The New Policy of War

The prayer of Kinge Asa.

The prayer of Kynge Jehoshaphat.

Kynge Jehoshaphat to his Soldiers.

The pollecy of war.

I Thynke there is no man, that hath y ^e Christian faith dwelling in his heart, and look the for another world after this life much more blessed, well thy & quiet thā this is, but that believeth assuredly that the end of this most miserable & wretched world with all the vain pomp and pompous vanite thereof is at hand, at the leest not far of, as y ^e holy scriptures testify in many places. For if we search the divine volumes diligently, & ponder what tokens shall immediately go before the day of judgment, we shall have a just occasiō to think & undoubtedly to be persuaded, that the vain glory of this sinful world, yea the world it self is at y ^• latter age, & ready as they say to be buried & wrapped up in y ^• flood of Lethe. Among all the other tokens & signs of the day of judgment, which are to many for to rehearse at this present, doth not our moste merciful savior Jesus christ in the Gospel of Matthew declare, that we shall hear of wonderful battles, & that naciō shall rise against nation, & kingdom against kingdom, and that there shall be pestilēces, hunger and earthquakes in all places, agen that the faithful preachers of God's word, & the true christen men shall be grievously afflicted ponyshed, troubled, hated of all nations, yea and cruelly slain for his names sake? As I may leave of to speak of the extreme pestilences, of the fervent hunger, & terrible earth quakes, wherwythe diverse londes now of late have bengreuously troubled, & yet are not free from them, as I may also speak nothing of y ^e tyranicall persecucion, the ungentle handling, the cruel empresonment the bocherlyke slayeng both by fire sword, water, hempe, famine, secret murder▪ &c. of the true prechers of God's word & of the other faithful Christians, which have boldly and gladly offered them selves unto the very death for the glory of God and the name of his son Jesus Christ for a witness against the popish kingdom & all their wicked doctrine. What fears & cruel wars reign now almoost in every place throughout the world? Howe many foreign Princes do invade now a days one another's Realm? What ambition occupyeth the hearts of temporal rulers, which moveth them both w ^t sword and fire unmercifully to destroy the just & right possessions of other, that they alone as God's may reign in this world? Doth not y ^• Prince recount himself most happy, which with all kind of violence against all equite and justice can most dilate & enlarge his Empire & dominiō? Thus is the christē public weal rent & torn, & miserably deflowered. Thus is all good order chased away out of the bounds of Christendom. Thus is y ^e study both of divine & human letters utterly neglected & set naught by. Thus is justice and all kind of humanity exiled, & in their stead is entered unpunished robbery, cruel theft. Insatiable spoylynge of other men's goods, & an whole see of barbarous & beastlyke manners. To conclude, thus is it come to pass, y ^• we have scasely so much as a step of true godliness left among us, into such miserable case are we fallen in these perilous & latter days, according to the prophecy of Christ. Who lame tethe not to hear theyse things? Whose heart doth not tremble and shake even as the quakynge flames of Aetna, to remember this great calamite & grievous misery of y ^• Christian public weal? What man is so far estraūged from all natural humanity & tender compassion, that wisheth not rather to be out of this wretched world, than to behold so dolorous syghtes & pitiefull spectacles? O the unspeakable wretchedness of this world. O the infinite cares & innumerable troubles of this poor life. O the madness of mortal men, which consider not these things, but like brute beasts go forth to follow their sensual appetites & beast like pleasures. Certes the state of this world requireth not delicicious fare, but continual fasting, not gorgeous apparel, but weryng of sackeclothe, not annoyntynge w ^t sweet bawmes, but sprynkelyng w ^t asshes, not resting in soft fether beds, but lieng upon the hard ground, not laughyng, but mournyng, not iestyng but lamenting, not scoffing but waylyng, not wanton words, but feruente prayers, not playenge at the dyse & cards, but continual meditacion in the law of our Lord God, not heapynge up together of worldly possessions, but the glad distribucion of them to the poor menbers of Christ, that we may be rytch in the living God, and have all our trust & confidence in him. Woe be to them that laugh at these things. Woe be to them that seek not unto y ^• uttermost of their power to redress these piteful enormities of the christen public weal. Woe be to them that say, peace, peace, all is well, all is well, and consider not that a final destrucciō is at hand, if we correct not our sinful manners shortly, & amend our wicked lives. Clense your hands O ye sinners, saith S James, & purge your hearts O ye waueryng minded. Suffer affliccions, sorrow ye and weep. Let youre laughter be turned into mourning. Go to now ye rytch mē, weep & howl on your wretchedness that shall come upon you. Ye priests and ministers of the Lord mourn, weep, lament, and cease not to cry both day & night unto God on this manner: Be favorable, O Lord, be favorable to thy people. Let not thine herytage be brought to confusion, leest the Hethen be Lord's thereof. Wherefore should they say among y ^• Hethen, where is now their God. For surely surely we had never more occasiō to mourn, lamēte & bewail our miserable living, & to pray to God for a redress of these miserable enormities, wherewith we are grievously oppressed thē we have at this present day. As I may speak nothing of Englonde, (whom I most humbly beseech God graciously to preserve ī prosperous estate, and alway to give her a glorious and triumphāt victory over her enemies) howe are other foreign kyngedōs miserablye vexed with continual war? How are y ^• goods of y ^• faithful spoiled among them? This also ought to move ony true Englysshe heart to have pity & compassion vpō the Christian brothers, dwell they never so far from us, seeing that we be knytte together in one faith, initiated with the same mysteries, profess one God and one kind of religiō, hope to be saved by one menes, that is to say by the most precious blood of our savior Jesus christ &c Whyle we have time, saith s. Paul let us work good toward all men, but chefely toward them, that be of the household of faith. As I may speak nothing of y ^• dissenciō among christen Prynces (which is a thing more dolorous than can be sufficiently lamented) whose heart doth it not make to faynte, yea plenteouslye to blede for to cōsyder howe grievously & without all marcye the people of Christ in many places be most cruelly invaded, handled, led captive, miserably entreated, empresonned, slain, murdered, and all their goods spoiled, brent & taken away of that most spytefull & Nerolyke Tiraunt y ^• great Turk, that mortal enemy of Christ's religion, that destroyer of the christē faith, that peruerter of all good order, that adversary of all godliness & pure innocence? To whom is it unknown how like an insatiable ambitious Tyrāt he goeth forth daily more & more to enlarge his Ethnysh kingdom, to set forth the glory of his Muhammad, to deface the honor of our Lord y ^• alone and true God, to obscure the virtue of his word, to hynder y ^e promocion of Christ's Gospel, yea and utterly to extinguish & quench the saith of Christ, that the glory may 〈◊〉 given to his Muhammad alone, & y ^• his furious tyranny may reign universally thorough out all y ^• world and make men like bruyte beasts to do after his pleasure in all things unto y ^• utter dishonor of God, & the damnaciō of so many as lean to his most diuellysh commandments? Hath not his fierce and furious tyranny gone thorough out all Asia, Grece, Illiria and Thracia, w ^t diverse other Regions? Hath he not there both destroyed their chyrches and shown such crudelite among thē as was never heard? What shall I speak of Hungarye, sometime a floryshynge and noble Realm, but now moste miserably assailed, invaded, yea and in many places thereof piteously oppressed both by sword and fire of this most cruel enemy of Christ's religiō? I pass over many other Empyres and kyngdoms, which also have tasted of his furious tyranny and lyonlyke crudelite And who is able to express ether by tongue or pen how miserable a life the Christians live under the dominion of this Turkysshe Tyraunte? Alas is it possible, that he should be a friend & merciful rulare to men of the christen religion, seeing that he is an enemy to us both in name, deed, law, professiō, kind of religiō, manners, ordinances. &c. Surely surely Christian men w ^t him are in worse case, thā brute beasts are with us. Doth not he wrytyng to the king of Polonia, threate in his letters, y ^e he will yoke his fat priests in the plough, & make thē to till his land? If he handleth them on this wise, whom we have in so high estimaciō for the ministryng of the holy mysteries, what is than to be thought of the baser sort of the Christians. O Lord be merciful to us, I am sure he will scasely think them worthy to take the breathe of the air.

Who seethe not now, howe miserable the state of the Christiannes is under this most cruel Tyraunte, which notwithstanding hath exalted & increased his might above all Christian Monarchies or Empyres▪ And it is to be feared, seeing he hath such prosperous success & triumphant victories against the Christians, that no naciō shall be able to resist and wythstonde his tyranny, except there be some godly remedy found shortly. For all things prosper so well with him, that no man needeth to doubt, but that he is the scourge of God to ponish us for our wicked and abhominable living, which without all shame is at this day used among us.

Thus se we in what state y ^• christen public weal stondeth, yea rather lieth, & is trodden under foot: Let us now behold, what the occasion of it is, and by what means it may be repaired & brought again unto the pristme beauty & old glory, that we having the victory of all our enemies may with one accord sing perpetual praises to y ^e name of our Lord God. Amen.

What the occasiō of all these cruel wars is, wherewith we are so miserably oppressed, it may easily be {per}ceaued by Histories of the holy scriptures. For verily so often as I pōder this matter w ^t myself, me think I se more clearly than the Son, y ^• as the only occasion of God's blissyng is, the true worshipping of hī and the following of his word, so likewise the alone occasion of his cursynge, that is to say, of his plages, whither it be by sword, pestilence or hunger (for by these three ways God is wont to ponysh the wickedness of his people) is Idolatry, strange worshipping of God, despisynge of his word▪ kyllynge of the true preachers, & wicked living. Do not the divine Histories show evidently, that so longe as the people of Israel obeyed God, served him according to his word, hathened to his preachers, walked in his ways led a pure and innocent life, they enjoyed all kind of felicite & pleasure, and ever gat the oue • hand of their enemies? Howe did the public weal of Israel florysshe under that most noble Captayne & victorious Prince Joshua? What kingdom did they invade and not subdue? What did they take in hand, & brought not unto fortunate success & prosperous ende? Howe came this to pass, by their own policy, wit and strength? Na verily. For they dispayred of their own strengths and said, we are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we They are mē of a great stature, yea we are like greshoppers in comparison of them? It was God that did fight for them. God slew their enemies. God gave them the victory, and brought them into the possession of that londe. Fear not y ^• people of that londe, said Joshua, for they are but bread for us. Theyr shylde is departed from them, & the Lord is with us, fear them not therefore. The Lord youre God, he shall expel and cast them out before you, and ye shall conquer their lōdes, as the Lord youre God hath said to you. One of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God he fyghteth for you.

But howe came it to pass, that they prospered on this wise, & had God so on their side, that nothing was able to prevail against thē? Verily because they did abide steadfast in the law of the Lord. They ran not an whorehuntyng after strange God's. They did stycke fast unto y ^• Lord their God. They harkened to his faithful prechers. They worshipped & served him not after their own fāsy, but according to the prescripte of his holy word. They sought his glory in all things, and wrought according to his holy will. So came it to pass, that they were made blessed & fortunate of God.

