A SHORT Apology for Christian Soldiers: wherein is contained, how that we ought both to propagate, and also if need require, to defend by force of arms, the Catholic Church of Christ, against the tyranny of Antichrist and his adherentes: penned by Stephanus junius Brutus, and translated into English by H. P. for the benefit of the resolution of the Church of England, in the defence of the Gospel.  
O Israel if thou return, return unto me: and if thou put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove. jerem. 4.1.  
LONDON. Printed by john Wolf, for Henry Car. 1588.   

THE QUESTION. When the Subjects of any Prince, are either afflicted for Religion, or oppressed with tyranny, it is lawful for the Princes inhabiting about them, to send them aid.  
THis Question requireth more conscience to be used than learning, if we will determine any certain thing thereof: for it is such a one, the which if charity in these our days were not become cold, were altogether needless. But as the manners of men are in these days, the course of the world is come to this point, that there is nothing among us either of greater price, or of smaller praise than charity, and therefore it is a very necessary question to be determined of those which are tyrannous Princes, and cruel to their subjects, as to their souls, to their bodies, to the church of God, to their common wealth, to their own kingdom, may lawfully be resisted for the benefit of the church of Christ, & for the increase of the same. But because that either the crafty dealing of tyrants is such, or the simplicity of the subjects so much, that the one is not known before he have spoiled his people, and the other perceiveth it not before they be brought to present danger, and into such narrow straits, as that they are compelled to crave the aid of other Princes: The question is demanded, whether it be lawful for other Princes adjoining, to send them aid, they either defending their religion, or their common wealth, or the kingdom of Christ, or their own country. Many there are which think it lawful, whose covetous mind is such, as they think by aiding them to increase greatly their own substance. For so did the Romans, so did Alexander the great, and many other, which under the pretence of expugning the cruel dealings of tyrants, have often enlarged their own livings. And we have seen but of late days, and example hereof in Henry the second, king of France, who under a pretence of defending the protestāns, and reducing them from servitude into liberty, and to preserve the Princes of the Empire, made war against Charles the fift. But if at any time it happen, that either the gain is small or the danger great, than we see many Prince's content to make it a great question, and to dispute doubtfully whether it be lawful or no. And as the one doth cover his ambition and desire of gain under the cloak of piety, so the other doth pretend justice and equity for his excuse, when as in deed neither piety doth departed the one, nor justice detain the other, both of which virtues, or rather divine qualities, seeking altogether those things which may benefit their Christian brethren, and the church of Christ. Therefore let us first inquire in the cause of religion, what piety and justice do exhort us unto. It is manifest that the church of God is one, that Christ is the head of the church, whose members are so knit and joined together, that the least of them cannot suffer violence, but that the whole must also grieve and sorrow with it, and therefore the church is compared to a body. The body doth perish many times by a wound received, not only in the arm or in the thigh, but even in the least member thereof. And therefore it is in vain for a man to say that he is careful for the church of Christ, when as he suffereth her to be rend asunder, and be torn in pieces, in whose power it is to save her. Furthermore, the church of Christ is compared to a building, and a building if it be undermined in any place, it falleth to the ground: a building in what joint or tenant soever the fire cometh, it is wholly in danger: and therefore he may well be laughed at, who because he dwelleth in the cellar, or some lower part of the house, hath no care to remove the fire from the top of the house: or when the enemy undermineth one part, hath no regard of it, because he dwelleth on the other side. Moreover, the church of Christ is compared to a ship, but a ship being in danger upon the sea, is wholly in danger, that if one part be broken, the whole perisheth. And therefore they which are in the fore part, are as safe as they which are in the hinder part, and they are as safe which are in the top, as they which are under the hatches: so that it is verified in a common proverb among us, that they which are in the self same danger, are said to be in the same ship together. So that he which is not moved with grief of the body, nor with the burning of the house, nor with the tossing of the ship, giveth out a plain argument, that he is not of the same body, that he is not of the same household, and family of Christ, that he is not in the same ark or ship, which is the church. But he which is moved, although it be never so little, he must as well bring aid to afflicted members of the church, as to himself, because in the church of Christ we are all one. And it is our bounden duty, that every man should aid as much as in him lieth, and so much the more, by how much he hath received riches at the hands of God, which are not given him for his own possession only, but also to be bestowed upon his poor brethren, being members with him, according as they have need. This church as it is one, so is it committed and commended to the patronage of all Christian princes