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<DATE>2015-01-28</DATE>
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<NAME>Zev Berger</NAME>
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<P>A Sea&s;onable VVord, OR A VVORD IN SEASON: Soberly propo&s;ed to the Con&s;ideration of all &s;uch who&s;e hearts are affected with tho&s;e Floods of Reproach and Bla&s;phemy, which the Cau&s;e of God in the&s;e Nations labours under. And may &s;erve, not only as a Remembrancer of Things pa&s;t, (&s;tammeringly hinted at) and a Call to Repentance for mi&s;-improvement thereof. But may prove, a Word of Encouragement to &s;ome who&s;e Hands may be weakned in the Faith and Hope of the Work of this Day, <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 78.7.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>MICAH 4.10, 11, 12.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Be in pain and labour to bring forth, O Daughter of Zion, like a Woman in Travail; Thou &s;halt dwell in the field, thou &s;halt go into Babylon, THERE &s;halt thou be delivered, THERE the Lord will Redeem thee from the hands of thine Enemies.</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed in the Year, 1660.</P>
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<HEAD>A Sea&s;onable VVord, OR A VVord in Sea&s;on: Soberly propo&s;ed to the Con&s;ideration of all &s;uch who&s;e hearts are affected with tho&s;e Floods of Reproach and Bla&s;phemy, which the Cau&s;e of God in the&s;e Nations labours under.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_WHen</HI> I&s;rael <HI>went out of</HI> Egypt,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm 114.</NOTE> <HI>the Hou&s;e of</HI> Jacob <HI>from a People of a &s;trange language:</HI> Judah <HI>was his Sanctuary, and</HI> I&s;rael <HI>his Do|minion. The Sea &s;aw it, and fled;</HI> Jordan <HI>was driven back. The Mountains skipped like Rams, and the little Hills like Lambs.</HI></P>
<P><HI>When the Lord turned again the Captivity of</HI> Zion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm 126.</NOTE> they <HI>were like men that dreamed. Then was</HI> their <HI>mouths filled with laughter, and</HI> their <HI>tongues with &s;inging: among the Heathen it was &s;aid; the Lord hath done great things for them.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The&s;e things</HI> (among others) <HI>happened to them for En&s;am|ples,</HI> or types; <HI>and are written for our admonition,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10.</NOTE> upon whom
<PB N="4" REF="3"> the ends of the world are come:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word">. 15.</NOTE> <HI>That we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.</HI></P>
<P>From a &s;erious ob&s;ervation of the grand Mutations which have befallen in the&s;e I&s;lands, who can but &s;tand amazed, and wondering &s;ay, What hath God wrought?</P>
<P>It is too evident and apparent, unto what a low-ebb the Cau&s;e of God in the&s;e Nations was brought, as it &s;tood in the evidence and witne&s;s again&s;t <HI>Popery,</HI> and <HI>Popi&s;h</HI> Innovations, (according to the mea&s;ure of the Light which was then com|municated:) as al&s;o to what an heigth the Adver&s;aries there|of were arived, endeavouring by all po&s;&s;ible means the &s;up|planting and extirpation thereof, under the notion of <HI>Puri|tani&s;m;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide Ba&s;ilicon Doron.</NOTE> branding the A&s;&s;ertors thereof with terms of <HI>Pha|naticks, Puritans, Browni&s;ts,</HI> with other &s;uch like; Super|&s;tition and prophane&s;s countenanced and encouraged; and whoever in all this whole Nation dur&s;t depart from Iniqui|ty, made him&s;elf a prey, the dark Corners of our Earth, be|ing full of the habitations of Cruelty; the Whippings, Pillo|ring, Stigmatizing, Gagging, Bani&s;hing of &s;ome Per&s;ons (then eminent for their Te&s;timony) are fre&s;h in memory, which occa&s;ioned great and &s;trong Cryes to be poured out be|fore the Lord night and day, that he would ari&s;e and vi&s;it his Remnant, and plead the Cau&s;e of his People, and &s;et them at Liberty whom the wicked had &s;nared; that he would break the jaws of the wicked, and pluck the &s;poil out of his teeth.</P>
<P>And though the Kingdomes Liberties were greatly infrin|ged, yet the &s;ubject matter of tho&s;e many Supplications which were put up to God, were for and on behalf of his Name, and People, in relation to their Soul-&s;ufferings, which he mo&s;t eminently had re&s;pect unto, and made it his concern to re|buke the oppre&s;&s;ors, and &s;et the Captives free; taking occa|&s;ion and advantage from the very contrivances of the Adver|&s;ary, and in the very &s;ame matter wherein they intended to deal proudly and &s;ubtilly, he was above them.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide Mag Hi&s;t.</NOTE>As in many other things, not now &s;o particularly remem|bred; the <HI>fatal Coal,</HI> (as a late Writer calls it) which af|terwards became a great Fire in the three Kingdomes, (as then called) began to be kindled in the Year, 1637. by a de|&s;ign
