P A Pt r I. Reverend Mr. RichardBaxter. 10I The Army fet upRichard Cromwell, it feemeth upon Tryal ; refolving to ufè him as he behaved himfelf: And though they fwore Fidelity to him, they meant to keep it no longer than he pleafed them ; And when they faw that he began to favour the fober People of the Land, to honour Parliaments, and to refpeft the Miniffers, whom they called Presbyterians, they prefendy refolved to make him know his Matters, and that it was they and not he, that were called by God to be the chief Proteétors of the Intereft of the Nation. He was not fo formidable to them as his Father was, and therefore every one boldly fpurned at him. TheFifth Monarchy Men followed Sir Henry Vane, and raifed a great and violent clamorous Party againft him, among the Seetaries in the City : Rogers and Feake, and filch like Firebrands preach them into Fury, and blow the Coales; But Dr. Owen and his Affìnants did the main Work : He gatheretha Church at ( at Lieutenant Ge- neral Fleetwood's Quarters, at Wallingford Houfe, confining of the a&ive Officers of the Army ( thisChurch -gathering hath been the Church fcattering Proje& ) In this Affembly it was determined that Richard's Parliament muff be diffolved, and then he quickly fell himfelf : ( Though he never abated their Libertiesor their Greatnefs; yet did he not fufficiently befriend them ) Ditlum fablum; almoff as quickly doneas determined: Though Col.Richard Ingolrby and fòme others, would have track to the Prote&or, and have ventured to lùrprile theLeaders ofthe Fa&i -. on, and the Parliament would have been true to him ; yet Berry's Regiment of Horte, and fome others, were prefently ready tohave begun the Fray again( him; and as he fought not the Government, he was refolved it Ihould conno Blood to keep him in it : But if they would venture for their Parts on new Confufions, he would venture hisPart by retiring tohis Privacy : And fo he did ( to fatisfie theft proud dinra&ed Tyrants, who thought they did but pull down Tyranny ) re- fign the Government by a Writing under hisHand, and retired himf, 1 and left them to govern as they pleafed. His Good Brother in Law , Fleetwood, and his Uncle Desborougb were fo intoxi- cated as to be the Leaders of the Confpiracy : And when they had pull'd him down, they fee up a few of themfelves under the Name of a Council of State; and fo mad were they with Pride, as to think the Nation would nand by and reve- rence them, and obediently wait upon them in their drunken Giddinels ; and that their Fa&ion in the Army was made by God an invincible Terror to all that did but hear their Names. The Care of the Bufinefs alfo was, that Oliver had once madeFleetwood believe that he Ihould be his Succeffor, and drawn an Inftrument to that purpofe ; but his labWill difappointed him. And then the Se&aries flat- tered him, faying, that a truly Godly Man that had commanded them in the Wars was to be preferred before (itch an one as they cenfured to have no true Godlinefs. S rqb. I make no doubt but God permitted all this for Good; and that as it was their Treafon to fee up Oliver and defroy the King, fo it was their Duty to have fet up the prefent King lobead of Richard : And Godmade them the means, to their own Debru&ion, contrary to their Intentions, to redore theMonarchy and Family which they had ruined. But all this is noThanks to them ; but that which witha good Intention had been a Duty (to take down or not fet upRichard Crom- well) yet as done by them was as barbarous Perfideoufnefs as molt ever Hiftory diddeclare: That they fhould fo fuddenly, fo fcornfully and proudly pull down him whom they had fo lately fee up themfelvesand fworn to : And that for no- thing; they could fcarce tell why themfelves; nor ever were able to give the World a fairer Reafon for their Villany (by any Fault they could charge upon him) than the Munffer Fanaticks had to give for their BethlehemOutrages and Rebellion : That they Ihoulddo this while a Parliament was fitting which had fo many wife, religious Members ; not only without the Parliaments Advice, but in defpight of them, and force him to diffolve them fire ; as if Perjury and Re- bellion were newly put into the Commandments ; or God had made theft proud Ufurpers to be the Governors of Protelkor and of Parliaments, and exempted them wholly fromthe Precept [Honour thy Father] [Let every Saul be fubjell to the higher Powers]: That they fhould fo proudly defpifenot only the Parliament,but all theMininers ofLandau and oftheLand,as to do this,not only without advifing with and again( theirJudgments ; but in a fa&iousEnvy againft them,len they Ihould be toomuch countenanced:Yea,they didit again( the Judgmentsof moll of their own Party ( the Independants ), as they now profefs themfèlves : Yea, Mr. Nye, that was then thought to beengaged:in the fame Defign, doth utterlydifclaim it, and profefs
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