EPISTLE DEDICATORY. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL The Knights, aND GENTLEMEN Deputy- Honoured Sirs.—Give me leave to join you together in one epistle, whom It is not in my God and your country have joined together in one service. purpose to blazon your worth before the world, your own actions speak you in the gate, and wise men had rather do worthily than hear of it; only observing your unwearied labour of love for God and your country, I count it my duty to come forth and meet you with this pen-service, in testimony of my thankful respects to you. You read, Numb. xxv., when the wrath of God brake out against Israel, that Phineas stood up and executed judgment, and the wrath was not only diverted, but himself blessed; yea, the blessing was a blessing of peace, will Your like action in this time of wrath, though wrought out by the sword. carry the like blessing on yourselves and houses; yet your work is rather to bring men to justice than to execute it. Many blessed comforts wait on your service : 1. We read in Scripture but of one man so potent in heaven, that he could command the sun to stand still, and he was a soldier, Joshua; but of one man of whom it was said, that he had an heart after God's own heart, and he was a great soldier, David; but of one man of whom Christ gave that great testimony, "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel," and he was a soldier too, the centurion. Thus hath God honoured your calling. 2. Your work is good, for you are the ministers of reformation. I read of a king of Meath, sometime in Ireland, that being asked how certain noisome birds, that came flying into that country and bred there, might be destroyed? was answered thus, "Nides eorum ubique destruendos :" The way to be rid of them was to destroy their nests. Now for a long season many noisome birds have been flying over into this kingdom, and have bred here; the work of these times is to destroy those nests of jesuits and jesuited persons, and it is that work which now you are upon. Though it cost some pains, it is worth your labour : "Fœlix necessitas quæ ad meliora ducit:" Happy is that necessity which leads to better things. 3. Your cause is just also, agreeable to the law of nature; for, "Conservatio sui ipsius est opus naturalissimum," to the law of God: for David, though not the representative body, yet lawfully took up arms for his own defence; to the law of the kingdom, for what more legal than that the houses of parliament should bring in delinquents to trial; and how can that be without arms, when the delinquents betake themselves to their arms? The schoolmen say, three things concur to a just war: 1. "Jurisdictio indicentis," and for that you have the authority of parliament, which, as one writes, "Vetustatem si spectes est antiquissima, si dignitatem est honoratissima, si jurisdictionem est copiosissima:" If you respect antiquity, is of all courts the most ancient; if dignity, is of all courts the most honourable; if authority and jurisdiction, is of all courts the most copious. 2. "Offensio patientis," and for that you have matter too much, and your enemies VOL. V. R too little; the great cause of their arms is but some piece of prerogative, if they pretend truly, a cause infinitely beneath so unkind and bloody a war as this is. "bellando 3. Intentio boni convenientis," and for that I dare say you are pacifici," your war being to prevent war, and your present bleeding to prevent some great sickness which this state would sink under. 4. Your forces live and march under as many prayers as ever English armies did, you have " preces armatas:" and though Joshua fought valiantly, Exod. xvii., yet the prayers of Moses, who was not in the fight, got the field. 5. If you do overcome, you shall not make yourselves slaves by your own Dum vincunt victi sunt;" when they victories; we may truly say of some, have overcome others, they are slaves themselves: your religion, laws and liberties, stand all ready to reward your prowess. And, 6. If you be overcome and die, you die for God and your country. "Blessed are those that die for Who can bring his life into a better market? the Lord," so that word εv is rather to be read, Rev. xiv. 13. Wherefore as heretofore, so now much more labour to hold forth the virtues of Hian that hath As soldiers are more honoured than called you to this great employment. others, so they should be more virtuous: he had need carry much grace in his heart, that doth daily carry his life in his hand; and your soldiers should as well overcome the countries with their good examples, as the enemies with their swords. When Joshua went out to battle against the Amalekites, his men were all chosen or choice men, Exod. xvii. 9; and saith the Lord, "When the host goeth forth against thine enemy, then keep thee from every wicked thing," Deut. xxiii. 