decorative border surrounding title page 1534 The arming of a Christian Warrior ready to fight with the enemies of our captain and saviour jesus Christ, to the which soldiers, Henry Barret the writer of this rude book, wisheth health & much increase of faith. Anno. 1549. TO THE RIGHT Worshipful Sir john Marcham knight Lieutenant of the Kings majesty's Tower of London. Henry Barret wisheth health and long increase of worship. Considering the manifold enormities which heretofore hath crept into this realm through the false usurped power of the bishop of Rome and the ungodly doctrine of his adherentes not only to the great decay of Christian religion but also (if gods mercy were not) to the utter destruction of many arable souls, which through hypocrisy and pernicious doctrine were seduced, and brought from honouring of our only captain the true, living and eternal god unto the worshipping of creatures, stocks and stones unto voluntary works and fantasies invented of men, such was their hypocritical & pharisaical policies in the wars of their master the bishop aforesaid, their armure so pestilent strong, that hitherto is not only thoroughly pierced, but had in some estimation and price, the appointing of their armure so delectable and pleasant, and ordered in such abuse sort and fashion that uneath any christian captain or soldier may without long travail make plain the false devise thereof, apparelling the said christian soldiers in barnesse of safeguard fashioned, invented, and made by our everlasting captain Christ, but for my part lacking learning and knowledge, yet of a good & earnest mind to the furtherance therein, and also to provoke the learned captains who hath read the order of Christ's battle wherein he teacheth what order and armuur his soldiers must use to explain & set forth the same, have taken in hand this simple & illiterate treatise, dedicating the same, to your good mastership whom I doubt not will esteem and accept my good will which may steer and instigate the learned to travail for the perfect arming of all Christian soldiers, and order in battle that thereby they may have the reward that is laid up for them which god of his infinite mercy grant us for his sons sake our saviour jesus Christ The greavess and Queshes. first put on your greavess and queshes, that your legs may be so armed that ye may boldly walk in the right ways that is directid unto us by our captain and saviour, Ephe. iiii. and wander not in the wrong ways which of long time hath been taught us, by the false guides of Rome and their traditions, but ye shall only follow our own captain to whom is given all power in heaven and in earth, Mat. xviii. for he is an everlasting king, and we his famile and soldiers which are baptized in our captain, Roma. Vi. by faith are baptized with him to the death, and by his provision shall be partakers of his everlasting camp and kingdom, Roma. Vi. for when ye were dead through sin we were quickened with him in spirit. etc. Wherefore let us take that same way that we have in commandment by our captain jesus Christ, which is our saviour, and captain after the order of Melchisedech. The collar ANd ye shall Arm yourself with a collar, of good and perfit metal so well tempored that there shall not pass through the same any weapons of our enemy Satan, which goeth about with many proud assays to pierce our armure and to hurt both our body and soul but like good and true soldiers keep the orders that is given to you in our grand captains book, and your enemy Satan nor all his disciples shall not pierce your armure, neither hurt your body nor soul. Math. V First ye shall not swear by your captain jesus Christ's name nor by any thing that is of his making, not by one hear of your head white nor black, Zacary. 5. for the curse of God our captain shall rest in the house of him that sweareth falsely, ye shall not let pass through the same any words of untruth other to the dispraise of our captain, or to the hurt of our neighbour: but let your communication be agreeable with your living, so that ye love your captain above all, Math. xii. and your neighbour as yourself: & beware of excessious drinking which oftentimes maketh an unable soldier, and causeth his captain to put him out of his book, Exodi. xxxii. and then he becometh a venturer which when he is taken, is not sure of his ransom without the great mercy of his captain, also your captain will ask account of every idle word that shall pass through your collar, Ephe. iii wherefore be not outrageous in any thing but let your words and living be agreeable with your captain's commandment, so that your account, may be the better at the last day. The Corsolate other wise called Curates. THen put on your Corsolat, with a rest basses & tasses to defend your body in all places made of pure and ghostly metal so edified with a good & clear conscience void of all unchaste living, as horekeping, drunkenness, extortion, covetous and malicious minds etc. which be clean contrary to the commandments written in the new testament of our captain john. xiii which saith if ye do love me keep my commandments, … m. viii. and put your only trust in the death and passion of our captain and saviour jesus Christ, that through the shedding of his precious