choise unparalleld workings of him against the Powers of this world who stand in his way to the advancement of his Sons Throne God writes his mind somtimes in his Works as well as in his Word and there are many overtures in Civil affairs which the Word doth not so positively direct but providence and the necessity of affairs must be the rule in and how ever the providences of God are not demonstrations a priori as they say yet they may very well be a posteriori though they do not state things yet they do distinguish them and as God will rather have heaven and eâ—rth to pass away then one iota or tittle of his Word to fail so he will have all men to give him the glory of his Works else he will destroy all the civil Heavens and earths which men sets-up and God blames his people as often for not observing his Works as for disobeying his Statuâ—es If the permissive acts of Gods justice in the world ought to make all men fear and tremble how much more these positive and errectual assistances of Instruments in executing his righteous judgements the children of Israel were blamed for nothing more than that they forgat the wonders of God at the red Sea and in the Wilderness But that we may not look on these things at large let us view what have been accompanying all our transactions in these last yeers which make them more than events to convince our spirits First all that God hath yet acted for us hath been from the smallest and contemtiblest beginnings that even wise men have been afraid of their own Acts and our enemies have laughed in secret at us seeing our ruine in our first foundation and so weak we were that we were rather objects of the piâ—y of our friends and scorn of the contrary party who would ever have imagined that such a new Model should have thriven better than so great and well accomplish'd Army which preceded or what could wise men either fore-see or Christians believe concerning any great matters to be accomplished by such Pigmies Secondly As God took the lowest condition to begin this work so he ever brought our estates unto the greatest straits ere he appeared to point out to all men that he would be alone seen in the prosecution of this cause and that he would have the glory of making this Nation a Common-wealth In England remember especially Naseby when the King was the â—ighest that ever he was since the war began where was the first experiment of Gods engaging with them at Kent Essex ' Waâ—es especially at Preston when the Nation was most divided and incensed against these proceedings and our Army scarce a third part In Ireland when all was lost but two Towns Dublin and Derry But above all in Scotland when we fed on our Vital Spirits more than Bread and lived by our courage and Gods support more than food how hath God helped I have often looked on it as an absolute and general observation in Gods actings that he never brings his enemies into straits to help them but it is his usual way where he means to make his providence glorious and his people most praising to let them be past saving in their own sense and their enemies hopes and truly our Victories were seldom given until not only our means but almost our faith failed us Thirdly these successes have been uniform and universal in every part and against every party which have upon any pretence whatever banded themselves against this State and their transactions yea so eavenly hath God gone forth and so impartially that how ever we may at first question the principles we cannot deny the acts but to be from God Yea not only height of Royalty and the grosness of Malignancy but the flourishes of the best precenses have been blasted and overthrown by these manifestations the Church as well as the World have been under a Divine censure for opposing themselves and complying with the first or new modell'd enemy against this State which may make all godly hearts serious and wary if not to tremble at their fire and heat in their reflections on these things If these things be not timely considered but our obstiâ—acy grows with Gods admonitions the next work will be Excommunication Fourthly all these works we now see have been begotten and brought forth in the midst of the plots of open and secret enemies plots laid so secret and sure that nothing but he that discovers the hidden things of darkness could discern or prevent and so hath God ordered and casted the season of our deliverances that they have been beyond the enemies designes and perfectest perswasions and our expectations of the most observant spectators that God might have all the glory Who could imagine what hath been working in hell and the corners of darkness against this work of God now in part broughâ— forth and yet all disappointed and frustrated with condignet punishment on the heads of principal Authors It will be endless to run over the variety of these discoveries and other circumstances which if well considered are as much as the mercies themselves amount unto The last great demonstration of Gods presence with this Army in Scotland may serve instar omnium to Uniting our confidences if all the rest be of no value which was Gods determination of the iustness of our Cause after solemn appeal to God on both sides especially on ours this being the publique expression of our Army in that candid Remonstrance ere they entred Scotland that they did appeal to God the righteous Judge of quick and dead if their hearts were not sincere in what they remonstrated and in their affections to that Nation and did moreover