with honour of those who differ'd from him, treated And on the neck of crowned fortune proud Haft rear'd God's trophies, and his work pursued, Cromwell's own fentiments concerning this matter will be best known from the following paragraphs in his speech at the diffolution of the parliament in 1654. He is rebuking them for their conduct, and among other things, fays, When you were entered upon this government raveling into it, if you had gone upon that foot of account, to have made fuch good and wholfome provifions for the good of the people of these nations, for the fettling of fuch matters in things of religion as would have upheld and given countenance to a godly miniftry, and yet would have given a just liberty to godly men of different judgments, men of the fame faith with them, that you call the Orthodox miniftry in England, as it is well known the independants are, and many under the form of baptifm, who are found in the faith, only may perhaps be different in judgment in fome leffer matters, yet as true chriftians both looking at falvation, only by faith in the blood of Chrift, men profeffing the fear of God, and having recourse to the name of God as to a strong tower; I fay you might have had opportunity to have settled peace and quietnefs amongst all profeffing godliness, and might have been inftrumental, if not to have healed the breaches, yet to have kept the godly of all judgments from running one upon another, and by • keep treated them with much refpect and decency, and keeping them from being overrun by a common enemy, rendered them and these nations both fecure, happy, and well fatisfied. To Are these done, or any thing towards them? Is there not yet upon the fpirits of men a strange itch? Nothing will fatisfy them, unless they can put their finger upon their brethrens confciences, to pinch them there. do this was no part of the conteft we had with the common adversary; for religion was not the thing at the first contefted for, but God brought it to that iffue at laft, and gave it to us by way of redundancy, and at laft it proved to be that which was most dear to us; and wherein confitted this, more than in obtaining that liberty from the tyranny of the bishops to all species of Proteftants, to worship God according to their own light and confciences? for want of which many of our brethren forfook their native countries to feek their bread from ftrangers, and to live in howling wilderneffes; and for which alfo, many that remained here were imprisoned and otherwife abused. Thofe who were found in the faith, how proper was it for them to labour for liberty, for a juft liberty, that men 'fhould not be trampled upon for their confciences? Had not they laboured but lately under the weight of perfecutions, and was it fit for them to fit heavy upon • others? Is it ingenuous to afk liberty and not to give it? What greater hypocrify, than for those who were oppreffed by the bishops, to become the greatest oppreffors themselves as foon as their yoke was re• moved! I could wish that they who call for liberty now 6 alfo, had not too much of that spirit if the power. were in their hands. As for prophane persons, blafphemers, fuch as preach fedition, the contentious railers, evil speakers, who feek by evil words to corrupt good manners, perfons of loofe converfations, punishment from the civil magiftrate ought to meet with 6 them; and openly declar'd for their toleration and encou them; because if thefe pretend confcience, yet walking diforderly, and not according but contrary to the • Gospel, and even to natural light, they are judged of all, and their fins being open, makes them fubjects (x) Whitof the magiftrate's fword, who ought not to bear it in lock, p. • vain (x).'-In a fpeech to the parliament, Ap. 3, 1657, fpeaking concerning the provifion made for liberty of conscience in the Humble Petition and Advice, he made use of the following words: As to the liberty of 'men profeffing godliness under the variety of forms 614. amongst us, you have done that, which was never ⚫ done before; and I pray God it may not fall upon the • people of God as a fault in them, or any fort of them, if they do not put such a value on what was done, as never was put on any thing fince Chrift's time, for (y) Thurfuch a catholick intereft of the people of God (y).