2.8 And so all things else that are given proceed from him but this gift of faith in a more special manner because Christ is given in it by believing but I shall shew you that there are degrees of faiths manifestation in believing according to the apprehension some degrees more weake some more strong Yet if thou hast but faith as a grain of mustard-seed thou shalt be able to remove Mountains which is the next particular to be handled But a word or two more touching the highest degree of faith which is faiths assurance assurance being the proper act of faith proceeding from the reflect act of faith which causeth a man to know and see that he beleeves and this assurance is from the immediate testimony of the spirit of God in the conscience of him who is already a believer and causeth the soul to know that it believes The spirit it self beareth witnesse with our spirits c. Rom. 8.16 But so much shall suffice for this point the next in order is that mountain to be removed according to the main drift and scope of my argument First a mountain in Scripture is taken divers waies as you may find in Isa 2. Mark 11. c. But I shall shew you first Negatively What a mountain is not Secondly affirmatively What it is And according to the reall drift and scope of my meaning at the discourse and it so be the Magistrates with patience could have heard me make it forth I should have cleared it but that they would scarce suffer me to speak for my self but searcht the statute-book to see what punishment was fit for blasphemers in that case provided taking his accusation for truth not knowing how or in what manner I had declared my self neither could they understand my meaning touching this mountain here spoken of Therefore I shew you 1. Negatively that I did not mean such a Mountain as that great hill neer Taunton called by the name of black-down according to the question propounded unto me Neither did I mean that great round Cob-hill call'd by the name of Glastonburytor Nor that great mountain of Saint Taffies in Welchland Nor had I any thoughts of removing that great hill of Taunton out of his place who was then Major pro tempore and committed me to prison when as neither of them knew a mountain from a mole-hill But I speake this but by the way and therefore desire to be excused 2. Affirmatively There are mountaines within us as well as mountains without us there are mountains of sin and there are mountains of opposition there are mountains of power and there are mountains of pride and self-loftinesse there are mountains of oppression and Tyranny c. An indeed every thing is a mountain that exalts it self or is exalted high in opposition to truth As you may see in the aforecited chapter from verse 10. and so forwards but yet all these mountains shall be lay'd low when the lofty looks of men shall be humbled and the haughtinesse of men shall be bowed down and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day Which is the day of Gods power But what flesh shall abide his coming When he shall come as a refiners fire and like fullers sope when all corruption shall be burnt up and be destroyed or at least be cleansed and purified from the drosse Mal. 3. These things are and shall be trans-acted in us but the end is not yet And now friends although I have not handled every particular circumstance of this matter in hand yet every material point of any moment is cleared Therefore I shall now give a word or two in general to the Nations and chiefly to Magistrates and Governors and such as are placed in authority over us which shall be by way of good cuncel if you can take it But if so be you do not take it it will be because you cannot Yet neverthelesse I have thought good to give you a cautional hint of some special observations which I have taken touching the several greevances of the people who ly under many greevous pressures and burdens and expect relief and comfort from you which will be by prescribing wholesome laws according to the present constitution of this Nation and a due execution thereof as it was before the Norman Conquest For you know that the people have lived under a Kingly power many hundred years and have been held in bondage and slavery ever since the conquest under those lawes which were prescribed by an Usurper And have been still kept under the Normand yoak by reason of an absolute arbitrary power domineering over them raised up by William the Conquetor when he had subdued this Nation by the sword Then those who were his Creatures his favourits he created them to be Lords of Mannors and so divided and distributed the Land amongst themselves and the poor people to become tenants unto them and to pay a small rent at first to bring them under the yoak and so to acknowledge them to be their Lords and masters and hence came in that which we call propriety as derived from the Norman Conquest Now after this these great Lords of Mannors by marriages matching their Sonnes and daughters together joyn'd house to house and land to land and so became greater Lords then ever and exhausted greater rents from their poor tenants by degrees and all to uphold them in their pride and so to maintain them in their pomp and vanities and Lordly dignities And so the poor people comes to be meer slaves to their Lords and Masters their rents being continually raised and set upon the rack and tenterhoocks of