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<DATE>2014-03-11</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>TO THE Mo&s;t High and Mighty <HI>PRINCE,</HI> Charles the II.</P>
<P>By the Grace of God, <HI>KING</HI> of Great <HI>Britain, France</HI> and <HI>Ireland,</HI> Defender of the Faith, &amp;c.</P>
<P>AN EPISTLE Written and humbly pre&s;ented <HI>For His Maje&s;ties u&s;e, and Enlightning of the Nation.</HI></P>
<P>By ARISE EVANS.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON:</HI> Printed for <HI>R. Lowndes</HI> at the White Lion in S. <HI>Pauls</HI> Church-yard, and <HI>Simon Gape</HI> next door to the Hercules Pillars in <HI>Fleet|&s;treet,</HI> 1660.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="prologue">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>FOR <HI>HIS MAJESTIES</HI> USE, And Enlightning of the <HI>NATION.</HI> The PROLOGUE.</HEAD>
<P>MO&s;t glorious <HI>King,</HI> I be&s;eech Your <HI>Maje|&s;ty</HI> to read through this little Book, and then I believe Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> will read it again and again, and <HI>promote</HI> it; for it will quench the spirit of Rebellion, e&s;tabli&s;h Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> Throne, and bring all to obey Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> command in unity as one man.</P>
<P><HI>Royal Sovereign,</HI> I have not had the educa|tion and learning fit to compo&s;e, garni&s;h and &s;wee|ten with eloquent phra&s;es of delights, an Epi&s;tle
<PB N="2" REF="3"> meet for Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> reading; but &s;ince I un|der&s;tand that Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> &s;toops &s;o low, as to hear Quakers, and &s;uch as &s;corn learning, I hope to have the like favour: It is an high pre&s;umption in &s;uch as I to direct a speech to a <HI>King;</HI> for if <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> who was learned in all the wi&s;dom of the <HI>Egyptians, Acts 7.22.</HI> when God &s;ent him to <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> complaineth to God, &s;aying, <HI>he had not eloquence and ability &s;ufficient to &s;peak to a King, Exod. 4.10.</HI> much more may I bemoan my want thereof; and we cannot be ignorant of this, that Truth from the mouth of eloquent <HI>Apollo</HI> is more mighty to operate upon the spirits of men, <HI>Acts 18.24, 25, 26, 27, 28.</HI> than it is from the mouth of an unlearned per&s;on: But, <HI>Oh King,</HI> to what end do I thus &s;peak? I am &s;en&s;ible of my wants, but not capable of a &s;upply: Therefore I &s;hall humbly addre&s;s my &s;elf to Your Royal <HI>Maje|&s;ty</HI> in the best manner and method that I am able.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="3" REF="3">
<HEAD>TO THE <HI>KINGS</HI> Mo&s;t Excellent Maje&s;ty.</HEAD>
<P>_GLorious and illu&s;trious <HI>King,</HI> &s;et up of <HI>God,</HI> beyond all compare in tran&s;cendent glory: If I had the tongue of men and of Angels, I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ould not expre&s;s my joy at Your <HI>Majesties</HI> Re&s;tauration, for I was almo&s;t di&s;&s;olved at it, and carried up to <HI>heaven</HI> in a Charriot of un|&s;peakable joy full of <HI>glory:</HI> I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ve learned how to beat down the greate&s;t &s;orrow with ea&s;e, but &s;uch a joy I can hardly ma&s;ter. Indeed I had of all men living the mo&s;t re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;on to rejoyce a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> it, for as I may &s;o &s;ay with reverence to the di|vine Maje&s;ty of God, I had &s;et the Truth and <HI>glory of God,</HI> Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> honour and <HI>glory</HI> al&s;o, with my own repute and credit as I was Gods &s;ervant, all at &s;take&punc; now that <HI>God</HI> (be|ing bla&s;phemed by wicked men, upon this ac|count) <HI>for his own name &s;ake,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hould vindicate his own honour, truth and <HI>glory,</HI> Your Royal <HI>Dignity,</HI> and my &s;elf, <HI>by Your Maje&s;ties appea|rance
<PB N="4" REF="4"> and Re&s;tauration,</HI> was &s;uch a mercy to me, that my heart could not contain the joy there|of, neither could my to<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">gue expre&s;s my thank|fulne&s;s; but &s;ighs and grones, mingled with tears of joy, was all I could offer to God upon that day; <HI>the glory of the Lord a&s;toni&s;hed me,</HI> &s;o that I looked upon that day as <HI>Dooms-day,</HI> to &s;top the mouths of <HI>Gods</HI> enemies, Your <HI>Ma|jesties</HI> enemies, and mine al&s;o, who for &s;even years together was under the reproch of friends and foes, becau&s;e I kept Your &s;ecret, according to the advice of the Angel, <HI>Tobit</HI> 12.7. for a great and effectual door was opened to me, but there were many adver&s;aries, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 16.9. &s;o that I was not ignorant of the <HI>time</HI> of Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> coming <HI>per&s;onally</HI> to Your <HI>throne;</HI> yet prudence would not give way to &s;hew it plain, for the adver&s;aries had got too much ad|vantage again&s;t You, had they knowne the <HI>time.</HI></P>
<P>Mo&s;t glorious <HI>Soveraign,</HI> to Repeat the No|ble acts of <HI>God,</HI> is a thing mo&s;t plea&s;ing to him, and to call to mind his former mercies, &amp; prai&s;e him for them, is the way to find mercy in time to come; the Royal Prophet King <HI>David,</HI> is our example for the &s;aid purpo&s;e, who writes and records the works of <HI>God</HI> from the begin|ning, that all might prai&s;e him for his mercy which endureth for ever; not only that pre&s;ent generation, but al&s;o the generations to come:
<PB N="5" REF="4"> <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 78.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7. forgetfulne&s;&s;e of <HI>Gods</HI> mercies, and not Regarding the works which <HI>God</HI> hath done for us, is a great &s;in, that hath a damnable Judgment following it; <HI>P&s;alm.</HI> 28.5. my &s;oul is troubled, becau&s;e &s;ome Roya|li&s;ts de&s;pi&s;e my words, 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5.19, 20. which proved &s;o effectually for their welfare; There|fore I think it fit, to give Yo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> a hint of what <HI>Gods</HI> providence hath brought forth for us, that we and the generations to come, might behold it and prai&s;e his name: I be&s;eech Your <HI>Majesty</HI> to Read this book, and Con&s;ider it Diligently for your own good; for though my words be mean, yet they have been always powerfull, for <HI>God</HI> doth own them.</P>
<P>And now to look on things pa&s;t, and &s;o come forwards, may it plea&s;e Yo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> to con&s;i|der that there was a &s;pirit of Rebellion among a party on foot, all along from the beginning of <HI>Queen Elizabeths</HI> days to Your famous fathers time; which &s;pirit &s;till &s;mo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">king and burning with fury, troubled both <HI>Church</HI> and <HI>State:</HI> And there was an <HI>antipathy</HI> between me and it from my <HI>Child-hood,</HI> that notwith&s;tanding the &s;aid party was mighty kind unto me, and would fain gain me to be of their &s;ide; yet I could never Con&s;ent to be of their mind, but Con|tend and Reprove them, and pray to <HI>God</HI> for power to Defeat them, becau&s;e I fore&s;aw the evil of their way.</P>
<PB N="6" REF="5">
<P>And the &s;aid &s;pirit though burning and &s;moaking was kept &s;o low, that it could not get &s;ufficient fuell to burn out, untill the Parlia|ment was cald in 1640. from that time forward <HI>there was a bridle in the jaws of the people cau|&s;ing them to erre, I&s;a.</HI> 30.28. then it broke out into a mighty flame, and then the factious party began to &s;how them&s;elves, and to preach in pulpits open Rebellion; &s;aying, that <HI>Kings</HI> were not to be Regarded nor obeyed, but the people they were the <HI>anointed,</HI> and not the <HI>King;</HI> and they de&s;pi&s;ed and &s;landered the <HI>King,</HI> and &s;tirr'd up the people to oppo&s;e Him, making them believe that every one was more a <HI>King</HI> then <HI>His Maje&s;ty,</HI> and bringing it to a bloody war they Cur&s;ed all that would not go out to it, or Contribute to the maintenance thereof, &s;o that the &s;ervant maids being terrified with the Cur&s;e, were forc'd to throw their Thimbles and Bodkins into that ma&s;&s;ie heap at <HI>Guild-hall.</HI></P>
<P>And they preached down and de&s;troyed, &s;o far as they could, all fabricks erected and &s;et up, to keep Chri&s;tianity in memory. And they &s;trove to have all the holy fea&s;ts kept for the honor of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> put down and buried in oblivion; I mean <HI>Chri&s;tmas, Ea&s;ter,</HI> and <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;untide</HI> and their off-&s;pring the Sectaries, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;o high in Rebellion as to have the Holy <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> Contempt, and to count that Record
<PB N="7" REF="5"> of <HI>God,</HI> (which he hath appo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nted to hold forth his name and <HI>glory</HI> in all ages and to all eter|nity,) far inferior to a thing they call a light within them, which light fal&s;ly &s;o called, can be nothing el&s;e but gro&s;&s;e da<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">kne&s;s and damna|ble ignorance.</P>
<P>Thus they went on furiou&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y preaching with|out intermi&s;&s;ion, untill they brought his glori|ous <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> to the block, and having &s;lain him, they &s;eized upon all belonging to the <HI>Crown</HI> and <HI>Church,</HI> and made it their own, and their next voice in pulpits was (after they had &s;lain the <HI>King) prepare &s;laughter for His Chil|dren,</HI> yet <HI>God</HI> had his de&s;ign going on for Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> all this while, that he re&s;erved <HI>a &s;e|lect</HI> part of that Parliament, from having a hand in the <HI>highest</HI> Crimes, who in time were ap|pointed to defeat their brethren, and to open the way for Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> Re&s;toration, and the&s;e were called the &s;ecluded members.</P>
<P>But the bold party went impudently on, that notwith&s;tanding all their wickedne&s;&s;es, <HI>they be|lieved with a high confidence, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hat they and they only were in the favour of God;</HI> and after <HI>Wor|ce&s;ter</HI> fight, all hopes was go<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e, &s;o that mo&s;t of the <HI>precious Royali&s;ts,</HI> like <HI>David, P&s;alm.</HI> 73. were &s;taggering at their pro&s;perity and &s;ucce&s;&s;es, ready to give up their hopes, and the <HI>spirits</HI> of the people were laid-down &s;o <HI>flat,</HI> that none dur&s;t be known to mention Your <HI>Royal name,</HI> except to reveil it.</P>
<PB N="8" REF="6">
<P>Now things being thus, I was &s;ore grieved, <HI>and the Lord God ble&s;&s;ed be his name for ever,</HI> was plea&s;ed to <HI>light a candle</HI> of under&s;tanding in my heart; That I reading and &s;earching the Scripture, as I u&s;ed to do, found new things, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 48.6. all promi&s;ing Your glorious Re&s;toration, &amp; coming by <HI>Gods</HI> Providence to look upon the 8. Chapter of <HI>Amos,</HI> I found the whole trage|dy &s;et down in order, and in the conclu&s;ion thereof, that the Traytors &s;hould fall and <HI>never ri&s;e up again;</HI> and in Chapter the 9. of <HI>Amo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> I found Your <HI>Maje&s;ty,</HI> or rather Your Royal father as He is in You &s;et up in a triumphant <HI>manner,</HI> to de&s;troy Your enemies and the e&s;ta|bli&s;hing of Your Royal <HI>hou&s;e</HI> for ever; and all this to be &s;o ea&s;ily <HI>under&s;tood,</HI> that any ordinary capacity with a little guiding might &s;ee it plain: which Chapters as I have opened them, are worthy of Your <HI>Majesties</HI> &s;erious con&s;idera|tion.</P>
<P>Then I went among the Sectaries, and at their &s;everal meetings I &s;hewed tho&s;e Chapters, opening it unto them, and though they were mad <HI>again&s;t me,</HI> yet could they not find argu|ments to wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h&s;tand &s;uch invincible truths, for I re&s;olved now being <HI>armed,</HI> to go in the name of my <HI>God,</HI> into all places where I could find Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> greate&s;t enemies, and to over|throw their high <HI>Confidence,</HI> and pierce their hearts with my &s;harp arrows.</P>
<PB N="9" REF="6">
<P>And I wrote my expo&s;ition on the 8. and 9. Chapters of <HI>Amos,</HI> and carried it <HI>first</HI> to <HI>Hugh Peters,</HI> who &s;eemed then not to regard it, <HI>for he thought I could not get it printed;</HI> but when I gave it him in print with much more, and that he had read it, <HI>then we had a terrible bout,</HI> &s;o that at la&s;t I drive him out of his Chamber with ar|guments.</P>
<P>Then I carried it Mr. <HI>Lilly,</HI> and he being not at home, I left it for him, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d after a few days when I came for it, <HI>Lilly</HI> was very thankfull to me, (being a &s;tranger to him) for &s;howing him &s;uch things, and before &s;ome Gentlemen that were with him he commended it highly, &s;aying that he never &s;aw better things come from a man in all his days, and he de&s;ired me to let him have it a while longer, and I left it with him, and had it again: And after my book was print|ed I met <HI>Lilly,</HI> who then was mighty glad of my book, and did incourage me to write more books, and follow it clo&s;e, g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ving me to under|&s;tand, that by that book <HI>he judged me</HI> to have &s;ufficient ability (th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ough <HI>Gods</HI> ble&s;&s;ing upon it) <HI>to turn the world up&s;ide down;</HI> this <HI>Lilly</HI> was civil to me, and I &s;hewed the &s;aid exp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ition on <HI>Amos</HI> to all them that were the greate&s;t &s;tick|lers for the State, and found <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t daunted their &s;pi|rit and courage very much.</P>
<P>By this time my little Manu&s;cript was grown to a pretty volume, for I added to it daily,
<PB N="10" REF="7"> and had many Copies to lend out, &s;o that the &s;ound thereof came to the ears of the <HI>Royal par|ty;</HI> and then I was &s;ought out and &s;ent for by per&s;ons of <HI>quality,</HI> and my Manu&s;cript did flye about among them, and they were much <HI>che|ri&s;hed</HI> and &s;trengthned by it; but yet I found no ea&s;e, becau&s;e I could not get it Printed for the benefit of all; I offered it to Book&s;ellers, but could find none that dur&s;t print it, yet I found that money would bring it out.</P>
<P>Then I made my moan to many per&s;ons of worth and <HI>quality,</HI> who &s;aid, They could wil|lingly part (for &s;o good a work) with &s;o much money <HI>as I needed,</HI> but dur&s;t not do it, le&s;t it &s;hould be known, and that by thence a&s;&s;i&s;ting of me they &s;hould forfeit to the Rebels <HI>their lives and e&s;tate,</HI> &s;uch a fear they were in.</P>
<P>But it plea&s;ed the <HI>Almighty God,</HI> (that my Manu&s;cript going from hand to hand) by his <HI>divine providence</HI> to order it &s;o, that it came at la&s;t to the hand of a Gentleman of <HI>Grays</HI> Inne, by name Mr. <HI>William Saterthwayt,</HI> a Gentle|man of Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> Exchequer, of great in|integrity, full of charity and good works, and a mighty over of Your <HI>Maje&s;ty;</HI> the &s;ame Gentleman being &s;o great a lover of Your <HI>Ma|je&s;ty,</HI> mu&s;t needs come and &s;ee me for Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> &s;ake.</P>
