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<DATE>2011-06-28</DATE>
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<NAME>Judith Siefring</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<P><HI>ANIMADVERSIONS</HI> UPON A Letter and Paper, fir&s;t &s;ent to His Highne&s;s by certain Gentlemen and others in VVales: And &s;ince printed, and publi&s;hed to the world by &s;ome of the Sub&s;cri|bers.</P>
<P>BY ONE Who&s;e De&s;ire and Endeavor is, TO Pre&s;erve Peace and Safety, By removing Offence and Enmity.</P>
<P>Printed in the year 1656.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="preface">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>A Preface to the Sub&s;cribers of the Paper.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>FRIENDS:</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Have formerly been <HI>ingaged</HI> in our publick Affairs, but have &s;ince been &s;o long <HI>disingaged,</HI> as may well free me from the &s;u&s;pition of being a Courtier; being both offended at, and an offence to them that be in Power: I am free from all Par|ties that are in the Nation, and &s;hall u&s;e my Liberty, in dealing as impartially as I can (or as my weakne&s;s will permit) 'twixt you and our pre&s;ent Governors, whom you oppo&s;e; if I do incline to either &s;ide, 'tis to you, as mo&s;t needing Pity: 'Tis true, they are to be pitied rather than envied, yet your condition &s;eems to me much wor&s;e than theirs every way, as much weaker and darker, in your way and &s;pirits, as you are in outward place <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> power. I am a man &s;o much under Temptation, Offence, Per&s;ecution and Contempt, that if there be a Party of &s;uch, I am very natural to them; and, if there be any by as in my tem|per to incline me to any, it is to &s;uch: I a&s;&s;ure you, upon the re|view of what I have written, my Judgement &s;mites me, for ha|ving been more gentle to you, than in <HI>Ju&s;tice</HI> and in <HI>true Love</HI> I ought to be, or than your ca&s;e requires I &s;hould be; and there|fore &s;hall, I doubt, in tran&s;cribing of it, be nece&s;&s;itated to more &s;harpne&s;s than I intended: But if I were not con&s;cious to my &s;elf of a De&s;ign of <HI>Love</HI> to you in it, and that in this work I &s;hould more &s;erve you than them, I could not proceed in it.</P>
<P>I have examin'd and ob&s;erv'd all things of this nature (that I have met with) again&s;t this pre&s;ent Government, they have pa&s;s'd the private cen&s;ure of my Pen, though not publi&s;h'd; and this I mu&s;t &s;ay of yours and the re&s;t, That though this pre&s;ent &s;tate of things be very reproveable, having much evil in it; yet none of you have come forth in Righteou&s;ne&s;s and Judgment again&s;t it, nor in a Light that is able either to Convince or In|&s;truct; but a deal of weak and dark Accu&s;ations, from mindes unca&s;ie and &s;ick with Pa&s;&s;ion and Di&s;content, all tending to blow up a Spirit of Wrath and Violence, and &s;o to multiply our Wounds and Maladies, not to cure them. I have hitherto been &s;ilent, thinking that tho&s;e weak Pa&s;&s;ions that have looked out, would vani&s;h quickly as &s;moke, and &s;o they have: But in this Paper of yours the humors are more gro&s;s, are gather'd toge|ther,
<PB REF="3">and come out in an outward Tumor, as if you intended to make a bu&s;ine&s;s of it; and therefore I am drawn forth in pub|lick to Treat fairly with you, and to divert you from your cour&s;e, which, I fear, is dangerous to your &s;elves and to us all: And this I do upon a double ground;</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, As one that hath an Intere&s;t in the common Peace of the Nation, and in the Safety of the Hone&s;t and Religious Party; both which are lodg'd, for the pre&s;ent, in this Govern|ment, be it never &s;o corrupt: This <HI>Open</HI> and <HI>&V;nited</HI> declaring again&s;t it, with &s;uch <HI>Violence</HI> and <HI>Boldne&s;s,</HI> tends to undermine our Peace, by Rai&s;ing a New War, and &s;o to let in mi&s;erable Confu&s;ion among&s;t us: Your De&s;ign &s;eems to be, To take the Power out of the&s;e mens hands into your own; which is, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word">, a vain and irrational Attempt, for the Sword is already d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="3 letters">|&s;ed of, and &s;etled, not to be removed: You may Di&s;turb, Wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters">e and De&s;troy, by opening a way for your and our Enemies, but not get it to your &s;elves; and if you had it, you would undo us, and make your &s;elves more mi&s;erable by your Reigning, than you can be by Suffering: God, I know, can bring Light out of Darkne&s;s, and Salvation out of Confu&s;ion; but <HI>as a Man,</HI> my Nature is much ingaged to uphold this wretched Frame of things, in which our Peace and Safety &s;eems to lie, till God be pleas'd to finde a better way for us, rather than the whole work &s;hould run back into utter De&s;olation and Confu&s;ion: And therefore cannot but with&s;tand your Spirit, in which there doth not appoar either Strength to get, or Wi&s;dom to u&s;e Power; if you &s;hould have &s;o much Wrath and Fury to admini&s;ter, as to overthrow this Power, you might continue a time to Torment the Nation; but the &s;ame Violence and Wrath would hurry you on to &s;uch things, as would Ruine both your &s;elves and us.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, I would deal with you as a Chri&s;tian, and one that earne&s;tly de&s;ire to &s;ee the lea&s;t: Beam of the true Glory of that Kingdom of Chri&s;t that you profe&s;s for: True, you have the Name and Notion of it among&s;t you, and that too pitifully be&s;mear'd with Darkne&s;s and Folly; but for the thing it &s;elf, you are &s;o &s;hort of it, yea &s;o oppo&s;ite to it, that when it &s;hall come forth in Truth and Power, you will not be able to &s;tand before it; I am very much per&s;waded, that if you had any thing
<PB REF="3">of a &s;ober and real &s;ence of your &s;elves and it, of your own <HI>Vile|ne&s;s</HI> and <HI>&V;ncleanne&s;s,</HI> and of its <HI>Majesty</HI> and <HI>Purity,</HI> you would hide your &s;elves in Shame and Self-condemnation, and not appear openly for it: And therefore I cannot, but in that little knowledge that I have of Religion, appear again&s;t your <HI>&V;njust</HI> and <HI>&V;ndue</HI> claim to the <HI>Kingdom of Chri&s;t:</HI> It may be you are confident you have it, and act for it, and do expect that all &s;hould bow to that broken Image of it that you have &s;et up; whatever you now think, 'twill be at la&s;t found a great kindene&s;s to you, to tell you, That you in your pre&s;ent Actings are not &s;o much as in a way to it; but are &s;etting up Pa&s;&s;ion, Enmity, Darkne&s;s and Wrath, not the <HI>Grace</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and <HI>His Kingdom.</HI></P>
<P>O take no plea&s;ure in medling with Sin and Evil in any, God knows is a grief to me to deal with it; were it not nece&s;&s;ary for your In&s;truction, I could not at all take notice of: I am &s;or|ry I am not able to do you good, without di&s;covering your weakne&s;s to you and the world; my intention is not to con|demn or di&s;honor you, but to direct you into a better path: You are now come forth again&s;t your Brethren in the <HI>common Road</HI> of Accu&s;ation and worldly Enmity, wherein you di&s;turb the peace of your own hou&s;e, where you may live quietly; you gratifie your Enemies, and that railing, wrathful Spirit that is abroad in the world, and cannot but wound and vex your own &s;ouls: I &s;hall onely wi&s;h you to retire into your &s;elves and your own &s;ouls; you fight now with the <HI>Fame, Appearance</HI> and <HI>out|ward Shew</HI> of Sin in your Brethren; you may at home deal with the very <HI>Spirit, Body</HI> and <HI>Root</HI> of the &s;ame Unrighteou&s;nes, where if you prevail, you may come forth to convince them and &s;ave us; whereas in that blinde way in which you are, you can do nothing, but wound, provoke, build up Wrath, harden and &s;trengthen Sin among&s;t us.</P>
<P>As it is not my intent to condemn you &s;o not to ju&s;tifie them that you condemn; The whole world cryes out again&s;t them: I have not Love enough to wipe off all that is charg'd upon them, they mu&s;t therefore patiently bear their Reproach, till God bring &s;orth their Righteou&s;ne&s;s; I fear they are guilty, it may be, of more than you can accu&s;e them of; but certainly, not
<PB REF="4">of all you accu&s;e them of: <HI>Its a &s;mall thing to be judg'd of man;</HI> If they have Innocency at home, 'twill make them think &s;o: Man judges by appearance, <HI>God &s;earches the heart;</HI> They are up|on their Tryal, and will in time &s;hew what is in them: All that I de&s;ire for them is, That they may not be di&s;turb'd in their Work, which is, To Protect as in <HI>Peace</HI> and <HI>Safety,</HI> till God bring forth &s;ome more excellent <HI>Glory</HI> among&s;t us: They are a People that profe&s;s the <HI>Name of God,</HI> and have appeal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">d to him, and do daily; 'Tis much my minde, That they might &s;tand again&s;t <HI>Mans violence,</HI> and that God would be pleas'd to judge their Cau&s;e him&s;elf: To his <HI>Ju&s;tice</HI> and <HI>Mercy</HI> let us leave them.</P>
<P>Friends, Bear with me, I am offended at them with you, and at you with them, and mo&s;t of all at my &s;elf: I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters">|&s;tifie my &s;elf in what I do, but am in fear, le&s;t while I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="4 letters">r|po&s;e, I may be guilty of greater Folly than either of you: As I cannot ju&s;tifie my &s;elf, &s;o can I not condemn my &s;elf as guilty of any known Evil in it; for that <HI>Fear of the Lord</HI> that makes me doubt all my Actions; makes me likewi&s;e careful to avoid Evil. What I offer to you, is the frame of my Spirit concerning publick Tran&s;actions, and the Ob&s;ervations that I have made upon things while I have been a Spectator; Thus far I may commend them to you, That what I admini&s;ter to you (if you can receive it) will be more profitable and plea&s;ant to you, than that Spirit in which you act: All that I de&s;ire of you is, but that you would lay a&s;ide <HI>Wrath, malice,</HI> &amp;c. which darken the minde, and that you would with <HI>Meekne&s;s</HI> admit them to a friendly and ingenuous Con&s;ideration. If the&s;e Animadver&s;ions may but a little ea&s;e your troubled Spirits, temper and alay your Anger, 'twill be an ea&s;e to you, and a plea&s;ure to</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your unknown Friend,</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="part">
<PB N="1" REF="4">
<HEAD>The LETTER and PAPER inclo&s;ed, Sub&s;cribed by certain Gentlemen and others in <HI>WALES,</HI> and &s;ent to His Highne&s;s; <HI>viz.</HI></HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>A WORD FOR GOD: OR, A Te&s;timony on Truths behalf; from &s;everal Churches, and divers hundreds of Chri&s;tians in <HI>Wales</HI> (and &s;ome &s;ew adja|cent) again&s;t Wickedne&s;s in High places. With a Letter to the Lord General <HI>CROMWEL.</HI> Both, fir&s;t pre&s;ented to his own hands, and now publi&s;hed for further Information.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Job 36.1.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Suffer me a little, and I will &s;hew thee that I have yet to &s;peak on Gods behalf.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>I&s;a. 43.8, 9.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are then my witne&s;&s;es. Is there a God be&s;ides me? Yea there is no God, I know not any.</P>
<P>They that make a graven image are all of them vanity, and their delectable things &s;hall not profit; and they are their own witne&s;|&s;es, they &s;ee not, nor know, that they may be a&s;hamed.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<LETTER LANG="eng">
<HEAD>To <HI>OLIVER CROMWEL</HI> Captain General <HI>of all the Forces in</HI> England, Scotland <HI>and</HI> Ireland.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR;</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>Fora&s;much as you have cau&s;ed great &s;earchings of heart, and Divi&s;ions among many of Gods people, by a &s;udden, &s;trange and unexpected Alteration of Government, and other Actions, to the great a&s;toni&s;hment of tho&s;e who knew your former publick Re&s;olutions and Declarations; con&s;idering al&s;o how (contrary to foregoing Acts and Engagements) you have taken upon you a Power, by which you are utterly di&s;|enabled (and if there were in you a heart) to pro&s;ecate the good things covenanted and contended for, with &s;o many great
<PB N="2" REF="5">hazards, and the effu&s;ion of &s;o much precious blood; and by rea&s;on whereof you are become ju&s;tly &s;u&s;pected in your Ends in time pa&s;t, and Actions for future, to very many of tho&s;e, of who&s;e Affections and faithful Services you have injoyed no &s;mall &s;hare; in all the difficult Pa&s;&s;ages and Enterprizes of the late War: The&s;e things con&s;idered by us (as we know they are by many Churches and Saints) and there being a deep &s;ence upon our Spirits, of the <HI>Odium</HI> under which the Name of Chri&s;t, his Cau&s;e, People and Ways do lie, as it were buried) as al&s;o of the exceeding Contempt which the wonderful and excellent Operations of God are brought into, even tho&s;e emi|nent Wonders which the Nations have been Spectators and Witne&s;&s;es of, and wherein your hands have been partly inga|ged in. We cannot (after much &s;erious con&s;ideration, and &s;eek|ing of the Lord, many of us, both together and apart) but pre|&s;ent to your hands the en&s;uing Te&s;timony, which (however you may look thereon) is no more than Nece&s;&s;ity exacts from us for the clearing of our own &s;ouls from guilt, and di&s;charging of our duty to God and Men. Therefore we earne&s;tly wi&s;h you to peru&s;e and weigh it, as in the &s;ight of God, with a calm and Chri&s;tian-like Spirit, and harden not your neck again&s;t the Truth, as you will an&s;wer it to the great Judge, before who&s;e impartial Tribunal you (as well as we) &s;hall be very &s;hortly cited, to give an account of things done in the body; whether good or evil, where the true Motives and Ends of all your Actions will be evident, where no Apologie will be accepted of, for your &s;lighting and bla&s;pheming of the Spirit of God, nor for the hard mea&s;ure you give his people, by Reproaches, Impri&s;onments, and other Oppre&s;&s;ions; and, where Pride, Luxu|ry, La&s;civiou&s;ne&s;s, and Changing of Principles, and for&s;aking the good ways of Ju&s;tice and Holine&s;s, will not have the &s;mal|left rag of pretence to hide them from the eyes of the Judge. Which things (what&s;oever you &s;ay for your &s;elf) are (even at, pre&s;ent to be read in your forehead) and have produced mo&s;t &s;ad effects every where; E&s;pecially (1) in filling of the Saints hearts and faces with an inexpre&s;&s;ible grief and &s;hame; and (2) the &s;topping (at lea&s;t) the &s;trong current of their prayers, which was once for you, if not the turning thereof directly
<PB N="3" REF="5">again&s;t you: To the&s;e we might adde, (3) the hardning of wicked men, yea the refre&s;hing and ju&s;tifying of them in their evil doings and &s;peakings again&s;t the Go&s;pel, Name and Spirit of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t; And la&s;tly, Gods &s;ignal withdrawing from you and your De&s;igns. Oh that then you would lie down in the du&s;t, and acknowledge your Iniquity, and return unto the Lord by unfeigned Repentance, doing your fir&s;t work; and that you would make ha&s;te to do &s;o, le&s;t Gods fury break forth like fire upon you, and there be no quenching of it. This would rejoyce us much, as being real Well-wi&s;hers to your Souls everla&s;ting Happine&s;s, though we mu&s;t with equal Pity and Dete&s;tation, Declare again&s;t your De&s;igns and Way.</P>
</LETTER>
<DIV2 TYPE="subpart">
<HEAD>A WORD for GOD.</HEAD>
<P>THe wi&s;e God that teacheth the fowls of Heaven to know their appointed times (who directs his peoples work in Truth) hath, we hope,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ier.</HI> 8.7.</NOTE> directed us (after a long time of &s;ilence and carne&s;t &s;eeking the Lord) to expre&s;s and declare what we &s;inde in our con&s;ciences touching the tran&s;action of this &s;ea&s;on; and though &s;ome may think (as we our &s;elves have been tem|pted to think) That this is a time wherein the prudent &s;hould hold his peace, it being &s;uch an evil time, that men are made Offenders, yea Traytors for Words; yet con&s;idring how the Lords Remembrancers &s;hould not keep &s;ilence,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ier.</HI> 20.9.</NOTE> and fearing that if we &s;hould altogether hold our peace at &s;uch a time as this (as <HI>Mordecai</HI> &s;aid to <HI>He&s;ter</HI>) Deliverance would come another way;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 62.6.</NOTE> and we could expect no &s;hare in the inlargement of Gods people, or &s;afety in the day of trouble:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>He&s;t.</HI> 4.14.</NOTE> Withal &s;ind|ing how Self would prompt us (like <HI>I&s;&s;achar</HI>) to &s;ee that re&s;t is good, and outward pro&s;perity plea&s;ant;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gen.</HI> 49.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">5.</NOTE> and how the &s;ame tem|ptations (which we &s;inde and fear many of our dear Brethren . to be under) have &s;et upon &s;ome of us, as to have mens per&s;ons in admiration becau&s;e of advantage, and by good words, fair &s;peeches and promi&s;es, to be deceived, and drawn away in &s;im|plicity,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Inde.</HI> 16</NOTE> e&s;pecially by the example of &s;ome eminent in en (like
<PB N="4" REF="6"><HI>Peter</HI>) in&s;omuch that many <HI>Barnaba</HI>'s are carried away with their di&s;&s;imulation,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 16 18.</NOTE> and a&s;wel Mini&s;ters as Military men willing, to &s;erve the King for his work and wages:<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 15.7.</NOTE> However, &s;eeing every man mu&s;t give an accompt unto God for him&s;elf, we have examined what particular duty was incumbent upon us,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gal.</HI> 2.13.</NOTE> and how in faithfulne&s;s towards God, and meekne&s;s towards, Men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Chron</HI> 4.23.</NOTE> we &s;hould perform the &s;ame. Moreover, con&s;idering how the Saints did formerly bear their te&s;timony (not loving their lives unto the death) and by the blood of the Lamb and their te&s;timony did overcome;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 14.12.</NOTE> and how God did heretofore &s;tir up &s;ome of his people (both in <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Scotland</HI>) to bear wit|ne&s;s to the Truth and ways of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rev.</HI> 12 7.</NOTE> again&s;t the ways and wic|kedne&s;s of Men) as a Forlorn-hope, though they were in com|pari&s;on but a few,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Numb.</HI> 14.6, 7, 8, 9.</NOTE> like <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> and <HI>Caleb,</HI> two of twelve; or li the two Witne&s;&s;es, a &s;mall, yet &s;uffcient number. Ob&s;erving al&s;o, That there are pre&s;ent Truths, and every work being beau|tiful in its &s;ea&s;on,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rev.</HI> 11 3.</NOTE> as (in the begining of the late Wars) was the witne&s;&s;ing again&s;t the Book of Common Prayer, Surplice, Cro&s;s in Bapti&s;m,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1 12.</NOTE> and other Ceremonies, (being Super&s;titious things impo&s;ed by the Bi&s;hops) and again&s;t Ship-Money, Monopolies, &amp;c, (Civil things) impo&s;ed formerly by the King: All which were afterwards declared, prote&s;ted and covenanted again&s;t; which Prote&s;tation and Covenant are fre&s;h in the memories, and pre&s;&s;ing the Con&s;ciences of &s;ome of us, even unto this day; be&s;ides the Engagement, and the &s;everal Acts of Parliament made again&s;t Monarchy or Kingly Government; All which now &s;eem to be forgotten or neglected: And tho&s;e that &s;pake or writ in defence of &s;uch things, as the Parliament, Army, and the Godly people in the three Nations approved, a&s;&s;erted, and purcha&s;ed at a dear rate, are now accounted Fanatick Fools, Di|&s;turbers of Civil State, and Intermedlers in things that concern them not; under which notion many &s;uffer Impri&s;onment, and other tryals, as Evil-doers, from tho&s;e men, who now build what they did once de&s;troy, and ju&s;tifie what they did once condemn:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Aug.</HI> 1. 1650. p. 11, 12</NOTE> Witne&s;s their own Writings, particularly <HI>The De|claratio of the Officers and Soldiers of the Engli&s;h Army</HI> (whereof the Lord <HI>Cromwel</HI> was General) The words whereof are as followeth: <HI>We are per&s;waded in our Con&s;ciences, That
<PB N="5" REF="6">the late King and His Monarchy, was one of the ten Horns of the Bea&s;t &s;poken of,</HI> Rev. 17.13, &amp;c. <HI>And that we were called forth by the Lord, to be in&s;trumental to bring about that which was our continual prayer unto God,</HI> viz. <HI>The de&s;truction of Anti|chri&s;t, and the deliverance of his Church and people: And upon this &s;ingle accompt we ingaged, not knowing the deep Policies of worldly States-men; and have ever &s;ince hazarded our lives in the high places of the field (where we have &s;een many wonders of the Lord) again&s;t all the Oppo&s;ers of the work of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, whom we have all along &s;een going with us, and making our way plain before us: And having the&s;e things &s;ingly in our eye, namely, The de&s;truction of Antichri&s;t, The advancement of the Kingdom of Chri&s;t, The deliverance of his Church, and the e&s;ta|bli&s;hment thereof in the u&s;e of his Ordinances, in Purity, accord|ing to his Word, and the just Civil Liberties of Engli&s;h mem.</HI> The&s;e, with many other expre&s;&s;ions, both in the Declaration and &s;everal other Papers of the Army, Letters of the General, cited both in the Declaration of the Members of &s;everal Chur|ches, and Petitions of the three Colonels,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sanders Okey <HI>&amp;</HI> Allured</NOTE> be&s;ides &s;everal other Papers which might be in&s;tanced in, which we leave to all unbya&s;&s;ed men to con&s;ider, and compare with actions done by the &s;arne men &s;ince that time. But in pur&s;uance of our duty to God, our fellow Members and Countrey-men, as we are Chri|&s;tians, having a right to the things of Chri&s;t, and as we are men having a right to our Native Priviledges, We do Declare our real Apprehen&s;ions and Con&s;ciences, which (to the great grief of &s;ome of us) we have &s;o long concealed, waiting if God might by his providence alter our mindes.</P>
<P N="1">I. That the Sins and pre&s;ent condition of this Nation holds paralel in many things with the old I&s;raelites, after the mighty wonders of God &s;hewed unto them in their great deliverance out of <HI>Egypt:</HI> For in&s;tance,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 106.13.</NOTE> They and we have &s;oon forgot God our Savior, and the great works which he did; we have not &s;et our hearts aright, and our Spirits have not been &s;tedfa&s;t with God, but have gone back, and dealt treacherou&s;ly,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;a.</HI> 78.9.10.</NOTE> and turned a&s;ide like, a deceitful Bowe; and not tru&s;ting to his &s;al|vation, have provoked the Lord to anger with our invention;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;.</HI> 106.28, 29.</NOTE> &s;o that men have dominion over our bodies, and over our cat|tel,
<PB N="6" REF="7">at their plea&s;ure:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 span"> 37.</NOTE> And we are in great di&s;tre&s;s, for this is a day of trouble and of bla&s;phemy; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not &s;trength to bring forth.</P>
<P N="2">II. That ble&s;&s;ed Cau&s;e, and tho&s;e noble Principles propounded and pro&s;ecuted by the old Parliament, and the Good, people of this Nation (in the maintaining of which God did miraculou&s;ly appear) are now altogether laid a&s;ide and lo&s;t, and another Cau&s;e and Intere&s;t (quite contrary, as we conceive) e&s;pou&s;ed and maintained; for then the Advancement of Chri&s;ts King|dom, the Extirpation of Popery, and Popi&s;h Innovations, the Priviledges of Parliament, the Liberty of the Subjects, and an equal Di&s;tribution of Ju&s;tice were declared and fought for; and Tyranny, Oppre&s;&s;ion, Inju&s;tice, Arbitrarine&s;s, De&s;troying the Priviledges of Parliaments, we declared and engaged again&s;t: But how far &s;ome men have now receded from, and acted con|trarily, to the di&s;honor of God, Scandal of Religion, great grief of many faithful men, and the &s;trengthning of the wicked in their principles, and ju&s;tifying their practices, we leave to the con&s;ideration of all tho&s;e that are &s;ober and wi&s;e.</P>
<P N="3">III. Moreover, the unadvi&s;ed and unwarrantable changing of the Government, and a &s;wearing thereunto, doth (as we judge) put a Nece&s;&s;ity upon the chief Undertaker thereof, to overthrow the very foundation of a Commonwealth, and to maintain the things comprized in the &s;aid In&s;trument (whe|ther right or wrong) And to turn the very edge and dint of his Sword again&s;t the faces and bowels of &s;uch, as &s;hould or &s;hall declare their Con&s;ciences contrary thereunto.</P>
<P N="4">IV. As a con&s;equence and fruit of this Forbidden Tree, ma|ny of the choice Servants of God, and Faithful of the Nation (&s;ome Gentlemen, Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, Soldiers, &amp;c.) are impri&s;oned, without knowing their Accu&s;ers, or having &s;o much as was granted by the Heathens to the Apo&s;tles, or the benefit of a fair and publick trial, according to the Fundamental Laws of this Nation.</P>
<P N="5">V. Under pretence of Nece&s;&s;ity, &s;till to continue the heavy Burthens of Taxes,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Art.</HI> 27. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters"> 30.</NOTE> Cu&s;toms, Excize, &amp;c. upon the Nation, without (yea contrary to) the con&s;ent of the People repre&s;ented in Parliament, and contrary to their own In&s;trument.</P>
<PB N="7" REF="7">
<P N="6">VI. Notwith&s;tanding all the fair pretences and promi&s;es of Reformation, yet what abominable and horrible Impieties, In|ju&s;tice and Oppre&s;&s;ion, are there couched and covered under this new Form, from the head to the tail (as the Prophet &s;aith) treading in the foot&s;teps of their predece&s;&s;ors; witne&s;s the re|ceiving of the Honors, Profits, Cu&s;toms, Benefits, Tenths and Fir&s;t-fruits, coming in formerly to the Crown; the Exalting of Sons, Servants, Friends and Favorites (though &s;ome of them known to be wicked men) to the highe&s;t places and greate&s;t preferments, which the good Rulers of old, as <HI>Gideon, Nehe|miah,</HI> and others did not do, becau&s;e of the fear of the Lord, &amp; the bondage which was heavy upon the people. Witne&s;s al&s;o the Unrea&s;onablene&s;s of the Army, to have &s;o many Officers, which might ea&s;ily be reduced to a le&s;&s;er number, and both Offi|cers and Soldiers, for many years to receive their pay (even in a time of Peace) when the poor Pea&s;ants or Tenants (who pay but Ten &s;hillings Rent <HI>per Annum</HI>) do pay out of their Penury, to maintain them in their Pomp and Luxury.</P>
<P N="7">VII. We cannot, without grief, mention the &s;ad eftects of the &s;ecret De&s;ign of <HI>Hispaniola,</HI> to the lo&s;s of &s;o many mens Lives, Expence of &s;o much Blood and Trea&s;ure, and the indan|gering of this Commonwealth by Inva&s;ion, as al&s;o thereby rendring us a &s;corn and a &s;nuff to all the Nations round about.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, We do Declare and publi&s;h to all from our very hearts and &s;ouls, That tho&s;e of us that hand any hand in joyning with the Parliament and Army heretofore, had no other De|&s;igns again&s;t the late King or his party, &s;ave as they were Ene|mies to the Lord Chri&s;t, his Kingdom and people, hinderers of his work, and Oppre&s;&s;ors of the Nation; and that it never came into our hearts to think or intend the pulling down of one Per|&s;on to &s;et up another, or one Unrighteous Power to permit another; but as we aymed (primarily) at the Glory of God, &s;o likewi&s;e at the general good of the Nation, and particular bene|fit and ju&s;t Liberty of every man: And it grieves us that any ju&s;t cau&s;e is given them to &s;tumble at Profe&s;&s;ors, or complain that they are deprived of their Freedom, and &s;everal ways more oppre&s;&s;ed, than in the days of the wicked&s;t Kings.</P>
<P>We do al&s;o believe in our hearts, That (though the wors;t
<PB N="8" REF="8">things are not without Gods permi&s;&s;ion and providence) yet that this Government is not of Gods Approbation, or taken up by his coun&s;el, or according to his Word; and therefore we do utterly di&s;claim having any hand or heart in it: And for the Contrivers and Undertakers thereof, we &s;u&s;pect and judge them to be great Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors therein, and &s;o much the more, becau&s;e they are Profe&s;&s;ors of Religion, &amp; Declarers, Engagers, and Fighters again&s;t the very things they now practice: And it is mo&s;t evident to us, that they thereby build again what before they did de&s;troy; and in &s;o doing they render Them&s;elves, the Cau&s;e, Religion, Name and People of God, abominable to Heathens, Papi&s;ts, and profane Enemies; which is a grief to our &s;ouls to con&s;ider.</P>
<P>We do al&s;o dete&s;t the practices of the&s;e men, in impri&s;oning the Saints of God for their Con&s;ciences and Te&s;timony, and ju&s;t men, who &s;tand for Moral and ju&s;t Principles, and the Free|dom of the Nation and people; and their breaking of Parlia|ments to effect their own De&s;igns.</P>
<P>We do al&s;o from our &s;ouls witne&s;s again&s;t their new Model|ing of Mini&s;ters (as Antichri&s;tian) and keeping up of Pari&s;hes and Tythes (as Popi&s;h Innovations;) and we di&s;claim all Ad|herents to, owning of, or joyning with the&s;e men in their ways; and do withdraw,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.</NOTE> and de&s;ire all the Lords people to withdraw from the&s;e men, as tho&s;e that are guilty of the Sins of the Lat|ter days,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Matth.</HI> 24.</NOTE> and that have left following the Lord, and that Gods people &s;hould avoid their &s;in, le&s;t they partake with them in their plagues: Thus concluding our Te&s;timony, we &s;ub&s;cribe our Names hereunto.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>William Jones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Morgan,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Evan Jones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Philips.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Jones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Beevan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Lewis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Gabriel Lewis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Howel Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Philips.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Willliam Howels.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Waters.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Howel John.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Price.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Meredith Philips.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Jenkins.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Pro&s;&s;er.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Jenkin Gri&s;&s;ith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Howel Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Howel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Watkin Price.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Powel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Powel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewis Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewis Reece.</HI></ITEM>
<PB N="9" REF="8">
<ITEM><HI>Reece John.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Howel Reece.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard John.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Price.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John David.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Morgan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Morgan William.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Morgan Robert.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John William.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewis David.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Edwards.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Reece John.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Jenkin Jones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Jones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ienkin Ro&s;&s;er.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Rice Ro&s;&s;er.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Nicholas Griffiths.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewelin Beevan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iames Powel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mirick Morgan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Evan Meredith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Jones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Meredith Rees.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Edward.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Roberts.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewis David.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Morgan Iohn.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Meredith William.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Wilkin Rice.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William watkin.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Reece David.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Watkin David.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David William.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Philips.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Henry Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Farmer.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Henry Meredith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Trehern Morgan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard David.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Evan Iohn.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Evan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Evan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Evan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Howel Waters.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ienkin Waters.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Howel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Philip David.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Rice Richard.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Matthews.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Watkin Richard.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Evan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewelin Ienkin.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ienkin William.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas William.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Evan Lewelin,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Lewis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William waters.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Morgan David.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn David.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Walter.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Reece Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Philip Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iervice Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Ienkins.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Watkin Ienkins.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Thomas,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Rice Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Evan Iohn</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David William.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Henry Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Bedward.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Tunman.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Robert Tunman.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Roger Gri&s;&s;ith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Morgan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Price.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Davies.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Price.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Morris.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Evans.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Powel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Wal er Lewis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Meredith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Morris.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iames Haydock.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Bo&s;tock</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Philip Ru&s;&s;el.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iames Morgan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Rutherch.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Bayes.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Reece Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Iames.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Hopkins.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewis Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Watkins.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Mils.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Smith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Price.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Vava&s;or Powel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Hammer.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Morris Gri&s;&s;ith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Owens.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Gri&s;&s;ith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Walter Davies.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Gwin.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Vaughan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Powel,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Rees Havard.</HI></ITEM>
<PB N="10" REF="9">
<ITEM><HI>Roger Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Lewis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Watkin.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Walter Lewis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Lewis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Vaughan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Jones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Rice Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Henry Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Powel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John David.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Rowbuck.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Evan Watkin.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Charls Lloyd.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hugh Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ro&s;&s;er Watkin.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Gri&s;&s;ith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewis Price.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Morgan Lloyd.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewis James.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Robert Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Howel Watkin.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Price.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Roger Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Baddam.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Powel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Roberts.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Pugh.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Parry.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Howel Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Walter Price.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Bevan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewis Prytherch.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David William.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewelin ap Iohn.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ienkin Gri&s;&s;ith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Peter Chidlow.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Arthur Chidlow.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Owen Humphrey.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Evan Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Samuel Brees.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Lewis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Bea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ley.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Morgans.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Symonds.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Beddoes.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Morris Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iames Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Matthews.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewis Price.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Evan Ellis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Tudge.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Fernel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Gretholder.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Tomkins.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Tudge.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hugh Evans.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Owen Lewis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Owen Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Brees.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ralph Robothom.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Lewis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Powel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Kadwalader.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Rowland Tudge.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Evan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Tibbots.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Samuel Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Bromley.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Baxter.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Crowther.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Francis Ma&s;on.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Evans.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Philips.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Evans.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Ellis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Crowther.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Fernel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Iri&s;h.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Henry Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Phipps.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Beeket.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Daniel Brees.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Francis Hancock</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Iri&s;h.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Oliver David.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Dabellis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewis Pugh.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Rogers.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Owen Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edmund Ro&s;&s;er.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Meredith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Llewelin Lewis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Rowland.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewis Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Lewis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Williams,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Howel Rees.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Rowland Morgan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Philip Gyles.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iames Watkins.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Iames.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lewis Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Michael Watkins.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edmund Morgan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ro&s;&s;er Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Ro&s;&s;er.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Iohn.</HI></ITEM>