Agayne in the boke of Judges & of Kynges, do we not se in thē that so long as the Israelites walked according to God's word, they prosperred and floryshed above all nations, and whan they fell unto Idolatry & wicked living, that god stored up some Tyrāt, which oppressed thē w ^t cruel battle, shedding their blood, & spoylyng all y ^t they had? Nether did God cease thus to ponyshe thē, until they fell to reap̄tāce, know ledged their faults, amended their wicked living, & becam faithful to y ^e Lord. Moreover what was y ^e occasiō y ^• God at the last suffered the Israelites to be led away captive into Babylon of the king of Caldey, the young men to be slain w ^t swerd in the holy Tēple, yea nether young man nor maiden to be spared, neither old man, neither yet so much as him y ^• stouped for age, all y ^e vessels of y ^e house of God both great & small & the treasures thereof, & y ^• treasures of the king & of his Lord's to be carried to Babylon every whytte, the house of God to be burnt, the waulles of Jerusalem to be brokē down, & all the places thereof to be burnt with fire and all the goodly stuff thereof? What was y ^e occasion, I say that all things went thus to havoc w ^t out mercy? Forsorth y ^e scripture saith, their king Sedechias first of all did y ^e , which displeased y ^• Lord. He humbled not himself before Jeremiah y ^e Prophet at the mouth of the Lord, but was styffe necked & hard hearted to turn unto y ^• Lord God of Israel. All y ^e rulers also of y ^e priests with the people trespassed apace after all abominations of y ^e Hethen, & polluted the house of the Lord, which he had hallowed in Ierusalē. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messangers, sending them betymes, for he had compassiō on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked the messangers of God and despised their words, and misused his Prophets, until the wrath of the Lord so arose against his people, that it was past remedy.

Here se we again that the occasiō of this miserable captivity, which y ^• Jews sustained, was because they received not the Prophettes, harkenned not to God's word, but followed their own sātasies, wrought that which was good in their own sight, and lived after their own sēsuall & beastlyke appetites.

What shall I speak of the final destrucciou of the Jews at Hierusalē after Christ's ascension? What was y ^e cause of that their grievous misery and vnoutspeakable calamite? Was it not because they crucitied the son of god, despised his doctrine, slew his Apostles, walked after their own traditions, followed their old wicked forefathers, lived all in pleasure, regarding nothing the threatenynges of God. &c?

Howe chanced it, that the mighty Monarchies or Empyres of the Assyrians & Greeks, which floryshed not only with all kind of temporal riches, but also with most e • cellent & learned wyttes, are now so miserably oppressed of the Turks tyranny? Was not their disobedience to God's word cause thereof, & their wicked living more lascivious & wantō, than that effeminate king Sardanapalus?

Howe came it to pass, that the Rhodes even in our time is subdued of the aforsayd Tyraunt, turned from Christ unto Muhammad, from the christen religion unto the Turkish profession? Was not supersticiō Idolatry, Hypocrisye, feigned holiness, colored chastity, that is to say, filthy whoredom, stinckyng forntcaciō, unclean aduoutry, dissolute living. &c. cause thereof? If we rōne thorough out all the histories both holy and profane, where is entreated of wars, we shall find that y ^• contempt of God's word & wicked living are the only occasions, that such bloody battles and cruel wars have at ony time been stoored up. For God is a righteous Lord, & a longe season provoketh he unto repentance. If there followeth none amendment, than storeth he up one Tyraūt or other to take vengeance on us, to shed our blood, to oppress us with sword, to • ill our wives sons and daughters, to consume with fire all that ever we have, to make our kyngdoms desolate, & at y ^• last utterly to root us out of this world, that his name thorough our abhominable living may no more be blasphemed, railed vpō and evil spoken of. If ye will be obedient and hear me, saith God by his prophet, ye shall eat the good fruits of the earth. If that ye will not, but provoke me to anger, surely y ^e sword shall devour you, for the mouth of y ^e Lord hath spoken it. Agayne, my people is led captive, and brought into bondage, because they have no knowledge. And their noble men have died for hunger, and their army have perished for thyrste. They have cast away the law of y ^• Lord of hoostes, saith the Prophet, and have blasphemed the word of y ^e holy one of Israel. And therefore is the wrath of the Lord kyndled against his people, and he shaketh his hand at them, yea he shall smyte so, that y ^• hylles shall tremble. And their karkases shall lie in y ^• open stretes like mier. &c. Also in another place, thou shalt be desolate, because thou hast forgotten God thy savior, & haste not remembered thy strong helper. Therefore shalt thou plant a fair plant, & graff a strange braūche, but in the day of harvest, thou shalt reap an heap of sorrows & miseries. Agen, these people are obstinate, they provoke me unto anger, they are lying children, and even such children, that will not hear y ^• law of God. They say to them that se, se nothing, and to the southsayers, tell of nothing for to come, if it be either good or honest, but speak pleasant things unto us, and preach us false things. Tread out of the way, go out of the path, turn away the holy one of Israel from us. Therefore thus saith the holy one of Israel, for as moche as ye have cast away this word, & have conforted yourselves with power and nymblenes, and put youre confidence therein, therefore shall ye have this mischefe agen for your destruction & fall, like as an high waull, that falleth because of some ryfte or blast, whose breaking cometh suddenly. And your destrucciō shall be like as an earthen potte, which breketh no man towchynge it, but breaketh so sore, that a man shall not find a sheuer of it to fetch fire ī, or to take water with all out of the pytte. For the Lord God even that holy one of Israel hath promised thus. Also in another place, who suffered Jacob to be trodden under foot and Israel to be spoiled? Was it not y ^• Lord him self against whom we have sinned? We had no delyghte to walk in his ways, neither were we obedient to his laws. Therefore hath he poured upon us his wrathful displeasure & strange battle, which maketh us have to do on every side yet will we not vnderstond. He burneth us up, yet synketh it not into our hearts.

The Prophet Jeremiah also saith what man is so wise to vnderstond this? or to whom may the word of the Lord's mouth be spokē, that he may show, wherefor the lond is perished so, & burnt like a wilderness, so that no man goeth thorough? Yea the Lord himself said: Bycause they have forsaken my law, y ^e I gave them, & have not heard my voice nor yet walked thereafter, but followed y ^• wickedness of their own hearts, & run after strange gods, as their fathers taught thē: Therefore thus saith the Lord of hoostes the God of Israel: Behold I will feed this people with wormeode, & give them gall to drink. I will scatter them also among the Hethē, whom neither they nor their fathers have know̄. And I will send a sword among them to persecute them, & never leave until I bring them to naught. Itē, if ye will not obey me, saith the Lord, to walk in my laws, which I have given you, and to hear the words of my servants the Prophettes whom Isent to you risyng up tymely, and still sending: If ye will not follow them, I say, than will I do unto this house, as I did unto Sylo, & will make this city to be abhorred of all the people of the earth.

Thus se we not only by histories but also by manifest texts of y ^• holy scripture, that the despisynge of God's word and the dissolute manner of living is the occasion of all the grievous and fierce plages that God poureth upon us. And we need not doubt, but these very same things are even at this day the fountain and head spring of all the ponyshmentes that God lay upon us. For even as it was in the time of y ^e old Jews, even so is it now in the world. They hated God's word thā even so do they now. They persecuted the Prophettes & true prechers of God's verite, evē so do they now. They maintained the wicked traditions of their forefathers, even so do they now. They esteemed their own imaginacions above God's word, even so do they now. They preferred their own acts, laws, decrees, constitucions, &c, above the ordinances of God, evē so do they now. They could not abide their wicked living to be reproved, no more can they do now. They hated the light of God's word, and loved to walk in darkness, evē so do they now. They lived in all kind of wicked abomination, even so do they now. Theyr men of law for lucres sake mayntened false matters contrary to equite, even so do they now. Theyr officers of the commō weal did not behave them selves uprightly in matters of contrauerly, but polde & pyld all y ^• they might come by, evē so do they now. Theyr priests were all given to covetousness even from the highest to the lowest, yea they were blind & as • ome dogs not able to bark, evē so are they now. They abused the name of God by unlawful oaths, even so do they now. They were dihonourers of y ^e civil magistrates, even so are they now. They were disobedient to their parents and superiors, even so are they now. They were man's • ears & thyrsted innocent blood even so do they now. They were abhominable whoremōgers, stynking fornicators, and unclean adulterers, evē so are they now. They did chose rather to live in abhominable whore hunting, than in the state of christen wedlock, which is hono • able among all men, and the bed undefiled, even so do they now. They were thieves and unjust usurpers of other mens goods, even so are they now. They couytted their neighbors goods, wife, servant, hand maid, &c, even so do they now. All kind of sin raygned among thē vnponyshed, even so doth it now. The threatenynges of God's law were laughed to scorn among thē, even so are they now. What so ever sin raygned than, that same florysheth & tryumphethe now. What shall we than say, but as the common proverb is, like fault, like ponyshmēt? If God that righteous Lord did not spare the old world in the time of Nohe but drowned it: If he again favored not the filthy So domites and unclean Gomorians, but consumed thē with fire & brymestonne from heaven, what terrible judgment and grievous plages shall we than look for, seeing we row in the same haven, stycke in the same myer, and cōmyt the very same abominations.

O England, England myn own native country, for whose wealth & prosperite I do not only shed out prayers, but also salt tears continually to the Lord our God, & am ready at every hour willingly to sustain ony burden, that can be laid on my shoulders for thy safeguard: Would God, would God thou wast not partaker of those grievous enormities and wicked sins, which I have now rehearsed. Woulde God thou dyddest not aduse y ^• most precious benefits, where w ^t thou art endued from above before all other nations. Woulde God thou dyddest regard the pleasures, that God hath done the by restorynge unto the the light of his holy word, & by sending the so noble and virtuous a Prince to maintain y ^• same. Would God thou wast not like to the old disobedient & murmuring Jews, which had pleasure rather to be in Egypt with the grecy flesh pots, than in the seruyse of God with the celestial meat Manna. Would God thou myghtest not justly be resembled to Lothes wife, which after she was delivered from the filthy Sodomites, had a delight to look back agen unto them. Would God y ^e name of the most highest were not dishonored by thy shameful and abhominable oaths, which thou daily usest. Wolde God thou wast not disobedient, but faithful & true in all points to thy superiors. Would God thou wast not polluted with fornicacion, adultery, whoredom, in cest, and all other unclēnes. Would God thou wast not an unjust taker away of other mens goods. Would God thou dyddest not thyrste after the sheddynge of innocent blood.

