<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2013-09-15</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Amanda Flynn</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="A81007">
<STC T="W">C7169</STC>
<STC T="T">E813_13</STC>
<STC T="C">R3114</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99872279</BIBNO>
<VID>167951</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE Lord General CROMWEL's SPEECH Delivered in the Council-Chamber, Upon the 4 of July, 1653. To the per&s;ons then a&s;&s;embled, and intru&s;ted with the Supreme Au|thority of the Nation.</P>
<P>This is a true Copie: Publi&s;hed for Information, and to prevent Mi&s;takes.</P>
<P>Printed in the yeer 1654.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="speech">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>The Lord General CROMWELL His Speech, At the Councel-Chamber, <HI>July</HI> 4. 1653.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>GENTLEMEN,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_I Suppo&s;e the Summons that hath been in&s;trumental to bring you hither, gives you well to under|&s;tand the cau&s;e of your being here. Howbeit, having &s;ome things to impart, which is an In|&s;trument drawn up by the con|&s;ent and advice of the principal Officers of the Army, which is a little (as we con|ceive)
<PB N="2" REF="3">more &s;ignificant, then that other of Sum|mons: we have that here to tender you. And we have &s;omewhat likewi&s;e further to &s;ay to you, for our own exoneration; and we hope it may be &s;ome|what further to your &s;atisfaction. And therefore &s;eeing you &s;it here &s;omewhat unea&s;ie, by rea&s;on of the &s;cantne&s;s of the Room, and the heat of the Wea|ther, I &s;hall contract my &s;elf with re&s;pect to that.</P>
<P>I have not thought it ami&s;s, a little to mind you of that Series of providence, wherein the Lord hither|to hath di&s;pen&s;ed wonderful things to the&s;e Nations, from the beginning of our Troubles to this very day. If I &s;hould look much backward, we might remember the &s;tate of affairs as they were before the &s;hort, and that which was the la&s;t Parliament: in what a po&s;ture the things of this Nation &s;tood, doth &s;o well, I pre&s;ume, occur to all your memories and knowledges, that I &s;hall not need to look &s;o far back|ward, nor yet to the beginning of tho&s;e Ho&s;tile acti|ons that pa&s;t between the King that was, and the then-Parliament. And indeed, &s;hould I begin this labour, the things that would fall nece&s;&s;arily before you, would rather be fit for a Hi&s;tory, then for a Di&s;|cour&s;e, at this pre&s;ent.</P>
<P>But thus far we may look back: You very well know, after divers turnings of affairs, it plea&s;ed God, much about the mid&s;t of this War, to winnow, as I may &s;o &s;ay, the Forces of this Nation, and to put them into the hands of men of other Principles then tho&s;e that did engage at the fir&s;t. By what &s;trange providences that al&s;o was brought about, would ask more time then is allotted me, to remember you of. Indeed, there are Stories that do recite tho&s;e
<PB N="3" REF="3">tran&s;actions, and give Narratives of matter of fact: but tho&s;e things wherein the life and power of them lay, tho&s;e &s;trange windings and turnings of Provi|dence, tho&s;e very great appearances of God, in cro&s;|&s;ing and thwarting the de&s;ignes of men, that he might rai&s;e up a poor and a contemptible company of men, neither vers'd in Military affairs, nor having much natural propen&s;ity to them, even through the owning of a Principle of Godline&s;s, of Religion: which &s;o &s;oon as it came to be owned, the &s;tate of affairs put upon that foot of account, how God ble&s;t them, and all undertakings, by the ri&s;ing of that mo&s;t improbable, de&s;picable, contemptible means; for that we mu&s;t for ever own, you very well know.</P>
<P>What the &s;everal &s;ucce&s;&s;es have been, is not fit to mention at this time, neither; though I mu&s;t con|fe&s;s I thought to have enlarged my &s;elf upon this Subject, fora&s;much as the con&s;idering the works of God, and the operation of his hands, is a princi|pal part of our duty, and a great encouragement to the &s;trengthning of our hands, and of our faith for that which is behinde. And then having given us tho&s;e marvelous di&s;pen&s;ations, among&s;t other ends, for that was a mo&s;t principal end, as to us, in this revolution of affairs, and i&s;&s;ues of tho&s;e Succe&s;&s;es God was plea&s;ed to give this Nation, and the Au|thority that then &s;tood, were very great things brought about; be&s;ides tho&s;e dints that were upon tho&s;e Nations and places where they were carried on, even in the Civil affairs, to the bringing offen|ders to Ju&s;tice, even the greate&s;t; to the bringing the &s;tate of this Government to the name at lea&s;t of
<PB N="4" REF="4">a Commonwealth; to the &s;earching and &s;ifting of all Places and Per&s;ons; the King removed, and brought to ju&s;tice, and many great ones with him; the Hou&s;e of Peers laid a&s;ide; the Hou&s;e of Com|mons, the Repre&s;entative of the people of <HI>England,</HI> it &s;elf, winnowed, &s;ifted, and brought to a handful, as you may very well remember.</P>
<P>And truely God would not re&s;t there, (for, by the way, although it be fit for us to entitle our fail|ings and mi&s;carriages to our &s;elves, yet the glori|ou&s;ne&s;s of the work may well be attributed to God him&s;elf, and may be called <HI>his &s;trange Work.</HI>)</P>
<P>You may remember well, that at the change of the Government there was not an end of our Trou|bles, although that yeer were &s;uch things tran&s;act|ed, as indeed made it to be the mo&s;t memorable yeer (I mean, 1648.) that ever this Nation &s;aw; &s;o many In&s;urrections, Inva&s;ions, &s;ecret De&s;ignes, open and publike Attempts, qua&s;h'd in &s;o &s;hort a time, and this by the very &s;ignal appearances of God him&s;elf, I hope we &s;hall never forget.</P>