<PB N="11" REF="9">
<ITEM><HI>Iames Iohn.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Elias Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Howel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Iohn.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ro&s;&s;er Watkin.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Daniel Iohn.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas ap Iohn.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Gilbert Morris.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Matthew Prichard.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Owen Edward.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">hn Pugh.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Howel Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Reece ap David.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Bevan.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Lloyd.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Kenrick Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iames Quarrel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Moore.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Roberts.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Brown.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Alexander Powel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hugh Powel.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Nicholas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Philip Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Robert Sanctley.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Iames.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Edward Roberts.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Walter Thimbleton.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Fowler.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hugh Prichard.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Henry Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Win.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Salton&s;tal.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Rice Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Williams.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Philip Rogers.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Roberts.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas ap Thomas.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ellice ap Roger.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David ap Edward.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Lloyd,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Edwards.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Francis Lith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iames Park</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Meredith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Owens.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Iennings.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>George Ienkins.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Heatley.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Lewis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>David Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ieffrey Parry.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Hughes.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Evans.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Rider.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Ratlieff.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ralph Hopley.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hugh Price.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Gri&s;&s;ith Iones.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Brian Six&s;mith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Nathaniel Edwards.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Iohn Meredith.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="subpart">
<HEAD>A POSTSCRIPT.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>READER,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THis Paper had &s;ooner come into thy hands, if the Sub&s;cribers hereof (who were willing to do nothing ra&s;hly) had not waited for further coun&s;el and direction from God herein, than they had at the fir&s;t intention of the publi&s;hing hereof; and withal it was deferred for a tim<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">, h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ping that God might &s;ome other way convince the Per&s;on chiefly con|c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters">ned in it: And &s;eeing; God gave him time to repent, and yet he re|pented not, (Rev 2.21.) we have publi&s;hed this our Te&s;timony. To which you might hope had many more Sub&s;cribers (who were willing to own this Paper) If conveniency and providerce had made way for it to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> into their view: There hath been great endeavors to &s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters">le it in the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word">; to that end, &s;ome of the Sub&s;cribers were threatned w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">th impri&s;on|ment, and Orders were i&s;sued out to impri&s;on &s;ome (whereof one was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters">cured) namely Mr. Vava&s;or Powel, who was taken by a company of Soldiers, from a day of Fa&s;ting and Prayer at Aberbech<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">n in Montgo|mery &s;hire, where many Saints were gathered together, which c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">u&s;ed much &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">dne&s;s, yea and much hearr-breakings to them all; and he remain|ed for &s;ome time a pri&s;oner upon that account.</P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="part">
<PB N="12" REF="10">
<HEAD>ANIMADVERSIONS &V;pon a LETTER and PAPER &s;ub&s;crib'd and &s;ent to His Highne&s;s, by, &amp;c.</HEAD>
<P>I Intend not a captious An&s;wer to this <HI>Letter</HI> and <HI>Paper,</HI> but a friendly Treaty with the <HI>Sub&s;cribers,</HI> and &s;uch a Treaty as may be a &s;ervice of Love to all hone&s;t mindes that are offended at the pre&s;ent Government or Governors: My endeavor &s;hall be, either to remove tho&s;e Offences out of the way, or to in|large mens mindes, that they may walk in a way without Of|fence. I &s;hall not therefore, to carp at words, examine every particular pa&s;&s;age of the <HI>Letter</HI> and <HI>Paper;</HI> but &s;hall chu&s;e out the knotty pieces which I conceive may, either in our Affairs, or in the mindes of men, he an occa&s;ion of &s;tumbling, and &s;hall u&s;e the be&s;t skill I have to re&s;olve them.</P>
<P>The Title is, <HI>A Word for God,</HI> or <HI>A Te&s;timony on Truths be|half, from &s;everal Churches, &amp;c. again&s;t Wickedne&s;s in High-places:</HI> 1 The In&s;cription, <HI>A Word for God,</HI> did at fir&s;t grieve me, I thought the name of God was mi&s;plac'd and abus'd; Wit of|fer'd its &s;ervice, to &s;hevv the vanity and fal&s;ity of the Title, Scripture would have confuted it and pull'd it down: But Re|verence to the <HI>Name of God,</HI> and <HI>Love</HI> to <HI>you,</HI> would not ac|cept of either of the&s;e to oppo&s;e; but chu&s;es rather to admit of your Title, and in the &s;implicity of what Light I have, to Treat with you concerning it.</P>
<P>I will admit, that God hath a Controver&s;ie with tho&s;e you te&s;ti&s;ie again&s;t, becau&s;e they have &s;inn'd again&s;t him; they have departed from him, and he &s;eems to for&s;ake them; and that you in this Divi&s;ion, are <HI>for God, again&s;t his People</HI> and <HI>their Sins:</HI> This, I think, is the be&s;t of your ca&s;e. God withholds his Grace and Pre&s;ence from his people, and &s;uffers them to wander in Darkne&s;s and Trouble, and gives this rea&s;on, <HI>Your iniquities have &s;eparated 'twixt me and you, &amp;c.</HI> You finde this, and &s;eparate from them too, and <HI>te&s;ti&s;ie</HI> your <HI>di&s;like</HI> of them, and dete&s;tation of their ways, and plead for God and his ju&s;tice
<PB N="13" REF="10">again&s;t them: And this, you think, cannot but be holy, and &s;afe, and your <HI>duty to God.</HI> Before we que&s;tion this, I &s;hall propound another Ca&s;e; which, though it differ from yours, yet it may have &s;omething in it like yours, which may give light to you, or at lea&s;t offer &s;omething to you, which you have not yet con|&s;idered:</P>
<P>'Tis the Ca&s;e of <HI>Elijah,</HI> 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 19. The I&s;raelites were at that time great &s;inners: <HI>The man of God,</HI> &s;o indeed he was, did oppo&s;e their &s;ins; for the di&s;charge of his duty, he was in dan|ger of his life; and to &s;ave him&s;elf, is forc'd to &s;ay, and to hide him&s;elf in the wilderne&s;s, <HI>ver.</HI> 4. where he was &s;ad to think how <HI>cro&s;s</HI> things went to his <HI>mini&s;try:</HI> For, though God had ap|pear'd for him again&s;t his enemies, yet they went on &s;till, and wickedne&s;s prevail'd, which was more than he could bear; and therefore in a pa&s;&s;ion de&s;ired <HI>he might die:</HI> Being overcome, and even &s;pent with the evil of the times and di&s;content, he is by an Angel refre&s;hed, <HI>who feeds him twice, v.</HI> 5, 6, 7. and 'twas &s;uch miraculous food, that <HI>he walked forty days and forty nights in the &s;trength of that meat, ver.</HI> 8. and &s;o came <HI>to Horeb, the mount of God.</HI> He hath left I&s;rael, and &s;o by the help of Angels, being extra|ordinarily a&s;&s;i&s;ted, he arrives at <HI>Gods mount,</HI> and waits upon God there, where at fir&s;t he declar'd his Covenant with his people, by giving them his righteous Law. <HI>Such a man,</HI> &s;o <HI>a&s;&s;i&s;ted,</HI> in <HI>&s;uch a way;</HI> you cannot think it an injury to you, to be &s;et by him, though you meet with a reproof there: While he was here in a Cave, <HI>the word of the Lord came to him, What do&s;t thou here Eli|jah?</HI> This is not thy place, thou art not in thy work; thy Mini&s;try is hot, thy Spirit active, but I intended it to be imploy'd <HI>in</HI> and <HI>with</HI> I&s;rael, not <HI>again&s;t</HI> them; to keep alive that little good that is in them, not to &s;eparate from them, and de&s;troy them.</P>
<P><HI>Elijah</HI> an&s;wers, and to &s;ave him&s;elf from the reproof, &s;ays, <HI>I have been very jealous for the Lord God of Ho&s;ts:</HI> That what he had done, was <HI>for the Lord God,</HI> and that in great zeal he had left them that left the Lord, Why &s;hould he continue any longer with the children of I&s;rael? His heart was <HI>for God,</HI> for <HI>they have for&s;aken thy Covenant;</HI> not onely broken their own Covenants, but thine too; <HI>Thrown down thine Altars: The Name of Chri&s;t and his Cau&s;e lies as it Were buried; They
<PB N="14" REF="11">have killed thy Prophets and Mini&s;ters for their Te&s;timony; and I, I onely am left:</HI> He thought there was none true, becau&s;e none of his temper; and none in I&s;rael, becau&s;e none in his cave; <HI>And they &s;eek my life, to take it away;</HI> I mu&s;t leave them or dye, I can't live among&s;t them, <HI>ver.</HI> 10. Then God calls him forth of his private hole, <HI>his Cave,</HI> into which he was retired, and from his melancholick, jealous, narrow, fearful Spirit, where he could &s;ee nothing but him&s;elf and his own dark apprehen&s;ions, to con&s;ider God in his &s;everal ways and di&s;pen|&s;ations, <HI>ver.</HI> 11. <HI>Go forth, and &s;tand upon the mount before the L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">rd:</HI> And to di&s;cover to him, of <HI>what Spirit he is,</HI> &s;hews him him&s;elf, and what things or &s;pirits work or act before God, and yet God not in them: <HI>A great and &s;trong wind rends the mountain, and breaks the rocks in pieces; after the wind an earth|quake,</HI> more terrible then the wind; and <HI>after that a fire,</HI> more fierce than the earthquake: He expected to finde God in the&s;e, but could not; therefore of each 'tis &s;aid, <HI>God was not in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire:</HI> He had been exer|cis'd in &s;uch kinde of Di&s;pen&s;ations, which did either threaten or execute fierce wrath, but men were not converted by &s;uch violent and terrible works. At this he was troubled, and thinks that I&s;rael, in refu&s;ing &s;uch mighty things, had for ever refus'd the Lord him&s;elf; but he was mi&s;taken if he &s;o thought, for <HI>God was not in the&s;e things:</HI> Neither was he him&s;elf moved by either of the&s;e, till the fourth came, which was <HI>a &s;till &s;mall voice;</HI> He looked upon the other, but finding not God there, his very nature retired from them, being boy&s;trous and vio|lent: But as &s;oon as the <HI>&s;till &s;mall voice</HI> came, which was hu|mane and gentle, of his own nature, heard be&s;t, and under&s;tood be&s;t <HI>within,</HI> at home in his very heart, this was one with him; and pre&s;ently <HI>he wraps his face in his mantle, and goes forth, and &s;tood in the entring in of the cave:</HI> This <HI>&s;till &s;mall voice</HI> onely had power upon his heart, to draw it forth from it &s;elf to God. All men, good and bad, that are turn'd a&s;ide from God by any kinde of Lu&s;t or Pa&s;&s;ion, run into &s;ome &s;ecret dark Den, where they lie: Now all Legal blu&s;tring Mini&s;try's, may for a while affect or affright, but draw not the creature out from him&s;elf, where he is lodg'd, till God &s;ends a <HI>&s;till &s;mall voice</HI> into his
<PB N="15" REF="11">heart, which is <HI>the word in thy heart and mouth.</HI> This doth a little convince <HI>Elijah,</HI> That God was another thing than he for the pre&s;ent apprehended him; and therefore, a&s;ham'd of him|&s;elft, <HI>he wraps his face in his mantle,</HI> and yields to go forth to God; but is not yet fully convinc'd of his error. When men are &s;trong and high in their &s;pirits, wherein they think they are <HI>for God,</HI> 'tis hard to convince them, That their Zeal is <HI>not for God,</HI> but for their own Mini&s;try and way, for their own Lives and Honors: When God had moved him a little nearer to him&s;elf, he falls upon him again, <HI>What doe&s;t thou here, Elijah?</HI> or, What ha&s;t thou to do here? Thou art an I&s;raelite, one with them, of the &s;ame nature, ha&s;t &s;in in thee as well as they, and they righteou&s;ne&s;s as thou ha&s;t: Why doe&s;t thou &s;eparate from them, and become an Enemy to them? He &s;tands &s;tiffly for his way that it was <HI>Zeal for God,</HI> &s;aying the &s;ame words that he &s;aid before, <HI>ver.</HI> 14 <HI>A con&s;ident and froward Spirit:</HI> God find|ing him &s;o &s;ixt in this angry way, as not to be in&s;tructed by the &s;ight of God, he leads him forth into a work &s;uitable to his minde; he was full of wrath, and therefore God imploys him in a way wherein he might give him vent: If nothing will plea&s;e thee, but to plague I&s;rael my people for their &s;ins, <HI>Elijah</HI> &s;hall bring it forth, but not admini&s;ter it by his own hand, <HI>Go on thy way to Dama&s;cus, &amp; anoint Hazael king of Syria:</HI> what a terrible malignant and cruel enemy to <HI>poor I&s;rael</HI> this <HI>Hazael</HI> proved, is afterward declar'd, 2 <HI>King.</HI> 8.12. Yet his name &s;ignifies <HI>vi&s;ions of God,</HI> or <HI>&s;eeing of God;</HI> he might have his &s;trength from the &s;ame ground that <HI>Elijah</HI> had: <HI>Seeing</HI> what <HI>God</HI> had done to I&s;rael, and how I&s;rael had &s;inn'd again&s;t God, and that <HI>&s;eeing</HI> upon this God had for&s;aken I&s;rael, from this his Sword might he whetted again&s;t I&s;rael: And this is the fir&s;t-born of <HI>Elijah</HI> his fiery Spirit, <HI>ver.</HI> 16. <HI>And Iehu &s;halt thou anoint to be King over I&s;rael;</HI> a man terrible enough again&s;t Idolatry, again&s;t <HI>Ahab, Iezebel,</HI> and the Prophets of <HI>Baal;</HI> but <HI>con&s;tant to him|&s;elf,</HI> &s;o his name &s;ignifies, and &s;o he was, though a great Zelot again&s;t the corruption in Court, and in the Prophets, and that according to the <HI>Word of the Lord;</HI> yet he had an eye to his own Honor: And this was <HI>Elijah</HI> his &s;econd Son, and doubt|le&s;s there was much of <HI>&s;elf</HI> in <HI>Elijah; I have been very zealous:
<PB N="16" REF="12">I, I onely am left, and they &s;eek my life.</HI></P>
<P>His third command was, <HI>Eli&s;ha &s;halt thou anoint Prophet in thy room:</HI> The meaning was this, this Spirit of <HI>Elijah</HI> was of too violent a temper; and therefore, like <HI>Iohn,</HI> it mu&s;t <HI>decrea&s;e;</HI> he mu&s;t give over to another, to <HI>Eli&s;ha, the &s;alvation of God,</HI> &s;o his name &s;ignifies: And 'tis the be&s;t of this Spirit, it &s;pends its fiercene&s;s, and is at la&s;t, being weary of it &s;elf, willing to re&s;ign to him, who&s;e nature is, not to <HI>de&s;troy,</HI> but to <HI>&s;ave.</HI></P>
<P>But poor I&s;rael, that needs &s;o many Rods, needs &s;ome Pity too, <HI>ver.</HI> 17. <HI>Him that e&s;capeth the Sword of Hazael, &s;hall Iehu &s;tay; and him that e&s;capeth the Sword of Iehu, &s;hall Eli&s;ha &s;lay;</HI> Slain and &s;lain: yet at la&s;t, he that &s;aves, &s;lays mo&s;t, &s;lays him|&s;elf, to &s;lay Self, Death and Enmity.</P>
<P><HI>Yet,</HI> &s;aith God, <HI>ver.</HI> 18. <HI>I have left me &s;even thou&s;and in I&s;|rael, the knees that have not bowed unto Baal,</HI> &amp;c. A compleat number, a <HI>&s;ufficient Army</HI> to carry on his work; The&s;e are <HI>re|&s;erv'd to me,</HI> kept by God in &s;ecret, who&s;e hearts were inwardly and truly re&s;erv'd to the Lord, &s;o &s;afe, that they could not de|part from him.</P>
<P>Now in all this it appears, That this Man of God was in a dark Spirit, for the pre&s;ent, in a high di&s;content; for he thought he had been <HI>f r God,</HI> but was not: Tho&s;e things wherein he had been exercis'd, he over-valued them, and his Mini&s;try with them; for <HI>God was not</HI> in them, but in the <HI>&s;till voice:</HI> He was <HI>much out</HI> al&s;o concerning I&s;rael, he thought they had been utterly lo&s;t, no good le&s;t among&s;t them; but was <HI>&s;even thou&s;and</HI> &s;hort in his mea&s;ure.</P>
<P>Le&s;t you think I have mi&s;repre&s;ented this Ca&s;e of <HI>Elijah,</HI> you &s;hall &s;ee it cen&s;ured in the Go&s;pel, <HI>Rom.</HI> 11.1. <HI>Hath G d ca&s;t a|way his people? God forbid:</HI> Some, that mea&s;ure things by their own private and &s;eparated Spirit, think he hath; but <HI>God forbid,</HI> that there &s;hould be no more Mercy, nor Patience <HI>in God,</HI> than there is in the be&s;t of men. <HI>ver.</HI> 2. <HI>Wot ye not what the Scripture &s;aith of Elias, how he makes interce&s;&s;ion again&s;t I&s;rael? &s;aying,</HI> ver. 3. <HI>Lord, they have killed thy Prophets, digged down thy Al|tars, and I am left alone.</HI> He, though a Prophet, was in a great error; in &s;tead of interceding for, he intercedes again&s;t I&s;rael: it mindes me of a Clau&s;e in <HI>this Letter, The &s;trong current of
<PB N="17" REF="12">their Prayers, which was once for you, the turning thereof again&s;t you:</HI> But this is not Prophet-like, 'tis rather like the wor&s;t ma|lignant Spirit, like the <HI>Accu&s;er.</HI> &mdash;And ob&s;erve, That &s;uch de|claring again&s;t I&s;raels &s;in, is plain <HI>interceding</HI> again&s;t them; 'tis indeed, to be in&s;tant and earne&s;t for their de&s;truction: This I de&s;ire the Sub&s;cribers to mark: And this Judgment, made up|on &s;ome evil actions and outward appearance, by man darkned with pa&s;&s;ion, was very far from <HI>God,</HI> and <HI>the Election of his Grace.</HI> A humane and Legal Spirit, under a Covenant of Works, provok'd into Enmity, is the nature of this Spirit; and &s;o <HI>Paul</HI> brings it in here, whatever it pretended to be zeal <HI>for God,</HI> yet 'twas again&s;t <HI>God him&s;elf,</HI> and again&s;t the liberty of his <HI>Election,</HI> and the Freene&s;s of his <HI>Grace:</HI> I'll but apply the words of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>ver.</HI> 5. <HI>Even &s;o then at this time al&s;o,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>It may be you will deny the Application of <HI>Elijahs</HI> Ca&s;e to yours, and will not admit your Adver&s;aries to be <HI>I&s;rael;</HI> and I may al&s;o deny you to mini&s;ter in the Holine&s;s, Power, Truth and Evidence that <HI>Elijah</HI> mini&s;tred in: Therefore I chu&s;e rather to wave the paralel; onely let this <HI>Ca&s;e</HI> of <HI>Elijah</HI> be con&s;ider'd ab&s;olutely by it &s;elf, and it doth &s;ufficiently evince the&s;e Con|clu&s;ions:</P>
<P N="1">I 'Tis very common, for humane Pa&s;&s;ion to intrude it &s;elf into Gods &s;ervice, yea
'tis very ambitious of being his Attorney to &s;peak <HI>for God;</HI> and while he &s;eems to advance God, 'tis to prefer it &s;elf: For, who would not be on his &s;ide, where he may Spoil, Plunder, Revenge freely.</P>
<P N="2">II. If God be but <HI>angry a little,</HI> he will not want &s;ome to <HI>help it forward;</HI> he needs not now the Devil, nor <HI>Egypt</HI> or <HI>Ba|bylon</HI> to mini&s;ter Wrath, he may finde enough Mini&s;ters or Pro|phets in I&s;rael will &s;ue for the imployment; &s;pecially if it be again&s;t <HI>Iob,</HI> he will &s;inde Religious Friends, that will handle him cruelly enough.</P>
<P N="3">III. That if Man be imployed in any Mini&s;try, wherein there &s;eems to be any light or power, as coming <HI>from God;</HI> he is apt to magnifie it above mea&s;ure, and to account of it as <HI>God him|&s;elf,</HI> to expect the &s;ame Honor and Subjection that is due to the Lord, though it be but a <HI>Whiffler,</HI> one that goes before to make way for him.</P>
<PB N="18" REF="13">
<P N="4">IV. If this Mini&s;try obtain not, and his way be refus'd, he is apt to be highly di&s;pleas'd, and be fooli&s;hly angry beyond all rea&s;on; though all the works of man are to vani&s;h, and to give place to that which is <HI>perfect,</HI> yet man commonly is &s;o angry, that he will not out-live his Mini&s;try.</P>
<P N="5">V. But fooli&s;hly adhering to his Mini&s;try, though it be of Sin and Condemnation; when God <HI>repents of his anger,</HI> as or|dinarily he doth, he over-eagerly ingaging him&s;elf, is left be|hinde, and &s;o lo&s;t in it: Fle&s;hly Zeal is of a very &s;light and combu&s;tible nature, and if it get into the fire of Gods anger again&s;t Sin, rarely comes off; but over-acting in it, is commonly &s;corch'd and burnt up by it, and &s;o may happily get to Heaven in a <HI>fiery chariot</HI> as <HI>Elijah</HI> did, but is altogether unfit for any &s;aving or healing work. When Mans Enmity and Pa&s;&s;ion hath gotten into Gods Name and Cau&s;e, if God &s;hould not withhold Spirit and Power from it, and render it vain, it would make mad work, de&s;troy all but them&s;elves; and therfore there is a nece&s;&s;ity of turning it home upon it &s;elf, that it may hurt none but it &s;elf, which is a good and ju&s;t end of it. The&s;e things well con&s;ider'd, might make men afraid to intermeddle with Divine di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t others Sins, in which men are ordi|narily &s;o bu&s;ie, as if there were no other Religion.</P>
<P>But &s;ure there is a more <HI>excellent way:</HI> When God was very angry, and ju&s;tly, with I&s;rael, <HI>Exod.</HI> 32.10. <HI>Let me alone,</HI> &s;ays he to <HI>Mo&s;es, that my wrath may wax hot again&s;t them;</HI> this was a good Spirit, to interpo&s;e, and to offer <HI>to be blotted out of the book of God,</HI> ver. 32. rather than God &s;hould de&s;troy his people: Thus Chri&s;t doth for us all, he is willing to become a &s;inner with us, and there &s;uffer the di&s;plea&s;ure of God as the wor&s;t of &s;inners, rather than &s;uffer the wrath of God to break forth upon us: If he &s;hould take part with <HI>God</HI> again&s;t <HI>&s;inners,</HI> what would become of you? If he be an Advocate <HI>for God</HI> and his Ju&s;tice, and not for Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors, alas how mi&s;erable were we all! This might a little incline mens hearts, and bend them towards thoughts of Love, Pity, and interceding for others, though tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors.</P>
<P>You &s;uper&s;cribe your Letter, <HI>To Oliver Cromwel, Captain General of all the Forces of</HI> England, Scotland <HI>and</HI> Ireland:
<PB N="19" REF="13">This Title is a fair one, and &s;o different from that which is or|dinarily given him, that it cannot e&s;cape my Animadver&s;ions; and it contains in it the head of the Quarrel, Whether <HI>Captain General of the Forces of</HI> England, Scotland <HI>and</HI> Ireland, or <HI>Prote|ctor of the Commonwealth of England, &amp;c.</HI> If we could finde one the true nature and inward rea&s;on of both the&s;e, we might clear your under&s;tandings, and &s;o in time compo&s;e the difference: I &s;hall a little con&s;ider the Per&s;on, and then his Place or Title.</P>
<P>'Tis better dealing with Things than Per&s;ons, they are &s;o nice and curious, that a man can hardly handle them without offending, e&s;pecially if they be Great ones; for there is a double temptation attends one in it: 1. To Flattery, to plea&s;e the Court: and 2. Of Detraction, to plea&s;e the People: However, this Per&s;on <HI>the Protector,</HI> being the chief &s;ubject of the <HI>Letter</HI> and <HI>Paper,</HI> I cannot avoid &s;peaking my Apprehen&s;ions of him; and being &s;en&s;ible of &s;ome ingenuity and equality of minde in it, I &s;hall do it without Apologie.</P>
<P>I &s;hall onely give you my Ob&s;ervation of his Original, what he was before the&s;e times, and then what &s;hare he hath had in the&s;e late publick Tran&s;actions:</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, this great Man is ri&s;en from a very low and an af|flicted condition; one that hath &s;uffer'd very great troubles of &s;oul, lying a long time under &s;ore terrors and temptations, and at the &s;ame time in a very low condition for outward things: in this School of Afflictions he was kept, till he had learned the Le&s;&s;on of the Cro&s;s, till his Will was broken into Submi&s;&s;ion to the Will of God, &amp;c. Religion that is thus laid into the &s;oul with the <HI>hammer</HI> and <HI>fire,</HI> is ordinarily more &s;olid, &amp; more u&s;eful than what comes in onely by Light into the Under|&s;tanding. I have had opportunity to mea&s;ure (as well as I was able) mo&s;t men that have appear'd in any eminency in the&s;e times, and have always ob&s;erv'd his Spirit, as to the <HI>active</HI> or <HI>practical</HI> part of Religion, as through, as full, as &s;ound, and as hearty in it as any, yea more: it may be, what I have now to &s;ay, is but my Fancy; but take it among&s;t other things, That the time of his extreme &s;uffering was, when this Cau&s;e of Reli|gion, in which we are now ingaged, was at its lowe&s;t ebb; and that, when he came forth into comfort of Spirit, and inlarge|ment
<PB N="20" REF="14">of e&s;tate, Religion began then to &s;pring forth into an in|tere&s;t divided from the Kingdom and Nation, though it was low, yet it began to look abroad, and to &s;eek either a new &s;tate here, or in other Regions; and &s;o he &s;uffer'd and ro&s;e, or &s;prung forth with this cau&s;e, as if he had one life with it.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, His maner of appearing in <HI>publike Imployment</HI> hath been vi&s;ible to all: <HI>publike work</HI> &s;eem'd to be exceeding na|tural to him, his &s;oul was one with it, which made him act with more vigor than other men, and &s;o con&s;tant and &s;teddy to it, as not to be di&s;couraged by difficulties, nor taken off either by <HI>offence</HI> or by <HI>opinions</HI> of other ways, as many eminent men have been, a main pillar of the &s;trength of it in all its changes; I mu&s;t be excu&s;ed if I tell my thoughts of him, I am the freer in it, becau&s;e they have continued with me in a long time of offence and prejudice concerning him; There hath to me appear'd in him a &s;ingular &s;pirit of Brightne&s;s, Clearne&s;s, Largene&s;s and Self-denial, of care for, and love to the cau&s;e of Religion and hone&s;t men, as much above other men, as <HI>Saul</HI> was higher than the people in &s;tature of body; for which I did conclude before ever he had any Command in Chief, that if ever this Cau&s;e did &s;ucceed, he would be the <HI>Head</HI> of it: He had an hone&s;ty, an integrity, a noblene&s;s in him, which did attract and unite ho|ne&s;t men to him; a love and loveline&s;s in which affections of good people did concenter, and a largene&s;s to receive and com|prehend all hone&s;t men of differing judgements, and this He did by the vertue and dignity of his Minde, long before he had the advantage of Supream Command to do it, which was a proof to me that his inward worth, not any outward accident, hath given him his preeminence.</P>
<P>To his great indu&s;try, faithfulne&s;s and wi&s;dom in bu&s;ine&s;s, he hath been always attended with a &s;ingular ble&s;&s;ing of Succe&s;s in all his Affairs, and that con&s;tant both in the Field and Council, and often times in &s;ome great works the <HI>Word</HI> and <HI>Arm</HI> of the <HI>Lord</HI> hath been reveal'd to him; and with him (according to the maner of Gods &s;peaking to his people in the&s;e days, by gi|ving in to the heart &s;ome Scriptures with great power and &s;pi|rit) whereby his Faith hath been &s;trengthned to attempt great things; As he hath been often guided by the word of the Lord
<PB N="21" REF="14">in his great Undertakings, &s;o I do think, and have particular rea&s;on to believe, that in that which is &s;o much offen&s;ive to men, <HI>viz.</HI> The breaking of Civil and Worldly Powers, he hath had the &s;ame Authority and Word of Command.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider now &s;uch a per&s;on ri&s;ing from great afflictions, from whence he comes &s;anctified by grace, called forth into pablique action, and therein appearing in largene&s;s, integrity and courage; a&s;&s;i&s;ted with the <HI>pre&s;ence</HI> and <HI>ble&s;sing</HI> of God, guided and &s;trengthned by the <HI>arm</HI> and <HI>word</HI> of the Lord, which above all &s;ets the cleare&s;t &s;tamp of Maje&s;ty upon a man, according to the words of Chri&s;t John 10.35. <HI>If he called them gods to whom the word of the Lord came:</HI> The&s;e things together are certainly a foundation, yea, the &s;ub&s;tance of greater and truer Honor, than the&s;e la&s;t Ages have had experience of.</P>
<P>Yet he hath no rea&s;on at all to be proud, nor we much rea|&s;on to boa&s;t of him; for though the&s;e are excellent things, yet they have been &s;hadowed and &s;ullied with very great weakne&s;s, that doth much eclip&s;e their lu&s;tre; for be&s;ides the dirt that malice ca&s;t upon him, and the pollution contracted from the nature of his work, which hath been de&s;troying work, and &s;o impure; be&s;ides the&s;e, I &s;ay, there is per&s;onal weakne&s;s, ra&s;h pa&s;&s;ions, &s;udden ingaging for, and as &s;udden turning from things, which &s;hews want of fore-&s;ight, incontinency and in|con&s;tancy of minde; &s;ome violent &s;trains and leaps which have &s;tretch'd con&s;cience and credit, large promi&s;ing to oblige par|ties and per&s;ons, and too &s;hort performance to give &s;atisfaction, which &s;hew a minde not &s;tanding firmly upon its own ba&s;is of truth, but carried off into loo&s;er ways of policy; And though the tottering &s;tate of things may &s;eem to excu&s;e it, yet certainly &s;uch actings &s;o di&s;proportionable to the truth and faithfulne&s;s of God, do more &s;hake him, and with him the publique peace, than any thing in the world.</P>
<P>But notwith&s;tanding the&s;e (or if not the&s;e, what ever other weakne&s;s may cleave to him) I mu&s;t prefer <HI>Oliver Cromwel</HI> in <HI>querpo,</HI> with the &s;tamp of God upon him, before <HI>Oliver Prote|ctor</HI> and all His train of Greatne&s;s; and that His naked per&s;on, with what God hath done in him, and by him, hath really more dignity &amp; maje&s;ty upon it, than if he had with his Protector&s;hip
<PB N="22" REF="15">fetch'd from <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter</HI> all the Honors and Titles of all the kings of <HI>England;</HI> and therefore I think, what ever may be fancied, the Sub&s;cribers have done him no real injury, in wri|ting, <HI>To Oliver Cromwel.</HI></P>
<P>I have done with the per&s;on, and I am glad I have done with it, I may &s;ay of my commending him, being a great per&s;on, as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aid of his commending him&s;elf, 2 Cor. 12.11. <HI>I am be|come a fool in glorying, ye have compelled me:</HI> It looks fooli&s;hly and uncomely to me, and it may be to others more; but I have been <HI>compell'd to it,</HI> to te&s;tifie the truth again&s;t mens ignorance and malice.</P>
<P>For the Title given him, <HI>Captain General of all the Forces in</HI> England, Scotland <HI>and</HI> Ireland, I am not offended at it, for though &s;ome may think His Highne&s;s is degraded by it, from <HI>Protector</HI> to <HI>General;</HI> yet he that will look beyond that vail of di&s;content, that for the pre&s;ent covers your faces, and will look into the more inward rea&s;on of your mindes, in retaining this Title of <HI>General,</HI> will not be much troubled at it, though he be very zealous of His Highne&s;s honor: That which I think either is or &s;hould be your intent in it, is this: if you con&s;ider;</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That <HI>the Forces</HI> and Armies <HI>in England, Scotland</HI> and <HI>Ireland,</HI> are the &s;ole and proper intere&s;t of the godly party, being at fir&s;t rais'd and &s;ince mantain'd for the &s;afety of good people, their &s;pirits have mo&s;t freely and lively acted in them, and been the chief &s;trength of them; &s;o that the Forces are theirs, or rather they are vertually and truly the <HI>Forces of Eng|land, Scotland and Ireland,</HI> and that in di&s;tinction from, and oppo&s;ition to all other people of the Nation; of which the ho|ne&s;t party may &s;ay as <HI>Jacob</HI> &s;aid of <HI>Reuben,</HI> Gen. 49.3. <HI>Reuben thou art my fir&s;t-born, the beginning of my &s;trength:</HI> This military Power is the <HI>fir&s;t-born,</HI> the <HI>beginning of &s;trength</HI> that God hath given his people in the earth.</P>
<P>Secondly, I &s;uppo&s;e you may con&s;ider, that this Power of the Militia you now have, or are, is as <HI>Jacob</HI> &s;aid of <HI>Reuben, The excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power.</HI> The ab&s;olute&s;t and perfecte&s;t power in the earth, having the &s;ub&s;tance of all Government in it, it gives both rea&s;on and being of all Go|vernment, <HI>Safety,</HI> &amp; the name al&s;o; whence all Governments are
<PB N="23" REF="15">called <HI>Powers</HI> and the <HI>Sword</HI> in &s;cripture: and that which makes it very &s;uitable to this &s;ea&s;on, that having the <HI>Forces</HI> in our hands, we have our <HI>Lives</HI> and <HI>Liberties</HI> &s;ecured, and &s;o may quietly wait for more light, and are free to di&s;po&s;e of our &s;elves according to the be&s;t light and under&s;tanding that &s;hall be brought forth among&s;t us; which is no &s;mall mercy, if we had hearts to improve it, to be once free from all the yokes that were upon our necks by the blinde and malignant Con&s;ti|tutions of the Nations, and &s;et free to follow the be&s;t light God &s;hall &s;hine forth to us.</P>
<P>Thirdly, You have rea&s;on to con&s;ider, that as all former Powers are di&s;&s;olv'd, <HI>viz.</HI> The Power of <HI>King</HI> and <HI>Parliament,</HI> by their irreconcileable Breaches and continued Wars; &s;o this Title of <HI>Captain General of all the Forces of England, Scotland and Ireland,</HI> doth not onely extingui&s;h the three di&s;tinct King|doms and their Governments, and &s;ubject them to the&s;e <HI>Forces,</HI> but lays wa&s;te the pales whereby they were formerly divided, and turns them all into one <HI>Militia,</HI> under the command of <HI>one General;</HI> for the Command of the <HI>Forces</HI> of all three King|doms, is both a greater Power, and of another kinde, and mu&s;t needs &s;wallow up the three particular Governments into it &s;elf, which is a large field that we are brought into: that now the <HI>General of the&s;e Forces</HI> hath an unlimited Power to <HI>enlarge his Militia,</HI> to take in all <HI>hone&s;t men</HI> if he plea&s;e, and to give them <HI>what pay</HI> he judges rea&s;onable; and in order to it, to <HI>rai&s;e what money</HI> he plea&s;es in the three Nations, to re&s;train and <HI>&s;ecure</HI> what <HI>per&s;ons</HI> he &s;u&s;pects to be Di&s;turbers of his Army and Com|mand, to inflict what <HI>puni&s;hment</HI> he plea&s;es upon his <HI>enemies,</HI> to make what <HI>Con&s;titutions</HI> he will for the &s;ecuring the&s;e <HI>For|ces,</HI> and to <HI>repeal</HI> all Laws that are again&s;t their Safety and Quiet: The&s;e things are natural and e&s;&s;ential to a <HI>General in</HI> and <HI>with</HI> his Army, which will be accounted ab&s;urd for either <HI>King</HI> or <HI>Protector</HI> of <HI>England</HI> to do: &s;o royal and ab&s;olute Au|thority in the hands of an <HI>hone&s;t General</HI> intru&s;ted for, and in fellow&s;hip with the whole <HI>Party,</HI> in a capacity di&s;tinct from the Nations, is a thing worth remembring.</P>
<P>Fourthly, You cannot but con&s;ider that the <HI>General</HI> hath been the chief In&s;trument of getting the &s;word into the hands
<PB N="24" REF="16">of hone&s;t men: You cannot but remember how indu&s;trious he was to have an <HI>hone&s;t Regiment,</HI> then an <HI>hone&s;t Army,</HI> at lea&s;t under <HI>hone&s;t Officers,</HI> how he &s;ent for <HI>hone&s;t men</HI> from all parts of the Nation, and imployed and encouraged them; and this favor he &s;hewed to <HI>hone&s;t men,</HI> as <HI>hone&s;t men</HI> without partiality; when he had gathered them together, pleaded their Cau&s;e again&s;t their enemies: You know how con&s;tantly the Work pro&s;per'd in their hands under his Conduct, and how they have been kept in union, and in order and di&s;cipline by his Wi&s;dom and Government; &s;o that if the hone&s;t people of the three Nations have obtain'd an outward and vi&s;ible Power in the earth, and to be above their enemies, &s;afe and &s;ecure, the <HI>General</HI> is the immediate Patron and Father of it, it being fir&s;t conceived, and &s;ince brought forth and cheri&s;h'd, principally (as by an in&s;trument) by his Coun&s;el and Conduct; and if he that gave life to this Body, &s;hould not uphold and pre&s;erve it, it would in all probability fall into divi&s;ion and con|fu&s;ion; therefore you have rea&s;on to challenge him to be <HI>Ge|neral of all the Forces,</HI> they con&s;i&s;ting by him, and <HI>we</HI> in and by them.</P>
<P>Fifthly, This his Authority is &s;o bright and unque&s;tion|able that none can deny it, nor you, or any hone&s;t man a &s;nare in it: This Title <HI>Captain General of all the Forces,</HI> and &s;o of all the Armies of <HI>hone&s;t men</HI> in the three Nations; it hath been the product of Providence, after our many years wars, openly declared and &s;eal'd to by the Lord in all parts of the three Nations; therefore if you had but united your &s;elves to it, and taken in the <HI>intere&s;t</HI> and relation of <HI>all hone&s;t men,</HI> which is your and their due (and mu&s;t be implied, though not expre&s;s'd) it is then, I think, the honorable&s;t Title in the world, a mercy beyond all we could expect, had we eyes to &s;ee it, and hearts to make a &s;ober u&s;e of it.</P>
<P>I judge the&s;e very fundamental Con&s;iderations: Fir&s;t, The union of all hone&s;t men to the Armies as their own. Secondly, The excellency and freedom of Military power. Thirdly, That the Forces of the three Nations being united under <HI>one Gene|ral,</HI> are a Power larger and greater than their former civil and divided States, and fully comprehends them in it &s;elf.
