of Christ or his People Paul in case of greater difference then these outward formes of Government wish'd himself accursed for his brethren but you in the spirit of Satan blaspheme and curse one another Both upon false and alike hipocriticall grounds The Bishops pretending tending the peace of the Church conformity Oath subscreption obedience to the Kings Lawes And the Presbyters Reformation Covenant uniformity and obedience to the Parliaments Ordinances but mainly t is your intolerable pride that cannot bear any to dissent from you a conscience guilty of your own weak foundation that makes you fear that every one will supplant you and earnest contending for self-honour self-security and wicked malice against your Brethren They are but fellow servants not judgess as they presume though they beat their fellows Both servants living at a distance from God in the World not upon the Throne in Heaven and but fellowes set each to do their severall works in their severall waies and that much upon equall tearmes though they admire themselves and think highly of themselves and despise others as of no use But of the two it s most strange to see the Presbyterian who the other day was opprest by the Bishop for his conscience in point of Sabbath c. who could not long since live without the favour of the Bishop should now thrust out those under whom he lived for not taking the Covenant which is contrary to their conscience and shew lesse favour to them then he received from them and doe that which he condemned in others and this upon weak and fleshly grounds admiring his own way which is to pray and preach longer and more then another to be strict in repetitions on Sabbath daies and some such poor formall things To set up this as the power of godlinesse and reformation to the ruine of another who it may be is a man of more justice ability and wisdome more sobriety more stability more patience and constancy in suffering The persecution of the Bishop was wicked and abominable but this being now acting and the other part and almost blotted out and forgotten by their sufferings is especially to be noted Did these men live in the largnesse of heavenly love that comprehends all these parties and in the light and wisdom of God who brings forth all these out of himself and for his own holy purpose manages all in order The Bishops and the Presbyters might agree as well as Christ and the Apostles and be so far from destroying as they would support each other did they know that heavenly order that is in divine things they might live in as sweet a fellowship as the one throne of Christ and twenty four Thrones of the Elders or Presbyters Rev. 4. All three might live in one Family as elder and yonger brethren as Fathers children and grand-children who while they live in Satan the accuser and in the darknesse of the World they oppose and destroy each other You are worldly live in the World and suffer the calamities of the World and are partners great sharers in the misery of the Nation being publick persons are of publick concernment these evils doe lie in a large and more generall way upon you in these desolations the Prophet that teaches lies he is the tayle The lower and baser kinde of judgements fall upon you the deep scorne of the People you are cast out by God from your honour and glory as an abominable branch as salt wanting savour to the Dunghill What 's become of the Episcopall glorious Church his lordly Palaces stately worship adorn'd Temples great Revenues Made desolate torne in peecs left to the Satire Schrich-owle to Zim Gim under what a hideous curse do they lie What 's become of the great Reformation of the other party that promised such glorious daies pure Ordinances power of godlines become a breach in a wall a rotten and putrifid sore abotch a filthy issue nothing appears in it but wretched disorder their eyes sinke in their heads while they look for salvation they inwardly cut themselves as Baals Priests crying to God to deliver them and finde no reliefe but scorne tormented with feares to be torne in peeces by the people Palenesse and blacknesse fills your faces and horrour and confusion you spirits on both sides To see your worldly glory burning in the fire of Divine jelousy your Idols broken to pouder cast into a Sea of confusion your fleshly beauty eaten up with worms of rottennesse and putrefaction To see your confidences in your Idols rejected your prophesying lyes of a glorious time by Gods hand confuted your fastings and multitude af solemne prayers cast as dung in your faces not regarded your zealous covenants wherby you thought to save your selves broken in peeces and trampled under foot your much admired worships of Directory and Service-booke Creeds Confessions Articles of no profit use-lesse and helplesse things laid by the wals scornd and despised your Churches and People taken from you scattered severall waies your gifts dying in you or dying in their use and ineffectuall The Church which is heaven shining in the light and presence of God in unity peace and order in holinesse majesty and righteousnesse through your dark and wicked government through your weaknes worldlines and want of Divine power and wisdome become a cursed field over-run with thistles briers and thornes a wildernes full of wild beasts a hel full of blasphemies malice revilings scornings derision railing errors mistakes herisies of all sorts the greatest pillars of truth Trinity Father Son and Spirit Christ his death c. defaced with foule errors so many so various so abundant as it is a confused heape of folly and madnes and coming in upon you in such a torrent that they drown you and are so high and prevalent that not a man of you dares or can appeare in any power or strength against them but are forced to lye-down and expose the truth your crown if ever you had any to be stamped in the dirt by them Chap. IX Shewing the iniquity of the Army and its judgement THE Army though but a branch of the Kingdome and a particular part yet in these civill warres the power of the sword hath been great and got the upper hand of the Civill The Army descended from the Parliament as its Childe but the Parliament growing old and weake and leand so long upon the tressels of the Army that its power at last sunk into the Army manifest in the Members flying to the Army in its approach to London The power or the King the head fell into the breast and shoulders the Parliament and thence descended into the legs the Army but there they make a swelling disease quickly and shew themselves to be in an un-naturall course The Army a company of honest and active men fitted excellently by a strong Angell for the work they were called to under whose conduct they dispatcsht their businesse speedily and honourably walking
Parliament appeares at first assisted by a lovely and sweet Angell as the tender Mother of all our liberties as the womb in whom our Civil rights lay as Jerusalem that is from above the Mother of us all having the face of Jesus a saviour from all our troubles speaking nothing but a generall and universall love and a care of all as a rich treasury full of all blessings that might make us happy But that Angell leaving her she quickly discovers her weaknesse and inability and sinks into confusion under her sins and Divine displeasure Your evils are against Christ against the King and against the People Chiefly against your Fundamentall Law Christ the Sonne of God who is in you and with you and you know him not yea deny him and in expresse words scorne his Spirit You some times profess for the Kingdome of Christ but do indeed put him to open shame burying the Wisdome Beauty Righteousnesse of Christ and holding forth visibly nothing but an abominable heap of folly disorder and unrighteousnesse you are indeed the seat of all the fullnesse of Christ the house of God where God would dwell and so a body of Heavenly wisdome religion justice goodnesse and everything that is Excellent But you have departed from this principle yea wholly kild it and walk after the imaginations of your owne hearts after the customes of men yea worse after the will and minde of others not following the stable rule The Lord you are become subject to People City Scots Army any And having lost the true life and spirit of a Parliament the presence and Majesty of God you are become a dead Idol standing in the power of darknesse in direct opposition to God This poor empty name this vanity do you with all your might maintain zealous for your Priviledges as if all happinesse lay in them and while you labour to uphold them you doe most destroy them selling your selves for relief in any danger to any that can but seeme to help you making your selves cheap and common mercenary and so the great betrayers of your own rights In your rebellions against the holy God you have trodden in the steps of your Father the King and in his may see your own iniquities But particularly You are guilty of hipocrisy and deceit in that great pretence of Reformation seeing such a spirit acting in the People to keep them sure to you and by that to gaine advantage against your adversaries you assume this title The Cause of God and Reformation without either love to it or judgement to know how to go about it T is known you are men your selves unreformed men of corupt and loose lives and that whereupon yon insist most you are most guilty of Arbitrary power every one being in dispose of his estate a Tirant and wracking Tennants according to his own will which is the generall sin of the Nation every one labouring to oppresse others to advance himselfe And since you came together walking in a continuall course of illegall and arbitrary power You are grosly ignorant of the Heavenly Kingdome The true Patterne out of which the Kingdome was taken and form'd and into which it must bee Reformd As you want judgement so want you power having trampled under your feet the power and Spirit of Christ your Ordinances are all spiritlesse weake and despicable But having layd this Egge of Reformation you make this use of it When you want an Army to help you you carry it to Scotland to bee hatched there and thence it brings forth an imperfect earthy crawling Cockatrice Presbytery which never yet did any good but vex the Nation and help your friends to get into fat livings And because you want the help of active men heer of different judgements they sit upon the Egge and bring forth liberty of conscience and with it a monstrous heap of mis-shapen errors and opinions which you cannot suppresse by conviction nor dare restrain by power The Church t is true was extreamly corrupted full of tyranny darknesse worldly pride and great