9. It is ordinarily observed, that when the Jews marched out of Egypt into Canaan, they carried in their colours some significative sign: Judah carried a lion in his standard; Ephraim, an ox; Reuben, the picture of a man ; Naphtali, an hind: a lion, noting their courage; a man, noting their skill and understanding; an hind, noting their swiftness and readiness for execution; and an ox, for patience, strength and obedience. Such colours should those wear in their lives, that are soldiers for God. The enemies of the churches had their colours also; the bear, the leopard, &c., Dan. vii., cruel in human practices, "Quo modo fidem præstabeing more fit to be worn in their lives than our's. How can men be bunt authoritati qui Deo sunt perfidi," Cons. satiff. a. 56. Dr. Fearne, your adversary and faithful to you that are unfaithful to God? mine, writes thus of the parliament's forces: If a list of the army against his Majesty were examined, there would be found, if not a considerable number of papists, yet of such as they that employ them would have cause to be ashamed of, &c. It may be some of your soldiers would say as David's did, "Let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head." But let your answer rather be, "Let him alone, and let him reproach; it may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction, and that the Lord will requite good for his reproaching this day." And as formerly, so now yet more and more let your endeavour be to wipe off such aspersions, by sending and employing such soldiers as may not stain your good cause with their ill practice. Let your motto be," Militia sine malitia." And as for your success, either it will be good or bad; if bad, measure not the "Eventus est stultorum argumentum :" it is goodness of your cause thereby. "Non habendo habemus." Wicked BenjaGod's course to give by denying : min, who took part with the delinquents of Gibeah, must first prevail against, not representative, but all Israel, who took up arms to do justice, that Israel And if your success be might be the more provoked against them. Judges xx. good, let your men carry it humbly: humility after mercy makes men fit for more mercy. "Qui gloriatur in viribus corporis, gloriatur in viribus carceris." And be that boasts in his own body, boasts in his own prison. "Rejoice not (saith Solomon) when thine enemy falleth," Prov. xxiv. 17. Your soldiers may rejoice in God's providence, but not in their enemies' blood. Zonarus writes, that this was the manner amongst the Romans when any triumphed, that an officer stood behind him, saying, owiow Bλete, look what is behind, and there he saw a bell and a whip; a whip, noting that for all his greatness he might come under the lash of misery, which bell-like would sound very loud. Thus have I taken the boldness to present you with my rude thoughts and this small treatise, concerning which I say as Salvian, I have not sought smooth but profitable words : "Nos autem rerum magis quam verborum amatores sumus utilia potius quam plausibilia sectamur, et in his scriptis non lenotinia esse volumus, sed remedia," Salv. Epist. ad Solon. And in which, because it hath pleased God to lay the foundation of your proceedings in your good success at Crowland, by the hand and command of that worthy gentleman, Sir Miles Hobert, I wish you that blessing which the Abbot of Crowland, when he began to build the Abbey, would have made the foundation thereof, " Perpetuam fœlicitatem." To the end that the Abbot might have an happy beginning of this work, from some lucky manner of presage, he solemnly appointed the day of St. Perpetua, and of St. Felicity, in which he would lay the first foundation. Camden's Britannia: Lincolnshire. Your humble Servant in the Gospel of Christ Jesus, WILLIAM Bridge. THE TRUTH OF THE TIMES VINDICATED &c. &c. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE READER. GOOD Reader, you see into what sad times we are now fallen our English sun is almost set, our day of peace and plenty is almost done; workmen go from their labour, and beasts go forth to their prey. And if war be the worst of all miseries, and civil war the worst of all wars, as indeed it is; for there the parents do bury their children, whereas otherwise the children do bury their parents; then is our condition of all the most lamentable. The disputing time is almost now over: the Doctor hath stayed so long in bringing up his rear, that I fear the controversy depending, is now rather to be determined with the dint of the sword than with the strength of the pen: yet because the temple must be built in troublous times, and the tide of truth doth usually at the first creep up by the bankside against the stream, I am not unwilling, for truth's sake, once more to appear in this cause, that I may deliver it from those exceptions wherewith the Doctor hath burdened the same. It is not long since I met with the Doctor's reply, and at the first I thought it not necessary to give any answer unto it; partly because the subject is so well beaten, that he is almost answered before he hath objected; partly because I count that reply scarce worth a sober answer, which is clothed with so many scoffing jeers and vile reproaches, things unworthy of a D. D., especially such as pretend satisfaction of conscience: but it will find entertainment with conscience according to its own nature for what Luther speaks of certain preachers, is true of writers also: Multi sunt, saith he, there are many hot and tumultuous preachers, who would have all things done as they say, not so much willing to be heard because they speak the * Nemo ita amens est ut bellum quam pacem malit: nam in pace filii patres, in bello patres filios sepeliunt.-Herod. |