their wicked consciences and are not able to maintain themselves and families though at a pittyful poor low rate both in food and rayment notwithstanding all their labour and pains-taking both early and late But I must tell you that the maintainance of propriety in this way and by such lawes will be the destruction of it and me thinks I see it already destroyed and you know that the stander-by sometimes sees more then the gamester And truly for my part I see an exceeding unequal distribution of things some all and some nothing at all and the poor daily crying out for bread bread bread for the Lords sake and few or none laying it to heart when many of your great Lords have ten fifteen twenty thousand pounds per annum which is more then two hundred thousand families have and yet they can spend all in rioteousnesse and wantonnesse and in superfluity of dainties and in the delights and pleasures of this world and truly I do beleeve I speak with the least though I speak it with much grief that for every one that hath but ten thousand pounds per annum there are two hundred thousand families and more that have not so much and so proportionable of all the rest I speak from experience of my late travels in the North where I have seen multitudes of
to raise two new Troopes in the room of those two that went for the service of Ireland and his own Troop and the Majors to be made Troops of horse where you shall see that his interestwas partly satisfied yet notwithstanding he did not leave his designe so naked and without hopes but he would fullfill his own will and for the accomplishment thereof you shall see how he hath given the self-denying ordinance a totall rout that it cannot be able to rally again for he got a Commission for his brother to be Captain to one Troop his Son-in-law to be Capt. of the other and his brother in law to be his Lie ut but as for his Son-in-law he is a meer stranger to me but I have heard a very good report of him that he is a deserving man and truly for my part I know nothing to the contrary out for the other two I shall appeale to all that know them whether or no they are fit for any such imployment unlesse it be to receive the States money if they can tell how to tell it but howsoever here you may see a Rout a Rout a Rout a totall Rout. Therefore gentlemen look about ye have a care how you make any more such self-denying ordinances for God will not be mocked But no more of this I shall now proceed to the next The next order I received was to send ten of my Troop towards the raising of these two new Troopes which was done according to my order and the like number or more was sent out of each Troop insomuch that our Troopes that marcht into Scotland were much weakened and those left behind we having orders to march with all speed into the North. Now the first randesvouz we had together except the Colonels own Troop was beyond Swarson-Bridge over the river Trent where we received orders for our severall Troopes to quarter in Darbishire till farther orders and my quarters were at a place called Morley three miles from Darby Town where we continued eight daies and then according to order we removed to a place called Tibselfe and quartered there till my Colonel came to Darby who sent for me thither to speak with me in the mean time our Major took occasion to talk with him concerning me and told him that if he could with patience hear me he did beleeve that I would give him very good satisfaction in all things especially if a right understanding might be had between us and aboured much with him to discourse with me in a milde way laying aside all anger and bitternesse of spirit which was granted by him and he did protest as the Major told me that he had no malice nor prejudice against me but seemed to him to be much inclinable to a milde discourse so when we came together we had a short repetition of some of the old points which were misapprehended before and truly for my part I thought before we parted he had bin fully satisfied and his wrath appeased for we parted upon very fair termes and the Major did much rejoyce at it who afterwards told the rest of the Officers that he did beleeve that the businesse was quite over between my Colonel and I and that we would be very good friends for future which caused them to rejoyce likewise and were exceeding glad to hear of it But now you shall see that malice can never ly long hid but it must of necessity burst forth notwithstanding his fair outside and his prorestations to the Major that he bore no malice towards me yet he had the very gall of bitternesse in his brest as may appear for about three-dayes after we had a randesvouz and a Muster at Winfield manner and we received fourteen daies pay but till after Muster there was no seeming prejudice against me but whilst I was receiving my money of the Major in the Mannor-house the Colonel went to my Troop and laboured with them what possibly he could to set them against me He told them that I was a dangerous fellow and he would place an honest man in my room to command them and flattered with them exceedingly but my Troop answered him plainly that they desired no other Captain they had long time had experience of me that I had alwaies proved an honest man to them Now after I had received the money the Major and I came up into the field not thinking of any design against me the