blood, and his merits, we his soldiers were only saved from the house of thraldom, … me. iiii. and are made partakers of his camp and kingdom, through our faith in his only blood. The vanbrasses and gauntlets Then put on your vanbrasses and gauntlets that your arms and hands may be defended from all ungodliness from stealing, 〈◊〉. x. 8. defrauding, from fight and killing, and from unjust dealing, & be of such living as ye have in commandment and to thy power give to him that 〈◊〉 Vi. asketh in our captains name & from him that would borrow, Marc. x●… turn not away thy face, but to thy power assist him, if thou lack worldly substance deliver such talant as thou haste received of our captain, as one christian soldier ought to do to an other wherewith he may be comforted and be thyself aware of the proud assaults of the world, the devil and the flesh, johan. ii● & take the weapon of our captain in your hand, and therewith ye shall strike the ungodly till they be converted to the faith of jesus Christ. The Helmet THen put on your Helmette most Ghostly edified with the strong word of God, that with the same your head may be covered from all your enemies and from all vain words, Ephesi. ii● works and thoughts so that ye may only consist in our captains death and passione which hath paid the ransom of all faithful warriors, which walketh in the right wars of his vocation, then if ye find any soldier that hath been negligent in the true service of our captain let him call faithfully and with a good intent to offend no more and he shall be sure to find an advocate, with god the father even the same captain that already hath paid the ransoms of all his faithful soldiers with his precious blood who also seeth the thoughts of all hearts and is ready to receive all repentant offenders according to his saying: which saith, come to me all ye that labour and are laden and I shall refresh you, also if ye knock it shallbe opened unto you. etc. And then lock down your bavier and moffle so fast & close, Deutronon●… that it may defend you from all fleshly sights and worldly temptations and from the buffetes of all false Charms, witchcrafts, & sosseries, and from all hypocrisy Superstitions and idolatry, so that ye have your hole trust only in our Captain and saviour, in none other but in our only captain and saviour the living god and then your helmet shall defend and bear the strokes of all your enemies bodily and ghostly through the help of our said captain & saviour, jesus Christ. The grand guard and polgremes THen set one your Grand guard and polgremes which shall be edified with all spiritual consolation, that you may be by the help of our capitain defended from all the encounters of our enemies though ye be assailed, by many means to call you from your own captain, and to bring you to the service of satan, the devil, and the rather through the false guides of Rome. etc. But be you faithful soldiers to your own captain, and ye may be sure ye shall be placed with the fellowship of warriors in heaven which followed their Captain, on white horses, and were clothed in pure white silk, ●poca. 17, according to the pureness of that place, to the which camp our captain and saviour give us grace so to serve that we may be worthy to come at the last day. The Sword. THen gird fast about you the two edgedsweorde and therwithe ye shall ministre execution to the soldiers of unbelief even to their utter confusion and ye shall extol and only magnify the name of our captain which is in heaven, hebrews. 4 and there sytteh on the right hand of God the father, Mat xx. 5 and from thence he shall come to judge the quick & the dead. The Lawuse or Spear THen take the lance of faith in your hand, Ephesy. 4 which is prepared to encounter with the ungodly and with it ye shall stoutly strike them to their great overthrow, Math 4 and shall put them to utter silence through the help of our captain, but beware that your frail flesh cause you not to forget your Captain & that ye pierce him not in stead of the enemy, as blind lungs did, and that you kiss him not with judas unfaithfully. The warryars Charge THen being thus armed and weponed and through the help of our Captain and saviour which hath the governance of heaven and earth the sea, Matthew i. and all that is in them, for they be of his own hands making, and he is a king of kings and a lord of lords, and of his kingdom there is no end, Apoca. 17, go forth boldly and do the message of our Captain & saviour and if ye find any enemies or thieves that will rob our captain of his honour or glorious inheritance, or will attribute his glory unto stocks or stones, or to any thing of man's making, or will say that they have our captains & saviours jesus Christ's natural body naturally, even the same that was born of Mary the virgin, fast prisoner & locked in a box & carry him whether they list at their commandment etc. ye shall take the weapons which our captain did at his last supper leave in the new testament of our captain & saviour jesus Christ which is in heaven & there sitteth on the right hand of god the father almighty, which when he ascended, and before the cloud, received him out of the sight of the men of Galilee: he said, john 14. & 20. I go to my father, and your father, and to