<P>You know al&s;o, (as I &s;aid before) that as the ef|fect of that memorable yeer 1648. was to lay the Foundation of bringing Delinquents to puni&s;h|ment; &s;o it was of the change of the Government: although it be true, if we had time to &s;peak, the carriages of &s;ome in tru&s;t, in mo&s;t eminent tru&s;t, was &s;uch, as would have fru&s;trated to us the hopes of all our Undertakings, had not God miracu|lou&s;ly prevented: I mean, by that Clo&s;ure that would have been endeavoured by the King, whereby we &s;hould have put into his hands all
<PB N="5" REF="4">that Cau&s;e and Intere&s;t we had oppo&s;ed, and had had nothing to have &s;ecured us, but a little piece of Paper.</P>
<P>But things going out, how it plea&s;ed the Lord to keep this Nation in exerci&s;e both at Sea and Land, and what God wrought in <HI>Ireland</HI> and <HI>Scotland,</HI> you likewi&s;e know, until the Lord had fini&s;ht all that trouble, upon the matter, by the marvelous &s;alvation wrought at <HI>Worce&s;ter.</HI></P>
<P>I confe&s;s to you, I am very much troubled in my &s;pirit, that the nece&s;&s;ity of affairs doth require that I &s;hould be &s;o &s;hort in the&s;e things, becau&s;e I told you before, This is the leane&s;t part of the tran&s;action, to wit, an Hi&s;torical Narration; there being in every Di&s;pen&s;ation, (whether the King's going from the Parliament, the pulling down the Bi&s;hops, purging the Hou&s;e at that time by their going away to a&s;&s;i&s;t the King, change of Government) whatever it was, not any of tho&s;e things, but hath a remarkable point of Providence &s;et upon it, that <HI>he that runs may read.</HI> Therefore I am heartily &s;orry, that in point of time I cannot be particular in tho&s;e things which I did principally de&s;igne this day, thereby to provoke and &s;tir up your hearts and mine to gratitude and confi|dence.</P>
<P>I &s;hall now begin a little to remember you the pa&s;&s;ages that have been tran&s;acted &s;ince <HI>Worce&s;ter</HI>-fight; whence coming with my fellow-Officers and Souldiers, we expected, and had &s;ome rea&s;onable confidence, that our expectations &s;hould not be fru|&s;trate, That the Authority that then was, having &s;uch a Hi&s;tory to look back unto, &s;uch a God that appeared for them &s;o eminently, &s;o vi&s;ibly, that even
<PB N="6" REF="5">our enemies many times confe&s;s'd that God him&s;elf was engaged again&s;t them, or they &s;hould never have been brought &s;o lowe, nor di&s;appointed in eve|ry undertaking: for that may be &s;aid (by the way) had we mi&s;carried but once, where had we been? I &s;ay, We did think, and had &s;ome rea&s;onable confi|dence, that coming up then, the mercies that God had &s;hewed, the expectations that were in the hearts of all good men, would have prompted tho&s;e that were in Authority to have done tho&s;e good things, which might by hone&s;t men have been judged a re|turn fit for &s;uch a God, and worthy of &s;uch mercies, and indeed, a di&s;charge of duty to tho&s;e, for whom all the&s;e mercies have been &s;hewed, that is, the Inte|re&s;t of the three Nations, The true Intere&s;t of the three Nations.</P>
<P>And if I &s;hould now labour to be particular in e|numerating &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;es that have been tran&s;act|ed from that time, till the di&s;&s;olution of the late Parliament, indeed I &s;hould be upon a Theme would be very trouble&s;ome to my &s;elf. For I mu&s;t &s;ay for my &s;elf and fellow-Officers, we have rather de&s;ired and &s;tudied healing, then to rake into &s;ores, and look backward, to render things in tho&s;e colours that would not be very well plea&s;ing to any good eye to look upon. Onely this we mu&s;t &s;ay, for our own exoneration, and as thereby laying &s;ome foun|dation for the making evident the nece&s;&s;ity and duty that was incumbent upon us, to make this la&s;t great Change, I think it will not be ami&s;s to offer a word or two in that, not taking plea&s;ure to rake into the bu&s;ine&s;s, were not there &s;ome kinde of nece&s;&s;ity &s;o to do.</P>
<PB N="7" REF="5">
<P>Indeed we may &s;ay, without commending our &s;elves, I mean my &s;elf and tho&s;e <HI>Gentlemen</HI> that have been engaged in the Military affairs, that upon our return we came, fully bent in our hearts &amp; thoughts, to de&s;ire and u&s;e all fair and lawfull means we could, to have had the Nation to reap the fruit of all that blood and trea&s;ure that had been expended, in this cau&s;e, and we have had many de&s;ires, and thir&s;tings, in our &s;pirits, to finde out wayes and means, where|in we might any wayes, be in&s;trumentall, to help it forward, and we were very tender, for a long time, &s;o much as to Petition, till <HI>Augu&s;t</HI> la&s;t, or thereabouts; we never offered to Petition, but &s;ome of our then Members, and others, having good acquaintance and relation to divers members of the Parliament; we did from time to time &s;ollicite, that which we thought (if there had been no body to prompt them, no body to call upon them) would have been li&s;ted too, out of ingenuity and integrity in them that had opportunity to have an&s;wered our expectations; and and truly when we &s;aw nothing would be done, we did as we thought according to our duty, reminde them by a Petition, which Petition, I &s;uppo&s;e the mo&s;t of you have &s;een which we delivered, either in <HI>July</HI> or <HI>Augu&s;t</HI> la&s;t, what effect that had is likewi&s;e very well known; the truth is, we had no return at all, that the &s;atisfaction for us, was but a few words given us, the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e petitioned for, mo&s;t of them, (we were told) were under con&s;ideration; And tho&s;e that were not, had very little or no con&s;idera|tion at all.</P>
<PB N="8" REF="6">