disorder But you have brought nothing to it but utter ruine and defacement Not having that Spirit of judgement and burning to seperate twixt the precious and the vile in Episcopacy c. you have in a blinde conformity with Scotland and to supply your own needs of their lands untterly demolisht all Your errors against the King are not following your foundamentall constitution He a Husband you his body he a Father you a Son Hee being plunged in his government and in necessity he cals you together and seeks your help which was a fair opportunity for you by fair carriage and dutifulnesse to regain his restranged heart but you grow upon his necessities and in stead of insinuating into him by love you at first rigidly and harshly capitulate for priority and priviledge and fell into a violent and illegall forcing the sword the Militia out of his hands a strange and un-naturall contest having no other bottom but jealousy and feare of suffering for the Wife or Sonne to disarme the Husband or Father You have unkindly unjustly requited his error who would have Reigned without you made you ciphers and kept the substance of Government from you You deal so with him would take all power from him and leave him to be a state ceremony a great nothing a gaudy thing set out with Titles for pomp and fashion sake to be looked upon a servant having power to doe neither good nor hurt And that which every man as a man contends for to be Arbitrary or to have the exercise of his will without which we are the greatest slaves in the World that is wholly denied him in Government Your endeavours is to imprison the Throne to infeeble your Lord and disable him from doing the Kingdome any good such an empty weak thing would be a heavy curse to the Nation a dishonour and shame to you and that which you would quickly be weary of T is most true you have Royalty in you in the second place being bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh the expresse image of his person but to set up this above the head or by this to thrust out the other is falshood and disloyalty to your head That any thing in you should live in distinction from or opposition to your head and Father t is to commit Adultry with your selves or shadow of your Lord to fashion up a notionall King amongst your selves When he was departed from you you should even to death have followed him and not rejoyced in his absence and shut the door upon him all jollity mirth and confidence in his going was un-naturall Then your civill life and glory went and it had been your way to have lost your selves with him or to have sat as widow till you had recovered him When there was in him a minde of returning as at Notingham you should then have opened your hosomes to him but having possession of all in
insnared and caught in this net of trouble you are ingaged by honour self-preservation c. to go on in this hellish trade You are in darknesse and know not which way to goe having got a course of fighting you go on to fight for you know not who nor what Not for the Parliament you know if ever they have opportunity they will remember your war against them and make it Treason and if you had the same opportunity you would doe as much for them again as you have done master them So your cause is lost and you only fight because you are an Army because fighting is your businesse All that you did in your greatest undertaking against the Parliament and City is blasted and undone Members restored to the House the Tower in the same hands it was which writes vanity upon your proceedings and shewes what foolish builders you were that when you had power in your hand instead of doing good too and for all you minded nothing but your own and your friends advancement having indeed not the generall nature of the whole but the affection of a party and faction Your waies are not now paved with love and sweetnesse as heer to fore but full of briers and thornes your work hard and knotty meeting with a fierce bloody inraged Enemy sharpned and provoaked against you by a sense of their own and the Kingdomes ruine harsh and angry weather True you have subsistance still but not in honour peace greatnesse but in war in vexation and that increasing so fast upon you as threatens your overthrow or at least shew you so much worke to doe that you must go on butchering men as long as you live for as fast as one party is crusht another rises that tels you the spirit of the Nation is against you and that oppressing power upheld by you so that you must fall under their fury or the Nation be consumed by you either you must give way to their rage which you can't or continue to be the scourge of the Kingdome still a wretched life This Woolfe you have by the ears in this dark and black path you walk in If you think you are well because you live because you are not come to nothing you know not to be an Army or to be in the cnodition of private persons would be your mercy but you are ingaged to bee in dishonour in warre shame tormentors and being tormented Chap. X. Shewing the state of the Levellers THe Levellers are men that are justly sensible of the miscariage of all that are gon before them see c their corruption how they have swarved and declined c that 's not heard but in applying a remedy they are as much mistaken as any His excellencies is not great assisted he is by a discerning Angell that discovers the falshood injustice and wicked waies of others and opens this truth more then any how all power and authority ascends out of the People or descends from the People making in a kinde them the chiefe But alas this Angell is low and weak that speakes and writes in a corner but come forth into action he cannot but sinkes under the fall of the Kingdome and his own mistake Thy errors are these Thou canst not bear the Kingdomes suffering under the hand of God nor thy owne but in a carnall love of this worldly state seekest to uphold it against the justice of God and so fallest into the same evil of thy Fathers self-love and preservation in enmity to the LORD To save thy self that the over-flowing scourge may not come nigh thee thou makest a Covenant with hell and an Agreement with death the Agreement of the People who are turned by the Divine justice into a hel and death Thou art ignorant of that wisdome of God that only can save the Nation and having gathered some scraps of earthly knowledge from others thy proud heart is lifted up and thou conceivest highly of thy self as if thou art able to save the Kingdome and so presumest upon that which thou art not called unto T is true The King is by the People and the People are the originall of power but this is an imperfect peece and take it alone it is very destructive The King is of the People so is Man by the Woman yet the Woman must not shake off her yoke of subjection For as the Man is by the Woman so the Woman is of the Man and for the Man so the People are taken out of the King and are for the King as well as the KING by the People KING and Parliament are in relation to the people as Christ to David He is the root and of-spring of David Davids Son yet Davids Root and David in spirit calls him Lord. So is power in King or Parliament the root and ofspring of the People The King is Son to the People and Father too and so in spirit is called Lord. While you take one part in darknesse and leave the other you confound and disorder the whole In your actings to set up a worldly power now you are of the earth earthly The Nation ground to powder or dust dust thou art and to dust c. the Serpents meat You confess no Father acknowledge none above you and therefore art Terroe-filius or filius populi Son of the Earth or Son of the People The base Son of the Parliament begotten in her Adultery growing out of her principles The people must not be left without a remedy to save themselves c. Self-saviours your cry is the People all power is disolved and the people must judge T is according to your wish the people in divers parts do take the power and above all would mine you their greatest indignation is against you so you runne from God to hell for help T is your portion to suffer in the common calamity and to be as mad men striving with your fetters as a Bull in a net toyling your selves or agitators not resting quietly in the grave of publicke misery waiting for a resurrection but disturbed agitated dust in a whirlewinde of divine wrath Chap. XI Shewing the Judgement of the City of London LONDON the chief and Mother City of this Nation hath been the place of residence of the great glory of England the house that gives entertainment to the head the King and body the Parliament and these florishing together in peace and righteousnesse The Heaven wherein these dwell and chiefly shine forth themselves The habitation of these Majesties in which they are comprehended That is inriched by them with honour state greatnesse and doth again supply and inrich them with plenty of cloaths food c. And thou hast held up thy head high in these times and been mightily preserved by a great Angell in thy many dangers Thy evils of sinne and punishment are besides the common guilt and plagues of the Nation Thou art wholly ignorant of thy heavenly originall thy true foundation upon which thou