whatsoever, for because it is not so safe to commit the universal church to one, & it is against the unity thereof to commit to every one a piece, therefore it pleased God to commit the universal Church to every one, and every part thereof to the universal defence of al. And this he did, not only that we should defend it, but also that we should increase it. And therefore if the German Princes do defend the church of Christ in Germany, or the Prince of England in England, & doth not aid the churches also in other countries, but doth suffer them to be oppressed & desolate, they may be thought to have forsaken the church: for the spouse of Christ is one, which if she be violated and defiled, all Princes must set to their helping hand to deliver her. The restoring of this universal church being afflicted in part, as it is the duty of every private man, with most earnest prayer to desire at God's hand, so it is the duty of Magistrates by their powers, by their assistance, by all means they can, to raise her up being fallen, & to set her in the prosperity she was before. There is not one church of the Ephesians, and another of the Colossians, and of the rest: but all these are parts of the universal church, and the universal church is the kingdom of Christ, which kings and princes, and magistrates ought to enlarge, propagate, & amplify, against all enemies and adversaries of the same, and for this cause was there one only temple among the jews, built by Solomon, which did represent the unity of the Church: that builder might be called a foolish builder, which making one part of his house windtight & watertight, doth suffer an other to let in the rain and the winter. So likewise all Christian kings, when they are admitted to the crown, they receive the sword expressly upon this condition, that they shall defend and maintain the Catholic and universal Church, the which sword when they have taken into their hands, they shake it to the East and to the West, and to the North, and to the South, and to all quarters and climates of the world. Now when they take upon them the patronage and protection of the church, they understand no doubt the true, and not the false church, and in her defence they ought to employ all their industry, force and strength. Of this we have examples in godly princes, that it hath always been observed. In the time of Ezechias the king of juda, 
2. Chro. 31  the kingdom of Israel was in servitude to the king of the Assyrians, even from the time of Osea the king. Wherefore if that only church of God, which was in the kingdom of juda, and not the universal Church was committed to Ezechias, and that he had authority to defend the Church, no farther than he had to command tribute, surely Ezechias especially in those times, in which the Assyrians were masters over the whole world, would have kept himself within the limits of the kingdom of juda. But we read that he did invite by messengers, the whole people of Israel, the subjects of the king of Assyria, to celebrate the passover in jerusalem, and that he did aid the godly men in Israel, in breaking down the high places, and spoiling the powers of Ephraim and Manasses, 
2. Reg. 22. 2. Chr. 34.  & others, which were in subjection to the Assyrians. We read also of josias the godly king, that he did purge not only his own kingdom, but also the kingdom of Israel, subject to the king of Assyria, from the worshipping of Idols. So that where the cause of the glory of God, and of the kingdom of Christ is touched, no limits and bounds ought to abate and quench the zeal of good and godly princes. But if the force of their enemies be great, let them understand by the examples of these kings, which did truly serve the Lord, that they may not or need not fear any. These examples of godly Princes many Christian kings have followed, whereby the Church which was only within the limits of the land Palestine, hath been, and is spread throughout the whole world. Constantine and Licinius, were both Emperors, the one of the East, the other of the West, they were fellows of like and equal authority. It is a proverb, that those which are equal, have no jurisdiction the one over the other. Nevertheless, Constantine when he saw Licinius under the pretence of religion, vexing & killing the Christians, he proclaimeth war against him, 
We must ●eade this advisedly, because we may not by ●he word of God rest our own ●rince if he ●e wicked.  and by force of arms, setteth up the free service of God to the Christians: and in the end Licinius breaking his league which he had made with him, and returning to his former cruelty, he caused him to be put to death at Thessalonica. This did Constantine the great, whose godliness is so much celebrated and set out by the Christians in those times, that they said it might very well agree to him, which was prophesied by isaiah the Prophet, that kings should be nursing fathers, and Queens nursing mothers to the church. When he was dead, the Roman Empire was divided among his sons, that they should all rule equally, among which Constans did favour the Christians, and Constantius the Arrians, which also drove out of Alexandria Athanasius, an enemy to the Arrians. If there were any account to be made of limits and bounds, it were most especially between brothers: nevertheless Constans threateneth his brother, that unless he restore Athanasius into his place again, he would come with force of arms against him. If Constans doubted not to do this only for restoring of one Bishop, may it not more rightly be done, when a great part of the people is oppressed, when they humbly require aid, and desire that they may keep their religion among them, the nobles of their country being chief authors in this request. 