<PB N="25" REF="16">Fourthly, That the <HI>General</HI> is the Natural Father of this power. Fifthly, And all this the workman&s;hip of Providence, ju&s;tified by Succe&s;s in the face of all the world; which put toge|ther, would make a good Ground for us to unite and &s;tand upon.</P>
<P>The rea&s;on why you refu&s;e the common Title of <HI>Protector,</HI> is I &s;uppo&s;e this, That as <HI>General</HI> he &s;tood in a &s;pecial relation to <HI>hone&s;t men,</HI> as divided from their enemies and all others in <HI>an Army,</HI> where you expect a more open, friendly and inge|nious conver&s;e with him: You think he hath by being <HI>Prote|ctor of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland,</HI> le|vell'd this Di&s;tinction, and brought you into the common con|dition of the Nation, and now every man hath as much &s;hare in him as you or we: your di&s;content is jealou&s;ie, le&s;t your <HI>Lord General</HI> &s;hould for&s;ake the wife of his youth, the hone&s;t <HI>people of the Nation,</HI> his &s;i&s;ter, his &s;pou&s;e, in the morning of her beauty, and commit adultery with that rotten harlot, Old worldly Power and Greatne&s;s.</P>
<P>And that he &s;hould &s;eem to de&s;ert you, and that <HI>general</HI> and unlimited Power that he had with you, and you with him, and this won and worn in the face of the three Nations, and take up a limited Power, a broken clipt Title, maim'd and imperfect, and that a Mu&s;hrom, a thing that ri&s;es in a night, none knows from whence; that he &s;hould carry his and your conquering Sword, and hang it up among&s;t the Mo|numents in <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> and fetch out of the old Records, or the Lawyers pates, a ceremonial empty thing without &s;pirit or vigor, and therewith wrap up and invelope him&s;elf from the conver&s;e and enjoyment of his own body and &s;pou&s;e: Now in this I confe&s;s, I would a little indulge your jealou&s;ie, though it be mixed with an un&s;eemly rage, yet I hope there is love at the bottom, and a &s;en&s;e that His Highne&s;s hath deve&s;ted him&s;elf of too much of that Greatne&s;s and Power which he had, and which is nece&s;&s;ary to uphold us and our cau&s;e in that &s;tate into which he hath brought us: But withal let us con&s;ider it is an error that de&s;erves pity, it may be he intended it as an act of humility, not of di&s;loyalty, that he con&s;idered him&s;elf as a pri|vate
<PB N="26" REF="17">per&s;on, not as a <HI>General</HI> intru&s;ted with all the Honor won by <HI>hone&s;t men</HI> in the&s;e wars, and if he hath wa&s;ted his &s;trength and might by it, he will quickly feel the want of it, and will be ready to entertain a loving invitation back again; and if in &s;tead of &s;uing a Divorce, your <HI>Letter and Paper</HI> had been a lo|ving Challenge and Claim of your right to him, it might for ought I know have had a very excellent effect.</P>
<P>Meeting with the&s;e two con&s;iderable Que&s;tions in your Title, I could not but give them as &s;erious a Con&s;ideration as I was able, in hope it may help to clear our Work for the future: I &s;hall now ha&s;ten to your Letter.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="part">
<PB N="27" REF="17">
<HEAD>ANIMADVERSIONS <HI>UPON</HI> ALETTER &s;ent to His HIGHNES BY Certain GENTLEMEN and others in <HI>WALES.</HI></HEAD>
<P>IN the begining of your Letter you &s;peak of <HI>A Sudden, Strange, and &V;nexpected alteration of Government,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>to the great a&s;toni&s;hment,</HI> &amp;c. I doubt 'tis the vapors that do ari&s;e from your own pa&s;&s;ion, that do occa&s;ion this <HI>great a&s;toni&s;h|ment</HI> in you; for, let a man but with a little Rea&s;on view our late publick Tran&s;actions, and <HI>Change of Government</HI> will be no <HI>&s;trange thing</HI> to him: From the begining of the&s;e times, we have been little but <HI>Changes;</HI> we have <HI>chang'd</HI> from <HI>three</HI> States to <HI>two,</HI> from <HI>King, Lords</HI> and <HI>Commons,</HI> to <HI>Lords</HI> and <HI>Com|mons;</HI> for a while they govern'd us, and then we turn'd from <HI>two</HI> to <HI>one,</HI> the <HI>Commons</HI> onely, without <HI>King</HI> and <HI>Lords:</HI> And this hath been turn'd, purg'd, dre&s;s'd, broken and patch'd up again, divers times and ways; the&s;e are great <HI>changes</HI> of Government, but a greater yet follow<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">d: When the Remnant of the old Parliament was taken away, that wherein the <HI>Authority</HI> of the <HI>King</HI> in Calling, and the <HI>Liberty</HI> of the <HI>People</HI> in Chu&s;ing, met in one Con&s;titution; And the then <HI>General</HI> and his <HI>Council, private per&s;ons,</HI> exerci&s;e the <HI>Authority</HI> of the <HI>King,</HI> and <HI>Liberty</HI> of the <HI>People,</HI> and meerly out of their own wills create a <HI>Par|liament:</HI> Now all <HI>Civil</HI> Power is <HI>changed</HI> into <HI>Military,</HI> and that triumphing in the highe&s;t Ab&s;olutene&s;s, as if the Sword were the onely Lord of the world, the <HI>Alpha</HI> and <HI>Omega</HI> of Government; as if it gave the <HI>King</HI> his <HI>Maje&s;ty,</HI> and the <HI>People</HI>
<PB N="28" REF="18">their <HI>Freedom,</HI> and could challenge them when it pleas'd; yet this <HI>change</HI> did not &s;o much <HI>a&s;toni&s;h</HI> you, for &s;ome of you were Members of this <HI>Parliament:</HI> Neither had you rea&s;on to be offended at this, becau&s;e by this <HI>change,</HI> your way had an oppor|tunity to put in its Claim to Power; this was the Vertical point. The next <HI>change</HI> was rather downward again, into an <HI>In&s;tru|ment,</HI> which &s;ets up <HI>One</HI> as Supreme, and a <HI>Parliament cho&s;en</HI> by the <HI>People;</HI> this is not altogether &s;o &s;trange to <HI>England</HI> as the former: Now which of the&s;e you mean, I know not; to complain of the former <HI>change</HI> from the <HI>long Parliament</HI> to the <HI>little Parliament,</HI> is again&s;t your own <HI>Intere&s;t;</HI> and to complain of a <HI>change</HI> from a <HI>Parliament impos'd,</HI> to a <HI>Parliament cho&s;en,</HI> is again&s;t the <HI>Intere&s;t</HI> of the People: I will not trouble you, to re&s;olve which of the&s;e <HI>changes</HI> doth affect you mo&s;t: Many are offended at the taking away the <HI>old Parliament,</HI> and that <HI>Cau&s;e</HI> you &s;eem to undertake; whether it be really your Intere&s;t, I'll not determine: I &s;hall onely give you and others that are un&s;a|tisfied with <HI>that act,</HI> my thoughts concerning it.</P>
<P>That <HI>long Parliament</HI> de&s;erves to be mention'd with much Honor, by all Hone&s;t men in the Nation that did adhere to it; for that it had in it many &s;ound and worthy men, and was a long time a Bulwark that kept off Slavery and De&s;truction from breaking in upon us, in many a hard brunt and de&s;perate a&s;&s;ult; yet the removing of them at that time, might be no injury to them or us:</P>
<P N="1">I. That <HI>Parliament,</HI> as they then &s;tood, was no <HI>Legal</HI> Con|&s;titution, nor had they Right to the <HI>Government,</HI> by our Laws: What Right had they to take away the <HI>Life</HI> and <HI>Office</HI> of a <HI>King,</HI> by who&s;e <HI>Authority</HI> they were made a <HI>Parliament?</HI> Or what Right had they to take away the <HI>Hou&s;e of Lords,</HI> a Con|&s;titution Ancienter than them&s;elves? When this was done, what ju&s;t Power had they to con&s;titute them&s;elves a <HI>Common|wealth?</HI> There was no act of the people that either made them &s;o, or gave them power to make them&s;elves &s;o; they had no &s;uch power inherent in them&s;elves, neither could they ever manife&s;t any &s;uch &s;tamp of Maje&s;ty &s;et upon them by God and his provi|dence. Now, if the <HI>Parliament</HI> did a&s;&s;ume the Government, without any Rule or Authority, and impo&s;e <HI>It</HI> and <HI>Them&s;elves</HI>
<PB N="29" REF="18">upon the <HI>People,</HI> and &s;o upon the <HI>Army;</HI> what Law is broken, in pulling down that which &s;tands not by Law?</P>
<P N="2">II. That Government, &s;uch a Con&s;titution as it had, was from the <HI>Army;</HI> the <HI>Army</HI> urg'd them to do ju&s;tice upon the King, which they neither could nor dur&s;t do them&s;elves: For, they and eveny Rational man mu&s;t confe&s;s, that were it not for the Strength, Honor and Succe&s;s of the <HI>Army,</HI> that which we call <HI>Parliament, Government</HI> and <HI>Commonwealth,</HI> would have been made <HI>Confederacy</HI> and <HI>Rebellion.</HI> 'Tis true, the <HI>Army</HI> did at lea&s;t tolerate, and &s;o far con&s;ent, as to &s;ubmit to this Govern|ment; but I know not that they by any act did <HI>ratifie</HI> it, or ever intend to <HI>perpetuate</HI> it: And that con&s;ent was not an act of Judgment and Righteou&s;ne&s;s; for in all our Affairs hitherto <HI>we have not had &s;o much light and clearne&s;s, as to produce any work of true Wi&s;dom and &V;nder&s;tanding.</HI> But as in all other things, &s;o <HI>in this,</HI> we are driven and thru&s;t forward from one thing to that which is next, as the <HI>&s;ence of Danger</HI> and the <HI>hopes of Ea&s;e</HI> lead us, in the dark, without Judgment: And &s;o the <HI>Army</HI> &s;et up, or admit of this <HI>Government,</HI> by a <HI>Parliament,</HI> without <HI>King</HI> and <HI>Lords,</HI> being at hand, knowing no better, finding &s;ome ea&s;e in being freed from wor&s;e Oppre&s;&s;ors, and as a pre&s;ent conveniency: And if they had power to <HI>admit it,</HI> or <HI>&s;et it up,</HI> when they found it <HI>u&s;eful;</HI> why may they not <HI>pull it down</HI> and <HI>reject it,</HI> when they felt it <HI>grievous</HI> and <HI>bur|then&s;om.</HI></P>
<P N="3">III. That which you call the <HI>Government,</HI> as it never had a <HI>Formal Con&s;titution</HI> either from God or men (that I know of) &s;o before it was taken down, it had quite lo&s;t the <HI>nature</HI> and <HI>&s;pirit</HI> of <HI>Government;</HI> a dry Tree, &s;hrunk up into a private and &s;elfi&s;h &s;pirit: There were good men and good things among&s;t them; but as the Princes of <HI>Zoan,</HI> I&s;a. 19. mingled with a <HI>per|ver&s;e</HI> &amp; <HI>fooli&s;h &s;pirit,</HI> that four or five of the be&s;t of them could not agree in any <HI>one Propo&s;ition</HI> for publick good; though they were both wi&s;e &amp; hone&s;t men, yet <HI>(they them&s;elves know)</HI> they were ab&s;urdly and peevi&s;hly divided, in &s;o great a confu|&s;ion, that there could be no rea&s;on of expecting any more fruit from them: They were a long while a <HI>Burthen</HI> to the <HI>Nation,</HI> and the <HI>People</HI> very &s;en&s;ible of it; and did, by a general
<PB N="30" REF="19">di&s;like and &s;corn of them, re-call that <HI>choice</HI> that they had made of them, and the Honor they had put upon them; and would, if the <HI>Army</HI> had not guarded them, have expre&s;s'd their rejecting of them from being <HI>their Repre&s;entatives,</HI> by pulling them out of the Hou&s;e; they were indeed full ripe; and, had not the <HI>Army</HI> done it, the rage of Women, or &s;ome &s;uch ba&s;e hand would have gather<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">d them: 'Twas doubtle&s;s an Honor for them, to <HI>dye</HI> by &s;o Noble a hand, which had given and conti|nued <HI>life</HI> to them: I believe they were <HI>&s;elf-condemn'd,</HI> and the more ingenuous of them were &s;en&s;ible of an Inlargement, by their being di&s;charg'd from their &s;ore and unprofitable travel; onely having long injoyed their places, they linger'd and were loth to depart; and when they &s;aw they mu&s;t go, they would provide for their &s;peedy return, and would have <HI>dyed</HI> to <HI>live</HI> again: which was the great incivility done to them, in their apprehen&s;ions, they were prevented in their propagating their <HI>likene&s;s,</HI> and <HI>them&s;elves</HI> al&s;o into <HI>A new Repre&s;entative.</HI></P>
<P N="4">IV. The then General and Officers did not this work vo|luntarily, which (for ought I know) they might have done, had they had light and &s;trength &s;ufficient for it; but they were thru&s;t upon it by the Soldiers and inferior Officers, which I &s;uppo&s;e you may remember, and that your own &s;pirit was bu|&s;ie and active in it, and much rejoyc'd in it when it was done, and you had indeed &s;ome more rea&s;on for it than others, for <HI>that body</HI> was very aver&s;e to your way, and to the things you would have done, yea far more aver&s;e than this <HI>pre&s;ent Power</HI> is: For you now to fetch your Enemies (&s;o you counted them while they liv'd) out of their Graves, to oppo&s;e and accu&s;e your Friends, for an act which you approv'd of, it is a <HI>&s;trange change</HI> of your mindes: If you could come out of this <HI>mi&s;t</HI> of <HI>Di&s;content,</HI> and behold your pre&s;ent po&s;ture, how you &s;eem to love, and plead for that which <HI>is not;</HI> which, if it were again, you would &s;eek the de&s;troying of it again; and how you pro|&s;ecute them with hatred, which did your work for you, and are your Friends, you would be <HI>greatly a&s;toni&s;h'd</HI> at the &s;trange form of your own &s;pirits (a greater wonder than <HI>Change of Governments</HI>) and you would <HI>confe&s;s,</HI> I am apt to <HI>believe,</HI> That both your <HI>Love</HI> to <HI>them,</HI> and your <HI>Enmity</HI> to <HI>the&s;e,</HI> is feigned and not real.</P>
<PB N="31" REF="19">
<P>I mu&s;t deal as nakedly as I can with you, and them, and all the world, and tell you, That I do think there was Iniquity in that action, and in all actions of that nature; for, <HI>pulling down</HI> is a dark and wrathful Mini&s;try, and ordinarily perform'd by &s;uch a &s;pirit as <HI>Jehu</HI> had, who&s;e <HI>name</HI> &s;hewed his <HI>nature, &s;ibi con&s;tans,</HI> con&s;tant to it &s;elf, or &s;elf-&s;eeking, though imployed by God: To de&s;troy old worldly buildings, though very <HI>rotten,</HI> is not a work for a pure Evangelical &s;pirit; the Vengeance admini&s;tred may be righteous, but if there were not a deal of fle&s;hly Zeal, Pride, Self love, and &s;ome bruiti&s;h Cruelty or hardine&s;s in us, we &s;hould not be fit for &s;uch a &s;ervice. There|fore I fear, before God will make u&s;e of us in any Honorable work, to build a place of Re&s;t for him&s;elf, he will wa&s;h away the <HI>&s;tain</HI> of <HI>Blood</HI> that &s;ticks upon us, make us to be a&s;ham'd and loath our &s;elves, for that Ra&s;hne&s;s, Fiercene&s;s and Vio|lence, that have accompanied all our late Wars and Tran&s;acti|ons: Indeed a right &s;ight of this Evil, would make you and me, and all of us, not to condemn others, but our &s;elves, and the &s;tate or kinde of the mini&s;try we have been exercis d in: But for you to overlook the evil of the whole Party, and of the <HI>Parliament</HI> it &s;elf, in cutting down, by a long War and much Blood, <HI>King</HI> and <HI>Lords, two E&s;tates</HI> &s;uperior to them|&s;elves; and to &s;eem to be <HI>a&s;toni&s;h'd,</HI> that an <HI>Army</HI> &s;hould gently lay a&s;ide that <HI>Parliament,</HI> which it had given life to and upheld, and in &s;uch a &s;ea&s;on, in &s;uch a maner, where no Blood &s;pilt, no Tears &s;hed, none made Fatherle&s;s, none Wi|dows: This great trouble you expre&s;s is &s;ome <HI>&s;trange</HI> and <HI>new</HI> grief taken up of late, you and others did rejoyce in it. To pull down old Hou&s;es, is a du&s;ty and thankle&s;s work; they that live in them, or are part of them, and &s;ub&s;i&s;t by them, will be angry at it: But that you &s;hould be cordially offended at it, who expect another <HI>Kingdom</HI> and <HI>Monarchy,</HI> for <HI>who&s;e &s;ake</HI> this is done; yea that did <HI>do it,</HI> and would <HI>do it</HI> again, if it were undone: Or that you &s;hould complain of <HI>that done</HI> by the&s;e, while you are endeavoring <HI>to do</HI> the &s;ame thing upon the&s;e, I can't reach the rea&s;on of this My&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters">ry! For who &s;ees not, that you are about to change the Government if you can, though it be by War? And therefore it is you expre&s;s your <HI>fear that
<PB N="32" REF="20">they are utterly di&s;abled to pro&s;ecute,</HI> &amp;c. Angry at former <HI>changes,</HI> and fear we &s;hall have <HI>no more;</HI> that now things are bound up fa&s;t by an <HI>Oath</HI> and <HI>In&s;trument,</HI> that we &s;hall go no further, you need not <HI>fear it:</HI> This Government was &s;et up in ha&s;te, and not con&s;tituted with that Con&s;ideration and Wi&s;|dom, as to la&s;t many Ages: The Earth reels and &s;taggers as a drunken man, 'tis not an <HI>In&s;trument</HI> that will keep it &s;teddy, and the mindes of men &s;o loo&s;e, as not to be bound by <HI>Oathes;</HI> wait with patience, another change may make room for you, before you be fit for action: Provide you Wi&s;dom, Love, and Righteou&s;ne&s;s, our Nece&s;&s;ities will call for them, I fear, before you will be able to admini&s;ter them.</P>
<P>The next thing I would note to you is, You &s;ay, <HI>Ju&s;tly &s;u&s;pected ends in time pa&s;t;</HI> and in your <HI>Paper, Not knowing the deep Policies of worldly States-men:</HI> You u&s;e to <HI>acknowledge God</HI> in all the&s;e things, and that this work was carryed on with <HI>a high hand of Providence,</HI> beyond all the contrivance of men: Sure you have chang'd your &s;tation, you were <HI>within,</HI> and &s;aw the <HI>inward</HI> Spring, <HI>Gods hand;</HI> now you are <HI>without,</HI> and look upon the <HI>out&s;ide</HI> of the Hanging, and there you &s;ee <HI>Policy;</HI> our Judgments alter as our Sight, that which is a Man while we are nigh to it in Love, removed at a di&s;tance by a little Enmi|ty, &s;eems to be a Bea&s;t: Love thinks no evil, &s;ees nothing but <HI>God in all;</HI> Enmity removes God from the &s;ight, and &s;ets up men and deep de&s;igns.</P>
<P>I &s;hall de&s;ire you to con&s;ider, 1. That Athei&s;tical, worldly wi&s;e men u&s;e to talk at this rate, This was <HI>de&s;ign'd</HI> long ago. 2. That they talk thus, becau&s;e they would &s;eem to be wi&s;e, and to under&s;tand <HI>deep Policy.</HI> 3. Though they <HI>&s;eem to be wi&s;e,</HI> yet are <HI>become Fools;</HI> for 'tis the greate&s;t folly, not to <HI>acknow|ledge God in all</HI> things. 4. That men <HI>talk</HI> what they <HI>live,</HI> and do pretend to, but can't attain it, their attributing &s;o much to Policy, &s;hews they are well-wi&s;hers to it, which may make us fear you will begin to tread in the&s;e &s;teps: But alas, how much better, &s;afer and ea&s;ier is it for you, to be Children, and to a&s;cribe things, <HI>though a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="4 letters">&s;t us,</HI> to Gods hand? May I not &s;ay to you, as <HI>Paul</HI> to the <HI>Corinthians?</HI> 2 Cor. 11.3. <HI>I fear, le&s;t by any means, as the Serpent beguiled Eve through his &s;ub|tilty,
<PB N="33" REF="20">&s;o your mindes &s;hould be corrupted from the &s;implicity that is in Chri&s;t:</HI> You were children once, and thought as &s;imply and childi&s;hly as I do, That neither the Protector him&s;elf, nor the wi&s;e&s;t Heads among&s;t them, have the tenth part of that fore&s;ight that is required to lay &s;uch a De&s;ign; I imagine they are as weak as you and I, and other people, that know not what will be too morrow, nor have they fore&s;een the things that are come to pa&s;s. Now pray how came you to be &s;o wi&s;e, as to under&s;tand the&s;e <HI>Polititians?</HI> who taught you this? I fear 'twas the <HI>Serpent,</HI> the <HI>Accu&s;er;</HI> &s;ure the&s;e deep reaches do but torture and vex your mindes, therefore 'tis better to be children &s;till, and to look up to <HI>Gods hand</HI> in all things, be they good or evil: And if they are wi&s;e States|men, as I fear there is too much of it among&s;t them (but not as you imagine) let us that are &s;tanders by and overlook them, either pity them or laugh at them; for I am for either, &s;o it be innocent and harmle&s;s.</P>
<P>They have by their craft pull'd down the King and his par|ty, and &s;et up them&s;elves in their place; this is the plot: And by this have made their Enemies to hate them <HI>more</HI> than they did, and their Friends to hate them <HI>more</HI> than ever they hated the Cavaliers; which they cannot but expect, if they &s;it down in the Kings &s;tate; for who &s;o odious, as a treacherous and apo&s;tate Brother! Thus for a little forc'd Honor, they lift up them&s;elves publick objects of Scorn and de&s;pite to both &s;ides: A fine policy.</P>
<P>They may u&s;e their Policy, but God hath a De&s;ign upon them, which hath taken effect; they are brought in a &s;nare, catched in a net of perplexities, where they are be&s;et with Re|proach, Danger and Trouble on every &s;ide, and know not which way to go for Safety, they can neither go backwards nor forwards; <HI>Papists</HI> and <HI>Cavaliers</HI> preparing again&s;t them abroad, their <HI>old Enemies</HI> at home more and more inraged again&s;t them, their <HI>Friends</HI> and <HI>Brethren</HI> di&s;&s;erting and oppo|&s;ing of them: If their worldly Policy hath brought them into this pit, I am confident, the more they <HI>devi&s;e,</HI> the <HI>deeper</HI> they will go into <HI>Confu&s;ion,</HI> and that it mu&s;t be Simplicity, Humility, and a <HI>childi&s;h Obedience</HI> to the Lord, that mu&s;t bring them out.
<PB N="34" REF="21">'Tis a fair warning to you, you are witne&s;&s;ing, declaring, &s;ub|&s;cribing, ingaging a party again&s;t the&s;e, as they again&s;t the King, you begin to under&s;tand the way of it; if you &s;hould undermine them, as they have done others (which I think you will not do) you would, by getting the power and place, get the confu&s;ion, perplexity and trouble they have; and that as much more, as your &s;trength or cunning will be greater than theirs.</P>
<P N="3">III. A third thing notable in your Letter, is <HI>a home Charge</HI> given the Protector;
'tis indeed a &s;tout Accu&s;ation, both for <HI>matter</HI> and <HI>maner;</HI> of <HI>Slighting and Bla&s;pheming the Spirit of God, Reproaching, Impri&s;oning and Oppre&s;&s;ing his people; Pride, Luxury, La&s;civiou&s;ne&s;s, Changing of Principles, For&s;aking good ways,</HI> &amp;c. and the&s;e <HI>to be read in his forehead;</HI> and that with a citation to <HI>appear before the great Iudge, and his impar|tial Tribunal:</HI> I am unwilling to &s;ay how this agrees to the Maxime of <HI>Machiavel,</HI> Calumniate <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="4 letters">ly, &s;omething will &s;tick: I had rather &s;ay to you, as our Lord to his Di&s;ciples, when they were in &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ion, <HI>Luke</HI> 9.55. <HI>Ye know not what maner of Spirit ye are of;</HI> they thought 'twas nothing but Zeal for Chri&s;t, exercis'd in a way of God in Faith, and according to a good Scripture example, <HI>Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from Heaven, and con&s;ume them, as Elias, did?</HI> But Chri&s;t di&s;owns this, though it &s;eems to be high Religion, yet 'tis but the <HI>Spirit</HI> of the <HI>De&s;troyer,</HI> not of a <HI>Savior; The Son of Man is come,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>not to de&s;troy mens lives, but to &s;ave them:</HI> Let me onely de&s;ire you to turn your mindes a little from your pre&s;ent Anger, and to <HI>con&s;ider</HI> and <HI>an&s;wer</HI> the&s;e few <HI>Que&s;tions:</HI></P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 1. Whether have you the&s;e things upon your own <HI>know|ledge,</HI> or upon, the <HI>report</HI> of others? Have all you that have &s;ub&s;crib'd this Paper, heard the Protector <HI>Bla&s;pheme the Spi|rit of God,</HI> and <HI>Reproach his People?</HI> &amp;c. Or have you &s;een <HI>His Pride, Luxury and La&s;civiou&s;ne&s;s?</HI> I may well &s;uppo&s;e you have not.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 2. You &s;ay this is <HI>your Te&s;timony and Witne&s;s;</HI> Dare you, or can you be <HI>Witne&s;&s;es</HI> of the&s;e things before any <HI>Iudge?</HI> You <HI>&s;ub&s;cribe</HI> and <HI>publi&s;h</HI> them; but can any hone&s;t indifferent
<PB N="35" REF="21"><HI>Iudge</HI> admit of you to be <HI>lawful Witne&s;&s;es</HI> in the things you have not <HI>heard</HI> or <HI>&s;een?</HI></P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 3. Con&s;ider then, whether in this you act according to the <HI>lowe&s;t line</HI> of <HI>Truth,</HI> according to the common Ju&s;tice and Hone&s;ty that is among&s;t men? 'Tis a great <HI>abomination,</HI> though commonly practis'd among&s;t <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors,</HI> ra&s;hly to receive and give credit to evil and fal&s;e Reports of them they <HI>hate,</HI> or that are of an <HI>oppo&s;ite party,</HI> and that too in a way of Religion; which if examin'd, will be judg'd, by the common Light of Na|ture to be, not onely Ungodly, but Unrea&s;onable.</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 4. Whether do you think, that the <HI>great Iudge</HI> will judge according to that appearance, wherein you now behold the Protector and his actions? which is not &s;o good as <HI>by the &s;ight of the Eye, and by the hearing of the Ear,</HI> but by others <HI>&s;eeing</HI> and <HI>hearing.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 5. Whether, though you are now admitted to be <HI>Wit|ne&s;&s;es</HI> again&s;t the <HI>Protector,</HI> as innocent per&s;ons, in the judg|ments of your &s;elves and your own party (it may be to none but your &s;elves) yet when he and you (now two parties) &s;hall &s;tand before <HI>the impartial Tribunal of the great Iudge,</HI> whe|ther then you will be able to lift up your heads to <HI>accu&s;e him,</HI> and will not rather be found as guilty as he, and to &s;tand in need of the &s;ame mercy with him?</P>
<P><HI>Q.</HI> 6. 'Tis true, God will <HI>judge</HI> the <HI>Protector,</HI> for any ra&s;h and un&s;eemly word or act, again&s;t any per&s;ons or things that do but pretend to God; and for every motion and expre&s;&s;ion of <HI>Pride, Fal&s;hood,</HI> or <HI>vain Plea&s;ures:</HI> But do you not think that this <HI>Eye of God</HI> will pierce through this Mi&s;t of <HI>Calumny</HI> that is upon him? Through this <HI>thick clay</HI> of worldly Great|ne&s;s, with which he is now <HI>dawb'd over</HI> and oppre&s;s'd; and through the <HI>vail</HI> of <HI>Fle&s;h,</HI> which makes him walk unevenly; and <HI>&s;earch</HI> his Heart, whether it be Obedient and Upright, or true to God and his work, or fal&s;e in it, and &s;eek to &s;et up him&s;elf? God will certainly <HI>prove</HI> and <HI>try</HI> him, the &s;ecret &s;pirit of his minde, what <HI>it is</HI> in his work; and when he hath done that, do you not think he will &s;earch deeper than his Spirit in his <HI>work,</HI> which may be weak and mixt, and at la&s;t <HI>judge</HI> him according to the <HI>&s;eed</HI> of <HI>Election,</HI> the <HI>&s;eed</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI>
<PB N="36" REF="22">and his <HI>Righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> in him? And then let me ask you, whe|ther God will not &s;o <HI>judge</HI> you? Look through your vail of Duties, Profe&s;&s;ion and Ordinances; and <HI>try</HI> your <HI>Heart,</HI> with what Spirit of Love, Obedience and Truth you are in your <HI>work;</HI> and whether will you &s;tand to this judgment? Or ra|ther that God &s;hould judge you according to Grace, to the Name and Nature of Chri&s;t, written upon you and in you? Sure the <HI>great Iudge</HI> will thus <HI>judge</HI> us at la&s;t, by his <HI>great judgment</HI> or <HI>la&s;t judgment,</HI> not by the outward <HI>Conver&s;ation</HI> nor inward <HI>Intention,</HI> but finally by his eternal Election, ac|cording to the Book of Life.</P>
<P>When you have con&s;ider'd the&s;e Que&s;tions, let me de&s;ire you to reade the thoughts of my heart concerning the parti|culars of your Charge; which thoughts are not upon know|ledge of Fact, but what account my Experience and Rea&s;on gives me of &s;uch things: For if I do meet with &s;uch Reports as the&s;e, as &s;ometimes I do, and &s;wallow them down without trying of them, and do bring them out again in Di&s;cour&s;e; I finde they do pollute my &s;oul, and that it is a very naughty Spirit that made me either Receive or Report them: But when I have the exerci&s;e of any kinde of Judgment concern|ing them, I finde cau&s;e to reject them; the grief that I have receiv'd by them, makes me more expert in trying of them.</P>
<P><HI>Slighting and Bla&s;pheming the Spirit of God;</HI> I &s;uppo&s;e &s;ome men bring to the <HI>Protector,</HI> things in the Name of the <HI>Spirit,</HI> that he judges weak and fooli&s;h <HI>Fancies,</HI> tho&s;e he &s;lights; others bring him things that he judges <HI>&V;ngodly,</HI> and that, as they think, from the Spirit, the&s;e he <HI>bla&s;phemes</HI> or <HI>&s;peaks evil</HI> of: And this he may do in Pa&s;&s;ion and fle&s;hly hardne&s;s, not in <HI>tenderne&s;s to him</HI> that utters them, who being grieved in his &s;pirit, &s;ays <HI>the Spirit is &s;lighted:</HI> There is <HI>Bla|&s;phemy</HI> in one man again&s;t another, wherein both may pretend to the <HI>Spirit,</HI> and this is too common: There is <HI>Bla&s;phemy a|gain&s;t the Son of Man;</HI> I know not that any among&s;t us are guilty of this <HI>Bla&s;phemy,</HI> becau&s;e I &s;ee none come forth in the power and purity of his <HI>Spirit;</HI> and if they do, <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;aith, <HI>It &s;hall be forgiven them.</HI> But for <HI>Bla&s;phemy again&s;t the Spirit,</HI> in that &s;ence wherein Chri&s;t expre&s;&s;es it, I dare not think any
<PB N="37" REF="22">man guilty of it, becau&s;e the Spirit it &s;elf in his own maje&s;ty doth not (to my &s;ence) appear, but vail'd with humane weaknes.</P>
<P><HI>Reproaching and Impri&s;oning his people:</HI> We commonly call <HI>our &s;elves</HI> and <HI>our party, Gods people;</HI> but that you are &s;o, ex|cluding them, or that they are &s;o, excluding you, no third party or per&s;on can admit: And for <HI>Reproaches,</HI> you are even with them if not beforehand; and, I doubt, would be in <HI>Impri&s;oning</HI> al&s;o, if you had power. The conclu&s;ion that I make is this, Some of Gods people may for their weakne&s;s de&s;erve, and others in their weakne&s;s may inflict, <HI>Reproach</HI> and <HI>Impri&s;onment</HI> upon Brethren.</P>
<P><HI>Pride, Luxury, La&s;civiou&s;ne&s;s:</HI> I &s;uppo&s;e you intend onely his high living, though your words &s;eem to charge his per&s;on with very foul abominations; I am no Courtier, and therefore know not what his Conver&s;ation is in private: But in the times of my acquaintance with him, I did not ob&s;erve any &s;uch tem|per in him; and in Rea&s;on, Age and multitude of Bu&s;ine&s;s, if not Vertue, &s;hould keep him from &s;uch Sen&s;uality now: I have heard al&s;o &s;ome that have been his Servants, near to him, and <HI>&s;trict ob&s;ervers</HI> of him, report, That his frequent Praying Fa&s;ting and Watching, with other con&s;cientious and &s;trict Ob&s;ervances, &s;hew'd him inclin'd rather to turn Quaker than to loo&s;ne&s;s.</P>
<P>His <HI>way of living,</HI> I confe&s;s, I have &s;ometimes grudged at, as too <HI>Kingly,</HI> and not proportionable, either to his late condi|tion; or to the pre&s;ent condition of his Brethren; or to his own affairs, being in &s;uch want of Money: But upon further exami|nation of this Cen&s;ure, I do finde, that &s;uch as you and I are, li|ving at di&s;tance from &s;uch Greatne&s;s, our <HI>Mindes</HI> and <HI>Breedings</HI> being as mean as our <HI>Conditions,</HI> and our Spirits <HI>narrow</HI> and <HI>ri|gid,</HI> being <HI>outca&s;ts</HI> al&s;o from this pre&s;ent Glory, are troubled with a little Envie; and &s;o not at all fit to judge of it. I finde others that have known what Greatne&s;s is, of <HI>n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">bler</HI> and <HI>freer</HI> mindes, and live nearer to it, &s;ay, That there is nothing but what hath been ordinary, among&s;t noble Per&s;ons; not the <HI>tenth</HI> of what <HI>Expence</HI> hath formerly been, and no more than is nece&s;&s;ary for the <HI>Honor</HI> of the <HI>Nation:</HI> This I am &s;ure, 'tis a mean and low Spirit this, that doth at once <HI>envie</HI> and <HI>over value</HI> uch <HI>Greatne&s;s; Solomon,</HI> that lived at another rate than the <HI>Pro|tector,</HI>
<PB N="38" REF="23">gives us a true accompt of &s;uch mens conditions, <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 5.11. <HI>When goods increa&s;e, they are increa&s;ed that eat them; and what good is there to the owners thereof, &s;aving the behold|ing them with their eyes?</HI></P>
<P><HI>Changing of Principles:</HI> Your way of Writing, &s;hews you as unable to judge or Principles as I am; our mindes are &s;o &s;hort and di&s;temper'd by pa&s;&s;ion, that we cannot give a Ratio|nal accompt of the <HI>&s;eries</HI> of Actions: If any cro&s;s our wills and opinions, we are &s;o much di&s;turb'd at the &s;ence of the pre|&s;ent evil done to us, that we cannot con&s;ider the good that &s;uch per&s;ons <HI>have done,</HI> or <HI>now do</HI> for us; All former things are forgotten, and we are nothing but Anger, and think them no|thing but Mi&s;chief or Wickedne&s;s.</P>
<P>And when we are inraged, we let fly at mens <HI>Principles,</HI> be|ing not &s;atisfied to rebuke mens Actions, Opinions and Works, but would be aveng'd of their <HI>Principles</HI> too; as if we would kill them at <HI>very heart,</HI> pull them up by the <HI>roots,</HI> and leave them in an incurcable condition, <HI>Rotten</HI> in their <HI>Principles.</HI> Mens <HI>Actions</HI> are crooked and various, Mens <HI>Opinions</HI> or Un|der&s;tandings, weak and uncertain; <HI>Affections</HI> change as the wind; yea we may &s;ee the Heart waver and &s;tagger, &s;ometimes Evil, &s;ometimes Good carries it away: But how far goes Man in the trying of the&s;e things? Can <HI>he &s;earch the Heart,</HI> to know what it is? But <HI>Principles</HI> lie deeper than the Heart, and are indeed <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> who is the <HI>Principle,</HI> and <HI>Begining</HI> of all things, who, though Heart fail, and Fle&s;h fail, yet he abides the root of all.</P>
<P>'Tis worth con&s;idering, whether the Serpent may not, in directing the blindene&s;s of Man to charge all the weakne&s;s of their Brethren upon <HI>Principles,</HI> intend to grieve and wound <HI>Chri&s;t him&s;elf:</HI> I do but propound it to con&s;ider, be|cau&s;e this kinde of Uncharitablene&s;s is common, mo&s;t men thinking they do'nt <HI>charge home,</HI> nor &s;peak to the purpo&s;e, if they do'nt reach mens <HI>Principles,</HI> which indeed are &s;afe enough from all mens Enmity. But alas, what a pitiful thing it is for us, becau&s;e by our expre&s;&s;ing of our &s;elves in words or actions, in this mi&s;t of Confu&s;ion, we ju&s;tle one again&s;t another, and of|fend one another, our impatience pre&s;ently ri&s;es high, and we
<PB N="39" REF="23">quarrel with the <HI>Principle;</HI> and would indeed (if we dur&s;t) be angry at God, that he leads not all men the &s;ame way with us.</P>
<P>For the <HI>Protector,</HI> we do &s;ee plainly there is in him various Thoughts and Coun&s;els, &s;ometimes he looks this way, &s;ome|times that way, to&s;&s;ed about into &s;everal &s;tations and po&s;tures of <HI>Affairs;</HI> but of the <HI>Principles</HI> that move the&s;e things, what they are, and how they work, <HI>I know not, nor dare judge.</HI></P>
