the places whereon such great men are set are slippery enough without dropping butter and oyl Job 32.21 22. instead of tears upon their footsteps Give not flattering titles lest it cost you dear lest your maker soon take you away Put no confidence in Princes Psal 62 9. Prov. 29.25 Isa 23.9 1 Cor. 1.31 Deut. 22.10 nor be afraid of an arm of flesh lest you be deceived and ensnared God hath purposed to staine the pride of all glory that he who glorieth may glory only in the Lord. Use no comparisons between one man and another unless you be very well acquainted with their Natures and dispositions their actions and affections and the Laws by which both must be tried with their callings works and maintenance which will much help you to make and mend if you be an exact observer and that with ease I shall not spend much time to contend with those Ministers who would make the Lord General Cromwel like unto Moses It may be he is more like unto Moses Rom. 13.1 Ephe. 4.11 12 13. then they are like unto Aaron Moses was the meekest man upon the Earth zealous against idolatry and for the setting up of Gods publique worship Numb 12.3 Levit. 24.12 A merciful man and very cautious of putting men to death contrary to the right manner and was a lover of the People and would have them saved though himself were blotted By faith Moses when he was come to yeers Heb. 11.24 refused to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward By faith he forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king for he endured as seeing him who is invisible Through faith he kept the passeover and the sprinkling of blood lest he that destroyed the first-born should touch them Now I do profess that God hath not revealed it unto me nor do I see how it can be proved that his Excellencies Declarations are like unto Moses Law Deut. 33.4 Psal 119. Or that the Acts of Parliament confirmed by him are like unto the Statutes and Judgments of the holy and blessed God Or that Moses hanged the poore theeves meerly for theft Exod. 22.3 and let the rich theeves go free I find not that he ever was so unworthy as to presse his poore Countrey-men to death for not pleading guilty or not guilty His meeknes and gentlenes would not admit of forcing any in a tyrannical way to accuse themselves ☠He scorned to cut any man off upon one single testimony He was no Libertine Deut. 12.30 32. nor gave any loose libertie for the Magistrates to follow the old Cananitish customs He had more compassion in him than to suffer the prisoners to starve in his sight for want of bread Now untill it be made appear that the Lord General is more then a Prophet and hath talked face to face with God Numb 12,6-8 and beheld his similitude I hope no godly man will be offended with me for my negative voice Matt. 22.21 but give unto Cesar the things which are Cesars and unto God the things which are Gods Let Moses have his wages for his work Heb. 3.5 for he was a faithful servant And let Cromwel be Crowned with the honor that 's due unto him and suffer me to declare my opinion and afterwards let the flatterers speak My minde gave me long ago that the LORD GENERAL CROMWEL was like THE KING 2 King 9.20 THE LORDS ANOINTED I mean Nimble John the son of Nimsby who drave furiously and said come with me and see my zeal for the LORD Doubtless he was a brave stout valiant Souldier and a victorious Conqueror of Gods enemâ—es Chap. 10. an utter enemy to the wayes and ruiner of the House of his Master Ahab The destruction of Jezebel and rooter out of Baal and made his great Cathedral a very jakes A man who wrought much by policie and was very honest and for ought I know observed THE LAW OF GOD much But he walked in the sins of Jerohoam and yet God remembred his good old service and let him sit upon the Throne to the fourth Generation And who knows what good things God hath laid up in store for our Capt General But the best provision which I can make for him Psal 141.5 for the present is the pretious balm of plain and righteous dealing which shall never break his head And humility adorning him like the lillies which grow best in low places the entertainment which I shal give him in these sad and unsetled times is to lead him by the waters of Marah in the valey of weeping to the house of mourning the storehouse for tears where the hearts of the wise frequently retire and the Widdows by the sides of the house are set like weeping Vines and the Fatherless children like the plants thereof round about the tables of contempt feeding on the bread of sorrows and drinking tears in an abundant measure Where the rooms are paved with love and the flooers strowed with ashes the Chambers hung with sackcloth the flat battlements for defence covered with coals of fire against the approach of the Enemy in the wardrobe sheeps kins and goats skins the outhouses dens and the chambers caves to lodg pilgrims and strangers who feed continually on the bread and water of affliction to whom a prison is a palace death life and the reproach for Christ great riches the sellars beneath filled with bottles of tears to quench all Tyrants thirst There is the cup of trembling and the wine of astonishment for the King of Terrors NOt far from this Mansion-house there is a place where is the throne of Judgment with six steps but he that goeth up must put off his shoes from off his feet for the place where he standeth is holy ground and every step hath its particular name The first step is called Repentance from dead works The second is Faith towards God The third is the Doctrine of Baptismes The fourth is the laying on of hands The fifth is The resurrection from the dead And the 6th is Eternal Judgment And there above is the Throne of Judgment set At the end of the said steps are twelve Lyons six on the one side and six on the other answerable to the 12 Princes of the Tribes of Israel or the Lambs twelve Apostles And there is no other Jury Priviledge of Parliament cannot here be pleaded there being a prerogative power above it The Statutes of Omri are all here condemned to be burnt in great contempt And a Law established which will serve all Nations This is a Court of Justice and Equity too where whores and harlots and all others may have free liberty to plead their causes without feeing a
