Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A85094
|
A friendly letter of advice to the souldiers from a quondam-member of the army.
|
J. F.
|
1659
(1659)
|
Wing F36; Thomason E993_13; ESTC R202067
|
4,650
|
8
|
A Friendly LETTER OF ADVICE TO THE SOULDIERS FROM A QUONDAM MEMBER OF THE ARMY Printed in the Year 1659. Fellow Souldiers WHen I consider with my self upon what grounds I withdrew from your society I cannot but bless Almighty God for that his temporal Redemption and pity that sad and lamentable Condition whereinto you have been so subtilly Inticed and held on for so many years with a strange Stupefaction I confess the Banner under which we first fought was most gloriously Gilt with the fair and specious pretences of Religion the preservation of the Laws the liberty of the Subject the priviledge of Parliament and the safety of the KING And indeed who would not willingly offer himself a sacrifice for so good a Cause But alas how soon was this mask of Hypocrisie laid aside how soon was the beauty of this Good old Cause made odious by a rebellious Leprosie was there any one Motive by which we were induced to fight made good was Religion any real cause of our Divisions No there was little appearance of the Truth thereof to any sober discreet person when the Cannons of the Church under the colour of zeal and sanctity were abolisht the Lyturgie abrogated the material Fabrick consecrated to the use and service of God in some places demolished in others miserably profaned by the introduction of bruit beasis and the prodigious impiety of their Riders the Metropolitan of the Church most barbarously Beheaded the sacred Order of Episcopacy extirpated and their Revenues together with that of Deans and Prebends sold and the rest of the Clergy tyrannically stript of their livelyhood contrary to Law this was not enough they must be silenced too and the Exercise and Administration of the Gospel committed unto such persons as either were not qualified for that holy Calling with Learning and holy Orders or else had profaned their Function by Perjury or Defaced their Natural parts by a snivling posture and nonsensical doctrine This was I say visible to all wise men at first and that men of the meanest capacity might not plead ignorance either for not repenting for their sins past or persevering in them Behold Liberty of conscience was publiquely declared by our grand Masters to be no ground of the War Did not this make you startle were you no way sensible of the Cheat was put upon you did you perceive no reluctancy for those Murders those grand impieties into which you were inveigled I must confess I did and could not but so much the more detest and abominate the Mountebanks by how much the more they had deluded both my Reason and Conscience Was it the preservation of the Laws they endeavoured to maintain Nothing less what one Action of theirs is consistant with the Laws of the Land As for the Law of God it appears there is nothing less in their hearts since they have absolutely supprest the true Religion and made a fair and spacious Avenue for Turks Jews Hereticks and Schismaticks Was it the liberty of the Subject they insisted on ask the City ask the Country make enquiry into the Universities then tell me whether any one person will affirm himself to have that liberty as to dispose of or keep his Estate according to his own pleasure Alas how can it be when they have not their liberty to choose their Members nay they shall have no members at all to represent their persons and promote their grievances But 't is no wonder they should thus fool the naked multitude when they have cast the whole Army into a Lethargy and devested the supreme Officers and General himself of their priviledges the disposition of Offices and places in the Army Was it the priviledge of Parliament they so much contended for Yes and for the justification and improvement of this they entrenched upon the KING'S prerogative and the priviledge of the House of LORDS by the violation of all the Laws in the Realm they usurpt the Legislative power and have exercised it to the destruction of the three States of this Nation grounded upon Law and of every particular member thereof Is this the Priviledge of Parliament Was it the safety of the KING they so fiercely contended for Truly had they kil'd him in fight the uncertain events of War might have rendred the fate accidental as to a vulgar capacity but for a company of Subjects to raise an Army against their Prince under pretence of reprieving him from his evil and wicked Council and having forced him into their own power to Arraign him at the Bar under the colour of justice to pass Sentence upon him and accordingly to Execute him so maliciously so scandalously at His own Gates at Noon day before the Eye of Heaven and the Face of the whole world This I say was a thing without President an Act so manifestly odious and Monstrous that our Nation is detestable to all our Neighbours nay 't is a thing so horrid and prodigious that the poison is extended both to Turks and Infidels in so dismal and black a Character that we are imprisoned in this Isle we have banished our selves into our Country as having no liberty and safety abroad But had they been such friends to themselves as to spare his life and make the ignorant part of men believe their onely resolution was to call Him home from his wicked Council it must be conceived their merit must have challenged the honour to be his Council what Church what Government what Laws might we have expected or rather what impiety what tyranny must we have not expected then when the KING should have been made the stalking Horse to bear the invisible Instrument of the peoples destruction when they dare Act such things now upon their own account their own interest a poor handful of men whose Fortunes were sometimes as despicable as their actions are detestable When they dare Act who dare resist their Votes when they have so many such active such stout Souldiers to back them T is you then 't is you Fellow Souldiers are guilty of all these Crimes by complying with and asserting their designes 'T is you have destroyed the Laws Murdered the KING and by heavy Impositions eaten the Bread out of your Countreymens mouths and to what purpose to satiate if it were possible the lust ambition and avarice of a few inconsiderable persons They have something to say for their perseverance they have got Wealth and some thing like Honour but what benefit accrews to you you are Night by Night upon the Guard you are Night and Day constrained like so many Caâ—chpoles silently to steal through the streets whereby to surprise an innocent person and bring him to Destruction and all this while you are poor and Beggarly without pay you labour for nought and if you had your wages 't were no more then would keep you from starving yet this small pittance cannot be obtained for want whereof you run upon the score to such persons who are not able
