though it cost him the making his Bow quite naked Thus were all the Promises in the Bible engaged in the Parliament Service and not a Text left to attend his Majesty beside Threatnings and Judgments And there is not a remarkable Prophesie relating to the Jewish Nation or the adjacent Kingdoms that they have not accommodated by faith and boldness for both together can do much to the posture of Affairs in our late Troubles Thus were the Essex Committee delivered from the Cavaliers at Colchester It was foretold i. e. after their deliverance Hab. 3.3 7. God came from Teman and the Holy One from mount Paran Selah i. e. from Naseby and Marston-moor I saw the Tents of Cushan in Affliction and the Curtains of the Land of Midian did tremble i. e. the Enemy gathered at Chelmsford upon the coming of Fairfax his Army abated their Confidence Were the Parishioners of Coggeshal once in great danger of the Enemy The snares of death compassed us and the flouds of ungodly men made us afraid But the Lord thundred from Heaven the Highest gave his voice hailstones and coles of Fire yea he sent out his Arrows and scattered them and he shot out lightning and discomfited them he sent from above he took us he drew us out of many waters he delivered us from our strong Enemy and from them which hated us for they were too strong for us Do any Professours doubt the Event of the War Fear not thou worm Iacob and ye few men of Israel behold I will make thee a new sharp Instrument having Teeth thou shalt thresh the Mountains and beat them small and shalt make the hills as chaff thou shalt fan them c. Isa. 41.14 15. Are the Officers of the Kings Forces divided or irresolved in their Counsels The Princes of Zoan are become fools the Princes of Noph are deceived they have seduced the People even they that are the stay of their Tribes the Lord hath mingled a perverse Spirit in the midst of them they have caused the People to err in every work as a drunken man staggereth in his Vomit Isa. 19.13 14. Were the Rump to be encouraged in their design of altering the Government after the Murther of the late King against the Apostacy of the Presbyterians and the Attempts of the Royalists The Text was pat to the purpose Let them return to thee but return not thou to them And I will make thee unto this People a fenced brazen wall and they shall fight against thee but they shall not prevail against thee for I am with thee to save thee and deliver thee saith the Lord Jer. 15.19 20. Is Monarchy to be for ever abolish'd and the new Common-wealth establish'd Behold I create new heavens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into my mind Isa. 65.17 But the Kingdom and Dominion and Greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the People of the Saints of the most High whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and all Dominions shall serve and obey him Hitherto is the end of the matter Dan. 7.27 Do the Protestants covenanted Protestants that had sworn in the presence of the great God to extirpate Popery and Prelacy Do others that counted themselves under no less sacred bond for the maintenance of Prelates Service-book and the like as the whole Party of Ormonds Adherents it is a favour or rather a chance it was not plain Butler joyn with a mighty number that had for eight years together sealed their Vows to the Romish Religion with our bloud and their own If all these combine together against Sion shall they prosper No saith the Lord Iehovah and I. O. If Rezin and the Son of Remalia Syria and Ephraim old Adversaries combine together for a new enmity against Iudah if Covenant and Prelacy Popery and Treachery Bloud and as to that Innocency joyn hand in hand to stand in the way of the Promise yet I will not in this joyn with them says the Lord. Is the Royal Family together with the ancient Nobility to be for ever cashier'd upon his Majesties defeat at Worcester and are the Brewers and Coblers of the Army to commence new Lords All the Trees of the Field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree and have exalted the low tree have dried up the green tree drawn out its sap by sequestrations and have made the dry tree to flourish by plunder and sacriledge I the Lord have spoken it and have done it Ezek. 17.24 This was the Text to the Thanksgiving Sermon before the Parliament for their Victory at Worcester And now is it possible for these men to be at a loss for Scripture to countenance their proceedings after this rate of imposing upon the Word of God If such loose and prophane Accommodations of Prophetick passages to present Affairs be sufficient to support Faith in its expectations of success I leave it to you to judge whether it can ever want grounds and encouragements for Rebellion as long as the Prophesies against Gog and Magog the Whore and the Beast the Pope and the Man of sin are not blotted out of the Bible But this is not all Faith has other Topicks to bottom its confidence upon And therefore 2. It has right to all Gods mercies and deliverances of his People in all past and