thus oft, and out of all corners, warned of this conspiracy, yet
they could scarcely be brought, many of them, to believe any
such thing to be attempted; it was so horrible and incredible.
Good men judge others to be like themselves, simple and plain
dealers, and cannot easily be persuaded that any man should go
about such a mischief. But the gospel teacheth that we should
"be wise as serpents, and as simple as doves." The serpent
is wise to save his own head, and hide himself until the danger
be past;
and the dove will not craftily devise any harm to any
other so the man of God must be wise as the serpent, and
not be careless of his safety, (for God hath given him reason
to defend himself, and foresee mischiefs, and provide for them ;)
nor he must not be crafty to hurt others, as the dove is not:
but he must rather think, that the wicked men, whom Satan
hath so possessed, will leave nothing undone that may over-
throw the good; and therefore they ought to be as wise, cir-
cumspect, and diligent to defend themselves and their country
from such mischiefs by all honest means, as the other shall
be busy to devise or do them any harm, or else they shall be
guilty of their own destruction and many others'; which can-
not be defended in conscience, nor the Lord can allow it in
justice, being hurtful to so many.

13. I set in the low places. Nehemiah by leaving the court, where he lived in ease, is now come to a goodly bargain. First, he was master of the work, set every man in order, that none loitered, nor wrought otherwise than he was appointed, and that none troubled his fellows; daily dabbling in the mire, mortar and clay, as long as he might, and yet would not be weary, with great displeasure and grudging of those that should be his friends and helpers; but now is become a warrior, is driven to put on armour, keep watch and ward night and day, and oversee them himself; to set his people in array, and appoint them their standing places, giving them their weapons, and teaching them what they should do. Such reward shall they have that forsake the world, and will build God's house and city: God and the world cannot be friends; and that maketh so few courtiers to tread this trode. Moses, being brought up in Pharao's house, and might have been called as son to Pharao's daughter, refused the court, and "chose to be in trouble Heb. x1.

with his brethren the Jews," and serve the Lord, rather than to have all the dainties in the court, living in idolatry and displeasure of God. I know not many courtiers, which might have lived in the court with such favour and authority, and would not, to set by these two men. God increase the number, and make many earnest followers of them!

Nehemiah now, like a good captain, "setteth some of his soldiers in trenches," that they could not be seen below, where the walls were lowest, that if any entered there, they should be entrapped by and bye: some he "setteth on the top of the walls with their bows," that they might both be seen far off, and so make the enemy afraid to come near, when they should see them in such readiness; and also that they might shoot far off at them, and hurt them afore they could assault the walls. And like a wise captain, he setteth "all of one kindred" together, that one should be true to another, as kinsfolks will rather than strangers.

It hath been a common practice with us of late to take the soldiers of one country from their captain, whom they know and love, and put them to a stranger whom they know not: what goodness hath come of it, let wise men judge; in my opinion little or none, except it were the private profit of the captain. But sure it is not without great cause, that the Holy Ghost declareth here the order that Nehemiah set them in "by their kindreds" together, teaching us that nature will move one kinsman to be truer in all dangers to another of his kindred, rather than to a stranger; and that one kinsman will open his grief to his friend, and take comfort at his hand, rather than to him whom he knoweth not. He cannot be bold with a strange captain nor a strange soldier, and that discourageth him, and casteth down his spirits; but when neighbours, friends, and cousins are together under a captain whom they love and know, it emboldeneth them, they cleave together like burrs; if one be in danger, the rest will not forsake him: where as strangers every man seeketh to save himself, and careth not for his fellow, but letteth him shift for himself as he may. This godly example of Nehemiah in placing friends together is to be followed, rather than the private profit of one captain. How strangely strange captains have used their strange sol

diers, it is strange to remember; and pity it is to see the soldier, how unwilling he is to serve among strangers, and many times doth serve but slowly. I have seen, when a mean gentleman hath gone to the wars, his tenants would strive who should go with him first; and if he refused any to go, he thought his master loved him not: but now, by this dividing of neighbour from neighbour, friends and friends from other, neither the gentleman that cannot have his trusty men about him, nor the soldier having not such a captain and fellows as he loveth, trusteth, and knoweth, both the master and the man seeketh by all means to tarry at home, and so the worst men are thrust out to serve, which is to be lamented. God amend it!

It is possible, some will think me too saucy, to enter into matters wherein I am not skilled: but that forceth not, the truth must be spoken, though some do grudge; and this example of Nehemiah shall defend me, whatsoever is said to the contrary. The scripture teacheth generally every man his duty, what kind of life soever he live; and God will require that every man should frame himself to that rule: therefore the preacher may enter into consideration of every man's duty, so far as the scripture leadeth him, even to the controlling of the mint; as master Latimer of worthy memory, being found fault withal for meddling in such matters, alleged the prophet, saying, "Thy silver is turned into dross." When John Isai. i. Baptist began to baptize, and all sorts of people resorted unto Luke iii. him, amongst whom came the soldiers too, he taught both the soldiers and all the rest how to behave themselves in their kind of life, if they would receive the gospel.