<P>Finding the people di&s;&s;atisfied, in every corner of the Nation, and bringing home to our doores the none performance of tho&s;e things, that had been promi&s;ed, and were of due to be performed, we did think our &s;elves concerned, we indeavoured as be|came hone&s;t men, to keep up the reputation of ho|ne&s;t men in the world; and therfore we had divers times, indeavoured to obtain a meeting, with divers Members of Parliament; and truly we did not be|gin this, till <HI>October</HI> la&s;t, and in tho&s;e meetings did in all faithfulne&s;&s;e and &s;incerity, be&s;eech them, that they would be mindfull of their duty to God and man; and of the di&s;charge of their tru&s;t to God and man: I believe the&s;e Gentlemen that are many of them here; can tell, that we had at the lea&s;t ten or twelve meetings, mo&s;t humbly begging and be&s;eeching them, that of their own accords, they would do tho&s;e good things, that had been promi&s;ed, that &s;o it might appear, they did not do them, by any &s;ugge&s;tion from the Army, but of their own ingenuity, &s;o tender were we to pre&s;erve them in the reputation and o|pinion of the people, to the uttermo&s;t. And having had, many of tho&s;e meetings and declaring, plainly that the i&s;&s;ue, would be the judgment &amp; di&s;plea&s;ure of God again&s;t them; the di&s;&s;atisfaction of the Peo|ple, and the putting things into a confu&s;ion: Yet how little we did prevaile, we well know, and we be|lieve is not unknown to you; at the la&s;t when we &s;aw indeed that things would not be laid to heart, we had a &s;erious con&s;ideration among&s;t our &s;elves,
<PB N="9" REF="6">what other way to have recour&s;e unto; And when indeed we came to tho&s;e clo&s;e con&s;iderations, they began to take the Act of the new Repre&s;entative to heart, and &s;eemed exceeding willing to put it on, the which, had it been done, or would it have been done, with that integrity, with that caution, that would have &s;aved, this Cau&s;e and the Intere&s;t, we have been &s;o long ingaged in; there could nothing have hap|pened to our judgments, more welcome then that would have bin; but finding plainly, that the intend|ment of it was not to give the people that Right of Choi&s;e, althought it had been, but a&s;eding right ei|ther the &s;eeming, to give the people that Choice in|tended and de&s;igned, to recrute the Hou&s;e, the bet|ter to perpetuat them&s;elves: And truly having di|vers of us, &s;poken to, to that end that we &s;hould give way to it, a thing, to which we had a perpe|tuall aver&s;ation; which we did abominate the thoughts of, we alwayes declared our judgements again&s;t it, and our di&s;&s;atisfaction; but yet they would not hear of a Repre&s;entative, before it lay three years before them, without proceeding with one line con&s;iderably in it; they that could not endure to hear of it, then, when we came to our clo&s;e con&s;i|derations, then in&s;tead of protracting, they did make as much prepo&s;terous ha&s;t, of the other hand, and ran into that extremity, and finding that this &s;pirit, was not accoridng to God, and that the whol weight of this Cau&s;e, which mu&s;t needs have been very dear unto us, who have &s;o often adventured our lives for
<PB N="10" REF="7">it; and we believe is &s;o to you, when we &s;aw plainly that there was not &s;o much con&s;ideration how to a&s;&s;ert it, or to provide &s;ecurity for it; and indeed to cro&s;&s;e the&s;e, that they reckoned the mo&s;t trouble&s;ome people they had to deal with, which was the Army, which by this time was &s;ufficiently their di&s;plea&s;ure: when we &s;aw this, truly, that had power in our hands to let the bu&s;ines go to &s;uch an i&s;&s;ue as this, was to throw back the cau&s;e into the hands of them we fir&s;t fought with, we came to this fir&s;t conclu&s;ion among&s;t our &s;elves, that if we had bin fought out of it, nece&s;&s;ity would have taught us pa|tience, but to be taken from us &s;o unworthily, we &s;hould be rendered the wor&s;t people in the world, and we &s;hould become traytors both to God and man: and when God had laid this to our hearts, and that we found the intere&s;t of his people was grown cheap, and not laid to heart and if we came to com|petition of things, the cau&s;e even among them&s;elves, would even almo&s;t in every thing go to the ground, this did adde more con&s;ideration to us, that there was a duty incumbent upon us, and truly I &s;peak it in the pre&s;ence of &s;ome that are here, that were at the clo&s;e con&s;ultations (I may &s;ay) as before the Lord, the thinking of an act of violence was to us wor&s;e than any Engagement that ever we were in yet; and wor&s;e to us than the utmo&s;t hazard of our lives, that could be, &s;o unwilling were we, &s;o tender were we, &s;o de&s;irous were we, if it were po&s;&s;ible, that the&s;e men might
<PB N="11" REF="7">have quit their places with honur: And truly, this I am the longer upon, becau&s;e it hath been in our hearts and con&s;ciences, our Ju&s;tification, and hath never yet been imparted thorow to the Na|tion, and we had rather begin with you to do it, than to have done it before, and do think in|deed, that the&s;e tran&s;actions be more proper for a verball communication, than to have put it into writing; I doubt who&s;oever had put it on, would have been tempted to have dipt his pen, in an|ger and wrath, but affairs being at this po&s;ture, that we &s;aw plainly and evidently in &s;ome Criti|call things, that the Cau&s;e of the people of God was a de&s;pi&s;ed thing, truly then we did believe that the hands of other men, mu&s;t be the hands that mu&s;t be tru&s;ted with it, and then we thought high time for us, to look about us, and to be &s;en&s;ible of our duty. If I &s;hould take up your time, to tell you, what in&s;tances we have to &s;a|tis&s;ie our Judgements and Con&s;ciences, that the&s;e were mo&s;t vain imaginations, and things that were petitioned for, but that fell within the com|pa&s;&s;e of our certain knowledge, and &s;ence; &s;hould I repeat the&s;e things to you. I &s;hould do that which I would avoid, to rake into the&s;e things too much; onely this, if any body were in com|petition, for any place of reall and finall Tru&s;t, how hard and difficult a thing it were to get a|ny