<PB N="5" REF="3"> upon the <HI>Kirk</HI> of <HI>Scotland,</HI> about the <HI>Litturgy,</HI> which was then &s;ent down thither under pretence to make a confor|mity of Church Wor&s;hip and Eccle&s;ia&s;tical Government, be|tween <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Scotland;</HI> Prelacy being now Rampant and in its dignity, both here and there.</P>
<P>But this Book of <HI>Litturgy,</HI> or <HI>Common-Prayer,</HI> or <HI>Eng|li&s;h Ma&s;&s;e Book;</HI> in&s;tead of effecting an Uniformity as was in|tended,<NOTE PLACE="marg">&lindx;</NOTE> The <HI>Bi&s;hop</HI> who endeavoured to read it in his Ponti|ficalibus, was a&s;&s;aulted with Crickets, Stools, Sticks and Stones, from Men and Women, to the hazzard of his life; and from this poor contemptible di&s;orderly Ryot or Mutiny, &s;o accidentally happening, being in it &s;elf but a Cloud like an handbreadth, but had in it a noy&s;e of much Rain; It was a Coal indeed raked up in embers, contemptible enough in its appearance, and one would have thought might have been ea&s;ily quenched; but it appearing to be the Hou&s;e of <HI>Jacob,</HI> wherein this Coal was kindled, and the Hou&s;e of <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> which thus became a flame; how &s;hould the Hou&s;e of <HI>E&s;au,</HI> who were but &s;tubble, &s;tand before devouring fire? as the &s;equel hath manife&s;ted.</P>
<P>Hence it came to pa&s;s, that in&s;tead of quenching this fire the Nobility &amp; Mini&s;try publickly avowed their dete&s;tation of that <HI>Book;</HI> and when it was re-inforced by a <HI>Proclamation</HI> at <HI>Ster|lin,</HI> and the puni&s;hment of Trea&s;on denounced again&s;t the Per&s;i&s;ters in the former proceedings; this al&s;o availed not to allay this heat, but the fire burnt hotter and hotter, as indeed well it might, for the Lord was in this fire.</P>
<P>This <HI>Proclamation</HI> was acco&s;ted by a Prote&s;tation of the Nobility, Mini&s;try, and others of that Nation, which grew &s;uddenly into a &s;olemn Covenant, for defence of their Religi|on and Liberties, which begat no &s;mall rage in the Author of that <HI>Proclamation,</HI> but it availed not: thus this fire began, brake forth, and continued.</P>
<P>Further endeavours were u&s;ed for the dawbing of it, but you know who kindled it, and it would not be put out.</P>
<P><HI>Hambleton</HI> is &s;ent down to <HI>Edenborough,</HI> to deal with the Covenanters to renounce their Covenant, but avails not; He cau&s;es <HI>Proclamation</HI> to be made, to forbear to pre&s;s the read|ing
<PB N="6" REF="4"> of the <HI>Service Book,</HI> but that would not now do the turn, the fire had got too much hold, the differences grew greater and greater.</P>
<P>A War is de&s;igned, an Army rai&s;ed to &s;ubdue the <HI>Scots,</HI> the Earle <HI>Arundel</HI> made General; but this threatned War pro|ceeded not, but through mediation of &s;ome Lords on both &s;ides,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>June</HI> 18. 1639.</NOTE> a pacification was made and declared, <HI>June</HI> 18. 1639. and the Armies on both &s;ides retreated home peaceably, and the fire &s;eemed to be put out, but it was but raked up in the embers, <HI>for it was impo&s;&s;ible,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>The <HI>King</HI> returning to <HI>London,</HI> after a &s;hort time changed his mind from his thoughts of peace, and commanded by <HI>Pro|clamation</HI> the Paper which the <HI>Scots</HI> avowed to contain the Conditions of the Pacification, to be burnt by the hands of the Hang-man; Now the fire began to break out again.</P>
<P>In <HI>December,</HI> the <HI>King</HI> propounds a <HI>Parliament,</HI> to begin in <HI>April</HI> following,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Parliament be|gan,</HI> April 13. 1640.</NOTE> the People wonder! however on <HI>April</HI> 13. 1640. the <HI>Parliament</HI> began. Money is required, <HI>viz.</HI> twelve Sub&s;idies, to go on with a de&s;igned. War again&s;t <HI>Scot|land;</HI> divers Speeches were made again&s;t the grant of Sub&s;i|dies, till they fir&s;t had &s;ome grievances redre&s;t, and particu|larly, that the People had no rea&s;on to pay for a War which they de&s;ired not: however they took the Sub&s;idies into con|&s;ideration;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Di&s;&s;olved</HI> May 5.</NOTE> but while they were debating, on the fifth of <HI>May</HI> they were di&s;&s;olved.</P>
<P>Neverthele&s;s the Convocation of <HI>Divines</HI> (&s;o called) they were continued, and made Canons, and impo&s;ed upon the Clergy the <HI>Oath Etcetera,</HI> &s;o notoriou&s;ly remarkable at that time and &s;ince.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Bellum Epi&s;c.</NOTE>The Clergy contributed great Sums of Money toward this War, &s;o did the <HI>Papi&s;ts;</HI> be&s;ides what other means was u&s;ed for defraying the charge of this War; The Earle of <HI>Strafford</HI> commanded in cheif.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Private Soldi|ers made Refor|mers.</NOTE>But of all things remarkable, this may not be forgotten, That the hearts of the Soldiers were turned again&s;t many of their Officers, and Commanders, and could not be brought to engage again&s;t the <HI>Scots;</HI> but on the contrary, they turn|ed Reformers in their pa&s;&s;age to <HI>York,</HI> pulled down <HI>Popi&s;h</HI> Pi|ctures,
