Answer to a Book, Part 26
XXVI. VponUpon the Armies surprisall of the King at Holmeby.
TO give account to Royalists what was don with thir vanquisht King, yeilded up into our hands, is not to be expected from them whom God hath made his Conquerors. And for brethren to debate & rippe up thir falling out, in the eare of a common enemy, thereby making him the judge or at least the wel pleas'd auditor of thir disagreement, is neither wise nor comely. To the King therfore, were he living, or to his Party yet remaining, as to this action, there belongs no answer. Aemulations, all men know, are incident among Military men, and are, if they exceed not, pardonable. But som of the former Army, eminent anough for thir own martial deeds, and prevalent in the House of Commons, touch'd with envy to be so farr outdon by a new modell which they contemn'd, took advantage of Presbyterian and Independent names, and the virulence of som Ministers to raise disturbance. And the Warr being then ended, thought slightly to have discarded them who had faithfully don the work, without thir due pay, and the reward of thir invincible valour. But they who had the Sword yet in thir hands, disdaining to be made the first objects of ingratitude and oppression, after all that expens of thir blood for Justice and the common Liberty, seiz'd upon the King thir pris'ner, whom nothing but their matchles deeds had brought so low as to surrender up his Person: though he, to stirr up new discord, chose rather to give up himself a captive to his own Countrymen, who less had won him. This in likelihood might have grown to som hight of mischeif; partly through the strife which was kindling between our elder and our younger Warriors, but chiefly through the seditious tongues of som fals Ministers, more zealous against Scisms, then against thir own Simony and Pluralities, or watchfull of the common enemy, whose suttle insinuations had got so farr in among them, as with all diligence to blow the coles. But it pleas'd God not to embroile and put to confusion his whole people for the perversness of a few. The growth of our dissention was either prevented or soon quieted; the Enemy soon deceav'd of his rejoycing, and the King especially disappointed of not the meanest morsel that his hope presented him, to ruin us by our division. And being now so nigh the end, we may the better be at leasure to stay a while, and hear him commenting upon his own Captivity.
He saith of his surprisal that it was a motion eccentric and irregular. What then? his own allusion, from the Celestial bodies, puts us in minde, that irregular motions may be necessary on earth somtimes, as well as constantly in Heav'n▪ That is not always best, which is most regular to writt'n Law. Great Worthies heertofore by disobeying Law, ofttimes have sav'd the Common-wealth: and the Law afterward by firme Decree hath approv'd that planetary motion, that unblamable exorbitancy in them.
He meanes no good to either Independent or Presbyterian, and yet his parable, like that of Balaam, is overul'd to portend them good, farr beside his inintention. Those twins that strove enclos'd in the womb of Rebeccah, were the seed of Abraham; the younger undoubtedly gain'd the heav'nly birthright; the elder though supplanted in his Similie, shall yet no question find a better portion then Esau found, and farr above his uncircumcis'd Prelats.
He censures, and in censuring seems to hope it will be an ill Omen that they who build Jerusalem divide thir tongues and hands. But his hope fail'd him with his example; for that there were divisions both of tongues and hands at the building of Jerusalem, the Story would have certifi'd him; and yet the work prosper'd; and if God will, so may this; notwithstanding all the craft and malignant wiles of Sanballat and Tobiah, adding what fuell they can to our dissentions; or the indignity of his comparison that lik'ns us to those seditious Zelots whose intestine fury brought destruction to the last Jerusalem.
It being now no more in his hand to be reveng'd on his opposers, he seeks to satiat his fansie with the imagination of som revenge upon them from above; and like one who in a drowth observes the Skie, he sits and watches when any thing will dropp, that might solace him with the likeness of a punishment from Heavn upon us: which he strait expounds how he pleases. No evil can befall the Parlament or Citty, but he positively interprets it a judgement upon them for his sake; as if the very manuscript of Gods judgements had bin deliverd to his custody and exposition. But his reading declares it well to be a fals copy which he uses; dispensing oft'n to his own bad deeds and successes the testimony of Divine favour, and to the good deeds and successes of other men, Divine wrath and vengeance. But to counterfet the hand of God is the boldest of all Forgery: And he, who without warrant but his own fantastic surmise, takes upon him perpetually to unfold the secret and unsearchable Mysteries of high Providence, is likely for the most part to mistake and slander them; and approaches to the madness of those reprobate thoughts, that would wrest the Sword of Justice out of Gods hand, and imploy it more justly in thir own conceit. It was a small thing to contend with the Parlament about sole power of the Militia, when we see him doing little less then laying hands on the weapons of God himself, which are his judgements, to weild and manage them by the sway and bent of his own fraile cogitations. Therfore they that by Tumults first occasion'd the raising of Armies, in his doome must needs be chastn'd by thir own Army for new Tumults.