<P>And coming, a friend being with him, they call'd at my door, whereupon I went to them,
<PB N="11" REF="7"> and the &s;aid Gentleman gave me my Manu|&s;cript in &s;uch a <HI>manner,</HI> that I did admire at his <HI>grace</HI> and humility; but yet de&s;iring to be <HI>&s;oli|tary,</HI> I &s;hewed him no countenance; and as we were parting, the other Gentleman &s;eeing that, &s;aid to me, Come and take a gla&s;s of <HI>wine,</HI> it will do you good, fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> you are very &s;ad; and as they compell'd me, I went with them, and coming to a Tavern, where we drank one pint of <HI>wine,</HI> they asked me why I was &s;o &s;ad? I told them it was becau&s;e I could not get my Manu&s;cript printed; for, &s;aid I, if it were prin|ted, it would operate much for His <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> advantage, otherwi&s;e it will be but of &s;mall ef|fect. Mr. <HI>Saterthwayt</HI> an&s;wered, if you think &s;o, then take no care for that, &s;aid he, for I will have it printed what&s;oever it co&s;ts me: when he &s;aid &s;o, my heart leapt for joy.</P>
<P>And then I looked upon h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">m, not as a man, <HI>but an Angel of God &s;ent to relieve me;</HI> for the night before, about the &s;ame <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ime, I had pray|ed to <HI>God</HI> to ea&s;e me, and to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">end one &s;peedily to help me to have my book printed, and <HI>God</HI> heard me, <HI>and &s;ent this ble&s;&s;ed man</HI> within 24. hours to do it; (it was a gre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t mercy, ble&s;&s;ed be <HI>God</HI> for it) and he gave me forty &s;hillings in hand to go about it, and appointed me to come to him the next day, for to go &s;eek one to print it; and we went and found one, and had it out in print <HI>quickly;</HI> and then I began to be <HI>famous</HI>
<PB N="12" REF="8"> among the people, but I did not e&s;teem it, for I knew what I had to do, and that a cloud of re|proach was yet to come upon me.</P>
<P>And when my Book came out, I gave it <HI>Cromwell, Brad&s;haw,</HI> and to all I could find of Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> greate&s;t enemies, and I &s;pread it among the Souldiery both Hor&s;e and Foot; my manner was this with them; I knew the time of their going to the Guard, and as I went with them, <HI>I asked one question,</HI> he would give me a civil an&s;wer, and to gratifie him <HI>I gave him a book;</HI> he being on his march had not time to &s;ee <HI>what I gave him;</HI> and I &s;lipt to ano|ther a good way off, gave him one after the &s;ame manner, &s;o I gave them books, and I knew when they came to the Guard they did read them: And there was a time &s;et in the &s;ame book for the di&s;&s;olution of the Parliament, <HI>Cromwell</HI> and the &s;ouldiers through Gods pro|vidence brought that to pa&s;s.</P>
<P>Then I became mighty <HI>famous,</HI> for all the people both high and low, that had &s;een my book or heard of it, beholding the effect there|of, came to me &s;o thick, that I was not able to an&s;wer them, <HI>but gave them books,</HI> to the poor <HI>gratis,</HI> the others paid me, and all their enqui|ry was, <HI>to know what time Your Maje&s;ty would come in?</HI></P>
<P>By this time I had printed another book, in which book, upon good con&s;ideration, I had
<PB N="13" REF="8"> &s;et down the year 1653. for Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> comming into power and po&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;ion, though not <HI>per&s;onally,</HI> and I knew the time of Your com|ing in <HI>per&s;onally,</HI> as I &s;hall make it appear by two witne&s;&s;es.</P>
<P>My fir&s;t witne&s;s is the holy <HI>Scripture,</HI> my &s;e|cond witne&s;s is a <HI>Prophe&s;ie</HI> of a thou&s;and years &s;tanding, &s;igned by both our Welch <HI>Merlins.</HI></P>
<P>For the <HI>Scripture,</HI> I believed, and do believe Your <HI>Majesty</HI> to be that <HI>David</HI> which <HI>God</HI> promi&s;ed to rai&s;e, <HI>Jer.</HI> 30.9. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 37.24, 25. <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 3.4, 5. Therefore I concluded that Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> was not to come in and reign <HI>per&s;o|nally,</HI> until You came to the Age that <HI>David</HI> began to reign in, and that is 30. 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 5.4. and I made it clear in my book called, <HI>The Voice of King</HI> Charls <HI>the Father to King</HI> Charls <HI>the Son,</HI> pag. 7. that Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> would come in at 30. years of Age, and I cited 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 5.4. to prove it; but I dur&s;t not &s;ay &s;o much till 1654. then was I not regarded.</P>
<P>The <HI>Merlins</HI> prophe&s;ie is as followeth, &s;ay they, when the year of Chri&s;t comes to be, 1660. Then verily <HI>Owen</HI> will come, with his &s;word of &s;teel will he come, and the moon from <HI>Sivern</HI> bank &s;hall bring <HI>Owen</HI> in his hand. Then wars &s;hall never come to the land of <HI>Katwg,</HI> let all take notice of the time, &s;o much the <HI>Merlins</HI> &s;ay.</P>
<P>This prophe&s;ie Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> &s;hall find in
<PB N="14" REF="9"> pag. 87. of a book Called <HI>Britti&s;h and outlandi&s;h prophe&s;ies,</HI> Printed by <HI>Lodowick LLoyd,</HI> and &s;old at his &s;hop next to the Ca&s;tle in Corn-hill <HI>Lon|don,</HI> and put forth by <HI>Thomas Pugh,</HI> an adver|&s;ary, in 1657.</P>
<P>In the &s;aid prophe&s;ie Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> is cal|led <HI>Owen,</HI> becau&s;e ye de&s;cended from <HI>Owen Tudor</HI> grandfather to <HI>King Henry</HI> 7. and the moon that is &s;aid to bring Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> in, is his Excellency Generall <HI>Monck</HI> who came from <HI>Puderig hou&s;e</HI> in <HI>Devon&s;hire</HI> not far from <HI>Sivern</HI> &s;ea.</P>
<P>Now I looked always upon Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> entrance into Your Dominion in a two-fold manner, <HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> Your coming in to have power in 1653. <HI>Secondly,</HI> Your coming in <HI>per&s;onally</HI> in 1660. Touching the la&s;t I have &s;poken, now it remaineth that I &s;hould &s;hew how Your <HI>Ma|je&s;ty</HI> came in at 1653. <HI>And this I affirm and &s;ay,</HI> That in that in&s;tant of time, when <HI>Oliver Cromwell</HI> did &s;igne his Excellency General <HI>Moncks</HI> Commi&s;&s;ion for <HI>Scotland, Oliver,</HI> under God, became the prime In&s;trument to bring Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> into power; and in that in&s;tant of time General <HI>Monck</HI> &s;et foot in <HI>Scotland,</HI> Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> had gower and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, <HI>for he minded your work:</HI> All this came to pa&s;s in the year 1653. let this &s;erve all for my vindicati|on.</P>
<P>Now had I declared this in 1653. when I
<PB N="15" REF="9"> was &s;o <HI>famous,</HI> the Enemies would not have &s;uffered General <HI>Monck</HI> to go to <HI>Scotland;</HI> or had I then declared that Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> would come in <HI>per&s;onally</HI> at 1660. the Enemies would have armed them&s;elves again&s;t the time, that Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> &s;hould not have been able to come in as You did, God be prai&s;ed; and my &s;etting of 1653. for Your <HI>Maje&s;tis</HI> coming in did <HI>baffle</HI> the Enemies, for &s;eeing nothing of it come to pa&s;s, by degrees they grew carele&s;s, <HI>that by Gods providence</HI> they fall out among them&s;elves to make way for Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> Re&s;tau~ration.</P>
<P>And therefore I was re&s;olved to lo&s;e my <HI>cre|dit</HI> among men for &s;even years time, and &s;uffer reproach; &s;o that I, my Wife and Children could not go no where, but we were mocked and de|&s;pi&s;ed <HI>for Your Maje&s;ties &s;ake;</HI> which if Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> knew all our &s;ufferings, You would re|ward us greatly: And all this came upon us becau&s;e I kept Your &s;ectets, and went in a &s;ure way to work, for in &s;uch a ca&s;e I was to u&s;e <HI>Po|licy</HI> as well as <HI>Prophe&s;ie,</HI> el&s;e I had &s;poiled all Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> Game.</P>
<P>For all Gods Promi&s;es or Prophe&s;ies are gi|ven forth upon condition of u&s;ing the appoint|ed means to obtain them. I could make a long Di&s;cour&s;e of this, but I leave it in &s;hort to Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> Royal con&s;ideration, and go forward.</P>
<P>I have written many little books, in which
<PB N="16" REF="10"> there are &s;ome things put on purpo&s;e to draw the Sectaries to read them, in hope to bring them to obey Your Maje&s;ty, for the &s;cope of all my books is to pre&s;s them to it; many of the <HI>Royal party</HI> were offended at me for &s;uch things, and &s;pecially about <HI>Cromwell,</HI> becau&s;e I affirm'd that he &s;hould bring You in, and pro|pounded the way to be by marriage, but I found tho&s;e books more effectual for Your Ma|je&s;ties advantage, than any other books; and <HI>Cromwell</HI> was more offended at me for tho&s;e books, (for alwayes I was aff<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">onted by his Or|der, after I &s;ent them to him) than he was when I wrote point blank again&s;t him.</P>
<P>For <HI>Cromwell</HI> knew that my per&s;wading the Army, and tho&s;e people which he mo&s;t depen|ded upon, to believe that Your Maje&s;ty and he were &s;uch enemies one to the other, that ye could not agree, and that Your Maje&s;ty &s;hould come in and de&s;troy him: I &s;ay he knew &s;uch per&s;wa&s;ion was the onely way to &s;trengthen him, and make his Party keep clo&s;e to him for to with&s;tand and keep out Your Maje&s;ty; ac|cording to 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 16.21.</P>
<P>On the contrary, <HI>Cromwell</HI> knew that my per&s;wading his Party to believe that he would bring in Your Maje&s;ty, would be the onely way to make them jealous of him, and to fall away from him, as they did, to his and their ruine; now all this time I dur&s;t not mention his Excel|lency
<PB N="17" REF="10"> General <HI>Monck.</HI> neither in any books nor in di&s;cour&s;e, till his coming la&s;t winter to <HI>London,</HI> then indeed I wrote an Epi&s;tle to him, to have him bring in Your Maje&s;ty.</P>
<P>For the People, though they did reproach me, yet they con&s;tantly enquired of me, &s;ay|ing, <HI>When will His Maje&s;ty come?</HI> but I was forced, as the <HI>Prophet &s;aith,</HI> I&s;a. 30.1. <HI>to adde year to year</HI> for it, and &s;o keep them in hope; for I dur&s;t not declare otherwi&s;e; and la&s;t win|ter I was like to &s;poil all with one word.</P>
<P>It was this: I being at a book&s;ellers &s;hop (a friend of mine) in S. <HI>Pauls</HI> Church-yard, and a Company of General <HI>Moncks</HI> &s;ouldiers being newly come to Town, &s;tood before the Shop door; the mi&s;tre&s;s of the hou&s;e calling me <HI>fal&s;e Prophet,</HI> &s;aid, <HI>Now there is no hope that ever the King will come in;</HI> No, &s;aid I, <HI>pointing at the Souldiers,</HI> There is them that will bring him in: A fellow hearing me, goes to the Souldiers and tells them what I &s;aid; whereupon they being mad at that, came fierce upon me, &s;aying, <HI>Do you &s;ay that we &s;hall bring in the King?</HI> and they were ready to pull me in pieces, for then the Parliament (&s;o called) were at the height: Gentlemen, &s;aid I, you are under <HI>command,</HI> you cannot do it of your &s;elves, but do you fol|low your Leaders. This would not &s;atisfie them, but they were ready to &s;ei&s;e upon me; by providence of God, at the in&s;tant the man
<PB N="18" REF="11"> of the hou&s;e coming &s;uddenly in, and finding them in and about his door, asked them rough|ly and boldly, <HI>What had they to do there?</HI> and being daunted by him they fell back and I &s;li<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t away.</P>
<P>But put the ca&s;e I had been taken Pri&s;oner, and that the matter had come before the Coun|cil of the Army and Parliament, it might have di&s;appointed General <HI>Monks noble purpo&s;e,</HI> and brought forth a &s;ad con&s;equence; but this God did, to &s;hew, that my former <HI>prudence</HI> in keep|ing Your Maje&s;ties &s;ecret was good, and that my ha&s;ty &s;peaking <HI>imprudently</HI> might have &s;poi|led all, had not God (to him be the Glory) by his providence prevented it. I be&s;eech Your Maje&s;ty and all others con&s;ider it.</P>
<P>And to go back and come forward in order, when I came with books to <HI>Cromwell,</HI> the Commanders of the Army coming about bu|&s;ine&s;s to him at <HI>Whitehall,</HI> and finding me there, did many times &s;et upon me in their way of Di&s;pute, (in which way I was &s;ufficiently ver&s;ed, having been often at their meetings) that many times we di&s;puted four hours toge|ther; &s;ometimes I had a dozen at once to &s;peak to one after another, as they could frame Argu|ments again&s;t Your Maje&s;ty, and I, having <HI>truth</HI> on my &s;ide, foiled them all, and &s;ome being mad at it were ready to run me thorow with their &s;words, &s;aying, <HI>Why &s;hould we &s;uffer &s;uch
<PB N="19" REF="11"> a man to live and speak &s;uch words to weaken our hands, and to &s;trengthen our enemies?</HI> others would have &s;ent me to pri&s;on: for all that they would take my books, and give me not a far|thing fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> them.</P>
<P>But &s;till there &s;tood up a party for me, which &s;aid to them, <HI>The man speaks no railing language, he &s;peaks with good words what in con&s;cience he believes to be true, and you know we are for liber|ty of Con&s;cience, if you can convince him do, other|wi&s;e let him go;</HI> but I never did depart from them &s;o long as they had a word to &s;ay to me upon that account; and I am &s;ure that I &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ke <HI>ten times</HI> more home for your Maj. among them at <HI>White|hall</HI> and at other meetings, than I &s;pake in all my books, <HI>for they put me to it;</HI> and I would not leave them to carry it aw<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y, <HI>but stood to it,</HI> and their hearers did &s;o <HI>&s;igh</HI> and <HI>groan</HI> at it, &s;eeing me alwayes come off victor, that I &s;poiled their meetings, God &s;trengthning me, and giving me at an in&s;tant what to &s;ay unto them, <HI>ble&s;&s;ed</HI> be his <HI>name</HI> for ever and ever, and I believe I g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ve forty pounds in books among&s;t them.</P>
<P>I had many worthy per&s;ons that &s;tood to me all <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">his while, and helped me with money to m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">intain my Family; but chiefly that good and pious Gentleman Mr. <HI>Sa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">erthwayt,</HI> the true lo|ver of Your Maje&s;ty, as I &s;aid before, and ano|th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r godly Gentleman, a tr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e lover of Your Maje&s;ty al&s;o, by name Mr. <HI>Samuel Starli<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">g;</HI>
<PB N="20" REF="12"> the&s;e two, under God, were my chief friends that never failed me, but gave me money at all times when I needed it, becau&s;e I did Gods work and Your Maje&s;ties; and I hope Your Maje&s;ty will remember them, if occa&s;ion be, for indeed they have merited Your Maje&s;ties fa|vour, as I could make it appear at large, but I would be brief.</P>
<P>I cried up <HI>Lambert</HI> the la&s;t year with a loud voice, &s;aying, <HI>That he &s;hould bring in Your Ma|je&s;ty,</HI> but once I was like to be brought to <HI>Ire|ton,</HI> called <HI>The bad Lord Mayor of London,</HI> for it, yet the Witne&s;&s;es could not agree about it, one &s;aying, <HI>He did not heed what I had &s;aid;</HI> the other had a brother great with <HI>Lambert,</HI> there|fore he would have had me &s;uffer for di&s;gracing his Lord <HI>Lambert,</HI> and make the Army and Se|ctaries to be jealous of him; <HI>my Lord broke that &s;hare,</HI> as above&s;aid, and I e&s;caped.</P>
