37. Again, to make the Remedy worfe than the Disease, that thou mighteft, under Pretence of Juftice and Good unto the People, execute thy Wrath upon the Head Magistrate, for that which he could not poffibly avoid through the fecret Decree of the most High God.

38. Whatsoever Men fhall imagine to the contrary, thy Reafon tells thee, thou wouldst not be fo dealt withal, if his Cafe were thine: Therefore art thou not unreasonable, if weighed in the equal Ballance of fober Reafon itself?

39. Again, if thou really believeft there is a Creator, what needit thou trouble thyfelf about Oliver Cromwell, his Council, or Head Officers, in Reference to Things that perifh?:

40. Who can tell for what End the Protector of Heaven and Earth hath fo highly exalted him?

41. Again, if thou haft but a little Patience, and fhalt fee the Lord Jehovah make Ufe of Oliver Cromwell to be an Inftrument of Acts of general Good beyond thy Expectation, though in a Kingly Way, wilt thou not then be afhamed of all thy Reasoning in Reference to his Ruin?

42. Again, if on the contrary he should be an Inftrument of Cruelty above others before him, and fo in a fhort Time be removed by the Creator himself, will it grieve thee then, that thou waft not guilty of his Blood?

43. Again, doth any Men in the World poffefs fuch a kind of continual Peace, as thofe Men which are tender of the Lives of the worst of Men? Who art thou then that wouldft be counted a fober rational Man, and yet wouldft do that to another which by no Means wouldft have done to thyfelf?

44. Again, because of the Endleffness of Man's reasoning against that innocent Peace of Confcience, and Joy in the Ho ly Spirit full of Glory, belonging unto all thofe that are made obedient to this heavenly Rule; therefore I fhall write a little further concerning this needful Point.

45. If this Golden Rule be general, and without Obedience to it, no Man can enjoy true Peace, fome Men may say unto me, are the Magiftrates excluded from Obedience to it, because they are Law-Makers?

46. From

45. From the Holy Spirit of our Lord Jefus Christ, to this I answer: It is impoffible for any Civil Magistrate to be obedient to this Rule: Why? Because you know then, that he could not execute Juftice upon any Man upon what Account foever.

1

46. Again, whether a Head Magistrate be a just or unjust Perfon, yet you may know, that upon a Civil Account, he reprefents the Perfon or Place of the righteous Judge of Quick and Dead; wherefore, according to his Obedience or Difobedience unto his Commands, he fhall be rewarded in this World, or that to come: Therefore know, that fince the God of Glory cloathed himself with Flesh and Bone in the Form of a Man, to kill, or confent to murther the Head Magistrate, it is as if thou hadst murthered the King of Glory himself.

47. Though nothing comes to pafs by Chance or Fortune, but by the providential Decree of the Moft High God, yet no Man can be cleared in his Confcience from the Guilt of innocent Blood all his Days, if fecretly or openly he shall confent to kill the Ruler of the Nation, without an immediate Command by Voice of Words from the God of Heaven and Earth.

48. Suppofe the former Governors of thefe Nations were guilty of much innocent Blood, and Ruin of Families, by their Spiritual Courts fo called, and through their imaginary Wisdom, Lucifer-like, fet in the Throne of God, commanding Men to worship their Inventions, triumphing over all tender Consciences which could not bow down to their Egyptian Calves; and yet what fpiritual or fober rational Man can blame thofe Men for their wilful Bloody-Mindedness, seeing a blind fiery Zeal moved them to it, in Reference to the Worship of their God?

49. Again, if any of them thro' Covetcoufnefs of Silver or Honour amongst Earthly Princes, did only pretend a Divine Worship, and through secret Envy to those which could not obey their Commands, did ruin Men to the utmost of their Power, through thofe Jefuitical Counsellors who were Atheistical, can any fober Man imagine or think that thofe Men were not oftentimes convinced of hypocritical Irrationality, befides a fecret Fear of eternal Vengeance, notwithstanding all their Alefhly Glory, through which they were ftrengthened in

their Spirits, to flatter themselves up with vain Hope that there was no God at all; or if there was any God, to cheat themselves with a Conceit that it was irrational Cruelty, for a Man to think that the Creator could be fo unmerciful, as to create Man for eternal Damnation, in Reference to momentary Infirmities which their frail Natures could by no Means prevent.

50. Again, if thou which thus reafoneft didit truly underftand, that thou hadst no Power in thyfelf to withstand these natural Evils beforefaid, thou couldst not poffibly then commit them; but this is hid from thine Eyes by the fecret Wif dom of the Moft High God, that thou mighteft clear his Divine Juftice, in Reference to thy former Cruelties, with everlafting Thoughts, that thou mighteft have done otherwife when thou waft in thy Earthly Pomp if thou wouldst.

51. If the God of Glory fhould neither recompence Men in this Life, nor in that to come, for all their wilful vainglorious bloody Cruelties, which they think they could prevent if they would, then indeed these feeming wife Men might justly fay, if there be a God, he is fo far from any spiritual Equity, that he falleth fhort of all rational Equity whatfo

ever.