<P><HI>For&s;aking the good ways of Ju&s;tice and Holine&s;s:</HI> His way is in the wilderne&s;s, and 'tis crooked; and hath not our cour&s;e been &s;o from the begining, reeling and &s;taggering this way and that way? And this &s;hews, there is <HI>&V;nju&s;tice</HI> and <HI>&V;nholine&s;s</HI> among&s;t us, which cannot be <HI>excus'd,</HI> but mu&s;t be <HI>bewail'd:</HI> But whether our late turns, which have been from your, mine, and many mens judgments, have been a <HI>for&s;aking the good ways of Ju&s;tice and Holine&s;s,</HI> I know not: <HI>In the way of Ju&s;tice and Holine&s;s,</HI> perfectly, I fear, we never yet were; we may have <HI>mi&s;taken</HI> it now, but may, I hope, gain by <HI>mi&s;take,</HI> and be <HI>led into it by a way we know not.</HI></P>
<P>For your confident affirming to the <HI>Protector,</HI> That <HI>the&s;e things are even at pre&s;ent to be read in his forehead;</HI> and, your <HI>citing him to an&s;wer it before the great Judge,</HI> &amp;c. 'Tis &s;uch a high &s;train of Confidence, that I am not able to deal with it: You write as if you never intended to <HI>que&s;tion</HI> your &s;elves, or be <HI>que&s;tion'd</HI> by any other: But I be&s;eech you con&s;ider, if there &s;hould be found under the&s;e high Expre&s;&s;ions, a Spirit of En|mity and Uncharitablene&s;s. If you &s;hould <HI>pre&s;ent</HI> before the <HI>Lord,</HI> the common <HI>dirt of Report,</HI> which you gather up in the &s;treets of the World, and with it your own blinde Pa&s;&s;ions and Di&s;contents; what cau&s;e of &s;orrow and &s;hame will there be, for mingling &s;uch prophane &s;tuff, and &s;uch highly holy things to|gether? I'll tell you what I think, That you will repent of this bu&s;ine&s;s if you live, and that long before you &s;hall come nigh the <HI>impartial Tribunal of God;</HI> and not onely repent of this Spirit, but of your great confidence in it. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is the man that feareth always;</HI> had you <HI>fear'd</HI> more, you would have been more happy: My Soul trembles at it, not daring to come, or to think that you &s;hould come to the <HI>Altar,</HI> much le&s;s
<PB N="40" REF="24">to the <HI>impartial Tribunal of God;</HI> with &s;uch a Spirit.</P>
<P>There is much of this Trade abroad in the world, men make it their work to take up Reports again&s;t them they are di&s;|affected to, and dre&s;s them up with Religion, Scripture, a &s;hew of Zeal <HI>for God,</HI> and then cry them abroad, either in Pulpits or in private Di&s;cour&s;e, ordinarily mingled with either a bitter cur&s;e, or a taunt and &s;corn: So that it is a very great part of the Re|ligion abroad, to defame their Adver&s;aries, and this with great plea&s;ure and a &s;hew of Godline&s;s.</P>
<P>I do de&s;ire that you and others would &s;eriou&s;ly weigh the&s;e Con&s;iderations upon <HI>Exod.</HI> 23.1, 2, 3. <HI>Thou &s;halt not rai&s;e,</HI> or as in Marg. <HI>receive a fal&s;e Report: Put not thine hand with the wicked, to be an unrighteous witne&s;s.</HI> 2. <HI>Thou &s;halt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither &s;halt thou speak in a cau&s;e, to de|cline after many to wre&s;t judgment.</HI> 3. <HI>Neither &s;halt thou coun|tenance a poor man in his cau&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Let us con&s;ider what Reports are; generally, They are the <HI>eccho</HI> or <HI>reflection</HI> that mens per&s;ons and actions make upon <HI>Empty, Malicious</HI> and <HI>Proud</HI> mindes:</P>
<P N="1">I. <HI>Empty</HI> and hollow mindes make a Report or noi&s;e; The &s;olid Chri&s;tian, <HI>his voice is not heard in the &s;treets,</HI> his work is in|ward, at home upon his own &s;oul, and his <HI>conver&s;ation is in hea|ven,</HI> with the glorious works of Chri&s;t;: But the formal Hypo|crite is a <HI>Bu&s;ie body,</HI> exercis'd in the ba&s;e and vile things of other mens iniquities, or in the <HI>Report</HI> of them, which are <HI>vain</HI> and <HI>impure</HI> things, like him&s;elf.</P>
<P N="2">II. Reports are brought forth by <HI>Malice;</HI> did men love, they would <HI>cover iniquity: Charity thinketh no evil, rejoyceth not in iniquity,</HI> 1 Cor. 13.5, 6. If a man did either love God or his Brother, he would <HI>abominate evil,</HI> not take it into his <HI>thoughts,</HI> nor <HI>rejoyce</HI> to hear or &s;peak of <HI>iniquity,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>iniquity</HI> is an enemy both to God and to his Brother. But <HI>Malice,</HI> which is the <HI>height</HI> of &s;in and wickedne&s;s, makes a man love &s;in, and delight in it, becau&s;e it <HI>&s;erves</HI> him to pull down them that he hates: So that he <HI>joyns</HI> him&s;elf to <HI>Sin,</HI> and is <HI>Co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">federate</HI> with it, becau&s;e it doth mi&s;chief to his Adver&s;aries; and therefore it is, that though he &s;eem to <HI>dislike</HI> it, yet he gives it the advantage of his gifts, his Zeal and Language to inlarge and advance it.</P>
<PB N="41" REF="24">
<P>Malice is a very ba&s;e thing, but this kinde of malice is the wor&s;t: A noble enemy tru&s;ts to the righteou&s;ne&s;s, truth and ju|&s;tice of his own Cau&s;e, and being &s;atisfied with that, can wait with patience till <HI>God bring forth his righteou&s;ne&s;s;</HI> but &s;corns to defile him&s;elf, by making u&s;e either of the &s;ins of his Adver|&s;aries, or the lying reports of the world, to help his Cau&s;e, or hurt his Enemies.</P>
<P N="3">III. <HI>Pride</HI> rai&s;es Reports; for were a &s;oul truly &s;en&s;ible of his own and others mi&s;erable captivity in this world, and under this body of death, he would not take plea&s;ure in &s;peaking of other mens <HI>evil actions,</HI> or the <HI>fame</HI> of them, but his &s;oul would be bow'd down into &s;ecret mourning for the <HI>body</HI> and <HI>root</HI> of Sin and Death in him&s;elf and others.</P>
<P>'Tis indeed a <HI>cruel</HI> kinde of <HI>prido,</HI> either to make men &s;inners if they are not, or to make them wor&s;e than they are; or if they be indeed fallen, to trample upon them, and in&s;ult over them by bitter and publique Accu&s;ations; or for men to exalt their own <HI>&s;eeming Religion and Righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> by that which is an offence to God, and a wound to his name, and their bre|threns &s;ouls.</P>
<P N="2">II. We &s;ee what is the root of reports, whence they come: Let us con&s;ider in the next place that the <HI>Text</HI> calls them <HI>fal&s;e reports:</HI> They are <HI>generally</HI> &s;o, they can't be <HI>true</HI> that are the children of &s;uch parents, as Hypocri&s;ie, Malice and Pride: Man is a lye, he is &s;o <HI>vain</HI> a thing, that he can hardly be true in the <HI>be&s;t</HI> temper; he is a <HI>fal&s;e</HI> and <HI>broken</HI> gla&s;s, that gives very im|perfect <HI>repre&s;entations</HI> of things: Put a &s;traight &s;tick into the water, and it will &s;eem crooked, e&s;pecially if the water be mo|ved with the wind, &s;o are the mindes of men naturally as wa|ter; and at this time water agitated by &s;everal winds of Pa&s;|&s;ions, Fa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters">ions, Di&s;contents, Jealou&s;ies, Prejudices and Enmi|ties, &s;o that 'tis impo&s;&s;ible to meet with a right repre&s;entation of any man, or his actions in the world: All &s;orts of men, good and bad, have been abu&s;ed by reports, I have ob&s;erv'd it from the beginning of the&s;e times, we never could have a ju&s;t and true accompt of our Enemies, but <HI>very bad</HI> men have been made much wor&s;e by <HI>reports;</HI> if I finde a man delighting to cen&s;ure them he di&s;-affects, though it be mingled with a <HI>demure</HI> look
<PB N="42" REF="25">and <HI>Scripture language,</HI> yet if it come onely as news, behinde mens backs, to &s;tir up rage again&s;t their Enemies, I conclude 'tis fal&s;e, either <HI>totally</HI> or in part, a thing not done, or not done with <HI>that minde</HI> as is reported, or in that <HI>maner:</HI> And if any will trouble him&s;elf to examine &s;uch a report to the bottom, I do not doubt but he will finde it &s;o; but for my part, if I finde him out of his way; in <HI>publike,</HI> when it &s;hould be in private, and <HI>behinde</HI> the <HI>back,</HI> when it &s;hould be to the per&s;ons face; or if I finde him <HI>angry</HI> and <HI>biting,</HI> or <HI>idle jeering</HI> and <HI>quibling,</HI> I con|clude him a Vagabond, and count it more &s;afe and ea&s;ie to &s;hut the door upon him; for if I do but give him <HI>a nights lodging,</HI> he leaves the &s;ting wherewith he wounded anothers name in my &s;pirit, to my great pain; and this I often finde by expe|rience.</P>
<P N="3">III. Therefore a third ob&s;ervation have I lean'd from the <HI>Text,</HI> and experience not <HI>to receive</HI> &s;uch <HI>fal&s;e reports;</HI> The <HI>Re|ceiver</HI> is guilty as well as the <HI>Reporter: He that loveth and ma|keth a lye,</HI> Rev.22.15. they are thru&s;t out together; for he that <HI>loves,</HI> entertains and rejoyces in <HI>a lye,</HI> is of the &s;ame nature with him that <HI>made</HI> it; 'tis no excu&s;e therefore, I heard it, and I heard it of many hone&s;t men: A lye is a ba&s;e, void, foul thing, which a heart that <HI>loves truth</HI> may di&s;cern and reject, what ever tongue brings it; but hereby men are cheated, if a friend bring it, and it be again&s;t an Enemy, we think we &s;hall do it wrong to que&s;tion or &s;u&s;pect it, whereas we may ju&s;tly &s;u&s;pect every <HI>man; Man and Lye</HI> being &s;o much allied: Parties are never free from malice, nor malice free from lyes, and there|fore men had need take heed what they receive in the&s;e days.</P>
<P>A &s;econd Branch of this Ob&s;ervation is, By <HI>receiving</HI> men <HI>rai&s;e a fal&s;e report,</HI> it may be from a di&s;turb'd pa&s;&s;ionate tongue into a more &s;erious minde, and from common idle talk, into devout and religious Con&s;iderations, and from them into Pul|pits, into praying and preaching, and at la&s;t 'tis <HI>rais'd,</HI> as in this Letter, to the <HI>impartial Tribunal</HI> of God; &s;o that which at fir&s;t is either nothing or &s;ome humane frailty, it may be &s;ome ra&s;h word or action from a temptation, is made a <HI>great wic|kedne&s;s,</HI> for which the per&s;on and his way or work is condemn'd, and Religion, Scripture and the Name of God brought in to
<PB N="43" REF="25">execute it: What follows in this Scripture, I would have the Sub&s;cribers and all discontented people con&s;ider, <HI>Put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witne&s;s.</HI> The &s;ame things that you in <HI>this Letter and Paper te&s;tifie</HI> again&s;t our Go|vernors, the common people of the Nation which you judge <HI>wicked</HI> and <HI>profane,</HI> do exclaim again&s;t them: <HI>Change of Go|vernment, de&s;troying the Foundations of a Commonwealth, pul|ling down others to &s;et up them&s;elves, Taxes upon pretence of ne|ce&s;&s;ity;</HI> The&s;e things are charged upon them by your and their Enemies; which if you had con&s;ider<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">d, you would not have <HI>put your hands</HI> to the <HI>Paper,</HI> neither will you any longer joyn with your <HI>wicked Enemies,</HI> to de&s;troy your <HI>Friends.</HI> Ver&s;e 2. <HI>Thou &s;halt not follow a multitude to do evil, &amp;c.</HI> All forts of people almo&s;t are again&s;t the pre&s;ent Power, <HI>Cavaliers, Presbyteri|ans. Levellers, Anabapti&s;ts,</HI> reproaches are &s;o <HI>general,</HI> and come &s;o <HI>thick,</HI> upon us in all places, that 'tis a kinde of a crime not to comply: A man can hardly keep the liberty of his own judge|ment; to think or hope well of the pre&s;ent Government with|out the <HI>cen&s;ure</HI> of being a <HI>Courtier:</HI> to di&s;like Government is counted a vertue: 'Tis true, &s;ome of your Exceptions (and the weake&s;t of them) are proper to you and your party, but the mo&s;t and the &s;tronge&s;t are <HI>Vox populi:</HI> Therefore your witne&s;s doth either follow or lead a <HI>multitude to do evil;</HI> which, if it doth not <HI>condemn</HI> your Cau&s;e, it renders it <HI>foully &s;u&s;pitious.</HI></P>
<P>Ver&s;e 3. <HI>Neither &s;halt thou countenance a poor man in his cau&s;e.</HI> This di&s;covers a &s;ubtile temptation which draws men in|to the &s;nare of injustice, while they &s;eem to exerci&s;e mercy; there is a &s;hew of righteou&s;ne&s;s in Suffering, which is very attractive to poverty, and move the Affection, if not the Judgement to their Cau&s;e, be it right or wrong: Good men were lately low, and evil men high; people are apt to think 'tis &s;o &s;till, and that Greatne&s;s is oppre&s;&s;ion; and all &s;uffering, righteou&s;ne&s;s: I doubt many are &s;educed by this in the&s;e times, wherein there is &s;o much of <HI>blind affection,</HI> and &s;o little of <HI>judge|ment:</HI> 'Tis &s;urely good to be caution'd again&s;t the <HI>confidence</HI> of the <HI>wicked,</HI> the <HI>&s;trength</HI> of the <HI>multitude,</HI> and the <HI>in&s;inuations</HI> of the poor.</P>
<PB N="44" REF="26">
<P>'Tis not ami&s;s to read and con&s;ider what follows, <HI>If thou meet thine enemies ox or a&s;s going a&s;tray,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>If thou &s;ee the a&s;s of him that hateth thee, lying under his burthen,</HI> &amp;c. Here you have not <HI>an ox or a&s;s going a&s;tray, and lying under a burthen,</HI> but men, your friends: The Text tells you your duty, if you be able to perform it,
'tis to <HI>bring back</HI> that which is <HI>gone a&s;tray,</HI> and to help that which lyeth under its burthen.</P>
<P>The&s;e are the chief Things expre&s;s'd in your <HI>Letter,</HI> which (as I conceive) do offend your minde; &s;ome generals that run through both your <HI>Letter</HI> and the <HI>Paper inclo&s;ed,</HI> we may con|&s;ider hereafter. Your &s;pirit comes forth more fully in the <HI>Pa|per,</HI> which is the &s;ub&s;tance of your <HI>Te&s;timony;</HI> where we have the faire&s;t opportunity of &s;erving of you, by removing tho&s;e <HI>&s;tum|bling-blocks</HI> that offend you; therefore I &s;hall ha&s;ten to give you my thoughts of it.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="part">
<PB N="45" REF="26">
<HEAD>ANIMADVERSIONS &V;PON A <HI>PAPER</HI> inclo&s;ed in a <HI>LETTER,</HI> and &s;ent to His Highne&s;s from &s;ome Gentlemen and others in <HI>Wales.</HI></HEAD>
<P>IN this <HI>Paper</HI> there is a <HI>Preface</HI> to the Articles, and the <HI>Ar|ticles</HI> them&s;elves: In the <HI>Preface</HI> you do as you do in your Letter, &s;hew us your Commi&s;&s;ion which yon have, <HI>after a long time, earne&s;t &s;eeking of the Lord, what we finde in our con&s;ciences:</HI> and afterward, <HI>in faithfulne&s;s towards God, and meekne&s;s towards men, perform what duty is incumbent upon us:</HI> and at la&s;t, <HI>in pur&s;uance of our duty to God, our fellow|members, as Chri&s;tians, as men,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>In the&s;e things I &s;uppo&s;e you put much confidence, and think that none that are religious will oppo&s;e a Work that comes into the field, in the name of <HI>Duty &amp; Con&s;cience,</HI> accom|panied with <HI>Prayer</HI> and <HI>Scriptures,</HI> &amp;c. I deny not that the&s;e things <HI>are</HI> among&s;t you, and in a great mea&s;ure, but I would advi&s;e you not to build too much upon them, for the&s;e Rea|&s;ons:</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, Becau&s;e, if you will look abroad, you cannot but &s;ee, what with great grief; of heart I have ob&s;erv'd, That <HI>in</HI> and <HI>with</HI> the&s;e things, <HI>viz. The kingdom of Chri&s;t, Glory of God, much &s;eeking of God, Con&s;cience, Duty,</HI> &amp;c. in &s;ome, where there &s;eems to be as <HI>much purity, &s;incerity</HI> and <HI>uprightne&s;s</HI> as in your &s;elves, I may &s;ay, <HI>more light, evidence</HI> and <HI>power;</HI> yet I &s;ay &s;uch vile things have come forth <HI>in them</HI> and <HI>with them,</HI> which you your &s;elves would abhor, and which they them|&s;elves that brought them forth have &s;adly repented of; do but therefore allow of a little &s;u&s;pition of your &s;elves, and con&s;i|der, that &s;ome while they hone&s;tly and heartily (for ought either them&s;elves or others know) <HI>&s;eek after Chri&s;t,</HI> they are led into unrea&s;onable and ab&s;urd things, contrary to the light of Nature and Religion, and to the hurt of them&s;elves and mankinde; and why may not you in your religious <HI>Zeal</HI> and <HI>Duties,</HI> be carried into things contrary to the <HI>Law</HI> of
<PB N="46" REF="27"><HI>Love,</HI> and de&s;tructive to your &s;elves and the publick peace.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, Becau&s;e you come forth, not again&s;t a people that are <HI>prophane,</HI> but &s;uch as are exerci&s;ed in the &s;ame things that you are, a people that <HI>pray;</HI> that <HI>wait</HI> and <HI>&s;eek</HI> for God and his Light to guide them, as highly <HI>profe&s;&s;ing</HI> and <HI>practi&s;ing religious Duties</HI> as your &s;elves, and are in that wherein you oppo&s;e them in their <HI>duty to God and men,</HI> and for ought that you or I can judge, with as much <HI>&s;incerity</HI> as you, and &s;uch as have &s;hined in the <HI>life</HI> of <HI>godline&s;s equal</HI> to you, if not <HI>beyond</HI> you, &s;o that 'tis but <HI>praying</HI> again&s;t <HI>praying, duty</HI> again&s;t <HI>duty, con&s;cience</HI> again&s;t <HI>con&s;cience,</HI> and <HI>&s;incerity</HI> again&s;t <HI>&s;incerity;</HI> therefore if you do indeed honor the&s;e things as part of the Grace and Kingdom of Chri&s;t, con&s;ider you do with Chri&s;t oppo&s;e Chri&s;t, you &s;ight again&s;t your own <HI>life</HI> and <HI>&s;trength:</HI> Is it not then far more honorable and Chri&s;tian-like, to &s;uffer the greate&s;t lo&s;s of worldly <HI>Liberties</HI> and <HI>Priviledges,</HI> of <HI>Par|liaments</HI> and <HI>Governments,</HI> and to pay <HI>Taxes, Tithes</HI> and all that can be laid upon us, or that you contend again&s;t, rather than to war <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> again&s;t <HI>Chri&s;t, duty</HI> again&s;t <HI>duty, prayer</HI> again&s;t <HI>prayer.</HI></P>
<P N="3">III. Thirdly, Becau&s;e this Quarrel hath been fought alrea|dy in <HI>duty</HI> and <HI>con&s;icience to God,</HI> with <HI>prayer</HI> and <HI>&s;eeking of the Lord,</HI> in defence of <HI>the kingdom of Chri&s;t,</HI> and his Way and Wor&s;hip, again&s;t a people who in obedience to their King, maintain'd the <HI>Legal Rights</HI> and <HI>cu&s;tomary Wor&s;hip</HI> of the Na|tion; and judgement given in the ca&s;e, not onely <HI>for you,</HI> but for all the <HI>hone&s;t people</HI> of the Nation which ingaged for this <HI>cau&s;e;</HI> they therefore that will not re&s;t in the &s;entence of God, but make another Quarrel about the &s;ame thing (wherein in|deed there is none) will I think &s;uffer as contentions in a high degree; &s;etting the <HI>way</HI> and <HI>people</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> again&s;t the <HI>way</HI> and <HI>people</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t;</HI> 'tis therefore but rea&s;on that <HI>good men</HI> and <HI>good things</HI> &s;hould now live peaceably together, or if there be a difference, that we do not arm our &s;elves as the out|wardly-religious again&s;t the outwardly prophane; not with <HI>Declarations, Accu&s;ations,</HI> nor with outward <HI>weapons,</HI> no nor with <HI>praying</HI> and <HI>preaching</HI> in <HI>enmity,</HI> and again&s;t one another, as formely we did again&s;t the Cavaliers; but with the &s;pirit
<PB N="47" REF="27">of God, which is a <HI>&s;pirit of love</HI> and <HI>light,</HI> with more inward weapons that will pierce to the <HI>dividing of &s;oul and &s;pirit.</HI></P>
<P N="4">IV. Fourthly, Becau&s;e the things that you <HI>profe&s;s,</HI> and that we have <HI>&s;poken</HI> of, had their time and their work in <HI>publick,</HI> in which they appear'd in <HI>power</HI> and <HI>maje&s;ty</HI> again&s;t their ene|mies; but alas how much are they now <HI>polluted</HI> with folly, madne&s;s, gro&s;s error, vanity, wrath and violence, as if the <HI>Abomination of De&s;olation</HI> were in the <HI>holy place!</HI> 'Tis too vi|&s;ible in others, and vi&s;ible enough in your <HI>Paper,</HI> where there is (it grieves me to &s;ay it) fal&s;hood, wrath, deceit, and blowing the fire of War among&s;t brethren, which is <HI>abo|minable</HI> to <HI>humble</HI> and <HI>gracious &s;pirits,</HI> yea, to <HI>nature</HI> and <HI>rea&s;on,</HI> and tends directly to lay us <HI>de&s;olate,</HI> without &s;afety or protection; therefore what ever you think of the <HI>glory</HI> of your <HI>Cau&s;e,</HI> as you have dre&s;t it up, I mu&s;t in faithfulne&s;s tell you my &s;en&s;e of it, (which I believe will be the &s;en&s;e of all rational men) I had rather ingage for the <HI>hone&s;t principles</HI> of Nece&s;&s;ity, Safety, publick Peace, civil Government, though under many defects and corruptions, than for the <HI>highe&s;t things</HI> that you profe&s;s, &s;o as you now profe&s;s them; and though this may appear to you prophane, yet I know there is nothing more prophane nor more likely to extirpate all <HI>Religion,</HI> and to &s;et <HI>Athei&s;m</HI> on the throne, than for hone&s;t and religious people to <HI>war</HI> upon one another.</P>
<P>Therefore Friends, before you go any further, be per&s;wa|ded to come forth of that <HI>private &s;pirit</HI> in which you are, and with a little charity look abroad, and you will finde the Sun doth not &s;hine onely into your window: That the <HI>law of God is wondrous broad,</HI> and &s;preads it &s;elf over, and into other mens con&s;ciences as well as yours, though with &s;ome <HI>difference,</HI> as the &s;ubject is <HI>di&s;pos'd</HI> to receive it; and that others are as true and obedient to <HI>that word</HI> which is <HI>differently di&s;penc'd</HI> to them, as you are to what is manife&s;t to you; and you cannot but in rea&s;on conclude, that tho&s;e that you oppo&s;e are bound in duty to God and man, to keep the peace again&s;t all oppo|&s;ers what&s;oever: and if you are not &s;unk into, and cover'd over with your own Religion as &s;ome are, their &s;pirits being inferior to the Religion they profe&s;s, and &s;o are ma&s;ter'd by
<PB N="48" REF="28">it, and not &s;uffered to behold any thing but the glory of it, if it be not &s;o with you, you may &s;ee the &s;ame things in which you now come forth, in tho&s;e you oppo&s;e, and that <HI>own'd</HI> and <HI>te&s;tified</HI> to by <HI>Gods providence,</HI> in giving them a <HI>compleat vi|ctory</HI> over their enemies; there the &s;ame things that you now plead, have after long-&s;ufferings and &s;ore trials, attain'd more than we lookt for, and indeed as much as the world can af|ford, <HI>liberty,</HI> and <HI>power to &s;ecure it:</HI> why then &s;hould not you rather, quietly enjoy and improve together that <HI>great Mercy</HI> obtain'd by your and their <HI>praying</HI> and <HI>earne&s;t &s;eeking of God,</HI> rather than begin a new and &s;trange Contention 'twixt <HI>prayer</HI> and <HI>prayer, zeal</HI> and <HI>zeal;</HI> for this &s;trife, if it &s;hould go on, would be mo&s;t black and unchri&s;tian, and doth threaten the utter defacing of the honor Religion hath gotten in the earth, a mi&s;erable overthrowing of that <HI>liberty</HI> and <HI>&s;afety</HI> we have, and the rooting out of Religion it &s;elf.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, Having &s;hew'd us your Commi&s;&s;ion, from <HI>Con&s;cience, Duty and Faithfulne&s;s to God,</HI> &amp;c. In the next place you in &s;tead of propounding your Grievances, or manife&s;ting when the Difference began, and wherein it now con&s;i&s;ts, or de&s;iring &s;atisfaction as brethren, you ha&s;ten to declare an ir|reconcilable Enmity in the highe&s;t nature, and chu&s;e your ground to fight upon, which is no wor&s;e than <HI>heaven,</HI> for which you quote <HI>Rev.</HI> 12.7. in the margin, <HI>And there was war in heaven,</HI> Michael <HI>and his angels fought again&s;t the Dragon, and the Dragon fought and his angels;</HI> and being ingaged in the &s;ame <HI>quarrel</HI> upon the &s;ame <HI>ground,</HI> you expect the &s;ame &s;ucce&s;s; <HI>con&s;idering,</HI> &s;ay you, <HI>they loved not their lives unto death, and by the blood of the Lamb and their te&s;timony did overcome:</HI> Thus have you leap'd into heaven, and entred your &s;elves &s;oldiers under <HI>Michael</HI> with <HI>his angels:</HI> I am un|willing to think or &s;ay how unlike you are to the <HI>Lamb</HI> the Captain, or to &s;uch fellow-&s;oldiers; I confe&s;s you are gotten out of my reach, I tremble to deal with men that will but &s;ay they are members of that Army, therefore if you intend to &s;ecure your Cau&s;e and &s;elves by this high advance, you have your end; as to me, I &s;hall not di&s;pute it with you, you may &s;tay there till the &s;en&s;e of your pa&s;&s;ions and weak|ne&s;s
<PB N="49" REF="28">help you to under&s;tand the Revelations and your &s;elves better.</P>
<P>But for the other Regiments that you are a&s;&s;ociated to, and &s;peak of, that were <HI>&s;tir'd up in</HI> England <HI>and</HI> Scotland <HI>to bear witne&s;s, &amp;c.</HI> again&s;t the <HI>Book of Common-prayer, Sur|plice, &amp;c. and again&s;t Ship-money, Monopolies, &amp;c.</HI> I may be a little bolder, being things within my own knowledge and &s;phere: If I &s;hould be too free with them, you would not be offended; if I &s;hould be too plain with you, they would not be offended, becau&s;e you are (how ever li&s;ted here together) at a great di&s;tance in your opinions and affections.</P>
<P>In &s;um, you put your &s;elves in the place of <HI>Micha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">l</HI> and his <HI>angels,</HI> and the <HI>Protector</HI> and them that <HI>joyn with him,</HI> in the place of the <HI>Dragon</HI> and his <HI>angels;</HI> you are the heirs of the <HI>Saints,</HI> and of the <HI>hone&s;t old Puritan-party, the witne&s;&s;es,</HI> and they &s;ucceed the <HI>King&punc;</HI> and his <HI>party, Egypt, Babylon, Anti|chri&s;t, &amp;c.</HI> and by this devi&s;e,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, you clothe your &s;elves with heaven, purity, truth, and Chri&s;t his Cau&s;e, a ble&s;&s;ed &s;tate, unerring and undoubtedly &s;ucce&s;sful! and them with wickedne&s;s, fal&s;hood, idolatry, a &s;tate of certain de&s;truction.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, You conclude the cau&s;e hath been heard, you have given in <HI>your witne&s;s,</HI> they are condemn'd, there's nothing left but <HI>execution;</HI> you may now fall on without any que|&s;tion, they will as &s;urely fall before you as the <HI>Dragon</HI> fell be|fore <HI>Michael,</HI> or as the Kings-<HI>party</HI> fell before the <HI>Parlia|ment-party.</HI></P>
<P N="3">III. Thirdly, This is your po&s;ture, an irreconcileable En|mity declar'd, no po&s;&s;ibility of repenting in them or you, no way in the world left for healing or agreement, but de&s;parate|ly bound to fight it out; for this difference is not 'twixt <HI>bre|thren,</HI> nor between <HI>I&s;rael</HI> back-&s;lidden, and <HI>I&s;rael</HI> abiding &s;tedfa&s;t, nor between the &s;eed of the <HI>bond-woman</HI> and the &s;eed of the <HI>free-woman,</HI> nor between <HI>true Chri&s;tians</HI> and <HI>hypocrites,</HI> nor between men <HI>enlightned</HI> and men yet <HI>in darkne&s;s uncon|vinc'd,</HI> for all the&s;e may live in civil peace together, upon the &s;ame earth, but a &s;trife 'twixt <HI>Michael</HI> and the <HI>Dragon:</HI> 'twixt <HI>ob&s;tinate</HI> and <HI>reprobated</HI> &s;inners, and <HI>ble&s;&s;ed elected</HI>
<PB N="50" REF="29">&s;aints, where one party mu&s;t be &s;aved in <HI>heaven,</HI> and the other mu&s;t to <HI>hell.</HI></P>
<P N="4">IV. And fourthly, this onely upon a <HI>&s;imilitude,</HI> and that made onely in <HI>enmity</HI> (which u&s;es to put the highe&s;t &s;tamp of wickedne&s;s upon <HI>enemies,</HI> and a&s;&s;ume any glory to it <HI>&s;elf,</HI> that he may by it be an excellent <HI>De&s;troyer) This made compari&s;on,</HI> and the consequent wrath, is without any real difference, ei|ther in your <HI>&s;pirits</HI> or <HI>work;</HI> for this I may affirm, that in the habits or qualities of your mindes to God, or in the work of God <HI>upon you,</HI> or your work <HI>for God,</HI> you differ not; that is (&s;etting a&s;ide knaves and hypocrites on both &s;ides, which I believe &s;tir up enmity, &amp; make the difference 'tween you) they are not <HI>Babylon,</HI> nor you <HI>Zion;</HI> they not the &s;eed of the <HI>&s;er|pent,</HI> and you of <HI>Chri&s;t, nor the contrary.</HI> We intend not to meddle with the <HI>great Judgement</HI> of God, but with your pre|&s;ent &s;tanding, in which no indifferent man can have any &s;hew of rea&s;on, to judge one party <HI>wicked</HI> the other <HI>godly,</HI> or that it is the work and de&s;ign of one to &s;et up <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> the other to &s;et up <HI>Antichri&s;t;</HI> but both of you are brethren, children of the &s;ame Father, &s;ervants of the &s;ame Lord, of the &s;ame re|pentance and faith, exerci&s;ed in the &s;ame <HI>duties,</HI> with the &s;ame <HI>&s;pirit,</HI> laboring to advance the &s;ame <HI>Religion</HI> and <HI>Liberty</HI> in the Nation, onely being in darkne&s;s and under offence, you under&s;tand not wherein you either <HI>agree</HI> or <HI>differ,</HI> but the difference is onely in circum&s;tances of tune, and maner of do|ing things, and in outward condition; &s;ome have more, &s;ome le&s;s of the <HI>fallen parties</HI> honor and riches, &s;ome are habited with outward greatne&s;s, others have their lot in lowne&s;s and &s;ufferings, &s;ome <HI>di&s;gui&s;ed</HI> with the outward <HI>palace</HI> of the king, others <HI>di&s;gui&s;ed</HI> with the <HI>pri&s;on</HI> of old &s;ufferers, the&s;e with &s;ome petty differences in temper and natural di&s;po&s;ition, &s;ome &s;udden and hot, others heavier and cooler, &s;ome &s;impler, others wi&s;er; the&s;e little things have &s;et up the &s;tandard of defiance: And be&s;ides the&s;e, I know no real difference between you and them, except it be this late act of an <HI>In&s;trument, &amp;c.</HI> which is but one act, and that a &s;udden one, not &s;et up or maintain'd in oppo&s;ition to any more excellent thing, onely made and u&s;ed as a prudential thing to uphold a Government in the Na|tion,
<PB N="53" REF="29">which you likewi&s;e would have upheld, though you dis|like their way and maner of doing it; but be per&s;waded to con&s;ider where you are, and what you have done; you have blown up a deadly enmity 'twixt your &s;elves and your friends meerly upon outward circum&s;tances, or a fal&s;e figure and &s;ha|dow of difference: 'Tis a fire that burns fiercely, and &s;eems to be implacable, but the fewel of it is very &s;light matter, or rather immaterial &s;peculations: when I con&s;ider how much you are one, and how little you differ, how &s;trongly and ne|ce&s;&s;arily you are bound up in one Life, Religion and Safety, and how airy and childi&s;h your &s;trife is; You will excu&s;e me, if I be a little merry with your notional quarrel, the&s;e mi&s;ta|ken fancies may put you into a fret, make you <HI>&s;cold</HI> a little, but I hope there will be never a <HI>broken pate</HI> in the cau&s;e.</P>
<P>'Tis not at all a natural but a made and forc'd bu&s;ine&s;s, there being no material ground of a quarrel, therefore though di&s;|content and trouble put you upon it ra&s;hly, yet me thinks you &s;hould not run &s;o much hazard, with &s;o much labor and pains to maintain a meer notion and &s;hadow of difference; if they again&s;t whom you appear have but a <HI>little patience,</HI> and do nothing again&s;t you, you mu&s;t needs be weary of the quarrel and the cau&s;e quickly: finding the foundation of the bu&s;ine&s;s &s;o incon&s;iderable, I am almo&s;t inclin'd to leave it off; but be|cau&s;e, though it be little in it &s;elf, yet 'tis much to you, &amp; you &s;eem to be &s;erious in it, I &s;hall endeavor what I can, to give you a better under&s;tanding of them and your &s;elves.</P>
<P>Now becau&s;e this particular that we are upon, <HI>viz.</HI> That our pre&s;ent Governors are in the place of, and Succe&s;&s;ors to the <HI>King</HI> and <HI>his party,</HI> and that you and other un&s;atisfied people are in the place of, or are the <HI>hone&s;t</HI> and <HI>godly party,</HI> I &s;hall take a little pains to &s;hew the falacy of this conceit, which doth abu&s;e many.</P>
<P>To clear this, let us &s;earch for, if we can finde it, what was the real difference 'twixt the <HI>Cavalier</HI> and the <HI>Puritan,</HI> and &s;o what was the root of the Quarrel 'twixt <HI>King</HI> and <HI>Parlia|ment,</HI> and then &s;ee whether the &s;ame Quarrel be carried on
'twixt the <HI>Sub&s;cribers</HI> and our pre&s;ent <HI>Governors.</HI></P>
<P>In this controver&s;ie 'twixt the Religious and the Royal
<PB N="52" REF="30">party, there was fir&s;t an inward Cau&s;e or Root of Divi&s;ion; and &s;econdly there were many Di&s;putes and Que&s;tions, which were the effects of that Divi&s;ion: The fir&s;t was le&s;s ob&s;erv'd, but more effectual; the &s;econd made a greater noi&s;e, more outward, as if the Quarrel had been onely about the&s;e things which were indeed but the effects of divi&s;ion of hearts.</P>
<P>The&s;e outward things about which the <HI>Parliament</HI> and Par|liamentary people were exercis'd, were the Prerogative of the <HI>King,</HI> and Priviledges of <HI>Parliament,</HI> the <HI>Laws</HI> of the Land, the power of rai&s;ing <HI>Money, Monopolies, Ship-money, &amp;c.</HI> the power of the <HI>Militia;</HI> and in &s;um, where the <HI>Supream Power</HI> was, whether in the <HI>King</HI> as Head, or in the <HI>Parliament</HI> the Re|pre&s;entative of the People, the Body? concerning the&s;e things you may ob&s;erve:</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, They were but the out&s;ide of the Quarrel, wherein the more worldly mindes were exerci&s;ed, and very remote from the inward Spring of difference which lay deeper, as we &s;hall &s;ee anon.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, In the&s;e things (if I do not much mi&s;take) the King had the better Cau&s;e, more ju&s;tified by the <HI>ancient Laws</HI> of the Land, for though he had been guilty of &s;ome <HI>mal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">-admini&s;tration</HI> of Government, yet he offered very large &s;atisfaction; neither were the Errors of his Government of &s;o a high a nature, as to de&s;erve to be pro&s;ecuted by &s;o vio|lent a war, to Depo&s;ing and Death: Some Princes I believe have done the &s;ame or wor&s;e things in Government, and ne|ver que&s;tion'd for them; but there was more at the bottom: and it may be ob&s;erv'd, that while the war was in the hands of men who onely minded the&s;e outward things, the King pro&s;per'd exceedingly, and ro&s;e from a very low condition to have far the greate&s;t power; for tho&s;e men that contended for worldly power, did <HI>lu&s;t</HI> after, and unju&s;tly challenge from the <HI>King</HI> tho&s;e Royal Prerogatives that our Laws had long given to the <HI>Crown,</HI> and for their lu&s;ting fell in the wilder|ne&s;s.</P>
<P N="3">III. Thirdly, The&s;e outward things of <HI>Law</HI> and <HI>Priviledge,</HI> being but the clothing of the Work, are worn out, and we are for the pre&s;ent (in &s;uch re&s;pects) in a wor&s;e condition than