Sozom. li. 7. ca 18.  So Theodosius, being persuaded by a Bishop of Asia, took up arms against Chesroem king of the Persians, that thereby he might rescue the Christians, (being all private men) which were vexed in the cause of religion. The which thing those godly Princes which made so many laws, and had such special care of justice and equity, would never have done, if they had thought or judged, that they had entered into the limits, or gone about to break the laws of their Princes in so doing. To what end were so many expeditions of Christian Princes into Syria, against the Saracens, to what end were so many taxes reared, sums of money levied, such war proclaimed against the Turks, and so many forces erected against them, if it had not been lawful for all Christian Princes, even for those which dwell farthest off, to deliver the church of God from tyranny, and from the yoke of servitude. And by what arguments and reasons were they urged, and stirred to take this war in hand, but only because the church of Christ is one, because Christ himself had cited all able men to take weapon, because that common dangers were to be cut off by common aid, all which do very well agree to this cause we have in hand. So that if it were lawful for them against Mahomet, and not only lawful, but also that rewards were given to them which did willingly take arms, and punishment to those which did detract the same, why may we not do the like against the enemies of Christ? And if we may do it against the Grecians besieging of Troy, why may we not do it against Sinon, which by setting cities and houses on fire, doth rob and spoil. To conclude, if it be a godly act, to deliver the Christians from bodily servitude, (for the Turks compel no man) is it not much more acceptable in the sight of God, to deliver their souls from the slavery of Satan, to place them in the clear light of the Gospel: and these so many examples of godly Princes, may be unto us instead of a law. But now let us here what God by the mouth of his Prophets doth denounce against those, which either do not promote the instauration of his church, or make no account of the great affliction thereof. The Gadits and the Rubenites, and the half tribe of Manasses, do demand of Moses, 
Num. 32. josu. 4.7.12. Deut. 3.  that he would give unto them and their family, their portion, on this side of jordan: and Moses gave it them, but upon this condition, that they should not only help their brethren the Israelites, in obtaining of the land of Chanaan, but also because they had first received their portion, they should go before them, and place themselves in the first ray: but if they would not, than he would curse them, and compare them unto those which were judged rebels at Cadesbarnea. For (saith he) shall your brethren make war, and shall you lie at peace, nay rather ye shall come over jordane, neither shall you go back to your children, before the Lord hath driven out his enemies before his face, and have given rest unto your brethren as unto you: then shall ye be found innocent before the Lord, and before Israel: and those to whom the Lord hath given such a benefit, as to have their portion first, those he will lay great punishment upon, unless they help their brethren, unless they be partakers of their labours, and go before them into the land of Chanaan. Likewise when the men of Nepthali, and the men of Zabulon, (Deborah being their Captain) did take arms against jaben, 
jud. 5.  being a tyrant, and the tribe of Reuben did sport and delight himself with his pipe among the herds of cattle, which should have been foremost, and first have armed himself: Galead thought himself safe, the river being between him and his enemies: Dan boasted that he was master of the sea: Asher put his trust in the ruggedness of the rock: the spirit of the Lord speaking by the mouth of the Prophetess, condemned them all: curse ye Meroz saith the Angel of the Lord, curse the inhabitants thereof, because they came not to help the Lord, against the mighty. jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, shall be blessed above other women, blessed shall she be above women dwelling in Tents. Notably it is said of Urias unto David, the ark of Israel and juda dwell in tents, and my Lord joab, 
2. Sam. 11.  and the servants of my Lord, abide in the open fields, and shall I then go into my house to eat and drink, and company with my wife? by thy life, and by the life of thy soul I will not do this thing. Most wicked is that of the people of Israel, which taking their ease in Zion, & trusting in the mountains of Samaria, lie upon beds of ivory, 
Amos. 6.  and stretch themselves upon their beds, and eat the lambs of the flock, and calves out of the stall: they sing to the sound of the viol, they drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments, but no man is sorry for the affliction of joseph. Therefore the Lord God hath sworn, I abhor the excellency of jacob and hate his palaces, I will deliver up the city with all that is therein, therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive. 