In the Parliament Now is manifest the Son of GOD made flesh and dwelling amongst us Thou art here our Lord incompassed about with infirmities in abundance of weaknesse in temptations feares distresses in so poor a body as thou art not known to them they deny thee kill thee and know not what they do In this forme Thou comest to thy own and thy own receive the not Thou art in them speaking in such dark parables in such confused and un-understood wayes with such a rabble of oppressing Publicans Harlots and sinners about thee that thou art judged a Devil and to mention thee here is blasphemy to all men T is the cry of King and People Away with him away with him he is not worthy to live thou art here loaded with iniquity made sin indeed In the Parliaments assuming the power of the King his Prerogative his revenue we hear the Lord say All that the Father hath hath he given unto me All power in Heaven and in Earth The King is with us we have his power c. Christ saies in this dark poor forme The Father and I am one the Father is me the words that I speak are his and the works that I do He gives me to do them I come from the Father Thus the Son goes forth for a while appeares amongst men and the Father conceals himselfe and is not seen but in the Son and the Son challenging the honour name and power of the Father In the Parliaments undertaking the work of reformation and failing in it We now see the Lord in flesh coming amongst us and entering into The Temple and over turning the mony changers turning out those buiers and sellers those worldly Episcopall party that turn'd religion into a trade and worship into meer gaine and preferment prophesying anew forme a Kingdome but at last lost in it saying I have laboured in vaine I have spent my strength for nought and suffering under this accusation that he would destroy the Templets c. yea the Kingdome too And so the Romans come in and take away both our Place and Nation That he was a rebel to Caesar so crucified in shame betrayed sold and his Disciples leaving of him doubting his word saying We thought he would at this time have Redeemed Israel Our Lord is here in weaknesse failing in his attempts marred in his vizage more then any man so that all turne away their faces from him In the oppressing and confused Government of the Parliament We now see our LORD come not to send peace but a sword to set Father against Son and Son against Father c. Setting two against three and three against two requiring us to leave Father and Mother Houses and Lands for his Name threatning to undoe us and to strip us of all bringing of us to nothing wasting and spoiling the riches of the Nation so disolving of us that we must be borne again new-moulded in a baptisme of bloud In the Parliaments endeavour to preserve the Kingdome to uphold and maintain the freedome of it wee see the love of Christ to the World and his desire of saving it we hear him say Oh England England how often would I have gathered thee c. In the zeal and rage of both parties against each other we see darkly come forth the wrath of God against his enemies God fighting with those that fight against him the fiercenesse of the vengeance of Heaven against his adversaries cursing them raining snares and fire and brimstone upon them Thus doth the holy God dwell with and under the roofe of sinfull man Thou that knowest no sin art made sin Thou livest in those fleshly formes Thou sendest forth spirit and they are created And then doth blow upon them and they dye and wither lose their goodnesse and beauty and are tossed about as vanity as chaffe in the wind That thou mightest destroy them thou commest into the likenesse of sinfull flesh that thou migtest consume sin in the flesh appearest in flesh and so against it and under it that thou mayest at last save it And unfoldest the brightness of thy face and glory to be in perfect and undefiled purity in and under the vilenesse and basenesse of the creatures Chap. XIIII Of the second thing in saving of the Nation The Death of Christ and our fellowship in it AS God bears our sinnes so he suffers under them and we suffer in and with him and thereby is iniquity taken away T is by blood that we have remission of sinne God dwelt in the Kingdom The power of the King it was Gods God was in that majesty and dominion God was in the right and freedome of the Parliament in the peace and happinesse of the Nation in the wealth and honour of the City in the power and strength of the Army in the glory and order of the Church And God suffers in the death of all these he suffers with us loses in our losses not our blood alone but his is shed not our goods onely wasted but the Lords his they are and were and God is in union with them and suffers in them The Lord is made a curse for us our sin hath brought this curse upon God This is a sacrifice well pleasing unto God sufficient for ever to take away iniquity and to appease divine justice Though destruction should for ever wast England it would never be satisfyed but feeding upon the glory of God eating so deep into Englands sides as to reach the heart of God t is time for it to say I have enough let anger cease it doth feed upon God himself Cease to trample upon the head of King Charles God is there thou tramples upon God in him Cease to confound our Parliament Christ is there Cease to destroy the Nation t is a holy and heavenly Nation Now we are reconciled to God we were divided by death now one in death or God so loves us and is so neer to us as to suffer with us and for us our friend indeed that hath layd down his life for us The glorious love of our God is triumphing with us in and over death God is in our misery insulting over it O death I le be thy plague c. and so makes death sweet to us thou art now a lovely bed wherein our Lord and we being uncloathed of life lie down together death rends the vail and takes us into a naked enjoyment of GOD because wee could not live together our earthly in Gods heavenly Kingdome therefore must we die together we die because we have left God and he comes and dyes with us will not live without us but comes into the grave to us so that he might deliver us thence Thou destroying Angell proceed no farther The blood of God cries peace and you English mad to destroy cease crucifying the Lord of glory every wound you make Pierces the heart of God every sad and grieved spirit afflicts God every stone of scorne or
two without this subordination would not be so safe so profitable nor so delightfull But being two subordinate one to another without offending each other yea to the advantage of each other is exceeding delightfull the King the Father hath all retained People the Son al dispenced in the first its absolute and intire in the second it s propagated enlarged spread-forth The Husband gives the Wife receives hee hath all and bestowes it she hath all and receives it The King saies ask what you will and it shall be given unto you so GOD saies to Christ chuse what Laws and Priviledges you will I le grant it That 's my word and Oath I have no negative voice I can't deny you But this is no wrong to the King for the Parliament being one spirit with him can ask nothing but what he is minded to give as prayers in the Church though GOD bee bound to give yet it s no losse to him because his own Spirit asks for we know not what to ask So the KING is the originall of asking and gives the desire of the thing that which moves the inferiour to desire is most excellent in the superiour and in this is the fulnesse of the King hee shall still call ask of ME and shall still out-goe the desires of the Petitioners and give more then they can ask his heart being more large towards his Spouse or Childe then his Spouse or Childe can bee to it selfe and that minde that is in the Spouse or Childe of good to it selfe is in the Father before it was in the Son and more excellently Neither can the Sonne ask any thing in this spirit that can derogate from the Father for thereby he should prejudice himself and weaken or lessen that power that conveighs good to him and so wrong himself most to wrong his head or fountaine from whence he is supplyed Neither is it any wrong to the Son to have it this way but t is the most perfect way of having it by asking it of another for thus there is a stock and treasure in which is store layd up that is the Sonnes riches the surest and sweetest way of having is by the easy way of asking T is the excellency of it that it 's a gift and that t is free or that it hath the Royall stamp of love and Authority upon it by which it is not a stolne and forced but lawfull and pleasant favour T is a free and ingenious subordination where the inferiour hath power to chuse what it will and chuses to have it in that way and not in another and hath that freedome in asking that is powerfull The woman hath power over the head to command by love and to say as Christ I will have it so and then t is most acceptable to the Father when it is most boldly and freely ask'd it being the great joy of the head to have the wife confident in his love And in this way there is and shal be a river of pleasure running betwen King and people or from King and Parliament and People wherein they shal do nothing but please one another The fulnes of the one compleatly answering the largenesse of the other And the KING having to give what ever the Parliament or People can desire and desiring them to receive as much as they desire him to give and taking more pleasure in creating greatnesse and freedome in them then in possessing of it himself it being his nature and place to give forth and without their receiving honour from him he were not a King and it being as pleasant to the People to receive it from a King it would not content them to have it in themselves but their Kings gift sets the price upon all favours they doe enjoy it s therefore sweet because their Lord bestowes it upon them This is the florishing estate of King and Parliament in their restored life living now in the glory of the Spirit and in union As God and Christ are of themselves are in each other and neither without each other but the Kingdome of both is compleated in their dwelling together in the third the Spirit where they doe continually delight in each other in bestowing themselves upon each other and are most happy in fellowship so 't is a heavenly blessednesse for Head and Body to be thus united and to give and take largely and openly to communicate themselves to each other The King in prosperity in health strength and pleasure is in breaking forth his Majesty upon his Nobles that have affinity to his greatnesse thence to derive it to the People this is a full King in hight bredth and a People ascending through the Lords into the bosome of the King is a People in hight and depth the body in prosperity and pleasure three states in one and one in three in perfect agreement and in compleat unity all make up but one fulnesse one Kingdome Thus each is a Heaven to himself and a Heaven to the other and this conjunction by this righteous law of Spirit the highest Heavens being all in the light and face of the eternall majestty This is the great and main pillar of Englands happinesse the foundation of our comfort which as its most excellent in its self so it will effectually change the whole Kingdome into its forme all parts must follow the condition of King and Parliament yea all are included in it in this our whole happinesse lies The body being thus in health it cannot but send forth nourishment into every part not a man in England but shall presently finde a reviving upon this agreement a new spirit of love joy comfort trade and prosperity is immediatly dispersed into the whole Nation every one leaping for joy in the goodnesse of God and the happinesse of the Nation Chap. XVIII Of the Cure of the People of the Land by this Death and Resurrection THE God of the whole Earth delights to doe great things and to fill the whole earth with his glory The great favour of divine presence of love and peace is not reserved for Princes alone but to be communicated generally to all People That all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God You the People of England have sinned Wee have all like sheep gon astray but God laies on him the iniquities of us all Wee see the zeale of Christ under your blinde rage one against another Christ in you in weaknesse and infirmity The Lord saith of you You are my People all my children your families relations comforts and persons are the Lords not one English man or woman but carries the Lord with him and in him The Land-Lord is the Lord of the Earth the Tennant is the Son holding of the Father all he hath The buyer the seller the rich the poor Master and Servant Father and Son Husband and Wife are all but various breakings forth of God and Christ and the severall enjoyments they have