<P>Now <HI>Lambert,</HI> if it be rightly con&s;idered, did Your Maje&s;ty the la&s;t and greate&s;t &s;ervice in the field; for the Sectaries depcnded &s;o much up|on him, that they thought at la&s;t if they could get him out of the Tower to &s;tand in the field, all was their own; for they made account that he &s;hould prevail, and that then the Parliament would &s;teer their cour&s;e another way, and not bring in Your Maje&s;ty. But <HI>Lambert</HI> getting out, and being many dayes in the field, yet could get no con&s;iderable party, is taken and
<PB N="21" REF="12"> brought up pri&s;oner again: <HI>This deaded the hearts of the Sectaries,</HI> and made the Parliament go on couragiou&s;ly to bring in Your Maje&s;ty with all &s;peed: Now I know not what thanks is <HI>Lambert</HI> worthy of for that good &s;ervice, State-policy is a deep thing, and <HI>Lambert</HI> is made (ac|cording to what I &s;aid) a great in&s;trument to bring in Your Maje&s;ty.</P>
<P><HI>Most glorious Sovereign,</HI> I &s;pake alwayes (as guided of God) tho&s;e things that I knew would mo&s;t effect for Your Maje&s;ties advantage, and my wo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ds by &s;ome were counted ridiculous, yet they are words of truth, though not alwayes to be under&s;tood in a vulgar common &s;en&s;e, but as it is made out in the afore&s;aid bu&s;ine&s;s of <HI>Lam|bert,</HI> and to proceed in order.</P>
<P>In <HI>September</HI> la&s;t 1659. when <HI>Lamberts</HI> Ar|my and the Parliament &s;o called began to &s;trive about &s;uperiority, I had certain vi&s;ions which &s;hewed me what would become of them; the vi&s;ions as I wrote them then are as followeth: <HI>September</HI> 22. as I was in a trance, I heard a re|po<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t of the people, &s;aying, <HI>That the King was with an Army up towards Wind&s;or, but no war in|tended;</HI> and as I went to the <HI>Thames</HI> &s;ide, wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h an intent by water to go and &s;ee the <HI>King,</HI> the &s;ide of the <HI>Thames</HI> towards <HI>Southwark run up with a &s;wift cour&s;e,</HI> and the other half of the ri|ver run down, &s;o that the Water-men and peo|ple wondred at it, &s;aying, <HI>We have &s;een two
<PB N="22" REF="13"> tides in a day, but &s;uch a thing was never &s;een be|fore, that the water being thus high tide, the one &s;ide running up, the other running down, for a day together, is a great wonder;</HI> and many went up by water to &s;ee the <HI>King,</HI> and &s;ome that I knew beckned their hands that I &s;hould not tell of their <HI>going,</HI> for methought they were in great fear; and as I did get up methought toward <HI>Hampton Court,</HI> I returned back, and as I was <HI>alone</HI> marching toward home, with a bright, drawn, long Knife in my hand, I met a grim <HI>woman</HI> in &s;ad-colour clothing, who made toward me furiou&s;ly, but as &s;he &s;aw my Knife, <HI>&s;he tur|ned and fled away</HI> from me; then methought I was on hor&s;eback, and rid till I came near <HI>Lon|don</HI> Southward, and there in a little village near the River I met my wife, and as we came to take water the <HI>Thames</HI> was dried up, &s;o that one might cro&s;s it and not go over &s;hoes, and the bancks were grown with Gra&s;s <HI>to four yards breadth,</HI> in which the River ran, and methought it was not a quarter of a yard deep in the <HI>chan|nel,</HI> and as I was rea&s;oning with a Water-man about it I awoke.</P>
<P><HI>September</HI> 23. in a trance I was with a com|pany that plea&s;ed me well, and going a little way from them, with an intent to come to them again, I heard a melodious noi&s;e of <HI>mu&s;ick</HI> in the dead of the night, and my thought it was the City Waits that played to the <HI>Lord Mayor,</HI> and
<PB N="23" REF="13"> methought it was their cu&s;tom to play &s;o every night, and I &s;aw them having their In&s;truments in their hands, and play in their beds, for their Chamber was low, and they had a candle, and I was at their window; <HI>then I left them,</HI> and as I went &s;eeking my company it was day-light, and I came to a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">lace where an innumerable com|pany of Bricklayers, Labourers, and &s;uch men, were building an high brick <HI>tower,</HI> and making fine walks, and as I turned about and looked upon the tower again, on a &s;udden the builders were all gone, not one to be &s;een; then I asked <HI>a man</HI> that was all alone, and trimmed a green banck, <HI>belonging to an old great hou&s;e,</HI> which &s;tood on a hill over again&s;t the brick building, <HI>Why they left work?</HI> &s;aid he, <HI>Becau&s;e it is Satur|day noon:</HI> but he went on trimming the <HI>banck</HI> till it was on the back like a creature, then at la&s;t he with his great &s;trength did take it in his arms and rai&s;ed it up on end, by that it had a lively face like a <HI>woman,</HI> and then I began to prai&s;e the Workman, &s;aying, <HI>Never did any Limner the like;</HI> but as I looked on it, the &s;aid <HI>banck</HI> b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">came a perfect woman indeed, &s;peak|ing and walking about her bu&s;ine&s;s, and having her maid, which ro&s;e with her, to attend her: At which &s;ight I was amazed, and &s;aid, <HI>Surely this is Gods work;</HI> and then meeting with &s;ome of my company, and telling them what I had &s;een, with much joy I awoke.</P>
<PB N="24" REF="14">
<P>Now having the&s;e <HI>Vi&s;ions</HI> I thought good to &s;tir about with them, and &s;ee what <HI>Gods</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rovi|dence would bring forth by them, <HI>Prov.</HI> 29.18. and becau&s;e I would not intrude to go and &s;ee the Great Ones of the times <HI>without &s;ome law|ful occa&s;ion by their account,</HI> I wrote a few lines and had them drawn <HI>fairly,</HI> to get their hands for a place at the <HI>Custom-hou&s;e,</HI> and I went to them to have their hands, being a&s;&s;ured they <HI>durst not</HI> &s;ub&s;cribe to any thing under my name.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I went to the then Lord General <HI>Len|thal,</HI> (it was on the fifth of <HI>October</HI> 1659. the day before the <HI>Lord Mayor</HI> and <HI>City</HI> fea&s;ted the Parliament (&s;o called) and the Army) and gave my Paper to <HI>Lenthals</HI> Secretary, and he brought it me again, &s;aying, <HI>His Lord would not &s;igne it;</HI> I told him, <HI>that I would not take his an&s;wer,</HI> and immediately <HI>Lenthall</HI> came down, and I &s;hewed it him, and &s;pake to him; &s;aid he, <HI>I am going now to the Parliament, come at three a clock and I will speak with you.</HI> From thence I went to <HI>Fleetwood,</HI> he was &s;ick, none but Se|ctaries mu&s;t come nigh him; I &s;ent him my pa|per, and he &s;ends me a fine &s;mooth denial. Then I went to <HI>Lambert,</HI> and he an&s;wered me proudly, &s;aying, <HI>that his Lord&s;hips hand was not to be had at &s;o cheap a rate; Ha&s;ilrig</HI> told me al|&s;o, <HI>that he did not love to have his hand lye in la|vender:</HI> &s;uch expre&s;&s;ions they had.</P>
<PB N="25" REF="14">
<P>Then at three a clock I came to <HI>Lenthall</HI> a|gain, and with much ado among others I got to him, and he told me he would not put his ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d to my Paper at that time, but, &s;aid he, I will &s;peak for you to &s;ome of the Commi&s;&s;ioners of the Cu&s;toms to morrow at the fea&s;t, and after that come to me again: and two dayes after I came to him, and he bid me &s;tay.</P>
<P>And when all the company was gone, for it was <HI>Saturday</HI> at night, he tooke me a&s;ide, and &s;aid, <HI>Do tho&s;e Vi&s;ions of God continue with you, as formerly they did?</HI> Yes, &s;aid I; &s;aid he, <HI>Can you tell what will become of us?</HI> &s;aid I, yes, that I can; and I tell you no good will come of you, except you <HI>bring in the King;</HI> otherwi&s;e there will be nothing, but one will be getting up, and others will be pulling him down, and confu&s;ion and de&s;truction of all will follow. <HI>It is true,</HI> &s;aid he.</P>
<P><HI>Now if we go about to bring in the King, can you &s;hew us any a&s;&s;urance from God that we &s;hall bring it to pa&s;s?</HI> Yes, &s;aid I, and I told him my Vi&s;ions as they are above written, and did in|terpret them to him; indeed he could di&s;cern the meaning of it as well as my &s;elf: Then &s;aid he, <HI>this gives no a&s;&s;urance that we &s;hall make our peace with the King, have you had any Vi&s;ion to that purpo&s;e?</HI> Yes, &s;aid I, and it hath been printed this half year: &s;aid he, <HI>I never &s;aw it, pray let me hear that:</HI> then I began as follow|eth:</P>
<PB N="26" REF="15">
<P>I &s;hall &s;hew you a Vi&s;ion that I had in <HI>June</HI> 1634.</P>
<P>Being in a trance I &s;aw my &s;elf &s;tanding in a Pool of water in <HI>Merioneth&s;hire,</HI> at the pari&s;h of <HI>Talylun,</HI> and as I &s;tood upon the water I &s;aw a company of black Foxes pur&s;uing a young Li|on, and as they followed the Lion they ran round about me, &s;ometimes on the water, and &s;ometimes on the high way, that is on the North &s;ide of the Pool; I pitied the Lion, and ca&s;t &s;tones at the Foxes with all my might; but as I was throwing &s;tones at the Foxes, immedi|ately they appeared to be young Children, and &s;tood &s;till a while on the way, the North &s;ide of the Pool, and a voice &s;aid to me, <HI>Why do&s;t thou ca&s;t &s;tones at the children?</HI> and as I came to Land, immediately they turned to be black Foxes pur&s;uing the Lion again; but on a &s;udden the Foxes being on the water became white Lambs, &s;tood &s;till, and the Lion being on the water turned to them, and they, as it &s;eem'd to me, ki&s;&s;ed each other. Thus the vi&s;ion ended.</P>
<P>The Interpretation is this:</P>
<P><HI>KING CHARLES</HI> is the Lion, and you are the Foxes, the &s;tones are the words of my books again&s;t you, your becomming Children was your Di&s;&s;olution by <HI>Cromwell,</HI> which made you repent th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t you did not before make your peace with the <HI>King;</HI> your turning to black foxes again &s;ignifieth that you are the
<PB N="27" REF="15"> &s;ame now as ye were before your Di&s;&s;olution; your turning to be white Lambs, is that you &s;hall &s;eek for peace to the <HI>King;</HI> and your ki&s;|&s;ing each other, &s;ignifieth that you will effect it, and &s;ettle peace in a glorious manner.</P>
<P>Then was <HI>Lenthall</HI> much &s;atisfied, and &s;aid, <HI>We have human learning enough, and we can gue&s;s at things to come, but we look upon you to have cer|tain Revelations from God; I pray when any more is revealed to you let me know it.</HI> So we parted that time.</P>
<P>The week following they made three Acts, one to turne out <HI>Lambert</HI> and eight more Commanders of the Army with him, the other to put Commi&s;&s;ioners over the Army, the third, that no money &s;hould be rai&s;ed without con&s;ent of the people in Parliament; and <HI>Lenthall</HI> was the main man in devi&s;ing and making of the&s;e Acts: Now the&s;e Acts divided Your Maje&s;ties Enemies, and &s;hut up the pur&s;es of Your Sub|jects, that neither the pretended <HI>Committee of Safety,</HI> nor that Parliament, could rai&s;e any money to pay the Army, and made way for his Excellency General <HI>Monck</HI> and a <HI>free Parlia|ment</HI> to bring in Your Maje&s;ty; and <HI>Lenthall</HI> did partly fore-&s;ee the con&s;equence of tho&s;e Acts when they were made.</P>
<P>Now after the Parliament (on the thirteenth of <HI>October</HI> 1659.) was Di&s;&s;olved by <HI>Lambert,</HI> I went often to <HI>Lenthall,</HI> who told me that now
<PB N="28" REF="16"> he wanted power; &s;aid I, be faithfull and &s;tir|ring you will &s;oon come to your power again. Then he &s;ent his Letters about and was not idle, and when he had his power again, it was he that &s;ent for general <HI>Monck;</HI> it was he that &s;ent the Army out of <HI>London</HI> to give place to general <HI>Monck</HI> and his Army, and did many more things for Your <HI>Majesty</HI> worth re&s;pect: The man is nothing to me, for I neither eate nor drink at his co&s;t, nor had a penny from him all that time; only I do love him, and do this for him becau&s;e he regarded the things of <HI>God,</HI> and acted for Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> accordingly, be|ing then over Your Dominion in power above all.</P>
<P>On the fir&s;t of <HI>March</HI> 1659. as I met <HI>Len|thall</HI> in <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter-hall</HI> comming from the Par|liament hou&s;e, I gave him the&s;e <HI>Vi&s;ions</HI> as fol|loweth.</P>
<P><HI>February</HI> 21. 1659. the day after the Seclu|ded Members &s;ate in Parliament, I beheld that my head was cut off I knew not how; and laid down upon a table before me, and I admired how I could &s;ee it and live as I did without my head: But withall finding my &s;elf not well or like to continue alive &s;o, I &s;peedily with my hands wiped the face thereof which was a little &s;oild, and &s;et it upon my neck in its right place again; and then I thought I was at fir&s;t a little heavy-headed, but pre&s;ently my head was &s;o
<PB N="29" REF="16"> &s;etled that I felt my &s;elf better then ever I had been afore in all my life, I &s;aw no bloud &s;pilt or any bloud in all the Vi&s;ion, <HI>to God be the glory.</HI></P>
<P>The interpretation:</P>
<P>My body is the Nation or Parliament, and &s;pecially the &s;ecluded Members which &s;eems by the circum&s;tance of time to be the life of all; my head is the <HI>King,</HI> and doubtle&s;s as I wiped my face and &s;et up my head &s;eeing a ne|ce&s;&s;ity of it, &s;o &s;hall you &s;peedily &s;et up <HI>King Charles</HI> Steward, and you &s;hall &s;ee &s;uch a nece&s;&s;ity of Him, that you and the Nation cannot po&s;&s;ibly live without him; and you &s;hall do it without any bloud if you ha&s;ten it, but take this Vi&s;ion al&s;o from <HI>God;</HI> that if you do not ha&s;ten to bring in <HI>King Charles,</HI> you will be ruined all in bloud afore you are aware of it, for ye have the &s;ubtil, re&s;tle&s;s Sectaries among you that endeavour to bring it &s;o to pa&s;s according to a <HI>Vi&s;ion</HI> that I had <HI>February,</HI> 27. 1659. which is as followeth.</P>
<P>I perceived I was not well in my body, and as I opened my cloathes to &s;ee it, my &s;hirt was all bloudy, then I thought &s;ome one had given me privately a mortal wound with a bodkir<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> or &s;mall pen-knife or &s;ome &s;uch thing, which I thought was within my body. In this al&s;o I &s;ignifie the Nation and Parliament, therefore have a care you be not &s;urprized. Thus much
<PB N="30" REF="17"> I gave <HI>Lenthall</HI> Verbatim as above&s;aid, and I &s;aw him no mo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e untill <HI>May</HI> 4. 1660.</P>
<P>Now I thought in regard of his great &s;ervice, that <HI>Lenthall</HI> &s;hould have been the greate&s;t man of that party in <HI>England,</HI> except General <HI>Monck,</HI> who&s;e name ought to be for his Loy|alty, Recorded with Letters of Gold; but hearing the report that <HI>Lenthall</HI> was out of fa|vour and Seque&s;tred, I was amazed at it and went to &s;ee him, when I came to his &s;ight, &s;aid he to me am I now at the lowe&s;t? &s;aid I, how came you to be &s;o, had you no corre&s;pon|dency with the <HI>Kings Maje&s;ty</HI> all this while? no, &s;aid he, I dur&s;t not &s;end to him for fear of <HI>marring all,</HI> if it had been known it would have done i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</P>
<P>Said I that &s;poild you, but however <HI>God</HI> knowes what you did for His <HI>Majesty,</HI> he will reward you, and in due time I &s;hall &s;hew of it as much as I can for the glory of <HI>God,</HI> and I hope it will be for your honour. <HI>God</HI> will not have &s;uch good deeds go unrewarded, and He will inform the <HI>King</HI> that His <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> may re|ward you. In the mean time I will acquaint my very good friend Sir <HI>John Greenfeild,</HI> (now Earl of <HI>Bath</HI>) with a hint of it: &s;aid he, I pray do, &s;o we parted and I wrote to the Earl for him.</P>
