1JireBions for Souldien. c.If'-:vaniel 6. if he had forborn prayer, or the Apofiles if they had forborn preaching, or the Soul~iers for apprehmding and crucifying Chrifi, when their Superiours commanded them. For God is firfi robeobeyed and feared. But if t\te evil ofthe Caufe be tuch as the Subjell cannot by jull and ordinary meaq,s difcern, then mull he c~~e next to examine his CaU: And a Voltmteer unntctff.uily he may not be in a doubtful caufe ; It ts fo heinous a fin to murder men, that no man £hould unne– uffJrily venture upon that which may pr_ove to be murder for ought he knowerh. But if you ask what Call may make fuch a doubtful aCl!op neceffary, I anfwer, It mull be fuch as warrantcth it, ci· ther from the End of the adion, or from the A1tthority of the Commantkr, or both. ' And from the rnd of I hi alJion, the cafe may be made clear, that if a King fhould do wrong to a forreign enemy and fhould have the worfe caufe, yet if the revenge which thac enemy feeketh would be the defiru: B:ion of the King, and Countrcy, or Religion, it is lawful and a duty to fight in the defence of them. And if the Kiog{bould be the ;;.ffailant, or beginntr, that which is an Offmfive War in him (for which he himfelf mull anfwer) may be ~ut a Dcfenfive War in the commanded Subjects, and they b:: inno– cent': Even on the High-w•y, if I fee a firanger psovoke another by gi~ing him the firll blow, yet ( may be bound to fdvc his life from the fury of the avenging party. But whether or how farr the b..tre Commandofa foveraigne tnay warrant the fubjed:s to venture in adoubtful! caufe, ( fuppofing the tbmg lawful in it fdf, though they are doubtful) requireth fa much to be faid to it, which Civil Go– vcrnours may pofiibly think me too bold to meddle with, that I think it fafell to pafs it by ; only laying, that there are fame cafes in which the Ruler is the only Competent Judge, and the doubts of the fubjlGt are fa unreafonable, that they will not excufe the fin of his difobediencc: and alfo that the degree of !he doubt is oft very confiderablc in the cafe. But fuppofe the caufe of the War be really lawful in it [elf, and yet the fubjcll is in doubt of it, yea, or thinketh otherwife; then is he in the cafe is other nrooeous confciences are, that is, entangled in a nccdliry of finning till he.be undcceived, in cafe his.Rulets command his fervicc. But which would be the greater fin, to do it or not, the End1 and circumfiances may do much to detetmine : But doubtlefs in true Neceffity to[ave the King and State, fubjeGts may be comptUed to fight in a jufl caufe, notwithllanding that they millakc it for unjuf\: And if the fubject have a private difcerning judgement, fo far as he is a voluntary agenr, yet the Soveraign hath a puhlick., determining judgement, when a negle8:cr is to be forced to his duty. Even as a man that thinketh it unlawful to maintain his Wife and Children, may be compelled lawfully to do it. So rhat it is apparent that fotrietime the Soveraigns caufe may begood, and yet an erroneous con· fcience may make the SoUldierJ caufe bad if they are Volunteers, who run unnecdfarily upon that which they take for robbery and murder ; and yet that the Higher Powers may force even fuch mi· fl.akps to defend their Countrey and their Governours, in a cafe of true nccefilry : Apd it is mani.. feU that fometimes the Caufe of the Ruler may be batl, and yet the caufc of the Souldier good: And that fomeiimcs the caufe may be bad and finful to them both ; and fometime good and law– ful unto both. 47 ~· 3• Dired:- 3· Whm you are doubtful ;,httfoer yo11r Caufe and CaU be .good., it ir {ordinarily) Dirta. 3• foftfl to fit ftill, and not to venture iiiZ fo dangerous a cafe , without great deliberation •and {ufficient evidence to {atisfie your" confc.iencrJ. Neander might well fay ofSolon1 Law, which punilhed them N?anrkr in that took not one part or other in a Civil War or Sedition, Admirabi!M autem illa atque plant' in~ Chr#n. p. 104~ crcdibilK, qutt honoribus abdicat eum, qui orta ftditione nuUam faDi:mtm ftcutuJ ;pt. No doubt, he is a culpable Neuter that will not defend his Govcrnours an4 his Counrrey when he hath a call: But it is fo dreadful a thing to be guilty of the blood and calamities of an unjutl War, that a wife man will rather be abufcd as a Neuter, than run himfclf into the danger of fuch a cafe. . . ~· 4• Direct. 4· When Neccf!ity forcetb. you to ~· forth iH a juftWar, do it "'.ith fuch hulfli/iation DireiJ. 4• and unwiCingnefs as beflemeth ont that u a Patwtt, tSSpe{lator and anAllor, Jn one of the forejt of Godr "mporal judgemtniJ. Go not to kill men as if you went to a Cock-light, or a Bear-baiting: Make not a fport of a comma~ calamity: Be not infcnfible of the difplcafure of God, exprclfed in fa great a judgement. What a fad condition .is it to your felvu, to be imployed in deflroying othm: If they be good, how fad a thought IS 1!, that you mu{\ kill them ? If they are wic~d,how fad is it that by killing them, you cut off all their hopes of mmy, and fend them fuddcnly to Hell? How fad an employment is ir, to fpoil and undo the poor inhabitants where you come? To cafi them into terrors, to deprive them of them of that which they bave long been labouring for? To pttpare for famine, and be like a confumi.ng pcltilence where you come? Were it but to fie fuch dc:– folations, it fhould melt you into cornpaffion; much more to be th~ executioners yOur felves: How unfuitable a work is it to the grace of Love. though I doubt not but it is a fervice, which the Love of God, our Countrey and our Rulers may fomctirnes jufiifie and command, yet (as to the .Rulers, an'd Maficrs of the bufinefs) it muU be a very clear and great D.ece[iry that can war.. rant a War; And, as w the Souldiers, they mufi needs go with great regret, to kill men by thou.. fands whom rhey Love as themfelvtr. He that Loveth his neighbouLas himfdf, and bl,tfeth and doeth gnod to his pu{ccutingemmy. wilf u.ke it heavily to be employed in killing him, even when ne– cdliiy maketh it h1s duty. But the greatetl calamity of War is the pernicioufnefs of it to mens– fouls: Armies a~e cc.mmon\y that to 1he foul, as a City infed:ed with the Plague is to the body: The VCI)' Nurferic:s and Academies of pride, and cruehy, and drunkennefs, and whoredome, and robbery, a~d licentinufnefs ; and the bane of Piuy and commonCivility and !'lumanity. Not that every Soul– drer cometh to this p.fs: the hotteft Peftilence killeth not all : But 0 how hard is it to keep up a life Gggggggz ~
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