put it only on God if ever they came to engagement pardoning human infirmities to deal with them according to the justness of their Cause and the truth of their hearts I quote this especially because as it was the most solemn appeal to Divine Justice so what God did in this was the confirmation of all the rest of his publique actings by them and the Umpire only left to God to own them or destroy them as his wisdom and justice saw their hearts and cause how was Gods arm made bare for them at last though he carried himself a long while as if he meant to make good the reproches of their enemies against them It must be confest Appeals are of a very high and dangerous nature if not done with the greatest seriosity and upon the surest grounds and they do either argue abundance of carnal confidence or integrity and pureness of spirit that they ought not to be frequent and common but where no other way is or can be found out of deciding controversies of a high and controvertible nature where confidence on both sides are equally positive and immoveable by mediate arguments yea It is without question trivial and common affaires cannot be grounds of Appeal to God there being
then no dissenters but Malignants was to bring Delinquents to condigne punishment who had abused this State by the Royall Consent and Authoritie and to oppose the tyranny of the King and flattery of the Countiers A principle large enough to worke on and to take in by consequences of affaires the utmost improvement upon this ground all the Parliamentary party acted together not being able to see or hope for any thing more then a reformation and that of the grossenesse of actings and so firme were wee in this that wee never changed our thoughts untill the delayes in warre and the influences of the Court together with wearied and neutrall friends and the thoughts of places and preferments made men to study new wayes of compliances and to leave the first principle for the present enjoyments But God who overruleth the counsells of men and had a further designe will not suffer so good a beginning to make a fatall end And according to his usuall way from small beginnings brings forth his greatest glory acting things beyond our first thoughts or designes The King was first opposed universally in his personall capacity and reserv'd in his publique in these who fought against him this went downe currant and without any demurre among us and upon this wee waged warre but God who still meant to carry on a higher designe keepes us equall and faire for a long while together now giving the advantage to us now to him still making drawne battailes while there was a lesser piece of royalty opposing a greater owning the Cause so farre as not to discountenance that side he meant to honour at the last but no effectuall worke was done but honourable retreats and dayes of thanksgiving for non-routing and security rather then for any victory wee ever had over the Kings party except especially that of Marston-Moore wherein the chiefe instruments of the new modell were agents which was soone recruited and ballanst by our own parties negligence in the South and their diligence over their affaires God kept all this while a kinde of equalitie persons were engaged of different tempers not of different principles and it had been well for all our reports then at London that wee kept our ground into such straits wee were then brought though wee seemed to have a great and potent Army that nothing could serve in the view of the whole Parliament but a wise disbanding that Army and framing a new Modell which was a cause of strange necessitie at that time and a hopefull way of our ruine by many even in Parliament who gave their votes for it out of another end who are since discovered but it hath since proved the ordinance of God This is the poore Army that the great repinings and discontents are made from This Army which hath been preserved by Gods right hand who have done that work which is wonderfull to relate against this Army all the arrowes of malice and designe are shot to wound either their persons or names It 's sad to think that our eyes should be evill because Gods is good that wee should repine at instruments when God doth the work let us as men that would faine see into Gods wayes consider what hath been done since that change what a continued continuation of providences I might say miracles if they had not some meanes to produce them have wee had since that despised modell The thoughts of these things are only repeated for our conviction There are two things very remarkable in these affaires since our first engaging against the late King each of which shall have their due consideration First That all our affairs were hardly kept in aequilibrio in a faire and right correspondency untill this new Modell but that the King got more ground by his influence then we by our Armies the Armie under the Lord of Essex being a petty Royall Armie made up of all sorts of humours and Confederates of either side rather kept the Parliaments credite then gave them any use for theâ—r money and we never had a battle fought by him but we came off and that barely and with losse as well as the King 2. That never since this poore at first despised though now envied Army was modell'd we never either received a considerable losse or check in our proceedings though the action of this Army hath been in three Nations and accompanyed with miserable discouragements from all parties and difficulties that other Nations would