ligion goeth forward in any country: then they conspire, both by themselves and their friends, and specially by that bastard Tobias, their pope, so much as in them lieth, though it be with fire and sword, or any other cruel device, to overthrow it.

8. And they conspired. When they perceived that mocking taunts, high looks, nor proud words could not drive them from their building, they will now make open war against them, to dash them out of countenance, put them to their shifts, and scatter them asunder, that being amazed at such a company coming on them suddenly, they should not assemble any more to work there. Thus the wicked never cease by all means to hinder God's building; but as Satan their father "goeth continually about, like a roaring lion, to devour" the Lord's flock, so do they but our God is as diligent to save us that they do no hurt, and watcheth us when we do sleep, that they overcome us not. Pilate and Herod were Luke xxiii. not friends afore; but to condemn our Lord Christ Jesus they soon agreed, and were friends afterward. So thus many kind of people, which agree not well many times among themselves, yet now to overthrow Jerusalem they all put on armour, join themselves together, become friends, and agree all in one mischief. David marvelleth to see, how all sorts of people and princes conspire together against the Lord Christ, and crieth out, "Why do the heathen so fret, and the people devise vain things? the kings of the earth have risen together, and the princes have assembled together against the Lord and his Anointed." But when David had considered all their raging madness, he comforteth himself, and saith, “He that dwelleth in the heavens shall mock them, and the Lord shall laugh them to scorn, &c." So shall God's faithful little flock be defended and comforted in all their troubles unto the end, and their proud enemies shall be confounded. But this is all our froward nature bent unto, that we be so ready to mischief and slow to do good.

Psal. ii.

9. But we prayed. As Nehemiah declareth the manifold troubles that fell on them for this building, so also he setteth forth their merciful deliverance and God's favour towards them. For if Satan should continually assault us, and the Lord leave us to ourselves, man's weakness were not able to stand; so strong and subtle is he, so unable and wretched

are we. They forsake themselves therefore, and by humble prayer submit themselves to their God, who never failed them in all assays. Prayer is a sure anchor in all storms; and they never perish that humbly fly unto it, and faithfully cleave unto it. Prayer is a salve for all sores, yea, it healeth not only body and soul, but even hard stony walls. No kind of earthly physic that God hath made is good for all kind of folk at all times, and all kind of diseases: but this heavenly physic of prayer in wealth and woe, in plenty and poverty, in prosperity and adversity, in sickness and in health, in war and peace, in youth and age, in life and death, in mirth and sadness, yea, in all things and times, in the beginning, midst and ending, prayer is most necessary and comfortable. Happy is that man that diligently useth it at all times. But he that will so effectually pray that he may obtain the thing he desireth, must first prostrate himself in the sight of his God, as this people did, (for so the Hebrew word here signifieth,) forsaking himself as unable to help himself, condemning himself as unworthy to receive such a blessing at the Lord's hand; and yet nothing doubting but that his God, that never forsaketh them that unfeignedly fly unto him, will deal with him in mercy and not in justice, deliver him and comfort him, not for any goodness that he findeth in him, but of his own mere pity, love, grace, and mercy, whereby he may shew himself a glorious God, a present help and succour to all afflicted and oppressed minds. He that findeth anything in himself, to help and comfort himself withal, needeth not to pray; but he that seeth and feeleth his present want and necessity, he will beg earnestly, crave eagerly, confessing where his relief is to be had. No man will pray for that thing which he hath or thinketh himself to have; but we ever ask, desire, beg, and pray for that we want.

Let us therefore in all our supplications and prayers unto the Lord first confess our beggarly poverty and unableness to help ourselves, the want of his heavenly grace and fatherly assistance; and then our gracious God will plenteously pour his blessings into our empty souls, and fill them with his grace. If we be full already, there is no room left to take any more therefore we must know ourselves to be empty

Psal. i.

and hungry, or else we shall not earnestly desire this heavenly comfort from above, which is requisite in all prayer. For he that asketh coldly getteth nothing; and the more that we confess our own weakness, our want, and unableness, the more we confess our God to be almighty, rich in mercy, possessing all things in his own hands, and dealing them abroad to his poor people where he seeth them need, and sending the rich empty away. And as we must thus cast down ourselves in ourselves by faith to our God, and to pray to no other, but unto the living Lord that made heaven and earth, as this people doeth, and therefore call him "their God." For if we seek help at any other, we mistrust him, we do not faithfully believe on him, and then we shall not be heard of him. "Call on me in the day of thy trouble," saith thy God, "and I will deliver thee;" and I ask no other reward but to glorify, praise and thank me, knowing thy safety and deliverance to come from me.

But these men did not only pray to their God, but according to their duty they put themselves in a readiness to defend themselves against their enemies, which is lawful for all men to do. It is not sufficient to pray, and then to neglect such means as God hath appointed us to use for our defence and comfort, no more than it is to say, when he hath prayed, I will live without meat and drink, and God himself shall feed me. For as the Lord hath taught

us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," so he hath 2 Thess. iii. commanded us to work for it, and saith, "He that doth not

labour, let him not eat." So here it was not sufficient to call upon their God, though he was most mighty and loving unto them; but they keep watch and ward, put on armour, take their weapons, not cowardly creeping into corners, but stand forth stoutly on the top of the walls by the workmen's elbows in the sight of their enemies, that they might see that they were not afraid of them, but would manfully defend themselves and the workmen against all assaults they could devise. They had a stronger God to defend them, than any devil could be to hurt them, or overthrow their work.

