes. Militare non eſt delictum, ſaith Saint Auguſtine, but abuſe it: yea ſaith Ambroſe, a worke it is of righteouſneſſe when the cauſe is iuſt. Therefore from all theſe ſayings and former reaſons we may conclude warre, if not abuſed, to be lawfull.