him.

worldly prosperity may be, I would advise no nation nor statesman nor man to be prompt in clapping up an alliance. He will not come to good, I think; not he, for one. Bad security in his firm; have no trade with With him your only fit trade is, Duel to the death, when the time comes for that!] And he that considers not such natural enmity, the providential enmity, as well as the accidental, I think he is not well acquainted with Scripture and the things of God. And the Spaniard is not only our enemy accidentally, but he is providentially so; God having in His wisdom disposed it so to be, when we made a breach with the Spanish Nation 'long ago.'

No sooner did this Nation form what is called (unworthily) the Reformed Religion [It was not half reformed!] after the death of Queen Mary, by the Queen Elizabeth of famous memory, we need not be ashamed to call her so! [No, your Highness; the Royal court-phrase expresses in this case an exact truth. She was and is "of famous memory."]-but the Spaniard's design became, By all unworthy, unnatural means, to destroy that Person, and to seek the ruin and destruction of these Kingdoms. For me to instance in particulars upon that account, were to trouble you at a very unseasonable time: there is a Declaration extant [The Council's "Declaration," in October last], which very fully hath in it the origin of the Spaniard venting himself upon this Nation; and a series of it* from those very beginnings to this present day. But his enmity was partly upon that general account which all are agreed 'about.' The French, all the Protestants in Germany, all have agreed, That his design was the empire of the whole Christian World if not more;-and upon that ground he looks and hath looked' at this Nation as his greatest obstacle. And as to what his attempts have been for that end, I refer you to that Declaration, and to the observations of men who read History. It would not be difficult to call to mind the several Assassinations designed upon that Lady, that great Queen : the attempts upon Ireland, the Spaniards' invading of it; their designs of the same nature upon this Nation,-public designs, private designs, all manner of designs, to accomplish this great and general end. Truly King James made a Peace; but whether this Nation, and the interest of all Protestant Christians, suffered not more by that Peace, than ever by Spain's hostility, I refer to your consideration!

Thus a State which you can neither have peace with nor reason from, that is the State with which you have enmity at this time, and against which you are engaged. And give me leave to say this untc you, because it is truth, and most men know it, That the Long Parlia

* Of 'his ventings,' namely.

>

nent did endeavor, but could not obtain satisfaction from the Spaniard' all the time they sat: for their Messenger [Poor Ascham!] was murdered and when they asked satisfaction for the blood of your poor people unjustly shed in the West Indies [Yes, at Tortuga, at St. Kitts; in many a place and time !], and for the wrongs done elsewhere; when they asked liberty of conscience for your people who traded thither,satisfaction in none of these things would be given, but was denied. I say, they denied satisfaction either for your Messenger that was mur dered, or for the blood that was shed, or the damages that were done in the West Indies. No satisfaction at all; nor any reason offered why there should not be liberty of conscience' given to your people that traded thither. Whose trade was very considerable there, and drew many of your people thither; and begot an apprehension in us 'as to their treatment there,'-whether in you or no, let God judge between you and Himself. I judge not; but all of us know that the people who went thither to manage the trade there, were imprisoned. We desired 'but' such a liberty as 'that' they might keep their Bibles in their pockets, to exercise their liberty of religion for themselves, and not be under restraint. But there is not liberty of conscience to be had from the Spaniard ;' neither is there satisfaction for injuries, nor for blood. When these two things were desired, the Ambassador told us, "It was to ask his Master's two eyes ;** to ask both his eyes, asking these things of him!—