Would God, thou wast not ready to bear false witness against thy neighbors. Would God thy men of law were not eaters of gifts, & oppressors of the poor people for lucres sake. Would God thy pastors and spiritual sheppardes were not so given to pleasure, ambition, pride, covetousness, delicate fare, gorgeous apparel, idleness, &c, y ^t they have no mind to feed Christ's flock w ^t the syncer word of God. Yea would god they were not callers back & utter despisers of y ^e same, neither entering into the kingdom of heaven themselves, nor yet suffering other that would to enter. To be short, would God thou wast not a manifest trāsgressour̄ and opē offender of gods most holy law, that thou myghtest be free from the vengeance and plages of God, y ^e are like to fall upon the, if thou dost not shortly repent and amend thy sinful living. O Englōnd, England, God calleth the unto repentance diverse ways, as by his word, by the preaching of the same, by sending the such a virtuous, merciful, fatherlyke and puyssaunt a Prince, by endewyng the with other innumerable benefits If thou regardest not this goodness of God, surely Englonde great will be thy dānation, grievous will be thy plages, intolerable will be thy ponyshmentes, to moche lamen table will be thy final destruction. O England with weeping tears I say unto the, as Christ said unto Jerusalem: If thou dyddest know evē at this thy time, those things which belong unto thy peace, surely thou wouldest be more diligent to look after them. For easier & more tolerable shall it be for Sodom & Gomorre, for Tyrus & Sidon at y ^• day of judgment than for the, except thou repentest and embracest with metyng arms, as they say, y ^• goodness and great mercy of GOD which is now proffered the.

Of these things aforsayde is it evident that thoccasion of all these cruel wars & other plages, wherewith we are so miserably oppressed, is the despisyng of God's word, and the wicked and dissolute manner of living that is used among them that profess Christ by mouthe, but live Muhammad in deed.

Now let us consyther again, by what means the christen public, weal may be repared & brought again unto the pristine beauty and old glory, that we having the victory of all our enemies may with one accord sing perpetual praises to y ^e name of our Lord God. AMEN.

To obtain the victory of our enemies, what than is to be done? Shall we prepare us innumerable thousands of strong and valeas • t warryours? shall we make us strēg Castels, mighty Bulwarks, inu •• cible fortresses, gorgeous charettes fears gunnes, well casting bows, swyft arrows, sharp speres, great pollaxes, courageous horses, with other things innumerable, y ^• pertain unto martial affairs? How weak & unable theyse things are to get the victory of our enemies, y ^• holy scriptures show in diverse places. Howe puyssaunt was Holofernes and incomparable in martial affairs? what wanted he that should help any thing at all to get the victory? What may be named, that he failed concerning the pollecy of war? What Prince in the world thought himself of sufficient puissaunce and strong enough to enter battle with him? He had such affiaunce in his martial armors that he thought, he might lyghe upon his one side, and get the victory. But howe little all his valeaunce & strength profytted him, the scriptures show evidently, which teache y ^• by one woman he was not only destroyed, but also all his army put to flyghte. So little do all the pollecies and feats of men's brains avail where the help of God wantethe.

What shall I speak of that arrogant and proud tyraunte Sennacherib, which gloried so much in his martial valeaunce & strong power in matters of war, that he despised & blasphemed the living God, thynkyng himself able enough to subdu and overcome so many, as he should war with all, though God himself toke parte against him? But to what point came all his proud crakes? What did all his martial armors & weapons of war profytte him? Dyd not God in one night send his Angel, and slew of that tyrants company a great sort of thousands, in so much that that arrogant king of the Astyrians returned back with shame enough, & shortly after was slain even of his own sons?

Let these two Histories suffice to show howe little affiasice is to be reposed in human strēgthes & martial affairs. Verily except y ^e Lord bylde y ^e house, he laboreth in vain that byldeth it. Excepte the Lord keepeth y ^e citte, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it. A king shall not be saved, saith David, by his own great hoost, neither shall a gyaunt be holpen in the abundance of his strength. A horse is but a deceauable thing to save a man, it is not y ^e power of his strength that can deliver him. Behold the eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear him, and put their trust in his mercy, that he may deliver their souls from death, & norysh them in the time of hunger. Solomon also saith, The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but the Lord giveth the victory. The Psalmograph saith agen, some put their trust in charettes and some in horses, but we will caull upon the name of our God. They are brought down & fallen, but we are risen and stonde right up like men.

Here se we that all the pollecies of war, that the wyttes of men can invent, are but vain, and of them selves not able in ony point to get the victory. What shall we than say? Are the armors of war to be neglected? Are the pollecies for obtaynynge of victory to be despised? Is no provision to be made for the conseruacion of the Christian public weal, but let all things run at havoc, as careless swine, chance what chaunie will? God forbid. we may not attempt God by ony means. A Prince shall imagine those things that are worthy a Prince, saith the Prophet Isaiah, & he shall stonde over his captaynes. Every Prince therefore ought with all diligence & pollecy to provide all things that should conserve & keep his Realm in safe estate, and free from the danger of such as would invade their dominiō, and every subject ought not only to be contented freely & willingly to render up his goods to his Kyng and Prince for the prosperous maintenance of y ^e kingdom, wherein he is inhabited, but also with a glad heart to bestow his very life for the safeguard of the same, which thing the very Gentiles never disdained to do, but recounted thē selves than most happy, whan they might most of all both bestow their goods and their life also for y ^• health of their native country, as we read in diverse histories. And in this point, I mean for all things, that should conserve and keep this Realm of Englonde safe and free from the invasion and danger of our enemies, what king dome in the world is to be compared unto this English Empire? Howe hath our most puyssaunte and redoubted Kynge fortressed this his most floryshyng Monarchye, Empire and kingdom with all things that ony man can inuēt for the prosperous conseruacion of a commonweale? Never was there Prince, y ^t toke like pains for the safeguard of his cominalte. Never was there father, that so greatly watched for y ^• health of his son, as he doth for ours. To moche ingrate, ungentle & vnthāckefull is he, that doth not agnise and knowledge the vnmeasura ble kyndenes of this most excellent Prince. If this title Pater patriae might lawfully at ony time be ascribed unto ony temporal rulare, certes to our moste victorious Prince it is most of all due & convenient. For he is a very right & true father to this our country of Englonde, as his moste godly acts and virtuous enterprises do manifestly show every day more and more. We read that Augustus the Emperor, whē he had both garnished very pleasātly and fortressed very strongely the City of Rome, so y ^• so moche as lay in his power he had made it safe & sure against all insultes and invasions of enemies for many years after his time, was wont reioysyng of his act to say, Romā lateritiam acce • i, marmoream relinquo. That is to say, I toke Rome made of tyles, but I leave it of marble. How much more justly may our most bounteous Kyng say, I toke Englonde made of tyles, but I leave it of marble. If ony Realm therefore may rejoice & repose their affiaunce in martial armors & all kind of fortresses, that make unto the safe preseruaciō thereof, surely we English mē have most just occasion to give God thanks for them, seeing that we above all other nations unto our great consolacion and the utter consternacion of our enemies are most opulently enryched with them thorough y ^e godly provision and divine policy of our most redoubted Kynge. But what, shall we fly unto them, as unto an holy Anchore and invincible Bulwark, whan the fierce tumul • te and cruel noise of wars begin • neth to rise up among us, and repose our whole affiaunce in them? God forbid. For as weapons apt for war are not to be neglected, & as all kind of pollecies, that may conserve the public weal, are to be proved, so is not y ^e trust of a christen mā to be put in thē, as though our safeguard or deliverance did depend on them. For the scripture saith, A king shall not be saved by his own great hoost, nether shall a gyaunt • e holpen in the abundaūs of his own strength. &c. Notwithstandyng we must prepare all things, and with a lusty and valeaunt courage go unto the wars evē as though there were no hope of victory, but of our own strength only, yet must all our whole affiaunce be reposed in the mighty strength of our Lord God, and look for y ^• victory at his hand only, nothing doutyng, but that he will fight for us, & give us the ouerhand of our enemies, if we enter bartell for a just & godly cause. For it is god only, that giveth over their enemies into the hands of his people. It is God that fyghteth. We & all y ^e ever we bring, are but instruments & means, where by God subdueth our adversaries unto us, even as bread and meat are but means only, whereby God fedeth us. It is God that is the victorious and triumphant champion as Solomon, saith, The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but the Lord giveth the victory. Note that he saith, the Lord giveth the victory.

Howe came it to pass that y ^• Israelites gat y ^e upper hand of their enemies so often? By their own valeafice? Na verily, but by y ^e strēgthe of God's power. The Lord thy God saith Moses, shall go before the. He shall put away all these nations in thy sight, and thou shalt possess them. Go to it therefore manfully, & take a good heart unto you. Fear ye not, nor be not once adrad at the sight of thē, for y ^e Lord thy God, he is thy captain and gyde, & he will not leave nor forsake the Agen, how came it to pass, y ^• one chased a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flyght, but that their God sold thē & the Lord snarled them. For our God is not as their GOD. Also in another place, Happy art thou, O Israel, who is like unto the? A people that art saved by the Lord. He is thy shylde & helper, he is y ^e sword of thy glory. And thyn enemies shall hyde the mselues from the and thou shalt walk vpō their high hylles.

How chaunsed it, that the noble captain Joshua had so many victorious cōquestes over his enemies? What saith y ^e scripture, The Lord God of Israel did fight for him. But let us hear what God said unto him, Aryse and go over this Jordan, thou and all the people with the into the Iond, which I shall give to the children of Israel. All the pla • ces that the soles of your feet shall tread vpō, will I give you. Agen, be not afraid of thē, for tomorrow about this time will I deliver all thy enemies slain in the sight of Israel, and thou shalt hough their horses, & burn their charettes with fire.

Moreover after the death of Io • sua, the children of Israel asked the Lord, who should go up first unto the Canaanites to fight against thē. The Lord auuswered, Judah shall go up, behold I have delivered the londe into his hendes: Mark that it is said, y ^e Lord delivered y ^e lond into his hands. So that it is God that giveth the victory. Who gave the victory of their enemies unto y ^• Israe •• e., whan Othoniel, Ahod, Sange • , Delbora, Barach, Gede • o, I • pte, Samson. &c. reygned, but y ^e Lord only, as it appeareth by the histories. How wonderful is y ^e history of Gedeō, as I may let pass y ^• other & no less manifest & evident to show, that God alone giveth the victory and not the strength and pollecy of ony man, be it never so valeaūt and subtle. The Midianites which came to fight against Gedeō and his company, had in their army an hundred & five and thyrty thousand valeaūt men, which lay along in y ^• valey like greshoppers ī multitude and their camels were without noneber, even as the sand by y ^• sea side. Gideon bringeth only with him a company of two & thyrty thousand, and yet of these God commanded him to put away all except three hōdred. His words were, these: The people that are with the, are to many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel make their boast unto my dishonor, and say, our own hand hath saved us. And whan there were of Gideon's company xxii. M departed, so that there abode w ^t him only ten thousand, God said once again unto him, the people are yet to many.

