A Beam of Light, Section 7
SECT. VII. The Long Parliament Dissolved. The little Assembly set up in their stead. The Generals Speech to them. The Cause prospers all the time of their sitting, in the War with Holland: they are dismissed the 12. Decemb. 1653. The glorious Cause of Christ betrayed by its pretended friends. The sum of all the Causes which have been pleaded upon the stage of Great Britain, and Ireland, this last twenty years.
IT pleased the Lord, The Parliament Dissolved.in the deep Counsel of his wisdom and will, to necessitate the Parliament and Army into mutual unkindnesses and Jealousies: that seeing they would not agree together to lift up his Son, and exalt his Interest, they should so far disagree amongst themselves, as that a dangerous Rupture should follow unavoidably: which accordingly came to pass, April 20. 1653.
The Contempt, Under great Contempt.under which the Parliament-men did then fall, was very exceeding great and strange; the hand of the Lord is to be acknowledged by them and us, with Reverence and godly Fear. Was it not wonderful, that such a renowned Senate, so prosperous and victorious over all their Adversaries, should be pull'd out of their places, and put out of doors by their own Servants, whom they had so carefully paid and provided for? What ever secret Design was underneath, yet certainly there was some accursed thing in the midst of them, which duplicate page duplicate page provoked the eyes of his glory, who is a Jealous God, and will not be mock'd by those who were so often saved by him. Oh that they might not be found stumbling at the same stumbling stone, the second time!
In the next place, The little Assembly.a new Face of affairs appears upon the stage, such as had not been seen or read of in any former Generation.
The Kings Prerogative is utterly perished. The priviledges of Parliament are broken with a great breach, which will never be throughly healed. And now the Liberty of the people (upon the old Account of choosing their Representatives) is also made void, and of none effect: for the Army pretend to roll the Government of this Nation upon the Saints, as Saints. And to that end, call together a company of them from all parts of the Nation, to undertake, and to exercise power and Authority over the Nation, in the Name of the Lord Jesus, as if they would introduce the Kingdom of Christ, or the fifth Kingdom.
These things are declared by General Cromwell, unto those persons met together by vertue of the Call given to them, in that Speech of his in the Councel-Chamber, upon the 4. of July 1653. some of the words and passages are worthy to be transcribed.
And give me leave to begin thus. Part of the Speech to the little Assembly by Gen. Cromwell.I confess I never looked to see such a Day as this, (it may be, nor you) when Jesus Christ shall be owned, as he is this day, and in this world: Jesus Christ is owned this day by you all, and you own him by your willingness in appearing here. And you manifest this, (as far as poor Creatures can) to be a Day of the Power of Christ, by your willingness. I know you remember that Scripture, Psal. 110.3. Thy people shall be willing in the DAY Of THY POWER; God doth manifest it to be a Day of the power of Jesus Christ. He goeth on. Having, through so much Bloud, and so many trials as have been upon these Nations, made this to be one of the great Issues thereof, to have a People called to the Supreme Authority, upon THIS AVOWED ACCOUNT. God hath owned his Son by this; and you by your willingness do own Jesus Christ: and therefore for my part, I confess, I did never look to see such a fight, &c. And a little further, He tels them upon that place of Isa. 43.21. You are as like the forming of God, as ever people were, &c. I say, you are called with an high Call: and why should we be afraid to say or think, that this way may be the door to usher in things which God had promised, and prophesied of; and to set the hearts of his people to wait for? We know who they are that shall war with the Lamb against his enemies, &c. He brings in that of Daniel, And the Kingdom shall not be delivered to another people. Truly God hath brought it into your hands, &c.
Then he proceeds, after two or three Scriptures quoted, in his own Name, and in the Name of his fellow-Officers, to Commend them to the Grace of God, and to the guidance of his Spirit; having thus far served you, or rather our Lord Jesus Christ in it, we are (as we hope) and shall be, ready in our stations, according as the providence of God shall lead us, to be subservient to the work of God, and the AUTHORITY WHICH WE RECKON, GOD HATH SET OVER US. And so the Instrument, by which he delivered up the Supreme Power and Government of these Nations (out of the hands of the King, the Parliament and Army) into the Hands of This Number of godly men, as such, being received and read (or Read and received) they were left to the guidance of God.
