Proceeds of the Protector, Testimony
Here followes the TESTIMONY of Sir HENRY VANE delivered in writing by his own hands.
My Lord,
HAving ſomething in my mind to ſpeak by way of more peculiar addreſſe and concernment to your Lordſhip than the reſt of your company, I have choſen to do it by theſe lines, as the Teſtimony which upon this occaſion I deſire to ſpeak before your own conſcience in the ſight of God.
The Scripture ſaith, he that will ſave his life ſhall looſe it, and he that will looſe his life for Chriſts ſake and the Goſpell (in faithfull witneſſe bearing) ſhall ſave it; This Word of the Lord is in eſpeciall manner fulfilling amongſt the Saints and people of God at this day, whom the Lord is bringing very eminently upon the ſtage of tryall and ſufferings, and that not onelyonly from open enemies, that ſin in a declared prophane ſpirit, but from equalls and friends that have gone into the Houſe of God in company, and taken ſweet counſell together in all their concern's, but yet come at laſt to hate their Brethren, and caſt them out under a pretence of Z…al and glorifying God therein.
And to come a little nearer the Caſe in hand, this great Truth is haſtening a pace to be made good in thoſe principles, that ſpirit, and courſe of action your Lordſhip is found in, and in thoſe which the Lord enables me to own and profeſſe, and is bringing me through his rich grace in ſome weak meaſure, to the practice of, which are to cleave to what is right and good, though power be on the other ſide to oppoſe it.
The Meſſuage which in former times you fent me, is in my Memory ſtill, it was immediately after the Lord had appeared with you againſt Duke Hamiltons Army, when you bid a Friend of mine, tell your Brother Vane (for ſo you then thought fit to call me) that you were as much unſatisfied with his paſſive and ſuffering principles, as he was with your active; and indeed I muſt crave leave to make you this Reply at this time, that I am as little ſatisfied with your active, and ſelf-eſtabliſhing Principles, in the lively colours wherein daily they ſhew themſelves, as you are or can be with my paſſive Ones, and am willing in thi… to joyn iſſue with you, and to begg of the Lord to judge between us and to give the deciſion according to truth and righteouſneſſe.
And having named Truth and Righteouſneſſe, ſurely it may but too truly be ſaid, that amongſt us remains nothing but the Name, the power and life thereof ſeems to be ceaſed from our land, and is baniſhed from the ſocieties of moſt men; Yet my Lord, it is that whereby the actions and practice of all men are to be ruled, as well of Governors as of the governed. Governours themſelves are neither to be, nor make themſelves more then what in truth and righteouſnes they are and ought to be: When they ſwerve from this rule, they become ſinners and muſt look by tranſgreſſion to fall, as well as the loweſt of the People.
That which in truth of fact you were, is viſſible enough to every eye, that is to ſay, under the Legiſlative Authority of the People Repreſenſented in Parliament, duly choſen and rightly conſtituted: you and the Force under your command are the Nations ſtrength, and formed military Power, kept up by a derived Authority from them, at a ſettled Pay to be imployed for the Nations uſe and ſervice, and theirs onelyonly; and over this Military body you are by them placed as the head.
This then is the Power, which duly and properly you are, and more than this, I am not ſatisfied in my Conſcience is in Truth and Righteouſneſſe, appertaining unto you; to uſe this power lawfully, is your honour, your duty, your ſafety, as well as their well-fare, and preſervation, for whom it was raiſed, and is ſtill pay'd. To uſe this unlawfully as evidently you doe, when you go about to aſſume and eſtabliſh to your ſelfe the Power of your head, and at beſt will but allow them but to ſhare with you in their known Right to the Legiſlative Authority, unto your whom your ſelf, and the Army under your Command acknowledged the whole to be due, when as a ſeale ſet to this their Authority, they cauſed juſtice to be done upon the late King; you then become like that one finner, which Eccleſ. 9.19. is ſaid to deſtroy much good, and do forget that wiſdome which teaches, and reſtrains from ſuch unlawfull uſe of force and ſtrength, is better then weapons of war mannaged never ſo ſucceſſefully in a way of deſtroying that which is right and good, whatever worldly gain and advantage in other reſpects to be obtained thereby.