<P>After that he lo&s;t his place at the <HI>Rolls,</HI> but &s;ee the hand of <HI>God</HI> upon it, he that had his place is &s;oon taken away by death, as if <HI>God</HI> by
<PB N="31" REF="17"> it &s;hould &s;ay to Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> thus, you knew what &s;ervice the Lord <HI>Culpeper</HI> did for You, therefore he had Your favour, and You made him <HI>Master of the Rolls;</HI> but You knew not what <HI>Lenthall</HI> did for You, who was put out, <HI>therefore behold my hand for him;</HI> and I &s;ay, though <HI>Culpepper</HI> was faithful to Your <HI>Majesty,</HI> yet if he had had Your three King|doms in his hand, as once <HI>Lenthall</HI> had them, it is a que&s;tion whether he would have hearken|ed to rhe Coun&s;el of <HI>God,</HI> and done as <HI>Lenthall</HI> did: I be&s;eech Your <HI>Majesty</HI> to take it into Your Royal con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>An hone&s;t man may meet theeves and mur|derers, and go with them, being forced to feign him&s;elf a thief, and &s;o &s;ave his life and pur&s;e; yet when any opportunity comes he will make his e&s;cape, and bring them all to the hold: and this was Mr. <HI>Lenthalls</HI> ca&s;e; for I believe he had alwayes a good heart towards Your <HI>Ma|je&s;ty,</HI> but could not &s;hew it till God gave the opportunity.</P>
<P>It was a &s;pecial providence of <HI>God</HI> for Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> Exaltation, that kept in <HI>Lenthal</HI> to go on with the Sectaries until the&s;e times; he was alwayes right for you, and &s;o prudent, that the Sectaries could not be without him: Such pro|vidence is not to be forgotten, for <HI>Lenthall</HI> was great in power, and accordingly did he act for Your <HI>Maje&s;ty.</HI></P>
<PB N="32" REF="18">
<P>And it was al&s;o a mighty providence of <HI>God,</HI> in General <HI>Monck</HI> and many others, &s;ome did for Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> (though not willing) out of envy to the Hou&s;e of <HI>Cromwell,</HI> as <HI>Fleetwood, Lambert, Desborough,</HI> and many more &s;uppo|&s;ed; others of pure affections, as noble <HI>Monck,</HI> worthy <HI>Len<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hall,</HI> and &s;everal be&s;ide them; as it was <HI>Phil.</HI> 15.16, 17, 18. and all for Your <HI>Ma|je&s;ties</HI> advantage, as it proved: The&s;e acted, yet in the dark.</P>
<P>For, had not <HI>God</HI> by his &s;pecial providence &s;ent me the afore&s;aid Vi&s;ions in <HI>September</HI> 1659. when the Parliament and Army were at a difference, and had not I gone to <HI>Lenthall,</HI> and he li&s;tened to me as he did, then I tell Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> what was like to come to pa&s;s; and it was partly in agitation, as may be &s;een by the Diurnals of that time: The Parliament and the Army had agreed for <HI>Fleetwood</HI> to go to be chief in <HI>Ireland,</HI> and <HI>Lambert</HI> likewi&s;e chief in <HI>Scotland,</HI> noble <HI>Monck</HI> removed, as <HI>Richard</HI> and <HI>Harry, Cromwells</HI> Sons, were; and <HI>Len|thall</HI> to be Lord Paramount in <HI>England.</HI></P>
<P>Therefore let us <HI>glorifie God</HI> for tho&s;e Vi&s;i|ons, and think that <HI>Lenthall</HI> and I have been his In&s;truments to turn the &s;tream another way for Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> Re&s;tauration; and <HI>God</HI> never faileth in &s;ending means to bring to pa&s;s what he hath determined or fore&s;poken, as it is here &s;een, the Vi&s;ions of <HI>God</HI> with my holding them
<PB N="33" REF="18"> forth to <HI>Lenthall,</HI> who was at the &s;tern, turn'd all for Your <HI>Majesties</HI> Exaltation.</P>
<P>It is true, many Mini&s;ters are again&s;t <HI>Vi&s;ion</HI> and <HI>Dreams,</HI> and I my &s;elf am again&s;t &s;uperflui|ty of that nature; but yet I &s;ay the&s;e Vi&s;ions were &s;o &s;ea&s;onable and &s;o &s;uitable to the affairs of our Nations, &s;hewing what the i&s;&s;ue of things then on foot would be, that I may bold|ly &s;ay twenty of tho&s;e Mini&s;ters all agreeing to preach long Sermons before <HI>him,</HI> would not have per&s;waded <HI>Lenthall</HI> &s;o much as the&s;e Vi|&s;ions did, for Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> Re&s;tauration and the good of the people thereby.</P>
<P><HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Prov.</HI> 29.18. <HI>Where there is no Vi&s;ion the people peri&s;h:</HI> I am &s;ure it was verified in this our time, and had not <HI>God</HI> &s;ent the&s;e Vi&s;ions, the&s;e three Nations had come to a &s;ad end. And though General <HI>Monck</HI> meant well, what could he have done while <HI>Lenthall</HI> was in power and command above him? again, if any other man had told <HI>Lenthall</HI> &s;uch Vi&s;i|ons, he had not believed him; but he having experience of the truth of my former <HI>Vi&s;ions</HI> and <HI>Books,</HI> did both enquire and believe what I &s;aid: to <HI>God</HI> be the <HI>glory</HI> of it; I prayed for <HI>wi&s;dom,</HI> I acted by it, I de&s;ired Vi&s;ions, and all for Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> &s;ake; &s;eeking nothing for my &s;elf all the while: And now I hope Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> will do &s;omething for me.</P>
<P>And now I come to &s;peak for my &s;elf: Tru|ly
<PB N="34" REF="19"> my condition at this time, as to matter of outward &s;ub&s;tance, is wor&s;e than it was before Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> Re&s;tauration; for my friends of the Royal party, that helped me heretofore, now &s;ay to me, <HI>You mu&s;t go to the Kings</HI> Maje|&s;ty, <HI>w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o doubtle&s;s will make you a great man, in regard of your faithful eminent &s;ervice done to h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">m, we will do no more for you:</HI> and I am old, and &s;o weak for the want of outward comforts, that I am not able to work if I had it, &s;o that I am <HI>ca&s;t by Gods providence</HI> wholly upon Your <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> Grace, as a child is left to his Fathers care, for food and rayment.</P>
<P>Again, the Sectaries (for this cau&s;e) glory over me, &s;aying, <HI>Ah, now, you have your King, but what are you better for it? If you had done &s;o much for the Parliament as you did for him, they would have done for you, and you might have had a great e&s;tate, and been more capable of his favour (if he had come in) than now you are; for notwith|&s;tanding all you did for him in hope of great things, you are in the &s;ame condition &s;till, and like to con|tinue a poor man; he will not look upon you, for now merits are not weighed in the ballance of the</HI> Sanctuary, <HI>and favours are not equally di&s;tribu|ted, but it is bought and &s;old, he that gives mo&s;t money is preferred, and the Kings poor faithful friends, that have done mo&s;t for him, go with|out,</HI> witne&s;s your &s;elf for one; <HI>the Parliament abhorred &s;uch doings, and God and all good men do hate it.</HI></P>
<PB N="35" REF="19">
<P>My an&s;wer to them is this, <HI>His Maje&s;ties</HI> Revenues for the pre&s;ent are in Huck&s;ters hands, and &s;o is the E&s;tate of all his friends, e&s;pecially tho&s;e <HI>Nobles</HI> that came over with him, have nothing <HI>left them;</HI> the&s;e <HI>Nobles</HI> having the di&s;po&s;ing of places, <HI>are forced</HI> to make the mo&s;t of them to &s;ub&s;i&s;t for the pre&s;ent, but when <HI>His Maje&s;ty,</HI> and His <HI>Nobles,</HI> and <HI>Gen|tlemen</HI> have their own again, <HI>as I hope the King and Parliament will quickly bring it &s;o to pa&s;s,</HI> then &s;hall you &s;ee places will not be &s;old, and that things in Church and State will be &s;o well carried on, that neither you nor your Forefa|thers in any age have &s;een the like hereto|fore.</P>
<P>And for your &s;aying, <HI>That</HI> His Maje&s;ty <HI>will take no notice of His poor &s;ervants,</HI> That is not true, for I meeting His Maje&s;ty walking in Saint <HI>James's</HI> Park, upon my bare relating of my name, His Maje&s;ty called me to Him, gave me his hand to ki&s;s, promi&s;ing to remember me; which, I hope, will be by rai&s;ing my for|tune beyond mine enemies expectation; and having an evil humour that did disfigure my face much, the very touch from his <HI>ble&s;&s;ed hand</HI> (for I did not ki&s;s it becau&s;e my mouth was fore) wrought &s;uch an alteration in my body, that on a &s;udden <HI>the humour was gone,</HI> and my Neighbours knew me not by face, and yet Mr. <HI>Knight,</HI> the <HI>Kings</HI> Chyrurgeon, &s;aid it was not the <HI>Kings-evil.</HI></P>
<PB N="36" REF="20">
<P>And now I am &s;peaking to You I will &s;peak further, and though it be not hand&s;ome to <HI>&s;peak</HI> to You in an Epi&s;tle directed to the <HI>Kings</HI> Maje&s;ty, yet I hope it will be as well taken as intended; for I would not be, to &s;eparate the <HI>King</HI> from his People, nor to draw the People from Him; but I, <HI>God</HI> enabling me, &s;hall en|deavour to unite the Body to the <HI>Head,</HI> or the <HI>King</HI> and his People, and bring the Sectaries, who are furthe&s;t off, to return and be united to <HI>His Maje&s;ty</HI> and the Church of <HI>God:</HI> There|fore take notice of <HI>Gods</HI> work done before the eyes of all the world, and before our eyes in particular.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, con&s;ider how <HI>God</HI> permitted that Apol|lyon and de&s;troyer to drive out the <HI>King,</HI> and to keep him out by bloudy war and &s;hedding innocent bloud; and that nothing done in or|der to bring in <HI>His Maje&s;ty</HI> by war did pro|&s;per, &s;o that mo&s;t men thought and &s;aid, That there was a fate upon that <HI>Hou&s;e,</HI> and that <HI>God</HI> had ca&s;t off that family for ever: <HI>But men know not Gods thoughts, I&s;a.</HI> 55.8, 9. <HI>Jer.</HI> 29.11. for when you thought that all was mo&s;t &s;ure in your hands, and had provided an Oath of <HI>Ab|juration</HI> again&s;t that Family, then the Lord ap|peareth for it, and brings in the <HI>King</HI> miracu|lou&s;ly, &s;o that not one drop of bloud is &s;pilt in <HI>His Maje&s;ties</HI> Re&s;tauration: <HI>This was the Lords doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes, P&s;alm</HI> 118.22, 23.</P>
<PB N="37" REF="20">
<P>Secondly, con&s;ider that all the Kingdoms in the world had their beginning by war and bloud&s;hed, &s;o that all the Founders thereof wa|ded through bloud to their Thrones; but this of ours is <HI>a new Kingdome</HI> with <HI>a white Throne, Rev.</HI> 20.12. &s;et up of <HI>God</HI> in a new way (with|out bloud) not known before: As it is written <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 2.6. <HI>I &s;et my King upon my holy hill of Sion:</HI> The Lord Je&s;us doth own him, <HI>for the Lord is the Lord of peace,</HI> 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 3.16. and now the <HI>King</HI> is not to hold his Kingdom <HI>onely</HI> as it de&s;cended to him by a Royal de&s;cent, but to hold it as it was given him (in a new way) of <HI>God ble&s;&s;ed for ever,</HI> 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 6.15.</P>
<P>Thirdly, con&s;ider the Battle by which this Conque&s;t came: It was not a Battle <HI>with con|fu&s;ed noi&s;e, and garments rolled in bloud;</HI> but it was a Battle <HI>with burning fuel of fire, I&s;a.</HI> 9.5. It was the fiery zeal to <HI>Gods glory</HI> that fir&s;t broke out in the heart of noble G. <HI>Monck,</HI> then in the hearts of the <HI>Royal Parliament,</HI> that made the <HI>Royal City of London,</HI> and all <HI>England,</HI> to be in a flame of Bonfires with mirth and joy; which fire did con&s;ume the wicked, and brought forth this Kingdom of <HI>glory, Heb.</HI> 10.31. <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.28, 29.</P>
<P>I am confident you have prayed earne&s;tly to <HI>God</HI> for this his glorious appearance, but why do you not believe it now it is manife&s;t, and repent of your dead works, calling for mercy to <HI>the Lord
<PB N="38" REF="21"> and the King?</HI> for I may not &s;eparate them, <HI>Pro.</HI> 24.21.</P>
<P>And now I &s;hall &s;peak touching the Church of God, and decide the Ca&s;e between <HI>Epi&s;co|pacy</HI> and <HI>Presbytery</HI> &s;o called.</P>
<P><HI>Epi&s;copacy</HI> is of <HI>God</HI> &s;et in order according to a military In&s;titution or way; the <HI>Archbi&s;hops</HI> are Generals, the other <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> are Colonels, the re&s;t of the Clergy are Officers and Captains under them, all to act in their order, and obey their Superiours, el&s;e to be ca&s;hiered. Now the true way of <HI>Presbytery,</HI> as it is &s;poken of in Scripture, is this; That when the&s;e are by their Superiours called together, to con&s;ult about the affairs of the <HI>Church of Chri&s;t,</HI> (as &s;ometimes the General of an Army doth in their affairs) then all tho&s;e Mini&s;ters being met make a Pres|bytery, according to Scripture and Rea&s;on; but none (be his parts never &s;o good) is to &s;tir out of his Rank, except he be called to it by the Superiour Power; <HI>For God is the God of or|der, and not the author of confu&s;ion, as it is &s;een in all the Churches of the Saints,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 14.33. and &s;uch are in a fit po&s;ture to &s;tand for <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and to maintain his <HI>Church</HI> every one in his Pre|cinct.</P>
<P>But our Presbyters, that refu&s;e <HI>Bi&s;hops,</HI> are like a confu&s;ed tumult, or at be&s;t like an Army <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t hath neither a General nor Colonels, that when any occa&s;ion cometh of &s;tanding for
<PB N="39" REF="21"> <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his <HI>Chuch,</HI> they are divided and fight one again&s;t another, &s;ome turn Indepen|dents, others turn otherwi&s;e, and there is no|thing but confu&s;ion follows; as we have &s;een it &s;ufficiently manife&s;ted in the&s;e our dayes.</P>
<P>Now I have &s;poken touching the true go|vernment of the Church, and of our Presbyte|rian fal&s;e di&s;orderly way of Government, I will &s;hew the different way of their Reformation from Popery.</P>
<P>Our true <HI>Sion</HI> and Church of <HI>England</HI> was reformed by the <HI>Kings</HI> command, and when Queen <HI>Mary</HI> reigned, they did not take up arms again&s;t her to maintain the Reformation, but yielded their bodies to &s;uffer for the truth &s;ake, waiting upon <HI>God</HI> for deliverance, and &s;o it plea&s;ed <HI>God</HI> to cut off that cruel Queen <HI>Ma|ry</HI> in a &s;hort time, and to &s;et up Queen <HI>Eliza|beth</HI> to re&s;tore his <HI>Church,</HI> and to comfort his people.</P>
<P>But the fal&s;e Presbyterian <HI>Church</HI> of <HI>Scotland</HI> was not &s;o reformed, for when their Mini&s;ters would have had a Calf with a White face, or &s;omewhat done, they knew not what, nor yet do: Then their Queen <HI>Mary</HI> under&s;tanding their de&s;ign, prudently &s;ends for <HI>John Knox</HI> and other Ring-leaders of their &s;edition, and they did not obey their Queens Command, but contrarily &s;tirred up the people to rebel a|gain&s;t her, bringing it to a bloudy War, and
<PB N="40" REF="22"> &s;pilling of innocent bloud; thus they reformed or builded the fal&s;e <HI>Sion</HI> with bloud, as the Pro|phet &s;aith, <HI>Micah</HI> 3.10, 11, 12. <HI>Therefore it &s;hall be de&s;troyed and plowed like a field.</HI></P>
<P>But &s;ome will &s;ay, <HI>Queen Elizabeth &s;ent them aid, therefore &s;he was partaker with them.</HI></P>
<P>I an&s;wer, No; but the Queen under&s;tanding that a great Army of Frenchmen was to come to <HI>Scotland,</HI> to a&s;&s;i&s;t Queen <HI>Mary</HI> again&s;t the Rebels, and upon their reque&s;t Qu. <HI>Eliz.</HI> &s;ends an Army of Engli&s;hmen to fight the French, le&s;t they ma&s;tering the Rebels &s;hould come to invade <HI>Engl.</HI> &s;he &s;ent not to countenance their Rebellion or Sedition, but for the defence of her own people committed to her charge, as you have it more at large in <HI>Holin&s;heads</HI> Chro|nicle of <HI>Scotland, pag.</HI> 371. that &s;heweth touching tho&s;e affairs. Let this &s;top the mouth of &s;uch Objectors.</P>