have thought insuperable and so acted that nothing but God hath visibly appeared It cannot it must not be forgotten it will be written in marble if not in our hearts and the place it selfe will be made immortall to all posterity the first testimony of God to the first action of this Army at Naseby when all Politicians were securing of themselves and our wisest friends fearing what the issue would be and the royall power at the greatest height and going on in the fullest carrere what a glorious turne was there given to the designes of the Enemie and reviving to the hopes of this Nation God never before so peculiarly and in our low condition owning his poor people and ever since God set up his Standard there he hath made bare his arme and never suffered one eminent nay hardly any defeat to be given to this Army making that the earnest of the Conquest of Gods Enemies in these three Nations whereas in all our former Battails we could never say we had a victory except some speciall formerly named which had their recruits very soone from this time I say as if God had the idea of this Armie in his eye and had with his owne hands framed the modell of it and culling out the Army he meant to blesse hee hath ever uninterruptedly afforded his presence though the difficultyes and multitude of Enemies have been more then could be expected or then ever Armie under-went who served a State in such transactions What eye cannot see the plots and contrivances both of the common and secret Enemies how many wayes have been used to overthrow this Parliament and Army and what humours have been predominant among themselves to ruine that body yet how strangly and beyond all mens thoughts have they been carryed through if we were delighted in viewing divine actings or had a designe to make a History to astonish all the world Let us follow the Army from Naseby up and down England at home from thence after two Warres the second more dangerous then the first being upon more cunning pretences and made out of our divisions among our selves and especially levelled against the Parliament and Armie a war that divided the Armie as well as the first confiding instruments yet with what wonder of glory did God break forth their deliverance for after God had helped them to drive the K. into the Scots Armie a presage of his sons reserve new Insurrections are in the most speciall Counties round about the Parliament which first began more
both the bad and the good cause thus God suffers it for a long time for the hardening some and destroying others and to draw off the hearts of his front depending on these injoyments or advantages in this world yet at the same time he would not have his people put the right of their sufferings or his enemies prosperity on â—o large and indifferent a supposition but to look into the Will of God in thus disposing of their states and to find-out the particular end of God to them in it But as there is a general and special providence of God in the World so there are events sutable these special Providences of God call on all men for serious observation for in them God goes out of his ordinary course and they do show either his special owning or dis-respect whether to a person or party and are ofteâ— distinctions of the truth of Principles and Actings and if there were nothing to be seen of God more by these then other manifestations the World might grow careless and secure from expecting any evil from the hand of God or any punishment for iniquity more then what a godly man himself may have by the same strokes And if this principle should be true what reason have the Malignants or Papists to look any more into Gods hand on them or tò think their cause the worse because Providence overthrows their Armies why should any cry out on them for hardned and obstinate persons saving they have no more but events to convince them being still confident of the justness of their cause And to what end have we kept so many days of Thanks-giving for Victories if there be nothing in the issues of affairs restifying to the Truth of things it can be nothing else but a mocking of God to give him solemn praises for that which can neither shew us the goodness of our cause or Gods peculiar respect to us more then our enemies for we have no more witness to the Truth of our Principles then they have save our confidence which is as firm and stablished in them as us Let our Brethren look and remember what expressions they used formerly in their thanks-giving sermons both before the Parliament in the City and up and down all the Kingdom for any show of a Victory when the Army was commanded by the Lord of Essex when any party was routed under Sir William Wâ—ller or any of the first Commanders though we lost it as soon as we gained it and they were far from the Victories are now despicably called Events of War with what affection and zeal did they prove the equity of our fighting against the King by these mediums it became a common expression at such days That our God was not as their God our enemies themselves being Judges and by what should our enemies be judges against themselves for us but by Gods appearing against them and ordering the issue of things beyond all their height of confidence and expectation Many other such like expressions have been with much heartiness exprest in such days blessing God for owning his people in a day of need and making a difference between them and their enemies the testimony of all which they gathered from particular succesâ—es But why