●ud. 8.12.  Most wickedly did the Ephraimites, which did not only rejoice with Gedon and jepthe, having gotten the victory, but also did envy them: and when they were in dangers did forsake them. Wickedly did the Israelites. which cried out to David when he had the victory, behold we are thy bones and thy flesh, which before when he was driven into narrow straits, said, we have no part with David, 
●. Sam. 5.  nor in the son of Ishaie. Wickedly do all those which being Christians only in show and profession, are content to be present at the spiritual banquet, but refuse to taste of the cup of bitterness together with their brethren, which content to seek for their salvation in the church, not withstanding they have no regard of the safety and welfare, either of the Church or of the members thereof. And farther also they are content to acknowledge one God for their father, one Christ for their redeemer, one holy ghost for their sanctifier and preserver, one house and family of the faithful, one mystical body in jesus Christ: nevertheless they do not bring their aid unto Christ being afflicted in his members, nor send their succour to their poor brethren in their extremities. This ungodliness is great, and what punishment is necessary for such as offend in this point? 
Num. 32.  Moses compareth those which forsake their brethren in their dangers, to those rebels of Cade●barnea, whereof not one entered into the land of Chanaan, according to the counsel of God. And let those men seek for no place in the heavenly Chanaan, which are not desirous to secure Christ himself being both miserably afflicted, and also slain again every day almost a thousand times. Christ himself utterly codemned those which did not receive him when he was a stranger, which did not cherish him when he was cold, and did not cloth him when he was naked, which did not secure him when he was poor, and lastly, which did not endeavour to set him free when he was a captive. Therefore those cannot think but that eternal fire is prepared for them, which every day both see & hear these things with their eyes and ears, and are not moved, so that we may say justly, it willbe easier for any Infidel at the day of judgement, then for them. For let us reason thus: did the jews only crucify Christ, and the Scribes and pharisees? Did the Ethniks only persecute Christ, and the Turks, and certain Christians, in his members? The jews did believe and profess that he was a deceiver: the Ethnics that he was an evil person, the Turks that he was an infidel: all other, that he was an heretic. And therefore, if we respect their mind and intent whereby all offences are to be measured, they persecuting those whom they thought to be wicked, impious, and ungodly, it doth appear, that in the proper sense they did not slay Christ the son of God. 
August. in Psalm. 82. Ambro. li. ●. de Offic. Gratian. in decretis.  But those do truly persecute Christ, and those do truly slay him, which willingly suffer him to be afflicted in his members, whom they surely know and believe to be the son of God, the Messiah and Saviour of the world. Finally, he that doth not deliver a man from danger when it lieth in his power to do it, he is guilty of his death, as much as he which murdered him: Quia enim noluit open far, voluit occidi, for, because he would not help him, he would have him slain, & in such crimes the will is specially to be respected. But the offence of Christian Princes which do not help the afflicted in the cause of religion, is the greater: by how much the number is greater which are slain, and by how much the matter is more heinous to kill a brother than to kill an other, to slay a good man than to slay a thief, to slay an innocent man, then to slay an heretic, to slay by deceit than to slay by ignorance.  