<P>And now to come to &s;peak &s;omething touch|ing Gods Wor&s;hip, <HI>Bowing at the Name of Je|&s;us,</HI> and <HI>before the Lord at the Sacrament,</HI> which <HI>Bowing</HI> the Presbyters call Idolatry and Super&s;tition, and they would prove it out of the Law, and &s;pecially by the &s;econd Command|ment; and to &s;peak the truth &s;oberly, yet mer|rily, for <HI>Gods Spirit</HI> loveth mirth, as I &s;hall prove hereafter.</P>
<P>Now I would fain know, Whether the Pro|phet <HI>David</HI> or the Presbyters doth be&s;t under|&s;tand
<PB N="41" REF="22"> the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es?</HI> if you grant to King <HI>David</HI> that Prerogative, as I believe you can|not deny it, then we will &s;ee what he &s;aith, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 95.6. <HI>O come let us wor&s;hip, and bow down, and kneel before the Lord our maker:</HI> Surely King <HI>David</HI> was no Presbyter, el&s;e he had never done this, to bow and kneel, and bid all the Wor&s;hippers of the <HI>Lord</HI> do it al&s;o; a Presby|ter hates it. But, methinks, I hear King <HI>Da|vid,</HI> and all Prote&s;tants with him, &s;ay, O ye fooli&s;h, bruti&s;h Presbyters, <HI>We do not bow before any fal&s;e god, but before the Lord our maker, we bow before the Lord our maker.</HI></P>
<P>And that Saint <HI>Paul</HI> furiou&s;ly &s;econds him with his &s;word drawn in his hand, &s;aying, You Presbyters, will not you <HI>bow at the name of Je|&s;us?</HI> Yes, for&s;ooth, we <HI>bow</HI> the knee of the heart: <HI>Who &s;eeth that,</HI> ye bloudy Presbyters? <HI>ye lie,</HI> we &s;ee what you do: have not I &s;aid, <HI>That at the name of Je&s;us every knee &s;hould bow?</HI> mark, <HI>Every knee &s;hould bow, Phil.</HI> 2.10. and do you think to put it off, &s;aying, <HI>We bow the knee of the heart,</HI> (when your actions prove the con|trary) you &s;hall <HI>bow</HI> the knees of your bodies, <HI>el&s;e your legs &s;hall be cut off,</HI> and then where are your knees? Do not you know, that by <HI>Bow|ing, Kneeling, Pro&s;trating</HI> or <HI>Falling down before him,</HI> Wor&s;hip is done to God? and there is no Wor&s;hip without &s;uch manife&s;tation found in all the Scripture: Do not you &s;ee how God
<PB N="42" REF="23"> is Wor&s;hipped under the Go&s;pel, <HI>Rev.</HI> 4.16. <HI>Rev.</HI> 5.8. <HI>Rev.</HI> 7.11. <HI>Rev.</HI> 11.16. <HI>Rev.</HI> 19.4. Now, you Presbyters, if you would know how to Wor&s;hip <HI>God,</HI> learn of the&s;e, they all along <HI>fall down upon their faces</HI> to Wor&s;hip God, yet you will not <HI>bow the knee</HI> before him, or at the <HI>great and dreadful Name of</HI> JESUS: I be|lieve God is come to judge you for the&s;e things.</P>
<P>It is clear that you Presbyters Wor&s;hip the <HI>Dragon</HI> and the <HI>Bea&s;t;</HI> for <HI>mark,</HI> they that Wor&s;hip the Bea&s;t do not <HI>fall down, bow</HI> or <HI>kneel</HI> before him, (that is out of doors with them, the Devil is grown cunning, he matters not that) their Wor&s;hip is to prai&s;e him for his bloudy acts, in killing the Saints and people of God; that is their manner of Wor&s;hip, and that Wor&s;hip plea&s;eth the Bea&s;t, <HI>Rev.</HI> 13.4, 5, 6, 7, 8.</P>
<P>Now, Presbyters, Was not that your man|ner of Wor&s;hip, namely, to give thanks for kil|ling the Servants of <HI>God</HI> and the <HI>King?</HI> Wi ne&s;s your many dayes of <HI>Thanksgiving</HI> yet upon Record: Whereas on the contrary, the late famous <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ious <HI>King,</HI> when Word was brought to <HI>His Maje&s;ty,</HI> that his Forces had killed &s;ome of you, and a motion made to him for a day of <HI>Thanksgiving, No,</HI> &s;aid <HI>His Maie&s;ty, not for killing of men, I have the lo&s;s on every &s;ide, for they are my people.</HI> And God is di&s;plea|&s;ed
<PB N="43" REF="23"> with &s;uch a Wor&s;hip, and with &s;uch bloudy Wor&s;hippers; he bid: them <HI>not come to his pre|&s;ence with their hands full of bloud, I&s;a.</HI> 1.10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. thus the good <HI>King</HI> did di&s;ap|prove of their motion.</P>
<P>And now I &s;hall &s;peak (if God permit) tou|ching the <HI>Surplice</HI> and tho&s;e holy Garments, with which the Presbyters are much offen|ded.</P>
<P>It is true, the <HI>Surplice</HI> is not a fit Garment for a Butcher, becau&s;e it will trouble his armes and hands, and comes under his feet when he &s;toops to kill a Bea&s;t: Therefore <HI>John Knox,</HI> and the re&s;t of the Presbyters, when they tur|ned Butchers of men, they ca&s;t away their <HI>Sur|plices,</HI> for it hindered their Work; becau&s;e bloud, or any &s;pot and &s;oyl, is &s;oon &s;een upon the <HI>Surplice.</HI></P>
<P>But our Mini&s;ters of the <HI>Church of England</HI> u&s;ed it, and kept their Garments undefiled; and as for the <HI>Surplice</HI> and tho&s;e holy Garments u&s;ed in our <HI>Church,</HI> we under&s;tand that they were u&s;ed in the <HI>Church of Chri&s;t</HI> all along from the Apo&s;tles time: And &s;uch Garments they had under the <HI>Law,</HI> as we &s;ee they had a rich embroydered <HI>Ephod</HI> for the <HI>High-Prie&s;t,</HI> and Linnen <HI>Ephods</HI> al&s;o for their other <HI>Prie&s;ts, Exod.</HI> 39. 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 22.18. but we take it not from the <HI>Jews</HI> manner, though much alike, for the Garments of the Angels, or men (as <HI>Mark</HI>
<PB N="44" REF="24"> and <HI>Luke</HI> calls them) that fir&s;t preached <HI>Christ</HI> after his Re&s;urrection, are de&s;cribed for our imi|tation; <HI>Luke</HI> &s;aith they had <HI>&s;hining garments, Luke</HI> 24.4. in imitation of that our embroyde|red <HI>Copes</HI> were made, which we had in the Cathedral Church to be worn on high dayes, as <HI>Chri&s;tmas, Ea&s;ter</HI> and <HI>Whit&s;ontide.</HI></P>
<P>Now the other two Evangeli&s;ts &s;ay, <HI>They were Angels in white rayment, Mat.</HI> 28.3. <HI>John</HI> 20.12. but <HI>Mark</HI> tels us, <HI>that it was a long gar|ment,</HI> and after that fa&s;hion is the <HI>Surplice</HI> made, <HI>Mark</HI> 16.5. and if you would know what this long Garment was made of, <HI>Daniel</HI> the Prophet will tell you that it was made of Linnen; for that Go&s;pel-preacher, &s;ent to &s;hew him what came to pa&s;s in our dayes, had a <HI>Sur|plice, Dan.</HI> 12.6, 7. and the &s;even <HI>Angels</HI> that routed the Bea&s;t, <HI>Rev.</HI> 16. were all &s;ent forth cloathed in their <HI>fine linnen Surplices, Rev.</HI> 15.6, 7. And I pray con&s;ider to what end did the Evangeli&s;ts de&s;cribe the habits of tho&s;e fir&s;t Go|&s;pel-mini&s;ters, which &s;pake to the Women, <HI>Mat.</HI> 28. <HI>Mark</HI> 16. <HI>Luke</HI> 24. <HI>John</HI> 20. but to give a pattern to all Go&s;pel-mini&s;ters that were to come. We read of &s;everal <HI>Angels</HI> &s;ent to par|ticular per&s;ons, but nothing &s;poken of their ha|bits; now the Presbyters &s;uppo&s;e that Cloaks were the holy garments which the Apo&s;tles u|&s;ed to mini&s;ter in; and Why, &s;ay they? be|cau&s;e Saint <HI>Paul</HI> had a Cloak, therefore they
<PB N="45" REF="24"> u&s;e to pray, preach, and do all in Cloaks.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer: Saint <HI>Paul</HI> was a great Traveller, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.26, 27. and had need of a Cloak to &s;helter him in foul Weather; and it being fair Weather he had left his Cloak at <HI>Troas,</HI> yet he thought good to have it brought to him again&s;t Winter, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.13, 21. now if it had been Saint <HI>Pauls</HI> Mini&s;terial garment, he would not have left it behind him at <HI>Troas:</HI> Therefore doubtle&s;s in tho&s;e <HI>Churches</HI> that were &s;etled in order then, they had &s;uch garments as we u&s;ed formerly in the <HI>Church of England,</HI> and we had it from them all along downward by Tradition; and of that Tradition the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks, 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.15.</P>
<P>And Saint <HI>Pauls</HI> Cloak was not &s;uch a long one as the Presbyters u&s;e to go in, for &s;uch a long Cloak was not fit for a foot-Traveller, and of Saint <HI>Pauls</HI> hor&s;e there is no mention made: We have an old &s;aying, That <HI>the Devil u&s;ed to appear in a long black Cloak to hide his cloven foot:</HI> and I met him once in &s;uch an habit, on <HI>Good Friday</HI> at night by <HI>Black Friers</HI> Church in 1644. I thought he was a Presbyte|rian Mini&s;ter, and ju&s;tling with him, as I pa&s;&s;ed on, he fell under my feet like a black Cloak &s;pread upon the ground and vani&s;hed before me: as you have it at large in <HI>pag.</HI> 121. of the fir&s;t impre&s;&s;ion of my book called <HI>The Eccho to the Voice from Heaven:</HI> and as the Presbyterian
<PB N="46" REF="25"> Mini&s;ters delight to follow the Devils fa&s;hion in all things, &s;o they will have long Cloaks al&s;o.</P>
<P>I &s;hall &s;peak a little of Mu&s;ique, which the Presbyters cannot abide, &s;pecially to have it in the Church.</P>
<P>But how beautiful was the Wor&s;hip of <HI>God</HI> in the Quire in our Cathedral <HI>Churches,</HI> where <HI>God</HI> was wor&s;hipped in the beauty of Holine&s;s, <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 29.2. <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 96.9. with &s;ongs, and prai|&s;ed <HI>God</HI> according to the injunction of <HI>David, P&s;alm</HI> 105. 1 <HI>Chron.</HI> 16.4, 5, 6, 42. with voices and all In&s;truments of Mu&s;ique. Truly when I was a chjld I found Mu&s;ique &s;o effectual, that I may &s;ay it was the fir&s;t <HI>moving cau&s;e</HI> that brought me to be well affected with coming to Church, and tempered my &s;pirit to li&s;ten to the Preacher, and I believe it will much work to the &s;ame pur|po&s;e on all Children: Therefore I be&s;eech <HI>God</HI> to &s;end us our Quires of <HI>Angels</HI> again.</P>
<P>It was a bold attempt of Satan, when once he tried <HI>Gods</HI> way of Mu&s;ique to draw men to wor&s;hip an Image; but he got &s;uch a wound by it, that he could never abide Mu&s;ique neither before nor after; for the three Children, who though they loved the mu&s;ique (yet hated the Idol) would not fall down to Wor&s;hip the I|mage, but rather cho&s;e to be ca&s;t into an hot fi|ery Furnace; out of which Furnace <HI>God</HI> delive|red them, (<HI>Daniel</HI> 3. from <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 12. to the end
<PB N="47" REF="25"> of the Chapter) and &s;o wounded the Devil, that King <HI>Nebuchadnezzar</HI> and all the Wor|&s;hippers, &s;eeing the miracle, for&s;ook him and prai&s;ed the true <HI>God, Dan.</HI> 4.1, 2, 3. Therefore the Evil &s;pirit is and was alwayes an hater of Mu&s;ique.</P>
<P>Now the <HI>Lord</HI> loves Mu&s;ique and comes to it, for the <HI>Lord</HI> comes to <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> when the <HI>Min|&s;trel</HI> played before him, and not before, 2 <HI>Kings</HI> 3.15, 16. here it is evident that the <HI>Lord</HI> loves Mu&s;ique and comes to it.</P>
<P>Again on the contrary, the Devil departed from <HI>Saul</HI> when <HI>David</HI> played on the Harp be|fore him, 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 16.23. here it is evident that the Devil hates Mu&s;ique and flieth from it.</P>
<P>I am &s;ure you Presbyters hate Mu&s;ique, for you would have none in the <HI>Church,</HI> nor any where el&s;e, by your <HI>good will,</HI> as you have fully manife&s;ted when you had power; but do you not &s;ee now, by what I have &s;hewed you, what &s;pirit you have, and &s;hall not I with the Finger of God ca&s;t it out? Truly I &s;hall by Gods help ca&s;t it out whether you will or no: I had a vi|&s;ible &s;ign of it, as I &s;hewed before, and the Word of <HI>God</HI> which I hold forth to you is able to do it, and will you not repent and turn to <HI>God?</HI> And if you would have <HI>God</HI> to come to your Churches and Countrey, have plenty of Mu&s;ique, then <HI>God</HI> will come to you, and drive away the Devil from you.</P>
<PB N="48" REF="26">
<P>Again, &s;ee Saint <HI>Paul</HI> would have men that want In&s;truments of mu&s;ique, to learn Spiritual &s;ongs and &s;ing them, to make melody at all times to the Lord in their hearts, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5.19. And you &s;ee how the <HI>Church</HI> under the Go&s;pel is &s;et forth, and is &s;aid to wor&s;hip God with In|&s;truments of mu&s;ique, even <HI>Harps, Rev.</HI> 5.8, 9. <HI>Rev.</HI> 14.2, 3. for indeed under the word <HI>Harps</HI> here is &s;ignified all &s;orts of mu&s;ique, and the <HI>Harp</HI> hath the preheminence, becau&s;e <HI>David</HI> with it drive away the Devil from <HI>Saul,</HI> 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 16.23. and a company of good <HI>Harpers,</HI> play|ing all at once together, make the mo&s;t <HI>melo|dious</HI> noi&s;e in the world; but it is no loud mu|&s;ique, therefore <HI>Organs</HI> and &s;uch like loud mu|&s;ique are mo&s;t fit for the <HI>Church,</HI> that all may hear and <HI>rejoyce in the Lord, P&s;alm</HI> 150.</P>
<P>And truly you Presbyters Mini&s;ters, this is a great &s;ign that you &s;hall fall and come to nothing:</P>
<P>This time twelve-moneth there was not a|bove &s;ix &s;een in <HI>L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ndon</HI> &s;treets that wore <HI>Cano|nical coats</HI> and <HI>girdles,</HI> but now we may &s;ee &s;ix hundred in &s;uch habit, that the <HI>Church of Eng|land</HI> may &s;ay as it is written <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 49.21. <HI>Who hath begotten me the&s;e?</HI> and wonder &s;eeing &s;o many, where they were all this time, and &s;ay, <HI>The&s;e were the hidden ones of God, which are now come forth to rout the Presbyters.</HI></P>
<P>But you will fall a Preaching, and <HI>&s;tir up the
<PB N="49" REF="26"> people, Acts</HI> 6.12. <HI>Acts</HI> 13.50. <HI>Acts</HI> 14.2. in your wonted way again: Have a care, and be &s;ure the people will not believe you, for they know what evil you have brought upon them, for believing your rebellious lying Doctrine the la&s;t time, you &s;hall never be able to preach them up to war for you again, but beware of hanging; for the &s;ame Prophe&s;ie that &s;aith, <HI>King Charles</HI> &s;hould come in at 1660. and that there &s;hould be no more Wars, &s;aith al&s;o, that after his coming in there &s;hall be nine Halter-moneths, and then the old Cathedral Churches &s;hould be repaired, as you have it in the afore|&s;aid <HI>Thomas Pughs</HI> book <HI>pag.</HI> 150. and you may believe it better than your own Preaching; for it is a certain truth, and you &s;hall find it &s;o, if you go on in your Rebellious wayes as hereto|fore.</P>
<P>For there is but one <HI>Anointed</HI> on earth at one time, and he that cur&s;eth <HI>Meroz</HI> mu&s;t cur&s;e it, for not coming out to the help of the <HI>Lords Anointed</HI> again&s;t Rebels; for <HI>Abraham, I&s;aac</HI> and <HI>Jacob</HI> being heads of their Families and people of <HI>God,</HI> were every one, one after ano|ther, the <HI>Anointed</HI> for their times, <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 105.15. for the word is no where &s;et down the <HI>Lords Anointed</HI> to &s;ignifie many, but the <HI>Lords Anointed</HI> &s;ig<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ifieth but one, (as you have it throughout the Scripture) for <HI>Barak</HI> was the <HI>Lords Anointed</HI> when tho&s;e words were &s;po|ken,
<PB N="50" REF="27"> <HI>Cur&s;e ye Meroz, Judg.</HI> 5.23. and they were therefore cur&s;ed that did not help the Lord with <HI>Barak:</HI> but now the Go&s;pel &s;aith, <HI>Cur&s;e not, Rom.</HI> 12.14. therefore you erre in holding it forth, and you are not Preachers of the Go&s;pel; our Mini&s;ters of the <HI>Church of England</HI> never u&s;ed that Text in all the time of the war.</P>
