Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	law_n	power_n	resist_v	2,109	5	9.2401	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96074	The constant man's character. Intended to be sent first as a letter from a gentleman in the country, to a gentlemen his esteemed friend and countryman, a Member of the House of Commons. Since inlarged into a discourse by way of humble advice to keep him from revolting, either directly or collaterally by the side-winde of being Presbyterially affected, through the mistaken and unhappy conceit, that those who have taken the Covenant, cannot without breach of the same, assent and submit unto the late proceedings of the Parliament, when as the parts of the Covenant seem to be inconsistent within themselves, as the author's observations here discoursed do manifest. The scope whereof is 1 Historically to set down the occasion and beginnings of the war. ... 4 To prove the fitness and necessity (as matters now stand) of complying with, and submitting unto this present government. For the powers that be are ordained of God, Rom. 13. Together with some animadversions incident hereunto on the same book, and on the two declarations, intituled The declarations of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament at Oxford. The one touching a treaty for peace, [the] other concerning their endeavors for peace. Printed there, 1643.	S. W.	1650 (1650)	Wing W105; Thomason E595_7; ESTC R204161	52,955	81

tye of Policy and Prudence by and through an extream and inevitable Necessity to the preservation of Ye and your Friends Neither you nor any of your Party can devise or act a means how to settle such a course as may prevent a totall confusion or the overthrow of those who have already prevailed by the. Sword nor to Still the common Enemy and Avenger But if He being hard-driven shall by Treaty or other unsafe way of setling a Peace prevail He is left at liberty to do His pleasure In Treatles or like wayes of Parleance what Security can He give or will He keep commensurate to the safety and welfare of many thousands engaged in this Quarrel to the avoidance of those Dangers and Jealousies already administred by Him Within these three years you instanced Hen. 3. His complyance and Signing Articles which when He had by that recovered His Power again kept none of them But to your Arguments and your paralelling the King 's offering a Force to six of the Houses of Parliament to the Force is offered you He might peradventure and by an usurped Authority do it to exercise a Regall Power above the Laws from assuming unto Himself an unlimited and strong conceit of His Soveraignty Transcendency of Might in nothing to be resisted to awe and force this present Parliament and all future Parliaments in case He had any purpose to convene any more to His beck as 't is probable Not long after by the like menacing and imperious act of Proclaiming those Gentlemen Traytors who either obeyed not or refused to conform to His present Will There was no necessity but His sole Will to force all those who complyed not with Him to save and rescue His Creatures from the hand of Justice And whether there be not now a stronger necessity then before the great and universall Engagement of many good and deserving men I appeal to you Sir In that you take it ill That your Servants so the Army style themselves should force their Masters They are not simply and precisely Servants immediate subordinate rather many of Them your Equals Commanders and Officers in the Army the common-Souldiery commanded and led by Them Or the Army relatively unto ye as Jurors in a triall of Assize before a number of Judges for so ye are although the resemblance holds not adequately as to an Army and to a Jury Let a Major part of Judges incline or direct which way they please Yet an upright Jury will finde according to the Evidence in being The Evidence in this case is the certainty of knowing and re-collecting things past the foresight of things to come which induceth them to bring in such Verdict as may render all things Just and Safe for when it shall happen to be debated which ought to be preferred the Priviledg of Parliament or the Safety of a Kingdom every one can judg which ought to sway the ballance Again admit the Army to be your Servants yet properly they are Servants unto those from whom they receive their pay that is from the Kingdom neither from the Presbyterian nor Independent Party In a mixt and joynt-Government where more then One commandeth and a mutuall consent had betwixt the Governours that the Servants shall obey the discreeter Party as between a Master and a Mistresse in a Family they mutually consent that their Family shall be directed by the wiser of the two there it is left to the election and discretion of the Family which of them Master or Mistresse to pay obedience unto It skils not in a Governing and Politique Body consisting of many Ruling all consenting in the main which is the Major part unless that Major part will