Golonel called for all his Commission-officers to come to him at the head of my troop and there made a speech to them declaring against me what a dangerous man I was one that held dangerous tenets and not fit to be in the Army and that I and such others went the occasion of these warres therefore I should march no longer with them he would give me a discharge there at the head of my troop and commanded my Lieut to take charge of them and commanded the Major likewise to send no more orders to me but to my Lieut. but when he had thus uttered his minde I told him that we had fought against arbitrarinesse to good purpose if mens wils must be laws but for my part I would take no discharge at his hands I had my Commission from the same Generall as he had his neverthelesse I should be obedient to all just commands as I alwaies had bin but seeing the Generall had granted me a hearing at a Counsel at warre I would either stand or fall by it then the Colonel in a furious rage did protest that if I marcht any more at the head of the troop he would commit me to the Marshal my answer was that if he did then I was confident I should have a tryall at a Counsell at warre And so the Colonel and I parted and he and some of his officers went to dinner with the Muster-master as they had provided something for him to eat and I marcht with my troop towards my quarters and when I found a convenient place I drew them up and spake something to them which was to this effect That whereas there had been a great difference a long time between my Col. and I as he pretended for matter of judgement although it doth evidently appear that it was principally to set up his own interest in prosecution thereof he hath laboured to render me as odious as may be possibly not only to you even now but unto all men where ere he comes and endeavours to asperse me and cast an odium upon me to bring not only you but all men else into hatred and detestation not only against my person but my actions also notwithstanding you have had sufficient experience of my dealings towards you and my faithfulnesse towards all men touching my military imployment and I have had sufficient experience of your love alwayes towards me but more especially of late in that you did unknown to me petition the Generall in my behalfe therefore if there be
this as a rule too that if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meeknesse and bear one another burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ Suppose I had bin overtaken in a fault which my conscience can plead my innocency and integrity yet will you still persist and go on in violence against me without due examination I shall desire that you would with patience heare me what I can say for my self and not rashly judge and condemn me without a cause but I know you cannot help it you are so overswayed with passion You see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand but I am a fraid of you lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain I write in the Apostles own language Sir I beseech you be as I am for I am as you are you have not injured me at all And thus to a void prolixity I shall cease to trouble you any farther at this time and shall remain Your faithful servant in all duties of Command FRANCIS FREEMAN And now friends you that have read this letter I shall desire that you would once more if you are not satisfied look it over with a more attentive eye and without any prejudicat thoughts on either side and so go give your judgement impartially and if so be you find any such base scurrelous and scandalous language in it according to the matter of charge laid against me then I shall desire you to cast a blur not only upon it but upon me and throw dirt in my face with as much disdain and disgrace as may be possible And truly for my part I presume if I might have had a Counsel at warre you would have found all the rest of his charge against me to be as frivelous as this but if so be I may have a Counsell at warre hereafter as I make no doubt but I shall when once this great businesse in Scotland is over then I beleeve I shall make him ashamed of what he hath done against me not that I can do any thing by way of revenge it is against my spirit so to do but by way of vindication for I know he could not help it he was acted by a greater power then his own neither can I blame him for it for he did as he should do but if so be I might have the greatrest Command as might be under Colonel Okey I professe ingeniously I could not take it if I might gain 1000 pound by it as to have my spirits bound up and tyed fast to the wils of men and to be in bondage and slavery through the beggerly rudiments of the world by the doctrines and tradition of men and all by an arbitrary power exercised over us but if so be I may be serviceable to this Common-wealth in any thing I can do I shall be as formerly I have bin ready willing to do it to the uttermost of my power either in England Scotland or Ireland But I shall rather chuse to traile a pike under the great Turke then to have any command under Colonel Okey And Now I shall shew you one notable cunning slight more that he used against me about this time twelvemoneth to set up his own interest he having received an order to send two troops of his Regiment for the service of Ireland did appoint my troop to be one supposing that I