quarters which threatens famine upon you Squeesd by taxes wrack'd with war the anvill indeed of misery upon which all the stroakes of vengeance fall A wofull Nation once the freest people in the world now the veriest slaves slaves not to one but to many Masters and those many of various and different tempers by whom you are forced to be sometimes one way sometimes another And the Church which is the joy of Saints strangely confounded that none almost knows his owne or his Neighbours Religion in such a mist of darknesse are you Chap. VIII Shewing the wickednesse of the Ministry or Clergy and their judgement THe Clergy so called have a great hand in the evills of these times and require an especiall discovery But I purpose more fully herafter to open the state of the Church and to shew the particular evils and good of every sect with their defects the reason of their difference and so reduce them all to their proper place and order which is the true vniformity And therefore shall only at this time take notice of them briefly and as respecting these evill distractions The Clergy are deeply concernd and especially eyed by Divine justice a corrupt generation and horribly departed from their Lord and Rule Christ The Son of God the Prophet the Prest the Bishop is the life original and true patterne of al Ministry And there is no true office that Christ doth not constitute by his owne presence nor no right dispensation of that office if Christ himselfe do not administer and be the thing administred and therefore all others are Antichristian and Babylonian In whom the Spirit and power of the Holy Anointing lives not It s true that the Clergy of England all sorts of them that have appeared upon this preset stage Episcopacy Presbytery and Independency have their particular excellencies from particular Angels assisting them The Bishops grave Magisteriall Authoratative Honourable and having imprinted upon them a dark and earthly form of Christ The great Bishop and of him in his Lordly or Royall priest-hood as he is exalted The Presbyters being laborious painfull zealous earnest affectionate carrying an image of the Elders and Apostles of the Church The Independent delighting in a more particular and intire union with his people of greater strictnesse and exactnesse and personal care of his flock is more truely in the Pastors or Teachers place But they are all earthly and carnall darkning the true light of Christ in their ministry and holding forth the name of Christ but not the power but their owne parts opinions readings humane and weak affections yea have wickedly departed from their Master and do not worship in the Temple in Heaven in the new Jerusalem but in Aegypt and Babylon of this world where the Lord is crucified and stand at a distance from and enmity to the Spirit of Christ They professe Christ in their way that is in enmity to him they professe they are not with him nor he with them glory in their shame which is a Worldly and a Devillish life They are ignorant of heaven came not from heaven are not in heaven neither returne they to heaven they judge not things in the light of heaven nor know things as they are in the booke of life the Scriptures of truth as they are in the Spirit of God but as they are written and spoken of in the world and so are blinde guides and have led the blinde people of this Nation into a ditch of destruction on all sides Their great unlikenes to Christ appeares in these things First Christ is Anointed with the Spirit of God he is sent of God he comes from the Father Hath all power given him in Heaven and Earth But these men all of them derive not their ministry but from men at best according to the outward fashion of the letter of the Word and so from Paul c. and that they follow most lamely and so far only as serves their turne taking indeed their ministry themselves from their earthly Fathers according to the customes and traditions of men therefore have no power at all but the power of their own reason which being weaknes it self they presently run to the power of the Magistrate and strengthen themselves with that whithout which they are most contemptible and despisable things The Bishops take away the King and what becomes of them The Presbyters if the Parliament fail they fall into the ditch Secondly Christ emptied himself and became of no reputation took upon him the form of a servant but these men are one all sides stickling for worldly greatnesse contending by all waies of cunning and policy to raise themselves to the highest point of preferment in their severall spheres pleading for their honour from the People urging and forcing from the People respect to the Ministers each party in their seasons labouring might and main with blood to uphold that interest in the Nation that they have gotten and pressing upon mens consciences to fight for Religion which is their means places honours and safeguards Thirdly Christ fore-told and desired his sufferings The Baptisme that he was to be baptized with But these men never knew their own or the Kingdomes sufferings to give or take warning but fild with the visions of their own hearts prophesie pleasing things in their seasons The glory of the Church blessed times great and wonderfull things And if their sufferings hath been declared to them by God they would not hear it but as Peter in his satanicall pride Master be it far from thee and when they had gotten into the mount of Court and Parliament favour then they cry It s good to be heer abhorring the thoughts of suffering And would be reigning upon the Throne before they touch upon the Crosse These carnall Gospellers are in all their thoughts enemies to the Crosse of Christ 4. Christs Ministry was glory to God on high on Earth Peace c. But these mens is glory to themselves and to their King and their Parliament and for want of this a sword fighting like Satans Priests Preaching and speaking the fire of their rage Pulpit incendiaries pronouncing curses and judgements upon their brethren and so giving them up to the sword of one another Priests indeed not to offer up their honours places preferments and lives to purchase peace a Christ did and they should But have offered up the Kingdome a Sacrifice to their own blinde zeale and carnall lusts together In stead of standing in the gap have made a gap and increased the divisions of the times casting not water to quench but Oyle to inflame the differences of the Nation not laying down their lives but seeking the lives of others to serve their ends Fifthly Your bitter and violent persecuting each other when you have gotten power into your hands You have been in your severall seasons the ruine of each other denying each other subsistance or the exercise of each others gifts Far from the love
contempt cast upon KING or Parliament upon one side or other is flung at Christ and he that opprosseth poor England in her miseries or addes one dram of sorrowes more reproacheth his maker Yea If thou doest mock poor King Charles poor Parliament poor Cavaliers or poor Round-heads thou reproachest God in all these if thou doest goe one foot farther It is to make long furrows upon the back of Christ If men or devils should bee obdurate our God is now tender will not still go on to smite his own flesh and blood As God died so are we dead with him England is dead and all her glory greatnesse and justice is slain We departing from God who is our life cannot live and 't is well wee can't live in Gods absence If we could have saved this life we had lost it and losing it we save it For if we had kept it we had kept it against God and now it 's dead it dyes into God It returnes to him from whence it came dying with Christ being offered up by this Priest-hood it goes with Christ dead with him and he saies I go to my Father so that we are fallen indeed into God and there is nothing now but God This is our peace by this the wall of partition 'twixt God and us is broken down and of twain made one new man destroying the enmity that honour power dominion that stood at enmity against God is abolisht slaine in the slaying the earthly creature That which could not endure GOD is brought downe and wee are hereby brought into God By death is destroyed him that had the power of death the Devill his power and interest in the Nation is utterly destroyed his kingdome of darknesse and wrath is broken downe he is cast out and shall no longer destroy the Earth nor deceive the Nation into these mad fightings one against another it is now taken from him that ruled with cruelty envy wrath folly and given to Christ who will Reign in Peace and Righteousnesse in Mercy and Goodnesse And as there is a Union wrought by this death betwixt God and the Kingdome so betwixt KING and Parliament betwen all parties and of two or many we by death are made one man as truly united as head and body as a man to himself And all Ordinances Covenants c. are abolisht Prerogative Kinglinesse is slain lyes in the dust no KING a Prisoner a Captive no Parliament a Rout a Scuffle a confused heap What can you demand of the King He hath nothing to give you mock your selves and him Why are you jealous of him He can't do good or hurt Why do you labour to save your selves from his power or revenge fear a dead power Do you think he shal returne from the grave to vex you Alas it is not he but Devils that trouble you you need not fortify your Parliament with a Militia with Acts against a dead power Or Why should the King contend for a dead Crowne or the People raise Authority from the dust How foolish and vaine are the attempts of his party Being dead on both sides in the grave Heer the wicked cease from troubling The weary Be at rest The prisoners rest together they hear not the voyce of the oppressor The small and great are heer the servant is free from his Master How is it that you vex one another It 's a hel sure and you are Devils one to another Is not the