<PB N="7" REF="4"> brake down Rails, turned Altars into Communion Tables, for that in effect this proved no con&s;iderable War nei|ther, but by mediation of &s;ome <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Lords, this War was compo&s;ed al&s;o upon Articles: and upon the de&s;ire of the &s;ame Lords, the <HI>King</HI> re&s;olved to call a <HI>Parliament</HI> at <HI>London,</HI> to begin the 3d. of <HI>November,</HI> 1640. which he accordingly did: Now would not any one think, that this would have proved the perfect cure of all the former Malladies, &amp; that the fire &s;o &s;trangely begun in <HI>Scotland,</HI> would have been extin|gui&s;ht by the moderation, as well as by the mediation of <HI>Eng|land?</HI> But the Lord having given it a commi&s;&s;ion it mu&s;t burn, till all the Hou&s;e of <HI>Edom</HI> be devoured, and that there be none remaining of the Hou&s;e of <HI>E&s;au,</HI> for the Lord hath &s;po|ken it, <HI>Obad.</HI> 17, 18.</P>
<P>Upon the 3d. of <HI>November,</HI> 1640. A&s;&s;embled a <HI>Parlia|ment,</HI> which continued many years, (by &s;ome called the <HI>Long Parliament,</HI> by others the <HI>datele&s;s Parliament</HI>) being by <HI>Act</HI> of <HI>Parliament</HI> continued, till they &s;hould by an <HI>Act</HI> of <HI>Parliament</HI> be di&s;&s;olved.</P>
<P>In their beginning and progre&s;s, they were men to be won|dred at, to &s;ee how they were acted.</P>
<P>Our Souls were filled with amazement at the things which we &s;aw the Lord by them was vi&s;ibly doing for this poor af|flicted Nation, rendring it as a &s;pectacle of a&s;toni&s;hment to all our Borderers the neighbour Nations round about us, &s;uch was then our ca&s;e, as that when we knew not what to do, nor what to de&s;ire to have done for us; yet having our eyes up to him, who leads the blind in wayes which they know not, we &s;aw him apparently leading our <HI>Parliament,</HI> our Steers|men, into untroden paths and wayes, putting them upon a|ctions unfore&s;een, unprojected, yea unthought of, fulfilling herein that good Word of his, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 42.12, 13, 14, 15, 16.</P>
<P>In the Management of the&s;e Affairs, we were given to un|der&s;tand more di&s;tinctly and particularly (in ob&s;erving the cour&s;e the Lord took for us, in &s;tating our Controver&s;ie,) that he was ari&s;en in <HI>England</HI> al&s;o, as well as he had already begun in <HI>Scotland,</HI> to avenge the quarrel of his Covenant again&s;t An|tichri&s;t, and that he had &s;et him&s;elf by way of eminency a|gain&s;t
<PB N="8" REF="5"> the two main Props of his Kingdome, <HI>viz. <HI>Heirarchy,</HI></HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heirarchy.</NOTE> and <HI>Monarchy,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Monarchy.</NOTE> as being his two main Po&s;ts and Pillars in <HI>England, Scotland,</HI> and <HI>Ireland,</HI> and &s;uch as by which he ex|alts him&s;elf in his oppo&s;ition again&s;t the Kingdome of Chri&s;t: and for as much as by tho&s;e two, the <HI>Religious</HI> and <HI>Civil</HI> Li|berties of his People, both as Men and Chri&s;tians had been un|der great violation, the Cry of the Oppre&s;&s;ed as under both con&s;iderations had found acce&s;s unto him, and he was come down to deliver them; In the pro&s;ecution whereof, he furni|&s;hed his People with &s;ome le&s;&s;er mea&s;ures of light and &s;pirit for his work, encouraging their hearts, and &s;trengthening their hands; as well <HI>Repre&s;entors,</HI> as <HI>Repre&s;ented,</HI> taking into his work the hearts and hands, lives and e&s;tates of men as men, cau&s;ing herein that word to be fulfilled, <HI>(viz. The earth to help the Woman,)</HI> each one in mea&s;ure pro&s;ecuting his intre&s;t, and concernment, (as the Hi&s;tory of our Times will declare) Though therein al&s;o the coun&s;el of the Lord lay deeper than the appearance.</P>
<P>As touching the former of the&s;e, <HI>viz. <HI>Heirarchy,</HI></HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heirarchy.</NOTE> how wonderfully did the Lord &s;et him&s;elf again&s;t it, by cau&s;ing to be detected the prophane and &s;candalous, corrupted and cor|rupting <HI>Clergy,</HI> beginning at the Toes and Feet, Claws and Feathers of this fowl Bea&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Vide</HI> Mr. <HI>Whites</HI> Century of Scandalous Mini&s;ters.</NOTE> in &s;o much that whole Centuries of them were ca&s;t out as abominable Branches; Nor did he cea&s;e there, till he had made the head of this <HI>Hydra,</HI> or many headed Bea&s;t, <HI>viz.</HI> the <HI>Prelates,</HI> who although they had built their ne&s;ts among&s;t the Stars, and &s;eemed to be out of reach of human power; yet even the&s;e he made to tumble them&s;elves down headlong, and they fell as lightening from Heaven, ca&s;t|ing them&s;elves out from their Seats as untimely fruit, by their a&s;piring Vote; when (be&s;ides tho&s;e who were Impeached for their per&s;onal Crimes) &s;o many of them were expung'd the Hou&s;e of <HI>Peers,</HI> even by occa&s;ion of that very Vote, whereby they purpo&s;ed to have e&s;tabli&s;ht them&s;elves in their <HI>Parlia|mentary</HI> Capacity, as &s;ome time before they endeavoured to have done in their Convocation, by their mon&s;trous <HI>Etcetera Oath:</HI> but in both Capacities, <HI>Civil</HI> and <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;tical,</HI> where|in they thought to have dealt &s;ubtilly and proudly, the Lord was above them.</P>