do the whole work themselves without the help of those whom they do employ which of them is to be obeyed That Part rather which Acts and Endeavours without respect had to the Majority in the more prudent watchfull and safe way So 't is no Disobedience or Affront offered by your Army where Obedience may be dangerous to the Obeyours to your Party and your adherents For whereas some of the King's Party prefer the Presbyterian before the Independent some the Independent before the Presbyterian a See the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 224. hating both yet giving good words unto and complying with the more discontented and weaker Party untill by their cunning Artifice they overcome them also so in this Leger de main and sleight of wit blow the coals of Dissention betwixt ye both Ye of the Presbyterian can look for no other then Polyphemus his courtesie to be of those last to be devoured Besides as to the Major or Minor part of Members sitting in the House or secluded or voluntarily absenting themselves from the House so that the greater number are absent as you reckon Take heed of that objection lest you open an old wound long since salved up through God's blessing on your success and that Objection be made use of against ye all of both Houses and against that Authority whereby Ye have at any time acted since the Contention first began betwixt the King's Parties claim to their Parliament at Oxford and the Parliaments Parties claim to theirs at Westminster For if the King's Party did rightly calculate their numbers which were in both Houses of Lords and Commons b See their Declaration Printed at Oxford March 1643. towards the end of the Book 258. either personally sitting at Oxford or occasionally absent upon imployment for the King That number exceeded that of those sitting at Westminster so that the Argument for the major part of the number of Members Presbyterially affected that way Covenanted against which the King's Friends have learnedly as yet unansweredly * In a Book stiled The present Judgment of the Convocation at Oxford dated June 1647. Which if weighed with the Arguments in the late Letter written by the London Ministers to the Lord Fairfax and his Councell of War dated Jan. 1648. in behalf of the Covenant and the keeping it the Reader will soon discern the odds argued is no safe or prudent Argument at this time to be used however abetted and seconded by an elaborately written Letter by the London Ministers lest ye help your first and common Enemy to rowse an Objection which hath a long time slept for maintaining their Parliament at Oxford For by the way had those Ministers employed their pains in answering that Book their Letter might have been better credited and more universally received They much insist on the Protestation taken May 1641. wherein the Protesting is For the maintenance of the King's Honor Person and Estate yet the End at which all matters of weight do aym is the preservation of Religion Laws Liberties The maintenance of the King's Honor c. is but a piece of the Protestation the sum full sense scope thereof the preservation of Religion c. The drift of one of the Grecian wise men's advice

The Constant Man's Character Intended to be sent first as a LETTER FROM A Gentleman in the Country to a Gentleman his esteemed Friend and Countryman a Member of the House of Commons Since inlarged into a DISCOURSE by way of humble ADVICE to keep him from Revolting either directly or collaterally by the side-winde of being Presbyterially affected through the mistaken and unhappy conceit That those who have taken the Covenant cannot without breach of the same assent and submit unto the late proceedings of the Parliament when as the parts of the Covenant seem to be inconsistent within themselves as the Author's Observations here discoursed do manifest The Scope whereof is 1 Historically to set down the Occasion and Beginnings of the War 2 To shew That the Parliament had no intention to leavy a War 3 That the Book called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is probably none of the King 's 4 To prove the fitness and necessity as matters now stand of complying with and submitting unto this present Government For the Powers that be are Ordained of God Rom. 13. Together With some Animadversions incident hereunto on the same Book and on the two Declarations intituled The Declarations of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament at OXFORD The One touching a Treaty for Peace Printed there 1643. Other concerning their Endeavors for Peace Printed at London for Giles Calvert at the Black Spread-Eagle neer the West End of Pauls 1649. Reader THis Letter rather this Narration is founded on a Discourse had betwixt two Gentlemen the one unto whom it was written having the abler parts of Wit and Speech the other the Writer having the juster cause or at least he judged it so the weakness of whose judgment may indeed be an Objection against the credit of the Work there being three