grave enough to swallow up enmity Why should the Parliament insist upon Covenants Promises Ingagements Or the King upon his Honour Prerogative Friends The Law hath power over a man so long as he lived no longer There is no bands now upon you neither party can require any thing of you You have stood it out for your principles for your parties Cavaliers for KING Rounds-heads for Parliament till you and they are all lost together All your engagements for and against each other are taken away Law is slain right property righteousnesse and truth hath forsaken the Earth it is in neither side you may lye stil and be at peace for all is dead for which you contend There doth nothing live but shame sorrow folly and madnesse and that is dead too in your death The King is dead his Majesty is slain crucified and lies in the bowels of the earth that is in his Parliament and People he is descended into us dyed into the Kingdome And hence it is that Parliament men Committee men Army City and Citizens are all become petty Kings Kinglinesse being sow'd in the earth And so though we have lost our King yet we have him in us The King is dead and our life of Majesty our Kingdome died with him we cease to be a Kingdome when our head ceased to rule and are become a herd of wilde Beasts He took us all into himself and so made a rich Sacrifice of al the glory of the Kingdome in one He dyes for us they are our iniquities that denies us the blessing of government we have the benefit of his suffering it is for us By this he comes down into the meanest subject into the worst condition of a subject bonds hee empties himself into us and fills us with Royalty and gives the lowest to have fellowship with the highest by his descending from the Throne into the Prison and his ascending from the Prison to the Throne there is an open way and passage from misery to greatnesse by this the poorest creature in England shal have accesse to the Throne for mercy and justice And the KING shal acknowledge this is my fellow subject my fellow prisoner I am and was as low as meane as he This shall fill punishments with grace and make paines and judgements acceptable from a Prince that is a Brother a fellow-sufferer This is that which onely can fit a KING for Reigning to goe by the Crosse to suffer first by which trialls and temptations he is for ever able to pitty such as are tempted and doe suffer The Parliament is dead also cannot will not out-live the KING puts off her glory with the Kings and sits downe in the dust dyes into the King as the King into the Parliament goes down into his grave follows him and there lyes wrapt up in him the life union and Majesty of the Parliament and as the King arises out of the Parliament so the Parliament out of and with the King The Parliament dyes for the People so constantly adheres to the Peoples rights that She perisheth in the obtaining of them and because She cannot by life She doth and wil by death free us The Cause that She undertook though sensibly be lost yet by her shamfull suffering is confirmed and a Testimony of blood given to a work of Reformation which is more effectual then twenty Bills And so our Parliament doth us most right not being able to help us to lye downe and bear our curse her self She dyes into the Army gives up
her Ghost into the Armies bosome and leaves the Army Executor of her wil dies into the People and al dying together and tumbled into one grave of confusion By this death there is a perfect Remission of sinne here is a true Act of oblivion on all sides a blotting out of transgressions Hath the King transgrest hee lyes in the dust for it he is in your own bowels devoured by you if you accuse him you accuse your selves look upon him now as pierced by you and you can't think of his sins but of your own shame with self-piercing self-wounding hearts Neither can the King remember the Parliaments injuries but he must in those thoughts be oppressed they are in him and if he should think of revenge he must be revenged upon himself death wholly overcomes and spoiles revenge and leaves it nothing at all to feed upon Or if any party do look back they see all these mutuall violences in the Divine wisdome and goodnesse the sting of them being taken away with pleasure and content and glory in these marks not of hatred but love glory in the Crosse and rejoyce in your mutuall sufferings together and one for another all bitterness and envy being slain thereby Every one as now in the accuser you see your own good and your adversaries weaknesse and sin so shall you by this change of death see all the evill as your own and be able to beare it every one accusing himself and acquitting others so that the greatest enmity will be against your selves or any thing that makes a division and nothing remaining to be hated but enmity or hatred it selfe There cannot a thought of strife or enmity arise now but it must appear in blood in the blood of Kings Queenes Princes Parliaments enmity being slaine at first look you do see death in it and so abhorre to change a word with it look upon it as a murtherer and immediatly fly from it into each others bosomes Here is away too to pay all debts to cancell all obligations on both sides in this pit of death must all be swallowed up Debts are forgiven a dead man Here is a death of the Old man The old Quarel the old termes of enmity the old man and his lusts The lustings of the KINGS party after honour greatnesse preferment the Parliament after places Bishops Lands c. the Armies lustings after arreares the lusts of envy malice tyranny oppression coveteousnes desiring each others goods the fuell of this flame in all is buried Thus as before our remedies were our diseases so now our diseases our miseries become our remedy in saving we lost now in losing we save Our gain was losse and our losse is become gain through the riches of the wisdome and mercy of the Lord our GOD Now we must say we had perisht if we had not perisht Chap. XV. Of the compleat cure of the Nation shewing it in its Raised state and parrticularly the King NOw through the tender mercy of our God doth the day sparing from on high visit us To give light to them that sit in darknes in the shadow of death to guid our feet in the way of peace The bright day of Englands Redemption is come the sweet morning of our Resurrection A rise let us go from this pit of misery Let us wrap up all our grave cloaths of shame sin and sorrow and leave them with their Father the destroyer in this dark night of hell and death The Lord saith it and in the power of the Lord we doe break open Iron gates of death and let goe these poor prisoners of hope and before we goe we will spoile the spoyler trample Satan under foot laugh and mock at thy power ruine thy Kingdom of darknes take away from thee thy power to vex wholly destroy thy destruction Oh thou enemy destruction is come to a perpetuall end We smite thee upon the cheek-bone thou canst bite no more Now we lead captivity captive we were under thee now thou thy selfe art a prisoner and a servant thou hast not hurt us but done us good in destroying us thy curses are turned to blessings to our infinite advantage Thou thy self shall be under the burden of divine wrath We are escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler your snare is broken and we are delivered and thou fallest into the pit thou diggest for others by thy wounding us wee are healed thou hast bruised our heel but we have broak thy head thy whole design of Englands ruine and thy plots are discovered and turned against thy selfe upon thee and thy wrath as a foot-stoole doe we ascend into the blessed throne of God We lock thee up in chaines of darknesse and throw thee under the earth get thee hence and all thy darknesse with thee that keeps Englishmen from seeing God in one another take with thee all thy bitternesse rage madnesse oppression tyranny all thy lies and falshood thy false Oaths and breach of Covenant all thy disorder and confusion thy mischievous plots and all thy scorne and reproach and all thy false accusing Father to Son and Son to Father c. Thy rayling and revilings blasphemies with every thing that is cursed and goe headlong into the deep Sea of thy perdition we wil live in heavenly peace love and righteousnesse in the light and glory of our own God Shake thy self from thy dust captive daughter this cloud of dust that darkens thee from divisions emptinesse barrennesse vanity instability and ascend into the light majesty union and strength of God England is become the Kingdome of the Lord and of his Christ God reigns in her she is become a holy Nation a heavenly Kingdome God is in her and none else The tabernacle of God is with men he now takes his great reign upon earth he is come he is come to judge the People righteously and to govern the Nation upon Earth The majesty of the Trinity dwelling before in weaknes that is sowed dyed it s raised in power before in flesh now in Spirit before covered and vailed hiding himselfe now in open and naked face We are now a new creature a new Kingdome of righteousnesse living in the immediate brightnesse of the face of God God is with us with all his host of power and goodnesse mercy and wisdome to establish us in peace and justice there is nothing amongst us but God who is exalted alone and saith I am and there is none besides me and hath taken the Kingdome into himself and every thing is what it is in the glory of God now indeed the soyl is the Lambs he is English Earth The people the Lords and shall be filled with the excellency of God in himself The Lord is King God himself reigns God is upon his throne and saith openly to the whole Kingdome I am your King you are my People I le rule you with a pure golden Scepter of righteousnesse and peace you shall submit to me and
