The Sovereign Power of Parliaments and Kingdoms Part 3, Dedication 2
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 Endeavours, 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 & Theologically (like the Subject matter) Polemicall. But as the bApud veros Dei cultores etiam ipſa bella pacata ſunt; quae non cupiditate aut crudelitate, ſed pacis ſtudio geruntur Aug. de diuerſ. Eccl. obſerv. 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 Warres; 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 ſupperat nefas eſt Livius, Rō. Hiſt. 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 delictum ſed propter 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 is fNumb. 32 Joſh. 1. 12, to 18.Recorded of the Children of Gad and Reuben, after they had recovered their inheritance on this ſide Jordan, that they went all up armed before the Lord over Jordan, 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, gJudg 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. 20. let not ſuch anignoble, 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. 18. 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