Here may be noted also, what simple kind of weapons were then used in the wars, and how many cruel and subtle devices we have of late devised one to kill another. Here is none other mentioned but the sword, if they joined handstrokes; the spear to push them away, if they scaled the walls, and the bow to shoot afar off, to keep them from coming near the walls. What glory this realm hath gotten with these weapons, and specially by the bow, all chronicles declare, and all nations for that feared us: but how in shooting the old glory of this land is decayed, and gaming and ale-houses haunted, to the hurt of the youth, wasting of their money,

Gen. xxi.

weakening of their strength, and decay of this worthy exercise, good men lament, and few go about to amend. Shooting is a special thing, not given to all men and nations, but chiefly to the Jews first, while their kingdom stood; then to the Persians, who yet can do something with it; and then to the Englishmen, who have wrought great feats by it. Few histories make any mention of other countries, that could or did use it much in the wars; and if there were some few among them that could do something in it, it was to small purpose or none in the battle. Look at our neighbours round about us, even to the Scottish man, which goeth nearest unto us, and coming both of one ancestor; and it will easily appear how true it is. If any shoot ill favouredly, we say "he shooteth like a Scot;" and yet some few of them shoot well too.

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The scripture, which is ancienter than any kind of learning by many years, maketh mention, that Ismael, Abraham's son, was a cunning archer :" king Asa had out of one little tribe 2 Chron. xiv. of Benjamin two hundred and fourscore thousand archers. 1 Sam. xxxi. King Saul was chased with bowmen, and slain with the Philistians. The sons of Reuben, Gad and Manasses were good warriors and bowmen forty and four thousand seven hundred and threescore. Judas Maccabeus set his bowmen in the forefront of the battle. Pliny, lib. vII. cap. 5, writeth that Perses, the son of Perseus, of whom the Persians had their surname, should be the first deviser of shafts; but how untruly it is reported, these scriptures afore rehearsed, which were long afore this time, will testify. By the which the ancienty of the scripture appeareth afore all other learning. And yet the papist will stand on his ancienty, and say they have all old learning on their side, where their fathers the popes were but yesterday in comparison of the scriptures, which were elder than any of these by three thousand years: but such lewd doctrine is meet to come from them that will not obey the truth.

The Persians loved shooting so well, that they set an archer on their coin of gold which was of great value, as we do the angel: and, as we used to say, when a man hath great suits, and cannot be so well heard as he would wish, that he must make angels to speak for him, and they cannot be said nay, which thing by report is too common and true at this day; so the king of Persia, being offended at Agesilaus, gave the

Athenians thirty thousand pieces of this great coin of gold of theirs; which thing when Agesilaus understood, he said merrily, but yet truly, that "he was driven away with thirty thousand bowmen," (meaning their coin of gold, which had an archer coined on it,) "and how should he a poor man be able to withstand so many archers?" No more, truly, than our men can say angels nay. For the feats of war done by our elders in this land with bowmen, I refer it to be considered by our own chronicles. But I will not enter into a full discourse of this matter, it belongeth not so much to our purpose; this short touching of it shall suffice now. Whoso listeth to see more of the commendation of it in time of peace, may read that learned book which Master Ascham wrote of it'.

As these Samaritans ceased not continually to hinder the building of this earthly Jerusalem, so Satan by his members, papists, and Arians, &c. ceaseth not in every age to hinder the comfortable building of Christ's kingdom and spiritual Jerusalem by all means that he can devise, and never more fiercely than now in our days. But as God stirred up Nehemiah then to defend and encourage the people to go forward with their building, notwithstanding their cruel assaults; so the Lord stirreth up some few to stand in defence of this truth, and God's enemies win not at their hands so much as they look for.

And as Nehemiah here "setteth the people in order by their kindreds, with their swords, spears, and bows, to defend the workmen," so should good magistrates place every where stout soldiers of one doctrine and religion, endued with the special gifts of the Holy Ghost, as knowledge of tongues, discerning of spirits and doctrines, able to confute the false and defend the truth with gifts of utterance, eloquence, and persuading, and with government to bridle the unruly and troublesome folk, that the flock of Christ Jesus, which he bought so dearly, be not drawn away headlong by devilish doctrine from their Lord and Shepherd of their souls, the Lord Christ. God for his mercy sake stir up the hearts of magistrates, and specially courtiers, to set this example before themselves, and diligently to follow it; that we be not found more neg[Toxophilus, the Schoole of Shootinge. Lond. 1544. ED.]