The conclusion was, that all went their way besides three hundred, & by them only thorough his mighty power did God give the Midianites into Gideon's hands, so that of them that were slain of the Madi anites, were an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew swerdes. O wonderful victory. O the mighty & stretched out hand of god O the valeaunce of this our Lord God, which is almyghty and full of puyssaunce to defend and save his servants. Here se we this to be true y ^• one shall chase away a thousand, & that two shall put ten thousand to flyght. Hereto pertaynethe the saying of king Asa, which pray • ed to God on this manner. O Lord it is all one with the, whither thou helpest in few or in many. Help us o Lord our God. For we hauyuge our whole affiaūce and trust in the and in thy name become against this multitude. Thou art y ^• Lord our God, let no man therefore prevail against the. And according to his prayer God gave him y ^• victory and made the black Mores to fly and so were destroyed.

Furthermore who gave Jehoshaphat the victory over the Moabites and Ammonites, but God alone? Dyd not he in his prayer speak on this manner unto God? In us, oh Lord there is not so great strength, y ^• we may be able to resist this great company, that commethe against us. But whan we know not what to do, than have we none other refuge nor succor, but only to lyft up our eyes to the. God therefore straightways stored up Iazi • l the son of Zacharias, which said, Herken all Judah, & ye that dwell in Ierusalē, and thou king Jehoshaphat also, thus saith the Lord unto you. Be not afeard nor faynte hearted by the reasō of this great multitude. For the war is not yours, but God's. It shall not be you that shall fight, only step ye forth boldly, and stonde to it like men, and ye shall se y ^• help of the Lord upon you. O ye of Judah & Jerusalem fear ye not, nor let not your hearts fail you. To morrow ye shall go forth against them, & the Lord shall be with you. The king him self also said whan they went forth unto battle, Beleue in the Lord your God, and so shall ye be without all jeopardy. Beleue his Prophettes, & all things shall be prospero{us} unto you. And according to all these things aforsayde came it to pass, so that Jehoshaphat & his company returned home with a glorio{us} victory, thorough the mean & puyssaunt power of God. Notwythstādynge when Jehoshaphat afterward joined frendshyp with Ochozias king of Israel, which was a wicked doer, & coupled him self with him to make shyppes to go into Charlis for gold, and seemed by this means both to have his mind estranged from God, & his affiaunce reposed in mortal amite, God deceived him of his purpose, brought his enterprises unto none effect, so that his shyppes were broken on such sort, that they ware not able to go unto Charsis.

What shall I speak of the noble and triumphant victories, which God gave to Hezekiah, Judith, Esdras, Judas Machabe{us}, Ionathas, Simon. &c?

Thus se we that it is God y ^• fighteth for his people, subduethe their enemies, and giveth them the victory, & that without his aid, help & socour, all is but vain & frustrate, what so ever man inuenteth of his own carnal brain, seme it never so polletyke and wise. Cursed be he, saith Jeremiah, that maketh flesh his arm, & whose heart departeth from the Lord. But blessed is that man that trusteth in the Lord, & whose hope the Lord him self is. For he shall be as a tree that is planted by the water side, which spreadethe out the root unto moystenes, so that ne neadethe not to fear whan the heat commethe, and his le • ues shall be grene. &c. Woe be unto thē, saith the Prophet Isaiah, that go down into Egypt for help & trust in horses, & comfort them selves in charettes because they be many, and in horse mē, because they be lusty and strong, and have not put their confidence and trust in the holy one of Israel. Agayne, what presūpciō is this that y ^u trustest unto? Or by what council or strength dost thou determine to go to war? upon whom dost thou trust, seeing y ^• castest thyself of frō me? Lo, thou puttest thy trust in a brokē staff of rede, I mean Egypt, which he that leaneth vpō, it goeth into his hand & shu • teth him thorough. The Lord is our captain, y ^e Lord is our law gyuer, the Lord is our king, he it is that shall save us. For he giveth strength to the weary one, & power unto the faint. Chyldren are weary & faynte, & the strongest men • aull like weakelynges, but they y ^e trust in the Lord, shall be endued with strength. They shall have wings like Aegles, they shall run & not • aull, they shall walk & not be weary Fear not, saith God, for I am w ^t the. Turn not once back for I am thy God. I have made the strong, & I have holpen the, & the right hand of my righteous one hath takē the. Behold all they shall be confounded & ashamed, that fight against the. Yea they shall be, as though they were not, & the mē shall perish, that once speak against the &c. I will go before the, & bring down the proud & arrogant of the earth. The brazen doors will I break & burst the iron bars. And I will give the, y ^• hyd treasures, & the thing which is secretly kept, that thou mayst know that I am the Lord. The vnryghteous shall perish at one clappe, as David saith, & the remnauntes of the ungodly shall utterly be destroyed, but the health of the righteous is of the Lord, & he is their defēder in the time of trouble. The Lord shall help them & deliver them, he shall set them free from the wicked, yea he shall save thē in deed, because they have put their trust in him. Agen, the Lord is my light & my health, whom then shall I fear? The Lord is y ^e defender of my life, for whom than shall I be afraid? Whā the wicked came unto me for to eat my flesh, they that wrought me ony woe, and were myn enemies, stōbled & fell, so that now although an hoost of men were laid against me, yet shall not my heart be afraid. And though there rose up war against me, yet will I put my trust in him, God himself also saith by the Psalmograph, for asmoche as he hath trusted in me, I will deliver him, yea I will defend him, seeing he hath known my name. He cried unto me, & I will favorably hear him. I am with him in tribulaciō I will deliver him & glorify him. I will replenyshe him withe longe life, and at the last I will show him my saving health.

All the scriptures heretofore rehearsed declare evidently that God alone is the mighty helper, & that he only it is, which giveth the victory of their enemies to his people, that is, to so many as believe & trust in him, and that without him all hymayne industry, labor wit, conueyaunce, pollecy. &c. are of none effect, yea rather hurteth than profytteth, hyndereth then furdereth, destroyeth than sauethe. Blyssed is that londe, which hath God their merciful Lord & puyssaunt defender. For they shall prosper in all things, and what so ever they shall take in hand, shall undoubtedly come unto good effect, nether shall ony mā be he never of so great baleaunce, might, strength, puyssaunce and power, be able to do them ony harm. If God be on oursyde, who is able to prevail against us, as the holy Apostle Paul saith?

But it will be demanded peradventure, how God may be made so merciful, that he will give us y ^e victory of our enemies. I answer by our unfeigned conversion from wickedness unto true godliness. We heard b • fore that all the plages that God casteth upon us, whither they be battle, hunger, pestilence or ony other, chance unto us for our sinful & abhominable living, where w ^t God is so greatly provoked unto anger: Agayne, that he will not cease thus to plage us, if he loveth us, until we earnestly repent & studiously amende our life. If he seeth, y ^t none amendment will follow his correccion, yet will he go forth still to ponyshe us, and never cease until he hath rooted us & our memory out of the earth, because his holy name may be no more blasphemed among the Hethen thorough our wickedness and abomination. Your misdedes saith Isaiah, have separated you frō your God, & your sins have hid̄ his face from you, that he should not hear you. For your hands are defiled with blood▪ & your fingers with unrighteousness. Your lips speak leasynges, & your tongue setteth out wickedness. No man regardeth righteousness, no man judgeth truly Every man hopeth in vain things, & imaginethe deceate, conceaueth werynes & bringeth forth evil. They brede cockatrice eggs, & wea • e the spyders web, who so ever eteth of their eggs dieth, but if one treadeth upon them, there cometh out a serpent. Theyr web maketh no cloth, nether can they cover thē with their labors. Theyr deeds are the deeds of wickedness, and the work of robhery is in their hands. Theyr feet run unto evil, & they make haste to shed innocent blood. Theyr councils are wicked councils, harm & destruction are in their ways, but y ^e way of peace they know not. &c And a little after, our offenses are many before the, O Lord, & our sins testify against us, yea we must needs confess that we offend, and knowledge that we do amiss, namely transgress & dissemble against the Lord, and fall away from our God, using presumptuous & traytorous imaginacions, & casting false matters in our hearts.

When the Lord saw this, it displeased him sore, y ^• there was nowhere ony equite. He saw also, y ^• there was no man, which had pity thereof, or was grieved at it. And he held him up by his own power, & cleued to his own righteousness. He putrighteousnes on hī for a breast plate & set y ^• helmet of health vpō his head. He put on wrath in stead o • clothing, & toke gelousy about him in stead of a cloke, like as whā a mā goeth forth wrothfully to recōpēce his enemies, & to be revenged of his adversaries, namely y ^• he might recō • ēs & reward y ^• ilādes, wherthorow y ^• name of the Lord might be feared frō y ^• risyng of y ^• son to the going down of y ^e son. For he shall come as a violent water stream, which the wynd of the Lord hath moved.

Hytherto have I rehearsed the words of the Prophet Isaiah, whereof we learn, that our wickedness is y ^• cause of God's wrath toward us, notwythstandyng if we cease from our iniquite, God will surely favor us, turn away his wrathefull displeasure, pardonne our sinful iniquity, forgive our wicked living, wype away our uncleanness, and be our mighty shelde & defender agēst all our enemies, as he saith in another place, youre hands are full of blood. Notwythstondyng wash you make ye clean, put away your evil thoughts out of my sight, cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek judge ment, help y ^e poor oppressed, deliver y ^• fatherless, defend y ^e wydow & come on your way, & reprove me, saith the Lord. If your sins be as red as scarlet, yet shall they be made as whyght as snow. And if they were like purple, yet shall they be like white wolle. Yea if ye will be contented and hear me, ye shall eat the good fruits of the earth. If ye will not but provoke me unto wrath, ye shall be devoured with y ^e sword, for thus hath the Lord promised with his own mouth, It is commonly said, saith God by y ^e Prophet Hieremy, if a man putteth away his wife, & she goeth from him, and marryethe another husbonde, shall he resort ony more unto her? Is not that woman than defiled & unclean? But as for the thou hast played the harlot w ^t many lovers, yet turn agen to me, saith the Lord, & I will receive the. Thou stynckynge Israel turn again, saith the Lord, and I will not turn away my face frō you, for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not be angry for evermore.

Thus se we y ^• though God doth plage us for our wickedness, yet if we repent & amende our sinful living, he will have mercy vpō us, & turn away his anger from us. For the Lord's hand is not so shortened, that it cannot help, nether is his ear so stopped, that it may not hear. To obtain therefore his favor, that he may fight for us, & get us the victory over our adversaries, the only & most next way is to redress our noughty manners, to walk in the pathwayes of his holy commandments & to do that, which he willeth us to do. So may we be sure thorough his divine valeaunce to subdue all our enemies, as he himself testifieth, saying: If ye walk in my commandments, & & keep my precepts, ye shall pursue your enemies, and they shall fall before you. Fyue of you shall chase an hundred strangers, and an hōdred of you shall put to flyght ten thousand. But if ye will not hear m • , but despise all my commandments, I will set my face agenste you, & ye shall fall before your enemies, & ye shall be subdued to them that hate you, yea ye shall fly, whan no man pursueth after you. For if we enter battle with our adversaries, & yet be polluted with sin, surely God will nether fight for us, nor yet w ^t us. God is not the captain of wicked & noughty people. He fightethe not for them y ^t embrace iniquite, but for such as seek after true godliness, pure innocency, & love to walk in his most holy commandments. To such as are transgressors of his holy word, & yet dare presume to enter battle, & to look for help at his hand, he saith, se y ^• ye go not up & that ye fight not, for I am not among you, unless ye be plagued before your enemies. If such fight, it shall chance unto them, as it did unto y ^• Israelites, which whā they had grievously offended God & disobeyed him would contrary to the commandment of God take upon thē to fight against the Amnorites, but for their disobedience, notwithstonding their mighty valeaunce & polletyke wisdom in martial affairs, they were chased away, kutte, hewed, & grievously slain. So shall it chance to the wicked and ungodly.