present Ages It makes all Joshuahs victories present to every true Believer so that if O. Cromwel had but boldness or Enthusiasm enough to presume that the Almighty had as great favour for his Highness as he had for Ioshuah he was bound to enable him and his Army to dispatch Kings and Canaanites with as great expedition as Ioshuah and the Children of Israel did For the Good-will Free Grace and loving Kindness of God is the same towards all his People And the infinite Fountains of the Deity can never be sunk one hairs bredth by everlastingly flowing blessings So that past blessings and deliverances of Gods People are store mercies laid up for Believers against a rainy day and when we want present Refreshments what a comfort is it to chew the Cud upon the blessings of former Ages And thus they use the Records of sacred Story just as Don Quixot used his Books of Chivalry in accommodating the Exploits of the Knights of yore to his own ridiculous Adventures And here lay the folly of his Errantry in chewing the cud upon the Prodigies of old Romances And I am sure he had as wise and reasonable a ground for his folly when he besotted himself with a conceit of vying Adventures with the famous Knight Valdovinos as they had for their faith when they expected to equal the successes of Ioshuah But however by this means it was easie to befool and inveigle the Common-people and if they represented to them any act of Bloud and Cruelty with Allusion to Scripture Language and Story
treacherous Spirit or the malignant sin of Loyalty By Providence were Gods People call'd to sing their Songs upon Sigionoth for the interchangeable Dispensations of the imprisonment and delivery of the Committee By Providence were the hands of the Cavaliers that had itching fingers and an hankering mind after the inheritance of Gods people knockt off an hundred times and sent away with bloody fingers By Providence did the parliament-Parliament-Army trace out their way from Kent to Essex and from Wales to the North. By Providence were the zealous Parishioners of Coggeshal stirred up to make an Opposition to the Enemy gathering at Chelmsford By Providence was there a perverse Spirit of folly and errour mixed in all their Counsels By Providence were they drawn into a Party to force the People of God that were before faln together by the ears to piece together against the common Enemy By Providence was Peter deliver'd out of Prison the three Children out of the fiery Furnace Daniel out of the Lyons Den and the Essex-Committee from the Jaws of the starv'd Cavaliers By Providence was the great Dispensation of the 30. of Ian. 1648. carried on in order to the unravelling of the whole Web of iniquity interwoven of Civil and Ecclesiastical Tyranny in Opposition to the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus By Providence did Moses deliver Israel from their Egyptian Bondage and by Providence did the Rump deliver England from Tyrannous Pride and Oppression By Providence were the People of this Nation given up to fight against their Deliverers by that Opposition to make its workings more clear and conspicuous By Providence was it that in the year 1649. there was not a Potentate upon the Earth that had a peaceable Mole-hill to build himself an habitation upon and that there were so many Controversies disputing in Letters of Blood among the Nations and that for the Interest of the many By Providence were the Church-Stars the Bishops that were meerly fixed to all mens view and by their own Confession in the Political Heavens utterly shaken to the Ground By Providence was Cromwel forced to make such havock in Ireland because the Lord had sworn to have war with such Amalekites and to avenge his People from generation to generation By Providence and Cromwels choice was I. O. call'd forth to attend his Excellency in his Scottish Expedition that he might be instructed by him in the Art of discovering Gods deep and hidden Dispensations toward his secret ones By Providence the mercy whereof was composed of as many Branches of Wisdom Power Goodness and Faithfulness as any outward Dispensation has brought forth since the name of Christian was known did the Rump by the defeat of his Majesty at Worcester continue to sit in Council and the Residue of the Nation in peace By Providence a mighty Monarchy a triumphing Prelacy a thriving Conformity were all brought down to recover the People of the Lord Christ from Antichristian Idolatry and Oppression By Providence was Ireton that rare Example of Righteousness Faith Holiness Zeal Courage and Self-denial disposed to close with the mind of God with full purpose of heart to serve the will of the Lord in his Generation so that he staggered not at the greatest difficulties through Unbelief but being stedfast in Faith he gave glory to God and Davidically prepared the way of the Lord in paths of Bloud The time would fail me to speak of Isaac and Ioseph Gideon Noah Daniel and Iob do but consider the Providential Circumstances of all Transactions in our late Rebellion and that will discover