THE KINGDOMS DIVISIONS ANATOMJZED Together with a VINDICATION OF THE ARMIES PROCEEDINGS By Franciscus Leinsula Shall there be evill in a City and the Lord hath not done it Amos. 3.6 Heare O our God for we are despised and turn their Reproach upon their own head They which builded on the wall and they that hear burdens every one with one of his hands wrought in the work And with the other hand held a weapon for the builders every one had his sword guirded by his side c. Nehe. 4.4.17.18 LONDON Printed by John Clowes for Hannah Allen at the Crown in Popes-head Alley 1649. To the Right Honourable John Bradshaw Lord President of the High Court of Justice My Lord HAving heard an Honourable Report of you bearing an Honourable Respect to you And decerning your readines to imbrace and accept and not slight or much lesse despise the day of small things Zach. 4.10 hath moved me though unworthy to assume the boldnesse to present your Honour with these few and rude lines especially considering your Honours readinesse with others of Gods Worthies in Parliament Army and high Court of Justice to prosecute Gods work And that with a spirit of freedom and courage notwithstanding the multitude of Renums and Shinishais Tatnais and Shether-boznais Sanballats and Tobiahs with their Companions who face in opposition Ezra 4.9 5.3 Neh. 4.1.3 and truly my Lord but face for I really believe if of themselves they make not an honourable Retreat they will first or last be driven back with shame and disgrace Let the haters of the Lord flie before him And let the Angels of the Lord pursue and chase them Let the enemies of God and his people perish But let Christ and his Saints live and Reigne for ever which is the desires of him who my Lord desires your happinesse and preservation with the rest of his Saints and desires to be Your Honours much obliged And most Humble Servant F. L. THE KINGDOMES DIVISIONS ANATOMYZED IN Admiring I cannot but Admire at the divine Providence of the Almighty which hath caused such strange and wonderfull Mutations and Alterations in this afflicted State and Kingdome but surely it is his good pleasure hereby to declare his Works his strange Works and bring to passe his Acts. That so his glorious footsteps might appeare both in wayes of judgement and mercy to his People Psalm 101.1 65.5 SIR In the Spring of the yeare considering of the strange and violent Commotions and Insurrections that were in the North and South in the East and Westerne parts of this Kingdome I conceived that a deluge of misery would attend the Saints apprehending that the Powers of Earth and Hell would certainly be mustered up against them But the Lord of Hosts hath appeared for us and the God of Armies hath been our refuge Selah And blessed for ever be Jehovah who hath broken in peeces the horne of their strength for wherein his enemies have dealt proudly himselfe hath been above them It is he that subdues the enemies of his people and overturneth the Horse and his Rider And reproveth Princes And why not Parliaments if need be or evill Members therin for the sakes of his Saints I remember though divers yeares since An expression of that exceeding Learned Reverend Holy and Faithfull Teacher Mr. John Cotton of Boston in New England which was to this effect viz. That God would poure his wrath upon the Court of England As also That Seats of Judicature would not throw down Babylon And I beleeve much lesse would they alone exalt Christ and his Churches But it must be done with violence Revel 18.21 And this day is his saying and this Scripture fulfilled in our eares It is Prophesied concerning Christ in his conquest That he shall stricke through Kings in the day of his wrath And I beleeve it is not Englands Soveraigne whose Head shall alone be taken off and wounded but the Heads of many Countries Psalm 110.5.6 And truely this honour have all the Saints To bind their Kings in chaines and their Noblos in fetters of Iron And not onely to passe Sentence but to execute upon them the Judgement written Psalm 149. from the 6. vers to the last And though through the power and grace of the most High These Scriptures have had their accomplishments in precedent Ages yet in our dayes more eminently and doubtlesse will more and more in succeeding generations The great Question at present amongst Gods People is whether the Prophesie concerning the slaying of the Witnesses be already fully accomplished according to the 11. of the Revel 7.8,9 and 10. or whether it remaine still to be fulfilled which I confesse is at present dubious though I beleeve a few yeares more will put it out of doubt and yet it looks at present as if it were the time of the Saints prevailing and so of the Churches deliverance according to the 11. v. of the same Chapter its true for this three or foure yeares last past I found that all sorts of men had as it were prepared Appetites to swallow up the Saints And doubtlesse had their power been according to their spirit they would certainly have devoured and eaten them up like bread But now there is an appearance as if a Spirit of life from God were entred into men And great feare fallen upon them that see it and a great Earthquake in our civill State and earthly Powers as also in the hearts of earthly men and equivalent to the words of the Text. There seemes to be a tenth if not ten parts of this great City fallen I meane in their spirits how many shall be slaine the Lord only knowes doubtlesse there is a remnant affrighted and I wish they would give glory to God Againe I finde this to be very true that the Nations and people both Popish and Presbyterian are exceeding angry they fume foame and snuffe for anger Some fretting their hearts and gnawing their tongues for paine and as if Hell were let loose blaspheming the God of Heaven being scorched with great heat and filled with paines and sores but repent not of their deeds Revel 11.18 the 16.10 and 11. Moreover I finde the spirits of the best Saints much refreshed and as it were in some measure through grace prepared to sing Halleiujah saying Blessed be the Name of our God for the Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of the Lord and of his Christ the which I cordially desire though my bloud with others should be sacrificed for it Sir Taking a view of this perplexed and afflictted Kingdom I find in it as it were a threefold division or three kinds of men passing under a threefold denomination viz. Independent Presbyterian Malignant Though I doubt not but in Gods due time the purer sort of Presbyterians will turn Independant as the rotten and corrupt if they durst would turn Malignant And indeed I have as much hope if not more of divers Malignants then of them The first