Joshua had a manifest promise made to him of God, that he should sudue the cananites, & enjoy their l • nde peasably, & that therefore he needed not to fear for to fight against them, yet notwythstondyng lost he at one time the field, & his mē were slain & put to flyghte for the sin of one man, which contrary to the commandment of God had takē of the excommunicate things. For the offens of him alone could not y ^• chyldrē of Israel stond before their enemies, for asmoche as God was not with them. If the sin of one man deserved so great vengeance that for his offense only many were slain & put to flyght, what shall we than say unto that army, which is replete with all kind of sin, as whoredom, fornicacion, adultrye, theft, tyranny, shedyng of innocent blood, sweryng, glotony, dronckenshyp. &c. How is it possible for them to prosper? How can God be among them to fight for thē & to give thē the victory? If we will subdue our enemies, we must seek all means possible to have God on our side. We may not only provide, that we scoore of the rust of our harnes that it be clean, but that we also put out of our breasts the rusty & filthy sins, that have cankered our souls so long, & so become pure and clean. For what is the cause that our battles do but lytyll prosper many times, but only that we be sinful, & God is angry with us? Could that Nerolyke tyrant the great Turk have subdued so moche of Christendom, if we had lived according to our profession? Na verily, our sins have gotten him so many victories. Our wickedness hath made us captive & thraull to his tyranny. Let us look what sin reigneth among us, & let us utterly wype y ^• out, so shall we prosper against the violence of our enemies.

It was not without a cause, y ^• God, after Acā the son of Carmi, of whom I spake before, had transgressed his holy precept by taking of the excommunicate goods, commanded Joshua, that he should sanctify the people, & • yd thē sanctifye them selves before they went ony more to battle, & kill him, which had so transgressed against the Lord. For whā that was done, they prosperred tryumphantly ever after in all their wars, & God gave their enemies into their hands, & they enjoyed the lond in peasable possession. Although this sanctifyeng of y ^e Israelites did consist in external ceremonies, as in wasshyng, purgyng & c • ensynge them from the fylthynes of both their bodies & garments, & in abstaining from the company of their wives, yet shadoweth it to us also our manner of sāctifyēg, which is spiritual. It requireth of us that we should purge our selves of all iniquity, wash away the fylthynes of

Here God commaūdeath that the hoost should keep them selves free f • ō all wickedness. The cause is this. For the Lord is among you, saith he. God is pure, therefore must y ^• hoost be pure, that cometh to b • ttell in his name. God is without all sin therefore must his warryours detest nothing more thā sinful wickedness. God hateth y ^e works of darkness therefore must his Soldiers abhor the works of darkness, and have a pleasure to walk as y ^• children of light. Agayne, he declareth howe pure & free from all uncleanness the hoost ought to be, seeing he would have them so clean & honest in those things that chance naturally If God cannot abide the pollucions, which chance in the night time, howe moche less can he away with whoredom & adultery. If God will have such purite shown in things which corporal necessity c • pelle. • us to do, is it to be thoght y ^• he will admit ony thing, y ^• is d ••• cotrary to his commandment, as theft, tyranny, swearing, droncke • hyp, glotony quarellyng. &c? God walketh in the hoost of his Seruauntes, therefore ought they to be pure & free from all uncleanness, leest God turneth from thē, & so altogether go to havoc. But alas it chanceth contrary w ^t us now a days. For whan they, y ^t profess Christ, should go unto the wars, they prepare them selves after a more wicked manner, than the Hethen do. For the Hethen come so berly together, cōsulte sagely of thi ges that shall most auaunce y ^• prosperous state of the public weal, set all things in a goodly stey in their Bealme appoint certē wise & prudent rulars to govern their lands in the mean season, exhort so many as tarry at home to live well, & with all instans and hearty means to pray unto the God's for them, that they may have fortunate success ī their wars & return home again as noble conquerors with victorious triūphe. This done they prepare them selves soberly & prudently unto y ^• wars, ever having respect to an honest & innocent manner of living, that their gods by no means may be displeased with thē, & diligently calling on y ^e name of their God's both day & night for help & strength against their enemies. Thus go they unto y ^e battle, as mē ready to give their lives for the heal the & safeguard of their country, being desirous of nothing but only to defend their Empire, and to enlarge the bounds and limites thereof.

Howe Christian men prepare thē selves unto the wars, it is more open than it need here to be expressed. As I may speak nothing of such as go with an evil will unto the battle. What a number goeth there only to pycke, steal, rob, & that they may come home again well ladē with spoils & robberies? Howe little respect have they unto the conseruacion & defense of their native country, so that their packes may be well enfarsed, laden and stuffed? What dysyng, cardyng, and all kind of volupteous royot is used among them? What dryncking, gullynge, quaffynge & superfluous banckettyng do they use? What manacyng, brawlyng, chydyng, & fyghtyng is heard & seen daily among them? What whoredom is there committed among them? What maid escapeth vndefloured? What wife departeth unpolluted, as I may ad nothing here unto? What abhominable swearing is used among thē? How is God rent and torn among them by unlawful oaths? How desirous are they to shed blood, and to make havoc of altogether?

The rapacite of wolves, the violence of lions, the fearsenes of tygres, is nothing in comparison of their furious & cruel tyranny, & yet do many of thē this, not for the safeguard of their country (for so might it seme the more tolerable) but for to satisfy their bocherlyke affects, to boast another day, of howe many men they have been the death, & to bring home the mo prays, y ^• they may live the fatter ever after for those spoils and stolen goods.

As concerning the inuocacion & calling on the name of God, it is so far out of remembrance, that many of them do not so much as once think or dream of it. Howe is it possible, that these wars should prosper, where there is no regard of god, no respect to honest no desire of mutual concord, no endeuoure employed to make God merciful unto us. Surely these warryours had need to sanctify them selves, or else they be not defēders but destroyers of the common weal, for y ^e safeguard whereof they will seme to fight For be their valeaunce & might never so strong, yet can they not prosper, if God blysse not their labors as we heard before. It is therefore expedient, that they which shall prepare them selves unto battle, and offer their lives for the wealth of their country, sanctify them selves, I mean, expurge and put away all uncleanness, & wicked behavior both of body and mind, and so appoint them selves in every condition, as though the time were come, y ^• even now they should depart out of this world, and render an accounts of their life here spent.

They may not go unto y ^• wars, as tyraūtes, whose hearts imagine miscefe, whose mouths breath manslaughter, whose words boast lyonlyke crudelite, whose hands de syre to be embrued w ^t blood, whose feet are swyfte to run unto evil, whose deeds bring to pass final destrucciō, but as charitable parsons, which (if the love of their country did not provoke them unto it, for whose wealth even by the commandment of God and the law of nature they are bound to give their lives) would by no means break the bond of Christian amite with no man, but rather suffer moche in jury, than they would be once at displeasure with ony man. But in as much as they are first provoked ye and that unworthily, seeing also it is no private injury, but a common wrong to invade ony Realm, and to disturb the inhabitauntes thereof, therefore they come now in the name of God unto battle, not for their own cause, but for the cōseruacion of the public weal, that they enioyenge peace & tranquilite forever after, may the more freely praise God, and live according to his most holy word.

Moreover all the time of y ^• wars it shall be necessary, y ^t they keep thē selves so pure, as they can, and by no means have ony felloweshyp w ^t the unfruitful works of darkness, but apply them selves unto the fruits of the sp • rite that they may remain in the favor of God, and have him their mighty captain.

Let thē that can read whā they have cōuen •• t leisure, rede the ho • y Scriptures. chefely such histories as declare the omnipotency and almighty power of God, which he hath shown to his servants in times past by giving them the victo ry over their enemies, & let thē conceive a sure faith in their hearts thereof, & nothing doubt, but that he will be that same puyssaūt Lord to them, if they walk according to his word, that he in times past was to the other. For he is still a Lord of that same puyssaunce & strength. Let them that cannot rede, herken to them that do rede, and give undoubted & earnest faith thereunto.

It would help much unto true godliness for to have faithful preachers also among y ^• soldiers in y ^• time of wars, which might declare unto them the fear of God, exhort them unto virtue, move thē unto the true confidence in God's help, encourage them manfully to fight, when time requireth, & show them howe honest & godly a thing it is to ieoparde their life for y ^• wealth of their country, which of all deaths y ^• very Ethnyckes recoūted most glorio{us}, & of highest renown.

It is also very necessary, that the Soldiers give them selves unto fervent prayer, & desire y ^• help of God with most humble supplicacions, that he will be their mighty shelde & defense, but chefely whā the time cometh, that they must enter battle with their enemies. Let them than with one mind caull upon God, desire his help, & pray that for his mercies sake he will strengthen them, yea fight for thē, be their captain, & give them the victory of their adversaries, y ^t they returning home again like valeaunt conquerors, may sing perpetual praises to his most blessed and holy name.

This done, let them go to fight valeauntly, having their whole affiaunce reposed in God alone, and in his mighty help. Yet let them so fight, as though the victory did only depend of their own strēgthes wyttes and pollecies. Let them not despair, but take a good heart unto them, being perfectely persuaded that God is on their side, and will surely help them. But if they should die, seeing that their cause is lawful, just and righteous, seeing also they fight not for their own private cōmodite, but for the wealth of an whole Realm, let thē not doubt, but that their death is precio • s in the sight of God, & therefore they may be sure for this mortal life to receive a life of immortalite full of eternal joy & glory.

Therefore let them not once fear, but step unto it with a lusty & valeaunt courage, come their life, or come their death.

Thus moche have I spoken concerning the Soldiers and them that shall fight for the safeguard of the country, that they may know howe to behave them selves y ^t God may be on their side, and return home again with a glorious and triumphant victory.