<PB N="53" REF="30">formerly, Power more <HI>arbitrary, Taxes</HI> more heavy, Privi|ledges of <HI>Parliament</HI> more violated, <HI>Laws</HI> of le&s;s authority; and if we could have fore-&s;een what effects War and change of Government would procure, we might in rea&s;on expect it; therefore they who&s;e &s;pirits are ingaged in the&s;e outward and worldly <HI>priviledges</HI> and <HI>freedom</HI> onely or mo&s;tly, have a very hard bargain of it, and mu&s;t needs be very much offended, if their hearts do not value Religion, and the Liberties of it at a high rate, and have a charitable opinion of it, that it will when it may attain &s;ome quiet and &s;ecurity, bring forth the peoples <HI>liberties</HI> in more righteou&s;ne&s;s and largene&s;s than they have yet appear'd in.</P>
<P>The&s;e Con&s;iderations premis'd concerning the outward part of the Quarrel 'twixt the two parties, let us now con&s;i|der where the <HI>Original Divi&s;ion</HI> lay, and whence it was that their &s;pirits &s;tood at &s;uch a di&s;tance one from another.</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, The hone&s;t or <HI>religious party,</HI> were by a <HI>work of God</HI> upon them, changed in their mindes, and were <HI>born</HI> into another <HI>&s;pirit</HI> by the word of God, converting and turning their hearts by Repentance and Faith towards God: this life coming from God, depended upon him, &s;ubjected it &s;elf to him, would be ruled by him, and not by man; the other <HI>party</HI> had no knowledge of this life, but hated it, &s;corn'd it, dealt cru|elly with it, would not &s;uffer this childe to breathe its own breath in prayer, nor to &s;peak its own language in preaching, nor to eat its own food, or alow it its own growth; as inhu|manely cruel to it, as <HI>Egypt</HI> was to <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> being &s;trangely jea|lous of it, as if it was the <HI>heir,</HI> and would in time get power to call them to accompt for all their wickedne&s;s, they did bend the &s;trength of the Government again&s;t it, and not onely &s;o, but devi&s;ed new &s;tratagems to &s;uppre&s;s it: We will not di|&s;pute whether this life of godline&s;s was in <HI>fle&s;h</HI> or in <HI>&s;pirit,</HI> 'twas doubtle&s;s much in <HI>fle&s;h,</HI> but not without <HI>&s;pirit,</HI> but it was real, and &s;uch as did denominate us to be the <HI>people and chil|dren of God,</HI> to be the <HI>&s;eed of I&s;rael,</HI> as the <HI>enmity</HI> of the other <HI>party</HI> denominated them to be <HI>Egypt</HI> and <HI>Babylon,</HI> and to be of <HI>Antichri&s;t;</HI> &s;o that here were two <HI>kindes</HI> of &s;pirit or mindes, one of <HI>God,</HI> another <HI>of the world,</HI> one &s;eeming to &s;pring from
<PB N="54" REF="31">the old &s;tock of <HI>Abraham,</HI> and of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and the <HI>Apo&s;tles;</HI> the other &s;eeming to &s;pring out of the world, out of the earth: and the fir&s;t took in all the <HI>godly party,</HI> hardly a man left out, the other took in the chief of men <HI>maliciou&s;ly</HI> bent again&s;t <HI>godline&s;s:</HI> Now if you my friends, that have &s;ub&s;cribed this Paper, will but reflect upon your &s;elves, and look with the &s;ame eye upon your brethren, you cannot think that there is in your &s;elves a <HI>work</HI> of <HI>grace</HI> or <HI>godline&s;s,</HI> that is not in them you oppo&s;e, or that there is in them any &s;uch hatred to that <HI>grace of God,</HI> as was in the <HI>Kings party;</HI> but you mu&s;t conclude, that though they are <HI>a bone &s;tarted a&s;ide</HI> one way, you <HI>a bone &s;tar|ted a&s;ide</HI> another way, yet you are members of the &s;ame body.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, As the&s;e two <HI>parties,</HI> the Religious and Roy|al <HI>party</HI> differ'd in the <HI>original</HI> and <HI>kinde</HI> of their &s;pirits, &s;o did they in the <HI>law</HI> and <HI>rule</HI> of their &s;pirits; the one were &s;ub|ject to <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his Law in the wor&s;hip of God, and did &s;ee that he had given them Laws in his Word, far differing from tho&s;e which were practis'd and commanded in the Nation, the other did &s;tiffly adhere to the <HI>Religion</HI> of their <HI>fore-fathers</HI> as it was <HI>e&s;tabli&s;hed</HI> by <HI>law,</HI> and would not admit of any other, but cruelly per&s;ecuted it, denying men to offer to God &s;uch &s;a|crifices as he required of them, and which they judged their duty to &s;erve him in; now pray con&s;ider, whether the ca&s;e be &s;o now 'twixt you and your brethren whom you oppo&s;e, whether are you denied to perform any duty of wor&s;hip to God, that his word leads you to? nay, do not they do the &s;ame things with you? or do you bring forth any <HI>rule</HI> or <HI>law</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> in Religion that they oppo&s;e; for civil things and Government, I think you don't pretend to any <HI>law</HI> in&s;tituted by <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> The <HI>notions</HI> and <HI>motions</HI> of your &s;pirits may in &s;ome circum&s;tantial things cla&s;h, but you agree in your <HI>rule</HI> as to Religion, and to follow the &s;ame <HI>law</HI> and <HI>rule</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> in all things, &s;o far as it is reveal'd to you and them: freedom for your Con&s;ciences to &s;erve the Lord in as much holine&s;s and purity as you can, you have as much as you can de&s;ire; if there bea deviation from the <HI>rule</HI> in civil things,
'tis not in <HI>enmity</HI> to any rule, no law of that nature coming forth that pretends to be from God.</P>
<PB N="55" REF="31">
<P>It may be of good u&s;e both for you the <HI>Sub&s;cribers,</HI> and for the <HI>Protector</HI> and our <HI>Governors,</HI> &s;eriou&s;ly to con&s;ider the inward <HI>&s;pirit</HI> and <HI>root</HI> of difference 'twixt <HI>us</HI> and our <HI>enemies,</HI> and by it we may know where the marrow and &s;trength of our cau&s;e lies: 'Tis true, the&s;e things of <HI>godline&s;s</HI> wrought in the heart, and <HI>con&s;cientious</HI> following the <HI>Rule</HI> and <HI>Law</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> did not at fir&s;t appear openly in <HI>Parliament</HI> or <HI>Ar|my,</HI> and accordingly they thrived, but when they who&s;e hearts were ingaged in the&s;e things came into action, and the King had to do <HI>nakedly</HI> with &s;uch &s;pirits, he fell before them, and was trampled under foot as dirt; and it mu&s;t needs be &s;o, a peo|ple that have the lea&s;t &s;tamp or mark of <HI>God,</HI> and his <HI>work</HI> and <HI>&s;pirit</HI> upon them, and ingaged to &s;erve him, cannot but with its weight and authority pre&s;s down the fle&s;hly arm and pow|er of man as nothing: I would propound it as a caution to both &s;ides:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t to our <HI>Governors,</HI> that they will in all their affairs at|tend the motion and growth of <HI>this &s;pirit of godline&s;s,</HI> and not to ingage in De&s;igns upon principles of worldly policy, be they never &s;o &s;pecious, but rather to &s;it &s;till, and to attend the cheri&s;hing and increa&s;ing of the <HI>life</HI> of <HI>godline&s;s,</HI> than to move in publick actions till this <HI>life</HI> leads them forth; and then, not out of prejudice or offence at the weakne&s;s and &s;cruples of <HI>godly men</HI> to lay them a&s;ide, and to commit their bu&s;ine&s;s to worldly men, though never &s;o wi&s;e and gallant men, but to lay the &s;tre&s;s of all affairs upon this <HI>spirit,</HI> which is doubtle&s;s the &s;teddie&s;t and true&s;t to the works of God.</P>
<P>Secondly to the <HI>Sub&s;cribers</HI> and <HI>others,</HI> I would de&s;ire you to keep clo&s;e to the fir&s;t principles of <HI>real inward godline&s;s,</HI> and that you &s;ink your &s;pirits more into Fundamentals, and not to &s;uffer your mindes to be elevated into high &s;trains, forms and notions of things, nor to be carried away with tho&s;e who never travel'd in the way of <HI>godline&s;s,</HI> and are either ig|norant or unmindeful of the <HI>Power</HI> and &s;ub&s;tance of <HI>Religion,</HI> which is your danger in your pre&s;ent bu&s;ine&s;s; for many &s;uch we have that flutter about, and talk of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and <HI>his kingdom,</HI> that never were &s;ea&s;on'd with the principles of <HI>true</HI> Religion, and are <HI>clouds without rain, wells without water;</HI>
<PB N="56" REF="32">and while they profe&s;s for an outward and glorious Reforma|tion, oppo&s;e and quarrel with the truth of godline&s;s, and tall of outward freedom, while they are &s;ervants to Pride, Pa&s;&s;ion, Envy and &s;uch like corruptions.</P>
<P>But upon a little more &s;earching into the inward nature of things, you will finde your Quarrel very ill bottom'd upon the former War; for you and your brethren whom you now op|po&s;e, are as much one in the <HI>&s;tate</HI> and <HI>rule</HI> of your <HI>&s;pirits,</HI> as ever you and they differ'd from the <HI>Cavalier.</HI></P>
<P>And now let rue de&s;ire you to compare our pre&s;ent <HI>Gover|nors,</HI> in their &s;tanding and actings with the <HI>old royal party,</HI> and you will &s;ee a great di&s;&s;imilitude 'twixt them; and then com|pare <HI>your &s;elves,</HI> in your pre&s;ent actings with the <HI>hone&s;t old Pu|ritan party</HI> in their motions towards the War, and you will finde as wide a difference.</P>
<P N="1">I. Tho&s;e of the <HI>King</HI> and his <HI>party</HI> grew out of an old &s;tock and root of Worldly Greatne&s;s, where they had continued many Ages, unmoveably fixed in a State of outward pomp, far above, and oppo&s;ite to the life and light of Religion, where being &s;ettled in Peace and Power, they had many opportuni|ties and offers of the Light of Reformation, but they <HI>would not be healed;</HI> but being rich, and living at ea&s;e and plea&s;ure, were haughty, &s;corn'd all reproof being lifted up upon the <HI>highe&s;t glory</HI> of the world, were beyond the reach of the <HI>in&s;truction</HI> of the poor people, who knew the truth, and &s;o were <HI>hard|ned</HI> again&s;t the <HI>Light,</HI> bending all the force of Government again&s;t that Light that did &s;pring forth; &s;o that godly Peo|ple were &s;o far from any hopes of doing any good upon them, that they might not live in the Nation without defiling their Con&s;ciences, but were forced to fly into <HI>all parts</HI> of the world for a being; now if the&s;e poor people being thus provoked by the bruti&s;h and un-natural cruelty of the State, denying their innocent and peaceable &s;pirits, the common freedom of nature, of <HI>life</HI> and <HI>being,</HI> if they did <HI>when they were call'd forth to it,</HI> ri&s;e up again&s;t them, how ju&s;tifiable it was?</P>
<P>But on the other &s;ide, you know the original of our pre|&s;ent <HI>Governors,</HI> that they are of late &s;prung from a low and mean condition wherein they &s;erv'd the Lord, and came forth
<PB N="57" REF="32">with your &s;elves from the &s;ame bondage, through the &s;ame dangers, by the &s;ame zeal, courage, praying, fa&s;ting, &amp;c. They never yet attain'd any &s;ettled and quiet State of <HI>Government,</HI> but are &s;till &s;trugling for life, and in perpetual danger of being over-turn'd by the malice of their and your enemies, who are &s;till laboring by &s;ecret plots, to do what they could not by out|ward force: They are very far from ea&s;e and plea&s;ure, their work being full of difficulty, and mens mindes and tongues bent again&s;t them: A per&s;ecuted people, malign'd, envied, re|proach'd, pu&s;h'd and lifted at by all &s;orts of people at home and abroad, under the &s;courge of evil tongues, under the rod of dangers and fears, &s;o clo&s;ely follow'd with the cro&s;s, that they have not <HI>opportunity</HI> to do <HI>good,</HI> nor to harden in <HI>evil&punc;</HI> They have gone as far as they have light to go, and profe&s;s they wait for more light; they &s;eem to have an ear open to in&s;truction, and not onely to give acce&s;s to their brethren to coun&s;el them, but to invite them to it: And if they were not of them&s;elves di&s;pos'd to hearken to the voice of <HI>Wi&s;dom,</HI> yet the mi&s;erable unea&s;ine&s;s, un&s;afety, and trouble of their way, &s;hould (me thinks) incline them to receive any rational Pro|po&s;als: Its po&s;&s;ible there is more <HI>wi&s;dom</HI> in the Nation than is yet among&s;t them, and they may be guilty of not &s;eeking it out, but I (that have been a looker on) have not ob&s;erv'd any <HI>wi&s;dom</HI> come forth in publick, that I could judge worthy to be a guide to them: And whereas the former Powers did de&s;ign again&s;t the <HI>liberty</HI> and <HI>&s;afety</HI> of your &s;elves and other hone&s;t men; the&s;e do con&s;cientiou&s;ly, and I believe in obedi|ence to God, &s;tudy your and others <HI>&s;afety</HI> and <HI>liberty;</HI> Now con&s;idering they are brethren of the &s;ame root with your &s;elves, their toyl and labor, their difficulties, dangers and dark|ne&s;s, their &s;ufferings and reproaches for performing their <HI>du|ties,</HI> in pre&s;erving your <HI>liberties,</HI> it appears to me to be as un|ju&s;t, unnatural, and ingrateful for you to ri&s;e up again&s;t them, uncal'd forth, as 'twas ju&s;t and natural for us (being <HI>cal'd</HI> forth to it) to appear again&s;t the King and his party.</P>
<P>Let me now repre&s;ent to you the &s;pirit of the <HI>old hone&s;t Pu|ritan,</HI> if you duly con&s;ider it, it had much <HI>worth</HI> in it; &s;pring|ing up from many great and long-&s;ufferings, bonds, bani&s;h|ment,
<PB N="58" REF="33">&s;hame, death, per&s;ecutions of all &s;orts, which he endu|red with much meekne&s;s and long-&s;uffering, never attempting any thing again&s;t the <HI>Government,</HI> but pray'd for it hone&s;tly, labor'd to pre&s;erve it: the &s;ufferings of that <HI>party</HI> for many years at home and abroad, did amount to a very great &s;um, yet they never &s;tir'd till they were call'd forth by the great <HI>Council of the Nation,</HI> a vi&s;ible Power; and then how &s;olid, &s;ober, obedient and peaceable they were in their motion, faith|fully praying for their enemies, and &s;eeking not their <HI>de&s;tru|ction</HI> but their <HI>repentance,</HI> aiming at nothing of Power to them&s;elves, onely <HI>liberty</HI> and <HI>&s;afety</HI> in &s;erving the Lord; car|ried on to this <HI>pre&s;ent &s;tate</HI> of things blindlyand &s;imply, not de|&s;igning the ruine of the King and his Power, but urged to it by <HI>nece&s;sity</HI> for their <HI>&s;afety;</HI> for they did &s;hew a willingne&s;s to comply with the <HI>King,</HI> and to &s;ave him, but could not finde him in the lea&s;t <HI>natural</HI> to them, but all his Treaties and Con|ce&s;&s;ions were not voluntary but forc'd, which was &s;ufficiently manife&s;t; And then he would in time, and as he had oppor|tunity, have return'd to his own <HI>natural</HI> cour&s;e with more vio|lence than before, which would have made the latter end to that poor people far wor&s;e than the beginning; &s;o far as this was naked and &s;imple, it will ju&s;tifie that <HI>party,</HI> and the hone|&s;ty and peaceablene&s;s of their &s;pirits, that they &s;ought the pre|&s;ervation of their enemies to the la&s;t.</P>
<P>But how different from this <HI>Copy</HI> are you in your pre&s;ent actings? your ri&s;e is not from <HI>&s;ufferings,</HI> but from <HI>&s;ucce&s;s</HI> and heights of Confidence, being fle&s;h'd with victory, not having a deep &s;pring of &s;implicity and obedience, but a de&s;ign laid upon outward ob&s;ervation of the Advantages of War, and having place and Greatne&s;s in your eye if you prevail, and ac|cordingly your motions are ra&s;h, heady, fiery, fierce, I may &s;ay, &s;eeking War and Blood, and directly aiming at the <HI>de&s;tru|ction</HI> of your brethren: therefore bear with me for the pre|&s;ent, you will, it may be, thank me hereafter: I mu&s;t tell you what I really think, you come not near your pattern; for that &s;pirit who&s;e place you contend for was, though low and dark, yet &s;olid, true, ju&s;t, advancing from a great depth; after pro|vidence; in &s;trength and integrity, and &s;o endured much, waiting
<PB N="59" REF="33">for its &s;ea&s;on to come forth, and then attain'd more than in ever expected or &s;ought for; but yours in your <HI>pre&s;ent motion,</HI> which I believe is not <HI>yours</HI> neither, but a <HI>&s;trange &s;pirit</HI> of di&s;content, is fla&s;hy, &s;light, full of rage, and may, as &s;moke, offend and dar|ken, but will quickly vani&s;h.</P>
<P>This is one of the chief Grounds of the Quarrel begun, and therefore I have taken the more pains to examine it; I hope when you and others finde it a deceitful Ground, you will re|treat from it, and not engage upon &s;uch <HI>fal&s;e</HI> &s;hadows of things again&s;t <HI>true</HI> friends.</P>
<P>There is one thing more that doth offend you, and 'tis hinted here and there in your Paper, That the pre&s;ent pub|lick Tran&s;actions have, been <HI>covenanted and prote&s;ted again&s;t:</HI> You urge the <HI>Engagement and Acts of Parliament made again&s;t Monarchy,</HI> and particularly quote the words of the Declara|tion of the Officers and Soldiers of the Engli&s;h Army, <HI>Aug.</HI> 1. 1650. page 11, 12. <HI>We are per&s;waded in our con&s;ciences, that the late King and his Monarchy was one of the ten horns of the bea&s;t, &s;poken of</HI> Rev. 17.13, &amp;c.</P>
<P>I know not well how to help you over this block: 'tis &s;ad to me, to think how we have trifled with <HI>Oaths</HI> all along, &s;wearing <HI>for</HI> every thing, and almo&s;t <HI>again&s;t</HI> every thing in the Nation; covenanting for King, and engaging directly again&s;t him: If the <HI>Land</HI> do not <HI>mourn,</HI> I wi&s;h it did in <HI>true repentance</HI> for the&s;e things, and that we did earne&s;tly &s;eek unto the Lord for a way out of the <HI>bonds</HI> that are upon our necks by &s;inful and ra&s;h <HI>Oaths.</HI></P>
<P>In the interim, I cannot &s;ee that you do ju&s;tly urge the&s;e things again&s;t your brethren:</P>
<P N="1">I. Becau&s;e our great evil in this thing, is; we have &s;worn ra&s;hly, not in Righteou&s;ne&s;s and Judgement, but in a heat and fit upon politick grounds for worldly advantages: 'twas a &s;in to <HI>make</HI> them, &amp; 'tis a &s;in to <HI>break</HI> them, which is greate&s;t I wil not determine; bur this I am &s;ure of, that you and all of us are guilty, and therefore 'tis not ingenuous to charge another for that which we are guilty of, without accu&s;ing our &s;elves al&s;o.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, We may be a&s;ham'd to remember any of them, but if one, why not all? why not the Covenant, Prote&s;tations,
<PB N="60" REF="34">and at la&s;t the Oath of Allegiance? for in all, the name of God was called upon: There is an oath for the King and his Po&s;teri|ty, an Engagement and Declaration again&s;t him: 'twill be of little u&s;e to enquire, whether an Oath required by a &s;ettled Go|vernment, and voluntarily &s;worn to, for an Ordinance of God, in&s;tituted in plain Scriptures both of old and new Te&s;tament (for &s;o Kingly Government is) I &s;ay, whether &s;uch an Oath? Or an Engagement injoyn'd by a broken Power, or a Declaration of an Army, that never challenged any lawful Power, again&s;t an in&s;titution, upon an interpretation of a dark prophe&s;ie of the <HI>Revelation,</HI> whether of the&s;e two be mo&s;t binding? 'Twill help you and us little to re&s;olve it.</P>
<P N="3">III. Thirdly, This is mo&s;t con&s;iderable how far the letter of Oaths binde? which may be in &s;ome doubtful, in others con|tradictory; and how far the equity and &s;pirit of them binde? and then to enquire what is the pith and &s;ub&s;tance of all our Pro|te&s;tations and Covenants? which when &s;ifted out, let them have their ju&s;t and righteous con&s;ideration: And then 'twere good to con&s;ider which of them this pre&s;ent Government be again&s;t, whether it be not again&s;t tho&s;e Oaths and Covenants made for the <HI>Right</HI> of the <HI>King;</HI> and if &s;o, how came we to be acquitted from tho&s;e former <HI>Oathes?</HI> or whether it be again&s;t the <HI>En|gagements</HI> made again&s;t <HI>Monarchy?</HI> it &s;eems to me to be an|other thing &s;et up be&s;ides, rather than again&s;t that Engagement, being of another <HI>nature</HI> from that which we engaged again&s;t, as we &s;hall &s;ee hereafter; But alas, the&s;e Que&s;tions do not heal nor help us, onely they may &s;erve as du&s;t to put in our mouthes to &s;ilence us, that we upbraid not, nor accu&s;e one another.</P>
<P>We have taken notice of the chief things in the Preface of your <HI>Paper,</HI> we &s;hall now proceed to con&s;ider the Articles of Accu&s;ation them&s;elves, which &s;peak out plainly what it is that troubles you.</P>
<PB N="61" REF="34">
<P>YOur fir&s;t Witne&s;s or Article is again&s;t Apo&s;ta&s;ie, which you expre&s;s in a <HI>Parallel</HI> 'twixt <HI>this Nation</HI> and <HI>the old I&s;rael|ites</HI> in their <HI>deliverance out of Egypt,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>They and we have &s;oon forgot God our Savior,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>We have not &s;et our hearts right,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>but have gone back and deals treacherou&s;ly, and turn'd a&s;ide like a deceitful bowe,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>have provoked the Lord to anger by our inventions.</HI></P>
<P>This fir&s;t is more hone&s;t and ingenuous than any thing that follows it; There is a &s;erious truth in it, and 'tis &s;oberly and humbly expre&s;t, if you do indeed mean what you have written; For you &s;ay, WE <HI>have &s;oon forgo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ten God,</HI> &amp;c. WE <HI>have not,</HI> &amp;c. If you are true in this WE, you have taken your &s;hare of the guilt and &s;hame with your brethren, and the whole Na|tion, and have own'd a union with them in this head &s;in or root-&s;in of Back &s;liding, which is but ju&s;t; if it was a &s;lip, 'twas an hone&s;t and a loving one, be per&s;waded to own it, and to <HI>number</HI> your &s;elves with us &s;inners, and to bear your part of guilt and puni&s;hment al&s;o if it comes: Sin is general, &s;o will Judgement be, 'tis therefore &s;afer for you to lie down under Self-condemnation, and either tru&s;t to mercy, or &s;eek to avert calamity, than to ju&s;tifie your &s;elves as innocent per&s;ons and <HI>witne&s;&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>I take no plea&s;ure in &s;peaking of it, but I fear what you write is too true, that there is a general Apo&s;ta&s;ie among&s;t us; it may be they that are in great place, and &s;o liable to great temptations, are more guilty than others, or el&s;e their guilt is more manife&s;t; but &s;ure there is a general declining in the vi|&s;ible <HI>Profe&s;&s;ors of Religion,</HI> and, as you &s;ay, <HI>Our hearts have not been right, nor our &s;pirits &s;tedfa&s;t to God, but we have turn'd a&s;ide like a deceitful bowe:</HI> 'Tis mo&s;t manife&s;t in the&s;e particulars:</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, We are in Religion divided into &s;everal opinions, forms, names, words and ways of worshipping God, in which we walk in enmity to our brethren of different judgements, which &s;hews we have <HI>turn'd a&s;ide</HI> from God, who <HI>is one,</HI> and his <HI>name one,</HI> who&s;e <HI>Law is exceeding large,</HI> who <HI>is love:</HI> he <HI>&s;aves all,</HI> comprehends <HI>all</HI> under <HI>his wings:</HI> And that which is purely of God and his word, 'tis &s;weet, ea&s;ie and delightful to
<PB N="62" REF="35">all that are <HI>godly;</HI> but that which leads men into divided paths, and into oppo&s;ition, whereby we grieve, afflict and offend <HI>godly ones,</HI> there is in all tho&s;e things &s;ome <HI>inventions</HI> of our own, &s;omething of carnal rea&s;on: Therefore in all divi&s;ions that are among&s;t us, how ever we commend our own way as <HI>pure,</HI> and would impo&s;e it upon others, and not admit him to a &s;hare of the <HI>&s;alvation</HI> that God hath wrought for <HI>all his people</HI> that de|nies it, yet there is in every one mixtures of our own, which while we zealou&s;ly pro&s;ecute, we <HI>turn a&s;ide</HI> from God, and his law of Love.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, We do as <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> abound in performances, re|ligious exerci&s;es, in <HI>new moons, &s;olemn a&s;&s;emblies,</HI> where we offer <HI>rivers of oyl,</HI> the <HI>bea&s;ts of a thou&s;and mountains,</HI> expre&s;&s;ions, enlargements, notions, &s;criptures, duties; yet <HI>I&s;rael</HI> departed from God, and <HI>turn'd a&s;ide</HI> into <HI>them&s;elves</HI> in the&s;e things: therefore are they call'd theirs <HI>own ways,</HI> and not that which God <HI>delighted in,</HI> I&s;a. 66.3, 4. Alas, how gro&s;ly are our preach|ings, prayings, a&s;&s;emblings, churchings, polluted with pride, vain glory, worldly ends? is it not apparent that we <HI>deal treacherou&s;ly</HI> with God, while we &s;eem to exalt <HI>his kingdom,</HI> we do indeed &s;eek our own <HI>honor</HI> and <HI>advantage,</HI> and the exal|tation of our own gifts, party and mini&s;tery? For when we in|gage the &s;trength and might of our hearts in the&s;e things, and neglect to &s;erve the Lord with our &s;ouls, in a &s;oul humbling and &s;oul-clean&s;ing work, wherein the <HI>power of godline&s;e</HI> lies; and when by the&s;e things we life up our &s;elves above others, and as Lords over others, do we not as <HI>a deceitful bowe?</HI> while we &s;eem to &s;hoot at <HI>Gods enemy,</HI> we &s;hoot at our <HI>own enemies,</HI> and while we &s;eem to aim at his honor, aim at our own.</P>
<P N="3">III. Thirdly, We once were meek and lowly, contented with mean things in the world, &s;o we might but enjoy Chri&s;t in his own Ordinances; Now how we imploy our Gifts, our Light, our Zeal, our Way, to get uppermo&s;t, <HI>Diotrephes</HI>-like, to have the <HI>preeminence:</HI> what contending for dominion, envying, plotting, laboring either to maintain or got Greatne&s;s and Power? imploying our light and gifts to pull down and de&s;troy, not to &s;ave, and that which would de&s;troy, would ri&s;e it &s;elf and get into place: If there be among&s;t us the&s;e three, or any
<PB N="63" REF="35">of them, there is departing from God; <HI>enmity, &s;elf</HI> or <HI>pride,</HI> the con&s;tant companions of Apo&s;tacy.</P>
<P>If we have departed from God, and the maje&s;ty and large|ne&s;s of his &s;alvation, into de&s;troying enmity, into perver&s;e &s;elf, into tyrannical pride, 'tis no wonder you complain that 'tis a day of <HI>rebuke, of trouble and bla&s;phemy:</HI> And what kinde of <HI>bla&s;phemy,</HI> not from <HI>Rab&s;hakeh</HI> &s;ent from the <HI>King of A&s;&s;yria,</HI> but from <HI>prophets</HI> and <HI>mini&s;ters</HI> which &s;ay they are &s;ent from <HI>God,</HI> and &s;hould bring tidings of peace? this mu&s;t needs be <HI>re|buke</HI> both to them that admini&s;ter it, and to them again&s;t whom 'tis admini&s;tred; it mu&s;t needs be pitiful and &s;ad work to <HI>bla&s;|pheme</HI> or &s;peak evil of our brethren that profe&s;s the <HI>Name of the Lord,</HI> when every word wounds our <HI>friends,</HI> and the <HI>Name of God,</HI> it mu&s;t al&s;o wound our <HI>&s;elves:</HI> when if what we &s;ay be true, 'tis woful: and &s;ad, when the be&s;t of it is, that what is &s;aid is fal&s;e, and a mi&s;taken pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>You &s;ay further in the words of <HI>Hezek<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ah, The children are come to the birth, and there is not &s;trength to bring forth:</HI> Did you &s;ay it with his &s;pirit and faith, you would do as he did, <HI>rend</HI> not your own <HI>clothes,</HI> nor others honors, but your <HI>hearts,</HI> and put <HI>on &s;ackcloth</HI> and <HI>mourn</HI> before the Lord: Did you believe that <HI>the children were come to the birth,</HI> that deliverance were near, you would not be &s;o angry; or did you <HI>travel</HI> with childe your &s;elves, you would retire into the chambers of your own Souls, and not be quarreling in the &s;treets, or &s;tirring up peo|ple to &s;trife and contention: Or did you think our <HI>Governors,</HI> or any with them were <HI>in travel,</HI> and <HI>wanted &s;trength to bring forth,</HI> you would not by contention weaken them as you do.</P>
<P>Let it be &s;uppos'd then, there is indeed a <HI>great turning a&s;ide from God our Savior,</HI> &amp;c. into enmity, &s;elf and pride, what can you think to be the way to recover us? Will the pulling down a <HI>Protector</HI> and his party, with Accu&s;ations, Wrath and Vio|lence, and &s;etting up your &s;elves or any other party in a way of Parliament? Will this bring us back <HI>to God</HI> in love, &s;elf denial, humility and true holine&s;s? We cannot believe that you think it will, but that you mu&s;t think with us, that love, in&s;truction and forgivene&s;s, admini&s;tred in the grace and &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, to melt and break mens hearts; the&s;e are the proper Remedies
<PB N="64" REF="36">to recover a back-&s;liding people. Now I have glo&s;s'd upon the &s;en&s;e of the Sub&s;cribers, I &s;hall give you a more naked account of my own thoughts concerning this thing in the&s;e <HI>Animad|ver&s;ions.</HI></P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, We are e&s;caped from an outward <HI>Egypt,</HI> but are &s;till <HI>in that great City Which is &s;piri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ually called Sodom and Egypt,</HI> Rev. 11.8. We and our con&s;ciences are free from men, but our &s;ouls and con&s;ciences are in bondage to darkne&s;s, to fle&s;hly lu&s;ts, to wrath, pride and &s;elf love; while we were under the power of outward enemies the&s;e dur&s;t not look forth, but be|ing now free from fear of others, our own naughtine&s;s begins to appear.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, The&s;e noi&s;om lu&s;ts of envy, evil &s;urmi&s;es, pride and &s;elf-exaltation, are of the &s;ame kinde and &s;pirit with that tyranny that men exercis'd over us; which being in and among&s;t our &s;elves, do pierce and wound us more than when they were over us in others.</P>
<P N="3">III. Thirdly, We have gotten a greater outward liberty and dominion, than we have wi&s;dom and &s;trength of grace to ma|nage, which is a dangerous evil, to be over loaded with great|ne&s;s, pro&s;perity and honor, more than is proportionable to our &s;pirits: 'Twas a wi&s;e de&s;ire of <HI>Agur, Neither poverty nor riches, but food convenie it for me.</HI> A little grace that &s;hin'd clearly in a mean condition, may be &s;mother'd and choak'd with worldly Greatne&s;s: when I &s;ee how little of the <HI>maje&s;ty</HI> of the <HI>&s;pirit</HI> of <HI>God</HI> there is, and how <HI>carnal</HI> mens mindes are, I fear we ro&s;e too &s;oon, and are come forth into Power before we are fit for it, or it fit for us; and if it be &s;o, we may fear we &s;hall lie down aga<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">n in our old Egyptian <HI>graves,</HI> or a wor&s;e <HI>hell,</HI> till by &s;ome &s;harp &s;uffering our &s;pirits be more refin'd: we do hang over a dangerous pit of confu&s;ion and wrath, by a meer <HI>thred</HI> of Gods good providence, therefore it concerns all, e&s;pecially our <HI>Go|vernors,</HI> to be very humble, very meek and patient, tender and &s;ubject to what light &s;hall come forth from God; for if God &s;hould be provoked but to cut <HI>this thred,</HI> or to take off his hand from protecting of us, we are like to be the mo&s;t mi&s;erable, di&s;|honorable and abominated people in the earth.</P>
<P N="4">IV. Fourthly, Our corruptions which before lay hid, and in
<PB N="65" REF="36">this time of freedom break forth, are more than we expected, are noi&s;om and foul, offen&s;ive to our &s;elves and vi&s;ible to others, and they come <HI>in as a flood upon us</HI> in all places, in all things, in outward and inward things, in civil and Church affairs &s;o much, that we know not how to re&s;i&s;t them; neither is there vi&s;ibly appearing in any &s;ort of people a remedy for the&s;e evils, or a &s;pirit able to deal with the huge Armies of Lu&s;ts, that over|&s;pread Religion, and men profe&s;&s;ing godline&s;s: This is a great di&s;appointment, we looked for Peace, Righteou&s;ne&s;s, Truth and Glory to flouri&s;h, but behold, Folly, Enmity, Di&s;traction, Iniquity and Shame covers our faces: This doth vex and grieve mens hearts, and every man complains of <HI>this</HI> and <HI>that,</HI> and mo&s;t with the Sub&s;cribers, fall upon them that are in power, becau&s;e they do not cure the&s;e maladies, and lead us into a better &s;tate; generally it cau&s;es wrath, bitterne&s;s and rage again&s;t the&s;e evils in others, not in our &s;elves; not con&s;idering who it is that &s;ays, I&s;aiah 43.28. <HI>I have profaned the Princes of the &s;anctuary, and have given Jacob to the cur&s;e, and I&s;rael to reproaches;</HI> not that the rea&s;on of this great di&s;plea&s;ure of God lies at home in every mans heart, if they did con&s;ider this is a divine hand, and the ground of it is in our &s;elves, and in the very &s;tate in which we are, being much in the fle&s;h and carnal, we &s;hould at lea&s;t be &s;till and &s;ilent, and not increa&s;e our evils by open and &s;hameful Quarrels, but rather heal and hide them by Love and Re|pentance.</P>
<P N="5">V. Fifthly, We in the outward things, as matters of Go|vernment, are yet intangled in the <HI>maners</HI> and <HI>cu&s;toms</HI> of <HI>E|gypt,</HI> and ignorant of the <HI>Judgements</HI> and <HI>Statutes</HI> of <HI>the Lord,</HI> or of our <HI>own land;</HI> for a way or form of Government of our own that is proper for a godly people, we have not yet di&s;co|ver'd to us; therefore every one lays hold of &s;ome broken pie|ces of <HI>Egypt.</HI> The In&s;trument patches up <HI>one</HI> and a <HI>Council,</HI> and the <HI>Old Law</HI> and <HI>Parliament,</HI> the Sub&s;cribers &s;eem to be for a <HI>Parliament</HI> onely; But all the&s;e things about which we contend, are parts of the <HI>Old Babel,</HI> and the Sub&s;cribers them|&s;elves as much in it as any, as we may &s;ee hereafter: Now the&s;e things mu&s;t needs vex our &s;pirits, having not yet found out a way &s;uitable and &s;it for us: Though few know what we ayl,
<PB N="66" REF="37">or what will cure us, onely our feet are in the &s;tocks, and our mindes unea&s;ie and un&s;atisfied, we kick and &s;purn again&s;t tho&s;e that are next us.</P>
<P>But if the Sub&s;cribers or any others do think, that it is the de&s;ign of the <HI>Protector</HI> Him&s;elf, or Him&s;elf and Council, to carry us back again into <HI>Egypt,</HI> into a Land of tyranny and oppre&s;|&s;ion, or per&s;ecution, and to make him&s;elf and po&s;terity Lords over us there, I will not per&s;wade your charity to think other|wi&s;e: There is it may be &s;o great a breach, and we have con|ceiv'd &s;uch di&s;mal apprehen&s;ions one of another, that there is no talking of love: But we may &s;uppo&s;e that we have not quite lo&s;t our <HI>rea&s;on,</HI> though we have our <HI>faith</HI> and <HI>love,</HI> do then but u&s;e your rea&s;on, and you cannot think that the Protector can be &s;o weak as to attempt &s;uch a de&s;ign, or &s;o &s;trong as to effect it, if he &s;hould aim at it.</P>