<P>Again, I &s;ay the People were <HI>Anointed</HI> as long as they continued their obedience to the <HI>King,</HI> for the Oyle ran down from the head to the feet, that is from the <HI>King</HI> to the mean|e&s;t of his Subjects, (as the Oyntment that was upon the head of <HI>Aaron</HI> ran down to the skirts of his garments, <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 133.2.) but when the People were divided and cut off from the <HI>King,</HI> by your per&s;wading of them to rebel, then the holy Unction came no more upon them; yet on tho&s;e which continued <HI>loyal</HI> it remained, and that <HI>Anointing</HI> did teach them and confirm them, (though you did deprive them of their Teachers) &s;o that you could not &s;educe them, 1 <HI>John</HI> 2.19, 20, 26, 27.</P>
<P>Now Presbyters and all other Sectaries, con|fe&s;s your &s;ins before <HI>God</HI> and all the world, (for your &s;ins are publique) that you may be glorious penitentiaries, and call to the Lord, the King, and the Countrey for mercy, all which you have offended, and return again to your true mother and true Church of <HI>God,</HI> the
<PB N="51" REF="27"> <HI>Church of Eng.</HI> to give thanks to God for giving you the grace of Repentance unto life; and do not you fooli&s;hly and childi&s;hly look upon eve|ry thing to be an Idol, as your brother <HI>Theaura John</HI> did &s;end to call his friends to him in Saint <HI>Georges</HI> fields, and after he had talked a while to a great company of them, he had a fire made, and he burned his <HI>Bible,</HI> money, arms, cloaths, and all that he had, &s;aying, <HI>they were Idols:</HI> I &s;ay, do not you do &s;o, for we of the <HI>Church of England</HI> are &s;ufficiently cautious in that matter of <HI>Idolatry</HI> or <HI>Superstition,</HI> and we will wor&s;hip nothing but God onely. Thus much in love to you, hoping it will not be in vain.</P>
<P>A word to de&s;cribe the Presbyters and Sectaries.</P>
<P>They are very ju&s;t in their dealings, true in their Promi&s;es, they will not &s;wear, lie, nor be drunk; and excellent qualities they have in their dealings between man and man, onely they will deal &s;o hard, that a poor man cannot get water to his hands by them; but they pay ju&s;t, and you<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;hall not find the lea&s;t &s;in in them, for they &s;in not by <HI>Retail</HI> but by <HI>Whole-&s;ale,</HI> and their Con&s;cience being nice and curious in &s;mal matters, and not at all in great things; they make no Con&s;cience to &s;wear, and oft for&s;wear them&s;elves, to und<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the <HI>King</HI> and Countrey; they make no Con&s;cience to wre&s;t the &s;word out of their <HI>Kings</HI> hand, though they might know
<PB N="52" REF="28"> that he is the great Servant of God, even the <HI>&s;upreme Sword-bearer of God,</HI> 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.13. <HI>Rom.</HI> 13.4. they make no Con&s;cience to kill their <HI>King,</HI> and to take all from him and his; they make no Con&s;cience to kill Gods Mini&s;ters, and rob his Church; they make no Con&s;cience to de&s;troy thou&s;ands of great and <HI>noble Families</HI> for their <HI>loyalty</HI> to God and the King; they make no Con&s;cience to pretend to the People to take away Patentees, but in the mean time lay upon them Exci&s;e, Sei&s;ments and Taxes, an hundred times greater: The&s;e things they can do and not be troubled at it, but if they leave Six pence unpaid to a rich man, O their Con|&s;cience is &s;o troubled till they pay it! and in their words they are mo&s;t heavenly, that men &s;ay, <HI>they are mighty honest, just and godly.</HI></P>
<P>Now, indifferent Reader, are not the&s;e th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y our Saviour &s;peaks off, <HI>Mat.</HI> 23.24. <HI>That will &s;train at a gnat and &s;wallow a cammel?</HI> Truly the&s;e are they, for we do not read that the <HI>Pha|ri&s;ees</HI> had any &s;uch fat plundring times to &s;hew them&s;elves as the&s;e had: I do not &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eak this to accu&s;e them, for it is known openly before <HI>God</HI> and the World; neither do I &s;ay it to di&s;cou|rage them and ca&s;t them down, for they are low enough already; but I &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y it to the end they may repent, <HI>and give glory to God</HI> by ma|king known what horror of Con&s;cience they have now, and by it prevent the generations to
<PB N="53" REF="28"> come, that they fall not into &s;uch folly, and that they may become glorious Saints (as they &s;aid they were) by their repentance and amend|ment; and though they doubtle&s;s &s;hall find the mercies of God in abundance, yet they mu&s;t look for a &s;evere outward puni&s;hment from the <HI>Lord,</HI> who will by no means clear the <HI>guilty,</HI> for by their deeds they have given the enemies cau&s;e to bla&s;pheme <HI>the Word of God,</HI> which they took to be their Rule.</P>
<P>But of all other Sects there is none &s;o di&s;or|derly as the Quakers; they take upon them bla&s;phemou&s;ly to be the &s;eed of <HI>God,</HI> yet have not &s;o much in them as common civility: The bea&s;ts of the field, by the in&s;tinct of Nature, honour their Superiours, (in their order) accor|ding to the excellency of their &s;trength, but the&s;e proud impudent Quakers glory in no|thing more than to de&s;pi&s;e <HI>Power</HI> and <HI>Dignities,</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.10, 11, 12. <HI>Jude</HI> 8, 9, 10.</P>
<P>They dare &s;tand bolt-up-right before their <HI>King</HI> and his <HI>Nobles,</HI> without &s;o much civility as once to move their hats, when pre&s;umptu|ou&s;ly and peremptorily they di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>His Majesty,</HI> being admitted to have &s;uch favour to try them.</P>
<P>Whereas <HI>Abraham, the Father of the Faith|full</HI> &s;eed of <HI>God,</HI> in whom <HI>all the Nations of the earth are ble&s;&s;ed, Gen.</HI> 12.3. <HI>Gen.</HI> 18.18. &s;peak|ing to <HI>Ephron</HI> and his People, <HI>bowed him&s;elf a|gain
<PB N="54" REF="29"> and again before them,</HI> yet <HI>Abraham</HI> was a mighty Prince, <HI>a Prince of God,</HI> as they call him, and as you have it in the Margin, <HI>Gen.</HI> 23.6, 7, 12. and <HI>Jacob bowed him&s;elf &s;even times to E&s;au</HI> his elder brother, <HI>Gen.</HI> 33.3.</P>
<P>Now if the&s;e Quakers were <HI>the children of Abraham,</HI> (as our Saviour &s;aith, <HI>John</HI> 8.39.) <HI>they would do the works of Abraham:</HI> and I am &s;ure if they be not <HI>Abrahams</HI> &s;eed, they are none of Gods &s;eed, <HI>for all are ble&s;&s;ed in Abra|ham, Gen.</HI> 12.3. <HI>Gen.</HI> 18.18.</P>
<P>And Saint <HI>Paul</HI> fir&s;t &s;aluted the <HI>Elders,</HI> and then declared what God had done by his Mini|&s;try, <HI>Acts</HI> 21.18, 19. here we &s;ee Saint <HI>Pauls</HI> practice was to &s;alute men, and &s;pecially being now before the Court of <HI>James Bi&s;hop of Jeru|&s;alem, Acts</HI> 21.17, 18, 19. doth &s;alute them.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides, Saint <HI>Paul</HI> and the re&s;t of the Apo|&s;tles, accordingly touching this point, doth charge the Chri&s;tians to &s;alute one another, and to ki&s;s one another, (which a man cannot do with his hat on) as you &s;ee in the conclu&s;ions of mo&s;t of their Epi&s;tles, <HI>Rom.</HI> 16. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 16.19, 20. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13.12, 13. <HI>Phil.</HI> 4.21, 22. <HI>Col.</HI> 4.15. 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5.25. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.19, 21. <HI>Titus</HI> 3.15. <HI>Philem.</HI> 23.24. <HI>Heb.</HI> 13.24. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 5.13, 14. 2 <HI>John</HI> 13. 3 <HI>John</HI> 14. I think here is enough to reform the Quakers, (touching this point) if they be men, or were not more void of Rea&s;on than bruit bea&s;ts; for if they were the
<PB N="55" REF="29"> &s;eed of God (as they vainly boa&s;t) they would follow the Children of God, and the Father <HI>Abraham.</HI></P>
<P>I heard &s;ay, that &s;uch a priviledge as the Quakers claim, was once given to <HI>Kor&s;ygedol</HI> in <HI>Merioneth&s;hire</HI> by King <HI>Henry</HI> the &s;eventh, for <HI>Henry</HI> then Duke of <HI>Richmond</HI> being hunted by that Tyrant <HI>Richard</HI> 3. went to <HI>Wal&s;h,</HI> and lived with Mr. <HI>William Vechan Kor&s;ygedol</HI> a certain time, and <HI>Henry</HI> being afterward <HI>King,</HI> when Mr. <HI>Vechan Kor&s;ygedol</HI> &s;aying he had e|nough, would take no other gifts from him, the <HI>King</HI> compelled him to take this, <HI>That his hou&s;e &s;hould be free, even his &s;eed, to &s;tand with their hats on in the Kings pre&s;ence:</HI> and King <HI>Henry</HI> the &s;eventh did never &s;uffer the &s;aid <HI>William Vechan</HI> to &s;tand bare-headed before him. Now if the Quakers can derive them&s;elves from that <HI>honourable houfe,</HI> they may have &s;ome plea for them&s;elves; otherwi&s;e I know no plea for them; and I think none of that Hou&s;e are Quakers, they hate &s;uch di&s;orderly fooli&s;h|ne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>And now the Presbyters and Sectaries would fain &s;et their former Tragedy on foot, to be act|ed over again; for they begin to quarrel with that worthy Bi&s;hop <HI>Wren</HI> upon the old account, that is, becau&s;e he &s;ought to bring them to wor|&s;hip God in the right way, and with more reve|rence than they can afford: They had him in
<PB N="56" REF="30"> the Tower of <HI>London</HI> the&s;e 18. years, yet God would not &s;uffer them to hurt him; and now God hath vindicated and delivered him: do they think to fight again&s;t God and prevail? they &s;hall know that the Rules of Bi&s;hop <HI>Wren</HI> (which they de&s;pi&s;e) will be &s;o owned of God, that all Nations &s;hall ob&s;erve it, and <HI>Rome</HI> it &s;elf &s;hall not prevail again&s;t it.</P>
<P>The Sectaries have reprinted their old Arti|cles again&s;t Bi&s;hop <HI>Wren,</HI> to &s;tir up the people to Rebellion, <HI>Acts</HI> 6.12. <HI>Acts</HI> 13.50. <HI>Acts</HI> 14.2. and one <HI>Henry Je&s;&s;e,</HI> a great Sectary, hath put forth a book of lying wonders, to fulfil what is written, 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.9, 10, 11, 12. and to &s;treng|then his wicked brethren; in which book is ma|ny blind letters and &s;tories of Frogs, and killing of people for their &s;akes.</P>
<P>Truly I believe the Devil will do what he can for them, as far as God permits him, he can kill men, and bring up Frogs, and do more than all that, <HI>Exod.</HI> 8.7. <HI>Job</HI> 1.19. And doubt|le&s;s there is abundance of Witches among the Sectaries, yea &s;ome, as it is reported, before <HI>Authority,</HI> have profe&s;&s;ed and &s;aid, <HI>that they wor&s;hipped the Devil:</HI> Therefore &s;uch mi|racles as <HI>Henry Je&s;&s;e</HI> brings forth, are Jugling, Lying, Devili&s;h miracles; for the true miracles of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> and his <HI>Apo&s;tles,</HI> were to heal the &s;ick, rai&s;e the dead, and alwayes doing <HI>good;</HI> and for all they were per&s;ecuted, we do
<PB N="57" REF="30"> not read that any of their Per&s;ecutors dyed up|on it: and by &s;uch good works of healing, God beareth witne&s;s to our <HI>King</HI> al&s;o.</P>
<P>All the Sectaries, which la&s;t year were at en|mity among them&s;elves, can now joyn and be friend<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> to with&s;tand <HI>the Kings Majesty and Gods Church,</HI> as <HI>Herod</HI> and <HI>Pilate</HI> were made <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">riends when they with&s;tood the <HI>Son of God, Luke</HI> 22.12. and fora&s;much that His Maje&s;ty granted them liberty to <HI>meet,</HI> and that they u&s;e their liberty for a cloak of maliciou&s;ne&s;s, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.16. again&s;t His Maje&s;ties Parliament and the Church, as it is evident by that book of <HI>Henry Je&s;&s;e,</HI> and the <HI>Quaeraes</HI> of late &s;cattered abroad, which &s;trikes at <HI>King, Parliament</HI> and <HI>Church:</HI> I &s;ay, is it not ju&s;t, that upon this their malici|ous doing, (before they go any further) that His Maje&s;ty &s;hould withdraw his <HI>Acts of grace</HI> from them, and put forth a &s;harp Proclamation to prohibit their meetings, and command them to come to Church; and &s;peedily to cut off his Fathers Murtherers, for I cannot &s;ee how His Maje&s;ties fore&s;aid <HI>white Throne</HI> can be e&s;tabli|&s;hed, until that <HI>Royal</HI> and <HI>Loyal bloud</HI> be aven|ged, that cries loud to <HI>God</HI> from under the Al|tar, <HI>Rev.</HI> 6.9, 10. now His Maje&s;ty having <HI>the &s;word of God</HI> for to revenge it ju&s;tly, and to ap|pea&s;e <HI>the wrath of God,</HI> which cannot be done without the &s;aid <HI>innocent bloud</HI> be revenged, <HI>Rom.</HI> 13.4. <HI>and that His Maje&s;ty and Parlia|ment
<PB N="58" REF="31"> judge them according to their works, and according to the wickedne&s;s of their endeavours,</HI> P&s;alm 28.4. <HI>and give them double according to their works,</HI> Rev. 18.6.</P>
<P>And therefore His Maje&s;ty and Parliament &s;hould make them take the Oath of <HI>Supremacy</HI> and <HI>Allegiance,</HI> and order it &s;o, that who&s;oe|ver he be that will not take the &s;aid Oaths, &s;hould not have the benefit of the <HI>Kings Laws;</HI> for did they not put an unlawful Engagement upon His Maje&s;ties Subjects to the &s;ame <HI>pur|po&s;e?</HI> therefore it is ju&s;t in His Maje&s;ty to do the &s;ame: Neither can His Maje&s;ty be <HI>ju&s;tified</HI> otherwi&s;e, <HI>now</HI> they &s;light <HI>His Acts of grace of|fered to them,</HI> and &s;peak evil of Him; and cer|tainly they would &s;hew Him no mercy if they had Him and His in their power, <HI>and no mercy &s;hould be &s;hewed to &s;uch cruel mercile&s;s people, James</HI> 2.13.</P>
<P>It is true, <HI>God</HI> was gracious to <HI>England</HI> in gi|ving us &s;ome moderate men to over&s;way and temper the fury of the Adver&s;aries, &s;o that they could not have their will, el&s;e much more mi&s;|chief had been done; for if <HI>Harri&s;on</HI> and his party had got the power, he dealt had with <HI>Eng.</HI> as he dealt with them which he murdered at <HI>Bazing-hou&s;e,</HI> after he had given them <HI>quarter;</HI> which bloud crieth up to <HI>heaven</HI> to be avenged on him, being betrayed by his <HI>lying tongue,</HI> and then murdered by his <HI>bloudy hands:</HI> Therefore
<PB N="59" REF="31"> &s;hall that party <HI>trapan</HI> one another, and by them whom they mo&s;t <HI>confide</HI> in &s;hall they be betray|ed, and drawn into <HI>&s;nares</HI> as a bea&s;t for the &s;laughter, till they are con&s;umed from off the face of the earth.</P>
<P>The Sectaries a while ago called <HI>Harri&s;on</HI> their little <HI>David:</HI> Truly little indeed, or no|thing like <HI>David:</HI> and after they had great hopes in <HI>Lambert,</HI> looking upon him to be their <HI>Lamb</HI> that &s;hould &s;tand upon <HI>Mount Sion</HI> for them, <HI>Rev.</HI> 14.1. but la&s;t <HI>April</HI> being at the <HI>Mount</HI> he could not get that number of &s;oul|diers which he expected, for <HI>the hundred forty and four thou&s;and</HI> &s;tood up in the <HI>Mount</HI> with our glorious <HI>King Charles,</HI> and therefor <HI>Lam|bert</HI> came quickly down from the <HI>Mount;</HI> and now their hope is in <HI>Henry Je&s;&s;e,</HI> he is their <HI>David</HI> becau&s;e <HI>David</HI> was the &s;on of <HI>Je&s;&s;e,</HI> 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 17.12. and their great hope now is in the &s;aid <HI>Je&s;&s;e</HI> according to <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 11.1, 10. but they &s;hall find their <HI>Je&s;&s;e</HI> to be a fal&s;e <HI>Je&s;&s;e,</HI> and that <HI>Je&s;us is the man who appeareth eminent|ly in King Charles,</HI> which if they were not wil|fully blind they might &s;ee it.</P>
<P>But methinks the&s;e people &s;hould look a lit|tle upon the wi&s;dom of the <HI>Ancients</HI> of our <HI>Na|tion,</HI> that feared God, and not prefer them|&s;elves before them; who&s;e <HI>Books,</HI> in regard of their excellent knowledge and holy life, the&s;e Young&s;ters are not worthy to carry after them;