So prayer and God's providence destroyeth not policy, but maintaineth it; and when they be joined together, God blesseth them both, as his own ordinance. They knew well

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how true it was that David said, "Except the Lord defend Psal. cxxvii. the city, the watchmen watch in vain that keep it." But when the Lord defendeth it, and the watchmen do their duties faithfully, trusting in the Lord, and not foolishly bragging of their own strength and power, then is that city well and strongly kept. The children of Reuben, Gad, and the [1 Chr. v. half tribe of Manasse, as it is written, when they fought against the Agarens, gat the victory, and all because they joined prayer with their power, not trusting in themselves, but in the mighty Lord of hosts, who heard them and overthrew their enemies. Thus must good captains learn to join prayer with policy, if they look to obtain the victory, and not trust in horse, spear, shield or other kind of weapons. God ruleth those that fear him in battle as well as in peace, and those that trust in their own strength he will overthrow. Constantine the great, that worthy emperor, our countryman', taught his soldiers daily to pray thus: "We know- Euseb. Lib. ledge thee, O Lord, we know thee for a King: we call on Constant. thee for our help; from thee we have the victory, and by thee we are conquerors. We give thee thanks for this present prosperity, and by thee we hope for things to come. We all are humble suitors unto thee, that our emperor and his godly children may be preserved safe, long to live, and we humbly beseech thee that he may be a valiant conqueror, &c.2"

And that captains may not do what they list, but must learn to defend good causes only, Theodosius, the good emperor, teacheth in his prayer that he maketh for himself, saying: "O Almighty God, thou knowest that I have taken

[One traditionary account represents Constantine to have been born in England; but it is very doubtful. Gibbon adopts that which assigns his birth to Naissus in Dacia. His father Constantius died at York. ED.]

[* Σὲ μόνον οἴδαμεν Θεὸν, σὲ βασιλέα γνωρίζομεν· σὲ βοηθὸν ανακαλούμεθα· παρὰ σοῦ τὰς νίκας ᾑράμεθα, διὰ σοῦ κρείττους τῶν ἐχθρῶν κατέστημεν· σοὶ τὴν τῶν ὑπαρξάντων ἀγαθῶν χάριν γνωρίζομεν· σὲ καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐλπίζομεν. σοῦ πάντες ἱκέται γινόμεθα, τὸν ἡμέτερον βασιλέα Κωνσταντῖνον, παῖδας τε αὐτοῦ θεοφιλεῖς, ἐπὶ μήκιστον ἡμῖν βίου σῶον καὶ νικητὴν φυλάττεσθαι ποτνιώμεθα. P. 150. B. Ed. Paris. 1544. ED.]

iv. De vita

Ruff. Lib. ii. cap. 33.

Deut. xx.

Luke iii.

these wars in hand in the name of Christ thy Son, for a just revenge if it be otherwise, revenge thou it on me; but if I come hither in a good quarrel, and trust in thee, then reach forth thy right hand unto thy people, lest peradventure the heathen people will say, Where is their God?" By Moses' law the priests should go to the field with the army to encourage, teach, and comfort them, even when they should join battle. The papist will have his morrow mass priest with him; and yet such negligence is in those that call themselves protestants, that they think the company worse if a learned minister be among them: and if he will rebuke their spoil, gaming, swearing, whoring, they are weary of him; and if he touch any of the better sort, then away with him, or else work him some displeasure. So rashly we cast off the Lord's yoke; so foolishly we enter into wars, as though the victory lay in our own hands, and God did not. bestow it on whom he thinketh best. John Baptist, when the soldiers came to him to be baptized, as other sorts of men did, he taught every one how to amend their lives; and to the soldiers he saith, "Do violence to no man, accuse none falsely, and be content with your wages."

God grant all good soldiers to follow these lessons unfeignedly; for the Holy Ghost noteth these as common faults, that such kind of men be infected withal. Many lusty younkers think not themselves brave enough, except they can look big, speak stoutly, and pick a quarrel against every simple man, dealing hardly with all sorts, that they can come by, they think all is well gotten. How common this kind of dealing hath been, I leave it to the consideration of others. And for that divers have fallen to a great sobriety and lived orderly, since they learned religion, God is to be praised; and God increase the number! They be not made soldiers to do wrong, but to correct them that offer wrong. They enter not

[Tum ille, ut conversas suorum acies videt, stans in edita rupe, unde et conspicere et conspici ab utroque posset exercitu, projectis armis, ad solida se vertit auxilia, et prostratus in conspectu Dei, Tu, inquit, omnipotens Deus, nôsti quia in nomine Christi Filii tui ultionis justæ, ut puto, prœlia ista suscepi: si secus, in me vindica. Si vero cum causa probabili, et in te confisus, huc veni, porrige dexteram tuis, ne forte dicant gentes, Ubi est Deus eorum? Auctores Eccles. Hist. xi. (Ruffini 11.) c. 33. ED.]