But concerning those which send not their aid, to the afflicted by tyrants, or set not to their helping hand with those which take upon them the defence of the common wealth, let us also dispute what may be determined. The league between them is not so straight as the other, nor the manner of aiding so precisely commanded: when as the cause of the Church is not handled, which is one among all, and which being one is universally committed to all: but the cause of the common wealth is decided, which is one in one country, and another in an other, which is to be defended by the men & power of her own country. But (saith Christ) the jew is not only neighbour to the jew, but to the Samaritane also, and to every man: and we ought to love our neighbours even as ourselves. Therefore it is not only the duty of a jew to deliver a jew his own country man, but also to deliver every stranger (if he will fulfil his duty) out of the hand of his enemy. Neither let any man dispute whether it be lawful to defend an other, when as he judgeth it lawful to defend himself. Nay, rather it is more lawful: for he is provoked to the defence of himself, either by anger or by revenge, or by some other perturbation of his mind, so that in defending of himself, he doth many times go farther than he ought to do: but in aiding of his neighbour, it is only charity that moveth him, and in this aid and assistance, the most immoderate man that is, can easily observe a mean. Here in this point we may learn of the very Ethnics themselves, what nature and common society requireth of us. 
Cicero li. 1● Offic. ca 3 ●  For (as Cicero saith) because the nature of all men is one, nature herself doth prescribe thus much unto us, that one man should help an other whatsoever he be, even for this only cause, because he is a man: if not, then take away from us all society, all fellowship among men. So that as there be two foundations of justice, the one that we hurt no man, the other that we do good to all: so there is also two kinds of injustice, the one is to offer injury, the other not to help him that is injuried. For he which dealeth injustly with any man, either being moved thereunto by anger, or provoked by some other perturbation, he doth as it were violently lay his cruel hands upon his brother: and he also which doth not defend him if he can, is in as great a fault, as if he should forsake his parents, his friends, or his country. So that which the one doth, he doth it being moved with anger, which continueth but a little space, but that which the other doth, he doth it of an evil mind, which is a perpetual tyrant within him: and the sudden fury of the one may easily be excused, but the determinate counsel of the other is no way to be tolerated. But peradventure thou wilt say, I doubt lest I should by aiding the one, offer injury to the other: nay, rather thou goest about to cover thy unjustice under the covering of justice, for if thou look well into thyself, thou shalt find that it is not justice but some other trifling cause, which doth dissuade thee from doing thy duty. For either thou wilt not purchase evil will, or sustain the labour, or bear the charges, or else thou art many times so detained, either with thine own business and affairs, or by sloth, by negligence, by sluggishness, that many times thou sufferest him to be forsaken, whom thou shouldest have preserved. And so long as thou dost pretend thine own business, because thou wouldst not seem to injury an other, thou fallest into the other kind of injustice, for thou dost break the common society, because thou dost not spend any of thy study, of thy labour, of thy riches, in defence of it. These things have the very Heathen Philosophers done, only by the rule of policy, which many Christians see not, being ruled by the rule of Christianity. Hereof riseth the law among the Romans, 
Diod. Sic lib. 2. ca 2.  that if a man's neighbour seeing him cruelly heating his servant, do not seek to appease him, he is condemned by that law. Hereof riseth the law among the Egyptians, that if one man found an other in the hands of thieves, and did not deliver him when he might, he was condemned to die: if he did deliver him, and yet brought not the thief before the Magistrate, he was beaten with whips, and commanded to fast three days. If these things were so in private men refusing their aid, more lawful it is and requisite in godly princes to send their help, not to defend a servant from his cruel master, or a child from his angry father, but a whole kingdom against a tyrant, a whole country against the fury of one private man, and an oppressed people against him, which is nevertheless a common enemy, and a common plague. So that if he neglect to do it, doth he not deserve not only as the other did, the punishment of a thief, but rather some torment invented for such tyrants. 