Now if this be so, why, truly then here is some little foundation laid to justify the War that has been entered upon† with the Spaniard ! And not only so: but the plain truth of it is, Make any peace with any State that is Popish and subjected to the determination of Rome and' of' the Pope himself,-you are bound, and they are loose. It is the pleasure of the Pope at any time to tell you, That though the man is murdered [Poor Ascham, for example !], yet his murderer hath got into the sanctuary! And equally true is it, and hath been found by common and constant experience, That Peace is but to be kept so long as the Pope saith Amen to it. [What is to be done with such a set of people?]—We have not 'now' to do with any Popish State except France; and it is certain that they do not think themselves under such a tie to the Pope; but think themselves at liberty to perform honesties with nations in agreement with them, and protest against the obligation of such a thing as that,—' of breaking your word at the Pope's bidding.' They are able to give us an explicit answer to anything reasonably demanded of them: and there is no

these two things: Exemption to our traders from injury in the West Indies, and Liberty to have Bibles and worship:-See Thurloe (i., 760, 1); Bryan Edwards (i., 141-3); &c.

†' that was had' in orig.

other Popish State we can speak of, save this only, but will break their promise or keep it as they please upon these grounds,—being under the lash of the Pope, to be by him determined, and made to decide.'

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In the time when Philip Second was married to Queen Mary, and since that time, through Spanish power and instigation, Twenty-thousand Protestants were murdered in Ireland. We thought, being denied just things, we thought it our duty to get that by the sword which was not to be had otherwise! And this hath been the spirit of Englishmen ; and if so, certainly it is, and ought to be, the spirit of men that have higher spirits! [Yes, your Highness: “ Men that are Englishmen and more,— Believers in God's Gospel, namely !"—Very clumsily said; but not at all clumsily meant, and the very helplessness of the expression adding something of English and Oliverian character to it.]-With that State you are engaged. And it is a great and powerful State :-though I may say also, that with all other Christian States you are at peace. All these 'your other' engagements were upon you before this Government was undertaken: War with France, Denmark,-nay, upon the matter, War, 'or as good as War,' with Spain 'itself.' I could instance how it was said 'in the Long Parliament time,' "We will have a war in the Indies, though we fight them not at home." I say, we are at peace with all other Nations, and have only a war with Spain. I shall say somewhat 'farther' to you, which will let you see our clearness 'as' to that, by and by.

Having thus 'said, we are' engaged with Spain,-' that is the root of the matter;' that is the party that brings all your enemies before you. [Coming now to the Home Malignants.] It doth: for so it is now that Spain hath espoused that Interest which you have all along hitherto been conflicting with,-Charles Stuart's Interest. And I would but meet the gentleman upon a fair discourse who is willing that that Person should come back again!-but I dare not believe any in this room is [Heavens, nɔ; not one of us!] And I say it doth not detract at all from your Cause, nor from your ability to make defence of it, That God by His providence hath so disposed that the King of Spain should espouse that Person. And say 'farther' [His Highness's spirit gets somewhat tumultuous here, and blazes up with several ideas at once,-producing results of “some inextricableness," as he himself might phrase it], No man but might be very well satisfied that it is not for aversion to that Person [Not for his sake that we have gone to war with Spain :—the Cavaliers talk loudly so, and it is not so]-! And the "choosing out" (as was said to-day)* "a Captain to lead us back into Egypt," 'what honest man has not an aversion to that?'-if there be such a place? I mean metaphorically and alle

I

* In Owen's Sermon

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gorically such a place; if there be," that is to say, A returning 'on the part of some' to all those things we have been fighting against, and a destroying of all that good (as we had some hints to-day) which we have attained unto-?—I am sure my Speech and defence of the Spanish

war

will signify very little, if such grounds [Grounds indicated, in this composite "blaze of ideas," which is luminous enough, your Highness; but too simultaneous for being very distinct to strangers!] go not for good! Nay I will say this to you, Not a man in England that is disposed to comply with Papists and Cavaliers, but to him my Speech here is the greatest parable, the absurdest discourse! And in a word. we could wish they were all where Charles Stuart is, all who declare ["By their cavilling at Spanish Wars and so on :" his Highness looks animated!] that they are of that spirit. I do, with all my heart ;-and I would help them with a boat to carry them over, who are of that mind! Yea, and if you shall think it a duty to drive them over by arms, I will help in that also!—

You are engaged with such an Enemy; a foreign enemy, who hath such allies among ourselves :-this last said hath a little vehemency in it [His Highness repents him of blazing up into unseemly heat] : but it is well worth your consideration.