<PB N="9" REF="5">
<P>Who could have thought that ever the mo&s;t high God had had &s;uch a work to have effected in our dayes, until we &s;aw it done? We expected that it &s;hould have proceeded from the <HI>Smectymnians,</HI> but the Lord found out another way,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm 9.16.</NOTE> even by the work of their own hands, <HI>Higgaion, Selah.</HI></P>
<P>Thus God brought down this high Tree, Root and Branch, &s;o far as it &s;tood in vi&s;ible oppo&s;ition to the Kingdome of Chri&s;t; not only by detecting the Scandalous and Prophane, by parcel and piece-meal; but &s;et him&s;elf again&s;t the whole body and head&s;hip of the <HI>Hierarchy,</HI> by nece&s;&s;itating the <HI>Par|liament</HI> to the utter aboli&s;hing thereof, and engaging them|&s;eles and the whole People of the Land by Covenant again&s;t it: <HI>And added to this,</HI> he cau&s;ed this Scarlet couloured Harlot to be whipt and &s;tript, by bringing upon the <HI>Parliament</HI> a ne|ce&s;&s;ity to expo&s;e the Lands formerly appropriated to Bi&s;hops, Deans and Chapters, to &s;ale, and to be di&s;tributed among the People: Thus making bare her skirts and rendring her un|lovely, fulfilling in &s;ome mea&s;ure that word of Prophe&s;ie, <HI>Rev.</HI> 17.16. The&s;e &s;hall <HI>hate the Whore, and make her de&s;olate and naked.</HI></P>
<P>Nor was this all, but <HI>Monarchy</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Monarchy</NOTE> it &s;elf, that grand capital Corner Stone of the Kingdome of Antichri&s;t (upon which the former did depend) again&s;t this al&s;o did the Eternal and mo&s;t high God &s;et him&s;elf, and gave his People light and faith in this work (cau&s;ing it to &s;pring up out of ob&s;curity:) And through many difficulties led them on from &s;tep to &s;tep, and made them follow him in paths wherein he had him&s;elf fir&s;t trod, thereby to bring about his work, his &s;trange work, far above the expectations of his People, whom he imployed in effecting thereof;</P>
<P>For as much as the <HI>Parliament,</HI> being (at the utmo&s;t) but affected with the common grievances of the Nations, as men &s;pirited for that work, endeavoured the obtaining remedy therein, as their ultimate end; and certainly they would have acquie&s;ced, if once they could have arrived at it, applying them&s;elves accordingly for removing thereof;</P>
<P>In all their Addre&s;&s;es to the <HI>Monarch,</HI> di&s;tingui&s;hing be|tween him &amp; his <HI>evil Council,</HI> endeavouring to render him free
<PB N="10" REF="6"> from any culp or blame: yet the mo&s;t High (having other ends above the &s;ight and reach of men) mingled a perver&s;e &s;pirit in him and his <HI>Coun&s;ellours,</HI> hardening his and their hearts (in order to his further work) in&s;omuch that he was not &s;uffered to hearken to the ju&s;t complaints pre&s;ented by the <HI>Parliament</HI> on behalf of the People, but became ob&s;tinate to his and their ruin, who adhered unto him; &s;uffering him to withdraw him&s;elf from the <HI>Parliament,</HI> and to rai&s;e Force a|gain&s;t them, endeavouring thereby to repel their ju&s;t de|mands.</P>
<P>The Controver&s;ie came to be &s;tated, and the Peoples rights a&s;&s;erted under the&s;e three general Heads, among others, <HI>Viz.</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM>The Power of Levying Money.</ITEM>
<ITEM>The Power of the <HI>Militia.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Negative Voyce.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>The i&s;&s;ue whereof was the total Defeat of his Forces, after &s;everal &s;ignal Battels, together with that wonderful Act of ju&s;tice done upon him&s;elf, thereby bringing down this high Tree al&s;o, not only in his own Per&s;on, as a <HI>Monarch</HI> accoun|table for his per&s;onal tran&s;actions, but al&s;o <HI>Monarchy</HI> it &s;elf; whence proceeded tho&s;e <HI>Acts</HI> of <HI>Parliament, Jan.</HI> 30. <HI>March</HI> 17. <HI>and</HI> 19. 1648. and <HI>May</HI> 19. 1649.</P>
<P>By all which the Power became the Peoples, and a founda|tion was laid for a Free-State or Common-wealth, without a King, &s;ingle Per&s;on, or Hou&s;e of Peers; and the People en|gaged in pur&s;uance of their late Conque&s;t, to pur&s;ue and main|tain the &s;ame accordingly: Adding further the expo&s;ing to &s;ale, the Revenue formerly appropriated to the Office of King-&s;hip, having fir&s;t rendred the &s;ame Office Unnece&s;&s;ary, Chargeable, and Dangerous.</P>
<P>Object. But if any &s;hould Object, <HI>That the&s;e Actions were but the i&s;&s;ue of force and fraud, and are not to be ju&s;tified as Parliamentary, and therefore that it is not &s;afe to entitle God thereunto.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It may be An&s;wered, That had it been only the ef|fect of the <HI>Parliaments</HI> Con&s;ultation and Re&s;olution, there might have remained &s;ome doubt upon the hearts of &s;ome, (though others were more clear therein.)</P>
<PB N="11" REF="6">
