as the Capitol and you may sooner remove Mountains then shake their Confidence But is it not prodigious to see people so jocundly satisfied with a Book written with so much looseness as if its Author had either utterly forgot what I had utter'd or cared not what himself was to prove a Book wherein 't is hard to find a passage that is not coarsly false or impertinent and very few that are not apparently both a Book in which you shall meet with nothing singular and remarkable but horrid Untruths and Falsifications § 14. But however a Book he resolved to write without regard to Truth or Falshood and though he were not so lamentably costive as a late Brother of the scribling humour that was so far to seek for an Exordium that he was forced to take his rise at the day of the Moneth and the year of our Lord yet he was much more unhappy to make his entrance with such an awkerd acknowledgement as must for ever defeat and discredit the design of his whole performance by confessing that all his Pleas how solemn and serious soever he may appear are but dissembled and hypocritical Pretences When he tells us that 't is none of the least disadvantages of his Cause that he is enforced to admit a Supposition that those whom he pleads for are indeed really mistaken in their apprehensions But though this may seem a rash and unadvised Concession yet if you examine it you will find it a notable wily and cunning device For unless he will give place to such a Supposition or if he will rigidly contend that what he pleads in the behalf of is absolutely the Truth and that Obedience thereunto is the direct Will and Command of God there remains no proper Field for the Debate about Indulgence to be managed in For things acknowledged to be such are not capable of an Indulgence properly so called because the utmost Liberty that is necessary unto them is their right and due in strict Iustice and Law And yet the whole scope of his Apology and the onely Fundamental Principle upon which he builds is that they are obliged to do what they do out of Obedience to the Will and Command of God and by consequence the things they contend for are not capable of any Indulgence but are matters of indispensable duty and Divine right so that were the Government of Church-Affairs at their disposal they must establish the things that they desire to be indulged in as duties of strict Iustice and Law and restrain all other different forms and practices out of regard to the Divine Command and then to tolerate ours or any other way of Worship distinct from their own would be to permit men to live in open defiance to the direct Will and Command of God that has precisely injoyned a different Form of Worship So that it seems all pretences for Liberty of Conscience are but artificial Disguises for the advantage of farther Designs and when they gain it then the Mask falls off and the Scene is shifted and Petitions for Indulgence immediately swell up into Demands of Reformation So unfortunate is this Man in his whole performance that by all the Principles he has made use of to plead for Indulgence he is obliged to plead against it And there is not a more effectual Argument against Toleration of different Forms of Worship then their Fundamental Conceit that nothing ought to be practised or establish't in the Worship of God but what is precisely warranted and authorized in the Word of God For this restrains and disavows all Forms but one and ties all the Christian World to a nice and exact Conformity to that compleat and adequate Rule of Worship But suppose he were to speak to the Nature of the things themselves and not to the Apprehensions of them with whom he has to do Then farewel all soft and gentle Language and you shall hear nothing but Thundrings against Superstition Will-worship Episcopal Tyranny Popish Corruptions Rags of the Whore and the Dregs of the Romish Beast Then what is Prelacy but a meer Antichristian Encroachment upon the Inheritance of Christ And he that thinks Babylon is confined to Rome and its open Idolatry knows nothing of Babylon nor of the New Jerusalem the depth of a subtle mystery does not lie in gross visible folly it has been insinuating it self into all the Nations for 1600 years and to most of them is now become as the marrow in their bones before it be wholly shaken out these Heavens must be dissolved and the Earth shaken i. e. as he expounds both himself and the Text the setled and establish't Government of the West must be subverted Their Tall Trees i. e. Kings and Princes hewed down and set a howling and the residue of them transplanted from one end of the Earth to the other Or as the same Author expresses himself upon another occasion The Heavens and the Earth of the Nations must be shaken because in their present Constitution they are directly framed to the Interest of Antichrist which by notable advantages at their first moulding and continued insinuations ever since hath so rivetted it self into the very Fundamentals of them that no digging or mining with an Earthquake will cast up the Foundation-stones thereof And therefore the Lord Iesus having promised the service of the Nations to his Church will so far open their whole frame to the roots as to pluck out all the cursed seeds of the Mystery of Iniquity which by the craft of Satan and exigences of State or methods of advancing the pride and power of some Sons of