means onely whereby to discern and report a Truth Judgment Knowledg Conscience the two first Judgment Knowledg in State-affairs the Author may be defective in the strength thereof notwithstanding in that he is neither engaged against the one nor obliged to the other Party other wise then by a common duty his judgment may seem the more right and clear by reason his Obligations are the less wherefore that which may be said in his behalf is That the Conscience and upright Truth by which he hath measured what he hath written is free from Faction or Partiality The danger whereunto a Writer in Divided and Seditious Times exposeth himself is known unto all men when whatsoever is received with Applause or Liking by the one is therefore rejected with Despight and Scorn by the other side The Promise and * See the Protestation taken May 1641. where the Protestors Vow by all good wayes and means to bring to condigne Punishment all such as shal by Force Practice Councels Plots and Conspiracies or otherwise do any thing to the contrary in this Protestation and further that he shall in all iust ways endeavour to preserve the Vnion and Peace betwixt the three Kingdoms c. Protestation made to Endeavour by all just ways out-weighs the Danger In this Discourse he arrogates nothing to himself but an even and true delivery of what he hath observed and is well known much less doth he think his strength or skill enough to help either side to Victory but according to his weak and spent abilities to endeavour the restoring the three Nations to their former Peace their mutual Interests and Rights unto which the only and next way is to deliver and uprightly to set down the truth A more able Pen-man may shew it more excellently None can shew a more excellent way The Constant Man's Character SIR I Know not how this Discourse may relish assure your self sent from the hand and heart of him who loves and honours you howbeit wise men leaning on their own wisdoms and sacrificing too much peradventure to their own Net commonly neither need nor care for the affections of their weaker friends What I am in relation unto you or in the rank of them is known to those who know us both what in my self I am conscious of wanting Experience and Learning to derive any knowledg from antiquated Times or Histories for the fashioning this into an elegant and polite work but in a downright way to fall on familiarly and plainly to set down the beginnings and first entrance into this present War which when it first broke out that the Gentlemen of this County did declare themselves unto what Party they would adhere Two eminent Leaders on the Parliaments side Sir R. C. and your self out-weighing as we judged so many more of the opposite Party did seem to joyn and go one way for the Priviledges of that Court and the Subject's Liberties The infringing which added to some late Jealousies was the first Ascent to these Divisions how and by what degrees it went higher follows in this Discourse In your resenting which He as a Member of the House You as a Patriot of the Country We could not think Ye did it in a light Factious or Seditious way but as having seriously weighed and by your Readings even before and since the beginning of this War known That the Institution of Parliaments was had and made by an Ancient Necessary and wholsome Law That the Power Priviledges and Authority thereof were to be kept inviolable and entire That as to this present Parliament the King Himself in a See His Answer to a Declaration from both Houses in May 1642. His Answer to a Declaration sent Him from both Houses of Lords and Commons doth confess and allow Them a full and juridicall power to judg and determine the most doubtfull high and weightiest Crimes and Causes although He seems to limit it by particular Cases regularly brought before them acknowledging withall together with the b See the Declaration of the Lords Commons assembled in Parliament as they called it at Oxford 1643. Pa. 12. Lords and Commons assembled at Oxford The Priviledg of Parliament to be so substantiall and entire a Right that the Invasion of the Liberties of either House is an Injury to the other and to the whole Kingdom In severall His Messages returned unto their Propositions He repeats and confirms the same judgment of their full and ample Power being legally summoned and By a Law consented unto by Him in full Parliament not to be dissolved unless by their own consent Notwithstanding which several attempts of force and violence were offered as far as His Party's Power could extend it self to the dissolving it by contending to divide and scatter Them accusing the remaining part of the Members sitting in the House of being Rebels so being divided to account no other of the Parliament at Westminster then He doth of the Parliament in Scotland a In His Declaration concerning His Proceedings with His Subjects of Scotland since the Pacification in the Camp neer Berwick printed 1640. pa. 38. The divided Members of that distracted