<P>But to make it evident to all per&s;ons, that it was not the divice of man, nor the effect of his contrivance, but the arm and power of God: It will be nece&s;&s;ary to con&s;ider be&s;ides what hath been already expre&s;&s;ed, (touching the ri&s;e and pro|gre&s;s of tho&s;e wonderful mutations) how marvelou&s;ly the &s;ame hath been confirmed by remarkeable and &s;ignal te&s;timo|nies, &s;uch as may not, ye cannot be denyed by any man; our enemies them&s;elves being judges; not to mention all tho&s;e me|morable Series of tran&s;actions both by Land and Sea, as well in <HI>Ireland</HI> as in <HI>England,</HI> from and after the Year, 1648. nor the &s;harp conflict with <HI>Hollander,</HI> nor the i&s;&s;ues thereof, wherein the Lord &s;o manife&s;tly appeared to the &s;ilencing of the adver&s;ary, that he extorted acknowledgments from them|&s;elves, while he made them &s;ay in the&s;e or the like words; What God is like the God of <HI>England?</HI> What God like the God of the <HI>Round-heads?</HI> according to that &s;aying, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 126.2. <HI>Then &s;aid they among the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them:</HI> But,</P>
<P>To reduce much into a little, let be remembred tho&s;e two notable eminent and remarkeable conte&s;ts, the <HI>Parliaments</HI> Forces had with the <HI>Scots</HI> at <HI>Dunbar</HI> and at <HI>Worce&s;ter,</HI> that by the mouth of the&s;e two witne&s;&s;es in&s;tead of many more, this a&s;&s;ertion may be e&s;tabli&s;ht.</P>
<P>When the <HI>Scots</HI> (in order to the re-inve&s;ting the Son of the late King, and in him to have re-e&s;tabli&s;hed <HI>Monarchy</HI>) at|tempted the effecting thereof by force of arms, it is well known that after &s;olemn appeals to God for deci&s;ion of the controver|&s;ie between the two nations, wherein not &s;ingly the per&s;on of the Son of the late King, nor the family of the <HI>Stewarts</HI> was the ground of the quarrel, but <HI>Monarchy</HI> it &s;elf, as appears by the Declaration of the Army at their marching into <HI>Scot|land</HI> in the year 1650. wherein among other things they af|firme, <HI>That they fought again&s;t</HI> Monarchy, <HI>as being per&s;wa|ded in their con&s;ciences that it was one of the ten horns of the Bea&s;t.</HI> And &s;ay further in the &s;ame declaration unto the <HI>Scots, viz. That if they &s;hall proceed to bring in &s;uch a Government as one</HI> Man <HI>or</HI> King <HI>upon us, they will blot out the memory of their former merrits.</HI></P>
<PB N="12" REF="7">
<P>Upon this &s;tate of the difference, they on both &s;ides made their appeals to God; who was plea&s;ed to decide the contro|ver&s;y, and gave i&s;&s;ue, for and on behalfe of the weak, the faint,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Sept.</HI> 3. 1650</NOTE> and the feeble; again&s;t the mighty, the &s;trong, and the valiant, in that notable conflict at <HI>Dunbar, Sept,</HI> 3. 1650.</P>
<P><HI>Add further,</HI> That when the &s;ame cau&s;e was pro&s;ecuted by the <HI>Scots</HI> a &s;econd time upon their march into <HI>England,</HI> by the contrivance &amp; a&s;&s;i&s;tance of &s;uch as were confederate with them in that undertakeing; how did the Almighty appear for,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Sept.</HI> 3. 2651</NOTE> and on behalfe of his cau&s;e and people at <HI>Worce&s;ter;</HI> and added a further rebuke and di&s;comfiture to <HI>Monarchy</HI> it felf, (which at that time al&s;o was about to be re-inforced) making an irrepairable breach upon the adver&s;ary, as the hi&s;tory of that period of time, more at large will explicate.</P>
<P>Not only in tho&s;e two eminent ca&s;es, wherein he who runs may read the finger of God as clearly again&s;t <HI>Monarchy,</HI> as be|fore again&s;t <HI>Hierarchy;</HI> but ever &s;ince tho&s;e times notwith|&s;tanding there hath been a &s;tarting a&s;ide and a departure from tho&s;e ble&s;&s;ed foot&s;teps of God, in not following fully to know &amp; do his further will: but &s;trong inclinations, yea and as &s;trong attempts and endeavours al&s;o to go back into <HI>Egypt,</HI> hancker|ing after the onyons and garlick thereof; ha&s;tning to lay the foundation and to rear the &s;uper&s;tructure of the ruined wals of <HI>Jericho,</HI> which God had &s;o &s;ignally bla&s;ted with a cur&s;e to him and his &s;eed, who &s;hould attempt the rebuilding thereof, in the per&s;on and family of the once famous and renowned General of the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Armyes; laying I &s;ay the foundation for <HI>Monarchy</HI> and <HI>Hierarchy,</HI> under the di&s;gui&s;e of a <HI>Protector,</HI> and an high Commi&s;&s;ion Court of Tryers, &amp;c. which mu&s;t have proved in &s;hort time a King and Prelates; to which were ad|ded that which followeth, <HI>viz.</HI> an Hou&s;e of <HI>Peeres,</HI> with much more of like&mdash;</P>
<P>Yet the&s;e all received a &s;ea&s;onable rebuke from the Lord who in due time cau&s;ed them to melt away as a &s;nail; or as the untimely birth of a woman that might not &s;ee the Sun, be|fore the pots could feel the thorns, he took them away by a whirlewind, &s;ea&s;onably in due time; and as it plea&s;ed him in the mid&s;t of their bla&s;phemous <HI>Ho&s;annaes:</HI> Upon the whole mat|ter
<PB N="13" REF="7"> con&s;idering what di&s;appointments have attended all pro|jects, both of force and fraud which have been exerci&s;ed to|wards the re-erecting the Throne of the Bea&s;t in <HI>England;</HI> in tho&s;e two notable branches above recited, &s;o eminently de|clared again&s;t by God, as being the great po&s;ts and pillars of Antichri&s;t.</P>