Blood have been sown amongst them And then abundance of Scripture and dark Prophesie is pour'd forth to make good these mild and peaceable Doctrines It is the great day of the wrath of the Lamb. The Land shall be soked with blood and the dust made fat with fatness for it is the day of the Lords vengeance and the year of recompence for the Controversie of Zion All the Kings of the earth have given their power to Antichrist endeavouring to the utmost to keep the Kingdom of Christ out of the World What I pray has been their main business for 700 years and upward even almost ever since the Man of Sin was enthroned How have they earned the Titles Eldest Son of the Church The Catholick and most Christian King Defender of the Faith Hath it not been by the blood of the Saints And now will not the Lord avenge his Elect that cry unto him day and night will he not do it speedily Will he not call the Fowls of Heaven to eat the Flesh of Kings and Captains and great Men of the Earth Rev. 19.18 All this must be done to cast down all opposition to the Kingdom of the Lord Christ and to advance it to its Glory and Power That consists mainly of these three things that he there reckons 1. Purity and Beauty of Ordinances and Gospel-worship
treacherous Spirit or the malignant sin of Loyalty By Providence were Gods People call'd to sing their Songs upon Sigionoth for the interchangeable Dispensations of the imprisonment and delivery of the Committee By Providence were the hands of the Cavaliers that had itching fingers and an hankering mind after the inheritance of Gods people knockt off an hundred times and sent away with bloody fingers By Providence did the Parliament-Army trace out their way from Kent to Essex and from Wales to the North. By Providence were the zealous Parishioners of Coggeshal stirred up to make an Opposition to the Enemy gathering at Chelmsford By Providence was there a perverse Spirit of folly and errour mixed in all their Counsels By Providence were they drawn into a Party to force the People of God that were before faln together by the ears to piece together against the common Enemy By Providence was Peter deliver'd out of Prison the three Children out of the fiery Furnace Daniel out of the Lyons Den and the Essex-Committee from the Jaws of the starv'd Cavaliers By Providence was the great Dispensation of the 30. of Ian. 1648. carried on in order to the unravelling of the whole Web of iniquity interwoven of Civil and Ecclesiastical Tyranny in Opposition to the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus By Providence did Moses deliver Israel from their Egyptian Bondage and by Providence did the Rump deliver England from Tyrannous Pride and Oppression By Providence were the People of this Nation given up to fight against their Deliverers by that Opposition to make its workings more clear and conspicuous By Providence was it that in the year 1649. there was not a Potentate upon the Earth that had a peaceable Mole-hill to build himself an habitation upon and that there were so many Controversies disputing in Letters of Blood among the Nations and that for the Interest of the many By Providence were the Church-Stars the Bishops that were meerly fixed to all mens view and by their own Confession in the Political Heavens utterly shaken to the Ground By Providence was Cromwel forced to make such havock in Ireland because the Lord had sworn to have war with such Amalekites and to avenge his People from generation to generation By Providence and Cromwels choice was I. O. call'd forth to attend his Excellency in his Scottish Expedition that he might be instructed by him in the Art of discovering Gods deep and hidden Dispensations toward his secret ones By Providence the mercy whereof was composed of as many Branches of Wisdom Power Goodness and Faithfulness as any outward Dispensation has brought forth since the name of Christian was known did the Rump by the defeat of his Majesty at Worcester continue to sit in Council and the Residue of the Nation in peace By Providence a mighty Monarchy a triumphing Prelacy a thriving Conformity were all brought down to recover the People of the Lord Christ from Antichristian Idolatry and Oppression By Providence was Ireton that rare Example of Righteousness Faith Holiness Zeal Courage and Self-denial disposed to close with the mind of God with full purpose of heart to serve the will of the Lord in his Generation so that he staggered not at the greatest difficulties through Unbelief but being stedfast in Faith he gave glory to God and Davidically prepared the way of the Lord in paths of Bloud The time would fail me to speak of Isaac and Ioseph Gideon Noah Daniel and Iob do but consider the Providential Circumstances of all Transactions in our late Rebellion and that will discover where dwells that spirit which actuated all the great Alterations that hapned in these Nations For believe him such things have been brought to pass as have filled the World with Amazement and well they might A Monarchy of some hundred Years continuance always affecting and at length wholly degenerated into Tyranny destroyed pulled down swallowed up a great and mighty Potentate that had caused Terrour in the Land of the living and laid his Sword under his head brought to punishment for Bloud Hypocrites and selfish men abundantly discover'd wise men made fools and the strong as water