Whether it be lawful for to make war. OF WAR; WHETHER IT BE LAWFUL FOR A MAGISTRATE MAY BEAR THE OFFICE OF A MAGISTRATE. AND OF THE DUTY OF SUBJECTS. THE NINTH SERMON. To the right of the sword, which God hath given to the magistrate, doth war belong: for in my last sermon I taught you, that the use of the sword in the magistrate's hand is twofold, or of two sorts. For either he punisheth offenders therewith; or else repelleth the enemy that spoileth or would spoil his people, or cutteth off the rebellious purposes of his own seditious citizens. But many make a doubt whether it be lawful for a magisa magistrate trate to make war or no1. And it is marvel to see them as blind as beetles in a matter of itself as plain as may be. For if the magistrate doth by God's law punish offenders, thieves, and harmful persons; and that it maketh no matter whether they be few or many in number, as I declared in my yesterday's sermon; even by the same law may he persecute, repel, and kill rebellious people, seditious citizens, and barbarous soldiers, who, under the pretence of war, do attempt that openly which thieves and robbers are wont to do privily. The prophet, I confess, did among other things prophesy of us Christians, and say: "They shall turn their swords into spades, and their javelins into scythes2" for Christians have peace with all men, and do altogether abstain from armour; for every one doth that to another which he would wish to have done to himself. But, for because all are not so minded, but that many unruly persons, wicked thieves, and oppressors of the poor, do live and dwell among honest and good-meaning men, as wild beasts among harmless creatures; therefore God from heaven hath given the sword into the magistrate's hand, to be a defence for harmless people against unruly [1 Of these doctrines of the Anabaptists, Latimer also makes mention, Parker Soc. ed. Vol. 1. pp. 495, 6. See also Bullinger. adv. Anabaptist. Lib. v. cap. 10.] [2 Isai. ii. 4.] cut-throats. But we read not in any place that we are forbidden to suppress and kill wolves, wild boars, bears, and such other beasts that do annoy and prey upon men or cattle. What let then should there be why we should not, by lawful war begun in a good quarrel, repel the unjust injury of violent robbers, since thieves, robbers, barbarous soldiers, and seditious citizens, do differ little or nothing from wild beasts? The scripture, verily, doth not vouchsafe to call them by any other names than by the names of beasts. Hereunto consenteth the common sense of nature; and herewithal agreeth the doctrine of faith and religion. "If it be possible," saith the apostle, "as much as lieth in you, live quietly with all men ; not revenging yourselves." See here, “as much as lieth in you," saith he, and, "if it be possible:" otherwise, he addeth immediately after: "The magistrate beareth not the sword in vain3." He meaneth, for them that trouble all things, and do annoy the men which do desire to live at peace. And this is confirmed by the examples of the most holy and excellent men that have been in the world, which have taken war in hand for the defence of their country and harmless countrymen; as I have already declared out of St Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews, when as in the exposition of the fifth precept I shewed what honour every man doth owe to his country. I will add to these some reasons of St Augustine, uttered contra Faustum Manichæum, Lib. xx11. cap. 74. "Neither let him," saith he, "marvel or be astonied at the wars made by Moses; for because even in them too he followed God's commandment, not like a tyrant, but like an obedient servant. Neither did God rage with cruelty, when he commanded those wars; but justly paid home them that deserved it, and terrified those that were worthy of it. For what is blameworthy in war? Is it to be blamed that they do die which once must die, that they which live may rule in peace? To find fault with that is rather a cowardly touch, than the part of a religious Christian. Desire to hurt, cruelty in revenging, an unappeased stomach, bruteness in rebelling, greediness to rule, and whatsoever else is like to these, are the things that in war are worthy to be blamed, and by right of law to be sharply punished. Against the violence of injurious enemies, at the commandment either of God himself or any other lawful [3 Rom. xii. 18; xiii. 4.] [4 See before, p. 277.] power, even good men are wont to take war in hand; since their state in the world is such, that politic order doth justly bind the magistrate in such a case to command it, and the subjects to obey it. Otherwise John, when the soldiers came to him to be baptized, saying, 'And what shall we do?' would have answered them, and said: Cast off your armour, forsake your soldier's life, strike, wound, or kill nobody. But, because he knew that while they did so, as soldiers in the war, they were not man-quellers, but ministers of the law, not revengers of their own injuries, but defenders of the commonweal, he said unto them, 'Strike no man, do no man injury; be content with your wages.' But because the Manichees have of use blasphemed or spoken against John, let them hear the Lord Jesus Christ himself commanding to give to Cæsar that stipend which John did say the soldier should be content withal. 