<P>As it is a confirmation of the truth a&s;&s;erted, &s;o it is a ground of future expectation, that God will cau&s;e his own work to revive in the mid&s;t of the day of this great rebuke and bla&s;|phemy, which his name, people, and cau&s;e, are expo&s;ed unto.</P>
<P><HI>The long or datele&s;s Parliament</HI> (&s;o called) (which begun in <HI>November</HI> 1640. and by which &s;o many memorable things had been tran&s;acted,) having been inturrupted, and di&s;conti|nued &s;ix years and upwards, <HI>viz.</HI> from <HI>April</HI> 20. 1653. to <HI>May</HI> the 7. 1659: by the <HI>General</HI> and <HI>Army,</HI> were now after many debates, and much agitation in order to a future &s;ettlement, Invited by the &s;ame <HI>Army</HI> to return to the exer|ci&s;e of their tru&s;t; who accordingly did &s;o upon the 7th. of <HI>May</HI> as above, to the great comfort and &s;atisfaction of many, who&s;e eyes and hearts were upon them for good, expecting &s;ome wonderful and notable thing to be the i&s;&s;ue of this &s;trange and unexpected revolution; that having been as men free among the dead, they were certainly now anointed for &s;ome &s;ignal &s;ervice, and that the work of the Lord which had as the Sun upon the dyal of <HI>Ahaz</HI> gon back &s;o many degrees; would now be revived, and that Ju&s;tice and righteou&s;ne&s;s would henceforth dwell in our land: This hopeful expectation was &s;trengthned, not only by theit brief yet pyous declaration, but a Re&s;olve which was made on the ninth of <HI>May;</HI> which cheared the hearts of many, hoping that the time was now come wherein all that truly feared God without partiality &s;hould be countenanced and encouraged, and called out of their holes, into which they were either forcibly driven, or had voluntarily retired them&s;elves, during the interval of the <HI>Parliaments</HI> interruption: But ala&s;s the&s;e hopes &s;oon va|ni&s;hed, for a few dayes di&s;covered, that neither the <HI>Army</HI> had right ends in inviting the <HI>Parliament</HI> to return; nor that
<PB N="14" REF="8"> the <HI>Parliament</HI> was &s;o re&s;olved upon a &s;peedy &s;ettlement of the <HI>Nations,</HI> as their nece&s;&s;ity required, nor were &s;o faithful to their own declaration and re&s;olve, as was expected.</P>
<P>Hereupon the Lord to awaken both <HI>Parliament</HI> and <HI>Army,</HI> &s;tirred up the &s;pirit of the Nation again&s;t them by that general in&s;urrection intended from all quarters, but di&s;tingui&s;hed by the name of Sir <HI>George Booths</HI> in&s;urrection, which was the only party that appeared, but was as &s;oon di&s;per&s;t, and &s;uppre&s;t by a parry of the <HI>Army,</HI> with very &s;mall and incon&s;iderable lo&s;&s;e of men on either &s;ide; in&s;omuch that it was reputed a bloodle&s;s victory: God hereby &s;hewing what he could do in enlarging or re&s;trayning the &s;pirit of the Nation as he plea&s;ed: The effect of this di&s;pen&s;ation was &s;o far from improving ei|ther <HI>Parliament</HI> or <HI>Army</HI> in the furthering of the &s;ettelment expected, that it produced a quite contrary effect; for upon the return of the Brigarde from the pur&s;ute of <HI>Sr. George Booth,</HI> they propo&s;e the &s;etling of the conduct of the <HI>Army</HI> in the hands of General Officers: The <HI>Parliament</HI> on the contrary re&s;olve to be <HI>General</HI> them&s;elves, and to give Commi&s;&s;ions with limitations; this begets di&s;&s;atisfaction, and jealou&s;ie.</P>
<P>The <HI>Parliament</HI> declares the Lord <HI>Lamberts</HI> Commi&s;&s;ion void, with eight other <HI>Field</HI> Officers, and &s;ettles Commi&s;&s;i|oners for the government of the <HI>Army,</HI> from <HI>October</HI> 11 to <HI>Feb.</HI> 12. 1659. Hereupon the <HI>Parliament</HI> becomes again to be interupted by the Army, and &s;o remained from the 12th. of <HI>October</HI> to the 26th of <HI>December</HI> following, during which intervail, many agitations were u&s;ed for their re&s;toration, by vertue of the powers ve&s;ted in the new <HI>Commi&s;&s;ioners</HI> for the Army, &s;ome of them going to <HI>Port&s;mouth,</HI> and from thence influencing &s;ome part of the Army; the Fleet declaring for their re&s;toration, and the Forces in <HI>Scotland</HI> doing the like, they returned with a very high hand upon the 26th. of <HI>De|cember,</HI> 1659. Being thus returned they &s;oon fell upon changing the conduct of the Army, not only confirming their re&s;olution, touching the nine Officers as before, but made a very great progre&s;s towards all &s;uch as had any way abetted, and a&s;&s;i&s;ted in their interruptions, putting from them with great &s;everity all or mo&s;t of their true intere&s;ted and engaged friends again&s;t the common adver&s;aries.</P>
<PB N="15" REF="8">
<P>Thus &s;trangely and wonderfully hath God wrought in re|buking the pride and Apo&s;tacy of the Army, who having been un&s;teadfa&s;t in their declared and avowed re&s;olutions, &s;o &s;o|lemnly made, and &s;o often repeated: the ju&s;t and holy God hath in his due time called it to remembrance, and cau&s;ed it to be returned upon them; even by tho&s;e very per&s;ons over whom they thought they had power.</P>
