The Sovereign Power of Parliaments and Kingdoms, To the reader 3
To the Reader.
Christian Reader,
I Who have beene alwayes hitherto a Cordiall Desirer, endeavourer of Peace, am here necessitated to present Thee with a Discourse of Warre; to justifie The Lawfulnesse of the Parliaments present taking up of necessary Defensive Armes. Which neither their Ende…vours, nor my, with many others Prayers could (with any safety to our Priviledges, Persons, Religion, Liberty, Realmes, now forcibly invaded by his Majesties Popish and Malignant Cavallieres) hitherto prevent, or conjure downe.
To plead the Justnesse of a Warre, of an unnaturall Civill warre, (the worst of any) of a Warre betweene the Head and Members, may seeme not onelyonly a Paradox, but a Prodigie, in a Land heretofore blessed with an aged, uninterrupted Peace: AndaCivilis Belli, l. 1. p. 1. Lucans Bella per Aemathios plusquam civilia Campos, &c. (now most unhappily revived among us) being but Historicall, and Poeticall; may passe the world with lesse admiration and censure, than this harsh Peece, which is both Legally & Theol…gically (like the Subject matter) Polemicall. But as the bApud veres Dei Cultores etiam ipsa bella pacata sunt; quae non cupiditate aut crudelitate, sed pacis studio ge…iunter Aug. de divers. Eccl. obse…. 7. Gratian Caus▪ 23. qu. 2. cap. Apud. Albericus Gentilis de Iure belli l. 1. c. 5.ayme, the end of all just War, is and ought to be onelyonly future setled Peace; so is the whole drift of this Military Dissertation: not to foment or protract, but end our bloody Warrs; which nothing hath more excited, animated, lengthened in the Adverse party, than a strong conceite, (if not serious beliefe,) that The Parliaments Forces, neither would, nor lawfully might in point of Law or Conscience forcibly resist or repulse their invasive Armes, without danger of High Treason and Rebellion, (which Bugbeare I have here refuted, removed) and the In-activity, the much admired slownesse of many of our Forces, in resisting, in preventing their vigorous Proceedings, which a little timely vigilance and diligence had easily controlled.
It is a more thancPatriae deesse quoad vita sapp…a… nef…s est Livius, Rō. Hi…t. l 5 Barbarous Inhumanity for any person, not to put to his uttermost strength, speedily to close up the mortall wounds of his bleeding, dying Native Country; but to protract its cure, to enlarge, encrease its deadly Ulcers, Stabs, Sores, and make a lasting trade of Warre, out of a sordid, dMilitare non est d…lictum sed p…opter praedam militare peccatum est. August de Verbis Dom▪ Tract. 19. & Gratian. caus. 23. qu. 1.sinfull desire of Gaine, of Plunder, to raise a private fortune by the Republicks ruines, (a sinne, of which some perchance are guilty) is an unparalleld, most unnaturall prodigious Impiety.
It was thought a great dishonour heretofore, for men of Honour and Estates, not to serve and defend their Country gratis, as our owneSee Littleton in his Chapter of Gran… serjanty, Knight-service, Escuage, & Cook ibi. Lawbooks & Histories plentifully manifest: and shall such Persons now turne sordid Mercenaries; stirre neither hand nor foot without their Pay; and be more diligent to get their wages, than discharge their Service? God forbid.
It isfNumb. 32 Josh. 1. 12, to 18. Recorded of the Children of Gad and Reuben, after they had recovered their inheritance on this side Iordan, that they went all up armed before the Lord over Iordan, at their owne free cost, untill they had driven out all the enemies in it before them, subdued the Land, and setled their brethren of the other Tribes peaceably in it. And shall not Englishmen of Estates doe the like for their Brethren now, in these times of need, when money (the sinewes of Warre) is almost quite shrunke up, by reason of former Disbursements and want of Trade? We read,gJugd 5. 19▪ That the very Heathen Kings of Canaan when they came and fought in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, against the Israelites, THEY TOOKE NO GAINE OF MONEY, for their paines: Such was their Noble generosity, which Deborah registers in her Song for their eternall Glory. And we heare of divers Lords and Gentlemen in the Kings Army, which serve against their Country gratis; yea furnish out sundry Horse and Foote, of their proper cost; of few or none such there who receive any Pay. And shall these be more free, generous, active in serving, fighting against God, Religion, Lawes, Liberties, Parliament and their Country; than those of like Ranke and quality on the Parliaments party are in warring for them? Oh2 Sam. 1. …0 let not such an ignoble, unchristian Report be ever once justly told in Gath, or published in the streets of Askelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoyce, lest the sonnes and daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
I know there are some Heroicke Worthies in the Parliaments Armies, of whom I may truely sing with Deborah, iJudg. 5. 9. 1….My heart is toward the Governours of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people; and who like Zebulon and Nepthali, have freely jeoparded their lives unto the death, in the high places of the field. Blessed be their Endeavours, and their Names for ever Honourable: I shall now onelyonly wish that others would imitate their laudable examples, that so our long-lingring warres, may be speedily and happily determined in a blessed, pure, pious, secure, honourable, lasting Peace. They are Tormentors, not Chirurgions, Executioners, not true Souldiers, who desire, endeavour not speedily to close up and heale their dearest Countries bleeding, festring wounds; for which I have prepared this Treatise, as a Soveraigne Balme, to incarne and cicatrize them, not ulcerate, or inflame them.
It was the Prophets Patheticke expostulation,kJer. 8. 20. 22. The harvest is past, the Summer is ended, and we are not healed: Is there no balme in Gilead? Is there no Physitian there? why then is not the health of the Daughter of my people recovered? It may be Englands and Irelands expostulation now: The Lord put it into the hearts of our great Physitians (the King, Parliament, and Grandees of both Armies) that they may now at last with bleeding, melting hearts and spirits, speedily poure forth such effectuall healing Balmes into these two dying Kingdomes deadly wounds, as may effectually cure and restore them to more perfect health and vigor than they ever formerly enjoyed, that so they may lose nothing but their putrid blood, their proud dead flesh, their filthy sanies and corrupt humours, by their unnaturall stabs already received: Towards the advancement of which much desired cure, if these my undigested rude Collections (interrupted with sundry inevitable interloping Distractions, which may justly excuse their many defects) may adde any contribution, or satisfie any seduced, or scrupulous Consciences touching this present Warre; I shall deeme my labours highly recompensed; And so recommending them to Gods blessing, and thy charitable acceptation, I shall detaine thee with no further Prologue.
Farewell.