Gods three arrows plague, famine, sword, in three treatises. I. A plaster for the…Gods three arrovves plague, famine, svvord, in three treatises. I. A plaister for the…

Hitherto ye have heard of the Honour of your profession, and of the Valour required by virtue thereof. The last point noteth the necessity and benefit thereof, which is this. In peace to prepare for War, is a principal part of prudence.

HItherto ye have heard of the Honour of your profession, and of the Valour required by virtue thereof. The last point noteth the necessity and benefit thereof, which is this. In peace to prepare for Warre, is a principall part of prudence.

The most prudent Prince that ever governed people, put in practice this point of policy: even Solomon, to whom God said, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart, ¹so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like thee. This Solomon enjoyed much peace, and had a promise to enjoy peace all his days, and had no cause to fear any assaults or invasions of enemies, all the nations round about being brought under by his Father David: Yet this Prince of Peace built fenced cities with walls, gates and bars, and chariot-cities, and cities of horsemen, and had his ²trained men of War, which are here noted in my Text; yea, to show his store of warlike provision, it is expressly ⟨p. 426⟩noted, that he had 40000 stalls of horses for his chariots, 1400 ³chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. The first Father of that stock, wise Abraham, whose house was a place of peace, (for the fear of God fell upon all nations round about him, they honoured & reverenced him, they accounted him a Prince of God) yet had this Abraham his Artillery Garden, wherein ⁴were trained up and fitted for War, such as were borne and brought up in his house: the number of which Company I suppose was greater then the number of your Company. For, at once on a sudden he armed and led to the War more then three hundred trained men. And it is not likely that he left his house destitute of all defence. He had questionless many more of that his Artillery Company. Now note the benefit hereof. On a sudden, in a time of necessity, and case of extremity, he had them ready to rescue five Kings, that were overthrown by their enemies. To press this pattern yet further for the point in hand, the Holy Ghost noteth that Melchizedek King of Salem, whose name declared him to be a King of Righteousness, whose nation showed him to be a Prince of Peace, this Melchizedek King of