<PB N="12" REF="8">thing to be carried, without making parties; without things indeed, unworthy of a Parliament. And when things mu&s;t be carried &s;o in a Supream Authority; indeed I think, it is not as it ought to be: but when it came to other Trialls, in that Ca&s;e of <HI>Wales,</HI> which I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, for my own part, I &s;et my &s;elf upon, if I &s;hould inform what di&s;countenance that bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of the poore people of God, there had, who had watchings over them, men like &s;o many wolves, ready to catch the Lamb, a&s;&s;oon as it was brought out into the world: how &s;ignally they threw that bu&s;ine&s;&s;e under foot, to the di&s;countenancing of the hone&s;t people there; and to the countenancing of the malignant party of this Common-wealth. I need but &s;ay, it was &s;o; many have felt by &s;ad expe|rience it was &s;o: who will better impart that bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e to you? which for my &s;elf and fellow offi|cers, I think it was as perfect triall of their &s;pi|rits, as any thing, it being known to many of us, that God kindles a &s;eed there, indeed hardly to be paralel'd &s;ince the Primitive times, I would this had been all the in&s;tances; but finding which way their &s;pirits went, and finding that good was never intended to the people of God, (I mean when I &s;ay &s;o) that large comprehen|&s;ion of them, under the &s;everall forms of god|line&s;&s;e in this Nation; when I &s;aw that ten|derne&s;&s;e was forgotten, to them all (though it was
<PB N="13" REF="8">very true, that by their hands and means, through the ble&s;&s;ing of God, they &s;ate where they did) and affrayes, not to &s;peak it boa&s;tingly, had been in&s;tru|mentally brought to that i&s;&s;ue they were brought to by the hands of tho&s;e poore creatures, we thought this an evil requitall, I will not &s;ay they were at the uttermo&s;t pitch of Reformation, although I could &s;ay, that one thing, the regulation of the Law &s;o much groaned under in that po&s;ture it now is in; there was many words &s;poken for it, we know many moneths together, was not time enough, to pa&s;&s;e o|ver one word called Incumbrances: I &s;ay, finding that this was the &s;pirit and complexion of them, that though the&s;e were faults, for which no man &s;hould have dared to lift his hand, &s;imply for their faults, and failings, when yet we &s;aw their Intendment was to perpetuate them&s;elves, and men of this &s;pirit for &s;ome had it from their own mouths, from their own de&s;igns, who could not endure to hear of being di&s;|&s;olved, this was an high breach of Tru&s;t, if they had bin a Parliament, never violated, &s;itting as free, and as clear as ever any &s;at in <HI>England;</HI> yet if they would go about to perpetuate them&s;elves, we did think this to be &s;o high a breach of Tru&s;t, as greater could not be; and we did not go by gue&s;&s;e in this, and to be out of doubt in it, we did, (having that conference among our &s;elves, whereof we gave accompt) we did de&s;ire once more the night before the di&s;&s;olution, and it had been in our de&s;ires, &s;ome two or three dayes be|fore, that we might &s;peak with &s;ome of the principal per&s;ons of the Hou&s;e, that we might with enuity o|pen
<PB N="14" REF="9">our hears to them, to the end we might be either convinced of the ground of their principles, and in|tentions, to the good of the Nation; or if we could not be convinced, they would heare our offer, or ex|pedient to prevent this mi&s;cheif; and indeed we could not prevail for two or three dayes, till the night before the di&s;&s;olution; there is a touch of this in that our Declaration; we had often de&s;ired it, at that time, we attained; there were above twenty of them who were members not of the lea&s;t con&s;iderati|on, for intere&s;t and ability, with whom we de&s;ired to di&s;cour&s;e tho&s;e things, &amp; had di&s;cour&s;e with them; &amp; it plea&s;ed the Gentlemen Officers of the Army to de|&s;ire me to offer their &s;ence to them, and indeed it was &s;hortly carried thus, we told them, that the rea|&s;on of our de&s;ire to wait upon them, was that we might know from them what &s;ecurity, lay in the way of their proceedings, &s;o ha&s;tily with their Repre&s;en|tative, wherein they had made a few qualifications (&s;uch as they were) and how the whole bu&s;ine&s;&s;e &s;hould be executed, we have no accompt of, and we de&s;ired them they would be plea&s;ed, and we thought we had an intere&s;t in our lives, e&s;tates, and families, as well as the wor&s;t people of the Nation, and that we might be bold, to ask &s;atisfaction in that; and if they did proceed in hone&s;t wayes, as might be &s;afe to the Nation, we might acquie&s;&s;e therein: when we pre&s;t them to give &s;atisfaction in this, the an&s;wer was made, that nothing could be good to the Nation, but the continuance of this Parliament, we wondred that we &s;hould have &s;uch a return, we &s;aid little to that.</P>
<PB N="15" REF="9">
<P>But &s;eeing they would not give us that which might &s;atisfie us, that their way was hone&s;t, and &s;afe, they would give us leave to make our Objections; We did tell them, that wee thought that way they were going in would bee impracticable, we could not tell them how it would bee brought to pa&s;&s;e, to &s;end out an Act of Parliament into the Country, to have qualifications in an Act to be the Rules of Electors, and Elected, and not to know who &s;hould execute this; De&s;ired to know whether the next Parliament were not like to con&s;i&s;t of all <HI>Presbyters?</HI> Whether tho&s;e Qualifications would hinder them? or Newters? and though it bee our de&s;ire to value and e|&s;teem of that Judgement, only they having been as wee know, having de&s;erted this cau&s;e and Intere&s;t, upon the Kings account, and upon that clo&s;ure between them and the Neighbour Nation, wee do think wee mu&s;t profe&s;&s;e wee had as good have delivered up our Cau&s;e into the hands of any as into the hands of intere&s;&s;ed and bya&s;&s;ed men, for it is one thing to live friendly and brotherly, to bear with, and love a per&s;on of another judgement in Religion, another thing to have any &s;o far &s;et into the &s;addle upon that account, as that it &s;hould bee in them, to have all the re&s;t of their Brethren at mercy; Having had this di&s;cour&s;e, making the&s;e Objections, of bringing in Neuters, or &s;uch as &s;hould impo&s;e upon their Brethren, or &s;uch as had given te&s;timony to the Kings party, and objecting to the danger of it, in drawing the concour&s;e of all people, to arraign every individuall per&s;on, which indeed did fall obviou&s;ly in, and the i&s;&s;ue would certain|ly have been, the putting it into the hands of men that had little affection to this cau&s;e. The an&s;wer again was made, and it was confe&s;&s;ed by &s;ome, that the&s;e objecti|ons did lye; But an&s;wer was made by a very eminent per&s;on, at the &s;ame time as before, that nothing would