And although your own Conſcience cannot but conſent to the truth of what is here told you, in the name and fear of the Lord, yet being ſtrong and truſting to the power of your ſword, which is Fleſh and not Spirit, is man and not God, your heart is lifted up, if you ſpeedily repent not, unto your deſtruction; for you are not able to hear the reproofs of the Lord, nor the faithfull witneſſe and advice of his Saints and people that in love and true friendſhip diſſwade you from going on in this way, as foreſeeing and foretelling your ruine and deſtruction therein: And the fears they have, that you will not ruine alone, foraſmuch as their outward ſafety & welfare is ſo very far included in yours.
Nor doth the Witneſſe of the Saints which they bear againſt you reſt here; but it is too evident to thoſe of them, that have a ſpirit of diſcerning, that in reference as well to Chriſt your heavenly head, as to the good people of this Nation in Parliament Aſſembled, and rightly Conſtituted who were, and ought to be your earthly Head; you lift up your heel, and harden your ſelf every day more than other, in a fixed Reſolution not to become ſubject, as is your duty, nor to hold and keep your ſelf in your due ſtation alloted to you in the Body; but are ayming at the Throne in ſpirituals as well as Temporals; and to ſet up your ſelf in a capacity of not holding your head either in the one conſideration or the other.
And if this evill be in you at the bottome, be aſſured the Lord will ſpeedily lay it open as before the Sun, and none of the webbs you are weaving will prove garments to cover your nakedneſſe; neither will your agreements or convenants with death ſtand; even thoſe pollitick contrivances and conjunctions with thoſe that are the enemies, whether open or ſecret, againſt the Spirit of life, and the workings and manifeſtations thereof, in the ſuffering Saints and annointed ones of the Lord Jeſus, whom the Lord is about to own for his wiſedome in the midſt of the Earth, unto which excellent Spirit that ſhall be found in thoſe holy ones of the Lord, not onelyonly this Nations wiſedome in their very ſupream Aſſembly, but the Ruling powers of the whole world ſhall yield ſubjection, and think it their glory to become ſubſervient to the bringing forth of the new Heavens and that new Earth, wherein dwells righteouſneſſe and truth; this is the foundation Stone, Elect and precious, which through faith is ſeen to be laid already in our Sion at this day, which thoſe that believe, and make not haſt, ſhall arrive to the experience of, and ſhall diſcerne that this Stone is in cutting out amongſt us without hands, to its becoming a great Mountain, and filling the whole Earth.
Take then in good part before it be too late, this faithfull warning and following advice of an ancient friend, but is now thought fit to be uſed and dealt with as an Enemy.
Break off timely your ſinnes by repentance, do judgement, execute juſtice, and walk humbly before the Lord; yea, rent your hearts and not your garments, for thoſe are the faſts the Lord hath choſen, break every yoak, and let the oppreſſed go free; in one word, proceed no further in lifting up your ſelf againſt the Lord of Heaven, but inſtead of cauſing the veſſells of his houſe, even his moſt precious Saints to be brought before you (as you do daily) for to exerciſe publique ſcorn and tryumph over them, ſee that your true intereſt lies with them and in them, as well now as hertofore, and endeavour to recover their hearts to you, and their prayers for you, leaſt your God in whoſe hands your breath is, and whoſe are all your waies, whom you have not cared to glorify as you ought) ſhould ariſe ſuddenly and teare you in pieces, by the immediate ſtroak of his own vengeance, and there be none to deliver, even ſuch of you who live in pleaſure on the Earth, and have been wanton, and nouriſhed your ſelves as in a day of ſlaughter, who have condemned, and in your hearts killed the juſt One, and he doth not reſiſt you; But behold the Judge ſtandeth at the door.
FINIS.
End of the text · Henry Vane, Proceeds of the Protector (1656)