VErsamur in prelio, we are in a sot-battell. Death is already marched into the field, and a universall desolation, like a Meteor, hangs over our heads. Such are the growing mis­chiefes of the two Kingdomes of England and Ireland, that if these destructive warres continue (without Gods great mercy) all in the common Fate will inevitably be invol­ved. Ireland is sufficiently dyed in skarlet, and England lackes but a graine of it: Our sences of seeing and hearing are taken up with Armes and Amunition, Powder and Shot, Drums and Trumpets, Pikes and Muskets, skirmishes and battels, fights and overthrowes. Each houre is an Herault of homicides, each day a messenger of mischiefes, each weeke a Diurnall of dan­gers, [Page 4] each moneth a Motto of misery, this whole yeare but march, and no language now amongst us but war. In being vi­ctors we are victed; in Overcomming we are overcome, and in winning lives we lose lives. In bellis civilibus omnia sunt misera, & nihil miserius quam ipsa victoria. It was the saying of Cicero the Roman Oratour, Omnis pax bello civils prastantior, any peace is better then a civill war. In civill wars (indeed the most unci­vill and barbarous of all other) the Father sights against the Sonne, and the Sonne against the Father, Brother against Brother, Kinsman against Kinsman; These massacres are most inhumane and unnaturall, wherein all bonds of affinity, consanguinity and humanity are violently broken and dissolved.

Thus in the civill wars between the two Houses of Saul and David, between Israel and Judah, and of later times be­twixt the white Rose and the red the two Houses of Yorke and Lancaster, the Kings owne friends and loyall Subjects have been constrained to march into the field against him, and have there dyed in that fight. In the Raigne of Edward the fourth, there were no lesse then nine civill and bloudy battels fought in En­gland, whereby most of the Nobility and Gentry of the King­dome either fell by the sword of the souldier in the field, or by the Axe of the Executioner on the scaffold. Of all war the civill war is the worst: And if ever it was bad, it is most malignant at this time; For it is a fatall war in the very bowels of the Nation, with our owne Brethren and Countrey-men in the flesh, and will be most destructive to the whole Kingdome. It hath been a long time begun, and end when it will end, it will be bitternesse in the latter end, as Abner once said to Ioah, and if it longer con­tinue, as it doth at this present, without a pacification, it will bring repentance enough with it when it is too late, both to the vanquished and to the victor. What horrid slaughters of man­kinde [Page 5] doc accompany this kind of bloudy war, the History of these times doth sufficiently restifie. The losse of goods, estates, liberties, lands and lives, this dismall shower of war raines downe upon the sonnes of men to their ruine and confusion.

Manifold are the sad and blacke calamities which wait upon this illegall and unnaturall war: It makes the breaches wider, and the wounds deeper. These water-breaches that have been so long broken in upon us (if they be not speedily stopped, but gi­ven way unto) will lamentably prove an inundation and deluge of destruction to the whole Kingdome. It exposes a people to the fury of a forraigne Nation, that whilest we are together by the eares amongst our selves, our adversaries have the advantage and opportunity to come upon our backs; so that besides being liable to the pitty of onr friends, the derision and malignity of our foes, in this respect we may say as David said in another case unto Gad, we are in a great straight. Bellum Dei Flagellum, War is the scourge of God; It is one of the Arrowes which the Almighty hath in the quiver of his Justice which he shoots at a Nation for the iniquity of the people. And what mischiefes doe not accompany war? It never comes single, but is attended upon by all the imaginable evils that are in the world, which like those Eumenides, the hags and suries of Hell doe torture men to their perpetuall ruine. Nulla salus bello, there is no safety in war. When the Dye of war is once throwne, it is a great ha­zard, and what the issue and chance of it is, is most uncertaine. The sword regards neither high nor low, noble nor ignoble, rich nor poore, the King in his Throne, nor the Beggar in the street.