Now it remaineth to show how they shall behave thenselves y ^• remain & tarry at home, unless the valeaunce & godly behavior of y ^e Soldiers do not profytte so moche, as our wicked & dissolute manner of living should hynder & hurt. For howe can GOD be in our army and fight for us, if we be wicked & ungodly? If we therefore will have prosperous success in our wars, we must first so lay aside all vngod lines, that there may appear nothing in us, whereby God may be displeased. For God will only fight for them, that are pure, clean, faithful, charitable, modeste, merciful, benign, honest, lovers of their country, haters of discord, seakers of peace, maynteners of amite &c. The other he refuse the, & knowledgethe thē not for his people, nether will he fight for them. We must therefore repent us of our old wicked manners, take upon us a new life, if we will have God on our side in y ^• battle. Lette every man consider his fault, wherein he knoweth himself gylty, and quickly put it away frō him. Let no man be quycke sighted in other men's faults, and stōne blind in his own. Let all mē seek howe they may best please God.

For the strōgest Bulwark & most invincible fortress that cā be made for the safeguard of the country, is to live well. If ony domage chaūceth to the country, our wickedness is cause thereof. And as I may speak my mind freely, certes it doth much grieve me, to behold the iniquity of the world, & to se how virtue is set aside, I had almoost said, set at naught.

What shall I speak of the familiare cōmunicacion & daily talk, y ^• is used among y ^• Christians? What other thing do we hear in thē thā cursynges, bannynges, backebytynges, blasphemies, evil reports, wanton words, idle tales, unclean communicaciō. &c? Of their thoughts God shall judge, but their deeds are so manifest, that every man may easily judge the tree by the fruit, & the lyon by his paws.

Howe little do many civil magistrates regard the public affairs of the cominalte, so that their cofers may be enryched, & they live in all wealth and pleasure?

Now little do many lawyers tender the pytiefull complaint & righteous cause of the poor oppressed? Howe like gaping wolves do many of thē inhiate & gape after wicked mammon, so that whosoever bringeth most money, is most allowed, & hath the law most on his side, in what so ever case the matter stōdethe, be it right or wrong? Howe long also do they suffer the cause committed unto them to hange in the law, before ony judgment can be given, or final determinacion had & all to poll and pyll the poor men, and utterly to empouerysh them, so that thorough their deceatfull craft & covetous mind, the simple people are beggared, their wives and children brought unto extreme misery, and set in such case, that they are never after able to help thē selves nor their neighbors, nor yet to profit y ^e public weal of their country. O gapyng wolves. O rāpynge lions. O insatiable dogs. O crafty foxes.

What craft, deceate, subtilite, & falsehood use merchants in byyng & selling? Howe rejoice they, whan they have begyled their christē brother? What a sport have they, to deceive a simple hobbe and plain fellow of the country? How fair do they speak to his face, & lowte him behind his back? How false & sleyghtye wares do they utter for true and good?

The other men of all occupaciōs use like craft and subtilite. Fewe walk vpryghtely. All give their mind to covetousness. No man studieth to serve the public weal w ^t their science, as they are bound to do. All seek their own profit and not that which is Jesus Christ's. Where is y ^• christen charity become, which seakethe not her own? Let no man seek his own, saith saint Paul, but the profit of other.

Howe do many Gentyll mē not only get into their hands other mennes lands and tenements, y ^t they may live like Lord's alone in a town, and yet keeping slender houses and hongry hospitalite, but also after such sort let out their lōdes to other, yea and that for so high a price, as they were never wont to be ī times past, ī so much y ^• they which hire thē, are utterly beggared & redact to extreme pouerte? By this means is the galant pomp & lascivious pleasures of Gentyll men mayntened, but the poor fermers are greatly empouerished, hospitalite is decayed, releuynge of the poor people is utterly laid aside, the common wealth is miserably oppressed, penury, scarsenes & dearth of all things is brought into y ^• Realm. Few are able to help their Prince, whā need requirethe. No man is able to set forth his child unto learning, whereby it is come to pass, that such blind ignorancy, and rude Chaos of ba • barous and rusticall manners reynge now in the world universally. These things desire are dress, God grant it may come to pass shortly.

What shall I speak of certē rich and greedy cormorauntes, those locustus and caterpyllers of the common weal, which, whan they have plenty of grayne and se abundance thereof reign among the people, are greatly grieved thereat, and do not only not sel their own corn to maintain the cōmodide of y ^e poor but also by other men's grayne, & hoorde it up, until they have made a great dearth, and than, scarsenes of corn being in every place, bring they forth their grayne & sell it unto the utter empoueryshment & extreme vndoynge of the poor cominalte. O cruel murderers and vn merciful bloudsoupers. The wys • man saith, the bread of the needy is the life of the poor, he that defraudeth him of it is a mansleare. Solomon also saith, Who so hooredeth up his corn, shall be cursed among the people, but blyssynge shall lyghten upon their heads, that sell it. How can these devouring caterpyllers than escape the vengeance of God, that hangeth over their heads, seeing they esteem more their own private filthy lucre, than the wealth of so great a multitude? God mought once quench their outrageous insatiable thyrst of covetousness, & give thē grace to use his gifts unto the profit of the Christian people.

As touching the common byers & sellers & barga yne makers, what false swerynge, crafty i • glynge and deceatfull gyle do they use among them, that they may beg • le their christen brothers? How little is this cammaundement of S. Paul observed among them? Let no mā go to far and defraud his brother in bargaynyng, for the Lord is a venger of all such things. Dothe not he think him self most wise, y ^• can most deceive his neighbor? Here is a wonderful charity and an hearty neyghbourhoode.

As I may come to y ^e grosser sins what whoredom reigneth there now a days? Howe little is honorable wedlock esteemed? Howe many wyncke, I will not say, laughe at y ^• abhominable uncleanness, which not a few commytte at this time? Who careth though it be known, y ^• he hath lyghen with an whore all night and so defiled himself, men have so rubbed their forhedes now a days, and become past all shame, so little ponyshment also is there ap pointed for this filthy abomination? I would whoredom were not grown up into such boldness, that it dare compare with holy matrimony for pleasant & easy living. I would stynckyng fornicaciō were not so had in price, that it were preferred above honorable wedlock. I would there were not, which, whā they have wrought wickedness, glory, rejoyse, and boast of it unto the evil example of other.

What shall I speak of false witness bearers, which for a little money or for hatred borne toward the parsō, are ready straightways to give false evidence, yea and to be sworn also that it is true, whan nothing is more false? So that by their unjust and false witness bearing, the innocent is wrongfully condemned, & the wicked hath the vppermoost hand. Thorowe such is much innocent blood also oftentimes shed. O pitefull case. O lamentable chaūse Would God all false witness bearers were handled according to the commandment of God, Deutronomy, the .xix. Salomō saith, A false witness shall not escape vnponyshed, and he that speaketh lies, shall perish.

I let pass manslaughter, theft, glotony, surfetyng, dronckeshyp, dysyng, cardyng, quarellyng, with an whole see of euels mo, which at this day reign in the world. Do not all these things provoke God unto anger, and make him displeased with us? Howe can God be in our army, and make the wars to prosper, seeing that they for whom the battle is, are wicked and replete w ^t all sin and abhominaciō? Certes this our iniquity must he redressed, it we will have God merciful unto us, & blysse our endeavours in martial affairs.

But as I may leave of to speak of gross and corporal vices, & turn my communicacion unto spiritual matters, what shall we say unto y ^• Idolatry, supersticiō, false worshypipyng of God, confidence in ceremonies, trust in popish pardons, gaddyng on pilgrimage, gyldyng of images, setting up of candelles, &c, which reign yet in diverse places of the world? What a sort of idle mōstruous sects also are there yet noryshed in many Realms under the pretexte of holiness, which do nothing but like greedy cormoraūtes devour the painful labors of other men's hands?

Moreover howe slack almooste universally are the curates & spiritual sheppardes to do their office? Howe negligent are they to feed chri stes flock with the sincerite of gods word? How little do they esteem the souls of their parysheners (for whose salvation our Lord Jesus Christ disdained not to have his blessed body brokē and his precious blood shed) so y ^t they may devour the sat of the sheep, & gorgiously be clad with their wolle? Howe many of them daily hunt, hawk, fyshe, & what not, after spiritual promocions, and whan they have them, neglect their office, be absent frō their benefices, commit their cure to such unlearned priests, as can scasely judge between A and B? what a noneber also of them come unto their benefices, non per ostium sed aliūde, that is to say, not by the door Christ, nor for ony mind or love y ^t they have to the glory of God, and the salvation of christen mennes souls, but for the desire of filthy lucre, for an easy living for to be called master Parsonne, M. Vicar, M. Curate, M. Chaplen, &c? Howe lytyll liberalite do they show to paryshners? Howe longe is their hand in receiving, & short in giving? Howe wicked and abhominable is their living? Howe cold & little fervent are their prayers? Howe rare & seldom are their studies in the holy scriptures, wherein they are bound to be occupied both day and night? Are these fytte priests to stonde between the people & God to pacifye his wrath? Are these fit priests to make intercession for the sins of the people? Are these fytte priests to whom the flock of our Lord Jesus Christ should be committed? Our Lord be merciful unto us. Undoubtedly there is great scasenes of sheppardes, whan it is come to this point that wolves must have the cure & charge of sheep. I fear moche that if this great absurdite be not redressed shortly, the flock of Christ shall be miserably spoiled, rent, torn and devoured. God send us once such sheppardes, as may feed his flock with godly doctrine and virtuous living.

Agayne to whom is it vnknowē, what dissension reigneth among y ^• Spiritualte & Temporalte, as they are called, now a days in many places? Seldom doth the one report well of the other. The lay man hateth the priest, the pressed again bur nethe not in charity. The lay man thyncketh all y ^t ever the priest hath, is to moche, seeing he taketh so little pain in setting forth God's word and in doing his duty. The priest agen thyncketh all to lytyl, though he may dispende hondreds yearly, and do naught for it. Wyll this commandment of GOD by his holy Apostle never be looked upon & earnestly put in execucion? Qui non laborat, non manducet. He that labourethe not, ought not for to eat. Certes until the priests be more seriously bent to love God and his word, to preach the Gospel of Christ, & to live according to their office, they shall never be esteemed nor regarded among the people, but hated, contemned, and detested. Let the priests remember the saying of God the father by his Prophet, & take hede betymes: Seynge therefore thou haste refused knowledge, I will refuse the, so y ^e thou shalt no more be my pressed. Agayne by the Prophet Malachi, The lips of a pressed shall keep knowledge, and at his mouth shall men require the law, for he is a messanger of the Lord of hoostes. But as for you, O ye priests, ye are gone clean out of the way, and have caused ma ny to be offended at the law. Ye have broken the couenaūt of Leuy, saith the Lord of hoostes. Therefore have I made you to be despised, & to be of no reputaciō among all the people, because ye have not kept my ways, but been parcial in the law.