to forbear Hence it is you are generally Despised Contemned cursed by poor Widows Orphans and all honest people for abetting the Commands of a Juncto of Tyrants whose Design is nought else but to enrich themselves by the publique ruine a Company of impudent persons who assume the name of a Parliament contrary to all Law and Equity 'T is true they were constituted by you Can you call a Parliament you may enable them to Sit but you cannot make their Convention lawful nor justifie their Actions well then they Sit and Act not by Law but by your power truly you exercise your power very discreetly you take the pains and they reap the Profit and it were well t would rest there too are you so blind so stupid so besotted you can discern nothing has your Commanders no providence no foresight at all can they not judge of what is Acted are they not sensible of what they suffer By setting up these Impostors you have Beheaded as it were the Army and invested them with the power of a General not an Officer to be imployed without their appointment A glorious Army indeed without a Head But you are where you were let you have your pay you are well enough alas for you do you see nothing Is there not a Militia setling what is that for doth the ROYALISTS appear too Formidable for you you see there is not a man stirs they raise jealousies and fears in you without any real cause they invent Plots to cover their own designes and make you the instruments of your own destruction It is apparent enough you are the onely persons they fear You pull'd them down and set up a Protector you Degraded the Protector and Erected them and they are conscious of so much guilt as to fear you may depose them again From hence proceeds that insufferable burden laid upon the Nation to raise Men and Arms which once being perfected you must expect that power to be imployed against you then a shameful disbanding will be your undoubted pay reward How contemptibly will you then appear every injured person will then be ready to spit upon you No Fellow Souldiers assume the hearts of Men and as you are known to have Courage and Stoutness so let your understanding be menifest also 'T is in your power to make your selves Famous and the whole Nation Happy Consider with your selves how many changes and alterations of Government this poor Kingdom hath groaned under consider the publick pressures the impoverishment of the Commonwealth the barbarous banishment of particular persons consider the sad and lamentable effusion of bloud which hath been and must of necessity fall upon us without a timely reconciliation Lastly consider and lay to heart our brethrens deviation from the Word of God and deliberate with your selves how many Sects and Heresies they are run into and take notice that this pretended Parliament was the onely Contrivers of all these mischiefs and Misfortunes and will be your Destruction also unlesse timely prevented Now there is no other way left to prevent your own and the Nations ruine but to Dismantle the Garrison at Westminster Disarm them of their Usurped power and Disperse their persons This done 't is requisite to confider being this Nation cannot consist without a Supreme Magistrate of some single Person to sway the SCEPTER since Monarchy after all these things is Experimentally found most congruous and sutable to the Genius of this People This being granted necessary God and Nature hath prepared a Person so agreeable to this high Trust that the whole World cannot parrallel him CHARLES STEWART KING of Scotland and by Law and Right KING of England and Ireland a Person so Innocent that the very malice of those Usurpers durst never fix the least scandal upon him In a word He is a Moses for meekness and therefore you cannot distrust his mercy He is a Solomon for wifedom and therefore cannot be suspected to destroy his own Inheritance it being his Interest to preserve his People to enrich his Dominions and by Acts of Grace and Mercy to Court the Love and Affection of his Subjects Hezekiah was not a greater Example of piety then this young PRINCE who being forced in his tender years to make trial of the Charity of other Princes could not but expect the frequent assaults of Learning and Policy to shake the Foundation of his Religion yet such was the strength of his Judgement such his invincible Courage in point of Faith that no pretended Reasons no specious Promises no hopes of a temporal Setlement though never so fair was of any validity to stagger his spiritual Resolutions Lay your Heads therefore together consult with your selves and tell me whether you can Fancy to your selves a Person whose parts are any thing near so adequate to the Royal Trust or your own desires Interest This is the Person God hath appointed His person his Parts his Birth do Challenge your Fidelity your Loyalty and will you still kick against Heaven and wound your Consciences by opposing his timely Admittance into his own Inheritance will you Destroy three Nations to gratifie the Covetousness pride and ambition of a few inconsiderable persons will you draw down the Curse of so many Families without any Advantage Emolument or Profit Look upon the affairs beyond Sea you will find the Hands of all Christendom united by God's providence for the settlement of the KING extended against you should they poure in their Forces upon us and you persist in your Rebellion what a miserale Seat of War would you make this poor Nation the Children unborn as well as the present Inhabitants would have reason from the bitterness of their afflicted souls to curse your memory and poisonous of-spring but if God will give you the grace unfeignedly to repent for what is past and express the reality of your hearts by suppressing those Schismaticks at Westminster and setling his Majesty with the peace and quietness of the Nations you would by this Act Secure your own Persons and Families establish your Estates and render the three Kingdoms Fortunate all Curses then would be turned into Prayers and your name which now stinks in the nostrils of all sober and unbyassed Men would then prove Glorious and Famous throughout the World Which that it may come to pass You may as well assure your self of the dayly prayers as the present advice and request of Your passionately affected Friend and Countreyman J. F.