where dwells that spirit which actuated all the great Alterations that hapned in these Nations For believe him such things have been brought to pass as have filled the World with Amazement and well they might A Monarchy of some hundred Years continuance always affecting and at length wholly degenerated into Tyranny destroyed pulled down swallowed up a great and mighty Potentate that had caused Terrour in the Land of the living and laid his Sword under his head brought to punishment for Bloud Hypocrites and selfish men abundantly discover'd wise men made fools and the strong as water A Nation that of Scotland engaging for and against the same cause backward and forward twice or thrice always seeking where to find their own gain and interest in it at length totally broken in opposition to that cause wherewith at first they closed Multitudes of Professours one year praying fasting mightily rejoycing upon the least success bearing it out as a sign of the Presence of God another year whilst the same work is carried on cursing repining slighting the marvelous appearance of God in Answer unto Prayers and most solemn Appeals being very angry at the deliverances of Sion On the other side all the mighty successes that God hath followed poor despised ones withal being with them as with those in days of old Who through faith subdued Kingdoms wrought Righteousness obtained Promises stopped the mouths of Lions quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the Sword out of weakness were made strong waxed valiant in fight turnned to flight the Armies of the Aliens He I say that shall consider all this may well enquire after that Principle which being regularly carried on yet meeting with the Corruption and Lusts of men should so wheel them about and work so many mighty Alterations Now what is this but the most effectual design of the Lord to carry on the Interest of Christ and the Gospel whatever stands in the way This bears down all before it wraps up some in bloud some in hardness and is most eminently straight and holy in all these Transactions Isa. 14.32 What shall one then answer the Messengers of the Nation That the Lord hath founded Sion and the poor◠of his People shall trust in it § 5. Thus you see how Providence and O. Cromwel still headed the Independent Faction though perhaps you may wonder how it could continue faithful so long to such a bloudy and accursed Interest But alas for that you must know it neither had Power at first to refuse the Cause nor being once engaged to retreat for by the power of Faith they can at their pleasure press it to the Service and by the strength of Imagination they can bind the Thoughts of the Almighty and engage all his Attributes to joyn in with their designs and in their way of arguing they never want for Inducements to draw in Providence and the Rabble to their Assistance and that chiefly among many other by these four Topicks 1. By applying old Prophesies to present Transactions it concerns not to what particular Affair they might relate if they can be streined by Faith or Fancy to suit any present Exigence the honour of Providence lies at stake not to suffer such choice Believers to stick in the mire and therefore God is bound to protect and deliver them
upon the Rights of Religion So that there is no other effectual Artifice to decoy Christian Subjects into Mutiny and Rebellion but the taking Pretences of Godliness and Reformation They are all agreed in the Belief of the necessity of subjection to their lawful Superiours in all things that concern their civil rights but where the Glory of God and Purity of his Worship lie at stake there they must whet and sharpen their Zeal in his Cause and not betray the true Religion by their neglect and stupidity And let but a few crafty men whisper abroad their suspicions of Popery or any other hated name and the Rabble are immediately alarm'd and they will raise a War and embroil the Nation against an Heretical Word And to this Purpose their Leaders are ever provided with such jugling and seditious Maxims as effectually over-rule all Oaths of Allegiance and all Obligations to Obedience as that all Good Subjects may with just Arms at least defend themselves if question'd or assaulted for the cause of Religion though when they send their Armies into the Field they are as well arm'd with Offensive Weapons as their Enemies and are furnish'd with Swords and Musquets to annoy them as well as Shields and Bucklers to defend themselves That the maintenance of pure Religion passes an Obligation upon their Consciences of force enough to evacuate all Oaths and Contracts whatsoever that may stand in the way of its advancement and then how naturally does this not only warrant but enforce their Resistance to their Lawful Prince in defence of the cause of God and to extort the Free exercise of Religion by force of Arms which if they should lay down at his Command that were to betray the Gospel to the Power of its profess'd and implacable Enemies by their own neglect and cowardize Not that they fight