'Give,' saith he, 'to Cæsar that which is Cæsar's, and to God the things that do belong to God.' For to this end is tribute paid, that the soldier in the war may have his pay out of hand for his pain. Very well, therefore, when the centurion said, 'And I am a man set under power, having soldiers under me; and I say to one, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Come, and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it,'-did the Lord commend his faith, and not command him to forsake his soldiership'." Hitherto also apper [1 Nec bella per Moysen gesta miretur aut horreat, quia et in illis divina secutus imperia, non sæviens, sed obediens fuit: nec Deus, cum jubebat ista, sæviebat, sed digna dignis retribuebat, dignosque terrebat. Quid enim culpatur in bello? An quia moriuntur quandoque morituri, ut dominentur in pace victuri? Hoc reprehendere timidorum est, non religiosorum. Nocendi cupiditas, ulciscendi crudelitas, impacatus atque implacabilis animus, feritas rebellandi, libido dominandi, et si qua similia, hæc sunt quæ in bellis jure culpantur, quæ plerumque ita culpantur ut etiam jure puniantur. Adversus violentiam resistentium, sive Deo sive aliquo legitimo imperio jubente, gerenda ipsa bella suscipiuntur a bonis, cum in eo rerum humanarum ordine inveniuntur, ubi eos vel jubere tale aliquid, vel in talibus obedire juste ordo ipse constringit. Alioquin Joannes, cum ad eum baptizandi milites venirent, dicentes, Et nos quid faciemus? responderet eis, Arma abjicite, militiam istam deserite, neminem percutite, vulnerate, prosternite neminem. Sed quia sciebat eos, cum hæc militando facerent, non esse homicidas sed ministros legis, et non ultores injuriarum suarum sed salutis publicæ defensores, respondit eis, Neminem concusseritis, nulli calumniam feceritis, sufficiat vobis stipendium vestrum. Sed quia Manichæi taineth that which followeth in the same 75th chapter and 76th next after. But I do of purpose willingly bear somewhat with you, not meaning by overlong rehearsing of too many sentences to be tedious unto you. ple obey the when he them to war. Thus hitherto I have shewed you that it is lawful for the Let the peomagistrate for to make war. Where, by the way, also we magistrate gather, that the subjects do lawfully, without any offence to commandeth God, take armour to battle, when they take it in hand at the magistrate's bidding. But if the magistrate's purpose be to kill the guiltless, I declared in my former sermons that then his people ought not to obey his wicked commandments. full of peril Let the magistrate therefore have an eye to himself, that he abuse not his lawful authority. And although the magistrate be licensed to make war for just and necessary causes; yet, notwithstanding, war is a thing most full of peril, and War, a thing draweth with itself an endless troop of mischievous evils. By and danger. war the just judgment of God doth plague the men whom his fatherly warning could never move; but among them many times, too, the guiltless feel the whip. In war, for the most part, soldiers misuse themselves, and thereby incur God's heavy displeasure: there is no evil in all the world that war upholdeth not. By war both scarcity of every thing and dearth do arise: for highways are stopped, corn upon the ground is trodden down and marred, whole villages burnt, provision goeth to wrack, handicrafts are unoccupied, merchandise do cease, and all do perish, both rich and poor. The valiant strong men are slain in the battle; the cowardly sort. run away for their lives to hide their heads, reserving themselves to be tormented with more exquisite and terrible kinds of cruel punishments: for wicked knaves are promoted to dignity, and bear the sway, which abuse mankind like savage beasts. Hands are wrung on every side; widows and children Joannem aperte blasphemare consueverunt, ipsum Dominum Jesum Christum audiant, hoc stipendium jubentem reddi Cæsari, quod Joannes dicit debere sufficere militi. Reddite, inquit, Cæsari quæ Cæsaris sunt, et Deo quæ Dei sunt. Ad hoc enim tributa præstantur, ut propter bella necessario militi stipendium præbeatur. Merito et illius centurionis dicentis, Et ego homo sum sub potestate constitutus, habens sub me milites, et dico huic, Vade, et vadit; et alii, Veni, et venit; et servo meo, Fac hoc, et facit; fidem laudavit, non illius militiæ desertionem imperavit. Opp. Par. 1531, Tom. VI. fol. 89. P.] scourge of God. cry out and lament; the wealth, that hath been carefully gathered to help in want to come, is spoiled and stolen away; cities are rased, virgins and unmarriageable maidens are shamefully deflowered, all honesty is utterly violated, old men are handled unreverently, laws are not exercised, religion and learning are nothing set by, godless knaves and cut-throats have the dominion: and therefore in the scriptures war is called the scourge of God. For with war he plagueth incurable idolaters, and those which stubbornly contemn his word; for that was the cause why the city of Jerusalem with the whole nation of the Jews was utterly destroyed; “because they knew not the day of their visitation" (as the Lord in the gospel saith), but went on to kill the Lord's apostles, bringing on upon their own necks "the shedding of all the blood, from the righteous Abel unto Zacharias." For murder, idolatry, incest, and detestable riot, we read that the Canaanites were rased out and cut off. The Moabites, as Esay witnesseth, were quite overthrown for cruelty, inhumanity, and contempt of the poor3. The men of Ninivy did by war unjustly vex other nations, making havoc of all, to fill their greedy desire: and therefore, saith the prophet Nahum, other men measured to them with the same measure that they had measured to other before. Micheas, in his sixth chapter, affirmeth flatly that God sendeth war upon unjust men for their covetousness and false deceit. In Jeremy arrogancy and pride, in Esay riot and drunkenness, are said to be the causes of war 5. But the evil and misery that war bringeth with it sticketh [1 Luke xix. 44; Matt. xxiii. 34-38.] [5 Jer. xiii. 9; Isai. v.] [6 Obad. 3, 4, 8, 9.] |