<PB N="60" REF="32"> for they, by a divine ir<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;piratoin of God, could tell above a thou&s;and years ago what we have &s;een done before our eyes, namely, the great Tran&s;actions that were among us, and &s;hew the very time of our <HI>glorious Kings</HI> Re&s;tauration; when indeed our new &s;elf-wi&s;e Generation (that de&s;pi&s;e them) are &s;o ignorant, that they cannot tell to day what &s;hall be to morrow: <HI>The &s;ecret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will &s;hew them his Covenant, P&s;al.</HI> 25.14. I believe our de&s;pi&s;ed <HI>Merlins</HI> were them <HI>that feared the Lord,</HI> for they knew his &s;ecret.</P>
<P>I know the Engli&s;h Chronicles, through the ignorance of the Hi&s;torians, do di&s;grace our chief <HI>princely Merlin,</HI> and to take off that a&s;per|&s;ion I &s;hall &s;hew you his noble De&s;cent, and the cau&s;e of your Engli&s;h Writers ignorance, in &s;aying, <HI>Merlin had no father, but was begot by an evil spirit.</HI></P>
<P>And now to vindicate <HI>Merlin,</HI> the truth is, about the year of Chri&s;t 446. one <HI>Vortigerne</HI> a Nobleman, through treachery got the King <HI>Con&s;tantius</HI> to be murdered, and by his policy gets to Reign; the &s;aid U&s;urper and Tyrant thus a&s;cending the <HI>throne,</HI> the murdered Kings brethren, <HI>Aurel. Ambro&s;ius</HI> and <HI>Utherpendragon</HI> by names, with many more noble <HI>Britains,</HI> fled into <HI>Britain</HI> in <HI>France,</HI> now after they had been there &s;ome &s;mall time, <HI>Aurelius Ambro&s;ius,</HI> who was <HI>King</HI> by right, in a di&s;gui&s;ed manner
<PB N="61" REF="32"> came over &s;ea into <HI>Wales,</HI> and hearing that a Prince&s;s, daughter to a King of <HI>Dalmatia,</HI> (for|merly de&s;igned for him) was gone to a Nunne|ry at a place in <HI>South-Wales,</HI> now called <HI>Car|marthine,</HI> whereupon <HI>Aurelius Ambro&s;ius</HI> the King went there, and mu&s;t needs &s;ee the &s;aid <HI>Lady.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>governours</HI> of the <HI>hou&s;e</HI> being much trou|bled at it, yet at la&s;t looking upon him as their <HI>lawfull King,</HI> con&s;ented to his demand: And or|dered it, &s;o that <HI>alwaies</HI> when the <HI>King</HI> was to come to the &s;aid <HI>Lady,</HI> all her fellow Nuns were called away to other <HI>Rooms;</HI> and &s;he being alone, the <HI>King</HI> was let in unto her, till at la&s;t <HI>He</HI> prevailed with <HI>her,</HI> and begot <HI>Merthin</HI> or <HI>Merlin,</HI> as ye have it in Engli&s;h.</P>
<P>Now the <HI>Lady</HI> knew not what he was that came to <HI>her,</HI> only he &s;eemed to be a fine <HI>young man;</HI> but &s;he proved to be with Child and brought forth <HI>a Man Child,</HI> and the <HI>governours</HI> that knew who was his Father, called his name <HI>Merthin Ambro&s;ius,</HI> which in Engli&s;h is the <HI>marrow</HI> of the <HI>Man Ambro&s;ius:</HI> The &s;aid <HI>Mer|thin</HI> was born in <HI>Carmarthen,</HI> (which Town is call'd by his name to this day,) and was brought up in <HI>Learning,</HI> and <HI>God gave him &s;uch gifts that he was the wonder of the world;</HI> and becau&s;e his <HI>Wi&s;dom</HI> was &s;o exceeding <HI>great,</HI> and his <HI>Birth</HI> and Parentage &s;o <HI>ob&s;cure,</HI> the <HI>Britains</HI> thought him to be a good <HI>Angel</HI> &s;ent to com|fort
<PB N="62" REF="33"> them: And the <HI>Saxons</HI> thought him to be an evil <HI>Angel</HI> &s;ent again&s;t them; thus they could not believe him to be <HI>a Man,</HI> as indeed he was <HI>a Prince.</HI></P>
<P>Now <HI>Vortigerne</HI> the tyrant being full of fear (as all traytors are,) &s;ends workmen to build him a &s;trong <HI>Castle</HI> at a place he had made choice of near the Sea in <HI>South-wal&s;h:</HI> But as they began to build, nothing would <HI>&s;tand</HI> there, for what they built in the day was thrown down in the <HI>night.</HI> And <HI>Vortigerne</HI> being vexed at it, &s;ent for all the <HI>Barthes</HI> and <HI>Wi&s;e men</HI> to come before <HI>him:</HI> And he threatned them, <HI>&s;aying,</HI> if they could not tell him how to prevent the throwing down of his <HI>building,</HI> he would put them to <HI>death;</HI> whereupon the <HI>Barthes</HI> told him, that he mu&s;t find out <HI>a Man Child</HI> that had no <HI>Father,</HI> and take his <HI>bloud</HI> to water the <HI>foundation</HI> of his <HI>building,</HI> after that his <HI>build|ing</HI> &s;hould go forward and &s;tand.</P>
<P>Then <HI>Vortigerne</HI> &s;ent out &s;couts all about the <HI>Land</HI> to &s;eek for &s;uch <HI>a Child,</HI> and &s;ome of them coming to <HI>Carmarthen,</HI> as a company of youths played by the high-way, one of the youths falling out with <HI>Merlin,</HI> &s;aid, thou art <HI>a &s;tripling</HI> and ha&s;t no Father, the <HI>&s;couts</HI> hearing that took <HI>Merlin</HI> and his <HI>mother,</HI> and brought them before <HI>Vortigerne,</HI> and he examined the <HI>mother</HI> of <HI>Merlin,</HI> and &s;he told him how it was; that &s;he being a <HI>Virgin</HI> in &s;uch a place, a fair
<PB N="63" REF="33"> young <HI>man</HI> in appearance came to her alwaies when her fellows were ab&s;ent, and at la&s;t over|came her with <HI>Love,</HI> and that was <HI>her Sons Fa|ther;</HI> and &s;he intreated him to &s;ave her <HI>Sons</HI> life: &s;aying, he though but <HI>young,</HI> was wi&s;er then all his <HI>Barthes</HI> and <HI>Wi&s;e men,</HI> and <HI>a holy Child.</HI></P>
<P>Then <HI>Vortigerne</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Merlin</HI> had no pow|er to hurt him, for he was of &s;uch a <HI>lovely</HI> &s;weet countenance full of <HI>Life</HI> and <HI>Spirit.</HI> And he to try his Wi&s;dom asked what was the <HI>rea|&s;on</HI> his building would not <HI>&s;tand?</HI> &s;aid <HI>Merlin,</HI> the <HI>Rock</HI> upon which you <HI>build</HI> is hollow <HI>with|in,</HI> and there are two <HI>Caves</HI> in it, one on each &s;ide, and there are two great <HI>Dragons</HI> in the <HI>Caves</HI> which meet every night in the hollow of the <HI>Rock;</HI> and fighting &s;hakes the <HI>building</HI> &s;o that it falls: But in the day while the <HI>builders</HI> are there making a noi&s;e, they do not &s;tir out of the <HI>Caves;</HI> but now dig deeper until you come to the firm botom of the <HI>Rock,</HI> and lay your <HI>Foundation</HI> thereupon, and be&s;ure your <HI>build|ing</HI> will not fall: Whereupon <HI>Vortigerne</HI> did as <HI>Merlin</HI> coun&s;elled him, and found all true, &s;o the <HI>Ca&s;tle</HI> was built.</P>
<P>Thus by <HI>Gods providence Merlin</HI> was brought before <HI>Vortigerne,</HI> and became <HI>great</HI> with him, and <HI>Merlin</HI> by his <HI>wi&s;dom</HI> did &s;o defeat the Ty|rant and di&s;hearten him by his Prophe&s;ie, that at la&s;t <HI>Aurelius Ambro&s;ius,</HI> with his brother
<PB N="64" REF="34"> <HI>Utherpendragon,</HI> came over &s;ea, and quickly had a great Army, and burned <HI>Vortigerne</HI> in the &s;aid <HI>ca&s;tle</HI> which he had <HI>built,</HI> when he had tyranniz'd near upon 40. years, and had done a world of mi&s;chief to the <HI>Church,</HI> and to the <HI>King</HI> and <HI>Nation:</HI> and <HI>Aurelius Ambro&s;ius</HI> reigned in his &s;tead.</P>
<P>Here you &s;ee who was <HI>Merlin Ambro&s;ius</HI> his <HI>father</HI> and <HI>mother,</HI> where he was <HI>born,</HI> and how he came to <HI>Vortigerne;</HI> now methinks his very name and the time which he lived in &s;hould have informed our <HI>Hi&s;torians,</HI> and &s;hewed them <HI>Merthins</HI> father, and that there is great rea&s;on why it was concealed then, his father being a bani&s;hed King, that du<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t not be known to have been in the Land, for if it had been known many had dyed for it; and his mother a Nun of great repute: and indeed <HI>Carmarthin</HI> &s;hould have told them where <HI>Mer|thin</HI> or <HI>Merlin,</HI> as they call him, was born, and that he was not born at <HI>Maltborow,</HI> as &s;ome would have it to be the place of his birth. So much for <HI>Merlin Ambro&s;ius.</HI></P>
<P>And now to our <HI>Wi&s;emen of Gotham</HI> again: The <HI>Quakers</HI> give out, for&s;ooth, that they will not rebel nor <HI>fight,</HI> when indeed the la&s;t year, and all along the <HI>War,</HI> the Army was full of them; there is no truth in the Sectaries, as to that point, for if they have liberty to meet and increa&s;e till they get a con&s;iderable party, you
<PB N="65" REF="34"> &s;hall find that they will &s;trive to be ma&s;ters of all.</P>
<P>The <HI>Puritans, Anabapti&s;ts</HI> and <HI>Browni&s;ts</HI> to my knowledge &s;aid, <HI>It was not lawful for them to re&s;i&s;t the Kings power;</HI> but they, finding them|&s;elves &s;trong enough for Him, &s;tick not to un|&s;ay it again; and they re&s;i&s;t Him in the high|e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t degree, but it will be in vain for them now to <HI>&s;trive,</HI> for who&s;oever he be that &s;tands a|gain&s;t the <HI>King and Church of England</HI> &s;hall be de&s;troyed, &s;o &s;aith <HI>the Word of God</HI> to me, and our <HI>Merlins</HI> do witne&s;s it al&s;o; therefore let <HI>Fox</HI> the Quaker not glory in his fooli&s;hne&s;s, for it will come to nothing, all &s;uch bubbles blown up in the air, (as Children u&s;e in their play) will fall to the <HI>earth</HI> and be &s;een no more, for though they bark they cannot bite.</P>
<P>And what exceeding madne&s;s is it for any to with&s;tand &s;uch a <HI>King,</HI> that by the <HI>Word of God</HI> is &s;o &s;hewed <HI>beforehand</HI> in Prophe&s;ies and Promi&s;es, and His birth witne&s;&s;ed by a <HI>Day-&s;tar,</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.19. <HI>Rev.</HI> 2.28. (yea, and many hundred &s;aw it) to &s;hew the <HI>world</HI> that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> in him appeareth, <HI>Heb.</HI> 9.28. be&s;ides the <HI>holy Scripture</HI> that is full for it, there are abundance of modern Prophe&s;ies that doe al&s;o wit|ne&s;s it.</P>
<P>Again, &s;ee how <HI>God</HI> (as I may &s;ay &s;o with re|verence) contrived the year of <HI>His Nativity,</HI> to be compleat according to the holy <HI>Scripture</HI>
<PB N="66" REF="35"> and our <HI>Merlins &s;ayings;</HI> for if the <HI>King</HI> had been 31. or 29. when He came to the <HI>throne,</HI> then he could not have been that <HI>David</HI> &s;poken of, <HI>Jer.</HI> 30.9. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 34.23, 24. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 37.24. <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 3.5. <HI>Pughs</HI> book <HI>pag.</HI> 76. and if He had not come in at 1660. then he could not have been that <HI>Owen</HI> which the <HI>Merlin</HI> &s;peaks of in <HI>Pughs</HI> book, <HI>pag.</HI> 87. <HI>pag.</HI> 86.</P>
<P>But <HI>God</HI> brings in the <HI>King</HI> according to the holy <HI>Scripture</HI> and our <HI>Merlins &s;ayings,</HI> for he comes in at 1660. and in the 30. year of His <HI>age,</HI> agreeable to the holy <HI>Scripture</HI> touching <HI>Jo&s;eph, Gen.</HI> 41.46. <HI>David,</HI> 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 5.4. <HI>Je&s;us, Luke</HI> 3.23. and la&s;t of all <HI>Charles</HI> under the name of <HI>Owen, Pughs</HI> book <HI>pag.</HI> 76. all four co|ming per&s;onally at 30. years of age to exerci&s;e their power and authority, and agreeable to our <HI>Merlins</HI> he comes in at 1660.</P>
<P>Methinks the harmony of the <HI>holy Scripture</HI> with our modern Prophe&s;ies, and the <HI>miracu|lous</HI> coming of <HI>King Charles</HI> in accordingly, 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 1.7, 8, 9, 10. &s;hould convert you Secta|ries, &s;eeing you profe&s;s to have knowledge in divine my&s;teries: &s;ure if you &s;ee not now, <HI>doubtle&s;s</HI> ye are blinded with vain <HI>conceits;</HI> and if you do not &s;ay to <HI>King Charles</HI> as the People &s;aid to <HI>Cyrus, I&s;a.</HI> 45.13, 14. <HI>Surely God is in thee,</HI> you will be &s;hut up <HI>in darkne&s;s for ever, Jude</HI> 13. and &s;o be it, if you will not receive the <HI>truth</HI> and be &s;aved, and not make work for the Hangman.</P>
<PB N="67" REF="35">
<P>Yet you believe you have the &s;ame game to play as you had in 1641. and &s;o forward, <HI>do not you believe that:</HI> for then the <HI>King</HI> had no Army, and the People were <HI>fooli&s;h</HI> and wanton through over-much pro&s;perity; but now the <HI>King</HI> hath an Army on foot, under &s;uch <HI>noble Commanders</HI> as hate your <HI>whim&s;ical way</HI> of <HI>preaching,</HI> or rather <HI>prating;</HI> and the people having <HI>&s;marted</HI> for &s;uch things, they are grown <HI>wi&s;er</HI> than to believe you; therefore the be&s;t way for you is to wheel to the <HI>right,</HI> and as you were Prote&s;tants come to the <HI>Church of England</HI> again, and there you will find re&s;t for your <HI>&s;ouls.</HI></P>
<P>And now I have &s;poken largely touching the&s;e Presbyters and Sectaries, who&s;e per&s;ons I love, but I hate their evil wayes: I &s;hall &s;peak a word to You, <HI>Mo&s;t glorious Parliament,</HI> &s;aying, Beware of upholding the Presbyterian or Sectarian Intere&s;t, le&s;t any of you fall <HI>by it;</HI> you know what fruit you had heretofore from it, and how the <HI>Church</HI> and <HI>Kingdom</HI> was <HI>me|tamorpho&s;ed by it:</HI> More e&s;pecially I &s;peak to you, &s;ometimes called the <HI>&s;ecluded Members,</HI> you have done the mo&s;t glorious work of all (in opening the way to Peace) when you fir&s;t &s;ate after your <HI>&s;eclu&s;ion;</HI> O do not you lo&s;e your <HI>reward</HI> by your <HI>&s;tanding for</HI> the afore&s;aid In|tere&s;ts.</P>
<P>And I be&s;eech you all, mo&s;t <HI>Honourable Par|liament,</HI>
<PB N="86" REF="36"> to be united and agree together as one man, to &s;ettle the <HI>Kings Maje&s;ty</HI> and His <HI>King|dom</HI> and <HI>Church</HI> in the good old way, as it was in the beginning of <HI>Englands</HI> trouble&punc; There is talk of an <HI>Act of Oblivion</HI> to come forth from you, to exempt &s;ome per&s;ons and puni&s;h o|thers; all being equally <HI>guilty,</HI> that in my judgment is partiality, which will have a <HI>bad</HI> con&s;equence: Save none that are guilty of murder, but deliver them up to the former Laws made by <HI>King, Lords</HI> and <HI>Commons,</HI> that is a ju&s;t and a &s;ure way; for how can you in Ju|&s;tice <HI>quit</HI> them, that murdered tho&s;e which &s;tood for <HI>God, King</HI> and <HI>Law,</HI> and not bring that righteous bloud upon your own <HI>heads,</HI> and take the Murderers <HI>guilt</HI> upon you?</P>
<P>Your <HI>Honours</HI> &s;ee how cruel I am to the Se|ctaries, and Why? becau&s;e I find by their 37. <HI>Quaeraes</HI> how cruel they are again&s;t <HI>His Maje|sty</HI> and <HI>Your Honours,</HI> for all the <HI>King</HI> is &s;o merciful unto them: I thought to have written altogether for them, that <HI>Your Honours</HI> would be merciful to them as followeth:</P>
<P><HI>But if you will make an Act of Oblivion to &s;ave any, &s;ave all and be clean, for God is full of mer|cy: You know touching the plague of Lepro&s;ie,</HI> Levit. 13.12, 13. <HI>if a man hath it upon any part of his body, the</HI> Prie&s;t <HI>mu&s;t pronounce him un|clean; but if a man hath it all over his body, then the</HI> Prie&s;t <HI>mu&s;t pronounce him clean; Now the
<PB N="69" REF="36"> ca&s;e is the &s;ame; Your Honours look upon a part of the Nation to be guilty of the late famous Kings bloud, but if you exactly go according to the Laws of</HI> England, <HI>you &s;hall find the whole body of the Nation is guilty of his bloud.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Now his Maje&s;ty wi&s;ely weighing this, for the peace of the Nation, hath engaged Him&s;elf in the</HI> Word of a King, <HI>to pardon all that come in to Him, (with a reference thus to Your Honours) except &s;ome few per&s;ons that Your Honours &s;hall think fit to exempt from pardon, in regard of their hands being deep in the late Kings bloud; for the bonds of natural affection (yet contrary to His Fa|thers mind) binds</HI> His Royal Maje&s;ty, <HI>&s;o that he could do no le&s;s than &s;eek &s;ome &s;atisfaction for His Royal Fathers bloud, and therefore the burthen lieth now upon Your Honours &s;houl|ders.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And partiality is to have re&s;pect to Per&s;ons in judgment,</HI> James 2.4. <HI>The late</HI> King <HI>you know, hath to his everlasting glory before God and the World forgiven his enemies; and would have our pre&s;ent</HI> King <HI>not to &s;tudy revenge on them, this is &s;ufficiently made out in His late</HI> Maje&s;ties <HI>la&s;t Speech to our pre&s;ent</HI> King.</P>