6

Though I seem to be, all this while, upon the justice of the business, yet my desire is to let you see the dangers and grand crisis' this Nation stands in thereby.' All the honest interests; yea, all interests of the Protestants, in Germany, Denmark, Helvetia and the Cantons, and all the interests in Christendom, are the same as yours. If you succeed, if you succeed well and act well, and be convinced what is God's Interest, and prosecute it, you will find that you act for a very great many who are God's own. Therefore I say that your danger is from the common Enemy abroad; who is the head of the Papal Interest, the head of the Antichristian Interest,-who is so described in Scripture, so forespoken of, and so fully, under that characteral name of 'Antichrist' given him by the Apostle in the Epistle to the Thessalonians, and likewise so expressed in the Revelations; which are sure and plain things! Except you will deny the truth of the Scriptures, you must needs see that that State is so described in Scripture to be Papal and Antichristian. [Who would not go to war with it!] I say, with this Enemy, and upon this account, you have the quarrel,—with the Spaniard.

And truly he hath an Interest in your bowels ;* he hath so. The Papists in England,-they have been accounted, ever since I was born, Spaniolised. There is not a man among us can hold up his face against

* Old phrase for the interior of your own country."

that. The justifying of the Spanish War is a great point with his Highness!] They never regarded France; they never regarded any other Papist State where a 'hostile' Interest was, 'but Spain only.' Spain was their patron. Their patron all along, in England, in Ireland and Scotand no man can doubt of it. Therefore I must needs say, this Spanish' Interest is also, in regard to your home-affairs, a great зource of your danger. It is, and it evidently is; and will be more so -upon that account that I told you of: He hath espoused Charles Stuart! With whom he is fully in agreement; for whom he hath raised Seven or Eight Thousand men, and has them now quartered at Bruges ; to which number Don John of Austria has promised that, so soon as the campaign is ended, which it is conceived will be in about five or six weeks, he shall have Four or Five Thousand added. And the Duke of Newburgh who is a Popish Prince, hath promised good assistance according to his power: and other Popish States the like. In this condition you are with that State of Spain;' and in this condition through unavoidable necessity; because your Enemy was naturally an enemy, and is providentially too become so. [Always, by the law of his being, as Antichristian to Christian, a VIRTUAL enemy; and now Providence, with be neficent wisdom, has developed him into an actual one." That was his Highness's fundamental reason for rushing at him in the West Indies ? Because he was Antichrist ?" ask some moderns.Why yes, it might help, my red-tape Friends! I know well, if I could fall in with Antichrist qnywhere, with Supreme Quack and Damnability anywhere, I should be right happy to have a stroke at him if there seemed any chance !]

And now farther,- --as there is a complication of these Interests abroad, so there is a complication of them here. Can we think that Papists and Cavaliers shake not hands in England? It is unworthy, Unchristian, Un-English-like,* say you.' Yes; but it doth serve to let you see, and for that end I tell it you that you may see, your danger, and the source thereof. Nay it is not only thus, in this condition of hostility, that we stand towards Spain: and towards all the Interest which would make void and frustrate everything that has been doing for you: namely, towards the Popish Interest, Papists and Cavaliers ;-but it is also- [His Highness finds this sentence will not do, and so tries it another way]-That is to say, your danger is so great, if you will be sensible of it, by reason of Persons who pretend other things! [Coming now to the great Miscellany of Anabaptists, Republicans, Levellers; your Allens, Sexbys, Overtons.] 'Pretend, I say;' yea who, though perhaps they do not all suit in their hearts with the said 'Popish' Interest→→

* To combine with Papists, even for Royalists to do so.