Undoubtedly, Here was more of the Counsel and Providence of God in this solemn Speech and Action, then he himself, or any other then present, did well understand, or, then is understood unto this very day.
What Underhand dealing there was in all this, is best known to the Lord; but the Lord hath regard to the Thing it self. And we are perswaded he will make it signifie something yet more, before he hath done Changing the Nation from vessel to vessel.
This People, The Cause prospereth in the time of the little Assembly.though they were so yoked and mingled as they were, did set their hearts, (I mean, the faithful among them) to follow the Lord, and to serve him in the Kingdom of his Son: and notwithstanding all the crafty contrivances of the Serpents seed, yet the work and Cause prospered in their hands: the War with Holland was signally owned and carried on, even to the amazement of all. We know what kinde of people they were, that apprehended all was lost. We remember the occasion of their pulling down, after the Army had so solemnly given up all into their hands. We have not forgotten who made Bonfires for joy at this Change: nor can we choose, but observe and consider (with some awe upon our hearts) what is become of those, Whalley, Goff, White.who were instruments to scatter those Disciples of our Lord which were so cordial to that blessed interest of Christ, pretended to, a little before, by the General and his Officers. The Lord well knows, who prevaricated with that glorious Cause, after so many pretences of friendship to it. And the inhabitants of England shall know it, in due time, if they do not yet understand where the miscarriage was, at that day.
But now, The Apostacy of the Army.we want words whereby to Represent that Abomination that made Desolate, and laid in the dust the most honourable Interest under Heaven. The same persons that had cried, Hosanna to the son of David, did afterward, cry, Crucifie him, Crucifie him. That General, Those great Commanders, Those under-Officers and Souldiers, which had publickly owned and submitted unto the Lord Jesus, by word and writing, in as choyce and full expressions as any in the New Testament, do now, all on a sudden (without consulting the light, the prayers, the spirit, the faith, the wisdom of the true Remnant) lift up an Idol into the Throne of Supream Authority in these Nations, which were to be Governed by none other then the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And being absolved from their former solemn Ingagements against Kingship (by a new kinde of Papal Dispensation) they do not onelyonly relinquish and renounce the Cause, the Interest, the service and work of Him that was their Saviour and Lord Protector, in all their late Dangers and Distresses, and to whom, they had, as it were, sworn fealty and allegiance; but also, do set up, after their Own Inventions, that new, upstart Instrument and Interest, which (like other works of Darknesse) was conceived, formed, and brought forth by the power of that Spirit which worketh effectually in the Children of this world, in opposition to the Children of light, and the Spirit which is of God. And having so done, An engagement contrary to the former.A new Engagement is formed, for the binding of the Army fast and firm for the Defence of that Treasonable usurpation.
This private, proud, self-Interest and Cause, getting upon the Stage, Oh how did it vaunt it self? how uncomely did it behave it self? how did it Brow-beat the friends of the former noble Cause with all manner of supercilious Disdaines? what Oratory and Tears, what Threatnings and flatteries were made use of, for the magnifying of this PITIFUL CHANGELING, as if it had been the Goddesse Diana, Acts 19.35.and the Image which fell down from Jupiter? What reproachful language against all Valiant Assertors of former principles of Justice and true freedom, in opposition to this Monstrous Government? They are Traytors, and shall be dealt with as Traytors. How many Pursevants and Men-catchers, Spies and Emissaries are imployed to lay Snares and Traps for those, who will not fall down and Worship this ugly Image? And which is the most confounding consideration of all, how, Oh how was the Name of God blasphemed among the Cavaliers, and the Neighbour-Nations, because of that Hypocrisie and deceit, that falshood and Treachery which appeared in the forehead of the Army, after they had with one accord declared for the Interest and Kingdom of Jesus Christ? And now to set up the most Monstrous Monarchy, the most Arbitrary power that could be invented by a perfidious Generation of Professors, how did this cover their faces with shame, who were upright of heart, and desired in good earnest to follow the Lambe whithersoever he should go?
But, This abomination is thrust headlong off the Stage, by the wonderfull power of our God. There are and were an hidden people that would give the Lord no rest, till vengeance was executed upon that spirit of Hypocrisie and Apostacie, which was carrying us back to the Garlick and Onions of Egypt. Salvation, and Glory, and Honour, and Power be unto the Lord our God, and to the Lamb, for ever and ever, Amen.