<PB N="16" REF="10">&s;ave the Nation, but the continuance of this Parliament, this being &s;o, we humbly propo&s;ed an expedient of ours, which was indeed, to de&s;ire that the Government being in that condition it was, and things being under &s;o much ill &s;en&s;e abroad, and &s;o likely to come to confu&s;ion in every re&s;pect, if it went on, &s;o wee de&s;ired they would devolve the tru&s;t over to per&s;ons of honor and integrity, that were well known, men well-affected to Religion, and the Intere&s;t of the Nation, which we told them, and was confe&s;&s;ed, had been no new thing when the&s;e Nations had been under the like hurly burly and di&s;tractions, and it was confe&s;&s;ed by them, it had been no new thing; we had been at labour to get pre&s;idents to convince them of it, and we told them the&s;e things we offered out of that deep &s;en&s;e we had of the good of the Nations, and the Cau&s;e of Chri&s;t; And being an&s;wered to that, nothing would &s;ave the Nation but the continuance of that Par|liament (although they would not &s;ay they would per|petuate it) at that time lea&s;t of all.</P>
<P>But finding their indeavours did directly tend to it, they gave us this An&s;wer, that the things wee had of|fered were of a tender and very weighty con&s;ideration; they did make objections how wee &s;hould rai&s;e mony, and &s;ome other objections; we told them, that that wee offered as an expedient, becau&s;e wee thought better, then that for which no rea&s;on was, or thought would be given; wee de&s;ired them, to lay the thing &s;eriou&s;ly to heart, they told us, they would take con&s;ideration of the&s;e things till the morning, that they would &s;leep upon them, and I think that there was &s;carce any day, that there &s;at above 50 or 52 or 53. At the parting two or three of the chief ones, the very chiefe&s;t of them, did tell us, that they would indeavour the &s;u&s;pending the proceedings of the Repre&s;entative, the next day, till they
<PB REF="10">had a further conference, and we did acquie&s;ce, and had hope if our expedient would take up a loving debate, the next day wee &s;hould have &s;ome &s;uch i&s;&s;ue of our debate, as would have given a &s;atisfaction to all; they went a|way late at night, and the next morning wee con&s;idering how to order that which wee had to offer to them, when they were to meet in the Evening, word was brought they were proceeding with a Repre&s;entative, with all the eagerne&s;&s;e they could; wee did not beleeve per&s;ons of &s;uch quality could doe it; a &s;econd and a third Me&s;&s;enger told us, they had almo&s;t fini&s;hed it, and had brought it to that i&s;&s;ue with that ha&s;t that had never been before, leav|ing out the things that did nece&s;&s;arily relate to due qua|lifications, as wee have heard &s;ince, re&s;olved to make it a paper Bill, not to ingro&s;&s;e it, that they might make the quicker di&s;patch of it, thus to have thrown all the liber|ties of the Nation into the hands that never bled for it; upon this Account, wee thought it our duty not to &s;uf|fer it, and upon this the Hou&s;e was di&s;&s;olved.</P>
<P>This wee tell you, that you may &s;o know, that what hath been done in the di&s;&s;olution of this Parliament, was as nece&s;&s;ary to be done, as the pre&s;ervation of this cau&s;e; and that nece&s;&s;ity that led us to doe that, hath brought us to this i&s;&s;ue, of exerci&s;ing an extraordinary way, and cour&s;e, to draw your &s;elves together upon this accompt, that you are men who know the Lord, and have made ob&s;ervations of his marvellous di&s;pen&s;ations, and may be tru&s;ted with this cau&s;e. It remains, for I &s;hall not ac|quaint you further with that that relates to your taking upon you this great bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, that being contained in this paper, in my hand, which I doe offer pre&s;ent|ly to you, to read, having done that which wee thought to have done upon this ground of nece&s;&s;ity, which we know was not feigned nece&s;&s;ity but real, and true, to the end the Government might not bee at a lo&s;&s;e, to the
<PB N="18" REF="11">end wee might manife&s;t to the world the &s;inglene&s;&s;e of our hearts, and integrity, who did tho&s;e things not to gra&s;p after the power our &s;elves to keep it in a military hand, no not for a day, as far as God enables us with &s;trength and ability, to put it into the hands that might be called from &s;everall parts of the Nation; this nece&s;&s;ity I &s;ay, and we hope may &s;ay, for our &s;elves, this integrity of laboring to dive&s;t the Sword of the power and authority in the civill admini&s;tration of it, hath been that that hath moved us, to conclude of this cour&s;e, and having done that, wee think we cannot with the di&s;charge of our con&s;ciences but offer &s;omewhat un|to you, as I &s;aid before, for our own exoneration, it hav|ing been the practice of others who have voluntarily and out of &s;en&s;e of duty dive&s;ted them&s;elves, and divolved the Government into the hands of others, it having been the practice, where &s;uch things have been done, and very con&s;onant to rea&s;on, together with the autho|rity, to lay a charge, in &s;uch a way, as wee hope wee do, and to pre&s;&s;e to the duty, which wee have a word or two to offer to you. Truly God hath called you to this work, by (I think) as wonderfull providences as ever pa&s;t upon the &s;ons of men in &s;o &s;hort a time, and truly I think, tak|ing the arguments of nece&s;&s;ity, for the Government mu&s;t not fall, take the appearances of the will of God in this thing, I am &s;ure you would have been loath it &s;hould have been re&s;igned into the hands of wicked men, and enemies; I am &s;ure, God would not have it &s;o, it comes therefore to you by way of nece&s;&s;ity, it comes to you by the way of the wi&s;e Providence of God, though through weak hands, and therefore I think, it coming through our hands, though &s;uch as wee are, it may not be taken ill, if wee offer to you &s;ome thing as to the di&s;|charge of that tru&s;t which is incumbent upon you; and al|though