When Ahab warred at Ramoth Gilead, a certaine man drew a bow at adventure, and smote the King of Israel as he was in his Cha­riot. Ye may reade the Story at your leisure in the 1 Kin. 22. 34. where ye may take notice of these remarkable circumstances; first of a certaine man, some obscure, or ignote fellow, God [Page 6] knowes who or what he was, it seemes not worth the naming only a certaine man drew a bow at adventure, light where it will light, he shoots at randome, and aymes at no man, but smites the King of Israel: Where note, that the basest coward or villaine in the Army of the Assyrians peradventure smites the noblest. From which premisses, the inserence that I deduct is this, that in war the Lords anointed, who is Pater Patrioe, the Father of his Countrey, and is better then ten thousand, may fall as soone as the basest what soever, to the great hazard of the State, and to the grievous crime of those that shall expose His Majesty to that perill. The consideration hereof made the people of King Da­vid say, when Ishabenob the Gyant in a battell had like to have slaine David, but that some of his Wortnies rescued him from that danger, Thou shall no more goe forth with us to bat tell, lest thou quench the light of Israel, 2 Sam. 21. 17. For thou art better then ten thousand of us, 2 Sam. 18. 3. Nay not onely the people of the King, but the Prophet of the Lord, the King of Kings, speaking of a King, and none of the best neither, makes this one maine part of his sorrow and lamentation, The breath of our mostrils the Lords anointed, under whose shadow we had rest, was taken in their pit, by the Babylonians in their wars against Ierusalem. In the time of civill (or rather uncivill) war, not only the King, but the whole Kingdome is in danger. If I could reckon up all the mischieses and miseries that ever were, or will be among men in the world, they might all sufficiently be expressed in this one word War. Si bellum dixeris, omnia dixeris. The famine and pestilence (two sore and severe judgements of Almighty God) are not comparable to this of war. God himselfe (the Lord of Hosts) put an end to Sauls life and Kingdome, by the wars of the Philistims upon Saul. He swept away with the beesome of this destruction the house of Abab, by the wars of Iehu upon Ahab.

[Page 7] The City of Samaria was brought to that calamity, that wo­men did eat their children by course, to satisfie their hungry soules; and all this misery befell by the wars of the Syrians upon Samaria. The most famous City of Troy was ruined and tur­ned into a tilled field by the wars of the Greekes. The Canaa­nites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites and Peresites, the Gigasites, great and mighty Nations, who had walled Cities, and Chariots of yron, and the sons of Anack, mighty men among them, were all spewed out of their land by the wars of the Israelites upon them, Iosh. 12. I could produce a cloud of witnesses out of divine and humane Authours, to confirme this blacke cloud, which at this time hangs over our heads. To instance one for all, That mirrour of the World, the Metropolis and chiefe of all Cities, was brought to that extremity, that the beautifull wo­men (the sole of whose foot might not touch the earth) such was their nicety and tendernesse, did make their own bowels the sepulcher for their children of a span long, the fruits of their own bodies; and all this was by the wars of Nebuchadnezzar upon Ierusalem, and was afterwards reduced to as great misery by the wars of the Romans under the conduct of Titus and Vespasian. These are the miserable effects and wofull consequents of war, which goe along inseparably with it. Bleeding Ireland hath sufficiently ta­sted of this bitter cup: What horrid villanies and outrages have bin there committed by the barbarous Romish Rebels, on men, women and children, rich, poore, Priest and people, without re­spect or regard of age or sexe, of calling or profession, it is need­lesse at this time to rehearse. Lamenting England is now some­what near the like wofull condition. Difference in opinion hath bred difference in affection, and both these have wrought civill contention. Our long peace hath bred prosperity, prosperity hath brought forth plenty, plenty pride, pride discord, which hath destroyed our peace. That which God denounced against [Page 8] his people, we may justly fe [...]re will befall us: I have taken away my peace from this people, Jer. 16. 5. It hath been a great b [...]ssing heretofore, that in our time there hath bin no going out, nor com­ming in, nor complaining in our streets, through forraine or dome­sticall war. Happy are the people that be in such a case Psal. 144. 15. And I pray God grant this happinesse unto us his people. It was the happines of Salomons time, that he was a man of peace, and God did give h [...]m rest from all his e [...]emies round about, 1 Chr. 22. 9. And it was a great blessing upon Ieh [...]shaphat and his King­dome, that the feare of God fell upon all the Kingdomes that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Ieho­shaphat, 2 Chron. 17 10. Quid [...]am nisi vota super [...]unt? What now remaines, but that we pray for peace to the God of peace, that there may be no comming into our land by invasion, nor any crying in our streets by the miseries of civill war in the bowels of our Nation. In the midst of our feares and jealousies, let us be so wise, not to be enemies to our owne peace; but let it be our care and endeavour to prevent war, and preserve peace, that there may be no offensive hostility amongst us. Let us not cease to importune the King of Kings, the supreamest Majesty of Heaven and Earth, that the waters of the Kings displea­sure may be abated, that His Majesty and His Parliament may have a happy meeting and concurrence together; that both be­ing united as a peeced Arrow (now made the stronger) may fly against the common Enemy more effectually; that peace may be within our wals, and plenty within our dwellings, and that our gracious Soveraigne may with all possible speed returne to His long deserted Palace at White-hall, with the Olive branch of peace in his mouth, to the glory of God, the honour of His Ma­jesty, the content of his Parliament, and comfort of his peo­ple.