against the King himself God forbid their intention is nothing else then to rescue him out of the Power and Possession of evil Counsellors You must not believe them such disloyal Wretches as to rebel against his Sacred Majesty alas they design nothing but the discharge of their Duty and Allegiance and though they take up Arms against his Person yet 't is in defence of his Crown and they fight against him in his Personal Capacity only to serve him in his Political That in the management and Reformation of Religion there is no respect to be had to carnal and worldly Wisdom and therefore when the Propagation of the Gospel lies at stake 't is but a vain thing for men to tie themselves to the Laws of Policy and Discretion Civil Affairs are to be conducted by secular Artifices but matters of the Church are to be directed purely by the Will of God the Warrant of Scripture and the Guidance of Providence Now what exorbitances will not this wild principle excuse and qualifie In all their disorderly and irregular Proceedings they do but neglect the Rules of carnal Policy for the better carrying on of the work of the Lord where there is no place for moderation and complyance and nothing must satisfie or appease their Zeal but a full Ratification of all their demands Though these and infinite other as vulgar Artifices are as old as Rebellion it self and though wise men can easily wash off their false Colours yet the Common People will suffer themselves to be abused by them to the end of the World partly because they are rash and heady and apt to favour all Changes and Innovations partly because they are foolish and credulous and apt to believe all fair and plausible stories but mainly because they are proud and envious and apt to suspect the Actions of their Superiours So easie a thing is it for your crafty Achitophels to arm Faction with Zeal and to draw the Multitude into Tumults and Seditions under colour of Religion whilst themselves have their designs and projects apart and influence the great turns of Affairs for their own private Ends and so manage the zealous fools as to make them work Journey-work to their ambition and imploy seditious Preachers to Gospellize their Conspiracies and sanctifie their Rapines and Sacriledges to display the piety of their Intentions and cry up the Interest of a State-faction for the Cause of God and sound an Alarm to Rebellion with the Trumpet of the Sanctuary § 15. Thus to omit the known Arts of the Grandees and Junto-men in our late Confusions were the Confederate Lords of France that involved their Native Country in such a long and bloody War during the Reign of four or five Kings at first to seek for a plausible pretence to secure and justifie their Resolution of taking up Arms against their lawful Sovereign till the Admiral Coligny hit upon that unhappy counsel to make themselves Heads of the Hugonot Faction and then they had not only a strong party to assert but a fair pretence to warrant the Rebellion And the War that was first set on foot by the envy and ambition of some Male-contents in the State was prosecuted with greater rage and fury by Zeal for the true Religion In all their Manifests and Declarations they protested for nothing with so much seeming Resolution as their Demands of Liberty and Indulgence for tender Consciences And when either Party fortun'd to be worsted they re-inforced themselves and their Cause by Religious Leagues and Covenants and then the heady multitude flowed into the assistance of the different Factions according to their different Inclinations So that by degrees to use the words of the Historian the discords of great men were confounded with the dissentions of Religion and the Factions were no more called the discontented Princes and the Guisarts but more truly and by more significant Names one the Catholique and the other the Hugonot Party Factions which under colour of Piety administred such pernicious matter to all the following mischiefs and distractions Which how sad and how tedious they were I need not inform you only this both Parties being balanced and successively encouraged by the inconstancy of Government the change of Interests of State and the windings of an ambitious Woman the publick Broils and Disorders were kept up through so many Kings Reigns and might have been perpetuated till this day had not the equality quality of the Factions been broken and the power and interest of the Hugonot Party absolutely vanquish't So that though these two opposite Parties might if let alone to themselves have lived peaceably together in the same Commonwealth yet when headed and encouraged by great Men in the State they immediately became two fighting Armies and when they were once enraged against each other by Zeal and Religion it was not possible for all the Arts of Policy to allay the storm but by the utter ruine and overthrow of one of the contending Factions Dissembled Pacifications and plaister'd Reconcilements proved more bloody and mischievous in the event than the Prosecution of an open War This would have