<PB N="19" REF="11">I &s;eem to &s;peak that which may have the face of a charge, it is a very humble one, and he that means to be a &s;ervant to you, who are called to the exerci&s;e of the &s;upreme authority, to di&s;charge that, which he conceives is his duty, in his own &amp; his fellows names, to you I hope who will take it in good part, and truly I &s;hall not hold you long in that, becau&s;e I hope it is writen in your hearts, to approve your &s;elves to God only, this Scripture I &s;hall remember to you, which hath been much upon my &s;pi|rit, <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> 11 and 12 <HI>ver&s;e, Yet Judah ruleth with God, and is faithfull among the Saints,</HI> it is &s;aid before, <HI>Ephra|im did compa&s;&s;e God about with lies, and I&s;rael with deceit,</HI> how God hath been compa&s;&s;ed about with fa&s;tings, and Thank&s;-givings, and other exerci&s;es, and tran&s;actions, I think wee have all to lament; why truly you are called by God, to rule with him, and for him, and you are cal|led to be faithfull, with the Saints, who have been &s;ome|what in&s;trumentall to your call, he that ruleth over men (the Scripture &s;aith) hee mu&s;t bee ju&s;t, ruling in the fear of God.</P>
<P>And truly it is better to pray for you than to coun&s;ell you in that, that you may exerci&s;e the judgment of mercy, and truth; I &s;ay it is better for you to do it, than to advi&s;e you to aske wi&s;dome from heaven for you, which I am confident many thou&s;ands of Saints do this day, and have done, and will do, through the permi&s;&s;ion of God and his a&s;&s;i&s;tance, to advi&s;e you; onely truly I thought of a Scrip|ture likewi&s;e that &s;eems to be but a Scripture of common application to every man as a Chri&s;tian, wherein he is coun&s;elled to ask wi&s;dome, And he is told what is that Wi&s;dome that is from above, it is pure, peaceable, gentle, Ea&s;y to be intreated, full of good fruits, without partiali|ty, without hypocri&s;y; and my thoughts ran thus upon this, that the executing of the judgment of truth, for that
<PB N="20" REF="12">is the judgement that you mu&s;t have Wi&s;dom from above for, and that is pure, that will teach you to execute the judgement of truth, and then if God give you hearts to bee ea&s;ie to bee intreated, to bee peaceable &s;pirits, to bee full of good fruits, bearing good fruits to the Nati|on, to men as men, to the people of God, to all in their &s;everal &s;tations, this wi&s;dom wil teach you to execute the judgement of Mercy and Truth; and I have little more to &s;ay to this, I &s;hall rather bend my prayers for you in that behalf (as I &s;aid before) and I know many others do al&s;o. Truly the judgement of Truth will teach you to bee as ju&s;t towards an Unbeleever as towards a Beleever; and it is our duty to do &s;o. I confe&s;&s;e I have often &s;aid it fooli&s;hly, if I would mi&s;carry, I would rather do it to a Beleever than to an Unbeleever, perhaps it is a Paradox; but let us take heed of doing it to either, exerci&s;ing inju|&s;tice to either; if God fill our hearts with &s;uch a &s;pirit as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Paul</HI> had, which was not only a &s;pirit for the Beleevers among the people of God, but for the whole people, hee would have dyed for them, and &s;o <HI>Paul</HI> to his Countrymen according to the fle&s;h, he could have dyed for them, truly this wil help us to execute the judgement of Truth and Mercy al&s;o.</P>
<P>A &s;econd thing is, to de&s;ire you would bee faithfull with the Saints, and I hope, whatever others may think, ought to bee to us all matter of rejoycing, that as one per&s;on our Saviour was touched with our infirmities, that hee might bee pittifull, I do think this A&s;&s;embly thus called, is very much touched with the common infirmi|ty of the Saints, and I hope that will teach you to pitty others, that &s;o Saints of one &s;ort may not bee our inte|re&s;t, but that wee may have re&s;pect unto all, though of different judgements; And if I did &s;eem to &s;peak any thing that might &s;eem to reflect upon tho&s;e of the <HI>Pre&s;|byterian
<PB N="21" REF="12">Judgement,</HI> I think, if you have not an intere&s;t of love for them, will hardly an&s;wer this faithfulne&s;&s;e to his Saints; I confe&s;&s;e, in my pilgrimage, and &s;ome exer|ci&s;es I have had abroad, I did read that Scripture often in <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 41. &amp; 19. When God gave me and &s;ome of my fellows, what hee would there and el&s;ewhere, which hee performed for us, and what would hee do? to what end? <HI>That hee might plant in the Wilderne&s;&s;e the Cedar, and the Shitta tree, and the Mirtle tree and the Palme tree together.</HI> To what end? <HI>That they might know, and con&s;ider, and un|der&s;tand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this;</HI> And that the Lord hath created it, that hee wrought all &s;alvation and deliverance, which hee hath wrought, for the good of the whole flock; therefore I be&s;eech you (but I think I need not) have a care of the whole flock, love all the Sheep, love the Lambs, love all, and tender all, and cheri&s;h all, and countenance all, in all things that are good; And if the poore&s;t Chri&s;tian, the mo&s;t mi&s;taken Chri&s;tian, &s;hould de&s;ire to live peaceably and quietly un|der you, &s;oberly and humbly de&s;ire to lead a life in god|line&s;&s;e and hone&s;ty, let him bee protected.</P>
