Selected quad for the lemma: glory_n
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A25843
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The armies vindication ... in reply to Mr. William Sedgwick / published for the kingdomes satisfaction by Eleutherius Philodemius.
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Philodemius, Eleutherius.
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1649
(1649)
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Wing A3718; ESTC R21791
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60,305
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74
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punishment for so great an Offence And this they have since seconded in sundry other Declarations and Impeachments Fourthly For that most notorious falshood of his because his Excellency and the Councel of war crave that justice may be done to say It is the foule and black design of a few unbeleeving people I let it passe the Lord I know will rebuke him for it For as in this so in all the rest he manifests himself to be one of that number who have said with our tongue we will prevail our lips are our own who is Lord over us But for the persons upon whom you have laid so grievous an aspersion this is their comfort and rejoycing in the Lord that as God knowes their hearts so he knowes the sincerity and singlenesse of them that they look at his glory in seeking after the publick good As the clouds can neither lessen the light of the sun nor let the course thereof because at the last they are scattered by the heat of the sun which shineth out most comfortable So the innocency of their persons and justnesse of their cause shal disperse and drive away all black clouds of calumniations and the mouth of him that speaketh lies shall be stopt Now we come to the great work propounded in the Remonstrance That that Capitall and grand author of our troubles the Person of the King may be brought to Justice for the Treason Blood and Mischief he is there guilty of Here I find Mr. Sedgwick in his answer to say very little to it But 1. That no Law takes hold of the King 2. The crown is his birth-right and inheritance for the rest it is either a justification of the King as to be better then they or bitter reproaches Because this is a high subject and a businesse a foote I shall therefore speak the more largely to it not de facto but de jure for the Treason Blood c. laid to the King I shall leave that charge to others more concerned in it only I shall shew what justly and lawfully may be done in such a case And for the Readers clearer information and better understanding of the point I shall here assert 5. things First That there is a supream and Soveraigne power alwayes residing in the people above Kings Secondly That all Kings in all places and at all times have been and still are subject to and under Law Thirdly That the people have the power not onely to call their Kings to an account but to censure and remove them for their tyranny and misgovernment Fourthly That no nation is so tied to any form of civill government but that it is lawfull for the people to alter it into another form or kind upon occasion Fifthly That amongst all the formes of civil Government Aristocraticall or popular is best and safest for the people For the first That every Magistrate be he Emperor or King is inferior to the whole Kingdome and people it may plainly be demonstrated 1. Because he is not only their servant but creature too being originally created by and for them now as every creator is of greater power and authority then its creature and every cause greater then its effect so the authority and power of the people which creates the Prince and his princely power and enlargeth limits or restrains it as there is cause must needs be greater then the Prince or royal power And though Principallities as generally considered be of God yet the constitution of Princes and their severall degrees of power are meerly from men hence it is that Peter speaking of Kings and their supremacy cals them {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} every creature or ordinance of man 1 Pet. 2.13 because originally instituted limitted and continued by and for the use and service of the people whose creatures as we said ministers and servants they are and ought to be and from them receive their whole jurisdiction power and authority Besides howbeit principallities as generally considered be indeed of God yet the constitution of all Princes and their severall degrees of power are meerly from men and this cannot with any shew of reason be denied For if the regall authority of Princes were meerly from the Law of God and nature it should be the same and like it self in all Kingdomes but t is not the same and like it self in all kingdomes but as every people please and make a free choise of neverthelesse every form and kinde of government is equally lawfull and good in it self whether Monarchy Aristocratie or Democratie as all on all sides doe acknowledge 2ly It is a thing neither probable nor credible that any free people when they voluntarily incorporated themselves into Kingdomes of their own accord set up an elective King over them that there was such stupidity and madnesse in them as absolutely to resigne up their soveraign and popular power authority right to Kings and their heires for ever to give them an entire full and incontroulable supremacie over them and so to make the creature inferior to the creator the derivative greater then the primative the servants more potent then themselves and thus of free men to make themselves slaves and for their more safety to be more enslaved But the contrary appears by the peoples constant practise in all ages as we shall manifest hereafter But admit which with sence cannot be imagined that such a thing had been so yet the Fathers could not take in their posterity with them neither oblige them any way in point of equity and conscience to confirm and observe what they foolishly had done but their children afterwards might lawfully yea and ought to stand fast in the liberty which the law of God nature and nations had made them free and not be entangled in the slavish yoke and bondage of their fore-fathers Hence Amesius in his cases of Conscience lib 5. cap. 22. Qu. 2. resolves that all fatherly power is in procuring the good of children and shewes in the next cha. That liberty in naturall estimation is next to life it self and of many preferr'd before it 3. Common reason Law and experience manifests that the whole or greatest part in all publick or naturall bodies is of greater excellency power and jurisdiction then any one particuler member Thus in all corporations the court of Aldermen and common-councel is of greater power then the Major alone though the chief officer so the whole bench then the Lord chief Justice and the whole Councel then the President And it is Aristotles expresse determination Polit. lib. 1. cap. 2. lib. 3. cap. 8. lib. 4. cap. 8. what forme of government soever it be whatsoever seemes good to the major part of the people that is more excellent and to be preferred before any part or member thereof and that it is unfit the part should be before the whole and he gives for it his reason thus The people know what is profitable necessary