First note heer his confession, that those Tumults were the first occasion of raising Armies, and by consequence that he himself rais'd them first, against those supposed Tumults. But who occasion'd those Tumults, or who made them so, being at first nothing more then the unarmed and peaceable concours of people, hath bin discust already. And that those pretended Tumults were chastiz'd by thir own Army for new Tumults, is not prov'd by a Game at Tictack with words; Tumults and Armies, Armies and Tumults, but seemes more like the method of a Justice irrational then Divine.
If the Citty were chast'nd by the Army for new Tumults, the reason is by himself set down evident and immediat, thir new Tumults. With what sense can it be referrd then to another far-fetchd and imaginary cause that happ'nd so many years before, and in his supposition only as a cause. Manlius defended the Capitol and the Romans from thir enemies the Gauls: Manlius for sedition afterward was by the Roman throwns headlong from the Capitol, therfore Manlius was punisht by Divine Justice for defending the Capitol: because in that place punishd for sedition, and by those whom he defended. This is his Logic upon Divine Justice; and was the same before upon the death of Sir John Hotham. And heer again, Such as were content to see him driv'n away by unsuppressed Tumults, are now forc'd to fly to an Army. Was this a judgement? was it not a mercy rather, that they had a noble and victorious Army so neer at hand to fly to?
From Gods Justice he comes down to Mans Justice. Those few of both Houses who at first with-drew with him from the vain pretence of Tumults, were counted Desertors; therfore those many must be also Desertors who with-drew afterwards from real Tumults: as if it were the place that made a Parlament, and not the end and cause. Because it is deny'd that those were Tumults from which the King made shew of being driv'n, is it therefore of necessity impli'd, that there could be never any Tumults for the future? If some men fly in craft, may not other men have cause to fly in earnest? But mark the difference between their flight and his; they soon return'd in safety to thir places, he not till after many years, and then a Captive to receive his punishment. So that their flying, whether the cause be consider'd or the event, or both, neither justifi'd him, nor condemn'd themselves.
But he will needs have vengeance to pursue and overtake them; though to bring it in, it cost him an inconvenient and obnoxious comparison, As the Mice and Ratts overtook a German Bishop. I would our Mice and Ratts had bin as Orthodoxal heer, and had so pursu'd all his Bishops out of England; then vermin had ridd away vermin, which now hath lost the lives of too many thousand honest men to doe.
He cannot but observe this Divine Justice, yet with sorrow and pitty. But sorrow and pitty in a weak and over-maister'd enemy, is lookt upon no otherwise then as the ashes of his revenge burnt out upon it self; or as the damp of a coold fury when we say, it gives. But in this manner to sit spelling and observing divine justice upon every accident & slight disturbance that may happ'n humanly to the affaires of men, is but another fragment of his brok'n revenge: & yet the shrewdest & the cunningest obloquy that can be thrown upon thir actions. For if he can perswade men that the Parlament and thir cause is pursu'd with Divine vengeance, he hath attain'd his end, to make all men forsake them, and think the worst that can be thought of them.
Nor is he onelyonly content to suborn Divine Justice in his censure of what is past, but he assumes the person of Christ himself to prognosticate over us what he wishes would come. So little is any thing or person sacred from him, no not in Heav'n, which he will not use, and put on, if it may serve him plausibly to wreck his spleen, or ease his mind upon the Parlament. Although if ever fatal blindness did both attend and punish wilfulness, if ever any enjoy'd not comforts, for neglecting counsel belonging to thir peace, it was in none more conspicuously brought to pass then in himself: and his predictions against the Parlament and thir adherents have for the most part bin verify'd upon his own head, and upon his chief Counselors.
He concludes with high praises of the Army. But praises in an enemy are superfluous, or smell of craft; and the Army shall not need his praises; nor the Parlament fare worse for his accusing prayers that follow. Wherin as his Charity can be no way comparable to that of Christ, so neither can his assurance that they whom he seems to pray for, in doing what they did against him, knew not what they did. It was but arrogance therfore, and not charity, to lay such ignorance to others in the sight of God, till he himself had bin infallible, like him whose peculiar words he overweeningly assumes.