<P>I think I need as little advi&s;e you concerning the propa|gation of the Go&s;pell, and incouraging &s;uch Mini&s;ters, and &s;uch a Mini&s;try, as be faithfull in the Land, upon whom the true character is, Men that have truly receiv|ed the &s;pirit for &s;uch a u&s;e, which Chri&s;tians will be well able to di&s;cern, and doe, men that have received Gifts from him that a&s;cended on high, and led Captivity Cap|tive, for the work before mentioned and truly the A|po&s;tle <HI>Romans</HI> 12 when hee had &s;ummoned up all the Mercies of God, and the goodne&s;s of God, and hath di&s;|cour&s;ed of the foundations of the Go&s;pell, and of the &s;e|verall things that are the &s;ubject of his di&s;cour&s;e, in the 11 fir&s;t Chapters, after he hath be&s;ought them to offer
<PB N="22" REF="13">up their Soules and Bodies a living &s;acrifice to God, hee be&s;eecheth not to e&s;teem more highly of them&s;elves than they ought, but that they would be humble and &s;ober minded, and not &s;tretch them&s;elves beyond their Line, but they would have a care to tho&s;e that had received Gifts to the&s;e u&s;es there mentioned. I &s;peak not, it is farre from my heart, for a Mini&s;try deriving it &s;elf through the Papacy, and pretending to that which is &s;o much in&s;i&s;ted upon to be &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, the true &s;ucce&s;&s;i|on is through the Spirit, given in that mea&s;ure that the Spirit is given, and that is a right &s;ucce&s;&s;ion; but I need not di&s;cour&s;e of the&s;e things to you, I am per&s;waded you are taught of God, in a greater mea&s;ure than my &s;elf in the&s;e things; indeed I have but one word more to &s;ay, and that is, though in that perhaps I &s;hall &s;hew my weakne&s;&s;e, it is by way of incouragement to you, to goe on in this work.</P>
<P>And give mee leave to begin thus, I confe&s;s I never looked to &s;ee &s;uch a day as this, it may be nor you, when Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hall be owned as hee is this day, and in this world, Je&s;us Chri&s;t is owned this day by you all, and you own him by your willingne&s;&s;e in appearing here, and you manife&s;t this (as farre as poor creatures can) to be a day of the power of Chri&s;t by your willingne&s;&s;e, I know you remember that Scripture in <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 110.3. <HI>The people &s;hall be willing in the day of thy Power;</HI> God doth manife&s;t it to be a day of the Power of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Having through &s;o much blood and &s;o much trialls as have been upon the&s;e Nations, made this to bee one of the great i&s;&s;ues thereof, to have a people called to the Supreme Authority upon an avowed Account, God hath owned his Son by this, and you by your Willing|ne&s;&s;e doe own Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and therefore for my part I confe&s;&s;e I did never look to &s;ee &s;uch a &s;ight, perhaps you
<PB N="23" REF="13">are not known by face one to another; but wee mu&s;t tell you this, that indeed wee have not allowed our &s;elves in the choyce of one per&s;on, in whom wee had not this good hope, that there was Faith in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and love unto all his Saints and people: And thus God hath own|ed you in the face and eyes of the world, and thus by your coming hither have you owned him, as it is in <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 43.21. It is an high expre&s;&s;ion, and look to your own hearts, whether now or hereafter God &s;hall apply it to you: <HI>This people</HI> (&s;aith hee) <HI>I have formed for my &s;elf, that they might &s;hew forth my prai&s;e.</HI> It is a memorable place, &amp; I hope not unfitly applyed, God apply it to each of your hearts. I &s;hall not de&s;cant upon the words, they are plain, you are as like the forming of God as ever people were, if any man &s;hould ask you one by one, and &s;hould tender a Book to you, you would dare to &s;wear, that neither directly nor indirectly did you &s;eek to come hither; you have been pa&s;&s;ive in comming hither, in being called hi|ther, and that is an active word, <HI>This People I have for|med,</HI> Con&s;ider the circum&s;tances, by which you are called together, through what difficulties, through what &s;tri|vings, through what blood you are come hither; Nei|ther you nor I, nor no man living, three months ago, had a thought to have &s;een &s;uch a company, taking upon them, or rather being called to the &s;upream authority, and therfore know your are called.</P>
<P>Indeed I think, as it may be truly &s;aid, that never was a &s;upream authority, con&s;i&s;ting of &s;o numerous a Body as you are, which I beleeve are above 140, were even in the &s;upream authority, under &s;uch a Nation, in &s;uch a way of owning of God, and being owned by him, and therefore I &s;ay al&s;o, never a people formed for &s;uch a purpo&s;e (&s;o called) if it were time to compare your &s;tanding with tho&s;e that have been called by the &s;uffrages
<PB N="24" REF="14">of the people, who can tel how &s;oon God may fit the People for &s;uch a thing, and who would de&s;ire any thing more in the world, but that it might bee &s;o? I would all the Lords people were prophets, I would they were fit to be called, and fit to call, and it is the longing of our hearts to &s;ee them once own the intere&s;t of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and give me leave to &s;ay, if I know any thing in the world, what is there like to win the people to the Inte|re&s;t and love of God? nay, what a duty will lye upon you to have your conver&s;ation &s;uch, as that they may love you, that they may &s;ee you lay out your time and &s;pirits for them? Is not this the mo&s;t likely way to bring them to their Liberties? and do you not by this put it upon God to find the time and the &s;ea&s;on for it? by powring forth his Spirit, at lea&s;t by convincing them, that as men fearing God have &s;ought them out of their thraldome, and bondage, under the Legall power, &s;o men fearing God rule them in the fear of God, and take care to admi|ni&s;ter good unto them; but this is &s;ome digre&s;&s;ion. (I &s;ay) own your call, for indeed it is marvellous, and it is of God, and it hath been unprojected, unthought of by you and us, and that hath been the way God hath dealt with us all along, to keep things from our eyes, that what wee have acted, wee have &s;een nothing before us, which al&s;o is a witne&s;&s;e in &s;ome mea&s;ure to our integri|ty; (I &s;ay) you are Called with a high Call, and why &s;hould wee bee afraid to &s;ay, or think, that this way may bee the door to u&s;her in things that God hath promi&s;ed and prophe&s;ied of, and to &s;et the hearts of his people to wait for, and expect? Wee know who they are that &s;hall war with the Lamb again&s;t his Enemies, They &s;hall be a people, called, cho&s;en and faithfull, and hath in the Military way (wee mu&s;t &s;peak it without flattery) I be|leeve you know it, hee hath acted with them, and for