A Nation that of Scotland engaging for and against the same cause backward and forward twice or thrice always seeking where to find their own gain and interest in it at length totally broken in opposition to that cause wherewith at first they closed Multitudes of Professours one year praying fasting mightily rejoycing upon the least success bearing it out as a sign of the Presence of God another year whilst the same work is carried on cursing repining slighting the marvelous appearance of God in Answer unto Prayers and most solemn Appeals being very angry at the deliverances of Sion On the other side all the mighty successes that God hath followed poor despised ones withal being with them as with those in days of old Who through faith subdued Kingdoms wrought Righteousness obtained Promises stopped the mouths of Lions quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the Sword out of weakness were made strong waxed valiant in fight turnned to flight the Armies of the Aliens He I say that shall consider all this may well enquire after that Principle which being regularly carried on yet meeting with the Corruption and Lusts of men should so wheel them about and work so many mighty Alterations Now what is this but the most effectual design of the Lord to carry on the Interest of Christ and the Gospel whatever stands in the way This bears down all before it wraps up some in bloud some in hardness and is most eminently straight and holy in all these Transactions Isa. 14.32 What shall one then answer the Messengers of the Nation That the Lord hath founded Sion and the poor◠of his People shall trust in it § 5. Thus you see how Providence and O. Cromwel still headed the Independent Faction though perhaps you may wonder how it could continue faithful so long to such a bloudy and accursed Interest But alas for that you must know it neither had Power at first to refuse the Cause nor being once engaged to retreat for by the power of Faith they can at their pleasure press it to the Service and by the strength of Imagination they can bind the Thoughts of the Almighty and engage all his Attributes to joyn in with their designs and in their way of arguing they never want for Inducements to draw in Providence and the Rabble to their Assistance and that chiefly among many other by these four Topicks 1. By applying old Prophesies to present Transactions it concerns not to what particular Affair they might relate if they can be streined by Faith or Fancy to suit any present Exigence the honour of Providence lies at stake not to suffer such choice Believers to stick in the mire and therefore God is bound to protect and deliver them
and when it has conveyed it self into all the Recesses of their Souls seised on all their Powers infected their best and purest Thoughts and swoln up even their Zeal into vanity and ostentation 't is a less wonder they should be so insensible of their distemper when this Vice works like other poisons it stupifies whilst it infects and what in Nature so difficult as to convince a man of this inward Leprosie 'T is not like common diseases that discover themselves by outward spots and blemishes but 't is a Plague that lodges in the heart and vital Powers and sooner destroys than it appears The proudest man on Earth is insensible of this Illusion and though he is ready to burst with his own inward swellings yet he defies and disclaims this hated vice with as much confidence as the meekest Saint in Heaven and all the world knows his folly except himself But above all Pride Spiritual Pride is the most dangerous and incurable 't is an Apoplexy that dazzles the Judgment infatuates the Mind and intercepts all the passages of light and conviction and confounds all pure and impartial Reasonings and disables men from making any ingenuous Reflections upon their own Actions it makes them confident in their own Impostures and self-illusions and bears them up against all Reproofs by Zeal and Conscience and Religion Their Faith their Zeal their Prayers their Fastings their constant Communion with God their diligent Attendance upon Ordinances their Love of the Lord Jesus their hatred of Antichrist or their spleen against the Pope are impregnable Fences against all Assaults and Answers to all Arguments They are so dotingly enamoured of themselves for these signs of Grace and characters of God's People that you may more easily induce them to suspect the Truth of all things than their own Godliness And nothing in Nature so impossible as that such strict and serious Professors such humble melting and broken-hearted Christians should in the issue prove no better than Proud and Pharisaick Hypocrites And though their Pride discover it self in their opinionative Confidence in their bitter Censoriousness in their impatience of Affronts and Reproofs in their Rage and Revenge against all that undervalue them in their haughty and disdainful Comparisons and in their inflexible Waywardness especially to the Will of Superiours and Commands of Authority And though these are the most natural Results and most obvious Symptoms of this inward Plague yet are they not able to discern such certain appearances of them in themselves because they are aforehand from other accounts so abundantly satisfied in their own Humility and Broken-heartedness and the strength of this conceit so blinds their minds that they cannot see the