and t is a hard thing to please all neverthelesse I have undertaken this worke in hope to satisfie all such who are not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} absurd and unreasonable but knowing men moderate and impartiall And confident I am didst thou know how free I am and disingaged in respect of any private interest thou wouldst consider the more seriously what is here written and reap the more profit by it For my name had I intended to have made it known I could have set it down and so have told it thee my self but thou mayest perceive my meaning is to conceale it and therefore thou needst not to enquire further onely thus much for thy satisfaction I have purposely forborn it that in reading thou mayest not have thy mind taken up with any thing but about the matter I make account I shall save Mr. Sedgwick the labour and all other Royallists of replying because I have in part don that my self namely collected all such Objections as I conceive carry any shew of contradiction to the particulars here asserted and shall very shortly set them forth with a full refutation Reader the main businesse is Liberty Liber captivus avi fere similis est Semel fugiendi si data est occasio Satis est nunquam post illum possis prendere A thing desired of all living creatures and therefore much unbeseeming man to strive for bondage Me thinks when J consider how the world hath been befool'd by Kings J could even weep and laugh to see what tame asses men have been to be ridden and beaten by them But the Lord is now risen up and doing his great work throwing down and breaking to pieces the proud powers of the earth both civil and eclesiastical It is good therefore thou consider where thou art and what the place of thy standing is he that hides himself under straw or chaffe will have small relief thereby when fire shall be put thereto and consume it All powers and places in opposition to Christ are but as dry stubble which the Lord is now about to destroy with the brightnesse of his comming But I shall not hold thee up with any longer discourse onely one thing I shall acquaint thee with there are some faults escaped which I have observed since it was printed and in some places greater then J wish they were the which J could not help beeing out of town when it was don and the badnesse of my hand may in part excuse the printer And so J bid farewell till thou doe hear again from me The Armies vindication in answer to Mr. Sedgwicks calumniation WHAT moves Mr. Sedgwick to shew himself such a bitter and cruell enemy to the Army and at this time to heat the furnace of his tongue seven times more then it was wont to be heat may in part be gathered from the Scripture set down in the Title page 2 Timot. 3 9. But they shall proceed no further c. but more clearly a little after where he speaks of his sermon at Windsor Overturn overturn overturn mentioning withall Mr. Saltmarsh his message depart from the tents of these unrighteous men and Mr Pinnels admonition The thing is thus he hath deeply engaged himself concerning the Armies ruin and the safe return of the King and his Posterity to their glory and greatnesse and having with much confidence and boldnesse a long time thus affirmed he begins now to fear lest this should be added to his doomsday-prophesie and so whilst he is lifting up himself and intruding into those things which he hath not seen his folly be made manifest to all men to use his own words Hence he growes angry and flyes in the face of the Army cals them dogs and devils that their wayes are beastly cruell absurd monstrous men led by a dark and foule Spirit enemies to the Spirit and to the crosse of Christ and much more to this purpose as if they would at his calumniations and slanders fall down before him and give all up to him that so it might not come to passe which he foresees already is at the door and shortly will be in all mens mouths Sedgwick the false prophet God hath not spoken to him in these things but he hath prophesied a lie in his Name Oh that Mr. Sedgwick could take notice of the visible and senceable reproof of God upon him that blindnesse hath happened to him in part and professing himself to be wise becomes a fool if the thoughts of the snare which he is fallen into lay upon his heart he would give glory to God and with Iob humbly say behold I am vile what shall I answer thâ—e I will lay my hand upon my mouth Once have I spoken but I will not answer yea twice but I will speak no further Iob. 40 4 5. The Epistle Dedicatory is as the rest of the Pamphlet invective and slanderous Thus he begins You drive furiously over the necks of KING and Parliament Laws Covenants Loyalty Priviledges and no humane thing can stand before you Here Solomons words are verified Eccles. 10.13 The beginning of the words of his mouth as foolishnesse and the end of his talke is mischievous madnesse You found not any thing in the Remonstrance looking this way but expressions often to the contrary and were you as charitably minded towards His EXCELLENCY and the Generall COUNCEL of WAR as you are to the Malignant Party you had ground sufficient to judge otherwise But howsoever God will ere long clear their innocency and bring forth their righteousnesse as the light and their judgement as the noon day when by his gracious hand assisting them our Lawes Liberties and Priviledges shall be recovered the which by KING and PARLIAMENT have been trodden under foot But he tels them The Lord is here upbraiding your unbelief and after pag. 13. The Holy GOD will no longer suffer you to wear the name of Saints and godly but will discover you to be white sepulchres and cause your rottennesse to come forth But how may we know that the Lord hath called Mr. Will Sedgwick to this work and that it is the spirit of Christ speaking in him and he the man appointed to poure contempt upon the Army and to trample upon them as morter Must we take it as granted because he sayes it What if the Army should say in the words of Nehemiah And lo I perceived that God had not sent him but that he pronounced this Prophesie against me for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him Therefore was he hired that I should be afrayd and doe so and sin and that they might have matter for an evill report that they might reproach me My God think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works and on the Prophetesse Noadiah and the rest of the Prophets that would have put me in fear Neh 6.12 13 14. Is there no ground for them to think that the Malignant spirit drives on his old designe