trifle we in a matter of such consequence are all these actings in England Scotland and Ireland for these many yeers so negâ—igently to be taken notice of only as Events of ordinary actings What can then be called Glorious Appearances of God in this World or what Victories can we have so much câ—nscience as to write Gods Name as on these How can a model of the workings of God for his people be drawn in fairer and clearâ—r colours Had God acted with these that dissent and by these instruments which they had sanctified for the work though far lower than he hath dore wiâ—h these whom they despise the world should have another account and these providences should have been proclaimed in other names then accidents and events if not the persons canoniz'd long ere this in every Church and Chappel and if God had permitted such an overture that the Scots had beaten and overcome our Army at Dâ—nbar which would have been the saddest day that ever Englishmen saw we need not question but the name of all these former eminent and conâ—icued Victories both in England and Ireland would be blotted out from the earth except these hearâ—â— in whom the glory and mercy of them were engraven with the same finger that wrought them and nothing else but the just judgements of God declared to be executed against the Sectarian Parliament and Army by Gods faithful and Covenant-keeping people who can imagine that tryumphant conclusion that would then be made of the wickedness of our Cause Principles and Persons of the truth of mens railings and the reason of their discontents how would all men be exhorted from henceforth to beware upon penalty of the like judgements of God to withdraw from any complyance or conjunction with these who were the declared enemies of God against whom he had bent his Bow utterly to destroy telling all men to consider â—ow God had at last found his secret enemies and vindicated the cause of his Covenant especially in Scotland where it was made and preserved we may easily without uncharity guess that a thousand such inferences would soon be drawn from such an event But seeing God hath given us the use of such an argument and added that mercy to all the rest with a cleerer representation of his face towards us than ever before why shall we think them common or unclean are our Victories less precious to us than theiâ—s would be to them are we more glad to see another Nation conquer us than we to defeat them in their Designs against us or can we rejoyce that God useth forraign Instrumeâ—ts in his work rather than these of our own Nation How are we degenerated how surpris'd in our affections that we should desire more for the Scots to conquer us than for the English to preserve us from them If we have lost our consciences yet let us retain our natural affections and if this Government be evil in our eyes yet let us have so much wisdom and self-love left as to prefer it before a Scottish Tyrannie if our mercies be not in every point and circumstance fashioned according to our model let us not throw away the substantialls of our Liberties by maligning and opposing those which are the visible preservers of them Let us once again look back upon Gods providences for us and mind the series of them with the variety and manner of bringing them forth and study more the nature of them for they deserve the most refinedness of our thoughts to be set on them and the purest place in our hearts to have them registred if every fly and gnat every piece of dung and filth shews forth somthing of God to be observed by us what do these
one question why I put so much right on this It 's answered that there is nothing more cleer that where his People are engaged in several parties some by mistakes and ignorance of Gods mind others out of Truth and they both pray to him God will alwaies hear thâ—se prayers which are most according to his mind and give forth issues answerable for all our prayers are no farther to be expected to be answered then they are according to Gods Will and that Will of God doth manifest the truth of our prayers when prayers clash in heaven it is the same with opinions and judgements of Saints on earth concerning Gods mind which have but one truth to rule them and according to the consonancy of apprehensions to that God owns or dis-owns all their actings It is most sad and dangerous to do any publique act wherein any which are godly shall dissent much more that which any of them shall pray against and this very consideration hath made this Parliament and the Army to make so many pausings in their actings as fearing themselves and their own mistakes when so many good men seem to be against them yet it is as sad and should be much weighed that God should continually answer one sort of prayers and quite neglect the other when they come both from godly persons whom God loves What one petition hath God ever seemed to receive as made by his own Spirit against these proceedings but hath cleerly demonstrated that at least he is angry with the dissenting Prayers of his own people I leave these things on mens Consciences how they can interpret Gods actings against their prayers and how they can digest Gods hearing of these they judge their enemies at the same time and work out contrary issues All these considerations put together may suffice to work us to a meditation at least of what God hath done and to parley with our own hearts why we should yet refuse our full consent to the establishment of this Common-wealth shall any that professeth the name of