clearest and most palpable Indications of this Vice But they are all adorn'd with soft and gentle Titles and those excesses and irregularities that in an unregenerate man must have been accounted Eruptions of Pride and Passion are now to be ascribed to the warmness and vehemence of holy Zeal § 3. In brief sad is the condition of those men that abuse themselves with this naughty Godliness 't is this and not moral Goodness that is the greatest lett to Conversion not only because it seals men up in impenitence by false prejudices and bars up their minds against all thoughts of Reformation by perswading them they are good enough already But besides that it prevents the efficacy of the means of Grace it does withal what is more mischievous directly oppose and contradict them It rots and putrifies the soul in its whole constitution it gangrenes all its faculties it breeds a base and caitive temper of mind it introduces a direct contrariety to all worthy and ingenuous inclinations and delivers the man over to the power and possession of the blackest and most accursed sins 't is detraction 't is spite 't is rancour 't is a malicious contempt to all wise and honest Counsels 't is a wilful frowardness to all sober and rational convictions and in a word 't is all spiritual wickedness And for this Reason it was that I profess't to despair of any success upon this sort of men I was assured that as long as Pride over-ruled their Consciences all Reproofs would certainly exasperate but could never correct the Fanatique humour and therefore what hopes could I conceive to make any breach upon their prejudices whilst they were guarded by such a sturdy and unyielding Principle For if it be so difficult either to convince men of this Vice or whilst this remains of any other it were a vain thing to expect that all the Reasonings and Attempts of conviction in the world should ever make any impressions upon such unapproachable minds And as long as Professors will continue regardless and insensible of this leading sin I shall never hope to see them reformed to a more calm and more governable temper But if instead of amusing themselves with experiences and phantastick observations about the unaccountable workings of the Spirit of Grace about the difference between the Convictions of the Spirit and those of natural Conscience about the degrees and due measures of Humiliation with innumerable other wise conceits of their modern Theology if I say instead of attending to these dreams and crazy fancies they would be at leisure to observe the risings and workings of this deceitful vice to study its symptoms and indications and to keep a constant and habitual restraint upon its motions and attempts we should quickly see the lovely fruits and effects of true Religion in the world instead of the unruly blusters and juglings of Enthusiasm But till men will be induced in good earnest to set themselves with a parcicular concern against the Inclinations of this Lust and till they will be careful to lay humility at the bottom of all their goodness instead of their yielding to the power of truth conviction shall only enrage their malice and all the requital they shall give you for disabusing them shall be to abuse you with incivility and foul language And here Sir give me leave to present you with a short account of their deportment towards my self and all that ever yet opposed or endeavoured to undeceive them which you may peruse as a further Character of their modesty and good humour § 4. I. Reproach and contumely is their first reply to all Arguments and to revile the Author the first Confutation of his Book whoever dares to despise or discover their wretched delusions is immediately answer'd with volleys of slanders and Calumnies and utterly oppressed with multitude of lyes and detracting stories Their dissolute and unruly tongues are let loose to tear in pieces his good name What abusive Tales and Legends do they invent With what bold and audacious slanders do they assail his Innocence and with what crafty and oblique ways of detraction do they undermine his Reputation with what eagerness do they listen to any spiteful and mischievous report With what zeal do they spread and propagate and improve
though it cost him the making his Bow quite naked Thus were all the Promises in the Bible engaged in the Parliament Service and not a Text left to attend his Majesty beside Threatnings and Judgments And there is not a remarkable Prophesie relating to the Jewish Nation or the adjacent Kingdoms that they have not accommodated by faith and boldness for both together can do much to the posture of Affairs in our late Troubles Thus were the Essex Committee delivered from the Cavaliers at Colchester It was foretold i. e. after their deliverance Hab. 3.3 7. God came from Teman and the Holy One from mount Paran Selah i. e. from Naseby and Marston-moor I saw the Tents of Cushan in Affliction and the Curtains of the Land of Midian did tremble i. e. the Enemy gathered at Chelmsford upon the coming of Fairfax his Army abated their Confidence Were the Parishioners of Coggeshal once in great danger of the Enemy The snares of death compassed us and the flouds of ungodly men made us afraid But the Lord thundred from Heaven the Highest gave his voice hailstones and coles of Fire yea he sent out his Arrows and scattered them and he shot out lightning and