had not bin free for that service and so to disband me upon that account for he never intended that I should go Now for my part I was very free for that service and did expresse my willingnesse to go and my souldiers likewise did as it were unanimously with one consent expresse their willingnesse to go with me whereupon he was crost in his designe and then he told me that we should not go and ever since he hath bin plotting and contriving all the mischief that might be possible against me and truly for my part I conceived that we were at that time in a capacity fittest to go for that service of any troop in his Regiment and for these reasons following viz. that we owed nothing in our quarters when other troops owed considerable sums we were best mounted of any troop well clad in good apparel and all accoutraments belonging to souldiers stout gallant men and such as I dare be bold to say that the Colonel never had a gallanter troop in his Regiment since he was Colonel and for my own particular part it is well known I have faithfully served the State ever fince the beginning of these troubles and so I praise my God there is no man can challenge me for the worth of a peny that ever I plundered any man but alwaies laboured for the preservation of the Country where ever I came And as for my military imployment touching my charge before or since I came to this Regiment no man can any way disparrage me but that I have behaved my selfe in all services of command like a Souldier and my deportment and carriage hath bin such towards all men as might become an honest man and that no man I dare be bold to speak to the whole world can have any just cause against me And as it hath bin heretofore the sence of the whole Army that no man should suffer for his opinion so I conceive I have not in the least tittle made a breach of any law neither is there any article against me in the whole book of articles at warre and where there is no law there is no transgression But howsoever here you may see an obsolute discovery of my adversaries malice towards me and how they have made good the former part of this Epistle viz. that every form is a persecuter c. and how they have set up their interests by cloathing themselves with the fig-leaves of their own righteousnesse which is the righteousnesse of the Law not knowing their freedom by Christ but are in bondage to the elements of the world Gal. 4.3 Ye observe daies and moneths and times and years verse 10. but I am afraid of you least I have bestowed upon you labour in vain Brethren I beseech you be as I am for I am as ye are ye have not injured me at all Object But some will say that the Apostle Paul which you speak of had bin a persecuter himself and was he under forms I answer yea he was under severall formes or ministrations but was very zealous concerning the law and yet he thought he did God good service in persecuting the Church of Christ But this was before his conversion for afterwards we read that he was rapt up into the third heaven then doubtlesse he was above all formes types and shadowes and was svvallowed up in the very substance it self which formerly he had seen but darkly shadowed forth to him by the lavv It is even so vvith these men vvho are under formes and legal
the Army to be tryed by a generall Councell at warre where we shall heard face to face not that I should desire any countenance or favour from that honourable Court but that all things should be weighed rightly in an equall balance Thus craving your answer herein and rest Yours FRANCIS FREEMAN This letter being delivered by my man who craved the Majors answer thereunto the Major returned this answer or to this effect not in writing but by word of mouth that in regard the matter of accusation was of so high a nature and that it was for the king therefore he could not take my own recognisance but prayed him to tell me that any sureties should serve So when I brought my sureties I told the Major that I was come to remove on mountain and I made no doubt but to remove the other Then he asked me what I did mean my answer was that I thought he might easily understand me Then another standing by demanded of me this question whether I could remove that mountain betwixt that and Lime to which I answered no I could not And thus t is evident that by their misapprehonsions they have look'd upon my litteral expressions mith a carnall eye And thus I have truly and plainly demonstrated the truth of this matter Thus having given you a briefe description both of the manner of our discourse and also the manner of their carriage towards me I shall now by the assistance of the Almighty paraphrase upon each particular for the clearing of these truths and with as much brevity and perspecuity as I may and so leave it to the godly wise to judge But before I proceed in the handling of these particulars it will not be amisse for me to give you a hint or tast of some notable passages in my journy to the head-quarters at Winsor after my inlargement I shall give you a true relation thereof The first thing observable was at the Town of Marlburough where I met with some friends of mine whom I conceived their spirits would have closed with that truth for which I had suffered but having some discourse with them touching the same point I found them of a contrary judgement and after some few arguments in debating