Selected quad for the lemma: power_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A64699
|
The Un-deceiver
|
|
1643
(1643)
|
Wing U41; ESTC R24648
|
10,259
|
15
|
and Parliament and some of them drink Healths upon their knees to the confusion of the Parliament Now to fight against the Parliament is to fight against the King and the Kingdom both at once against the King because the Parliament is the Kings Court His highest Court from whence there is no appeal and therefore they who oppose that Court are guilty of the highest Rebellion because they oppose the Kings highest Power and Authority The Parliament then fighting for the maintenance of the Kings Authority in that Court and the Cavaliers fighting against it is cleer and evident that the Parliament fight for the King and the Cavaliers against Him because they that oppose the Kings Authority in His Courts do manifestly oppose the King And if the King in person be so far seduced as to oppose the Authority of that Court we ought not to assist the King in opposing of His own Authority for by that means we should disobey His Authority that we might obey His pleasure which every wise man and good Subject will count most absurd Malignants and Cavaliers might learn by the Lord of Straffords case That the Kings personall or verball command will not bear them out against the Kings Legall Power and Authority in His highest Court Moreover to fight against the Parliament is to fight against the Kingdom for the Parliament is the Representative Body of the Kingdom and if that Court be overthrown then farewell Religion Liberty Law and all Finally the Kings Army employ their strength against all strict and pure Protestants they do either plunder imprison or murther them in all places where ere they come whereby it is evident that they fight against the Religion established by Law and endeavour by force and violence to root all cordiall and sincere Protestants out of the Kingdom In a word they would by an absolute Conquest make all the Subjects of England slaves to that so much affected absolute and Arbitrary Power and make all the wealth c. of the Kingdom a present booty to their Pride Lust Malice Covetuousnesse and what not But the great question is Whether the Parliament hath Power to raise an Army without the consent of the King First the King hath consented that this Parliament should not be dissolved without the consent of Lords and Commons but should have the full Power and Priviledges of a Parliament Now the Parliament by its ordinary Power as a Court of Iudicature can declare and enforce Law and therefore may in case of resistance compell stubborn Delinquents by force of Arms to abide a Legall tryall for this may bee done by an inferiour Court and therefore much more by the highest Court Now this Power being setled in the Parliament by Law it is setled there by the Kings consent And therefore no man can say that the Parliament doth raise Forces without the Kings consent But on the other side the King cannot raise Forces by His own personall command without consent of the Parliament because the King in His own person is not a Legall Court of Iustice 2. In case that the whole frame of the State be endangered the Cōmonwealth like to be ruined The Parliament hath a priviledge to do what in their wisdom seems meet for the preservation of the kingdom For the safety of the people is the highest Law an higher Law then Statute-Law for all Statutes must give place to it and therefore the Parliament need not urge Statute for those things which they do by Priviledge as the highest Counsell and the highest Court nay when they seem to break Statutes according to their Letter they fulfill them according to their scope and intent for the scope and intent of all Laws is to preserve the kingdom by preserving the Properties Liberties Lives of the people and preventing or restraining Acts of Oppression and Tyrannie That the Parliament hath such a Power a Legall and sufficient Power to prevent and restrain Tyrannie is acknowledged by the King himself as hath been already shewn 3. This Priviledge of the Parliament tends not onely to the preservation of the kingdom but to the preservation of the King himself For as it is in the naturall body if there be a mortall wound in the body the head dyes aswell as the body so is it in the Body Politique if there be a mortall wound given to the State and Common-wealth the king and the kingdom will both perish together for it is impossible He should be a king without a kingdom 4. The two Estates of Lords and Commons have more power to preserve the kingdom then the king hath to destroy it for the two Estates by the very Fundamentalls of Government are bound to prevent the dissolution of the established frame and the primary intention of the frame in such States as ours justifies the exercise of any Power conducing to the safety of the community and Government established as is proved at large in a modest Treatise of Monarchy lately published by an earnest desirer of his Countries Peace in the Second and Fourth Chapters of the First Part and in the Third and Fift Chapters of the Second part For it is cleer and evident that the two Estates were purposely Ordained to prevent or restrain the excesses of the third and therefore their Power is not wholly dependent upon and derived from the third because then their Power would be insufficient to compasse that very end for which they were Ordained For to go about to restrain and limit a Governour by a Power wholly subject to and depending on himself is all one as to leave him at large without any limitation at all Besides it is manifest that the two Estates have a share in the highest act of the highest Power to wit the making of Laws and therefore they have a share in the highest Power it self and by vertue of that Power may supply the defects and curb the wilfulnesse of a Passionate King who affects an Absolute or Arbitrary Government 5. The Parliament hath a Power to re-call all the Illegall Commissions which the King hath granted to Forreign Princes Papists Delinquents Cavaliers or any other and to disanull or damn them by pronouncing them to be void in Law and therefore of none effect And nothing is more usuall then for a Parliament to damn Illegall Commissions Patents Writs c. and therefore no Commission of Array can justifie the proceedings of those hot spirits who are risen in Rebellion against the Parliament the State and Common-wealth of this Realm But you 'l say that in this Vow you do likewise promise to defend and maintain others in whatsoever they shall do in purfuance of this Vow and Covenant and you do not know what excesses your Confederates may run into The answer is easie You are bound to assist them according to your power or vocation if then they demand some assistance that is beyond your power you are not bound to an Impossibilitie this yoke is easie and burthen light Again if they call upon you to do any thing that is sinfull that is not a Vocation but a Temptation you may refuse Besides you are to assist him in the pursuance of this Vow now every man that takes this Covenant doth in the beginning of it Covenant to amend his wayes and therefore you may remember your friend or neighbour that he must set upon a work worthy of a Reformed Protestant because he hath entred into a Covenant of amendment or Reformation and then you will according to your power and vocation assist him in the pursuance of his Vow of Reformation though it cost you your life for that Text must in these times work powerfully upon all tender consciences We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren 1 Ioh. 3. 16. not onely for our Brethren in a spirituall sence but for our brethren in civil respects If I would have my brethren of the same Town or City my brother-Subject my brother-English-man to lay down his life for me I am bound by the Law of Nature To do as I would be done by namely to lay down my life for him Let us therefore in obedience to the Law of God the Laws of the Land and the Authority of the highest Court of the Kingdom according to our power and vocation take away the wicked from before the King if we love the King let us do it for by that means the Kings Throne will be established Let us lay down our lives for God and our brethren that Religion Kingdom Throne Law Liberty Peace and all may be established Amen Amen Imprimatur Ja Cranford FINIS