my god, and your god, to prepare a eat for you, & will receive you even to myself, that where I am there shall you be, & when that the lord had spoken to them he was received into heaven and there sytteh on the right hand of god even with his whole godhead and manhood, ●arke 16 ●uke xxii. acts. 7. although his godhead be everywhere: also you shall find so many places of authority in the same Testament to prove the same that the infideles romish champions and all other the disciples of the devil shall be confounded by the same, although the Enemies have been suffered by our grand captain to judge by great false tyranny, some true solders to the fire for the truth sake, & so hath persecuted them as they did our Captain and saviour before guiltless etc. but he hath ransomed them home unto his own Camp and kingdom that joyful soldiers be they which hath received such persecutions for their Captain's sake. john. Therefore good christian soldiers take this armour unto you & govern yourselves with it so well that ye put your hole confidence & trust in our Captain and saviours death and passion, Acts i●… and ye shallbe sure that ye shallbe placed with the fellowship of the faithful which shall never see coruption. etc. david 1●… O what kind of soldiers be they that have so good a captain & yet will seem so unkind unto him to refuse his service which hath loved them so well that he hath writteen their names in his book with his own precious blood so that they are sure their ransom is not to seek for he hath paid it all ready with his precious body and blood upon the Cross, Peter ●… & yet some ungodly soldiers, of a devilish mind doth willingly forsake their own god and true captain and becometh ventures & subjects to the devil, which when they have served a certain time after the lusts of the flesh, they shallbe rewarded according to their service, that is, to lose the kingdom of joy and to enter into the continual pain among the forlorn hope of lost soldiers which when they were once placed with their captain of their ungodly mind refused the same, so that without the great mercy, of the great Captain they have lost their ransom & must remain Presoners for ever from which preson our grand Captain and saviour Ihesu Christ save all soldiers and give us grace to amend our living in time and to serve truly like faithful Soldiers. The soldiers charge. NOw verily there is a fault among many soldiers, as well among some English soldiers as other nations which when they be once chosen to go against the kings enemies whether it be in Scotland or France or else where, they do use such ungodly usages with in the kings realm both outward and homewards as is great shame to rehearse for some will take their neighbours cattle and victual and will pay nothing, and some will procure men's wives & servants to ungodly living & some useth excessiows drinking & other some abominable swearing in such wise that the godly soldiers often times fear to be plagued for the evils sake wherefore good Christian soldiers let us pray to our grand Captain that he may give us his grace so to embrace his holy word that we may live according to the same and that every Christian soldier may rejoice each with other so that from this time forward no English soldier shallbe worthy of reproach in the offence aforesaid & that we may live only by the kings wages & by his conduct money which we have according to his graces godly custom & that we may be an ensample to all other nations to use the same unto the land and praise of god, and to the pleasure of our king. For verily we are sure that he that asketh of god the father, Math xi for god the sons sake it shallbe granted him, for our good captain and saviour is so ready an advocate for us that if we be repentant he will purchase grace for us of God the father according john xiiii and xvii. to his godly promise and custom, not only for my sins, but for the sins of all the hole world. Also our enemy satan hath so many kind of spies & so many ways to allewer soldiers to his unprofitable service that many of them that is lead by the flesh and be lovers of gold & silver putteth themselves so to serve for the same, as if it would last ever, like unto the reward of our true Captain, for some men fear not to swear an oath to their prince for to be true subjects, & yet of an unfaithful mind breaketh the same, whose faults be spied immediately & be put out of our own captains book and hath lost their service, and ransoms & be of the forlorn hope, which fault our Captain and saviour give us all grace to amend. The Soldiers charge, ALas good Christian soldiers remember what an hard saying it is when our grand Captain shall say to the unjust soldears of unbelief departed from me ye soldiers of unbelief, Mat. xxv. & ye shall go to everlasting pain for your enfidelitie where there shall be wailing & gnashing of teeth and burning fire without ceasing. etc. From the which our captain & saviour jesus christ give us the grace so to mortify our frail flesh and to lead our life in such civility of the law that we may dread his centemces so that we may be worthy to be partakers of the glory of his kingdom & there to rest in the peace of GOD with Abraham Isaak and jacob in the kingdom of Heaven. ●ohn xiii. Amen.