union the Son exalting himself from a poor minister a Carpenters Son to sit upon a Throne far above all principalities and powers In their pomp and state of living and worshipping God in an easy rich and brave way is darkly represented the glory of the Church Zion sucking the milk of the Gentiles having Kings and Queens nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers and bowing to the soles of her feet Christ in glory under this abominable filth In the Presbyterian rigid and harsh yoak of Government forcing the mindes of men into a observance of their Reformation We now see the severity of Christ and his strength and power his heat and zeal not contented with a cold formality but requiring every Sacrifice to be salted with fire a smoaky and dark shadow of the baptisme of the holy Ghost and fire Christ in power under miserable weaknes In the Independents uniting their Churches close into one intire body and keeping of them under their own immediate care and not suffering them to acknowledge any other power we see there lyes in it the pastorall care of Christ carrying his Lambs his bosome heavenly union Christ keeping his Spouse chast to himself his personall and immediate governing of them and his absolutenes and Lordlinesse over them Christ absolute and his people independent living only in and with himself In their sharp opposing one another being intolerable one to another is the zeal of the Lord of host seen his jealousy that is impatient of having his Spouse taken from him their persecuting one another a shadow of those stormes and tempests wherewith he persecutes them that take his Spouse his People from him In all these there are some particular excellencies of Christ scattered they have gotten each a peece of the seamles coat of Christ or else they could not be a rent or schisme but in all his visage is so marred his form so uncomly that he is there unknown to any even to themselves Christ bears their shame upon his own body on the tree in their shame and repoach he is reproached suffers deeply for being in such a filthy shape both from themselves and others all the honour beauty order uniformity of the Church is the Lord his face vaild and covered and now t is a ruinous heape he lies buried in it under divisions factions heresies reproach by all this his true body is broken pierced slain This is your sacrifice O yee Priests this blood must wash you and make an atonement and it is sufficient to take away your sinnes though as red as scarlet and put you again into white garments this will satisfy Gods wrath and then the rage of the Nation against you and the wrath one against another will dye Christs body is dead and you are dead you are spirit-lesse life-lesse a meer carcasse rotten sepulchers That which you fear is upon you the Witnesses are slain by the Beast coming out of the bottomlesse Pit The carcases lies in the streets of the great City scorned trampled upon your shame un-buried where our Lord was crucified Dissolved and broken amongst your selves from the People and most from the Lord your live in a miserable world and not in Heaven which only is true life and with you dies the false Prophet the deceiver the Father of lies and all the delusions of the devil and all insulting pride coveteousnesse worldlinesse malice persecution and vaine glory and by this fire of God upon you shall you be purified and cleansed By death the partition wall is broken down betwixt God and you betwixt your selves and betwixt you and your People Of two God and man heavenly and earthly priesthood made one Priesthood one new man The vail is rent and you are now admitted into the holiest and of many kindes of Priests you are one Priesthood one tribe one body in many members one Christ and you and People are one Clergy one lot and inheritance the people Priests with you and you people with them all the Lords People holy their jealousy and enmity your pride and loftinesse being taken away God will not suffer his holy one to see corruption But will raise you up together with Christ Levi shall never want a man to minister before him If you can break the covenant of the day and of the night that there should be no more day nor night in their season then may also my Covenant bee broken with David my servant c. and with the Levits the Priests my ministers The night of their calamity shall be followed with a day of rejoycing And though the Sun have set upon the Prophets yet it stall rise again David and Levi shall have heires Christ shall have Kings and Ministers Kings propheticall or priestly anointed with fulnes of spirit for both and Priests Regall or royall to govern the house of the Lord. Now Joshua thou great high priest and thy fellowes men wondred at I le take away thy filthy garments from thee and will cloath thee with change of rayment I le remove thy iniquity off that land in one day and bring forth the branch The Lord and all his twigs growing out of him full of the Spirit of God in the compleatnesse and fulnes of the spirit seven eyes upon one stone much light and understanding The Lord himself shall be the Temple ministers people gifts all we shall all worship in the house of God for ever now are you Divines indeed holy men men of God one with the holy divinity shining in the brightnes and majesty in the wisdome and judgement of God Anointed with holy Oyle cloathed with beautiful garments of righteousnesse truth and peace Now raisd out of the dust as the stones of Zion as dried bones restored to life by the Spirit of the LORD God sends a plentifull rain showers of righteousnesse whereby thou wilt confirme Levi thine inheritance when it was weary The Lord gives the word Arise and great is the company of them that published it Though ye have lain among the pots Kitchin Priests that have served for the belly Now as the wings of a dove covered with silver and her set hers with yellow gold Winged now with the Dove the Spirits strength in the purity and excellency of silver and gold by heavenly and holy gifts we shall fly aloft and live alwaies in the clearnes and light of God not in the basenesse and foulnesse of the world Christ ascended on high and will give liberal gifts all kinds Bishops Presbyters Independents Apostles Evangelists Pastors c. yea for the rebellious also that the Lord God may dwell amongst them God streaming himself forth in all varieties of Offices and Officers none in vaine all filld with grace and power Now in this restored condition all one with God indeed spirituall and heavenly of pure gold And one with and amongst themselves as Stars of severall magnitude moving in there distinct Orbs all glorious lights yet differing in an excellent variety one from another
from his Father favour for himself and his people he comes with boldnesse to take what he asks and saies I will and the power that Saints have in Christ to command God in prayer In thy siding with the Parliament against the King and thy free powring forth thy self for her We see the excessive love of Christ to his Church who is ravisht with love and for her forgets all things else In thy ingrossing the riches of the Kingdome into thee thou art a shadow of Christ who treasures up wealth and riches of glory in the City of God for us But thy glory is gon thy true life the beautifull presence of God hath left thee and thou art burning in flames of wrath jealousies envies divisions thou art wasted into a sceleton thy trade obstructed by Sea and Land thy People filled with rage thy bowels pained with fierce contests of parties pulling various waies quite restlesse an unquiet Sea in continuall agitation The Lord dyes in thee the LORDS delight thou wert his Spouse thy glory and greatnesse it was the LORDS he suffers in thy suffering and is covered in thy ashes lyes under the burthen of all thy wants is pierced with the necessities of the poor And thou art in the dust of confusion a ruinous heap the seat and place of vexation lying in a thick cloud of darknesse But his fire purifies thee in these flames thou losest thy filthy pride coveteousnesse malice revenge c. Thou shalt not perish utterly The voice of God is heard in thee to revive thee thou shalt be built again Thy foundations shall be all of precious stones c. The glory of God shall shine in thee thou art now the City of God a Righteous City this is thy name The Lord is there The Lord displaies his glory in the midest of thee The new Jerusalem indeed in truth in Spirit in perfect union with GOD a heaven and so in union amongst your selves Peace within thy wals and plentiousnes in thy palaces a City at unity in it self there shall not be the least found of discord in thee Thy nature is love light and holines The City of the great King made happy by the presence of the King and all the state and honour of the Kingdome Now open thy armes of Divine love and take into thy imbraces the glory of England Kings Princes Nobility Gentry Ministry Judges Lawyers with all the wisdom justice power and excellency of heaven and earth let all flock together in one God one Christ one Spirit one City and thousands of thousands of Saints and Angels dwelling in thee Nothing shal be heard in thee but mirth and joy in the Lord our God praises of the Great King Open thy gates thy everlasting doors that the King of glory the Lord of Hosts with all his host of Princly powers may enter in And all the riches of the World shal flow into thee in thy trade naturally and abundantly the wealth of both Indies and all parts shal seek unto thee and offer up it selfe to satisfy thee thou shalt be crownd with blessings all contents and pleasures shal continually run dawn thy streets and all in the sight and face of the holy God in the pure River of life Chap. XXI Of the admirable fullnesse and compleatnesse of this restoration satisfying all interests ALL the works of God are perfect found out of all them that take pleasure therein The greatest and highest are reserved for us in this later and great day of God wherein it pleaseth the LORD to appear in his fullest and most excellent glory this of Englands salvation is a sweet bud of it a little taste of that infinite Majesty that is now breaking forth in the glorious appearing of God In this businesse the Lord satisfieth his own Interest who is Alpha and Omega the first and the last and this is the rock of our pleasure that thou art pleased and satisfied Thou reignest thou art King this is thy due all power and dominion is thine t is thy right to have all all are thine for thee they were created and made King Parliament Lords Commons Ministers People all sorts all sides all parties are the Lords and thou wilt reign over and in all from Sea to Sea from one end of the Earth to the other as lightening shining from East to West so is thy Kingdom and thy glory is now due to thee that thou shouldest appear not in weaknesse to serve men but in thy great Majesty in thy highest honour thou must now shew forth plainly thy self in thy utmost most enlarged goodnesse power wisdom Nothing now will serve thee but to be ALL IN ALL To be All thou art in Heaven in all the Earth to bring forth all thy riches to fill every creature all glory in all things Thou art all in Earth as well as all in Heaven all in King in Parliament in People there is nothing but thy self in these thou art Bishops Presbyters Independents all these and all in these all Majesty power glory justice in the King and all the same in the Parliament and all that too in the People thou art all the labour strength riches freedome in the People all this in the Parliament all