<P>For if he would carry us back to <HI>Egypt,</HI> his way were to heal <HI>Egypt,</HI> and to re&s;tore the <HI>old malignants,</HI> as the proper Suppor|ters of Royalty and Greatne&s;s, and in&s;truments of &s;uppre&s;&s;ing us and our principles of Liberty: One while all the cry of jea|lou&s;ie was, He favor'd Malignants, that Malignants got up again; but His late acts again&s;t them take away this doubt, and tell us the breach 'twixt them and him can never be heal'd; nei|ther can we in <HI>rea&s;on</HI> think that ever <HI>they</HI> &s;hould tru&s;t <HI>him,</HI> or <HI>he them;</HI> For though they do love outward pomp, and tyranny, and per&s;ecution, the companions of it, yet they could not but hate it in him, who is, as they think, a De&s;troyer and Per&s;ecutor of them and their way, neither can he expect any thing from them but all the revenge an inraged enemy can plot or act; there|fore if he looks back to <HI>Egypt,</HI> he meets with a <HI>Red &s;ea,</HI> which lately devour'd <HI>Pharaoh</HI> and <HI>his ho&s;t,</HI> the &s;ame <HI>&s;ea of blood</HI> waits to receive him if he return.</P>
<P>If his way to <HI>Egypt</HI> be block'd up, &s;o that he mu&s;t re&s;olve to cleave to <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> as his onely hopes; Can he think then that <HI>I&s;|rael</HI> will turn <HI>Egyptians?</HI> Or do we think that he can debauch the hone&s;t party, &s;o as to blot out of their &s;ouls all principles of Religion and Liberty, and to make them &s;laves to his lu&s;ts of <HI>Pride</HI> and <HI>Tyranny?</HI> Can he think to lull a&s;leep all tho&s;e lively awakenings of Courage and Zeal for Liberty, which move &s;o
<PB N="65" REF="37">highly among&s;t us, or to per&s;wade that <HI>Day</HI> of <HI>Light</HI> that hath over&s;pread mens mindes (as to outward Freedom) to retire again, and to lie down <HI>in darkne&s;s,</HI> that he might ty|rannize over us un&s;een and unfelt: can he or you think, that be&s;ides Di&s;&s;enters, that hate the appearance and &s;hew of Ty|ranny, there are not thou&s;ands that abhor to bear the Yoke of Slavery from any, much le&s;s from him a Brother? and if they did not &s;ee and feel, or hope for (at lea&s;t) an hone&s;ty and up|rightne&s;s in him, would both de&s;ert and oppo&s;e him? If he &s;hould meet with &s;ome few weak hearted Mungrels that would flatter his Greatne&s;s, and fall before it; yet &s;hould he but di&s;|cover a <HI>Heart</HI> to depart from principles of Liberty to Tyran|ny, not onely Pa&s;&s;ion and Di&s;content, but the very heart, life, and &s;pirit of Truth and Hone&s;ty in the whole party would with &s;corn reject him: Therefore be is ingaged and hedg'd in, that if he &s;hould have a lu&s;t after Ambition, he knows not which way to have it, or how to compa&s;s it, without apparent ruine to his very &s;tanding and being, which is upon the Foundation of <HI>hone&s;t men</HI> and <HI>hone&s;t things;</HI> take him off from that bottom, he is the nakede&s;t poore&s;t wretch in the world, and the mo&s;t &s;ubject to &s;corn and contempt; and this &s;o evident, that he can|not but &s;ee it.</P>
<P>Neither can I think it hardly po&s;&s;ible for the <HI>Protector</HI> and they that joyn with him, knowingly and wilfully to de&s;ert that Religion and Cau&s;e, that hath been laid into their hearts by a deep work upon their Souls long before the&s;e times, in which they have been bred, born, and form'd by a continual work of God upon them; for which they have often adventured their Lives, Names, E&s;tates, and all that they had: A Cau&s;e and Work that is as natural to them as their lives; yea, now their very <HI>life</HI> and <HI>being,</HI> they having been brought forth with it, to what they are, having no other hopes of &s;ub&s;i&s;tance in the earth, but in it and with it. They may &s;tagger and wander in much darkne&s;s, &s;hortne&s;s and in&s;ufficiency, they may have pa&s;&s;ions and temptations; but that they &s;hould of a &s;udden, raze out of their &s;ouls all impre&s;&s;ions made by God upon them, and the deep ingagements of their &s;pirits to this work, and in a &s;it for|&s;ake all and e&s;pou&s;e another intere&s;t, cannot without much pre|judice be received.</P>
<PB N="66" REF="38">
<P>Or &s;hould I conclude mans heart &s;o deceitful and fal&s;e as to do this, yet I mu&s;t then doubt, that the very Religion, and the &s;tate in which we are, (when the eminente&s;t and &s;tronge&s;t pil|lars fail) is not what we have thought it, but that it likewi&s;e will corrupt and turn to rottenne&s;s, and all the&s;e appearings of Light and operations of God, will be utterly lo&s;t in Apo&s;ta&s;ie, and that we &s;hall run back into Darkne&s;s and Profanene&s;s, or Confu&s;ion; I confe&s;s, I cannot in rea&s;on admit the one, with|out &s;ad apprehen&s;ions of the other.</P>
<P>But then I con&s;ider al&s;o that this Work begun among&s;t us, is not &s;o much carried on by an inward <HI>Spring of Grace,</HI> but up|on the <HI>Wheels of Providence;</HI> drawing or driving men on into ways and paths, that their own light neither did nor could direct them into; and therefore it depends not upon the &s;ted|fa&s;tne&s;s and truth of mens &s;pirits, they having the lea&s;t &s;hare in it: but they and the Work have been carried on upon Engines of Providence, &s;o far beyond mens knowledge, that if their hearts &s;hould fail, they know not which way to go back; they are caught in &s;uch a net, and &s;o involved in and with the Work, that they mu&s;t live and die in it, and cannot think how or where to live out of it: which might help to ea&s;e us of the pain of jea|lou&s;ie which troubles us, and unite all our hearts and &s;pirits to do the utmo&s;t we can, to maintain what we have got; for we are gone too far to retreat, we mu&s;t think of going forward, but backward we cannot go.</P>
<P>Your &s;econd Witne&s;s or Article begins thus: <HI>That ble&s;&s;ed Cau&s;e, and tho&s;e noble Principles propounded and pro&s;ecuted by the old Parliament, &amp;c. are now wholly laid a&s;ide, &amp;c. and an|other quite contrary e&s;pou&s;ed, &amp;c.</HI> I confe&s;s, I cannot but won|der why you &s;hould <HI>ble&s;s the old Parliament,</HI> except it be to <HI>our&s;e our new Government:</HI> and why you &s;hould <HI>ble&s;s</HI> them and <HI>our&s;e</HI> the&s;e, I do as much wonder, when I know they were much more oppo&s;ite to your way than the&s;e are. Neither did the <HI>old Parliament</HI> ever <HI>propound or pro&s;ecute,</HI> the <HI>de&s;troying of Pari&s;hes, taking away Tythes,</HI> or <HI>overthrowing of Mini&s;ters,</HI> which are your Cau&s;e now again&s;t the pre&s;ent <HI>Government,</HI> as you expre&s;s in the clo&s;e of your <HI>Paper;</HI> &s;ure <HI>the&s;e men</HI> are apt|er for &s;uch Work than the <HI>old Parliament:</HI> And why you
<PB N="67" REF="38">&s;hould &s;o magnifie any thing that is pa&s;t, as to call it <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed,</HI> I know not; I confe&s;s, I never yet &s;aw any thing in agitation that could make all parties happy and ble&s;&s;ed: &s;urely nothing is truly <HI>ble&s;&s;ed,</HI> but that wherein all good men may finde re&s;t. It may be you plate much of you happine&s;s in a <HI>Parliament,</HI> for in this Article you plead for the Priviledges of Parliaments; if you do not, many others do think it the onely Cure of our Di&s;temper: and therefore I &s;hall freely give you my thoughts of <HI>Parliaments:</HI></P>
<P>A <HI>Parliament</HI> is a Con&s;titution in which there is &s;ome Rea|&s;on and Equity, and of late it hath been very benign to <HI>Liberty</HI> and <HI>Religion;</HI> for which we may remember it with Honor: but I fear it hath been made an <HI>Idol</HI> by many of us, and exalted above its place, for which, it hath been mi&s;erably bla&s;ted and curs'd, render'd a vain and unprofitable thing, &s;ubjected to &s;corn and contempt, having lo&s;t its Union, Maje&s;ty and Wi&s;dom. The Con&s;iderations that I have long had concerning a Parliament, are the&s;e:</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, A <HI>Parliament</HI> is a Body, whereof the <HI>King</HI> is the head; and therefore 'twas called <HI>his Parliament,</HI> becau&s;e form'd and call'd by him at his own plea&s;ure, for his own ends; and 'twas his Intere&s;t, which he much pleaded for in the beginning of the&s;e times, a <HI>Free Parliament;</HI> for, had they been <HI>Free</HI> in their Debates and Votes, he and all his had been undoubtedly &s;afe: For the Parliament did zealou&s;ly and heartily intend the advancing of him, and making him a great Prince, and ingaged and prote&s;ted to it; however they were afterward forc'd from their own Prote&s;tations, but not by any natural motion of their own, but by an over-powering hand. A <HI>Parliament</HI> is the In|tere&s;t of the <HI>King,</HI> and a <HI>King</HI> as much the Intere&s;t of a <HI>Parliament.</HI></P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, A <HI>Parliament</HI> is a wordly earthly Con&s;tituti|on, con&s;i&s;ting of worldly Matter, Gentlemen of E&s;tates, and cho&s;en by People, in the capacity onely of po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing &s;o much Land; without any re&s;pect at all had in <HI>Electors</HI> or <HI>Elected,</HI> to any <HI>Character of Grace</HI> or <HI>Anointing:</HI> and therefore 'tis the Intere&s;t of the <HI>World,</HI> not of the <HI>Saints;</HI> a part of the fourth Monarchy, not of the fifth; the &s;trength of the <HI>Kingdoms</HI> of
<PB N="68" REF="39"><HI>this world,</HI> not of the <HI>Kingdom</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t;</HI> form'd by cu&s;tom in the Darkne&s;s and Enmity of the world, not in the Light and Wi&s;dom of <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P N="3">III. Thirdly, The <HI>Parliament</HI> had it had its <HI>Priviledges, viz.</HI> Freedom for all its Members to Debate and Vote, would never have removed any thing of <HI>King, Lords</HI> or <HI>Bi&s;hops;</HI> they had all &s;tood to this day, had not the Parliament been forc'd by the People. We may talk of <HI>Priviledges</HI> of <HI>Parliament,</HI> but, alas, who doth not &s;ee that we did make bold with their <HI>Priviledges,</HI> by driving &s;ome out, and driving &s;ome on beyond their rea&s;on, to what we and the People affected; and this &s;o gro&s;ly, that though it might be a &s;hame to do it, 'tis more a &s;hame to deny it; or to &s;eem now to plead for the &s;tanding of <HI>Parliaments</HI> and <HI>Priviledges,</HI> when common &s;en&s;e or ingenuity will tell us, we have forc'd and violated them at our plea&s;ures from the beginning.</P>
<P N="4">IV. Fourthly, We cannot in rea&s;on expect a <HI>Free Parlia|ment</HI> at this time, becau&s;e the People are not fit to have a free choice of Members, or at lea&s;t not fit in the &s;ence of the <HI>Sub|&s;cribers;</HI> for, generally the &s;pirit of the Nation at this time is complaining of Sects and Divi&s;ions in Religion, and jealous that the Anabapti&s;t will get the upper hand, and pull down both Magi&s;tracy and Mini&s;try; therefore we cannot but think, give them Freedom to chu&s;e, they would pitch upon &s;ober wi&s;e|men, that &s;hould &s;top this inundation of Innovations in Church and State: Therefore you cannot have a <HI>Free Parliament,</HI> ex|cept you admit the People to a <HI>Free Choice,</HI> which is the foun|dation of a <HI>Free Parliament,</HI> which indeed, neither the Sub&s;cri|bers, nor any rational hone&s;t man can admit; for the greater number of the People of the Nation are either Malignant and oppo&s;ing Reformation, or lately offended at it, or Neutral, and &s;otti&s;hly mindle&s;s of any thing but their profit; all the&s;e mu&s;t be concluded unfit to be the root of that power that mu&s;t carry on the great Work begun, and &s;ecure <HI>hone&s;t men</HI> and hone&s;t things: And &s;hould we re&s;train the Election to <HI>hone&s;t men,</HI> (for which there is no Law) yet they al&s;o are for the pre&s;ent unfit for choice, being divided into Sects and Parties, and &s;o not competent judges of mens ability to govern, but will over value
<PB N="69" REF="39">their Friends, and undervalue their Enemies; chu&s;e an unwor|thy man, becau&s;e of our own party; and refu&s;e a worthy man, becau&s;e oppo&s;ite to us: &s;o that the Foundation of a <HI>Parliament</HI> would be laid (though cho&s;en by the be&s;t men) not onely in bitter &s;trife and enmity, but in unrighteou&s;ne&s;s and partiality; and what fruit can we expect, but jangling and cavelling, from the root of blinde and unju&s;t Contention? But, alas, a Free Choice is out of u&s;e among&s;t us, for the cu&s;tom hath been, either to awe the People out of their choice by greatne&s;s, or to cheat them of it by canva&s;ing and importunities; and &s;o either &s;ome great men, or bu&s;ie factious men, have made Parliament-men in mo&s;t places: and the People in whom we would place the ori|ginal power, over our Lives, Liberties and Religion, are &s;uch fools or bea&s;ts, as to be thus driven in their Election. If we &s;hould have a <HI>Parliament</HI> at this time, I &s;hould fear it would be like that Bea&s;t &s;poken of, <HI>Rev.</HI> 13. 1, 2. which did <HI>ri&s;e out of the &s;ea;</HI> &s;o the People or Nation is at this time, a multitude of confu&s;ed Tongues, Languages and Voices, carried this way and that way by the breath and &s;pirits of men. And <HI>the Bea&s;t</HI> was <HI>like a leopard,</HI> full of &s;pots of &s;everal and different colours, and of a mon&s;trous &s;hape; the lower parts <HI>the feet as a bear;</HI> the upper parts, <HI>the mouth as a lion:</HI> &s;uch would a Parliament be; They might roar as <HI>lions,</HI> &s;peak high things, big words, &s;ome of them; others be fierce and cruel as <HI>a bear;</HI> but yet <HI>a bea&s;t,</HI> not of wi&s;dom, meekne&s;s, or love, to heal our Di&s;tractions: for the fury and wrathful &s;pirits of the People can blow up no better a <HI>Repre&s;entative,</HI> than a fierce and raging <HI>Parliament.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;hould this <HI>Parliament</HI> a&s;&s;emble and &s;it, and a&s;&s;ume the <HI>Royal power</HI> into their hands, will the <HI>Dragon</HI> (if I may alude to the Army) give them <HI>his Power, his Seat, and his great Au|thority?</HI> An <HI>Army</HI> we have and mu&s;t have, and 'tis now Su|preme; can we then think, that they that have the Sword in their hands, be they the <HI>Sub&s;cribers</HI> or any other, will be &s;o time, as to &s;uffer them&s;elves to be voted Traitors by &s;uch a <HI>Lions mouth,</HI> and to be laid hold on by &s;uch a <HI>Bears paws,</HI> and not remove them? For there is no <HI>Parliament</HI> that can meet, if they have the courage to own their <HI>Priviledges,</HI> but mu&s;t con|demn, not onely the <HI>late Acts;</HI> but the very <HI>Power</HI> and <HI>Being</HI>
<PB N="70" REF="40">of the <HI>Army,</HI> as it now &s;tands: And whether there be men to be found upon the earth that will &s;uffer this, when they have the Sword, and &s;o power to prevent it, and to fave their heads, all may judge; and therefore a <HI>Free Parliament,</HI> as it is not po&s;&s;ible to be had, &s;o 'tis not rational to think, that they &s;hould <HI>freely &s;it</HI> and vote under a &s;uperior and different Power; for if they are not a <HI>bea&s;t,</HI> the Sword will make them one, and drive them which way it plea&s;e.</P>
<P>Let us now con&s;ider what hath been &s;aid, That a Parliament is the proper <HI>Body</HI> of the <HI>King</HI> its Head; that it is a <HI>worldly</HI> and <HI>dark Con&s;titution,</HI> the Intere&s;t of the <HI>Nation,</HI> not of the <HI>Saints:</HI> and what it hath formerly done to e&s;tabli&s;h our Bon|dage, how little it would have done towards a Reformation, had they had their <HI>Freedom</HI> and <HI>Priviledges;</HI> and what an <HI>irrational</HI> and <HI>bruiti&s;h</HI> thing it mu&s;t needs be, if cho&s;en by the People in their pre&s;ent condition, and &s;itting under another power in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion. And we mu&s;t conclude, That a <HI>Parliament</HI> is not a &s;ea&s;onable remedy; and the Sub&s;cribers al&s;o, if they con&s;ider it, mu&s;t confe&s;s, a Parliament is as <HI>Egyptian</HI> or Baby|loni&s;h as a <HI>King.</HI> It hath been my minde a long time, I &s;hall de&s;ire my Countrey men to bear with me if I offend, That a <HI>Government,</HI> wherein there is the lea&s;t <HI>de&s;ignation of Provi|dence,</HI> yea, if it be but the <HI>product of &s;ucce&s;s,</HI> if it have in it any thing of <HI>Love or &V;nion,</HI> or the lea&s;t &s;park or &s;pirit of <HI>Hone&s;ty</HI> and <HI>Ju&s;tice,</HI> I &s;hould prefer it at this time much before a <HI>Par|liament of England;</HI> where I fear there will be little but violent &s;torms of Contention.</P>
<P>'Tis true, the <HI>Parliament</HI> hath been a <HI>nur&s;ing Mother</HI> to good people, and was kinde to her <HI>nur&s;ling,</HI> while it was a <HI>nur&s;|ling</HI> and a childe; the more, becau&s;e &s;he was fallen out with her husband the <HI>King,</HI> and &s;o expected to have &s;ome help from her childe again&s;t him: I doubt her love was not natural, but as a <HI>nur&s;e</HI> and hireling, for her own advantage; if &s;he had ever thought it &s;hould have been <HI>wean'd</HI> and taken from her, &s;he would not have been &s;o kinde to it. But her brea&s;ts hath been long dry, and &s;he grew froward and imperious, and therefore 'twas but time for the childe when it grew to be a man, to leave &s;ucking, and to &s;hift for it &s;elf. If godly and hone&s;t men
<PB N="71" REF="40">were a Body <HI>knit</HI> and <HI>joynted</HI> together, they need not fear &s;tanding upon their own legs, and being <HI>wean'd</HI> from <HI>Parlia|ments;</HI> neither have we any rea&s;on to return to her, being in a womani&s;h rage and di&s;traction, for her lo&s;s of that ab&s;olute Power &s;he lately had, and unju&s;tly took upon her. But if the&s;e <HI>Sub&s;cribers</HI> and other <HI>New-lighted</HI> Men have a minde to be Children again, and to go to School to their <HI>Tutors and Go|vernors,</HI> a <HI>Parliament,</HI> let them but lay down the <HI>Sword,</HI> and if <HI>Madam Nur&s;e</HI> do not whip them back into Uniformity, to their old Bapti&s;m and Mini&s;try, and at lea&s;t to the Directory and Orthodox Catechi&s;m, let them never tru&s;t an <HI>unknown Friend</HI> more.</P>
<P>Before I leave this Article, I have a little &s;erious advice to commend to you my friends the <HI>Sub&s;cribers;</HI> I ob&s;erve when you come to &s;um up your <HI>ble&s;&s;ed Cau&s;e,</HI> you &s;trangely jumble together heterogeneous matter of the <HI>Kingdom of Chri&s;t,</HI> the <HI>Priviledges of Parliaments, the Liberty of the Subjects;</HI> and el&s;ewhere, <HI>A right to our Native Priviledges,</HI> and the <HI>ju&s;t Li|berty of every man.</HI> In confounding the&s;e things without giving them their place and order, you &s;eem to me to be either ex|tremely ignorant of your Cau&s;e, the <HI>Kingdom of Chri&s;t,</HI> or el&s;e in oppo&s;ition to this pre&s;ent Power, have departed very much from it, in mingling &s;uch old worldly things with it; which are <HI>old Terms,</HI> but &s;urely have no place in this <HI>new Kingdom.</HI></P>
<P>For, make the <HI>Kingdom of Chri&s;t</HI> what you will, it con&s;i&s;ts either in the per&s;on or &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, as the anointed of God; or in the Saints, being partakers of the &s;ame anointing: Now for you to place the power onely in a <HI>Parliament,</HI> who&s;e ori|ginal is in the choice of an ignorant, carnal, and divided people; of members like them&s;elves, without mentioning <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> or his De&s;ignation and Ordination to govern, or the anointing and grace of his Spirit in his Saints; you do in this wave the Intere&s;t of Chri&s;t and your own Cau&s;e, I fear, becau&s;e you would oppo&s;e the&s;e Governors, who have a &s;hadow of &s;ome &s;uch thing, <HI>viz.</HI> the appointment of Providence, and &s;ome of them a &s;pirit of wi&s;dom, largene&s;s and righteou&s;ne&s;s, to govern. What ever the&s;e are, it is not your Intere&s;t to give the Com|mon people of the Nation, that are malignant, or neutral
<PB N="72" REF="41">and indifferent, or offended at you, equal priviledge with the Saints.</P>
<P>For the <HI>Liberty of the Subject;</HI> what is it more than to be under the Government of our <HI>Soveraign Lord the King,</HI> and to hold our Lands of <HI>him,</HI> or &s;ome <HI>mean Lord,</HI> under &s;uch <HI>Suits</HI> and <HI>Service</HI> ? or to governed by his Laws and Mini|&s;ters, Civil and Eccle&s;ia&s;tical? What Liberty el&s;e had we? and what is this to the heirs <HI>of the Kingdom of Chri&s;t,</HI> where the Saints &s;hall reign as <HI>Kings?</HI> Or would you gratifie the Com|mon people, in pleading the <HI>Liberty of every man,</HI> what will be their portion when <HI>Chri&s;t reigns?</HI> Will it not be, think you, at be&s;t to <HI>bow to the &s;oles of the feet</HI> of the Saints? 'Tis true, there is a large righteou&s;ne&s;s in <HI>Chri&s;ts Kingdom,</HI> and he will <HI>di&s;tribute Ju&s;tice to every man,</HI> but not in the way wherein this hath been, and is now &s;poken of by you; but in fir&s;t advancing his Saints, and in making others their &s;ervants.</P>
<P>And what are our <HI>Native Priviledges?</HI> Is it not, to be born in our own Pari&s;h, to be Chri&s;tned by our own Mini&s;ter, to go to our own Pari&s;h-Church to Divine Service, to follow our Trades and Callings, while the King &s;ecur'd our E&s;tates by his Laws, and our Religion by his Bi&s;hops and Canons? Alas, we were born in <HI>Egpyt,</HI> in the <HI>hou&s;e of Bondage;</HI> me thinks you are very much intangled with the Cu&s;toms and Maners of <HI>Egypt,</HI> when you talk at this rate, and very ignorant of what you profe&s;s the <HI>Kingdom of Chri&s;t,</HI> and the Dignity of the Saints; or el&s;e you do out of di&s;content, throw your &s;elves back into the common &s;tate of the Nation, being angry with your Brethren.</P>
<P>I am of this opinion, that there is a peculiar <HI>Friviledge</HI> and Right of Power or Government due to <HI>hone&s;t men,</HI> that have with the jeopardy of their lives, re&s;cued them&s;elves from Sla|very; which is their due, not by a <HI>Natural birth,</HI> as Men; nor by a <HI>Spiritual birth,</HI> as Chri&s;tians; but by a <HI>birth of Providence</HI> (if I may &s;o call it) whereby they are brought forth into a <HI>Di|&s;tinct, Outward,</HI> and <HI>Military Body,</HI> and intru&s;ted with the power of the <HI>Sword,</HI> and &s;o of the Nation: That <HI>Government</HI> that deryed the&s;e poor people the common Freedom of Life and Being, is totally di&s;&s;olved; their Enemies overthrown, and
<PB N="73" REF="41">they that were the <HI>Tail,</HI> made the <HI>Head;</HI> indowed with the mo&s;t <HI>ab&s;olute Power.</HI> 'Tis a thing that the <HI>Protector</HI> hath &s;eem'd a long time to de&s;ign, and that good people have talked of, That <HI>Hone&s;t men</HI> &s;hould onely have place and power; and yet now we have it, we either minde it not, or know not which way to &s;ettle it: I do heartily wi&s;h, that we under&s;tood what a <HI>Prize</HI> we have in our <HI>hand,</HI> and had light and judgement, either to keep it ju&s;tly, or to re&s;ign it wi&s;ely.</P>
<P>Your third Article is this, <HI>The unadvi&s;ed and unwarrantable changing of Government, and &s;wearing thereunto, &amp;c.</HI> This is the chief of your witne&s;s, The great offence taken again&s;t the <HI>Protector,</HI> and indeed the chief difference 'twixt you and him; the very &s;ub&s;tance of your Paper, other things being either appurtenances and flouri&s;hes, or petty incon&s;iderable things, brought in to make number and weight: but here is the &s;tre&s;s of the bu&s;ine&s;s, and the chief ground of your quarrel, now you come to the point; 'tis an <HI>unadvi&s;ed and unwarrantable act,</HI> and, <HI>&s;wearing thereunto:</HI> You differ not in Principle, or in your Spirits, or in Work and Ends, onely the Protector hath ra&s;hly and <HI>unadvi&s;edly</HI> clap'd up a <HI>Government,</HI> which you cannot <HI>warrant</HI> to be &s;ound and good; or a private thing, that hath no publick <HI>Warranty;</HI> neither the con&s;ent of <HI>the People,</HI> nor of <HI>the Hone&s;t party.</HI> I mu&s;t confe&s;s, to form a &s;tanding <HI>Govern|ment</HI> for three Nations &s;o <HI>unadvi&s;edly,</HI> upon &s;uch &s;light and &s;udden Council; and to have no more Law, Authority, or Rea|&s;on from men, nor any thing from Heaven to <HI>warrant</HI> it; and then as ra&s;hly by Oath to engage to it, and &s;o to involve him|&s;elf in it, as to render him&s;elf uncapeable of better Coun&s;els, and a better way if it &s;hould appear, is not a thing ju&s;tified by that light either of Religion or Rea&s;on that I under&s;tand: And therefore, though I can &s;ubmit, either to a forc'd and impos'd, or an undue Authority or <HI>Government,</HI> (for I think all the Go|vernments now in the world are no better) yet if I may &s;peak my minde freely, 'tis this; To huddle up a bu&s;ine&s;s of &s;o va&s;t a concernment, as the <HI>Government</HI> of three Nations, in a <HI>corner,</HI> in &s;uch <HI>ha&s;te,</HI> upon &s;o <HI>&s;lender advice,</HI> without a <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion</HI> either from God or men, and to binde it by an <HI>Oath,</HI> is unju&s;ti|fiable, and doth require repentance in them that did it.</P>
<PB N="74" REF="42">
<P>But, though I do agree with the <HI>Sub&s;cribers,</HI> That this act is <HI>unadvi&s;ed</HI> and <HI>unwarrantable,</HI> yet it is upon a different ground; for they &s;ay, That <HI>change of Government and &s;wearing thereunto doth put a nece&s;&s;ity upon the chief &V;ndertaker thereof, to over|throw the very Foundation of a Commonwealth;</HI> this is <HI>as they judge.</HI> Now I judge, that one great rea&s;on why that <HI>Govern|ment</HI> and <HI>In&s;trument</HI> was &s;et up and &s;worn to, was to uphold the <HI>Foundation</HI> of the <HI>old Commonwealth:</HI> and this they did, as I &s;uppo&s;e, in &s;ome kinde of oppo&s;ition to the <HI>Fifth Monarchy</HI> men; who, as the&s;e men judged, would have led them by their un&s;etled principles into a notion or cloud of a <HI>New Kingdom,</HI> from the very <HI>Foundations of an old Commomwealth;</HI> and to avoid this danger, they took the materials that were next, <HI>old Laws and Parliaments,</HI> and a new <HI>Protector</HI> and <HI>Council,</HI> which are all <HI>Fundamentals of Government,</HI> and &s;o patch'd up the bu&s;ine&s;s in ha&s;te and fear, le&s;t they &s;hould lo&s;e all their footing in a Commonwealth.</P>
<P>Now here I think was their error, That they did re-build what was really pull'd down, and maintain what God had de|&s;troyed; and &s;et them&s;elves and that Power that God had given them, upon a rotten <HI>Foundation,</HI> which is dark and un|clean, full of wrath and cur&s;e; which hath <HI>put a nece&s;&s;ity upon the chief &V;ndertaker,</HI> to uphold an old ruin'd Hou&s;e, and all the Breaches, Confu&s;ions, perplexed Suits and Quarrels, Enmities and Mi&s;eries occa&s;ioned by our late Civil Wars and Di&s;tracti|ons; the weight of which mu&s;t needs be &s;o heavy, that he can|not but now feel that he did <HI>unadvi&s;edly</HI> in taking up the burthen of it.</P>
<P>The Rea&s;ons why I thus judge, are, Fir&s;t, The ancient Form of this Kingdom or Commonwealth, and the Government thereof, is certainly di&s;&s;olv'd; and the heart or life of its Union broken, by that irreconcileable breach 'twixt the Head and Body, the <HI>King</HI> and his <HI>Parliament,</HI> or People, <HI>A Kingdom</HI> &s;o <HI>divided cannot &s;tand;</HI> in its mo&s;t e&s;&s;ential or integral parts, by a continued War, which could never be compos'd, but in the utter de&s;truction of one party. The Union betwixt the&s;e two principal parts being broken, there nece&s;&s;arily follow'd, by de|grees, a di&s;&s;olution and mouldering away of all the other parts;
<PB N="75" REF="42">&s;o that at la&s;t, there is not one &s;tone left upon another, no one piece of the old Building whole: If there be any thing &s;tand|ing, 'tis not in its place, nor upon its own Ba&s;is, but upheld by force unduly, and to &s;erve another <HI>Power,</HI> &s;o mi&s;erably broken and &s;unk, like a <HI>mil&s;tone ca&s;t into the &s;ea,</HI> &s;o that none knows where her parts are, or which way to re-unite them. All things are &s;et at &s;uch a di&s;tance and enmity, in judgement, principles and affections, and things gone &s;o far into Oathes and new En|gagements; &s;o many new Ways and Forms &s;et up one upon another, and the old &s;o confounded, that they that have the power to do it, cannot move one &s;tep rationally cowards a re|covering the old frame.</P>
<P>The <HI>ancient Government</HI> being irrecoverably lo&s;t, and the Kingdom divided into two Armies, and the Kings Army &s;ub|dued and wholly vanqui&s;hed; you will ea&s;ily conclude in what a condition the Conquerors are; which is this, A General of a gallant conquering Army; commanding all the Forces in three Kingdoms; in excellent order and di&s;cipline; &s;oundly joynted and knit together in love and affection; confirmed by long ex|perience, in great &s;ervice, with great &s;ucce&s;s; that could never be divided by policy, nor &s;haken by force or difficulties; a reli|gious, praying, believing, as well as a fighting Army; having the royal &s;tamp of &s;uch a con&s;tant &s;ucce&s;s, as made them famous and terrible to the world.</P>
<P>Within this Army lay the hearts and affections of all the Hone&s;t people of the Nation, having plac'd all their Safety, Liberty, and Lives in it; did heartily engage their Prayers, Pur&s;es, and Per&s;ons with them, as their onely &s;trength again&s;t their Enemies.</P>
<P>In this <HI>Army,</HI> and the <HI>Hone&s;t people</HI> in it, and with it, was &s;aid all our Priviledges, our Peace and Freedom, together with the Honor of the Nation, and all the good things that had been pray'd for, &s;poken of, and expected in Reformation; and as &s;ecure as the Sword and Hone&s;t hearts could keep them, pre|&s;erv'd and &s;afely lodg'd within the &s;trength of an Ho&s;t: or Ar|my encamping about them: an Army being a <HI>Government</HI> as ancient, as natural, as honorable, as rational, and as ju&s;t, as any other kinde of <HI>Government;</HI> I may &s;ay more, and for us
<PB N="76" REF="43">at this time, mo&s;t vigorous, united, ab&s;olute, and &s;afe.</P>
<P>This Army, with the&s;e People, under their General, having undoubted right to the Sword, which none would or could que&s;tion; the Malignants felt the power and truth of it, being overcome by it; the Hone&s;t party have their Lives and Liber|ties &s;ecured by it: there was the true&s;t &s;ence and rea&s;on of the Nation for their <HI>&s;tanding;</HI> and the &s;ame &s;ence and rea&s;on for <HI>convenient pay,</HI> according to <HI>ways</HI> and <HI>methods</HI> accu&s;tom'd and beaten out for them.</P>
<P>This Army and People had an ab&s;olute Freedom (with con|&s;ent and in right judgement) to do what they would, and to di&s;po&s;e them&s;elves into what &s;tate their rea&s;on &s;hould direct them. For as the oppo&s;ite Army, had it prevail'd, the King had been free to have &s;ettled him&s;elf upon what terms he and his party could have agreed upon, and none could re&s;i&s;t: &s;o this party, for ought I know, were as free to chu&s;e their own way and ground, to &s;ecure them&s;elves and their Liberties, according to the be&s;t ju&s;tice and wi&s;dom they have.</P>
<P>In this ca&s;e, what might a General door not do? or what might be his work, having &s;uch an opportunity? &s;o free, none to oppo&s;e; all laid level and flat before him; His Forces mighty, his Commi&s;&s;ion bright and clear, his people and friends united to him, full of vigor and life, fre&s;h as the morning; though dappled with &s;ome &s;pots of Divi&s;ion, troubled with &s;ome mi&s;ts of Fancies, and &s;ome youthful extravagant Con|ceits. But me thinks here was an excellent ground to &s;tay a while upon, and to &s;pend &s;ome time in cheri&s;hing the life and power of Godline&s;s; in &s;trengthning of Amity and Union; in waiting upon, and incouraging the growth of Light, till it had di&s;pers'd tho&s;e morning mi&s;ts, which did darken the face of things, in humbling our &s;ouls, confe&s;&s;ing our &s;ins and unwor|thine&s;s, and in &s;eeking a way of the Lord. If we had &s;pent &s;ome time in &s;earching the records of Scripture, in reading and examining what was in the hearts of Gods hidden and holy ones, in enquiring what God might &s;peak in all the Saints, or any one poor Saint; here might we have dwelt in our tents, and with much ea&s;e <HI>kept the peace,</HI> and rejoyced together in our liberty and &s;afety; and taken a full time to con&s;ider and
<PB N="77" REF="43">advi&s;e, where we were, what our rights were, what might be the de&s;ign of God in the&s;e great Revolutions? and to what purpo&s;e God had brought forth his people into this outward condition, di&s;tinct from other people, and put &s;uch characters of grace upon them; in heaping, &s;o many victories upon them in an&s;wer to their prayers: and &s;eeing he had be&s;tow'd tho&s;e favors upon them &s;ever'd from others, owning them rather. than others, to be his own people: whether the&s;e di&s;tingui&s;h|ing Mercies did not in&s;truct us to re&s;erve our &s;elves in a di&s;tinct &s;tate, wherein we might, even in outward things, walk accord|ing to Religion and Godline&s;s, and not mingle our &s;elves again with the world in its profane cour&s;es and cu&s;toms; or to have &s;taid here, at lea&s;t, to know whether God had any more work for us to do, or any further favor to be&s;tow upon us. And la&s;t|ly, not to &s;tir from this ground, till we were carried on and lead forth by the <HI>&s;ame Providence,</HI> by the <HI>&s;ame light</HI> and <HI>gene|ral con&s;ent of hone&s;t hearts,</HI> that carried us on in all our work, and brought us hither. And that truly had been but ju&s;t and due to the Lord, That he that had the guiding of us in our trou|bles, and had delivered us, by an&s;wering of us, in calling upon his name together, &s;hould have been attended upon in the &s;ame publick way, and had the di&s;po&s;e of us and our deliverance in the &s;ame way of direction, by his Word and Spirit, in the hearts of his own people, by which they were gotten.</P>
<P>But now when we had gotten our Freedom, not to attend the moving of the &s;ame &s;tream of Light and Providence, of a united and general &s;eeking the Lord, in a free and open way; but for the then <HI>General</HI> to &s;tep into a private way, by a private &s;pirit, of a &s;udden; it may be, not willing to bear the burthen of &s;o great a tru&s;t, or to bear the cen&s;ure of &s;etting up him&s;elf in &s;o ab&s;olute and arbitrary a Power, &amp;c. or, it may be, a mo|de&s;t di&s;tru&s;t of him&s;elf, or a doubt of the &s;pirits of his Army; or, whether it was a pa&s;&s;ion and offence taken again&s;t &s;ome opinions and ways of Hone&s;t people, or an opinion of and in|clination to the old Engli&s;h <HI>Government;</HI> or an ignorance of, and pre&s;ent mindle&s;ne&s;s of his own &s;tanding, and the founda|tion of his life and power, I know not: but evil there was in it, I fear. Let it be <HI>unadvi&s;ed</HI> or <HI>ill advi&s;ed,</HI> I doubt
'twas the