<P>Nor was the condition of the <HI>Parliament</HI> at all better by this tran&s;action, for that very Spirit wich they rai&s;ed to &s;up|pre&s;s this of the Army, was too great for them to allay: but as apparently over-grew them, as theirs did that of the Army, and that al&s;o for want of tho&s;e whom they had unnece&s;&s;arily put from them.</P>
<P>For the intere&s;t of the (&s;o long) Secluded Members, be|gan now effectually to revive, and they by the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of the Army which came out of <HI>Scotland,</HI> were brought into the Hou&s;e, who for want of an <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Army, could no lon|ger be kept out.</P>
<P>And by the acce&s;s of the&s;e later Members, their period was ha&s;tened, and the <HI>Parliament</HI> di&s;&s;olved by an Act. Thus hath it happened through the overruling power of God, that fire is gone out from <HI>Abimalech,</HI> and hath devoured the men of <HI>Shechem,</HI> as fire came forth from the men of <HI>Shechem,</HI> and devoured the hou&s;hold of <HI>Abimalech;</HI> &s;o true is that word, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 9.16. <HI>The Lord is known by the Judgment which he executeth, the wicked is &s;nared in the work of his own hands, Higgaion Selah.</HI></P>
<P>Object. <HI>But by this means the cau&s;e of God, and of his peo|ple in the&s;e Nations is wholly lo&s;t, and an opportunity is given to the enemy to bla&s;pheme his name, and to &s;ay, where is now your God?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It is true, that this day is a day of great rebuke and bla&s;phemy, and it's as true that the people upon whom Gods name hath been named, have very much contributed thereun|to, whether we re&s;pect the <HI>Parliament</HI> or <HI>Army,</HI> or the per|&s;ons who have been influenced by both, <HI>Conjunctim aut Divi|&s;im:</HI> Who ever &s;hall take a view of the tran&s;actions of affairs from, and after that &s;ignal battel fought in the Year, 1651.
<PB N="16" REF="9"> the i&s;&s;ue whereof was by the then general &s;tiled, <HI>The marvai|lous Salvation wrought at Worce&s;ter;</HI> at which time, it might have been expected that the fruit thereof, could not have pro|ved other than holine&s;s unto the Lord, and ju&s;tice and righte|ou&s;ne&s;s to the Nation; 'tis true indeed, the blame was laid up|on the <HI>Parliament,</HI> that they improved not the mercies and deliverances God had given to the Nation by their means, and they were worthy of blame before the Lord, who to rebuke their remi&s;ne&s;s let loo&s;e that Spirit upon them which gave them their fir&s;t interruption, in the Year, 1653. though un|der a more plau&s;ible pretence than the effect manife&s;ted, for as much as that <HI>Parliament</HI> being then removed from being a let as was pretended, who could have thought but that now righ|teou&s;ne&s;s would have a&s;cended the Throne, and what&s;oever had been ami&s;s in the former, would have been corrected and amended in this latter Edition; but it was too evident that the change was not for the better but for the wor&s;e, as the next &s;ucceeding (almo&s;t &s;ix years time will evidence,) how were all the former mercies and deliverances which God had wrought for this Nation, and his people therein wholly per|verted by the power and influence of the Army; who &s;et up their General as &s;ingle Per&s;on, and chief Magi&s;trate contra|ry to their own Declarations and &s;olemn engagements therein, and thereby departing from their faith, breaking their own Bonds, and ca&s;ting their Coards behind them, wherewith they had voluntarily bound and oblidged them&s;elves. And this not as a tran&s;cient Act forcibly or fraudulently extorted from them, but by a Series of tran&s;actions renewed and repea|ted from the Father to the Son, to whom they became more &s;olemnly devoted if po&s;&s;ible, than they had been to the Father, this being a creature of their own forming; which evidently declares they did not account them&s;elves &s;urprized in their fir&s;t compliance, for if &s;o, they would never have made their bonds &s;tronger by renewing their Oaths and Obligations unde&s;ired and un&s;ought for.</P>
<P>But as well it pro&s;pered, and as long it la&s;ted, and as true were they to their la&s;t as to their former Oaths, they take oc|ca&s;ion to de&s;troy the creature of their own creating, notwith|&s;tanding
<PB N="17" REF="9"> they had engaged to live and die with him: All which actings of their God hath brought upon their own heads, as well Army as <HI>Parliament,</HI> and the friends and allies of both, rejecting all our confidences which were placed in either of them.</P>
<P>And although &s;hame and confu&s;ion of face belongs to us, and unto tho&s;e on whom we have leaned, who have proved to us, (e&s;pecially of latter times) but <HI>Egyptian</HI> reeds on whom while we have leaned, they have pierced into our hand, and now we are a&s;hamed of our confidences, and of tho&s;e on whom we have (too much) depended: and mu&s;t &s;ay, the Lord our God hath put us to &s;ilence, and given us the water of gall to drink, becau&s;e we have &s;inned again&s;t him; and this is it while we hear the enemy bla&s;pheming daily, &s;aying, where is now their God?</P>