Here may all men se why priests are so little regarded at this day, verily because they hate knowledge keep not y ^e ways of our Lord God, nor endeuoure them selves to feed Christ's flock with God's most blessed word. If they will therefore be had agē in price & reverent estimation, as it is convenient, let thē cast away their old manners, shine as the light of the world, savor as y ^• salt of the earth, love God and his word, preach Christ's Gospel purely, meditate in the law of the Lord both day and night, dissuade no mā from reading the holy scriptures, exhort all men unto pure innocence, and a christen state of living, & above all things be the very same unto the people in deed, that they profess in word. So shall they recover their old dignity, and be had in honor of all mē. Yea so shall y ^• lay men have them in reverence as true spiritual fathers, give them double honor, minister unto them abundauns of all things, receive them as an Aungel of God, yea as Christ Jesus himself, and be ready at all times evē to dygge out their eyes to do them pleasure, as Saint Paul writeth.

Furthermore now that y ^• light of God's word is come abroad amog diverse nations, how vnthanckefully is it receued? How many wynke and spear their eyes, because they will not se it? Howe many are obstinately blind? What a number is there, that had rather walk still in y ^e darkness of men's tradicious, thā in y ^• glorious light of gods truth? Yea I would there were not, y ^• perse cute this open verite of God's word their conscience bearing witness y ^• they do evil, and condemning thē for so doing. This is the condemnaciō, saith Christ, that light is come into the world, and men have looked darkness rather than light. For their works were evil. Everyone that doth evil, hateth the light, nether comethe he unto the light, because his works should not be reproved. But he that workethe the truth, cometh unto the light, that his works may be perceived, that they are done by God.

Another sort of people there are which receive God's word at the first entrance very joyfully, and make moche of it, showing them selves so fervent, that they will seme to be ready for to give their lives for it. But full soon is their hot love cold. For whā they se that the word of God fyghteth so manifestly with their wicked living, and condemneth their ambition. pride, covetousness, effeminate manners &c than are they weary of it, despise it, & caste it away, being loath that any man should meddle with all. Thā do they contemn the celestial Manna, & chose rather to be fed with the greasy flesh pots of Egypt. Thā fall they agen unto their old blindness, so that this common saying may well be verefyed of them: The dog is turned to his vomet again, and the sow that was was wasshed, to her wallowyng in the mire. Better had it been for thē not to have known the way of righteousness, thā after they have known it, to turn frō y ^• holy commandment givē to thē.

There be yet another sort of people, which desire to be called gospellers and earnest favorers of God's word, promisynge many things for the glory thereof, and yet in their conversation are they no less wicked, than the other be. They confess that they know God, but with their deeds they deny him, and are abhominable and disobedient, & unto all good works discommēdable. Thorow their iniquity the name of God is not glorified, but blasphemed and evil spoken of among the Hethen. Suche may be compared to that son, which promised his father, that he would work in his vyneyearde, and yet did not. But what do I? If I should go forth to declare the abhominable wickednesses that reign now in the world universally, I should never make an ende, though I had an hundred tongues and an hōdred mouths, as the Poet saith. All are fallen out of the right way, they are all together become unprofitable, there is none y ^t doth good, no not one.

Where such a wicked sort is at home, though the Soldiers be never so good and virtuous, howe can God fight for thē? If God had pleasure in wickedness, if God did love them y ^t work iniquity, I would than think in deed, y ^t God would be in our army, and fight for us. But seeing that he hateth all them that work iniquity, and destroyeth them that speak lies, & abhorrethe such as be deceatfull and desirous of bloudsheddynge, we may know right well, that except we amende our wicked manners, and repent us of our sinful living, we shall never obtain the victory over our enemies at the hand of God, with out whose help what cā prevail: If we do, surely it is givē us for the greater plage and destruction, that shall fall upon us hereafter, as many things are oftentimes given & granted to the wicked for their greater damnation. Therefore if we will go the right way to work, & have our Soldiers to prosper in the wars, let so many as tarry at home repent them of their wicked living, be sory for their offenses be wayle their misery, & take a new life upon them. Bryng forth fruits saith the Baptist, worthy of repentance. For every tree y ^t bryngethe not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and cast into the fire.

Let the civil Magistrates procure above all things the wealth of the poor cominalte. Let the lawyers do all things vpryghtely, and not the devour the poor oppressed. Let the merchants seek to live truly by their occupyeng, & not to be to great gayners. Let thē know that a christen man may not only serve his own, but also his neighbors necessity. Let the Gentyl mē be as fathers to y ^e poor people, that dwell in y ^c country by thē, and so let out their londes, that men may be able to live thereby, to maintain hospitalite, to set forth their children to learning, and to help to bear the charges of the comō weal whan time requireth. Let thē that be rich men, and have plenty of corn, not hoard it up, but gladly sel it to the other, that the needy may have whereof to live. Let such as be common byers and sellers & bargayne makers deal justly w ^t their christen brothers, and by no menes deceive them. Let them that have hitherto ben adulterers or unclean persons forsake their wicked living and learn to possess every mā his own vessel in holiness and honor. Let them that have been false witnesses in times past, testify y ^• truth ever after this. Let them that have used manslaughter, theafte, glotony, surfettynge, dronckeshyp, dysynge, cardynge, quarellynge or ony other vice, utterly forsake it, and become new men. Let the Idolaters leave their Idolatry, and learn to put their trust in the living and true God alone. Let them that be spiritual ministers and Curates, take hede unto them selves and to all the flock, whereof the holy ghost hath made them ouersears to rule the cōgregacion of God, which he hath purchased with his blood. Let thē be diligent to preach God's word to their pary shners, ever setting before their eyes this commaūdemēt of christ, pasce, pasce, pasce, feed, feed feed. S. Paul also saith, preach y ^• word, be fervent, be it in season or out of season. Improue, rebuke, exhort with all longe suffering and doctrine. If they be not able to preach them selves, let them get them coadiutors & fellowhelpers, or elles cannot they stond before God with honest and clear consciences. Woe be unto me, saith s. Paul, if I preach not the gospel. Agayne, Christ sent not me only to baptize, y ^t is to say, to minister the sacraments, but all so to preach the gospel. Let them also lead a godly life correspondent to their techyng. Let them be glad distributors of their goods to there poor paryshners. So shall it come to pass, that they shall be dere and well-beloved both of God and man.

Lette the lay men by no means hate the priests, nor the priests the lay men, but being of one mind, love one another fervently Let the lay man reverence the priest as his father let the priest again receive and joyfully take unto him the lay man, as his son. By this means shall much godly mutual love increase of both parties. Let thē that have hitherto spered their eyes at the light of God's word, open their eyes, cast away their blyndenes, be glad to receive the light of Christ's most blessed gospel, being assuredly persuaded, that otherwise they cannot be the children of saluaciō. Let them that in times past received God's word, and did caste it away afterward, lay hand on it once again, as Peter did, and be so earnest followers of it, that they neuermore slyde away. Lette them that will be counted Gospellers & seriouse mayntayners of God's truth provide, that their living may answer to their love, and that they may be the very same in work and truth, that they profess in word & tongue. So shall they add moche glory to the Gospel of Christ, and cause it the more feruētly to be embrased of all men.

If every man of every degree, will on this wise redress himself, his life and conuersaciō, & become a new man both in word & deed, howe can ony tyrant, be he Jew, Turk, Saracē, or ony other, overcome us? God is on our side, who can be against us? God fight the for us, who can than prevail? The battle is God's, howe can it than be lost?

Now after that we have changed our old manners and put on a new life, we must fall in hand with the other fruits of the spirit, chefely prayer and calling on the name of God. For thorough prayer we rede in the divine Histories, that many have prevailed against their enemies, and gotten the victory. The wise man saith, the name of the Lord is the most mighty & strong Bulwark, unto that doth y ^e righteous man fly and is holpen. Call upon me, saith God, in the day of thy trouble, and I will deliver the & thou shalt honor me. The scripture also saith, who so ever callethe on the name of the Lord, he shall be sa • e. Unto this name of our Lord God let us fly with continual and servant prayers. Let us lament and bewail our cause to his divine majesty. Lette us desire him to be our captain and valeaunt defender in our wars. And that we may be the more frāckely encouraged to go unto God for help, let us set before our eyes the histories of y ^• holy scriptures, which show howe greatly y ^• true and christen prayer hath helped̄ the people of God in times paste, to get the victory over their enemies.

Moses was assuredly both a very good and valeaūt captain of y ^• Israelites, and procured nothing more than there health and salvation yet notwithstanding whan Amelech came to fight against Israel, he went not forth straight ways with them unto battle, but toke w ^t him Aharō and Hur, and went up into the top of an hill and there prayed, appointing Joshua to be captain of the Israelites in his stead. He doubted not, but that he should do more good being absent with his prayers, than he should do being present with the martial armors, as it came to pass. For whā Joshua & his company began to fright against Amelech, who fought best, I pray you? By whose valeaūs was the victory gotten? By the Soldiers that were present in the battle, or rather by Moses, which was absent from it? Let us hear what the scripture saith: Whā Moses lyfted up his hands, Israel did overcome, but if he did let his hands down never so lytyll, than had Amelech y ^• better. Therefore whan Moses hands were weary, Aaron & Hur toke a stonne and put it under him, and he sat down theron. And Aaron and Hur steyed up his hands, the one on the one side, the other on the other side. And it cam to pass, that his hands were steadye until the Sōne was down. So that Joshua chased away Amelech and his people with the edge of the sword.

Joshua also that most victorious captain thorough prayer did not only overcome his enemies in the battle, but also caused the Son and the Moon to abide and stond still without ony remouyng for y ^• space of an whole day, until he was revenged of his enemies.

Whā y ^• Philistines came to fight against the Israelites, the children of Israel were greatly afraid of thē in as much that they came to Samuel and said, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he may save us out of the hands of y ^• Philistines. Samuel toke a young lamb, and offered it all together for a burnt offering unto the Lord, & cried unto y ^• Lord for Israel. And the Lord heard him. And it came to pass, that whā Samuel offered the burnt offering unto the Lord, the Philistines began to fight against Israel, but the Lord thondered a great thonder that same day upon the Philistines, and turmoiled thē that they were slain of the chyldrē of Israel, & so brought under, that they came no more into the coostes of Israel.

Agayne by prayer king Asa over came Zarach the Morian with all his army.

By prayer also his son Jehoshaphat valeauntly subdued the Moabites and Ammonites.

Item Hezekiah that most holy Prince thorough prayer overcame y ^e proud tyrant Sennacherib with all his hoost.

Dyd not the most virtuous womā Judith by prayer overcome Holofernes and his army?

By prayer Judas Maccabeus gat the victory over his enemies. But in two battles whē he should fight with Antiochus and prayed, not, he fled away. And when he did fight with Bacchiddes & Alcinus, he was slain because he did not pray as before. By prayer Ionathas, when all had forsaken him, except a few, obtained the victory.