Thucy. li. 1.  hereupon speaketh Thucydides, that they are not only tyrants which bring men into servitude, but those much rather are tyrants, which have no regard to repress the cruelty of tyrants: and especially those which would be called the defence of Gréece and of their country, but refuse to aid their country when it is oppressed, these men be tyrants. For as they do violently get such government, so they are compelled to use violence in keeping of it: because as Tiberius was wont to say, Lupum auribus tenent, they hold a wolf by the ears, which they can not hold without violence, neither let go without danger. Therefore to extinguish one fault by an other, they heap up many together, and they are constrained to do other men injury, lest they should seem to be injurious to themselves. But that prince which standeth idly by, and beholdeth the wickedness of a tyrant, and the slaughter of the innocent, taking pleasure in it as it were in a school of fence, is worse than the tyrant himself, by how much he which setteth the fencers together is worse than the one that slayeth the other, and by how much his offence is more heinous which killeth a man for his pleasure, than his which killed him in his own defence, either for fear or, of necessity. But peradventure you will say, it is a fault for a man to meddle with the affairs of others: the old man Chremes in the Poet shall answer, 
Pompon de regim▪ leg. 36.  Homo sum: humani nihil à me alienum puto, I am a man & therefore I think whatsoever pertaineth to a man, pertaineth to me. If it be objected which some say for the cloaking of their ungodliness, that God hath appointed limits and bounds to every nation, and that we may not as it were thrust in our sickle into their harvest, neither is my counsel to the contrary, that under pretence of aid we should invade the country of an other nation, or challenge their jurisdiction unto us, or convey their harvest into our flowers: nor as he did, who being chosen arbiter in a cause, 
Cice. 2. o●…  judged it unto himself: but rather that we should cut short any prince, invading the kingdom of Christ, any tyrant afflicting his own people, any king throwing down the props and stays of his common wealth. And this we must perform in such sort, having respect not to private commodity, but to public society, for seeing that justice doth wholly concern others and not ourselves, and injustice ourselves and not others, we shall then deal justly when we have a special care of the good and prosperity of others. Finally, if a prince do violently break the bonds of piety and justice, an other prince may justly and lawfully exceed his own limits, not to invade the others, but to force him to be content with his own. If a prince use tyranny towards his people, we ought to aid no less, than if his subjects should raise sedition against him: and we must be the more readier to do it, because the wickedness is more dangerous of many then of one. If Porsenna reduce proud Tarqvinius to Rome again: much more justly may Constantine be sent for by the people and Senate of Rome, to expel Maxentius a tyrant out of the city. If the proverb say, Homo homini lupus, that one is as a wolf to an other in cruelty, why may not one man (as the same proverb hath) be Deus, a God to another, for aid and defence. They did in old time account of Hercules as of a God, because he did vanquish and pull down Procrustes and Busyris, and other tyrants, which were very plagues of mankind, 
Cicero 2. office  and monsters of the whole world. So was the Empire of Rome as long as it continued a free Empire, it was esteemed as a common defence of the whole world, against the mischief of tyrants, because the Senate of Rome was a refuge to kings, to people and nations in their calamities. So Constantine being sent for of the Romans against Maxentius the tyrant, the Captain of his army being God himself, whose expedition and preparation the whole Church did commend, when as notwithstanding Maxentius had the same authority in the West, which Constantine had in the East. Likewise Charles the great made war against the Longobardians, being stirred up thereunto by the princes of Italy, when as notwithstanding the kingdom of Longobardia was already established, and Charles could challenge no right or title which he had in them. Likewise also when Charles the bald (so called) king of France, had tyrannously put to death Lambert and jamaetius, governors of the county, which lieth between the rivers of Sequana and Ligeris, and that the nobles of France did fly to jews king of the Germans, Charles his brother, to crave aid against Charles and his wicked mother judith: lodovic heard them most willingly in an honourable assembly of the princes of Germany, by whose common consent it was decreed, that for the restoring of those which were banished by calvus, there should be open war proclaimed against him. To conclude, as there have been tyrants some in all places, so there are examples in all historiographers of princes which have both resisted the tyrants, and defended the people. The which examples princes in these days ought to imitate (that they be not counted tyrants themselves) against those which deal tyrannously with their people, with their bodies, with their souls, with the common wealth, & with the church of Christ. To conclude all in one word: piety commandeth us to defend the law of God and the Church: justice commandeth us to restrain tyrants, and those which overthrow the common wealth: charity commandeth us to help the oppressed & such as stand in need: therefore they which do it not: take away piety, extinguish justice, and make no account of charity.  
FINIS.