52. Again, this Sort of fpiritual bloody Perfecution of long Continuance being come to the Height, whoever thou art that art offended with the prefent Powers because they have not established fuch a Government as was by many imagined,

53. It is because of thy rational Atheifm or fpiritual Weakness in the wonderful Tranfactions of the Moft High God, in this present Age.

54. Again, whatfoever Oliver Cromwell, his Council, and Adherents are guilty of, it is best known to God, and the Light of their own Confciences:

55. But this I pofitively affirm, by an immediate Commiffion from the Holy Spirit, that the God of Glory that ipiritual Lion of the Tribe of Judah, hath exalted Oliver Cromwell, a Lion of the fame Tribe according to the Flesh, into the Throne of Charles Stuart, that the Yoke of Jefuitical Perfecution

Perfecution for Confcience Sake, may be utterly taken off of the Necks of his People in these three Nations.

56. And that all those Powers which endeavour to exalt the Roman See of Charles's Seed upon his Throne again, may be cut off as fpiritual Rebels against the everliving God, and his glorious Appearances in the Spirits of his Redeemed Ones out of Darkness into his marvelous Light.

57. I fay again, by full Affurance from the everlasting Emanuel, that whatever Oliver Cromwell hath been fuffered to act for attaining the Lordship of three Crowns or Kingdoms, or whatever Depths of Council fhall proceed from him and his Fellow Counsellors, for enlarging their princely Territories.

58. Yet, because he denies throning himself as a spiritual God in the Confciences of his Fellow Mortalls upon what Account soever; though all the Princes of the Earth band together against him which are guilty of fpiritual Tyranny, they fhall profper as thofe that fought against Jofbuab or Judah.

59. Again, whoever thou art which art offended at the prefent Government, under what Pretence foever, if Health, Wealth, Honour, Friendship with Mortals, or Long Life be thy esteemed chief Good, or if thou confefs an eternal Being of all timely Beings, befides thefe perifhing Delights, yet if thou fayeft there is no other God but what is within thee, be thou never fo feemingly pure at prefent, it fhall be manifefted one Day in the Prefence of God, elect Men, and Angels, and in thine own Confcience, that thou art fo far from any fpiritu al Purity, that thou never truly knoweft what rational Purity was, nor where it is.

60. Again, fecing all created Beings through their Finiteness, are naturally fubject to change, or to be changed in their Refolutions, and that Nothing comes to pass by Man's Will nor Angels Wills, but by the fecret providential Will of the unchangeable Gd of all infinite Power, Wisdom, and Glo

ry.

61. Who then is that fpiritual or rational wife Man, but he that is made truly to understand that to contend with a Sword of Steel against a head Magiftrate exalted upon the Throne, through fo many marvelous Difficulties as this present Power

hath

hath been poffeffed withal, is to call in Queftion the Wisdom and Power of God in all the Tranfactions of foreign or civil. Wars fince this World began.

62. Thus thou which art fpiritually rational mayeft know, that it is neither Chance, nor Fortune, nor natural Endowments, nor deep Subtilty, nor Valour, nor Silver, nor carnal Weapons, nor any Power in Men, nor Angels, is the Caufe of exalting Oliver Cromwell, in a Place of fo great Concern

ment.

63. But the mighty God of Jacob hath brought it to pass, to manifeft his prerogative Will on Earth, as it is in Heaven; that his natural Wonders may be as vifible unto Men in this World, as his fpiritual Wonders are vifible, I say unto Angels, Mofes and Elias, in that World to come.

64. Therefore whoever thou art, after the Knowledge or Perufal of this Epiftle, whether Emperor, King, or Beggar, that shall be left to thy own fleshly Wisdom to endeavour the Ruin of this prefent Power of England, Scotland and Ireland; thou shalt be poffeffed with Fear of natural Destruction in this Life, and with a fecret Fear of eternal Damnation in the Life to come.

65. And now, as an eternal Memento of Glory or Shame in this Life, and that to come, from the Spirit of the divine Majefty himself, fuffer me to fpeak a few Words unto thee, which poffeffeth the Title of Lord Protector's Highness.

66. If thou haft Ears to Ear, I humbly befeech thee with a meek and patient Spirit deeply to confider what I fhall fay.

67. If thou shalt be left unto thy own natural Wisdom, only to pretend Liberty of Confcience, and temporal Equity between Man and Man, that, Alexander like, thou mightest conquer the whole World, and through great Victories fhalt fay in thy Heart, there is no other God, or Glory, but what thou injoyeft already: Then after the divine Majefty hath delivered his innocent People by thy Hand out of their fpiritual and natural Tyranny in many Places; as fure as the Lord liveth, thou mayeft juftly expect, that he will difcover thy exceeding Hypocrify in the Sight of Men and Angels.

68. Remember what befel Herod, when the People faid, it was the Voice of God, and not of Man.