the same in the King all night and all lownesse Thou art all wisdom Authority Government in Bishops all care zeal labour in Presbyters all love union absolutenesse in Independents and all these in every one thou art the same in all ALL IN ALL All in darknesse all in light all in weaknesse all in strength all that every part is all the wholl is all the wholl in every part and all Heaven all Glory all peace all quietnesse all love all goodnesse in all these parts and wholl Lesse then this generall and near union and mariage will not satisfie thee being thy self satisfied thou doest satisfy all and being pleased thou pleasest all thy content contents every one because thou art all art content it self in all Thou hast shaken all Nations and the desire of all Nations is come We have been shaken into peeces and every peece shaken out of all order and peace Thou art good that thou doest but shake only rends that thou mayest make way for thy selfe to enter and for all to enter with thee into every part What we desire we have we can desire nothing but the Lord nothing is desirable but the Lord the Lord we have and in the Lord wee meet with every desirable thing the desire satisfied which if a tree of life God was our desire which is now interpreted being brought forth into performance and enjoyment God the bottom and top the desire and desired meeting in one Spirit and Kingdome GOD the root in our desires grown up into the fruit attainment The interest of this whole Kingdome in this restoration is satisfied and that consists in First PEACE a sure Peace a well grounded Peace here you have the richest jewell of peace that heaven hath
to the whole Nation into every part that is pained or diseased a universal remedy for all malladies a skilfull Physition richly furnisht with the fullnesse of the Spirit of Christ to apply a plaster to every sore Thou now art all bowels a heap of compassions rowlling together of most exquisit sense of any burthen that lies upon us The Mother of England as the KING is the Father in whose womb our freedomes rights peace lyes from whose brests we shal suck milke of comfort riches ease quietnesse justice happynesse as tender of every one of your children as of your selves Thou art beautified with garments of salvation honourable glorious the joy of the whole earth Adorned now with such excellency that thou art a Queene indeed a compleat Second for such a First This thou art in perfect conjunction with the Divine nature in one Spirit with the LORD taken into the Nature and Being of the eternal Law-giver being one with the great Court or Councell of heaven Really truly being in the LORD and the LORD really and truly in you not in shadow that is destroyed but in substance not a naturall but a spirituall body not a earthly but a heavenly The Lord from heaven Now a holy and incorruptible body that cannot faile Christ is compleatly himself in you you are compleatly in him and compleatly one Lord one man one body one Assembly or Congregation having the same Nature and Person Chap. XVII Of the perfect Vnion betwixt King and Parliament and by them with his People in this new and raised estate THESE Two KING and Parliament by flesh and Satan were divided from God made un-like God set at distance from and enmity to GOD and at enmity one from another So now that flesh and Devill being destroyed the Spirit unites them truly to God in truth and substance and as to God so one to another This law oft he Spirit knits them and marries them both waies In this raised estate King and Parliament are in most excellent union joyned together in nearest bonds of felowship as Husband and Wife as Father and Son God and Christ In the greatest distance of these unnaturall breaches there hath been still a secret tendency towards each other your union was never so much slaine but it acted out towards an agreement And now there is a thirst in both after your selves in each other and a restlesnes of spirit attends you till you meet in that dark way in which you are in hel you are groping one after another in a feeble way of Treating and framing a net of spiders web to catch one another in in severall formes These are too weak to hold or binde you together you are both pittied that long for each other and can't enjoy each other especially the poor Parliament whose desires are after her Husband lusting for him and knows not which way to compasse him through fear and ignorance I shall but draw a vail a curtaine aside and shew you both imbracing each other The Vnion betwixt King and Parliament and by the mediation of Parliament with the People whom they Represent is strong and Inviolable It is admirable and delightfull They are one in Nature and Being and can never be divided As Christ saies of the Father so the Parliament may say The Father in me and in the Father Where ever the King is the Parliament is and the King can't bee without his parliament and People and where ever the Parliament is or People are the King is They are one and together in the greatest distance the Vnion is such that distance is swallowed up by it and comprehended in it The Son comes forth of Heaven and is in Heaven is in Heaven while out of Heaven and when alone yet not alone The Father is with me So the King and Parliament are asunder yet together and by their parting their union is enlarged not broken Their fleshly outward union broken but by that the inward and true union appeares and is brought forth In truth the Parliament is in the King and acts not moves not but in the King hath not cannot doe and the King is in the Parlament and naturally doth what the Parliament doth The King retires and carries the life and spirit of the Parliament with him and it is in perfection in him the Parliament withdraws and keeps close the King with her The King takes the spirit of the Parliament the Parliament keeps the body of the King and to narrow poor sense they are divided but such is the largenesse of the Spirit that delights to extend union into distinction and there they are and alwaies were more one in truth then they have yet appeared to be The former union was too weak and strait and therefore it s snapt asunder and the LORD now shews such a union as disjunction doth confirme and multiply while they are parted they are doubly one each upholding union in their being distinct and so manifests that they are so one as they are two likwise and in being two they are twice one each carrying the other along with him The King carries with him the power and spirit of the Parliament it being his and the Parliament the matter and body of kinglynesse that being hers the King hath the Parliament in night and eminency of forme the Parliament hath the King in lownesse and grosnesse of matter yea the Parliament hath the KING in his hight and spirit but covered over and hid under unity and lownesse of the matter so the King hath the matter in the excellency and unity of the forme And they so are in one another as manifests their union both languishing in desire after each other in such an absolute necessity of being together that the King can't act the busines of a King will not assume the work of a King but with his Parliament and the Parliament can't act in the power of a Parliament til they have the King Which shews that the union is still good so strong that they cannot bee but together in affection though parted in place and will not bee happy til they are fully together Their love lives at distance and distance is slain by unions being in distance their distance opening the foundation of their union and awakning the strength of love to shew it selfe in re-union so by a temporary division comes an eternall and inseperable conjunction as that parting of Christ from his Disciples It is expedient that I goe from you that the Comforter may come and he shall abide with you for ever Thus doth the Sea of the spirits love drown al your divisions and it abundantly triumphs over your breaches flowing in upon and in your breaches to the utter destruction of that plague of enmity You are one in originall in one Cause yea you are the cause of each other you are descended and derived from the same Father from the same Heaven and are again taken into the same Heaven joynt heires of the same
glory fil'd both with the same life begotten by the same Spirit The same Spirit that gives majesty and power to one gives the same to the other one fountain fils both your Cisternes two streames coming from the same head two twins lying in the same wombe of the Spirit and it is the same Spirit that lives in you both There can be no difference betwen you you have indeed but one minde but one heart Englands peace honour justice and greatnesse is the substance of both your lives you haue but one subsistence but one happinesse but one breath and ayre Englands joy Englands good you are not one now by outward Oaths and Covenants but by inward Oaths and Covenants by an everlasting Covenant that cannot bee broken The same God and Spirit speaking both or swearing both by himselfe bringing forth both perpetually in the same Oath by himself While he swears to save and deliver his People in England he sweares a good KING and Parliament bringing forth himself he brings forth you or brings forth himselfe KING and Parliament Being brought forth by Gods Spirit there will not come from such a fountain bitter and sweet waters no dissenting affections and bringing forth in both nothing but himselfe but one and the same justice one and the same goodnesse wisdome love to the People ther 's no feare of disagreeing and bringing this forth not in a dark and misty world where you have been subject to mistakes but in the cleare light of the Spirit in the calmnes quietnes opennes freenes of the Spirit there can be nothing but pleasure and mutuall delight in all As you are brought forth by one and in one Spirit so by one another as Man and Woman The same Spirit producing the KING out of the Parliament and so out of the People and the Parliament and People out of the KING As Man is by Woman and Woman of Man The Parliament and People is of the King taken out of his side and from thence formd and built The King is Father and we his children he is the first man in the Kingdome is before all Adam in whose loynes we all were and from him and of him we are our true Civill Father from whom we all receive our Civill beings in whom liberty property peace order honour authority is first originally and chiefly and so from him derived to us Especially the Parliament is taken out of him by his Writ from his heart is the Product of the deep thoughts of his minde which being gathered together are a Parliament As he is ours so