<P><HI>But the&s;e Lords,</HI> Derby, Strafford, Bi&s;hop Laud, Hamilton, Holland, Capell, Montro&s;&s;e; <HI>and many more great Per&s;ons that &s;uffered for the &s;ame cau&s;e, gave no &s;uch order to their Sons or friends: Now If Your honours require bloud for
<PB N="70" REF="37"> the late Kings bloud, who indeed would have no bloud &s;pilt for him; and by your Act &s;hut out the other great families from having ju&s;tice again&s;t tho&s;e that murdered their Fathers and Friends, it will cau&s;e heart-burning of a dangerous con&s;e|quence.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And our late</HI> K. Charles <HI>of famous memory did fore&s;ee all this: Therefore it is one cau&s;e why he would have our pre&s;ent</HI> King Charles <HI>to pardon all, but it is fitter Your</HI> Honours <HI>&s;hould quit them then His</HI> Maje&s;ty, <HI>and for any thing that I know it is referred to You for that End. Then all the a|bove&s;aid Families in rea&s;on, cannot but content them&s;elves with &s;uch an Act as well as his</HI> Maje|&s;ty; <HI>though it be all Mercy and no Equity, I break forth my judgement to Your</HI> Honours, <HI>if my mite may adde any thing to Your Information, I am not for bloud-&s;hed, yet I would have their Pur&s;es a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> empty as mine is; and that with a ruined Con&s;cience, is as bad as the</HI> Popes Purga|tory, <HI>if not wor&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>But now I am again&s;t them, &s;eeing no Rea&s;on that I &s;hould &s;tand for them; being they &s;tand again&s;t the <HI>King, Parliament and Nation.</HI> The Sectaries now urge upon us, that we have taken the Scotti&s;h Covenant: What if we have? we are not bound to keep it; for according to <HI>Englands Lawes,</HI> there is nothing <HI>binding</HI> to us, but what is done by <HI>King, Lords and Com|mons.</HI></P>
<PB N="71" REF="37">
<P>The theeves at Newgate enter into <HI>Cove|nant</HI> among&s;t them&s;elves, and make it as firm as any <HI>Covenant</HI> can be; &s;uppo&s;e an hone&s;t man be forced to take that <HI>Covenant,</HI> Sectaries, will you &s;ay that he mu&s;t needs keep it? or in rea|&s;on mu&s;t you not confe&s;s that <HI>Covenant</HI> to be a vain thing done without true <HI>Authority,</HI> and that <HI>a man</HI> ought not to keep it?</P>
<P>The theeves <HI>Authority</HI> is as authentick, as the <HI>Authority</HI> of the <HI>Scots Covenanters:</HI> Nay rather more <HI>authentick,</HI> for the <HI>King</HI> heares no|thing of Newgates <HI>Covenant</HI> when it is made, therefore he &s;aith nothing again&s;t it; but the <HI>King</HI> declared again&s;t the <HI>Scots Covenant</HI> all along to His dying day: Therefore it hath not &s;o good <HI>Authority</HI> as the theeves <HI>Covenant</HI> hath, and the ends of both their <HI>Covenants</HI> are alike, tending to rob and de&s;troy <HI>the Kings loyal Subjects.</HI></P>
<P>I hope this manife&s;tation is &s;ufficient to de|&s;troy that work of the devil, 1 <HI>John</HI> 3.8. and to di&s;oblige every <HI>Soul</HI> that took the <HI>Scots Cove|nant</HI> from fear of breaking it, for doubtle&s;&s;e the <HI>Scots Covenant,</HI> and &s;uch is that called, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 28.14, 15, 16, 17, 18. <HI>A Covenant with Death and agreement with Hell, which the Lord doth pro|mi&s;e to di&s;anull;</HI> which if Your <HI>Honours</HI> read the &s;aid <HI>Scripture,</HI> you will &s;ee the Raign of the Sectaries and their Ruine: Therefore ha&s;ten to Ruine them accordingly, and &s;o fulfil the &s;aid Scripture.</P>
<PB N="72" REF="38">
<P>And let his Excellency noble General <HI>Monck,</HI> the <HI>Honourable</HI> &s;ecluded Members, and the <HI>Royal City of London,</HI> take heed they never fall into the hands of the <HI>Sectaries;</HI> for I am &s;ure nothing troubleth the <HI>Sectaries</HI> more, then that they did not, (when they had power) de&s;troy them all (la&s;t year) and burn the City of <HI>Lon|don,</HI> becau&s;e under <HI>God,</HI> the City, <HI>Monck,</HI> and the &s;aid Members were made &s;o in&s;trumentall to bring <HI>His Maje&s;ty</HI> upon them, and all the <HI>Presbyterians</HI> beware you fall not into their hands again; they will pay you becau&s;e you were for <HI>King&s;hip,</HI> and de&s;troy you al&s;o.</P>
<P>And when I told their Commanders many times at <HI>Whitehall,</HI> that <HI>His Maje&s;ty</HI> &s;hould come in. They an&s;wered me &s;aying, <HI>let him come in when he plea&s;e, rather then he &s;hall have it, we will de&s;troy</HI> London <HI>and every place; &s;o that he &s;hall have but little left him.</HI> (This was their re&s;olution,) I an&s;wered them &s;aying from the&s;e Texts, 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5.2, 3. <HI>Rev.</HI> 16.15. <HI>That</HI> His Maje&s;ty <HI>&s;hould come in like a Thief in the night, and they &s;hould not de&s;troy as they though to do:</HI> Nay &s;aid they we &s;hall watch him for that.</P>
<P>And now their <HI>watch</HI> is broke up, Your Ho|nours had need to <HI>watch,</HI> for <HI>Prai&s;e-God-Barbone</HI> the Leather-&s;eller in <HI>Fleet&s;treet</HI> is very brisk, which <HI>&s;ignifieth</HI> to me, that the Sectaries have &s;ome <HI>de&s;ign</HI> on foot, that mini&s;treth great <HI>hopes</HI> unto them: <HI>Behold I warn you of it aforehand,</HI> Ezek. 3.17.</P>
<PB N="73" REF="38">
<P>And Your <HI>Honours</HI> differing, and deferring the <HI>act of Oblivion</HI> may be of great advantage to the Sectaries, for all the Land is full of fear un|till that <HI>act</HI> come out, becau&s;e hone&s;t precious men (as well as the vile that did it voluntary,) were forced to take up Armes, pay Taxes, and bear Offices under the Rebels again&s;t the <HI>King;</HI> and they are afraid they &s;hall be called to an ac|count for it, which fear may cau&s;e them to joyn with the Sectaries and ri&s;e again&s;t <HI>Your Honours.</HI></P>
<P>Now the only way <HI>to take the precious from the vile,</HI> Jer. 15.19. And to prevent their ri&s;ing again&s;t Your <HI>Honours,</HI> is &s;peedily to make an <HI>act;</HI> that all which &s;hall take the Oathes of <HI>Al|legeance</HI> and <HI>Supremacy</HI> is pardoned for the&s;e crimes: <HI>Namely,</HI> taking up Armes, paying Taxes, bearing Offices for the Rebels again&s;t the <HI>King;</HI> and that all tho&s;e which were a&s;&s;i|&s;tants to bring <HI>His Maje&s;ty</HI> to <HI>His Throne,</HI> (be their <HI>Crimes</HI> nere &s;o great) is pardoned al&s;o, <HI>but expre&s;&s;e none by name;</HI> and that tho&s;e which will not take the &s;aid <HI>Oathes,</HI> to be declared Rebels, that &s;hall not enjoy the benefit of the <HI>Law</HI> to protect them.</P>
<P>And for you <HI>Quakers,</HI> which think it a &s;in to take the &s;aid <HI>Oathes,</HI> our <HI>Saviour, Mat.</HI> 5.34. forbids not &s;uch <HI>Oathes</HI> as are tendred by his <HI>Au|thority</HI> unto men for their own good; but he <HI>forbids</HI> all other <HI>Oathes</HI> commonly u&s;ed by <HI>&s;wearers</HI> upon &s;mall occa&s;ions, and in common<PB N="74" REF="39"> talk, and &s;o doth the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> Jam. 5.12. <HI>for God him&s;elf (upon great occa&s;ions) &s;wore many time to confirm his promi&s;e to his people,</HI> Heb. 6.16, 17. P&s;alm 110.4. and Ezek. 33.10, 11. <HI>As I live &s;aith the Lord God, I have no plea&s;ure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live,</HI> and the <HI>Angel &s;ware</HI> Rev. 10.5, 6. And our Saviour <HI>Him&s;elf</HI> upon great occa&s;ion to confirm the Truth, u&s;ed to &s;ay, <HI>Ve|rily verily I &s;ay unto you,</HI> the&s;e words of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> are no &s;mall <HI>engagement</HI> if not an <HI>Oath,</HI> as &s;ome affirm it to be an <HI>Oath;</HI> thus you &s;ee an Oath upon great occa&s;ion is not &s;in, <HI>for God him&s;elf doth it.</HI></P>
<P>Now the <HI>King</HI> will not puni&s;h you, nor <HI>for|bid</HI> your meetings for not taking the <HI>Oathes:</HI> if you take them not, it is nothing to him; you hurt your &s;elves by it: for be &s;ure <HI>Ma&s;ters of fa|milies</HI> will de&s;troy you, rather than you &s;hall meet to <HI>&s;educe</HI> their children and &s;ervants; and when you complain to the <HI>King</HI> he will not hear you, nor have any thing to do with you, you are none of his Subjects, any body may kill you, and take all from you, and not be que&s;tio|ned, you mu&s;t not have the benefit of the <HI>Law;</HI> if you were &s;trangers, then the <HI>King</HI> ought to de|fend you what&s;oever your Tenets were, &s;o that you did not wrong his people; but being Na|tives, and will not obey your <HI>King,</HI> your con|dition will be wor&s;e than the bea&s;ts of the field.</P>
<P>And now mo&s;t Royal <HI>Soveraign,</HI> I am come
<PB N="75" REF="39"> to Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> again; be&s;eeching Your <HI>Ma|je&s;ty</HI> to pardon my <HI>Rudene&s;s</HI> of &s;peech: for I have (as many more have) &s;o long conver&s;ed with Rebells, that I know not how to frame <HI>a loyall speech</HI> aright, though I endeavour to do it, and my further reque&s;t to Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> is, that you &s;tir up the gift of <HI>God</HI> that is in you, which was given You by <HI>Prophe&s;ie,</HI> 1 Tim. 4.14. 2 Tim. 1.6. <HI>Be &s;trong and of good courage,</HI> Jo&s;h. 1.5, 6, 7. <HI>and ob&s;erve the Lawes of</HI> England.</P>
<P>It is faid that when the Prophet <HI>Daniel</HI> &s;hew|ed <HI>King Cyrus</HI> what the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> had Prophe&s;ied of <HI>King Cyrus,</HI> about 200. yeares before he was born; that he &s;hould let the Captive <HI>Jewes</HI> go and build <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> and the <HI>Temple</HI> of the <HI>Lord,</HI> I&s;a. 44.28. I&s;a. 45. <HI>King Cyrus rejoyced, and immediately he made Pro|clamation, to &s;end the</HI> Jewes <HI>withall speed to do it accordingly,</HI> Ezra 1.1, 2, 3.</P>
<P><HI>Oh King,</HI> there are more <HI>Prophe&s;ies</HI> of Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> then can be held forth to You, and of thou&s;ands of yeares &s;tanding: <HI>King Cyrus</HI> was but a Type of Your <HI>Maje&s;ty,</HI> and now do you build our <HI>Jeru&s;alm,</HI> and build you the Hou&s;e of <HI>God</HI> at <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> and do you enquire what <HI>Bi|&s;hops</HI> remaine, and &s;end them to the work: <HI>The charge is upon Your Maje&s;ty,</HI> and <HI>King Cyrus</HI> under&s;tood it &s;o, as ye &s;ee <HI>Ezra</HI> 1.2, 3, 4. <HI>Let no Presbyt<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nian have a hand in building Gods Hou&s;e, and let them not hinder the building of it.
<PB N="76" REF="40"> Your</HI> Maje&s;ty may &s;ee them plainly &s;et out, <HI>Ezra</HI> 4.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. <HI>Let it be done up as it was, be|fore it was de&s;troyed:</HI> That is, as <HI>Bi&s;hop Laud,</HI> (by Your Royal <HI>Fathers</HI> command) ordered it, and as <HI>Bi&s;hop Wren,</HI> by the &s;ame command put it in practi&s;e; <HI>For the Hou&s;e of God which Your Royal Father and Bi&s;hop Laud hath &s;ealed with their bloud, may not be altered in form nor fa&s;hion.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Mo&s;t glorious Soveraign,</HI> Con&s;ider that hai|nous <HI>Crime</HI> of <HI>Harri&s;on,</HI> exceeds all the <HI>Secta|ries</HI> evil actions: For Your Royall <HI>Father,</HI> No|bles and Gentrie that &s;uffered, did not expect mercy from their enemies, becau&s;e they agree not with them; but at <HI>Bazing-hou&s;e</HI> the <HI>Cap|tain</HI> and <HI>Harri&s;on</HI> agreed upon <HI>quarter,</HI> and he delivered him&s;elf and all accordingly into <HI>Ha|ri&s;ons</HI> hands, now for <HI>Hari&s;on</HI> when he had di&s;|armed him <HI>blasphemou&s;ly</HI> to &s;ay the&s;e words, <HI>Jer.</HI> 48.10. <HI>Cur&s;ed be he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully,</HI> and with that killed the Captain, was &s;uch a work of the Devil, that the like was never heard of; for <HI>Harri&s;on,</HI> if he were not an ignorant Devil, might have under|&s;tood, that the work of the Lord is to keep his <HI>Word,</HI> and to &s;ave them <HI>that believe him,</HI> and that it is the work of the Devil to lie and de|&s;troy them <HI>that believe him,</HI> for &s;o did <HI>Harri&s;on</HI> de&s;troy that <HI>Captain,</HI> which <HI>Captains</HI> bloud cries to <HI>Your Maje&s;ty</HI> for ju&s;tice again&s;t him; therefore <HI>Your Maje&s;ty ought to make inqui&s;ition
<PB N="77" REF="40"> for &s;uch bloud, P&s;al.</HI> 9.12. and de&s;troy the mur|derers: Yet <HI>Harri&s;on</HI> glorieth in all his wic|kedne&s;s, and &s;hall he live?</P>
<P>Now for <HI>Your Maje&s;ties</HI> judging tho&s;e Secta|ries, I advi&s;e You to refer them to the former <HI>Laws</HI> made by <HI>Kings, Lords</HI> and <HI>Commons,</HI> and for u&s;ing (except for murder) Your Royal Pre|rogative as King <HI>David</HI> did, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 29.22. for matter of <HI>life</HI> as large as You plea&s;e, I &s;ay it is good; but as touching judgment in other things do not meddle, but let the Law both <HI>eccle&s;ia&s;ti|ical</HI> and <HI>civil</HI> decide the matter, and as King <HI>Jeho&s;haphat</HI> did, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 19. do You &s;end forth Judges, and charge them to do right in the pre&s;ence of <HI>God,</HI> for what is mercy to one may be cruelty to another; therefore <HI>let Justice de|cide it,</HI> and for tho&s;e that have been In&s;truments to re&s;tore Your <HI>Maje&s;ty</HI> and the Law, let all their former mi&s;demeanors be buried in oblivi|on, and they de&s;erve <HI>Your Maje&s;ties</HI> favour, a|mong whom I hope to have a portion of <HI>Your Maje&s;ties</HI> favour al&s;o.</P>
<P>Ble&s;&s;ed be God, <HI>Your Maje&s;ty</HI> is come to the Throne, yet <HI>Your Maje&s;ties</HI> poor friends, that &s;uffered for You and the Law, have little or no relief, but the rich enemies triumph and abound in pro&s;perity, having Yours and Your <HI>Maje|&s;ties</HI> Loyal Subjects E&s;tates in their hands as be|fore, which if it continue &s;o, doubtle&s;s they will &s;eek the preheminence again, to the endange|ring
<PB N="78" REF="41"> of Your <HI>Majesty</HI> and Your friends: Therefore it is nece&s;&s;ary for <HI>Your Maje&s;ties</HI> &s;afe|ty, that You and every one have their own again &s;peedily, as <HI>Pro.</HI> 29.14. <HI>Pro.</HI> 20.28. there was no <HI>pro</HI> and <HI>con</HI> u&s;ed with <HI>Solomon</HI> when he di&s;patch|ed his great enemies, and then the Kingdom was e&s;tabli&s;hed in his hand, 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 2.46.</P>
<P>And now to conclude, praying for <HI>Your Roy|al Maje&s;ty</HI> and the noble <HI>Dukes</HI> Your Brothers, with Saint <HI>Pauls</HI> words, &s;aying, <HI>For this cau&s;e I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Je&s;us Christ, of whom the whole Family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant You, accor|ding to the riches of his glory, to be &s;trengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man, that Chri&s;t may dwell in Your hearts by Faith, that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all Saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Chri&s;t which pa&s;seth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulne&s;s of God: Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abun|dantly above all that we can ask or think, accor|ding to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the Church by Chri&s;t Je&s;us, throughout all Ages world without end.</HI> Amen.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Maje&s;ties Loyal Subject, <HI>Ari&s;e Evans.</HI></SIGNED>
<DATELINE>From my Hou&s;e near the Kings Play-hou&s;e in <HI>Black-friers,</HI> <DATE><HI>Augu&s;t</HI> 20. 1660.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