the matter in question we parted and as I conceived my friends were much dissatisfied notwithstanding they had no knowledge of my former sufferings neither did I acquaint them at all therewith And hear you may also see that I was not free from having bitter aspersions cast upon me for there was a Parliament man that over-heard our discourse unknown to us who on the next day with some of his assotiates fell foul on me with bitter language and not only against me but against the whole Army of Sectaries as they call'd us and raised up very strange reports of me which were both false and scandalous yet howsoever I was not much troubled at it because I knew they did but doe the will of him that sent them thither and that truth doth oftentimes meet with opposition when error and false-hood flyes apace and is spread abroad without contradiction And so from thence I marched to Redding and lodged that night at the signe of the Crown where I saw a vision of the night as I lay in my bed And although most men doe account such visions or dreames to be but foolish fantasmes fantasmes of the brain c. ye I can assure you that I had most sweet and glorious things presented to me in a vision viz. after some few troubles and struglings of spirit I had there presented unto me the white stone spoken of in the Revelations Which noe man knoweth saving he that receiveth it But howsoever before I could have it I must passe through some difficulties and dangers for it lay in a garden under a bed of sweet flowers and there was a great brinded Mastive dog tyed at the garden dore to keep me from it yet howsoever I must have it notwithstanding all difficulties and having at that time such a transcendant boldnesse that forthwith I went to the dore and opened it the dog looked somewhat fiercely upon me but not so much as opened his mouth against me and so I went to the bed of flowers and took up the which stone where I saw my name written and brought it forth with me the dog looked upon me somewhat with an angry countenance but not so much as toucht me and so I came away clearly with that rich prize I had taken Now the Bed of flowers presented me with the bed of spices spoken of in the book of Canticles and the white stone presented unto me in my apprehension my deliverance notwithstanding all opposition and so I awoke where I was not altogether ignorant of the vision which I saw neither was I without some teaching in it for my spirit was wonderfully raised up with such heavenly contemplations and as it were ravished with such divine raptures and spiritual enjoyments and rejoicyngs that my soul was even lifted up as it were above the heavens where I saw as in a glasse all the glory thereof in that most rich sweet and pleasant paradise of God which the garden here mentioned presented me withall And at the apprehension of these things I was so transcendently carryed up with such confidence of my deliverance from all such false and scandalous accusations that I awakt my man lying at my beds feet to tell him of my dream and withall the confidence I had that I should be cleared before his Excellency the Lord Generall notwitstanding as I thought at that time and afterwards it did appear my advensarys had sent a bitter letter of charge against me to render me as odious a they could possible In these things I saw my spinituall liberty and you may also see the confidence I had of my temporall freedome much more might be spoken concerning the vision the moral of it is good but I shall leave it to your serious cogitations and contemplations yet howsoever Children mast have bread and if brinded dogs snatch at it who can help it to their peril be it and so I hasten on in my journey The Lord who is wonderfull in Counsel rules and governs all things by his providence and disposeth all things after the Counsel of his own will carryed me on carefully in my journey towards Windsor and by his providence near Maidenhead-Brigde I met with Mr. Peters who is an eminent man aiman of excellent and exquisit parts and of a known integrity There he told me That the Magistrates of Taunton had sent a bitter letter of complaint against me and the General referred it to him to examine and to take an account thereof touching this matter of charge which he did accordingly and I gave him a true and perfect relation first of the manner of our discourse which the charge had no relation unto Secondly the point which I then delivered and now in question And thirdly the
mystery and according to the spirituall sence in my apprehension faith is there meant Christ but before Christ came we were kept under the law shut up unto the fiath which should afterwards be revealed This word but hath reference to the former verses therefore read from the 21. verse to the end of the chap. and you may find this if God says Amen to it to be a glorious truth But if so be you have but a notionall knowledge of Christ or a bare historical faith as Mr. Cox by his expressions in answer to my question did import no other saying that he did hope he had faith which is but historical by hearsay and mearly the teachings of men and no otherwise then you cannot say of a truth that Christ is in you the hope of glory These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you But if you have received the anointing it abideth in you and the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no