<P>Neverthele&s;s we know the foundation of the Lord &s;tands &s;ure, and with him is no variablene&s;s nor &s;hadow of change; And though we mu&s;t bear this pre&s;ent rebuke from the Lord, becau&s;e we have &s;inned again&s;t him, yet he will ari&s;e and plead our cau&s;e; and cau&s;e his work to revive in the mid&s;t of the day of this rebuke and bla&s;phemy; yea though for our unwor|thine&s;s, and the unworthine&s;s of our Rulers, <HI>Civil</HI> and <HI>Mi|litary,</HI> and for their and our non-improvement of our mercies and deliverances, he may ju&s;tly turn us down to the place of Dragons, &amp; &s;uffer our carca&s;&s;es to fall in the wilderne&s;s where|in we are wandring, and make us know what we have done in not following on to know him, who&s;e goings forth are pre|pared as the morning: yet &s;eeing he hath not left him&s;elf with|out witne&s;s, in that he hath fru&s;trated all the attempts both &s;e|cret and open, and not permitted any project or divice which hath been &s;et on foot toward the bringing back his work, to pro&s;per, though there have been many (and they al&s;o) crafti|ly contrived, and vigorou&s;ly pro&s;ecuted, yet their drivings have been like the drivings of <HI>Pharaohs</HI> Chariot, very heavi|ly, and with &s;ea&s;onable di&s;appointments: what remains then, but that we humble our &s;elves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt us in due time, as knowing that although we have been yea, and nay, yet our God is yea; who when we
<PB N="18" REF="10"> have born and accepted of the puni&s;hment of our Iniquity, he will not ca&s;t away nor abhor his remnant to de&s;troy them ut|terly, but in mea&s;ure he will debate with them; for the Lord will judge his People, and repent him&s;elf for his Servants, when he &s;eeth their (hand) or power is gone, and there is none &s;hut up or left: Therefore what he &s;aid in another ca&s;e, <HI>Judg.</HI> 11.24. to the King of the Children of <HI>Ammon, That which thy God Chemo&s;h gives thee, wilt thou not po&s;&s;e&s;s?</HI> So whom|&s;oever the Lord our God &s;hall drive out from before us, them will we po&s;&s;e&s;s: So mu&s;t we &s;ay in like ca&s;e, we dare not be &s;o untrue unto our God, the true and living God, as not to a&s;&s;ert with all humble boldne&s;s, (yet with Chri&s;tian Courage and Confidence) the intre&s;t and right we have in what our God hath given us, both as Men and Chri&s;tians, as the fruit of much Blood and Trea&s;ure, which he &s;uffered not to be &s;pilt and &s;pent for nought, or as a thing in vain; when &s;o many dear and precious to him, and as In&s;truments in his hand for the purcha&s;ing and obtaining thereof, have &s;acrificed their lives in the high places of the Field.</P>
<P>Wherefore &s;eeing God hath honoured us with giving and confirming to us, a glimp&s;e of, and an entrance into our <HI>Ci|vil</HI> and <HI>Religious</HI> Liberties, both as Men and as Chri&s;tians, in freeing us from <HI>Monarchy</HI> and <HI>Hierarchy,</HI> above and beyond our thoughts, and contrivance or projection, and kept them down from their &s;eats thus long, notwith&s;tanding their &s;trong endeavours to be peeping and creeping up under hidden forms and gui&s;es; yea &s;eeing he hath laid the Axe to the root of both the&s;e Oaks of <HI>Ba&s;han,</HI> and hewen them down, making u&s;ele&s;s and ineffectual all the endeavours which have been hitherto for the re-e&s;tabli&s;hing the Old, or &s;uffering the New digni&s;ed Plants to take root and grow, but followed them with &s;ucce&s;|&s;ive di&s;appointments.</P>
<P>Let us in all humble Reverence fall down before him, be|wailing our iniquity, and the iniquity of our Leaders, and Ru|lers, praying that our and their &s;ins may be pardoned and pur|ged; and then &s;ay with an holy and humble confidence, <HI>A|wake, Awake, put on &s;trength O Arm of the Lord, Awake as in the dayes of old; Art thou not it that hath cut</HI> Rahab, <HI>and
<PB N="19" REF="10"> wounded the Dragon? We will remember thee from the Land of</HI> Jordan, <HI>and of the</HI> Hermonites, <HI>and from the Hill</HI> Mi&s;&s;ar: And though we are apt to &s;ay, <HI>Oh Lord, by whom &s;hall</HI> Jacob <HI>ari&s;e, for he is &s;mall?</HI> Yet dare we not <HI>&s;ay a confederacy with them who &s;ay a confederacy;</HI> nor may we <HI>fear their fear, nor be afraid; The Lord of Ho&s;ts is with us, the God of</HI> Jacob <HI>is our refuge; who though he hath &s;mitten us, will revive us, and we &s;hall live in his &s;ight, Maugre all the malice and rage of the enemy: The works of the Lord are great, &s;ought out of all tho&s;e who take plea&s;ure therein.</HI> What therefore he hath, &s;o &s;ignally owned, we mu&s;t own, and cannot do other, till he him&s;elf cut off the entail of our hopes and confidences, which we under&s;tand is not otherwi&s;e to be done, than by giving te|&s;timony again&s;t the &s;ame Cau&s;e in the Conte&s;t, if ever it come to be ca&s;t upon him for deci&s;ion by an Appeal; which it is humbly prayed he would in mercy prevent, if he &s;o plea&s;e; and let all his People &s;ay, <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>P&s;alm 107.43.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Who&s;o is wi&s;e, and will ob&s;erve the&s;e things, even they &s;hall under&s;tand the loving kindne&s;s of the Lord.</P></Q>
<TRAILER>The End.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