discomfited them he sent from above he took us he drew us out of many waters he delivered us from our strong Enemy and from them which hated us for they were too strong for us Do any Professours doubt the Event of the War Fear not thou worm Iacob and ye few men of Israel behold I will make thee a new sharp Instrument having Teeth thou shalt thresh the Mountains and beat them small and shalt make the hills as chaff thou shalt fan them c. Isa. 41.14 15. Are the Officers of the Kings Forces divided or irresolved in their Counsels The Princes of Zoan are become fools the Princes of Noph are deceived they have seduced the People even they that are the stay of their Tribes the Lord hath mingled a perverse Spirit in the midst of them they have caused the People to err in every work as a drunken man staggereth in his Vomit Isa. 19.13 14. Were the Rump to be encouraged in their design of altering the Government after the Murther of the late King against the Apostacy of the Presbyterians and the Attempts of the Royalists The Text was pat to the purpose Let them return to thee but return not thou to them And I will make thee unto this People a fenced brazen wall and they shall fight against thee but they shall not prevail against thee for I am with thee to save thee and deliver thee saith the Lord Jer. 15.19 20. Is Monarchy to be for ever abolish'd and the new Common-wealth establish'd Behold I create new heavens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into my mind Isa. 65.17 But the Kingdom and Dominion and Greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the People of the Saints of the most High whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and all Dominions shall serve and obey him Hitherto is the end of the matter Dan. 7.27 Do the Protestants covenanted Protestants that had sworn in the presence of the great God to extirpate Popery and Prelacy Do others that counted themselves under no less sacred bond for the maintenance of Prelates Service-book and the like as the whole Party of Ormonds Adherents it is a favour or rather a chance it was not plain Butler joyn with a mighty number that had for eight years together sealed their Vows to the Romish Religion with our bloud and their own If all these combine together against Sion shall they prosper No saith the Lord Iehovah and I. O. If Rezin and the Son of Remalia Syria and Ephraim old Adversaries combine together for a new enmity against Iudah if Covenant and Prelacy Popery and Treachery Bloud and as to that Innocency joyn hand in hand to stand in the way of the Promise yet I will not in this joyn with them says the Lord. Is the Royal Family together with the ancient Nobility to be for ever cashier'd upon his Majesties defeat at Worcester and are the Brewers and Coblers of the Army to commence new Lords All the Trees of the Field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree and have exalted the low tree have dried up the green tree drawn out its sap by sequestrations and have made the dry tree to flourish by plunder and sacriledge I the Lord have spoken it and have done it Ezek. 17.24 This was the Text to the Thanksgiving Sermon before the Parliament for their Victory at Worcester And now is it possible for these men to be at a loss for Scripture to countenance their proceedings after this rate of imposing upon the Word of God If such loose and prophane Accommodations of Prophetick passages to present Affairs be sufficient to support Faith in its expectations of success I leave it to you to judge whether it can ever want grounds and encouragements for Rebellion as long as the Prophesies against Gog and Magog the Whore and the Beast the Pope and the Man of sin are not blotted out of the Bible But this is not all Faith has other Topicks to bottom its confidence upon And therefore 2. It has right to all Gods mercies and deliverances of his People in all past and present Ages It makes all Joshuahs victories present to every true Believer so that if O. Cromwel had but boldness or Enthusiasm enough to presume that the Almighty had as great favour for his Highness as he had for Ioshuah he was bound to enable him and his Army to dispatch Kings and Canaanites with as great expedition as Ioshuah and the Children of Israel did For the Good-will Free Grace and loving Kindness of God is the same towards all his People And the infinite Fountains of the Deity can never be sunk one hairs bredth by everlastingly flowing blessings So that past blessings and deliverances of Gods People are store mercies laid up for Believers against a rainy day and when we want present Refreshments what a comfort is it to chew the Cud upon the blessings of former Ages And thus they use the Records of sacred Story just as Don Quixot used his Books of Chivalry in accommodating the Exploits of the Knights of yore to his own ridiculous Adventures And here lay the folly of his Errantry in chewing the cud upon the Prodigies of old Romances And I am sure he had as wise and reasonable a ground for his folly when he besotted himself with a conceit of vying Adventures with the famous Knight Valdovinos as they had for their faith when they expected to equal the successes of Ioshuah But however by this means it was easie to befool and inveigle the Common-people and if they represented to them any act of Bloud and Cruelty with Allusion to Scripture Language and Story