Of these sewe histories it is evident & manifest how greatly y ^• true & christen prayer, that proceedeth frō a faithful and repentant barte, profyteth in the time of wars to obtain the victory of our adversaries. Unto prayer therefore as an holy anchore must so many as tarry at home fly incessantly, desyryng god for his son Jesus sake to have pity on us, to strengthen our army, to be our captain, to sight for us, to discō • yte our enemies, & to give us the victory. But these our prayers may not be cold, lasye, & only proceeding from the lips, but servant, earnest, & rysynge of the very effect of the heart. For to mumble with our lips, to bleate with our tongues, to roar with our throats, to shake our heads, to lift up our hands. &c. profyteth nothing at all, except the prayer cometh frō a • ayth full & repentant heart, as we may perceive by divers places of y ^e scripture, & as I have abundantly proved in my Pathwaye unto prayer. This people honor me with their lips, saith Christ, but their heart is far from me. Verily they worship me in vain. Let us look well • upon our own ways, saith y ^e Prophet Hieremy, & remember our selves, and turn agen unto y ^• Lord. Let us lift up our hearts w ^t our hands unto the Lord that is in heavē. Therefore let our prayers be fervent & hearty, that God may se, that there is amendment in us, and that we thyrst the glory of his name, and the health of our country. And although it be necessary to pray at all times, yet at that time chefely let us heartily call unto God, whā our Soldiers shall fight. All y ^e time by no means let us cease from prayer, but incessauntly cry upon God, & never leave until he hath given us the victory, which thing undoubtedly he will do, if he perceive that we call feruentely unto him. For the Lord is full gentle & good saith the Prophet, to them y ^• seek him.

But as concerning the public prayers, as Processions, Masses, &c • t were expediente, that before ony such things were done, there were sermons made to the congregation in the which they should be exhorted & admonyshed to repent, to be • eve, & to take a new life upon thē • nles they pray in vain and God • eteste their supplicacions. For w ^t • ut repentance, • ayth, and renoua • ion of life, prayers both public and private are nothing acceptable • n y ^• sight of god. To all such as pray • o, God the father by Salomō speaketh on this manner: Seynge that I have called & ye refused it, I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded it, but all my councils have ye despised, & set my correccions at naught. Therefore shall I also laugh in youre destruction, & mock you, whan the thing that ye fear, cometh vpō you, even whan y ^• thing 〈◊〉 ye be afraid of, fallethe in suddenly, like a storm, & youre misery like • tempest, yea whan trouble and heuines cometh upon you. Than shall they caull upon me, but I will not hear, they shall seek me earelye, but they shall not find me, And y ^• because they hate knowledge, & received not the fear of the Lord, • ut abhorred my council, and despised my correccion. Also by the Prophet Isaiah, whan ye shall stretch out • youre hands, I will turn away mine eyes from you, and whan ye shall be still bablynge of your prayers, I will not hear you. Therefore whē we intend to pray, let us bring with us repentance, saith, & amendment of life, so may we be sure to be heard.

The sermon once done, let them fall earnestly unto prayer, & desire God with one mind to be merciful unto the country, as I taught before.

After the prayers let every man quietly return home ever bearing in his mind the safeguard of his cōtrey with a continual eleuacion of his heart unto God for y ^• wealth of the same. And let them so behave them selves, y ^• God may be pleased with them. And as they have promised God to become new men so let them walk in a new life, every man doing his office according to his vocation & calling. For if after our prayers and the promise of amendment of life, we return again unto our old wickedness, what other thing do we, than provoke God unto anger, mock him, & seek the very destruction of our cōtrey. Lette us therefore be the very same in deed, that we have promised in word. So shall it come to pass assuredly, that God shall be in our army, fight for us, strengthen our Soldiers, chase away our enemies, and give us y ^• victory, so that nether Turk, Jew, Saracen, nor any other Tyraūt shall may be able at ony time to prevail against us.

Whan we have once gotten y ^• victory over our enemies, so that now the time requireth, that our Soldiers shall come home again, it must be provided y ^e their return be godly, modest, sober and thankful unto our Lord God for the victory which he hath givē us. And whā they be once come home, let the people gather together, & the preacher make a solemn sermon unto them, declaring how greatly we are bound to God for this triumphant victory that he hath givē us, and exhortynge them to be thankful agen to God for inestimable kyndenes.

The sermon once done, let all the people both men, women, and children with joyful voices sing hearty praises to our Lord God, confessyng that by his omnipotent power alone, it is come to pass, y ^• we have gotten the victory, as that noble mā Pytho returning from the wars said to the Athenians, whā they meruelled greatly at his prosperous chaūse, and praised him because he had slain king Cotys: There is no thank, saith he, to he givē unto me, but unto God alone,

We read also in diverse places of the holy Scripture, that after God had given the victory to his people over their enemies, they brast out straight ways into praises, & gave God hearty thanks, as we rede of the children of Israel at their deliverance out of Egypt, which whā they saw their enemy king Pharaoh with all his army drowned in y ^• see, and them selves preserved, what goodly songs, lawdes and praises, did they sing to their Lord God? Howe did Deborah and Barach after the victory praise God, because Sisara & his company were slain and they graciously kept safe?

Whan y ^• Holofernes was slain, and his army put to flyght, what a goodly song did Judith sing to y ^• Lord? Howe joyfully came all the people together unto Jerusalem for to give praise & thankes unto their Lord God, and to offer their burnt sacrifices and promised offerings?

After thexample of these devout and holy parsonnes ought we also, whā we have gotten the victory, to give God thanks, and to offer the Sacrifice of praise unto him. So shall we show our selves not unworthy his beneficence, yea so shall we provoke God to continue a gentle & favorable Lord unto us, when he shall perceive that we be thanckefull, and do not forget his inestimable benefits, which he daily showeth unto us.

Now remaineth the last parte of this our work, which is to de clare, after what sort we shall be have our selves, whan we have gotten the victory of our enemies, tha • we may enjoy peace and tranquilite forever after. We heard before that the cause, why God plageth us either with wars, pestilence or hunger, is Idolatry, false worshipping • of God, y ^• despisyng of Christ's gospel, wicked living, effeminate manners. &c. Now if we will be free frō these plages, and live in rest & quiet, we must cease to commyt such grievous sins against God, and seek both to serve him according to his word, and also to lead a pure and innocent life. By this means shall God blysse our country with peace, increase it with thabundans of all things, & make it to floryshe above all other nacious.

That this thing may the more aptely be brought to pass, it is convenient that the civil magistrates and head rulars of every country provide that there be learned curates, which may teache the people y ^• true word of God, that they may know howe to worship him according to the holy scriptures. It shall profit also not a little unto true god lives to have modest, learned, grave and godly Scholemasters in every country, that may bring up youth not only in y ^e knowledge of human letters and civil manners, but also in the fear of the Lord, that they may learn even frō their cradles, as they say, to know God, to vnderstond his word, to honor him aryght, & to walk in his holy pathwayes. This thing also ought all fathers & mothers, masters & mastresses do in their houses, that such as be under them may know & serve God aright, By this means shall all Idolatry and false worshipping of God shortly decay & vanysh away, and the true seruyse of God only remain among us.

Now as concerning purite of life, this shall easily follow of y ^• true knowledge of God. For he that is engraffed in God, is a member of God hath God's spirit in him, which exciteth and moveth hī unto all goodness, as Christ saith, I am the vine, & ye are y ^• branches. He y ^• dwellethe in me, & I in him, he bringeth forth much fruit. The fruits that we bring forth must be for every man to live according to his vocation & calling. Let them that be temporal rulars procure peace in their Realms above all things, use their office justly, seek not only to be feared but also to be loved, show them selves merciful gydes and tender captaynes of the people, and so behave thē selves in all things, that they may be the very Image of GOD. By this means shall their kyngdōs well prosper and longe continue. Let them again that be subjects show all reverent submissiō to their heads and rulars, being always obedient even from the very heart without ony ether preuy dissimulaciō or open resistance.

Let them that be bishops and other spiritual ministers lay aside all tyranny, and hawtynes of mind and walk with all gentle softenes & tender compassion toward y ^• sheep of Christ committed to their cure & charge. Let thē be as most loving fathers to Christ's •• ocke, and if ony of the sheep chance to run astray and to go out of the way, let them not therefore vngentylly entreat y ^• sheep, but as it is the office of a good sheppard, by fair meās call it home again unto the fold & love it new again. Let them remember thistory of the lost sheep, and cōsyder how tenderly the head sheppard our master Christ fetched it home again even vpō his shulders. The servant of the Lord may not fight, saith S. Paul, but be peasable & gentle toward all men, ready to teache, suffering the evil with mekenes, enformyng thē that resist, if that at ony time God may give them repentance to know the truth. Let thē that be paryshners and lay people reverence the Bishops and other spiritual ministers, giving them no less honor, than the child gy • eth the father, remembrynge that they be the angels of God, the messangers of Christ, the light of the world, the salt of the earth, the dispensatours of the mysteries of God the feders of their souls, the confortours of the weak, the Phisicions of the sick, y ^• upholders of y ^e whole, the exhorters unto virtue, the frayers away frō vice. &c. which watch continually for the health of their souls.

Let all other parsons public or private so live, that there be no dissencion among them, nor grudge one toward another, ever setting before their eyes this saying of the Psalmograph, seek after peace, & maintain the same. Nether shall it be vnsyttynge to have in memory this verse of the Poet.

Candida pax homines, trux decet ira feras. If ony discord chance to arise at ony time among us, let it not long remain, but let all means possible be sought, that friendly concord and unfeigned amite may evermore reign among us. Lette us charitably hear and monysh one another. Lee us report well one of another. Let us enterpret all things unto the best. To conclude, let christen charity so bear rule among us, that we may be all of one mind, even as we be all one body, and have one head, which is Christ.

If we will on this manner give diligence, that we may be at peace both with God and man, we may be sure not only to exchewe all the assaults of our enemies, and to be free from those plages, where withe y ^• disobedient be turmoiled thorough the mighty hand of God, but also to enjoy perpetual trāquilite, peace • este, quietness, and to have our Realms abunde with all kind of commodities that pertain unto y ^• properous conseruacion of a public weal. And if it should so chance at ony time, y ^• ony forrē Prince ether Christian or Hethen should be moved of some evil spirit to assayle our contry, God will so watch the borders & coasts of our Realms that no Tyraunte should prevail, nor once be able to twytche against us: So mighty a Bulwark & strong Castell is the hand of God for them that worship him according to his word, put their trust in him, call upon his most blessed name, & lede a pure and innocent life.

Wherefore I exhort all Christian mē, chefely my countrymen of Englonde (for whose wealth and prosperite I have cōpyled this little treatise, being moved unto it thorough y ^• love that I bear toward my country) that they will from hensforth (all superstition laid aside) fear, love, honor and worship God according to his word, and lead a life so pure and innocent, that they may be known by their cōuersacion to pertain to Christ. So shall it assuredly come to pass, y ^t God shall not only give us in this world a glorious victory over all our enemies both corporal and spiritual, but also after this life bring us unto that celestial cōtrey where all joy, peace, pleasure and felicite is. AMEM.

Imprynted at London in Botulphe lane at the sign of the white Bear, by John̄ Maylerre for John̄ Gough. Anno Dn̄i. 1542.

Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum. Per Septennium.