Dean-and-Chapter Lands ;—which was a very rich Treasure. As soon as ever we came to the Government, we abated 30,000l. the first half year, and 60,000l. after. We had no benefits of those Estates, at all considerable; [Only the merest fractions of them remaining now unsold.] I do not think, the fiftieth part of what they had :—and give me leave to tell you, You are not so much in debt as we found you.* We know it hath been maliciously dispersed, as if we had set the Nation into 2,500,0007. of debt: but I tell you, you are not so much in debt, by some thousands,-I think I may say, by some hundreds of thousands! This is true that I tell you. We have honestly,-it may be not so wisely as some others would have done,—but with honest and plain hearts, labored and endeavored the disposal of Treasure to Public Uses; and labored to pull off the common charge 60,000l. a-month, as you see. And if we had continued that charge that was left upon the Nation, perhaps we could have had as much money'in hand,' as now we are in debt.— These things being thus, I did think it my duty to give you this account --though it be wearisome even to yourselves and to me.

Now if I had the tongue of an Angel; if I was so certainly Inspired as the holy Men of God have been, I could rejoice, for your sakes, and for these Nations' sakes, and for the sake of God, and of His Cause which we have all been engaged in, If I could move affections in you to that which, if you do it, will save this Nation! If not—you plunge it (to all human appearance), ' it' and all Interests, yea and all Protestants in the world, into irrecoverable ruin !—

Therefore I pray and beseech you, in the name of Christ, Show yourselves to be men; "quit yourselves like men!" It doth not infer any reproach if you do show yourselves men: Christian men,-which alone will make you “quit yourselves." I do not think that, to this work you have in hand, a neutral spirit will do. That is a Laodicean spirit; and we know what God said of that Church: it was "lukewarm," and therefore He would "spew it out of His mouth!" It is not a neutral spirit that is incumbent upon you. And if not a neutral spirit, it is much less a stupefied spirit, inclining you, in the least disposition, the wrong way! Men are, in their private consciences, every day making shipwreck; and it's no wonder if these can shake hands with persons of reprobate Interests :—such, give me leave to think, are the Popish Interests. For the Apostle brands them so, "Having seared consciences." Though I do not judge every man :--but the ringleaders † are

Antea, p. 241.

Of the Insurrectionary persons, and the general Miscellany who favor the Popish Interests; it is on these more than on Papists proper that his Highness is now again coming to glance.

such. The Scriptures foretold there should be such. It is not such a spirit that will carry this work on! It is men in a Christian state; who have works with faith; who know how to lay hold on Christ for remission' of sins,' till a man be brought to "glory in hope." Such an hope kindled in men's spirits will actuate them to such ends as you are tending to and so many as are partakers of that, and do own your standings, wherein the Providence of God hath set and called you to this work, so many' will carry it on.

6

If men, through scruple, be opposite, you cannot take them by the hand to carry them' along with you,'—it were absurd: if a man be scrupling the plain truth before him, it is in vain to meddle with him. He hath placed another business in his mind; he is saying, “O, if we could but exercise wisdom to gain Civil Liberty,-Religion would follow!" [His Highness thinks Religion will PRECEDE,—as I hope thou also, in a sense, emphatically thinkest. His Highness does not much affect Constitution-builders, Oceana Harringtons, and Members of the Rota Club. Here however he has his eye principally upon the late Parliament, with its Constitution-pedantries and parchments.] Certainly there are such men, who are not maliciously blind, whom God, for some cause, exercises. [Yes, your Highness; we poor Moderns have had whole shoals of them, and still have,-in the later sections of that same "work" you are engaged in.] It cannot be expected that they should do anything! [Profound silence.] These men,-they must demonstrate that they are in bonds.--- Could we have carried it thus far, if we had sat disputing in that manner? I must profess I reckon that difficulty more than all the wrestling with flesh and blood. [What could so try one as that Pedant Parliament did; disputing, doling out pennyweights of distilled constitution; and Penruddock, Charles Stuart and the Spaniards waiting momentarily to come in, with Ate and the Searlet Woman in their rear?] Doubting, hesitating men, they are not fit for your work. You must not expect that men of hesitating spirits, under the bondage of scruples, will be able to carry on this work, much less such as are merely carnal, natural; such as having an "outward profession of Godliness," whom the Apostle speaks of so often, "are enemies to the cross of Christ: whose god is their belly; whose glory is in their shame; who mind earthly things." [A really frightful kind of character;—and not yet obsolete, though its dialect is changed!] Do you think these men will rise to such a spiritual heat for the Nation as shall carry you a Cause like this; as will meet and defy' all the oppositions that the Devil and wicked men can make? [Not to BE cr.

*Present official positions.

pected, your Highness; not at all. And yet we, two hundred years later now do we go on expecting it,—by the aid of Ballot-Boxes, Reform-Club Attorneys, &c., &c. !]

Give me leave to tell you,—those that are called to this work, it will not depend' for them' upon formalities, nor notions, nor speeches! [A certain truculency on his Highness's visage.] I do not look the work should be done by these. No;' but by men of honest hearts, engaged to God strengthened by Providence; enlightened in His words, to know His Word,-to which He hath set His Seal, sealed with the blood of His Son, with the blood of His Servants; that is such a spirit as will carry on this work. [Scant in the Pedant Parliament, scant in the Rota Club; not to be found in the Reform-Club Attorney, or his Ballot-Box, at all.].