Lawyer and may have a speedy dispatch there without going elsewhere ANd now to conclude Whereas at the end of my last Remonstrance I prayed for the holy separated Church and some think it strange that I did not mention the CATHOLICK I did it purposely to distinguish between the Separatists on the one part and the ENGLISH AND ROMANE CATHOLICKS on the other part The term Separate being frequently used in the Scripture in the best sence Exod. 33 1◠Levit. 20.24 Numb 19.20 2 Cor. 6.17 Deut. 7.6 and 14.2 and especially by the greatest pen-men of holy Writ Moses and Paul clearly demonstrating that Gods people have been from the beginning and ought to be an holy speciall and peculiar people separated from sinners though not always in temporall government yet in spirituall worship Now seeing the Chuech of God are not Catholick Papists but separated Saints therefore I thought it most meet and very seasonable publickly to give them this title of Holy Separated Church because they are clearly separated from the Papists of which there are 4 sorts The first sort are Catholick Papists worshipping by the Lattin Masse and persecute the other The second Prelatical Papists worshipping by the English Masse or Common Prayer or Liturgie and persecute these following The 3d. sort Presbyterian Papists worshipping by a Sinodicall Directory or prescripts of men and are persecuters of the Independents c. The 4th sort are Independant Papists who will hear the Ministry of some of the former and joyn in prayer with some of the former Sects whom they account to be godly and frequently worship in the Idolatrous high places which the Papists builded dedicated and consecrated to Idolatry And every one that pretendeth never so much sanctity joyneth in the worship of the first Table with anyone of these Papists becometh a Papist with the Papists for he that touched the unclean thing in the time of the Law Numb 19. was unclean cerimonially And in the time of the Gospel he that worshippeth God with a wicked man is unclean ☠And he that worshipeth with him who worshippeth with him is unclean although they pretend never so much knowledg of God Isa 58.2 and seek him daily and delight to know his wayes as a Nation that did righteousnes and forsook not the Ordinances of Justice and ask of God the Ordinances of Justice and take delight in approaching unto God Yet when they spread forth their hands Isa 1.15 God will hide his eyes and although they make many prayers he will not hear them For the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind Pro. 21.27 Yea he that sacrifised an Ox it was imputed as if he flew a man he that sacrificed a Lamb as if he cut off a doggs neck Isa 66.3 he that offered an oblation as if he offered swines bloud and he that burned incense as if he blessed an Idol And when they fast saith God I will not hear their ery Jer. 14.12 Isa 1.14 And their solemn Feasts my soul loatheth As good therefore never a whit as never the better For we know that God heareth not sinners Joh 9 31. but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him he heareth God accounts Religious mens Preaching no better then prating and their praying vain babling Isa 58.9 O mind this well till they remove from them the yoak the putting forth of the finger and speaking vanity THe Lord General and his Counsel of Officers in their Declaration of the 32th of April last gave Order for all Judges Sheriffs Justices of the Peace Majors and all other Officers to proceed at large in their several places as formerly but they forgot their old and honest principles Agreement See their Agreement of the People and Ingagements mentioned in their book Declaration wherein they declare against hanging men for stealing and against pressing men for not accusing themselves Hereupon the same day even the 22th of April last a man was Prest to death in a tyrannical manner for not answering guilty or not guilty And two more were put to death the week following for theft And the last Sessions after that six stout men were hanged for stealing which might have done good service for the Common-wealth at Sea instead of pressing honest house-keepers against their wils And some of these poor theeves suffered the pains of death for very smal matters All which is against the most righteous law of God and is no better then murder as I have proved in my CRY AGAINST THAT CRYING SIN and in my black book which I delivered in at the Parliament door And if so much was done at London what hath been done elsewhere Thus the streams of blood are powred upon the head of the Army and how can we expect the Wars to be ended before the World is amended But it 's hoped that the next Representative will take better care to put Gods Laws in execution concerning mens lives liberties and estates then the former have done And so there will be general satisfaction to the People THE APPENDIX YOu well affected and valiant Soldiers who have made way of old for your fellow Soldiers I know you are discontented and indeed I do not see how you can be wel pleased without satisfaction for your Arrears the price of your blood which is pretious There is something in agitation for you by the Counsel prepare the chambers of your heart for content for I hope it shall not be long but you will have your wages for your faithful service and be content therewith And you that have lent your estates monies plate c. for the Common-wealths use when a new Representative is established you will have it all again with advantage doubt it not And he that regardeth not the Publique Faith you know is not meet for publique trust but hath denied the Faith and is worse then an Infidel And so is not qualified aright according to the Lord Generals Declaration for such a man hath neither fidelity nor honesty If such take the trust upon them they should be taken notice of as Enemies to the Common-wealth And you well-affected Creditors of the late King c. and you Sufferers who have bin plundred by his party Consider what I told you in my former Remonstrance and declare your mind freely For such loosers must have leave to speak And all you that are weary and heavy laden with the unrighteous decrees and grievous prescriptions of unrighteous men whereby the needy have been turned aside from justice and the right taken away from the People that Widdows may be the Tyrants prey and they may rob the Fatherless O how have you been afflicted tossed with tempests and not comforted But now pluck up your spirits and Petition presently and I do promise you shall not want my assistance freely if it be requisite without