of the people of God But blessed be God there have been sundry Doves come over some of whom have returned with Olive branches in their mouths And others remaining in Parliament Army City and else where who have Dove like behaved themselves and have been of speciall use since hither they came viz. Sir Henry Vaine Mr. Phenix Col. Humphrey Mr. Wiâ—… Mr. Peters Mr. Richard Huchinson Janice c. Whom I hope will excuse me for mentioning of them And I doubt not but by Gods grace and assistance will prove blessings to the Kingdom whiles here they remaine And as for New-England it self though too many Legalists amongst them yet to my knowledge there are divers who blessed be God are exceeding wise spirituall and some of these divers years since have often prophecied of these times frequently and fervently prayed for them and I doubt not but will blesse God also when they heare of the succesfull victories God hath given to his people all which plainly argues their harmony and congruity and not their disapprovement and enmity Nor will I affirme least I should mistake what I have heard that eminently learned and pious teacher Mr. John Cotten expresse But this I remember though divers years since that as he said God would bring a sword upon England and certainly powre his wrath upon the Court of England which things are eminently come to passe So he likewise hath prophecied of a sword that would fall upon Scotland I pray God the ministers of that Kingdom would be no cause of it And though I judge not Mr. Cotten to be infallable yet in my observation things have generally succeeded according to the Counsell of God declared by him And it s much desired did the honourable Parliament see it so good he might be sent for it would be looked at both by Presbyterian and Independent as an extraordinary advantage and blessing to the Kingdom But what if all new-New-England wanted light to see into the equity and necessity of their proceedings doth that upon necessity argue the illegality thereof they are not only to walk up to the light of new-New-England though that light doth as farre exceed the Presbyterian light in Scotland as theirs doth the Popish but to the light of the new Jerusalem which is according to the word of God and the first Article of the Covenant Object 8. The great and grand objection is That this Parliament and Army is for a Tolleration and Liberty of Conscience and that will undoe all Answ I answer first by the way there be three things which sundry eminent Christians could never to this day well digest viz. First that reproachfull word Independent cast upon the purest Saints The truth is they are dependant depending upon the Lord Jesus for all their Lawes Ordinances Statutes and Institutions And whilst they walk according to God therein they are a Non-such in the world and the Scotch enemies or any other in this case had better eate fire 〈…〉 The Second is the Covenant which was ever feared would proves share to the Saints and Kingdom The third is a tolleration and Liberty of Conscience which I 〈◊〉 because of their affinity Now for to desire a Tolleration of any thing that is corrupt whether in opinion or practice seemes under favour to be but a corrupt desire And to desire a Tolleration of the Truth or of Gods pure Worship seems to reflect dishonour upon Christ For the Truth should be practised and God purely worshiped in despight of all gain-sayers and opposers whether men or Divells I hope I need not desire my boldnesse to be excused it is for Christ And as for Liberty of Conscience the tearm it self seems not to be according to the pattern of wholsome words but if it may passe then may it admit of a double construction viz. First Liberty of Conscience to sinne which implyes rather a captivity then Liberty for men to professe and practice what they list If this be desired and granted it is that which God and all that are born of him abhort and this indeed would undo all But their is a Liberty of Conscience in pure worshiping of God and keeping close to his Lawes and Truth and the more strictly the conscience is bound in this case the more by far is it's liberty and inlargment Iames 1.25 And this is the Liberty that I hope and am confident the Parliament and divers of the Army stands for that so the godly and unimbittered Presbyterian with the sincere and sound hearted Independant might purely Worship and wâ—… with their God without persecution or molestation and this Liberty will not undo and destroy but restore and preserve all Ah when will these dayes be Hasten the time O God wherein the holy people of God howsoever called or distinguished may unanimously meete together sweetly and harmoniously to imbrace each other Object 9. Their be sundry other Objections which scarce deserve the mentioning viz. That the Army hath many wicked men sundry Jesuits and 〈◊〉 their astions aime at themselves Answ That there are too many wicked men in the Army I feare is too true and were it possible I could wish there were none but that theâ—… is said to be so many Jesuits I beleive it not but if both be true it doth no more argue the Armies dishonesty and illegallity then the being of stone in a Christian mans heart argues his non-sincerity and are as 〈◊〉 tollerated by the godly Paâ—…y in the Army as Drunkards and Adulterers are in Presbyterian Congregations and as for their aiming at themselves in their Actions I Answer First their Actions face towards a generall good and we are not to become Judgers of evill thoughts nor to receive evil Jealousies where there is contrary appearances but it rather argues too much selfe and iniquity in our selves that we would not have these who are Instruments of a common and generall good so much as to have any share therein who indeed deserve the best and whose particular good must upon necessity be involved in the generall Now then I doe by no meanes beleeve its lawfull to raise a new War or rise in Rebellion against this Parliament and Army Though some Presbyterians Prayers Preachings Printings practises tend thereto Answ The sword hath already divided betwixt the Independent and Malignant and if I know my heart could freely sacrifice my life it might proceed no further But if it must likewise divide betwixt the Presbyterian and Independent the good will of God be done As I have but one life had I ten times ten thousand and as many soules by the help of Christ I should freely adventure them all in the Cause as being confident the Independent in his Cause will first or last prevaile and never fall more for I find in the sounding of the seventh Angel that there were great voyces in Heaven saying the Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ and he shall reigne