ly c. 1 Job 2.26 27. And if Christ be in you the hope of glory then you shall finde that spirituall and individual substance or rather subsistance in respect of operations manifested within you that is infeperable For we are his anointing and that spiritual unction within us makes us to be one with him We are Kings and Priests and by vertue of his spiritual anointing we are one with him by faith which is Christ in us we apprend all the benefits and spirituall enjoyments and rejoycings made out unto us and by his spiritual descension so low into us and drawing us up into himself we are come to be one with him and in him and he in us Joh. 17. being iustified by faith in his blood And as there is such a sweet union and onenesse between Christ and the soul Christ being the manifestation of his fathers love the soul comes to have free accesse by one spirit unto the Father Ephe. 2.18 in and through the Son whereby the soul comes to see God purely as he is so that there is a continual feast of fat things their Table being richly deckt and covered over with all sorts of varieties of dainties supping and dining together And there is a continual presence or habit of union between God and the soul that the soul is as it were richly clothed with God and God with the soul do live mutually in themselves for he that dwels in love dwels in God God in him that nothing is in God that is not God therefore whatsoever is in God is God And thus the soul comes to see God to be his all and in all and sees him in all things in every thing and sees his own nothingnesse and emptynesse of himself without him But now I shall shew you that there are many who look upon Christ after the flesh and not after the spirit or a spiritual Christ within us not apprehending him as he is purely in himself so they look upon the act of faith to be that which God accepts to justification But truly for my part I am not of that judgement for I conceive there is a mistake in it looking upon him after the flesh and not after the spirit or in the spirit and so they asseribe that honour to faith which is due unto Christ and dishonour him in so doing for although they do not exclude Christ wholly and totally yet in the act of justification which is a work it gives all unto faith we are justified before God in his sight only by Christ Rom. 3.20.24 and for a farther confirmation of this truth see Isa 53.11 12. Where it is said my righteous servant shall justifie many which must be understood of Christ we are not justified before God by faith which is in us but by Christ by his blood We are justified by his blood Rom. 5.9 by faith which is Christ in us we know our selves to be justified verse first and although faith is one of the chiefest graces yet as it is an act it is a work and to be justified by it is to be justified by a work of our own for with the heart man beleeveth Rom. 10.9 10. so that t is clear that which justifie us must needs be perfect and so it can be no act of ours for all our righteousnesses are as filthy ragges c Isa 64.6 not of works least any should boast Ephe. 2.9 Me thinks the consideration of this point should cause us to admire at the wonderful riches of the free grace of God in Christ Jesus who out of his infinite love being an infinite glorious Majesty that he should descend so low as to take upon himselfe our nature being poor finite creatures to shed his blood to die for us and to rise again for our justification But that his essential will is himself his power is himself his wisdome is himself and every thing that is in him is himself if we can but see it But to proceed a little farther in the prosecution of this point of faith I shall speak something concerning Enochs walking with God by faith and so conclude the point It is said Gen. 5.24 That Enoch walked with God and was not for God took him By faith he was Translated that he should not see death c. And the text saith that he was one that is not this may seem to be a paradox a strange expression if we but barely look upon the letter of the Scripture yet it is a glorious truth for it is said he is one that is not Enoch walked with God and was not So that he walked not after the flesh but after the spirit for he was translated by faith that he should not see death and was not found he was not for God took him He in himself was not for his glory and excellency past away all his earthly pomps vanish'd he of himself was nothing for he saw his own emptinesse and nothingnesse and all-sufficiency in Christ what he was he was in Christ Christ was his life and his all Christ was all and in all unto him Col. 3.11 So that God translated Enoch in the spirit he was translated into Jesus Christ and so every true believer is one in Jesus Christ and nothing in himself there is a glorious change there is a new birth there is a new self he is born of God God is his selfe Christ is his self So that Enoch was out of the flesh into the spirit out of himself and his own righteousnesse into God and so is every saint every true believer is translated out of himself into a being which is in God He is dead unto all self-righteousnesse he is dead unto the law he is dead unto the World but he is alive unto God Here you see that by faith Enoch was Translated from death to life Therefore you may see that faith is an excellent gift est donum Dei it is the gift of God Ephe.