<PB N="78" REF="44">coun&s;el of &s;ome who had too great a power with him, either &s;ome wile State&s; man, ignorant of the inward life and &s;pirit of our work; or I mo&s;t &s;u&s;pect &s;ome <HI>Lawyers,</HI> who wanted a great Name to begin their <HI>Writs,</HI> and uphold their <HI>Forms</HI> of Law. What ever was in it, to change a <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion</HI> for an <HI>In|&s;trument,</HI> to blot out that Royal &s;tamp &s;et upon him by divine Providence, and to a&s;&s;ume another from private hands; and to have the Coyn both adulterated and clipt, his Power mingled with others of a ba&s;er &s;ort, &amp; much dimini&s;hed, 'twas <HI>unadvi&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>To extingui&s;h an honorable and natural relation to a good People, full of life and love to him, ingaged together by &s;uffer|ing, experience, and mercies, and to accept of a relation to the whole body of the Nation, full of filth and rottenne&s;s, unnatu|ral to him, yea, hating and rejecting of him; who, to heal their Breaches and to recover their Lo&s;&s;es, are as the Hor&s;eleach, that cries, Give, give; and being as un&s;atisfied as the <HI>Grave</HI> or as the <HI>barren Womb,</HI> that never &s;ayes, 'Tis enough; they rage and fret again&s;t him, becau&s;e he doth no more for them: to Head &s;uch a Body was <HI>unadvi&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>To leave a &s;tanding that was large and free, where he might have breathed out his heart among&s;t his Brethren in righteous hone&s;t ways; and walked <HI>upright</HI> in the full &s;tature of what <HI>Light</HI> and <HI>Religion</HI> he had; and to go into the noi&s;om and filthy Forms of the world, where his &s;pirit is <HI>bowed down</HI> to old Laws and Cu&s;toms, that have been always acted by a spirit of cunning, formality and fal&s;hood, exceeding improper for a &s;pirit of Simplicity, Truth and Nakedne&s;s; an outward pomp and &s;tate that us'd to be kept up and fill'd with flattery and deceit; the maners of <HI>Egypt,</HI> and where are <HI>Lice, Frogs</HI> and <HI>Sores, &amp;c.</HI> the plagues of <HI>Egypt,</HI> and certainly unea&s;ie for an hone&s;t heart: this was <HI>unadvi&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>And to change a Power that was <HI>his own,</HI> inherent in him|&s;elf, form'd and begotten by Providence, free and large; in which he might have done all honorable and ju&s;t things: to change this for a <HI>borrow'd</HI> one, and that from we know not who; and this, not onely limited and le&s;&s;en'd, but manacled and fetter'd by an In&s;trument, Laws, Parliaments, be they good or bad, wi&s;e or fooli&s;h: this was <HI>unadvi&s;ed.</HI></P>
<PB N="79" REF="44">
<P>And for him, who was as a natural Head and Father to the hone&s;t people in their Military &s;tate, to go and impo&s;e him|&s;elf upon the whole Nation, unde&s;ired, uncho&s;en: 'twas <HI>un|warrantable.</HI></P>
<P>And he being the <HI>Right</HI> of the Hone&s;t party, who were brought forth by him to this &s;tate, and he brought forth by their Prayers, Hearts and Courage, to what he was; for him to go and di&s;po&s;e of him&s;elf, without their con&s;ent, in a thing of &s;o great concernment, it could not but be an offence to their &s;pirits: and was <HI>unwarrantable.</HI></P>
<P>And to bring all their Labors and Adventures, all their ex|pence of Blood and Trea&s;ure, all the Victories and Succe&s;s, that were one common Stock and Trea&s;ury, to expend them, and di&s;po&s;e them to a final i&s;&s;ue and &s;ettlement, without their know|ledge and con&s;ent; and that tho&s;e things that were won by the Sword, &s;hould be pre&s;ently worn by the Robe; and that were gotten by the Faith, Prayer, Spirits, and Lives of Hone&s;t hearts, &s;hould be pre&s;ently &s;pent upon Law and Policy: 'tis <HI>unwarrantable.</HI></P>
<P>'Tis true, he might have given the <HI>Charter</HI> of the <HI>Laws,</HI> the common Protection that he did to the Charter of <HI>London,</HI> or to the Charters of the <HI>&V;niver&s;ities,</HI> being nece&s;&s;ary to pre&s;erve Property 'twixt man and man, 'twas but ju&s;t and rational to uphold them as &s;ubordinate to him in their pre&s;ent work, for the admini&s;tration of Ju&s;tice; but to incorporate with them, to &s;wear to them, to become &s;ubject to them, they being &s;o great &s;trangers and enemies to him and us in that way in which we now are: was both <HI>unadvi&s;ed</HI> and <HI>unwarrantable.</HI></P>
<P>Now we are declaring our judgements, let us &s;peak our thoughts of the <HI>Swearing</HI> to this In&s;trument. I think, with the <HI>Sub&s;cribers,</HI> 'twas <HI>unadvi&s;ed</HI> and <HI>unwarrantable,</HI> but not of &s;uch dangerous con&s;equence as they imagine: I would not en|courage men in breaking Oathes, though ra&s;hly made, 'twere to adde &s;in to &s;in; but yet Ile tell you my thou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">hts, that this <HI>Oath</HI> is likely to follow the former Prote&s;tations and Cove|nants, being much of the &s;ame nature; for if the matter or &s;ubject of an Oath cea&s;e and die, the Oath al&s;o cea&s;es. <HI>A wo|man is bound to her husband no longer than he lives;</HI> therefore,
<PB N="80" REF="45">if we <HI>Swear</HI> to dying and peri&s;hing things, their death doth di&s;charge us. Be&s;ides, the People to whom the Protector hath &s;worn, will not accept of him nor his <HI>Government,</HI> but have refus'd him in open Parliament, and why he &s;hould be bound to them that will not ingage with him, I know no rea&s;on. It was not intended that this new Obligation &s;hould di&s;&s;olve the former Standing and Relation; that being more natural and &s;ub&s;tantial, this <HI>New</HI> one, but a circum&s;tance and form, and an addition to the other: Therefore let him wear it as a garment, for ornament or &s;tate, as long as 'twill la&s;t,
'twill wear out as a ve&s;tment, when the life and body, his Military power will endure. He may therefore e&s;&s;ay it, as <HI>David</HI> did <HI>Sauls</HI> armor, but when he feels it burthen&s;om, he'l &s;ay, He can't skill of it, and ca&s;t it off: The&s;e <HI>withs</HI> and <HI>new cords</HI> will not binde <HI>Sam|&s;on</HI> next time danger is upon him, I imagine he will break them in pieces, and leave his new Subjects that refu&s;e him, for his old Friends that love him; or el&s;e keep <HI>them</HI> in a &s;tate of &s;ubjecti|on as Servants, and <HI>the&s;e</HI> in a &s;tate of favor as Brethren; them as a <HI>Concubine,</HI> and the&s;e as a <HI>Wife.</HI></P>
<P>Thus do your thoughts and my thoughts freely pa&s;s their judgements upon the <HI>Protector</HI> and his Actions; what pretty chequer-work our thoughts make! how we do ring the changes? we agree and we differ, and it matters not much whether we agree or differ. You &s;ay and I &s;ay, this In&s;trument and Oath was <HI>unadvi&s;ed</HI> and <HI>unwarrantable;</HI> you judge, That it nece&s;&s;i|tates the Protector to <HI>de&s;troy the Foundation of a Common|wealth:</HI> I judge, That it nece&s;&s;itates him to uphold <HI>the Foun|dation of an old decay'd Commonwealth.</HI> You think his new go|vernment will <HI>de&s;troy the Foundation of a Conmonwealth:</HI> he thinks your new Monarchy will de&s;troy the <HI>Foundation of a Commonwealth.</HI> It may be, I think, both parties would do it, and would not do it; that both of you would uphold the old, and you would have a new, but know not well how to do either.</P>
<P>The&s;e are our thoughts &s;hot at rovers; it may be they hit, it may be they mi&s;s the mark. Indeed the thoughts of man are very vain things, and know very little of that divine Wi&s;dom that moves and carries on the &s;pirits of men in the&s;e great
<PB N="81" REF="45">revolutions: and therefore, neither you nor I &s;hall be &s;o fooli&s;h, I hope, as to in&s;i&s;t upon them, or make much account of them, it's enough we have freedom to give them vent. If they may do any good, &s;o? If they be vain, let them die and peri&s;h? But for us to think, a State bound to &s;teer their cour&s;e by our judge|ments, is a little too much; if they &s;hould, contrary judge|ments would keep them in perpetual in&s;tability: therefore, Go|vernors, as they &s;hould not refu&s;e any light, &s;o they &s;hould not be &s;wayed by opinions and parties, for intere&s;t, but follow faithfully, &s;teddily and uprightly, righteou&s;ne&s;s and truth, as it manife&s;ts it &s;elf to their own &s;ouls.</P>
<P>Now, we have taken the liberty of expre&s;&s;ing our thoughts, which are various and uncertain, let us con&s;ider, if there be not &s;omething more &s;erious and certain to be our guide in point of <HI>Government;</HI> a more <HI>&s;ure Word</HI> of <HI>Prophecy</HI> or Scripture, to which, we &s;hould <HI>do well to take heed:</HI> and in that &s;ure Word we &s;hall finde the&s;e two things, in Rom. 13.1. <HI>The Powers that be, are ordained of God.</HI> The Emperors of <HI>Rome,</HI> that then <HI>were the powers,</HI> had u&s;urp'd the ancient Rights of the Senate and People of <HI>Rome;</HI> and <HI>Nero,</HI> then Emperor, was a notori|ous bea&s;t: he got this power by his mothers poy&s;oning the for|mer Emperor, and kept it, by his poy&s;oning the &s;on, the true heir; and yet, this power that then was in being, was <HI>ordained of God:</HI> The word &s;ignifies an <HI>ordering or di&s;po&s;ing</HI> things in their place, and that by <HI>In&s;titution</HI> or <HI>Command.</HI> Be the pow|ers good or bad, <HI>he</HI> that knows how to manage <HI>ill</HI> things to <HI>good</HI> ends, in wi&s;dom <HI>orders</HI> them, and <HI>commands</HI> obedience to them: whence follow the&s;e Ob&s;ervations,</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, That God doth him&s;elf wi&s;ely <HI>order</HI> and <HI>di&s;po&s;e</HI> of <HI>power;</HI> it being his own, he gives it to whom he plea&s;es, <HI>pulls down</HI> one, and <HI>&s;ets up</HI> another, as he hath u&s;e of them.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, He can and doth <HI>ordain</HI> power, according to his minde, in wi&s;dom and purity, through and by, not onely <HI>unadvi&s;ed and unwarrantable</HI> but <HI>wicked</HI> and <HI>abominable</HI> means, and to wicked per&s;ons.</P>
<P N="3">III. Thirdly, Chri&s;tians &s;hould look through the mi&s;t of weakne&s;s, yea, through the thicke&s;t vail of wickedne&s;s, to the brightne&s;s of <HI>Gods hand,</HI> in &s;etting up of <HI>power;</HI> and ought wil|lingly
<PB N="82" REF="46">to acknowledge the excellency of one, though clouded with the darkne&s;s of the other.</P>
<P>And then I would enquire, whether this pre&s;ent <HI>di&s;po&s;e of power,</HI> wherein it &s;eems to be turn'd a&s;ide, or turn'd back, into wordly ways and forms; or to make <HI>a halt</HI> in them, and not to go forward into the <HI>Kingdom of Chri&s;t,</HI> be not in great wi&s;|dom? The Rea&s;ons of the Que&s;tion are:</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, I que&s;tion, whether, that <HI>Saints,</HI> as <HI>Saints,</HI> are fit to Govern? and am &s;atisfied, That they that offer at it, are in no wi&s;e prepar'd for it; having neither the wi&s;dom, nor power, nor the love and righteou&s;ne&s;s, that will fit them to <HI>govern in Chri&s;ts name</HI> and <HI>way:</HI> and therefore, in love to them, I do dread the mi&s;erable con&s;equences and mi&s;carriages of &s;uch a <HI>power</HI> in &s;uch hands.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, I doubt, whether the World be ripe for &s;uch a <HI>di&s;pen&s;ation of power,</HI> if we had it; for &s;uch a di&s;pen&s;ation, when it comes, will make a &s;eparation
'twixt the <HI>Pretious</HI> and the <HI>Vile,</HI> in per&s;ons and things: and that &s;pirit that pretends to &s;uch a di&s;pen&s;ation, doth intend &s;uch a thing: but yet, not judging by the nature of things, but by the outward likene&s;s or unlikene&s;s of things and per&s;ons to it &s;elf, would thru&s;t down violently all tho&s;e per&s;ons that <HI>differ'd</HI> from them, and tho&s;e things that were <HI>offen&s;ive</HI> to them, and as unrea&s;onably exalt tho&s;e that did agree with them; and this, the very nature of that di&s;pen&s;ation which they profe&s;s, would lead them to. Now, while things are thus indige&s;ted, as they are, and mix'd, there is &s;ome notable good, and great u&s;efulne&s;s in many things and per&s;ons, which, we have great rea&s;on to think, their pre|&s;ent &s;tanding to be in darkne&s;s and evil; many good men and things likewi&s;e, lie &s;catter'd abroad in various forms, and mix'd with many evils: and therefore, for men, being in pre&s;ent pa&s;|&s;ion and offence, and in great weakne&s;s and darkne&s;s, to under|take to judge and &s;eparate all the&s;e, what mon&s;trous errors mu&s;t needs follow? Therefore I enquire, whether, while things are in this confu&s;ion, a way and &s;pirit of Government, &s;uitable to it, and that hath &s;omething of Religion, &s;omething of worldly Policy, be not be&s;t? And, whether tho&s;e that are more &s;piritual in their de&s;igns, and in the eagerne&s;s of their &s;pirits, to
<PB N="83" REF="46">&s;uch a way, be not in mercy laid a&s;ide, till they and the matter be riper and fitter? And whether &s;uch have not rea&s;on to be content, that the World &s;hould be thra&s;h'd a while longer with the violence and hardne&s;s of its own ways of government, till it be fit to be fann'd, and, till he come who&s;e fan is in his hand, rather than to torture their &s;pirits and the world too, with that which they can't po&s;&s;ibly effect, nor the world bear.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle gives one rea&s;on more of &s;ubjection to the <HI>powers that be, ver.</HI> 4. <HI>He is the mini&s;ter of God to thee for good:</HI> The &s;afety of thy per&s;on and family, the peace of the countrey, the liberty of thy religion, the enjoyment of thy goods, are ad|mini&s;tred from <HI>God</HI> to thee <HI>by them;</HI> therefore, &s;ubject for <HI>con|&s;cience &s;ake,</HI> to <HI>Gods wi&s;e ordination,</HI> who knows what Go|vernments are fit for a people; and to <HI>Gods mercy,</HI> that con|veys &s;o great ble&s;&s;ings by that means.</P>
<P>This we cannot be in&s;en&s;ible of, that we do by this Govern|ment enjoy great quiet, peace, and &s;ecurity, in our Religion, Relations, and E&s;tates, to our &s;elves, and to the Nation, being not mole&s;ted by any at home, nor by dangers abroad; we may therefore ob&s;erve, That per&s;onal weakne&s;s, in attaining a Power, makes that Government, to him that hath it, harder, but to the people, ea&s;ier. I think 'tis &s;o with us, that though the <HI>Protector,</HI> by this <HI>unadvi&s;ed and unwarrantable</HI> change of Government, hath brought a heavy burthen of cares, dangers, and &s;ore travel upon him&s;elf, yet I know not, but that the people are both ea&s;ed, as to burthens at home, and &s;ecur'd from dangers abroad, by it. This very con&s;ideration, That we reap the quiet fruit of his hazards and toil, doth affect my heart with a very great de&s;ire of giving him all the ea&s;e and relief that I am able; for let men fancy what they will, &s;o great and general a Liberty for the Hone&s;t party, guilty of &s;o many di&s;ta&s;teful and offen&s;ive Infirmities, with &s;o great Divi&s;ions and Di&s;tractions, and their Enemies, &s;o many and malicious, is to me a wonderful mercy; and is purchas'd for us, by the chief in&s;trument of it, with perilous difficulties, and abilities &s;tretch'd to the utmo&s;t.</P>
<P>I fear, that out of an officious de&s;ire of removing and avoid|ing
<PB N="84" REF="47">offence on both &s;ides, I have been more large and intent, than the nature of the &s;ubject doth require; and therefore am re&s;olv'd, the principal things being already di&s;cours'd, lightly to pa&s;s over what follows, onely with &s;ome &s;hort Ob&s;er|vations.</P>
<P>The fourth Article contains the &s;ame thing, with part of the former, and begins thus; <HI>As a con&s;equence and fruit of this forbidden tree, many of the choice &s;ervants of God,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>are impri&s;on'd, without knowing their accu&s;ers,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>or a fair and pub|lick trial, according to the Fundamental Laws the Land.</HI></P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, <HI>Government</HI> is indeed a <HI>Forbidden tree;</HI> it will not &s;ubject it &s;elf to be que&s;tion'd by any, its work and authority being above private and captious rea&s;onings.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, Our Government, is in the <HI>&s;ub&s;tance</HI> and <HI>life</HI> of it, <HI>Military,</HI> and the <HI>Sword</HI> is active and vigilant, like that which the Cherubin had, which <HI>turn'd every way;</HI> therefore, which way &s;oever danger comes, be it from Friends or Foes, it <HI>turns its edge again&s;t their faces,</HI> as you complain in your for|mer Article, and is as hard as 'tis quick, it &s;pares none to pre|&s;erve a publick Peace: This <HI>Sword is not borne in vain, but is a revenger, to execute wrath upon them that do evil,</HI> Rom. 13.4.</P>
<P N="3">III. Thirdly, This tree of life, the <HI>Kingdom of Chri&s;t,</HI> is fenc'd with a <HI>flaming Sword,</HI> you cannot pre&s;s into this Para|di&s;e or Kingdom, by &s;uch force as you u&s;e; you cannot take it from others by <HI>violence,</HI> it is indeed within you; and you mu&s;t bring forth the <HI>fruit</HI> of it, by <HI>your lips,</HI> for others, and there onely 'tis to be ta&s;ted.</P>
<P N="4">IV. Fourthly, Military Government, as ours is, knows no form of Law; or, at lea&s;t, will not &s;ubmit it &s;elf to the Law, though it may require private Differences to &s;ubject to it, yet is it &s;elf above Law.</P>
<P N="5">V. Fifthly, I doubt the <HI>trial</HI> of &s;uch Gentlemen, &amp;c. ac|cording to the <HI>Fundamental Laws,</HI> would not be to them a <HI>fuir trial,</HI> but a foul one, for it could not but cut them off, as the Law now, &s;tands; and therefore, the <HI>Protector</HI> chu&s;es a <HI>fair impri&s;onment,</HI> rather than a <HI>bloody trial,</HI> not willing to tru&s;t their lives in the hand of the Law, a Judge and a Jury; which to me is a te&s;timony, that his Government, is not onely
<PB N="85" REF="47">in this, but in all things el&s;e, more fatherly to you, than the Laws for which you plead.</P>
<P>Give me but leave to tell you the frequent thoughts of a &s;pe|ctator upon the&s;e tran&s;actions; they are the&s;e:</P>
<P><HI>Animad.</HI> I. That in the true&s;t love of my heart, <HI>to them that are impri&s;on'd,</HI> yea, in the &s;ame love I have to my &s;elf, I have thought, that while their &s;pirits are thus acted, 'tis better for them to be in a <HI>Pri&s;on,</HI> than upon the <HI>Throne;</HI> to be under <HI>Re|&s;traint</HI> than in <HI>Action.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Animad.</HI> II. That our <HI>Governors</HI> had much the better of the <HI>Pri&s;oners,</HI> in meekne&s;s, moderation, and long-&s;uffering, from what I have ob&s;erv'd: In their de&s;ires of agreement, &s;low|ne&s;s to wrath, tenderne&s;s in inflicting re&s;traint, &s;eeking of peace after they were re&s;train'd; as if they would not touch a hair of their heads, onely binde their hands from doing mi&s;chief.</P>
<P><HI>Animad.</HI> III. That the <HI>Pri&s;oners</HI> were more fierce, and did more injury to our <HI>Governors,</HI> than our <HI>Governors</HI> to them, &s;o that our <HI>Goevrnors</HI> are indeed the &s;ufferers; for how &s;mall a thing is a gentle outward re&s;traint? But <HI>tongues are &s;words,</HI> and when &s;harpned with Zeal, furbu&s;h'd with Scriptures, Pray|ing, Preaching, they cut deep into Name and Spirit; for pub|lick per&s;ons to be &s;entenc'd and condemn'd in the name of God, in publick A&s;&s;emblies, as thieves, oppre&s;&s;ors, perjur'd per|&s;ons, hypocrites, apo&s;tates: If it be but in <HI>pa&s;&s;ion</HI> and <HI>di&s;con|tent,</HI> 'tis a cro&s;s; but if there be any thing of the truth or righ|teou&s;ne&s;s of <HI>Man</HI> in it, or the di&s;plea&s;ure of <HI>God,</HI> 't would be a &s;ore crucifying to any private per&s;on, and mu&s;t be much more, to per&s;ons in authority, <HI>Government</HI> and <HI>publick Safety</HI> &s;uf|fering with them.</P>
<P>There is an Objection in your former Article, which is a branch of this &s;ubject: They are <HI>impri&s;on'd,</HI> &s;ay you, <HI>for decla|ring their Con&s;ciences;</HI> concerning which, I &s;hall barely pro|pound the&s;e Que&s;tions:</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> I. Whether there be in any of the&s;e wordly things, an act of <HI>pure Con&s;cience?</HI> Or whether the &s;ubject matter, be|ing outward things, as Government, Power, &amp;c. <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> be not at lea&s;t mix'd with Intere&s;t, Faction and Pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> II. Whether there be not rea&s;on to judge, (accord|ing
<PB N="86" REF="48">to the rate that <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> now goes at) that the <HI>Pro|tector</HI> is bound to keep Peace, and prevent a War; by the law of <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> to pre&s;erve other mens lives, as well as by the law of Nature to &s;ave his own.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> III. Suppo&s;e <HI>one Con&s;cience</HI> hath a minde to keep <HI>Peace, another</HI> hath a minde to make <HI>War,</HI> which of the&s;e &s;hould we, that are indifferent people, count the be&s;t <HI>Con|&s;cience?</HI></P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> IV. If in matters of publick Concernment, the <HI>Con|&s;ciences</HI> of publick per&s;ons and private per&s;ons ju&s;tle; which of them do you think &s;hould take place?</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> V. If two Con&s;ciences cro&s;s each other in their motions, whether that which hath mo&s;t light and &s;trength, and is mo&s;t pure, &s;hould not yield to that which is darker and weaker.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> VI. Whether then the <HI>Sub&s;cribers,</HI> who profe&s;s <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> onely, and &s;tand in the &s;ingle right of <HI>Con&s;cience,</HI> ought not to yield to the <HI>Con&s;cience of Governors,</HI> cumber'd with rea&s;on of State, publick Affairs?</P>
<P>I dare not engage too far in this point of <HI>Con&s;cience,</HI> nor be too &s;erious in it, therefore have I thus &s;lightly pa&s;s'd it over.</P>
<P>The fifth Article &s;ays, <HI>&V;nder pretence of Nece&s;&s;ity, &s;till to con|tinue the heavy burthens of Taxes, Cu&s;toms, Exci&s;e, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Animad.</HI> I. An Army is nece&s;&s;ary, till there be a <HI>Government</HI> e&s;tabli&s;h'd, by the declar'd con&s;ent of the People, and that voluntary.</P>
<P><HI>Animad.</HI> II. 'Tis probable, &s;uch an e&s;tabli&s;h'd <HI>Government,</HI> were it never &s;o firmly united, yet would not, as the &s;tate of Affairs are at this time, be without a &s;tanding Army, though well im prov'd and reduc'd.</P>
<P><HI>Animad.</HI> III. 'Tis the original and great Quarrel twixt us and the King, who &s;hould have the <HI>Militia;</HI> and we have prevail'd, and got the <HI>Sword</HI> into hone&s;t mens hands; he that de&s;igns the overthrow of the Army, gives the whole Cau&s;e back to the Cavalier, and opens a way for him to return to his power and malice: 'twas <HI>force,</HI> not <HI>law</HI> or <HI>rea&s;on,</HI> which &s;ubdued him, and it mu&s;t be <HI>force,</HI> not <HI>law</HI> or <HI>rea&s;on,</HI> that &s;till &s;ubjects him.</P>
<P><HI>Animad.</HI> IV. He that propounds a Power to &s;tand now
<PB N="87" REF="48">without an Army, requires from another, what he would not do him&s;elf; he doth but declare again&s;t the Sword, that he might get it into his hands: and this is the meaning, I think, of this Paper, to tell us of Peace, to per&s;wade others to lay down the Sword, that they may take it up.</P>
<P><HI>Animad.</HI> V. An Army is as nece&s;&s;ary to pre&s;erve the <HI>Sub|&s;cribers,</HI> as any &s;ort of people, they being as much obnoxious to the malignity and rage of the people, as any others; and would fir&s;t feel the wane of a Guard.</P>
<P><HI>Animad.</HI> VI. If an Army be nece&s;&s;ary, Pay is nece&s;&s;ary; and &s;o, Taxes, Cu&s;toms, &amp;c.</P>
<P>But indeed, 'Tis not Saint-like to complain of Taxes, or to re&s;i&s;t them. 'Tis the cry of the <HI>Malignant,</HI> and of the poor <HI>Neuter,</HI> Taxes, Excize, &amp;c. and they may be pitied; for alas, they lo&s;e their Religion, and yet pay for our Liberty, to main|tain that which is grievous to them: but we that once would have given <HI>half</HI> of our E&s;tates, for <HI>half</HI> that Freedom that we now enjoy for our &s;ouls, in the things of God; now to com|plain, &s;hews, either no love, the freedom of our &s;ouls, le&s;s, or our money, more.</P>
<P>I think, 'tis vi&s;ible, that our Governors impo&s;e no more than is <HI>nece&s;&s;ary,</HI> and that they &s;train and &s;tretch things to the ut|mo&s;t, being unwilling to exceed the <HI>lowe&s;t rate</HI> of <HI>Taxes;</HI> and that they really <HI>pinch</HI> them&s;elves to <HI>&s;ave</HI> the people.</P>
<P>The &s;ixth Article &s;ays, <HI>Notwith&s;tanding the fair pretences and promi&s;es of Reformation, yet what abominable and horrible Impieties, Inju&s;tice, and Oppre&s;&s;ion, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>I could wi&s;h you did but &s;ee, how ill it becomes Saints to be&s;tow their Rhethorick upon <HI>Sin,</HI> to &s;et it forth in its bravery; and how ill it becomes <HI>Sin,</HI> to wear &s;uch gay clothes of high language from your mouthes? And how &s;in is cheri&s;h'd, in be|ing led forth into open view, by the hand of her be&s;t friend, <HI>Enmity,</HI> and <HI>enmity</HI> 'twixt brethren; and that you knew, that the <HI>pure</HI> and <HI>good &s;pirit</HI> of love that covers &s;in, that buries it in inward &s;orrow, or in Chri&s;t his grave, or draws forth grace and mercy to wa&s;h it away, that's the &s;pirit, <HI>that</HI> is &s;ins onely enemy.</P>
<P>The&s;e great Epithites and Strains being misplac'd, I doubt,
<PB N="88" REF="49">they are al&s;o unju&s;t; pa&s;&s;ionate and affected &s;peech of others evils, are commonly inordinate and injurious. The particu|lars are:</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, <HI>Receiving the Honors, Profits, Cu&s;toms, Benefits, &amp;c. coming in formerly to the Crown:</HI> If this be <HI>abominable and horrible,</HI> its very common: I believe, there is &s;carce a Gentle|man of the <HI>Sub&s;cribers,</HI> or any other per&s;on of quality, but receives, either Honor or Profit, that formerly belong'd to the Crown: For, both the Honor and Profits, are &s;har'd generally among&s;t all &s;orts, Fee-farm Rents, and other Lands, the Honor and Power of all <HI>Committees</HI> over the people, to &s;eque&s;ter, to levy money, to di&s;po&s;e livings, are of the Crown.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, <HI>Tenths and Fir&s;t-fruits:</HI> 'Tis the continuing things in name, <HI>Jewi&s;h,</HI> but now in their u&s;e, <HI>Moral and Chri|&s;tian,</HI> as &s;ub&s;ervient to <HI>mercy,</HI> in relieving hundreds of poor fa|milies: And the&s;e upheld, not in oppo&s;ition to light, nor in a &s;uper&s;titious love to the things, but, becau&s;e <HI>they</HI> yet know not, nor do <HI>you</HI> in&s;truct them, how to take them away without great injury to many people, that have no other livelihood in the earth. Love is the <HI>royal law,</HI> the <HI>fulfilling of the law;</HI> it may, and mu&s;t, rule all things, yea, both Law and Go&s;pel too; it makes that lawful, which were otherwi&s;e unlawful; and that unlawful, (if again&s;t love) which were other wi&s;e lawful: And therefore, a man may be a <HI>Phari&s;ee</HI> in contending again&s;t <HI>Tythes,</HI> as well as in a rigid ob&s;ervance of them, if he either omit or oppo&s;e the <HI>weightier matters of the law, judgement and mercy;</HI> &s;uch a &s;pirit &s;eems to carry you in this zeal, to &s;acrifice Tythes and Fir&s;t-fruits, without either <HI>judgement,</HI> to &s;hew how it may be done in ju&s;tice and righteou&s;ne&s;s, and without <HI>mercy,</HI> in con&s;idering the poor Mini&s;ters that live onely upon them.</P>
<P N="3">III. Thirdly, The next branch of <HI>abominable and horrible Impieties, is, The exalting of Sons, Servants, Friends, &amp;c. (though &s;ome of them known to be wicked men) to the highe&s;t places, &amp;c.</HI> What <HI>Servants</HI> or <HI>Friends</HI> are preferr'd, that are &s;u&s;pected to be <HI>wicked,</HI> I know not, being no <HI>Courtier,</HI> but for <HI>Sons,</HI> they &s;tand higher, and are obvious to mo&s;t mens knowledge or ob&s;ervation: I dare not <HI>&s;ay,</HI> neither do I <HI>know</HI> that any of them are <HI>wicked;</HI> they are yong men, and may have
<PB N="89" REF="49">weakne&s;s; but <HI>wickedne&s;s</HI> is a malicious oppo&s;ing of good&punc; and practi&s;ing evil.</P>
<P>But would you con&s;ider the Protectors family, as an object of greater Envy, and &s;ubjected to more danger and malice than others are, may they not de&s;erve a little more favor than ordinary? and what great matters have they? The elde&s;t &s;on is a Ju&s;tice of Peace in the Countrey, the &s;econd &s;on commands the Forces in <HI>Ireland,</HI> wherein there may be &s;ome favor &s;hew'd to him, being an Imployment po&s;&s;ibly beyond his years and experience; I doubt this is the Offence, and the rather, be|cau&s;e the fame goes he inclines to a differing party: For his &s;ons by marriage, The <HI>Deputy</HI> of <HI>Ireland</HI> is a friend to the Sub|&s;cribers, and may help to ballance &s;ome kindne&s;s that goes an|other way: For the <HI>Ma&s;ter of the Hor&s;e,</HI> if he do but perform that part of a <HI>righteous man,</HI> to <HI>regard the life of his bea&s;t,</HI> you will not judge him <HI>a wicked man,</HI> nor unworthy of his <HI>Prefer|ment;</HI> But if the <HI>Protector</HI> &s;hould be an indulgent father, and erre in an exce&s;s of natural affection in preferring his children, it may finde a better name than <HI>abominable and horrible im|pieties:</HI> For <HI>Gideon</HI> and <HI>Nehemiah,</HI> 'Tis not &s;aid expre&s;ly, that I know, in Scripture, what they did for their children; but there was as a good man, and as good a Governor, <HI>Samuel,</HI> who had but two &s;ons, and he made them Judges in <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and yet very ill men, that were <HI>covetous, took bribes, perverted judge|ment,</HI> 1 Sam 8.3. and yet he was not thus upbraided.</P>
<P N="4">IV. Fourthly, The la&s;t particular of the&s;e <HI>horrible and abo|minable Impieties,</HI> is <HI>&s;o many Officers in the Army, and both Officers and Soldiers to receive their pay in a time of peace,</HI> &amp;c. What number of Officers, what their Pay is, and how they &s;pend it, I do not know, being a &s;tranger to all the&s;e things, onely I would advi&s;e you of a mi&s;take to call this <HI>a time of peace;</HI> for though the <HI>Enemy</HI> be not in the <HI>field,</HI> he is in the <HI>hou&s;e.</HI> The enemy is broken and &s;catter'd, but you can't &s;ay, he <HI>is not:</HI> if he were <HI>not,</HI> we are enemies one to another: there is war in every mans heart, tongue, and would be in the hands, if they were not bound by an <HI>Army;</HI> There is nothing at all done in the Nation towards a civil or religious Peace or Ac|cord, nothing declar'd wherein we agree either in Church or State.</P>
<PB N="90" REF="50">
<P>This very Paper of yours cannot but be interpreted <HI>War:</HI> for &s;o great a number of people <HI>(a little Wel&s;h Army)</HI> to de|clare again&s;t the pre&s;ent Power, to di&s;&s;wade the people from their obedience, to endeavor to &s;et up another, and that upon fighting principles, is undoubtedly <HI>War;</HI> therefore if you would have the <HI>Army reduc'd,</HI> &s;tudy to be quiet, and to follow your private occa&s;ions, for the&s;e <HI>in&s;urrecting practi&s;es</HI> to di|&s;turb the people, and mole&s;t the pre&s;ent Government, do ne|ce&s;&s;itate and e&s;tabli&s;h the &s;word among&s;t us; and therefore we that do de&s;ire Peace, and an Ea&s;e of our Burthens, have cau&s;e to complain of the unquietne&s;s of your &s;pirits, and of all that go fretting and rayling about to rai&s;e up &s;trife and <HI>War.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;eventh Te&s;timony mentions <HI>the &s;ad effects of the &s;ecret De&s;ign of Hi&s;paniola,</HI> &amp;c. I am not able to judge ab&s;olutely of the good or evil of this Work; but this I know, 'tis not &s;afe to judge by the Succe&s;s, e&s;pecially at fir&s;t; for we our &s;elves &s;ucceeded but ill in the beginning of the&s;e wars; I fear you do but take advantage of <HI>our lo&s;s,</HI> to expre&s;s <HI>your enmity:</HI> for if we are not mi&s;taken in you, you are for <HI>war</HI> with all the world, and therefore can't be again&s;t the <HI>De&s;ign,</HI> though you <HI>grieve for the Succe&s;s;</HI> and 'twere well if you don't mi&s;-call the Affection, and &s;ay 'tis <HI>Grief</HI> fox the Lo&s;s, when 'tis anger or enmity at the per&s;ons, and then you do not grieve, but re|joyce at the evil that befals your brethren.</P>
<P>What ever the nature of the <HI>De&s;ign</HI> be, or what ever the <HI>Succe&s;s</HI> may be, this I have ob&s;erv'd, that this Quarrel with <HI>Spain,</HI> and about the <HI>We&s;t-Indies,</HI> hath been long in the hearts of many hone&s;t people, and that the well-affected of <HI>England</HI> have had a greater antipathy to this proud, cruel, and mo&s;t antichri&s;tian Nation, the <HI>Spaniard,</HI> than to any Nation in <HI>Eu|rope:</HI> Though the De&s;ign was laid in private, yet the publick Declaration &s;hews a true Engli&s;h and Prote&s;tant &s;pirit, rather to ingage in <HI>war</HI> than to &s;ubmit to the <HI>Inqui&s;ition,</HI> and the u&s;urp'd Tyranny over the <HI>West-Indies:</HI> I confe&s;s I much de|&s;ire and love a General Agreement of <HI>Godly men</HI> in publick and great Affairs; but if there be the &s;pirit, rea&s;on and ju&s;tice of the good party, I cannot but alow it, though it want the vote and outward &s;uffrage.</P>
<PB N="91" REF="50">
<P>Your la&s;t Witne&s;s is various, con&s;i&s;ting of divers parts, I con|fe&s;s I do not well under&s;tand all things in it: Fir&s;t you te&s;tifie for your &s;elves, with what hearts <HI>you joyn'd with the Parlia|ment and Army again&s;t the King and his Party, that you had no other de&s;ign, &s;ave as they were enemies to our Lord Chri&s;t,</HI> &amp;c. I know your &s;pirits are at a very great di&s;tance and enmity again&s;t the King and his Party, and therefore cannot think you intend to be&s;peak their good thoughts of you: yet your de|claring onely again&s;t the <HI>enmity,</HI> not again&s;t <HI>Office</HI> or <HI>Per&s;on,</HI> and your care of the <HI>general good of the Nation, particular be|nefit and ju&s;t liberty of every man,</HI> and your grief <HI>that any ju&s;t cau&s;e is given them to &s;tumble,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>or complain that they are deprived of their freedom, and &s;everal ways oppre&s;&s;ed,</HI> &amp;c. The&s;e Expre&s;&s;ions make me doubt that you intend &s;ome &s;ubtile glan|ces of favor to that Party, which doth minde me of an ob&s;er|vation that I have made upon my own and others &s;pirits: That if any through Offence at the great Weakne&s;s or Mi&s;carriage of the hone&s;t party, do &s;eparate from them, and oppo&s;e them, they are, though unwillingly and unwittingly, carried in|to the &s;pirit of the Malignants; we may hate their way, and to confederate with their per&s;ons or actions, yet our &s;pirits may be tainted. The Nation is cleft into the&s;e two great Parties, the <HI>Royal</HI> and the <HI>Reforming</HI> party; or the <HI>Kings</HI> party and the <HI>Army</HI> party; and he that by di&s;content goes far from the <HI>one,</HI> will be carried off to the <HI>other</HI> before he is aware: there is a kinde of nece&s;&s;ity, if the affections do ingage,