Therefore I beseech you, do not dispute of unnecessary and unprofitable things which may divert you from carrying on so glorious a work as this is. I think every objection that ariseth is not to be answered; nor have I time for it. I say, look up to God; have peace among yourselves. Know assuredly that if I have interest,* I am by the voice of the People the Supreme Magistrate; [We will have no disputing about that,―you are aware!] and, it may be, do know somewhat that might satisfy my conscience, if I stood in doubt! But it is a union, really it is a union, 'this' between you and me: and both of us united in faith and love to Jesus Christ, and to His peculiar Interest in the world,— that must ground this work. And in that, if I have any peculiar Interest which is personal to myself, which is not subservient to the Public end, —it were not an extravagant thing for me to curse myself: because I know God will curse me, if I have! [Look in that countenance of his Highness! I have learned too much of God, to dally with Him, and to be bold with Him, in these things. And I hope I never shall be bold with Him;-though I can be bold with men, if Christ be pleased to assist!

I say, if there be love between us, so that the Nations† may say, "These are knit together in one bond, to promote the glory of God against the Common Enemy; to suppress everything that is Evil; and encourage whatsoever is of Godliness,"-yea, the Nation will bless you! And really that and nothing else will work off these Disaffections from the minds of men; which are great,-perhaps greater than all the 'other' oppositions you can meet with. I do know what I say. When I speak of these things, I speak my heart before God;-and, as I said before, I dare not be bold with Him. I have a little faith: I have a little lived by faith, and therein I may be "bold." If I spoke other than †The Three Nations.

* Means if you see me in power.'

the affections and secrets of my heart, I know he would not bear it at my hands! [Deep silence; his Highness's voice, in sonorous bass, alone audible in the Painted Chamber.] Therefore in the fear and name of God: Go on, with love and integrity, against whatever arises of contrary to those ends which you know and have been told of; and the blessing of God go with you,-and the blessing of God will go with you! [Amen!]— .

I have but one thing more to say. I know it is troublesome :-But 1 did read a Psalm yesterday; which truly may not unbecome both me to tell you of, and you to observe. It is the Eighty-fifth Psalm ;* it is very instructive and significant: and though I do but a little touch upon it, I desire your perusal at pleasure. [We will many of us read it, this night; almost all of us, with one view or the other ;—and some of us may sing a part of it at evening worship.]

It begins: "Lord, Thou hast been very favorable to Thy Land; Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of Thy People; Thou hast covered all their sin. Thou hast taken away all the fierceness of Thy wrath: Thou hast turned Thyself from the fierceness of Thine anger. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause Thine anger toward us to cease. Wilt Thou be angry with us for ever; wilt thou draw out Thine anger to all genera tions? Wilt Thou not revive us again, that Thy People may rejoice in Thee?" Then he calls upon God as “the God of his salvation,"† and then saith he: "I will hear what God thé Lord will speak: for He will speak peace unto His People, and to His Saints; but let them not turn again to folly. Surely His salvation is nigh them that fear Him;" Oh-" that glory may dwell in our land! Mercy and Truth are met together; Righteousness and Peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the Earth, and Righteousness shall look down from Heaven. Yea the Lord shall give that which is good, and our Land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before Him, and shall set us in the way of his steps." [What a vision of celestial hope is this: vista into Lands of Light, God's Will done on Earth; this poor English Earth an Emblem of Heaven; where God's blessing reigns supreme; where ghastly Falsity and brutal Greed and Baseness, and Cruelty and Cowardice, and Sin and Fear, and all the Helldogs of Gehenna shall lie chained under our feet; and Man, august in divine

* Historical: Tuesday, 16th Sept., 1656; Oliver Protector reading the Eighty-fifth Psalm in Whitehall. We too might read it; but as his Highness recites it all here except one short verse, it is not so necessary.

† Verse 7, Show us Thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us Thy salvation.

manhood, shall step victorious over them, heavenward, like a god! O Oliver, I could weep,—and yet it steads not. Do not I too look into " Psalms,” into a kind of Eternal Psalm, unalterable as adamant,—which the whole world yet will look into? Courage, my brave one!]

Truly I wish that this Psalm, as it is written in the Book, might be better written in our hearts. That we might say as David, " Thou hast done this," and "Thou hast done that;" "Thou hast pardoned our sins; Thou hast taken away our iniquities!" Whither can we go to a better God? For "He hath done it." It is to Him any Nation may come in their extremity, for the taking away of His wrath. How did He do it? "By pardoning their sins, by taking away their iniquities!" If we can but cry unto Him, He will "turn and take away our sins.”— Then let us listen to Him. Then let us consult, and meet in Parliament; and ask Him counsel, and hear what He saith, "for He will speak peace unto His People." If you be the People of God, He will speak peace;—and we will not turn again to folly.

Folly:" a great deal of grudging in the Nation that we cannot have our horse-races, cock-fightings, and the like! [Abolished, suspended for good reasons!] I do not think these are lawful, except to make them recreations. That we will not endure for necessary ends' [For preventing Royalist Plots, and such like] to be abridged of them :-Till God hath brought us to another spirit than this, He will not bear with us. Ay, "but He bears with them in France;" "they in France are so and so!"-Have they the Gospel as we have? They have seen the sun but a little; we have great lights.— —If God give you a spirit of Reformation, you will preserve this Nation from "turning again" to those fooleries:-and what will the end be? Comfort and blessing. Then "Mercy and Truth shall meet together." Here is a great deal of "truth" among professors, but very little "mercy!" They are ready to cut the throats of one another. But when we are brought into the right way, we shall be merciful as well as orthodox: and we know who it is that saith, "If a man could speak with the tongues of men and angels, and yet want that, he is but sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal !"

Therefore I beseech you in the name of God, set your hearts to this 'work.' And if you set your hearts to it, then you will sing Luther's Psalm.* That is a rare Psalm for a Christian!--and if he set his heart

* Psalm Forty-sixth; of which Luther's Paraphrase, Eine feste Burg ist unser Gott, is still very celebrated. Here is the original Psalm.

'God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble: therefore we will not fear,-though the Earth be removed, and though the moun