Christ maintain secret war and malice against his actings or think to prosper by helping the common enemy But if nothing yet said will move us to have better thoughts of these Transactions let us once again consider in what times these things are dore against whom and by whom First all these workings have been in the latter days when God is throwing down the old heavens and earth and hath his notable designs to effect and all these mysteries of Prophesies to open which have lain hid for many ages and seemed formerly quite buryed in the prosperity of the Kings and Princes of this world Secondly against whom hath God appeared but against those persons both in Church and State who hath adorned this Nation with the raggs of Popery and Antichristianisme or with Tyrannie and Oppression and as they have raised themselves God hath discovered them and as they have shifted their Quarters God hath followed them with his just displeasure and indignation against any complyers with them Thirdly however God may permit for a long while his enemies to tryumph yet when ever he begins he will make an end and these principles which seem general and easie at the first God will improve and hath done beyond all our intentions for it was hardly possible in the multitude of these overtures to lay any deep plot before-hand of them new and unexpected emergencies of their designes and Gods providence alwayes on a sudden breaking foâ—th which were not only difficult to fore-see but sinful to withstand And truly those that think of plots deeply laid before-hand to bring out these great things may as well suspect the Providences by which they have been necessitously led into them Fourthly for however we may make little account of providences yet they are the most exact comments on divine prophesies of any other and are the special visible key whereby God opens all those seals that are in that book and what ever special inspirations we may have from heaven to guess at Gods intent yet the words are so dark wherein God hath written his mind of these affairs and so blurred by Antichrist that until God come to open them by his actings we know not how to interpret them with safety or comfort hence it hath come to pass that many pages must now be blotted out of many worthy and learned and in most things cleer Comments on Daniel and the Apocalypse because every day God acts beyond their present thoughts and gives occasion of reforming their own confident apprehensions of the nature and issue of those prophesies so that if Gods providences compared with his words of prophesie be not looked into we must still be in the dark as to the understanding of these great mysteries by what can we hope that God is about to fulfil his word concerning the destruction of Antichrist but by his keen and severe prosecution of every limb and member of that body yea and beginning first among his own people that the enemies may not have cause to reflect and tell God to reform first at home how can we know that God is pouring out the viaâ—s of his wrath and upon whom but as God discovers it by his terrible actings among the sons of men by which he cals on all men to hear and obey not to murmure or dissent But if the manifestation of God notwithstanding all this seem uncleer and unperswasive to dissenters to gain their full consent to this Common-wealth let our own interest prevail upon us and if heaven be too light let earth be added to it to weigh down our judgements God hath given us an opportunity against our wills to make our selves the freest and happyest Nation on this earth and we are the first of so large a Continent that God hath advantaged with such a blessing our Ancestors for these 500. yeers have bin strugling to get but the name of freedom and liberty and have for this end deposed one King and set up another who had commonly a worse title and reign but God hath given us our choice whether royal bondage or English liberty were we ever so nigh the regaining our conquer'd priviledges as now what is there but a name between us and a Free-State and nothing wanting to perfect all besides Gods assistance to prosecute what is begun and direct what is not done but our own election of what may make us happy which happiness if we imagine consists only in the title of a king among us let us remember what we have spent on that name already of our measure of bloud and how God hath made it contemptible We may all now see how Gods great design is to bring to nought the Princes of this world and hath his principal quarrel with them because they have bin the greatest shedders of the bloud of Saints that crâ—es under the Altar and the only mighty upholders of the throne of the Beast and are still