'twill be with one of the&s;e two: Enmity &s;trangely transforms the minde, and leads it into things exceeding contrary to it &s;elf, and its own intere&s;t, to things de&s;tructive to Friends, Relations and a mans own Life; therefore if malice prevail, 'twill make very hone&s;t men malignants pre&s;ently; and hence it was that <HI>Elijah</HI> in a fit of anger became an enemy to <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and <HI>inter|ceded again&s;t</HI> them, Romans 11.2. as we have formerly ob|&s;erv'd.</P>
<P>You &s;ay, <HI>That it never came into your hearts to think or in|tend the pulling down of one per&s;on to &s;et up another, or one un|righteous Power to promote another:</HI> If you did (as you &s;ay) <HI>joyn again&s;t the King onely as an enemy to Chri&s;t, his kingdom
<PB N="92" REF="51">and people,</HI> then you might de&s;ign (and for ought I know ju&s;t|ly) the pulling down of <HI>one</HI> that was an <HI>enemy,</HI> and &s;etting up <HI>another</HI> that was a <HI>friend</HI> to the <HI>kingdom and people of Chri&s;t;</HI> But this I doubt is not your intention (however this clau&s;e came in <HI>again&s;t the King, &s;ave as an enemy</HI>) for it follows, <HI>nor one unrighteous Power to promote another;</HI> by which, and other things in your Paper, you &s;eem to make Government by <HI>one,</HI> or <HI>Monarchy,</HI> to be an <HI>unrighteous Power.</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e you &s;eem to me to be either dark or various, in this Article, I &s;hall freely give you my Animadver&s;ions, if they may be of u&s;e to you, I &s;hall be glad.</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, Power in <HI>one</HI> as &s;upream, is not unrighteous, be|cau&s;e in <HI>one:</HI> That which is mo&s;t agreeable to rule, is mo&s;t righteous: Government by one as head, is mo&s;t agreeable to the highe&s;t rule, the <HI>kingdom of Chri&s;t,</HI> which is a <HI>Monarchy,</HI> to the rule of <HI>Scriptures,</HI> to <HI>Nature,</HI> to <HI>Rea&s;on,</HI> to the <HI>Laws</HI> and <HI>Cu&s;toms</HI> of Nations: And Power in the hands of one as &s;upream, with the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of a double Council; one more &s;uperior of the <HI>principal</HI> and <HI>honorable</HI> Worthies, and another more large of the <HI>wi&s;e&s;t</HI> and <HI>ju&s;te&s;t</HI> of the people, is I think the be&s;t Con&s;titution, and according to a <HI>divine patern;</HI> therefore if either Heavenly things, Scripture, Nature, Rea&s;on or Cu|&s;tom be a Rule, <HI>Monarchy</HI> is more righteous than <HI>Oligarchy</HI> or <HI>Democracy.</HI></P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, If the kinde of Government be admitted, let us come nearer and &s;ee whether this per&s;on have right to be this <HI>One &s;upream,</HI> or to be <HI>Protector;</HI> for this <HI>Per&s;on is chiefly concern'd</HI> in your Paper, as you &s;ay in your Po&s;t&s;cript, which puts us again upon the con&s;ideration of the <HI>Per&s;on,</HI> you have an accompt of him in 19, 20, and 21 pages, which is more it may be than will be judged fit for me to write, either by him or you: I am very &s;en&s;ible that I write as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. <HI>Not after the Lord, but as it were fooli&s;hly,</HI> not in that wi&s;dom that becomes one that profe&s;&s;es the Lord, but fooli&s;hly, and knowing it to be weak, yet can't avoid it, the fooli&s;hne&s;s of mens ignorance and malice nece&s;&s;itating and bowing me to it.</P>
<P>The common right of Succe&s;&s;ion, according to law, the <HI>Prote|ctor</HI>
<PB N="93" REF="51">hath not: if this be rule, the Kings power was <HI>righteous,</HI> this <HI>unrighteous.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Right</HI> of the Protector to be <HI>&s;upream,</HI> is not in relation to the people of the Nation in general, except it be by conque&s;t: If you look upon him in this large con&s;ideration, his Power &s;eems to be forc'd, there being no Law or Con&s;ent of the People to make him &s;o; but the hone&s;t party are indeed the foundation of his Power: For they, and tho&s;e that have adher'd to this Cau&s;e, have by the&s;e Revolutions gotten the <HI>Power</HI> into their hands, not as <HI>Saints,</HI> but as the effect of Providence, ari&s;ing out of the <HI>Nature, Rea&s;on</HI> and <HI>Nece&s;sity</HI> of things as they now are.</P>
<P>I &s;hall barely a&s;&s;ert this, and not now &s;tand to prove it, or to give the rea&s;on of it, &s;uppo&s;ing the <HI>Sub&s;cri|bers</HI> and others ready enough to receive it, and re&s;olv'd to keep it; neither do I &s;ee how hone&s;t men can re&s;ign this Ad|vantage they have, without giving up them&s;elves and all they have, to their Enemies rage: If we have a <HI>right</HI> to be &s;upe|rior to others, the <HI>Protector</HI> hath a very <HI>natural right</HI> to be our Chief, &s;tanding upon our &s;houlders, and hath, I think, as good a <HI>Title</HI> to be <HI>Supream</HI> over this people, as any <HI>Gentle|man in</HI> Wales <HI>or others,</HI> have to be a Committee man, Ju&s;tice of the Peace, Captain, or to enjoy any Lands, or Revenues gotten by the &s;word: He that denies him to be what he is, may as well deny the whole party all the Advantage they have gotten by the war: I think we ought to con&s;ider the hone&s;t party, as a di&s;tinct people from and above others, and then his <HI>right</HI> to be their <HI>head,</HI> &s;tands upon tho&s;e two grounds expre&s;s'd by the I&s;raelites to <HI>David,</HI> 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 5.1, 2.</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, <HI>Behold, we are thy bone and thy fle&s;h,</HI> thou art natu|ral to us, and we to thee, of the &s;ame kinde of life, &s;pirit and heart, the &s;ame bone and &s;trength of Faith, Zeal, Power and Godline&s;s: Of the &s;ame fle&s;h, the &s;ame &s;en&s;e of good and evil, the &s;ame affections to God and Religion, the &s;ame gifts, the &s;ame intere&s;t, the &s;ame liberty for the &s;ame con&s;cience, the &s;ame peace, the &s;ame enemies, loved and hated by the &s;ame, onely <HI>He</HI> more eminently.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, <HI>Al&s;o in times pa&s;t, thou wa&s;t he that ledde&s;t out and broughte&s;t in I&s;rael:</HI> Thou ha&s;t de&s;erv'd to <HI>head</HI> us,
<PB N="94" REF="52">for thou ha&s;t had the Command of us, and ha&s;t led us forth upon De&s;igns wi&s;ely, and brought us back with &s;afety and vi|ctory, therefore <HI>thou &s;halt be Captain over I&s;rael.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;hall onely let you &s;ee now the difference between the per&s;on pull'd down, and this one &s;et up, or the Righteou&s;ne&s;s and Mercy of this Power above that: That per&s;on was not onely a &s;tranger to us, but an enemy: This is according to rule, <HI>Deut.</HI> 17.15. <HI>From among thy brethren &s;halt thou &s;et a King over thee:</HI> And according to promi&s;e <HI>Jer.</HI> 30.21. <HI>Their nobles &s;hall be of them&s;elves, and their Governor &s;hall proceed from the mid&s;t them:</HI> And &s;econdly, the other had the right of <HI>birth</HI> from an ill root: but this of <HI>merit</HI> and <HI>worth.</HI></P>
<P N="3">III. Thirdly, That is a <HI>righteous Power</HI> which fulfils its <HI>end,</HI> and admini&s;ters that <HI>good</HI> to the people that is appointed by God, and that <HI>good</HI> that is both general or publick, and vi&s;i|ble to all: Now the <HI>end</HI> and <HI>u&s;e</HI> of this Power that is evident even to <HI>nature</HI> and common <HI>rea&s;on,</HI> is to admini&s;ter Safety and Peace to this Nation, and e&s;pecially to hone&s;t people; and this the <HI>Protector</HI> doth do, and is excellently furni&s;hed with Abilities for that purpo&s;e: Fir&s;t in the might, vigor, vigilancy and courage of his &s;pirit in re&s;i&s;ting and &s;uppre&s;&s;ing the mo&s;t indu&s;trious and unwearied Attempts of our old Enemies: Secondly, in a wi&s;e and large comprehending and moderating the Divi&s;ions and Factions among&s;t our &s;elves, if his &s;pirit &s;hould de&s;pond or flag in the fir&s;t, or narrow and &s;hrink into any one party, and turn enemy to any others, 'twere a plain gap open'd for ruine to come in upon us: I mu&s;t be &s;o fooli&s;h as to tell you my thoughts, when I have con&s;ider'd the de&s;pe|rate malice of his and our enemies, the cro&s;s and violent winds that move mens mindes, the continual tempe&s;ts of the peoples rage, I have judged him the fitte&s;t man in the earth to go|vern us in this Scene of Action, and that <HI>Power</HI> was mo&s;t <HI>rightly</HI> and <HI>duely</HI> plac'd in him: Let him have all the advan|tages of an <HI>Army,</HI> of <HI>civil Honor</HI> and Title of <HI>Protector,</HI> let him be alowed, all his weakne&s;s, his heights and heats, his po|licy and compliance, if he keeps the Ship from &s;inking, he de|&s;erves the honor of a <HI>good</HI> and <HI>right Pilate:</HI> Several per&s;ons and parties have different apprehen&s;ions of the <HI>work</HI> of this
<PB N="95" REF="52"><HI>Power,</HI> that it is to, &s;et up the <HI>kingdom of Chri&s;t,</HI> after our way, &s;ays the <HI>Presbyterian;</HI> after our way, &s;ays the <HI>Sub&s;cribers;</HI> to advance our way, &s;ay the <HI>Independents;</HI> to encourage godly &s;piritual men, &s;ay another &s;ort; to give ab&s;olute liberty, &s;ay others; but the&s;e are but private opinions in things, and no|tions that are di&s;putable and remote from Government, urg'd by Faction and Partiality, dangerous &s;helves and rocks; but to pre&s;erve us in Peace and Safety from violence, blood and confu&s;ion, is a work unque&s;tionably evident in the Light of God, of Nature, of Religion, of Humanity; and &s;o far as he doth this, he fulfils the <HI>end</HI> of <HI>power</HI> at this time.</P>
<P>Now ob&s;erve the difference 'twixt that which was pull'd down, and this &s;et up: That had Names and Titles, <HI>By the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith, &amp;c.</HI> but either void and empty things, or fill'd with contrary and oppo&s;ite qualities; either living to ea&s;e and worldly pomp, or el&s;e in enmity to the <HI>grace of God</HI> and <HI>true Faith:</HI> this is unrighteous, to have <HI>Power,</HI> and not to fulfil it; but in this Power we have &s;tuff, &s;ub&s;tance &amp; ability to perform the work of <HI>Power,</HI> which is, to protect us.</P>
<P N="4">IV. Fourthly, There is yet a <HI>fourth</HI> and higher &s;en&s;e where|in a <HI>Power</HI> may be &s;aid to be <HI>righteous (i.e.)</HI> with the righte|ou&s;ne&s;ne&s;s of <HI>God</HI> or <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> which is proper onely to <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and his <HI>kingdom,</HI> who&s;e Scepter is <HI>a righteous Scepter:</HI> who is that King that &s;hall <HI>reign in Righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> and who&s;e <HI>Princes &s;hall rule in judgement,</HI> I&s;a. 32.1. and <HI>the work of Righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall be Peace, &amp;c.</HI> ver. 17. Now if this be your <HI>witne&s;s,</HI> that this Power is not thus <HI>righteous,</HI> we are of the &s;ame minde, and &s;o I &s;uppo&s;e is he that hath the <HI>Power:</HI> &s;o we admit your <HI>witne&s;s</HI> true, but not in judgement, being again&s;t a thing not in que|&s;tion nor challeng'd; for alas, what is there among&s;t us that looks like the Maje&s;ty, Beauty, Judgement, Peace and Glory of &s;uch a <HI>Kingdom?</HI> We are poor dark creatures, pudling in the dirt and rubbi&s;h of a broken world, onely &s;triving for a being and &s;ub&s;i&s;tence, with the be&s;t humane diligence, wi&s;dom and hone&s;ty we have; but if this be the intent of your te&s;ti|mony;</P>
<P N="1">I. Why may not we <HI>te&s;tifie</HI> more largely of per&s;ons, Chur|ches and Mini&s;try, that there is <HI>none righteous, no not one, all
<PB N="96" REF="53">have &s;inned and come &s;hort of this glory;</HI> neither Ruler nor People <HI>righteous</HI> with this <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> no Church nor its Rulers, no family nor its ruler, no per&s;on in his own &s;oul, and the Government of it, is thus <HI>righteous;</HI> but iniquity, deceit, vanity, impurity, inju&s;tice defiles us all, in all things.</P>
<P N="2">II. Whether a <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> again&s;t the <HI>Sub&s;cribers</HI> be not more ju&s;t; that they pretend to and profe&s;s for this <HI>righteous kingdom,</HI> as if they had it among&s;t them, and would or could &s;et it up, if they had <HI>power,</HI> whereas they are as weak, as dark, as &s;inful as other men.</P>
<P>But here lies I think a great mi&s;take among&s;t us, and that which much troubles us, We had <HI>high looks,</HI> expected great matters, while we have onely look'd at the promi&s;es and pro|phecies, and what is contain'd in them, but have not humbly and &s;oberly con&s;ider'd our own pre&s;ent &s;tate, which is indeed mi&s;erably corrupt and wretched; This hath rai&s;ed expecta|tions of greater Matters than it plea&s;es God to do for us, or I fear will do till we return into our &s;elves, and are more &s;en&s;ible of our own great in&s;ufficiency for &s;uch things that we dream of; being di&s;appointed, we vex and free again&s;t <HI>Governors,</HI> ex|pecting they &s;hould be <HI>Gods</HI> to us, when we ought indeed to put our mouthes in the du&s;t, and confe&s;s we have all <HI>&s;inned, and come &s;hort of that glory</HI> which we have profe&s;s'd.</P>
<P>It is not meet to &s;ay this <HI>kingdom</HI> is <HI>far from us,</HI> though there be a truth in it, as Chri&s;t tells them that looked that the <HI>kingdom of God &s;hould immediately appear,</HI> Luke 19.11. that he was <HI>to go into a far countrey, &amp;c.</HI> But this however I may &s;ay: We we <HI>far from the kingdom of God,</HI> being in darkne&s;s, enmity, in &s;in, guilt &amp; wrath, and admini&s;tring little el&s;e one to another.</P>
<P>And therefore this de&s;ire and hopes of great Glory, Honor and Dominion to be di&s;penced to us, and the wrath that is a|mong&s;t us for want of it, is I judge, a lu&s;ting after a <HI>fle&s;hly kingdom and glory,</HI> and that to our <HI>&s;elves</HI> and our own party; whereas the kingdom of Chri&s;t will &s;ave <HI>all</HI> the <HI>Saints</HI> and the earth too; and it ri&s;es from a vain pride of our &s;elves, and &s;ome excellency we think to be in our gifts &amp; mini&s;tries, with|out a &s;en&s;e of that deep and inward corruption that is within; Therefore before this kingdom come that you &s;peak of, I ex|pect
<PB N="97" REF="53">a more pure Mini&s;try, like that of <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t,</HI> That will make <HI>crocked things &s;traight; rough things, plain; and exalt the valleys, bring down every mountain; that all fle&s;h may &s;ee the &s;alvation of God.</HI> This Mini&s;try will level the&s;e high thoughts of yours; and therefore, in &s;tead of quarrelling for a <HI>King|dom,</HI> know you are but <HI>Servants,</HI> and be willing to travel and work with your brethren, in that mean and low &s;tate in which they are, for peace and &s;afety.</P>
<P>Let me de&s;ire you to con&s;ider a &s;erious word of reproof to you: You are gotten a &s;tep higher than your Brethren in no|tions, are exercis'd with the thoughts of a future and more excellent &s;tate of things, and bu&s;ie your heads and mindes in plea&s;ing &s;peculations about <HI>Chri&s;ts Kingdom.</HI> Fir&s;t, I fear, this is a very imperfect, if not a fal&s;e view, of the <HI>Kingdom of Chri&s;t;</HI> becau&s;e, this Kingdom is <HI>within,</HI> enjoy'd and po&s;&s;e&s;s'd before 'tis &s;een, or &s;een by its own light when we do enjoy it. Secondly, If it be a true &s;ight or view that you have, you do abu&s;e that light. Fir&s;t, by applying the rule of <HI>God &amp; Chri&s;t</HI> to man, by mea&s;uring the <HI>creature</HI> with the law of the <HI>Creator,</HI> or requiring that of poor <HI>man,</HI> which is the proper work of <HI>Chri&s;t him&s;elf.</HI> Secondly, You by this light or knowledge, admini|&s;ter nothing of the thing it &s;elf, which is Love, Peace, Righte|ou&s;ne&s;s, but your own pa&s;&s;ion, Wrath and Contention. Thirdly, You, as the Phari&s;ees, &s;it in <HI>Mo&s;es chair,</HI> get into the highe&s;t &s;eat and places of Scripture, of everla&s;ting Righ|teou&s;ne&s;s; and by that light, <HI>binde heavy burthens upon others, but touch them not with one of your fingers;</HI> live not the lea&s;t branch of that righteous and glorious Kingdom in your &s;ouls, families, or any of your conver&s;ations. Fourthly, if you had <HI>Power,</HI> and &s;o opportunity, to &s;hew how little you have of the <HI>Spirit</HI> of this <HI>righteous Kingdom,</HI> you would be the mo&s;t pitiful creatures that I know in the earth; the mo&s;t deceiv'd, and &s;o the mo&s;t unhappy, becau&s;e deceiv'd in the greate&s;t thing, and in that which is your and our happine&s;s.</P>
<P>You are now ending your witne&s;s; We &s;uppo&s;e you have &s;poken all the ill that you knew, and all that you could rake up again&s;t them; and <HI>he</HI> that will &s;peak all the ill he can, will &s;peak more than is true. Now you have done <HI>witne&s;sing,</HI> you proceed to <HI>judge:</HI> You &s;ay, <HI>We &s;u&s;pect and judge them to be
<PB N="98" REF="54">great tran&s;gre&s;&s;ers therein:</HI> At la&s;t, all mounts but to <HI>&s;u&s;picion,</HI> no evidence or demon&s;tration; and you <HI>&s;u&s;pect, witne&s;s,</HI> and <HI>judge</HI> your &s;elves; you might leave the judgement to another; and <HI>&s;u&s;pect</HI> and <HI>judge,</HI> 'tis a judgement upon &s;u&s;picion. I would not quibble upon words, if I did not think you did the tiling: That all this that you have writ, is but a <HI>&s;u&s;picion</HI> and a ra&s;h <HI>judgement,</HI> drawn up in private, in your own dark and &s;u&s;picious thoughts, wherein you evidence nothing; and therefore, I do think, you might have left out <HI>Witne&s;s</HI> and <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> in your Paper: And my Rea&s;ons are,</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, A true &s;piritual <HI>witne&s;s convinces of &s;in;</HI> now, I think, this will not <HI>convince</HI> them, becau&s;e, it doth not me, who am a &s;tander by, and ready to receive a <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> again&s;t them. Your Paper renders them to me rather better than wor&s;e, and your &s;elves rather wor&s;e than better: I did really think your Spirits had been more pure and &s;imple in oppo&s;ing them, than now they do appear.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, A true <HI>witne&s;s convinces of righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> as well as of <HI>&s;in:</HI> I finde nothing here, either of their righteou&s;|ne&s;s or Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;s, brought forth, to blot out or forgive their &s;in.</P>
<P N="3">III Thirdly, The <HI>two Witne&s;&s;es</HI> &s;poken of in Scripture, which you think are your patern, are <HI>Olive-trees,</HI> and <HI>empty the golden oyl out of them&s;elves;</HI> they pour forth light and healing love; now, I finde not any drop of this <HI>oyl</HI> here, either to enlighten them to come to God out of their &s;ins, nor love or grate to heal or &s;trengthen them, but a bare dry accu&s;ation of &s;in, and threatning of judgement.</P>
<P N="4">IV. Fourthly, Tho&s;e Witne&s;&s;es <HI>&s;tand before the Lord of the whole earth,</HI> and declare what they &s;ee in him; which is un|deniable truth: but you te&s;tifie what you hear abroad, and what is in the mouthes of the mo&s;t profane people; therefore, I confe&s;s, I would have you have higher thoughts of <HI>Saints-wit|ne&s;sing,</HI> than to name &s;uch a Paper by it.</P>
<P>After &s;ome other particulars, which I will not meddle with, you do <HI>Di&s;claim all adherence to, Owning of, or Joyning with the&s;e Men in the&s;e ways.</HI></P>
<P>You may &s;eparate from them in &s;ome particular ways, but, I think, you are <HI>really one</HI> with them in their hearts and &s;pi|rits:
<PB N="99" REF="54">There is the &s;ame Good in them that is in you, and the &s;ame Evil in you that is in them: <HI>One</HI> in Nature and Grace, one in Cau&s;e and Quarrel, one in Religion, Liberty and Safety; and therefore <HI>di&s;claim,</HI> and <HI>utterly di&s;claim:</HI> but, brawling makes not a &s;eparation 'twixt brethren, nor every &s;colding a divorce 'twixt husband and wife; me thinks your <HI>&V;nion</HI> ap|pears in your <HI>Di&s;claiming</HI> of them. For,</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, If you were not one with them, you would not be &s;o much concern'd in their mi&s;carriage, not &s;o much <HI>a&s;ham'd</HI> and <HI>grieved,</HI> as you expre&s;s, for their evils; 'tis your feeling either the &s;ame or the like evils in your &s;elves, that doth wound and prick your hearts.</P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, You likewi&s;e finde and feel the &s;ame Good in them that is in your &s;elves, under their &s;ins and &s;ufferings which troubles you; if you did not, you would retire private|ly, and &s;uffer them to &s;ink and peri&s;h in their own ways.</P>
<P N="3">III. Thirdly, There is much jealou&s;ie in your mindes; this jealou&s;ie ari&s;es from a &s;ecret union. You are within, &s;en&s;ible of &s;ome very good thing in the <HI>Protector,</HI> to which you have a right; and being jealous that his heart is not with you, nor for your way, you are inraged again&s;t him: yea, were you not &s;en&s;ible of a good &s;pirit in him, and that much allied to you, I am per&s;waded, you neither would nor dur&s;t be &s;o bold with him, as you are in your Paper. For if you thought him of a right Royal &s;tamp, one that con&s;ulted onely how to maintain his Greatne&s;s by force and policy, or, that his Judge|ment were but as hard to you as &s;ome Presbyterians, you would not thus provoke him; but would rather &s;tudy how to de&s;erve and pre&s;erve your pre&s;ent Liberties, by a quiet and &s;o|ber u&s;e of them, than to adventure the lo&s;s of them, by offend|ing of him. You know the Sword is in a Brothers hands, which are tyed up by love and con&s;cience, and that makes you &s;o bold with him and his Power.</P>
<P N="4">IV. Fourthly, You here &s;eem to di&s;own and di&s;claim them; Alas, if your &s;pirit were another from them, you might retire without noi&s;e: But you are by Intere&s;t, and by the frame of your Spirits engaged to the &s;ame kinde of publick Work; and therefore you may, as men that are angry, talk much more than you intend, and in a heat tumble out your
<PB N="100" REF="55">pa&s;&s;ions, which differ much from your di&s;po&s;itions; for, I think, you neither can nor will leave them, nor the Work: for this conte&s;t, is not at all a divi&s;ion of Enemies, but an offence of Brethren; not in the main &s;ub&s;tance of your bu&s;ine&s;s, but in &s;ome remote things; which, either more &s;ight and experi|ence, or el&s;e the nece&s;&s;ity of intere&s;t and &s;afety, will overcome.</P>
<P>Before you go, you would have &s;ome good company with you, and therefore, you de&s;ire <HI>all the Lords people to withdraw from them.</HI> If you have not a very good company to follow you, you will, I hope, be &s;o good natur'd as to abide with them, or &s;tay for them, till they come to your light; for you are not &s;o melancholick as cholerick, nor have you &s;o good a Cau&s;e &amp; Con&s;cience (in your pre&s;ent conte&s;ts) as to live alone with it.</P>
<P>But tell us whither you would have us to withdraw; whe|ther into our own &s;ouls, to minde a more inward and &s;piritual work, or into our families, callings and congregations, to at|tend the wor&s;hip of God in a private way, and to leave <HI>Go|vernment</HI> and outward National work, to them that are in|gaged in it. But, I fear, you rather invite us into <HI>Wales</HI> to joyn with you there, or to rai&s;e a <HI>party</HI> here in <HI>England</HI> to begin <HI>an|other War:</HI> and if this be your minde, I &s;hall onely in telling you, why the <HI>Lords people</HI> cannot joyn with you, take my leave of you.</P>
<P N="1">I. Fir&s;t, We were urg'd and prick'd on to the former <HI>War</HI> by a <HI>nece&s;sity</HI> of <HI>a being;</HI> for the &s;pirit of the King and Bi|&s;hops were &s;uch, that we could not live (with a Liberty of our Con&s;ciences) under their <HI>Government:</HI> Now having obtain'd this, though it be with great expence of Blood and Trea&s;ure, yea, of many of our outward Rights and Liberties, yet we had rather &s;it down quietly in this Freedom, with &s;afety, than hazard this and all we have left us, by a <HI>New War.</HI></P>
<P N="2">II. Secondly, <HI>War</HI> is a violent and de&s;perate medicine, to be applied onely in ca&s;e of nece&s;&s;ity upon incurable Enemies, who&s;e &s;pirits are &s;et at &s;uch a di&s;tance from, and enmity to the light of <HI>Godline&s;s it &s;elf,</HI> that they are beyond the reach of conviction; &s;uch bea&s;ts are fit for the &s;word, who never felt nor knew any power but outward force; But for <HI>brethren</HI> that have been and are <HI>enlightned,</HI> and become &s;ubject to the leadings of con&s;cience, though they be fallen into a temptation
<PB N="101" REF="55">and &s;nare: the remedy for &s;uch is not carnal but &s;piritual, and that is Light to be admini&s;tred with patience and long-&s;uffer|ing to the con&s;cience, and that too, &s;o long as there is any &s;park of life, or any &s;ence at all of the fear of the Lord left in them; being by it, capable of reproof and in&s;truction, they &s;hould be attended upon with &s;uteable means, in love and mercy. If all means of this kinde &s;hould prove ineffectual, and that they &s;hould go on to <HI>&s;in wilfully, after they have re|ceived the knowledge of the truth,</HI> yet an outward Sword would be improper, they being prepar'd and re&s;erv'd for a greater pu|ni&s;hment; <HI>a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation,</HI> Heb. 10.26, 27.</P>
<P>But I believe, you cannot think that our <HI>Governors</HI> are gone &s;o far back into ob&s;tinate and wilful Wickedne&s;s; for tho&s;e things about which you differ, are di&s;putable things, and re|mote from <HI>Godline&s;s,</HI> propounded and pro&s;ecuted with much carnal zeal, and offen&s;ive weakne&s;s: And therefore it cannot be interpreted <HI>Wilful</HI> Ignorance, not to be convinc'd, but Weakne&s;s: And alas, do not we &s;ee they are in a continual hurry, to&s;&s;ed with dangers, &s;triving all they can for life, which occa&s;ions pa&s;sions that darken the minde? Their &s;pirits mu&s;t needs be di&s;turbed and di&s;tempered with a multitude of world|ly perplexing Cares, and therefore 'tis no wonder they <HI>take in</HI> or <HI>give forth</HI> no more light, or that their &s;pirits and way is dark and mi&s;ty: From a State &s;o &s;ick as ours is, &s;o dangerou&s;ly &s;haken, cannot be expected any acts of cleer Judgment, nor any progre&s;s in the work of Reformation. And now, while their Enemies are plotting Mi&s;chief, and watching for Advan|tage, and all they can do is little enough to pre&s;erve our Safe|ty; for us, in this &s;ea&s;on, to impo&s;e our own Opinions upon them, and to withdraw from them, and threaten them with Divi&s;ion and War for not following them, is very un&s;ea&s;onable and unbrotherly, and weakens their hands that &s;hould be &s;trengthned for our Defence.</P>
<P>Thirdly, We do &s;ee, that in all rea&s;on a <HI>New War</HI> among&s;t our &s;elves, would open a way for the common Enemy to de|&s;troy both parties; 'tis well if all united can &s;ub&s;i&s;t again&s;t them: But our Divi&s;ions are their great hope, and the life of their Cau&s;e, the onely thing that &s;upports their &s;pirits, and
<PB N="102" REF="56">hardens them in oppo&s;ition. You complain in your Paper, That they are <HI>offended,</HI> and that <HI>&s;tumbling-blocks</HI> are laid in their way: But its evident, That nothing keeps them at &s;uch a di&s;tance from us and conviction, as our differences among&s;t our &s;elves, which gives them hopes of recovering all; and tho&s;e hopes up|hold pride and enmity. Therefore, to <HI>war</HI> upon our Brethren, were to take their work out of their hands, and to betray that remnant that is left us, to the &s;word fir&s;t, &amp; then to their malice.</P>
<P>Fourthly, We are indeed weary of <HI>War,</HI> and do finde that it is at be&s;t but a &s;ad carnal thing: For, though this <HI>War</HI> was undertaken with &s;ome Hone&s;ty and Simplicity, again&s;t a Ma|lignant and Oppre&s;sing Enemy, yet we &s;ee no cau&s;e of glory|ing or boa&s;ting of it; for we finde, the <HI>Sword</HI> is a devouring thing, it wa&s;tes Trea&s;ure, impoveri&s;hes a Nation, and loads it with Taxes: We complain of <HI>Taxes,</HI> 'tis not the fault of <HI>Governors,</HI> but the nature of the <HI>Sword</HI> is &s;uch, it hath a <HI>great Mouth,</HI> and mu&s;t be fed or wor&s;e, and to begin <HI>New War,</HI> would multiply Taxes, as we multiply Armies and Forces.</P>
<P><HI>War</HI> devours our Priviledges, Rights and Freedoms; 'tis Iron that <HI>breaks all into pieces,</HI> 'tis rough and hard, and will tear down Councils, Laws, Governments, Property and Free|dom: 'Tis not the men that u&s;e it, but the nature of the <HI>Sword</HI> and its mini&s;try, is to tread down all things before it; and tho&s;e that are exercis'd in it, mu&s;t either obey its commands, and fol|low its rules, or el&s;e the Sword it &s;elf will go from them, or be taken from them, and be imploy'd again&s;t them: This the Sword hath done among&s;t us; and they that draw it again, will certainly wa&s;te what is left us of Right and Property, and leave us quite de&s;titute.</P>
<P><HI>War</HI> wa&s;tes the peace and quiet of mens mindes, and fills them with Fury: For, <HI>Every battel of the Warrior is with con|fu&s;ed noi&s;e, and garments rolled in blood,</HI> I&s;a. 9.5. Blood &s;trange|ly &s;tains the nature of man, makes him bruiti&s;h, uncivil, un|&s;ubject to Law and Authority, and fills the mindes of men with &s;ounds, and voices of Confu&s;ion and Divi&s;ion, of Fire and of Wrath; which makes men tumultuous, proud, cruel and imperious: Men, after a <HI>War,</HI> are an unquiet Sea, apt to be moved upon every di&s;content to War again: And this <HI>Blood rouls</HI> and tumbles in your Fancies, that you know not
<PB N="103" REF="56">how to &s;ettle to a quiet life, but long to be in action again.</P>
<P>Although there was a Righteou&s;ne&s;s and Ju&s;tice in our late <HI>War</HI> again&s;t our Enemies, yet it was not &s;o pure a work, but if we look back upon it, we may &s;ee cau&s;e of Repentance; both from the nature of the work, and from the &s;ubject upon whom it was admini&s;tred. <HI>War,</HI> when it is a Di&s;pen&s;ation from God, yet it is a very low one, 'tis <HI>Sen&s;ual, Earthly</HI> and <HI>Devili&s;h;</HI> if not in it &s;elf, yet the corruptions of man mingling it &s;elf with it, make it &s;o; which, though it condemn not the Sword ab&s;olutely, yet it may make the mini&s;try unplea&s;ing to a hu|mane and Go&s;pel-&s;pirit: The &s;ubject upon which 'twas admi|ni&s;tred, was mixt; there was a Legal Right the King and Bi|&s;hops had: There was in &s;ome a Legal humane Hone&s;ty and Innocency, with much Ingenuity, natural Piety and Con&s;ci|ence; which when we con&s;ider, we cannot be without &s;ome relenting towards them, and repenting of that Violence and Wrath wherewith we pro&s;ecuted them. So that we are more ready to repent of War again&s;t Enemies, than to begin one upon Friends: Our &s;pirits, our light we hope ri&s;es higher, into Meekne&s;s, Love and Moderation; &s;o that though we condemn not former works, yet there may be a more excellent way: And, if it were to do again, con&s;idering all things, we &s;hould be cooler than we were, and not &s;o ha&s;ty to <HI>War.</HI></P>
<P>Therefore it would become us all, to wa&s;h our &s;ouls in Sor|row and Repentance, to wipe away the &s;pots and defilements of <HI>War,</HI> and the guilt of Blood, of Violence and Wrath. It would be an excellent thing in our <HI>Governors,</HI> to begin and Order a <HI>&V;niver&s;al Humiliation</HI> for the Evils of the late War; To offer up publick <HI>Peace-offerings,</HI> and to beg pardon of the Lord, and peace in our &s;pirits and con&s;ciences, that he that creates <HI>Peace,</HI> would be plea&s;ed to give it to us, fir&s;t within, and then without: This, I think, would be the onely founda|tion of Peace, the onely way to &s;often our mindes to others, and others to us, and to clean&s;e us from inward rancor, and from guilt, which makes men wrathful, contentious &amp; unquiet.</P>
<P>Fifthly, While the Sword is nece&s;&s;ary for our Defence, as we yet conceive it is, we think it in the be&s;t hands, and be&s;t &s;etled where it is; Becau&s;e it is by Providence di&s;pos'd to them in the ordinary cour&s;e of <HI>War,</HI> the generality of them having
<PB N="104" REF="57">carryed on the work from the begining, therefore they have a Right to their Power and Command: And we judge it wi&s;ely di&s;po&s;ed by Providence into &s;uch hands, who are large in their &s;pirits, to comprehend and to take into Imployment and Love, all &s;orts of <HI>Hone&s;t men:</HI> Whereby, the Sword is more ea&s;ie, the work more &s;ecure, and greater hopes of Peace. Whereas if we &s;hould joyn with you, to get the Sword into your hands, the <HI>Sword</HI> will be the <HI>Sword</HI> &s;till, and in mens hands of nar|rower &s;pirits, which would make it more dangerous and more cruel: So that we mu&s;t deal plainly with you, if we attempt a <HI>New War,</HI> we &s;hall but fight away that little of <HI>Money,</HI> that little of <HI>Right</HI> and <HI>Freedom,</HI> that little of <HI>Love</HI> and <HI>Peace</HI> that is left; and fight our &s;elves into new <HI>Troubles,</HI> new <HI>Sins</HI> and new <HI>Defilements</HI> of our <HI>Brethrens Bloods,</HI> which will be Blood of a deep dye; and at la&s;t have no fruit but this, To be in wor&s;e hands than we are: who, though they &s;eem to have more Light, yet we are &s;ure have le&s;s Love, and &s;o mo&s;t unfit to Command the Sword.</P>
<P>You have therefore no hope to draw us into your De&s;ign, if it be <HI>war;</HI> let us then per&s;wade you to withdraw from it, and from tho&s;e that would &s;educe you into it: 'Tis my earne&s;t re|que&s;t to you, that you would wait at <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> in a holy and humble &s;erving of the Lord, till you have <HI>power from on high,</HI> and then if our Governors do not prevent you, by bringing forth &s;ome better fruit, you wil be able with wi&s;dom and pow|er to convince and re&s;tore them, or to carry on the work of the Lord upon your &s;elves and others, in &s;pirit and judgment: And leave the&s;e men to the Lord, who wil either lead them out of the&s;e pre&s;ent mi&s;ts, if they humbly and &s;incerely attend up|on him, or if they be unfaithful to him, he to whom they have appeal'd, and who&s;e &s;ervants they are, will judge righteous Judgment upon them.</P>
<TRAILER>Finis.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="postscript">
<HEAD>THE POST-SCRIPT.</HEAD>
<P>YOur Po&s;t&s;cript is very reproveable, but not admini&s;tring to me any material thing wherein I might really &s;erve you, I chu&s;e rather to wave is than to trouble you and my &s;elf with it: My intent and endeavor hath been, not to wound, but to heal your &s;pirits, and if I have lanc'd, it hath been onely to let out that corruption, which I know, mu&s;t needs be painful to you; for
'tis &s;ome of that corrupt matter within, not the evils of others without, that is the true rea&s;on of your great Trouble and Di&s;content.</P>
<PB REF="57">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
