A Staff of Comfort to Stay the Weak, Part 10
Of Warres.
Ob. THere is a pressing of souldiers eueryevery where, we must into the wars: but how we shall preuaile I can not see.
Answ. Through God we shall doe valiantly, for he it is that shall tread downe our enemies, Psal. 60.12.
Obiect. We want strength and skill.
Answ. Psal. 68.35. & 144.1.God girdeth his with strength vntounto the battell, & teacheth their hands to warre, and with their armes to breake euen bowes of steele, Psa. 18.32.34.39.
Obiect. Wee are very shortly to ioine in battel with a great hoast, which bee the enemies of our faith and true religion.
Not to feare to fight against the enemies of the Church.Answ. Feare them not (saith the Lord) for I am with you: be not dismaied I will strengthen you, yea I will helpe you, yea I will vphold you with the right hand of my righteousnesse, Esa. 41.10. For the battell is not yours, but the Lords: goe out therefore against them; for the Lord will be with you, 2. Chron. 20.15.18.
Obiect. But we Captaines feare, that many newly pressed are faint hearted and will not fight.
Answ. They shall be as mighty men, which treade downe their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battell, and they shall fight because the Lord is with them, Zach. 10.5.
Obiect. The enemies serue vnderunder a mightie potentate, and are a great multitude.
Answ. Bee strong and couragious,There are moe with the godly, than with the wicked. 2. King. 6.16. bee not afraide nor dismaied for that King, nor for all the multitude that is with him, for there be more with vsus, than with him. With him is an arme of flesh: but with vsus is the Lord our God to helpe vsus, and to fight our battels, 2. Chron. 32.7.8. There is no king saued by the multitude of an hoast, a mightie man is not deliuered by much strength, Psal. 33.16.
Obiect. But besides his owne strength and puissance, hee hath many Princes his confederates, who hauehave ioyned their powers to his, and we are but an handful: therfore doe they boast and make themselues sure of the victorie.
A smal company may preuaile against a huge hoast.Answ. Let not him that girdeth on his harnesse boast himself, as he that putteth it off, 1. Kin. 20.11. As did Benhadad, who came against Ahab with Horses and Chariots, and thirtie two Kings also with him, Verse 1. Yet seuen thousand two hundred thirtie & two of Israel ouerthrew his hoast, and made him flye out of the field, Vers. 15.20. Zerah the Ethiopian came against Asa with a huge hoast, of a million of men, with many Chariots and horse-men, yet because Asa did rely vponupon the Lord, that innumerable multitude was ouerthrowne, 2. Chron. 16.8. & 14.9.13. For it is nothing with the Lord to helpe, whether with many, or with them that hauehave no power, V. 11.
Obiect. But besides the multitude (being two to one) the enemy hath by a stratagem of warre, gotten vsus into the very midst of them, they hauehave laied an ambushment, so as the battell is before and behinde.
Answ. It is not policie that can preuaile against the Lord.Policy cannot preuaile, where God will giuegive the victory. Ieroboam that Idolater came into the field with a chosen army of eight hundred thousand mighty men of valour, 2. Chron. 13.3. And Abiiah a true worshipper of God, but with halfe so many, being also compassed round with Ieroboams hoast, yet crying vntounto the Lord, hee deliuered them into the hand of Abiiah, who slew of them fiue hundred thousand chosen men, Verse 14-17. Because Iudah relied vponupon the Lord God of their fathers, Vers. 18.
Obiect. They are well furnished with weapons.
Answ. No weapon that is framed against thee shall prosper, Esa. 54.17.
Obiect. They hauehave gotten the places of aduantage, the Hils and Mountaines from vsus.
Answ. Truely in vaine is safetie hoped for,The aduantage of the place, preserues not against Gods power. from the hils, and from the multitude of mountaines: truely in the Lord our God is the saluation of Israel, Iere. 3.23. Who is God in the valleys, as well as on the hils, to giuegive his people victorie, 1. King. 20.28.
Obiect. They bee strong in horse-men.
Answ. A horse is a vaine thing for safety,Esa. 31.3. neither shal he deliuer any by his great strength, Psal. 33.17. The riders on horses shall be confounded, Zach. 10.5.
Obiect. They hauehave many Chariots.
Esa. 31.1. Prou. 21.31. 2. King. 6.7.Answ. Indeed some put their trust in Chariots, some in Horses, but let vsus remember the name of the Lord our God, whose Chariots are twentie thousand, euen thousands of Angels, Psal. 68.17.
Obiect. Well, they bee gathered together to bid vsus battell.
Answ. Behold they shall surely gather together, but not by me. Whosoeuer shal gather together against thee (saith the Lord) shall fall for thy sake, Esa. 54.15. Ob. But it seemeth to me impossible to escape in the battel, frō the shot of the Artillery, it flieth so thicke vpō vsus.
Ans. Trust in God, and hee shall couer thy head in the day of battell (Psalm. 140.7) vnderunder his wings; his truth shall be thy shield, and buckler, thou shalt not need to feare the terrour of the night, nor for the arrow that flyeth by day, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noone. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee, Psal. 91.4-7.
Obiect. Wee want a wise and valiant man of warre to be our Leader.
Answ. The Lord mighty in battell (Psal. 24.8.) shall goe forth as a mightie man, like a man of warre, he shall cry, yea roare; hee shall behaue himselfe mightily, and preuaile against his enemies, Esa. 42.13.
Obiect. Wee want the company and countenance of mighty Princes, to helpe vsus.
Earthly Princes power, is not to be trusted vntounto, but we are to beleeue in the Lord.Answ. Put not your trust in Princes, nor in the sonne of a man, in whom their is no helpe, Psal. 146.3. For he goeth forth, he returneth to his earth, in that very day his thoughts perish, Vers. 4. It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put any confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put any confidence in Princes, Psal. 118.8.9. For the eyes of the Lord runne too and fro, throughout the whole earth, to shew himselfe strong in the behalfe of them, whose heart is perfect towards him, 2. Chron. 16.9.
Obiect. They hauehave strong helpers: but we hauehave few, or none to take part with vsus.
Answ. Feare not,If God be with vsus, none can stand against vsus. Ier. 17.5. 2. Kin. 6.16. Though men doe not aide vsus, yet God being for vsus, who can bee against vsus, Rom. 8.31. For with them is onelyonly an arme of flesh: but with vsus, is the Lord our God to helpe vsus, and to fight our battels, 2. Chron. 32.8. So as they that bee with vsus, are moe then they that be with them, 2. King. 6.16. 2. Chron. 32.7.
Ob. Yet peraduenture the enemy may force vsus to retire, and wee are neere no Castle, shelter, or place of refuge.
Answ. The Lord is a shelter, a strong tower, Psa. 61.3. A rocke of saluation, Psal. 62.2. And our refuge, Psalm. 46.7. & 48.3. Yea, the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it, and is safe, Prou. 18.10.