character. Like an honeft man, he profess'd

his

above the fway of thefe kind of men; there was nothing in him for them to work on, they therefore either never attacked him, or defifted. This will appear from his judgment concerning the nature of the minifterial function, and the bounds within which it ought to be confined; his fix'd opinion concerning liberty of confcience in matters of religion; and his behaviour towards men of the most different and oppofite principles.

1. Cromwell's open and avowed judgment concerning the nature and bounds of the ministerial function, clearly leads us to conclude that he was free from bigottry. In his letter to the governor of Edinburgh caftle dated Sept. 9, 1650, he fays, The minifters in England are fupported, and have liberty to preach the Gospel, though not to raile, nor under pretence thereof to overtop the civil power, or debafe it as they pleafe. No'man hath been troubled in England or Ireland for preaching the Gospel, nor has any minifter been molefted in Scotland fince the coming of the army hither. The fpeaking truth becomes the minifters of Chrift. When minifters pretend to a glorious reformation, and lay the foundation thereof in getting to themfelves worldly power, and can make worldly mixtures to accomplifh the fame, fuch as their late agreement with their King, and hopes by him to carry on their defign, may (~) Thur-know, that the Sion promised and hoped for, will not be built with fuch untempered mortar (r)."

loe, vol. i.

P. 159.

་

In reply to the Scottish minifters faying they had juft 'cause to regret, that men of civil employments should ufurp the calling and employment of the miniftry' he afks, Are you troubled that Chrift is preached? Is ' preaching fo inclufive in your function? Doth it fcandalize the reformed kirks, and Scotland in particular? Is it against the covenant? Away with the covenant if this be fo. I thought the covenant and these could have been willing, that any fhould fpeak good of the name of Chrift; if not, it is no covenant of God's

"
• ap-

his own fentiments, and adher'd to the fect he

approving, nor of the kirk's you mention, in so much the fpoufe of Chrift. Where do you find in Scripture a ground to warrant fuch an affertion, that preaching is included in your function? Tho' an approbation • from men hath order in it, and may doe well, yet he that hath not a better warrant than that, hath none at all. I hope he that afcended up on high may give his gifts to whom he please; and if thofe gifts be the feal of miffion, be not envious, though Eldad and Medad prophefie.Indeed you erre through the miftake of the Scriptures; approbation is an act of 'conveniency in refpect of order, not of neceffity to I give faculty to preach the Gofpel. Your pretended fear, leaft error fhould step in, is like the man, that would keep all the wine out of the country, leaft men fhould be drunk. It would be found an unjust and unwife jealoufie, to deny a man the liberty, he hath by nature, upon a fuppofition he may abuse it: when he doth abuse it, judge. If a man speak foolishly, ye fuffer him gladly, becaufe ye are wife; if erroneously, the truth more appears by your conviction; ftop fuch ' a man's mouth with found words, that cannot be gainfaid if blafphemously, or to the difturbance of the publick peace, let the civil magiftrate punish him: if truly, rejoice in the truth. And if you will call our fpeakings together, fince we came into Scotland, ⚫ to provoke one another to love and good works, to faith in our Lord Jefus Chrift, and repentance from dead works, to charity and love towards you, to pray * and mourne for you, and for the bitter returns to, and incredulity of our profeffions of love to you, of the truth of which we have made our folemne and humble appeals to the Lord our God, which he hath heard and born witnefs to; if these things be fcandalous to the kirk, and against the covenant, because done by 'men of civil callings, we rejoice in them, notwithstanding what you fay (s.Thefe are fentiments vol. i. p. which, however tinctur'd with enthufiafm, declare a 161.

D 4

mind

Thurlos,

he most approv'd;-but he spoke at all times
with

mind free from bigottry, and incapable of being de-
luded by the cant of heavenly miffion, uninterrupted fuc-
ceffion, indelible character, and the power of binding and
loofing mens fins! Oliver had a fufficient prefervative in
his own understanding against the principles and prac-
tices of these men who make use of such magical terms.

2. Cromwell's fix'd opinion concerning liberty of conscience in matters of religion, evinces his freedom from bigottry. No bigot has had fenfe enough to fee the plain and juft right which every man has to think and act for himself in matters purely of a religious nature; or to be convinc'd that unlefs men freely and voluntarily choofe their religion, they can have no merit in the eyes of God or reasonable men; and confequently that they ought never to be debarr'd from acting according to their own choice. The bigot is always in the right; every man of a different belief is in the wrong; heaven is his own portion, but hell and damnation attend thofe who think and act oppofite to him.Oliver was not of this caft. He always profefs'd it to be his belief that men had a right to think and act for themselves in matters of religion, and that as long as they behav'd peaceably they were free to diffent from the magiftrate and the priest. Mr. Ludlow tells us the liberty that was to be extended to tender confciences, was an engine by which Cromwell did most of his work (t). And Mr. Baxter fays, ()Reliquiae Liberty of confcience he pretended to be moft zealous 'for (u).' What follows will I think plainly make it appear that he was indeed fo.

() Memoirs, vol.

ii. P. 509.

Baxterianæ,

by Silvefter, part ii. p. 205. Folio. Lond. 1696.

Milton, in the following beautiful fonnet, which I believe every lover of virtue and the mufes will read here with pleasure, addreffes himself to him as the patron of this most glorious caufe.

Cromwell, our chief of men, who through a cloud
Not of war only, but detractions rude,

Guided by faith and matchlefs fortitude,

To peace and truth thy glorious way haft plough'd,

And

with honour of those who differ'd from him,

And on the neck of crowned fortune proud

treated

Haft rear'd God's trophies, and his work pursued,
While Darwen ftream with blood of Scots imbrued,
And Dunbar field refounds thy praises loud,
And Worcester's laureat wreath. Yet much remains
To conquer ftill; peace hath her victories
No lefs renown'd than war: new foes arise
Threatning to bind our fouls with secular chains:
Help us to fave free confcience from the paw
Of hireling wolves, whofe gofpel is their maw.

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 ministry, and yet would have given a juft liberty to godly men of different judgments, men of the fame faith with them, that you call the Orthodox ministry 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 hav⚫ing recourfe to the name of God as to a strong tower; I fay you might have had opportunity to have fettled 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 thefe nations both fecure, happy, and well fatisfied.

Are thefe done, or any thing towards them? Is there ⚫ not yet upon the fpirits of men a ftrange itch? Nothing will fatisfy them, unlefs 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 adverfary; for religion was not the thing at the first contefted for, but God brought it to that iflue 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 confided this, more than in obtaining that liberty from the tyranny of the bifhops to all fpecies of Proteftants, to worthip God according to their own light and confciences? for want of which many of our brethren forfook their native countries to seek their bread from ftrangers, and to live in howling wilderneffes; and for which allo, many that remained here were imprifoned and otherwife abused. Those 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 thofe who were opprefled by the bithops, to become the greatest 'oppreflors themfelves as foon as their yoke was removed! I could with that they who call for liberty now alfo, had not too much of that fpirit if the power were in their hands. As for prophane perfons, blafphemers, fuch as preach fedition, the contentious railers, evil fpeakers, who feek by evil words to corrupt good manners, perfons of loofe converfations, punishment from the civil magiftrate ought to meet with

them;