else but Histories of Civil affaires revilings and defamings of authorityes and casting fire bals of sedition up and downe Congregations to incense mens spirits against the present Government This is one of the greatest reasons which I can by observance finde out that the Ministry is so low and in such contempt because they mingle Christ and this world so promiscuously together and do not keep within the bounds of the Gospel in their publique preachings to the world But speake more in the language the of Stage then of a crucified Christ and this makes many withdraw from the publique assemblies because they can heare little but cavils in Pulpits and Christ in private houses I wish the honour of thâ— Ministry might shine in the glory of the Gospel for other respects they will finde them to be but temptations and hinderances to their worke Is there any thing else which stands in our way for strawes must be removed as well as reall blockes before prejudiced eyes are there any complaining wee are yet unsetled and opprest Let these men answer themselves that if they will have a settlement they must contribute to the procuring of it for while every one divides who shall settle If they cry out of oppressions it s very unjust they should expect otherwise who will not come under protection as it s most unreasonable any should desire protection who will not engage to be serviceable to promote the Common-wealth I shall end with proposing some Queries to zealous and honest men with a word of application from what is done in Scotland and no more trouble the Reader in this kinde First Whether must there bee an act of oblivion past for all the mercies and victories wee have had over the common or secret enemies of this State or to what use shall wee put all these wonders Secondly What lower improvement could there have been of so much bloud and continuall deceipt among us by the name of the King and his family but a cutting off the one and racing out the name of the other or whether ever any peace with these persons could bee sound or acceptable without some speciall sacrifice of them to Justice let it lye on our consciences Thirdly Whither wee can imagine that God had not higher ends then wee first proposed in our engaging against the King or then what could bee at first by us foreseene or whither any condescension in us could have gaind him without hazard and losse of our maine liberties and priviledges Fourthly Whither the providences of God seeing they have been so peculiarly acted are not to be guides and rules to us in prosecuting a generall and indefinite principle or how wee can with comfort satisfie our selves in civill quarrells but by providentiall events or what is that event wee thinke most demonstrative of Gods minde if these are not Fifthly Upon what hinge will wee turne the doore of our affaires if not upon the continuall and daily manifestations of God having our end and principle right or whither any person or power can foresee all the turnings and changes in a multiplyed affaire without some leading providence of Jehovah Sixthly Whether is the better foundation for action a supposed principle with contrary actings of providence or the like supposed principles with extraordinary lettings forth of Gods power and Majestie But what need wee querie humors and discontents will soone turne all these expostulations to encouragements wee are now through Gods blessing come to a period at home all the expectations of our enemies is from the broken reed of Scotland but the vaile is now off the malignant party is but retired there under another head and if wee may beleeve the Scots themselves and those which are accounted the honest party and their Remonstrances wee have nothing to fight against but the malignant party in Scotland the honest party who were first deluded being first subdued and now beyond the water they are put to the shifts of a generall complyance which will be no discouragement to us as formerly for then wee fought against many pretenders to the Covenant and who were with a conscience engaged and yet God esteemed it not but now wee have a full marke the old enemy newly crowned and all things made up in Scotland to follow this designe But I hope Englishmen can doe no lesse then the honest Scots have done remonstrate against those proceedings and yet God makes them know that bare Remonstrance against that party without union with Gods instruments will not serve but there must be an unanimous correspondency of all good men against these shifting zealots And wee have now a more ground of hope against them if God hath owned us when they seemed to keepe at a distance from the malignant party and to fix their principle on a surer and more cleare foundation how will he now appeare for his people when they have past thorough all delusions and are to meete againe with their old enemy but what horror of spirit will fall on these good men who will rather venture themselves with malignant assistances then comply with Gods workings I have no more to say he that cannot trust God now with our cause hath either too much interest or too much ignorance after all the wayes God hath taken to open our eyes Let our Parliament and Army never doubt encouragement but keepe up their spirits high for Gods ends seeing they have none now to encounter but their old enemies without any pretence that may trouble their consciences or delay their marches And let godly men know who stand yet out as God hath done all for us without them so he will now more especially because they are now under the first consideration and must come under the same viall and at least expect the sprinkling of it while they have any conjunction with that party which God hath devoted to destruction if our consciences be not quite asleepe and if wee have any sensiblenesse of our present advantages and future miseries let us set our seales to Gods actings and rejoyce in the Lords will so gloriously manifested and not strive against the streame of providences but as men convinced by God not by men engage our selves to maintaine this Common-wealth which is the onely Bulwarke left us both to keepe out tyranny and preserve our liberties which in due time wee shall have most free and stablished if our owne fond affections to strangers and prejudices of our friends doe not undoe all FINIS