we his originall Man is by the Woman The Parliament and People in their fullnesse of time when grown up into maturity bring forth a Government a KING The first-borne their vigor and strength and so property liberty order c. are first in us and then they arise out of us into him And by this continuall motion of the blood life and spirits of the body in a circular course the whole shall be preserved in a lively and lovely state All the strength and power of the Nation continually ascending and descending passing from us upward to the King and thence removes down again to us and so takes the nature of all perfectly refreshes the lowest and taking his meannesse and carries it to the highest to the head being there in-nobled and raised carries its Majesty down into inferiour parts againe and is the same River called by severall names in severall places as the Sea is one only distinct by the shore it washes upon This union by the wisdome and fulness of the spirit is brought forth not in a rude heap but in judgement and proportion in a sweet variety and in such harmony as they are the joy and delight of each other as Husband and Wife one flesh yet two persons so ordered and composed with a pleasant variety that the same which were it only the same and not another would be dull and fruitlesse being thus varied gives delightfull fellowship and profit Such is the fullnesse of this heavenly glory that it is One and not lesse but more in making another The King hath all power and authority and the Parliament hath the same without robbing the King the Parliament having in another way viz a second shall never clash against the first but being one the King hath it in the Parliament in another way then he hath it in himselfe and so his power is enriched and strengthened by it and t is no losse to the Parliament to give it to the KING her Husband whilst she gives it him he being hers shee hath it in him in a more excellent way then she can have it in her self And for either of these to have it alone would be unpleasant solitary and burthensome It s delightfull to see it and enjoy it in another we not so perfectly beholding our selves or loving our selves in our selves as in another sight love and enjoyment requiring another It is the content of greatnes not to be but to propagate greatnes For the King to rule alone can't be so acceptable to him as to conferre Dignity upon his own body his Seed It would bee irksome to have his greatnesse included in himself this is the most proper way of his propagating himself his Parliament and so a Parliament is his own choise his meet help by which he is free and without which he were bound to himself and in himselfe and so to be a King were but to be a pack-horse and for the Woman the Parliament to rule by assistance being called in the bosome and heart of her head pleases her should shee be alwaies in it and necessitated to it it would be her bondage she would desire to resigne it up to her Lord and her selfe choose an easie and pleasant subjection Thus divided it is encreased and nothing lessened but the burthen which while thus equally ballanced is no burthen but the safety of the whole For the King to be the root out of which the body of the tree grows the Parliament and out of her the People the branches and to send forth sap freely whereby the dody is supplied and so every arme branch and twigge that it brings forth good fruit wealth peace content honour power al kindes of prosperity for the King then the people to be the root the Parliament the body the King the head or top and the people to send up by the body riches honour greatnesse as sap into the head whereby he may bring forth fruits of Majesty Justice Greatnesse unto them and so the burthen and the fruit is divided and both be the pleasure and profit ef each other And so is England a Treee of life under which we shall sit and eat the fruit of it in peace and out of which we shall all grow and bring forth fruit of righteousnesse c. The order and manner of this distribution is excellent into a superiour and inferiour a first and second
you lye downe in the Eternall By this your arreares are paid you are nothing you are dead and you can require nothing you and your demands are fallen to the ground your service is dead and nothing is due to it but to be buried and all your miscarriages in forgetfulnesse Who do you require arreares of The Kingdome is dead the sword reignes and therefore the Kingdome is free if you will be paid take blood want spoile confusion ruin that 's all that is left of the Kingdome pay your selves of that Do you expect it of the Parliament That is dead too Poor Parliament you have eat it up your selves in greedines of pay you tore her bowels out and you can have no more But all anger is past there remaines nothing but love you are dead and live with Christ come forth of your graves stand up in the resurrection of Christ in union and fellowship with Christ The Lords host now the Lord is in you and you pitch your tents about the Lord and are the arme of God stretched out for his owne defence and for the punishing of transgressors living in the strength and Spirit of the Lord and now mighty and powerfull to execute Divine pleasure Now you are under the Captain of our salvation and at once interested in the salvation of the Nation and of Christ our Saviour Now we can pay you arreares you never stuck upon arreares till you sunk into the earth into poor earthly mindes rise you again into spirit you will count it your honour to help England freely Mony and a Saviour cannot subsist together That Spirit of Christ that once acted in you to let goe the prisoners Englands freedome and justice without price or reward that spirit shall revive in you and then you will scorne to be mercenary I know you disdaine to keep Englands woundes open to suck her blood you have hazarded your lives for justice and freedome and can't now insist upon pay you are worthy your selves and have the worth of all with you if you desire pay enter with us into Cānaan and you shall have Vinyards that you planted not wels that you diged not A land flowing with milk and hony such mercies and blessings as you could not expect The Lord is Judge he will audite your accompts and pay all that he owes you Religion flourishing in the purity of it peace and righteousnesse as Rivers and Seas the sweet holy unmolested enjoyment of your own families and estates in the presence under the government of the most high You shall now subsist in our bowels be disolved into the Church and Kingdome which is the beloved of Christ Terrible as an Army with banners terrible to the world and the God of the world to the prince of darknesse and so wee shall disband you into spirit and power the whole Nation shall be Souldiers able to draw the sword of the Spirit against all forrain power amongst our selves wars shall cease from the earth you must beat your swords into plowshares and spiers into pruming hooks to your honest trades again there will need no Iron or steely wrath but to plow up your own hearts and to cut down enemies within your own brests all our Townes and Cities are garisoned with a heavenly host and we have salvation for our wals and bulwarks we shall lye down in peace and none make in afraid while we need force we shall use you but not in civil wars you must be removed and only imployed in service against strangers if you delight to sit down by the still streames of Englands peace and feed in our green pastures of eternall love you shall if your valour makes you desirous of military actions we shall finde enemies abroad to imploy your swords against and when you under take such expeditions the Lord shall goe with you you shall have Angels spirits that shall make you invincible where ever you goe The Levellers grew out of the Army and are again shrunk into the Army and therefore we will now joyne you to the Army being mingled together In your endeavour to impose your Democracy your popular Government upon the Kingdome over-throwing and overturning all powers into the People we hear the voice of one crying in the Wildernes England is become a Wildernesse all flesh grasse all power is corrupt the Spirit of the Lord hath blowne upon it and its withered This is John Baptist that exalts the valies and brings down the hils he brings all into the waters the People God is in these Levellers casting the Mountains into the depths of the Seas plunging all into a confused People not suffering one stone to lye upon another Thy place is to be in the Wildernesse and not to come into the City to expire and dye speedily to decrease that he that comes after may increase Thou art beheaded thy devices are fallen to the ground a mushrome thou wert little and art nothing What went you out to see A reed shaken with the wined growing out of the mire of the Nation or a man clothed with soft rayment People got into Kings houses In this state thou art vanisht lost and raised in the Spirit of Christ the divine and eternall love of God and in this Kingdome there is a perfect Levell The People the originall of the Parliament and King by a free giving up themselves and and their estates to the Parliament and King are in the King and Parliament and fully pertake of the royalty and power of both and are leveld with it The People give honour and glory to the King and so higher then hee or he their Subject He that gives is greater then he that receives heer all the people are one with that spirit that is kingly that Anointing that makes Christ King and so called mine Anointed living all in the liberty of that spirit that makes Kings and are most perfectly content in the Kings greatnesse being that which themselves constitute making it themselves they live in it and enjoy it And the King is levelled to the people by his sufferings or humiliations and by his love taking in every Subject to himself humbling of himself to be but the Kingdoms Servant and wearing his Crown only for the happinesse and good of the people living together and brought into one body head and member The eternall love is the Leveller Divine Charity that lifts not up it selfe but is lifted up and being lifted up drawes all after it I rejoyce in the healing thy breaches oh London thou honourable City Thy iniquities have been great there is a righteous one under them that will carry them without the City as a scape Goat into the wildernesse we see the Lord in thee in thy greatest filth in thy violent enforcing powers above thee to thy own minde in constraining the Parliament to thy will by bold petitions urged with tumults we see darkened and shadowed the intercession of the Son of God who with violence wrests