- loe, vol. i. Thefe extracts fully evince Cromwell's judgment concerning liberty of confcience, and make appear how zealous he indeed was to restrain men from injuring each other on the account of it: in a word, they fhew the man, the chriftian, the politician. I must add, 3. That Oliver's practice was conformable to his principles. Though he declar'd himself an independant, (I fuppofe as that fect avowedly appear'd for civil and religious liberty in its greatest latitude) yet he confin'd not his refpect or bis favours to them. He had great latitude of judgment, and conceiv'd that as 'twas very poffible for wife and good men to differ in their opinions about many points of religion, yet being equally wife and honeft, they ought equally to be regarded. We find Manten praying at his inauguration, Baxter preaching at his court, and Calamy consulted by him on a point of importance. Thefe were all Prefbyterians, little affected to him, but inclin'd to the royal intereft. The epifcopalians, many of them, were treated with equal favour and regard, though the party, as fuch, gave him a good deal of trouble. He fent for Dr. Brownrig, bishop of Exeter, P. 757. er, p. 73, & feqq. folio. Lond. 1686. encouragement. Indeed he constantly was a friend to religious liberty, and an op pofer Exeter, and treated him with great outward respect; he faved Dr. Barnard's life at the taking Droghedah, and made him his almoner; he invited archbishop Uber to him, and us'd him with much civility, converfing with him about the advancement of the proteftant religion at home and abroad, and promifing him to make him a lease of some parts of the lands belonging to the archbishoprick of Armagh for 21 years, and at his death, order'd him to be interr'd with great pomp in Weftmin(2) Part's fter Abby, where Dr. Barnard to a crowded audience Life of Uth- preach'd his funeral fermon (z). Dr. Parr, from whom I have the above particulars, imputes Cromwell's order-t ing this fo honourable an interment of Usher's corps, not only to a defire of advancing his own honor, but likewife to a defign of punishing User's relations, by putting them to a great expence: but as he owns the Protector contributed two hundred pounds towards it, it is no way likely he had any fuch view. He probably thought, that fufficient for a very honourable burialthose who exceeded it were to blame themselves, if they were hurt thereby.-But 'tis very hard to please those who are difpos'd to find fault.Cromwell's behaviour was alfo equally humane to fuch as profefs'd opinions uncountenanc'd by the many in Britain. To John Biddle who was a Unitarian, and the father of the English Unitarians, in his banishment into Scilly, he allowed a pension of an hundred crowns a year; he admitted Jeremiah White and Peter Sterry into the number of his chaplains, though few speculated more freely on the ends and defigns of providence, or more out of the then road; and John Goodwin, though hated by the fashionMr. Thom, able ecclefiaftics, continued conftantly in his favour (a). Nor were even the Romanifts that behav'd well, deftitute of it. Sir Kenelm Digby, a man of quality, a philofopher and a catholic, in a letter to Mr. Secretary Thurlee, dated Paris, March 18, 1656, has the follow (a) Life of Firmin, P. 10. 8vo. Lond. 1698. pofer of fpiritual tyranny. No wonder therefore that, in the first part of life, he fell (L) in ing paffages. My obligations to his Highnefs are fo great, that it would be a crime in me to behave myfelf fo negligently as to give caufe for any fhadow of the leaft fufpicion, or to do any thing that might re'quire an excufe or apology. I make it my bufinefs. every where, to have all the world take notice how • highly I efteem myself obliged to his Highness, and how paffionate I am for his fervice, and for his honor • and interest, even to the expofing of my life for them. 8 -I should think my heart were not an honeft one, • if the blood about it were not warmed with any the ⚫ least imputation upon my respects and my duty to his (6) ThurHighness, to whom I owe so much (b).' Mr. Prynne loe, vol. iv. informs us, that Sir Kenelme was lodged by Cromwell P. 592. at Whitehall; that he fufpended penal laws againft () True and perfect • Romish priests; and protected feveral of them under narrative of ⚫ his hand and feal (c).' 'Tis certain he wrote to the what was done, fpokgovernor of Virginia in favour of Lord Baltimore, pro- en by, and prietor of Maryland, who was of the Catholic perfwa- between fion (d). Mr.Prynne, &c. the 7th name of I will add but one thing more. 'Tis well known of May, Cremwell (though a believer in the prophecies of the Old 1659. Teftament, equally, to fay the leaft, with our modern without controvertists) was willing to harbour the Jews in Eng- place or land; that he appointed an affembly of men of feveral printer. profeffions to consider of the expediency of it; and that (d) Thurloe, vol. i. 'twas not owing to him or his council that it prov'd loft P. 724. labour.All these confiderations will, if I mistake not, abundantly make appear the truth of the text, that bigottry made no part of Cromwell's character. It may be faid this was all policy - If it was it was not the policy of bigots, who break through every tie, human and divine, in order to promote their implanted nonfense and fuperftition. (1) He fell in with the puritans, greatly oppreffed.] The controverfy between the prelatifts and the puritans |