<PB N="25" REF="14">them, and now in the Civil power and Authority, and the&s;e are not ill Progno&s;tications for that good we wait for; indeed, I do think &s;omething is at the door, we are at the thre&s;hold, and therefore it becomes us to lift up our heads, and to encourage our &s;elves in the Lord, and we have &s;ome of us thought it our duty to endeavour this way, not vainly looking on that Prophecy in <HI>Daniel, And the Kingdom &s;hall not be delivered to another people.</HI> Truly God hath brought it into your hands, by his owning, and ble&s;&s;ing, and calling out a Military Power, God hath per&s;waded their hearts to be in&s;trumental in calling you, and this hath been &s;et upon our hearts, and upon all the faithful in the Land, it may be that it is not our duty to deliver it over to any other people, and that Scripture may be ful|filling now to us, but I may be beyond my line.</P>
<P>But I thank God I have my hopes exerci&s;ed in the&s;e things, and &s;o I am per&s;waded are yours; truly &s;eeing that the&s;e things are &s;o, that you are at the edge of the Promi&s;es and Prophecies, at lea&s;t if there were neither Promi&s;e for this nor Prophecy, your coveting the be&s;t things, endeavouring after the be&s;t things, and as I have &s;aid el&s;ewhere, if I were to chu&s;e the meane&s;t Officer in the Army, or Common-wealth, I would chu&s;e a godly Man that hath Principles, e&s;pecially where tru&s;t is to be committed, becau&s;e I know where to have a man that hath Principles; I beleeve if any man of you &s;hould chu&s;e a Servant, you would do &s;o, and I would all our Magi&s;trates were &s;o cho&s;en, that may be &s;ome effects of this; it is our duty to chu&s;e men that fear the Lord, to prai&s;e the Lord, yea &s;uch as the Lord forms for him&s;elf, andhe expects not prai&s;es from others; this being &s;o, it puts me in minde of another Scripture, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 68. which indeed is a glorious Prophecy, and I am per&s;waded of the Go&s;pel, or it may be of the <HI>Jews;</HI> al&s;o there it is Prophe&s;ied, <HI>He will bring his people again out of the depths of the Sea, as once he led</HI> I&s;rael <HI>through the red Sea;</HI> and it may be &s;ome do think God is bring|ing the <HI>Jews</HI> home to their &s;tation from the I&s;les of the Sea, &s;urely when God &s;ets up the glory of the Go&s;pel-Church, it &s;hall be gather|ing people out of deep waters, out of the multitude of waters; &s;uch are his people, drawn out of the multitudes of the Nations, and people of the world. And that P&s;alm will be very glorious in many other parts of it, <HI>When he gave the word, great was the company, of them that publi&s;hed it; Kings of the Armies did fly apace,
<PB N="26" REF="15">and &s;he that tarried at home divided the &s;poyl, and although ye have lain among the Pots, yet &s;hall ye be as the wings of a Dove covered with &s;ilver, and her feathers with yellow gold.</HI> And in|deed the triumph of that P&s;alm is exceeding high and great, and God is accompl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;hing it; and the cloze of it, that clo&s;eth with my heart and I am per&s;waded will with yours al&s;o; That <HI>God &s;hakes Hills and Mountains, and they reel,</HI> and God hath a Hill too, <HI>and his hill is as the hill of</HI> Ba&s;han, <HI>and the Chariots of God are twenty thou&s;and of Angels, and God will dwell upon this hill for ever.</HI> Truly I am &s;orry that I have troubled you, in &s;uch a place of heat as this is, &s;o long; all that I have to &s;ay in mine own name, and in the names of my Fellow Officers (who have joyned with me in this Work) That we &s;hall commend you to the Grace of God, and to the guidance of his Spirit, having thus farre &s;erved you (or ra|ther our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t in it) we are, as we hope, and &s;hall be, ready in our &s;tations, according as the Providence of God &s;hall lead us, to be &s;ub&s;ervient to the Work of God, and the Authority (which we reckon) God hath &s;et over us. And although we have no For|mal thing to pre&s;ent you with, to which the hands and outward vi|&s;ible expre&s;&s;ions of the hearts of the Officers of the three Nations are &s;et, yet we may &s;ay for them, and we may &s;ay al&s;o with confidence for our Brethren at Sea, with whom neither in <HI>Scotland,</HI> nor <HI>Ire|land,</HI> nor at Sea hath any Artifice been u&s;ed to per&s;wade their Ap|probations to this work; yet we can &s;ay, That their con&s;ent and af|fections hath flowed in to us from all parts beyond our expectations, and we are confident we may &s;ay with all confidence, That we have had their approbations, and full con&s;ent, un&s;ought indeed to the o|ther work, &s;o that you have their hearts and affections in this; and not only they, but we have very many Papers from the Chur|ches of God, throughout the Nation, wonderfully both approving what hath been done in removing Ob&s;tacles, and approving what we have done in this very thing. And having &s;aid this I &s;hall trouble you no more, but if you will be plea&s;ed that this In&s;trument may be read, which I have Signed by the advice of the Councel of Offi|cers, we &s;hall then leave you to your own thoughts, and to the gui|dance of God, to order and di&s;po&s;e of your &s;elves for further Mee|tings as you &s;hall &s;ee cau&s;e.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
