[Page] A VISION: Wherein is manifested the disease and cure OF THE KINGDOME.
BEING The summe of what was delivered to the Generall Councel of the Army, Decemb. 29. 1648.
TOGETHER With a true Copie of what was delivered in writing (the fifth of this present January) to the said Generall Conncel, of Divine pleasure concerning the KING in reference to his being brought to Triall, what they are therein to do, and what not, both concerning his Office and Person.
By E. Pool herein a servant to the most High GOD.
LONDON, Printed in the Year, 1648.
The summe of what was delivered to the Councel of War, Decemb. 29. 1648.
I Have been (by the pleasure of the most High) made sensible of the distresses of this Land, and also a sympathizer with you in your labours: for having sometimes read your Remonstrance, I was for many daies made a sad mourner for her; the pangs of a travelling woman was upon mee, and the pangs of death oft-times panging mee, being a member in her body, of whose dying state I was made purely sensible. And after many daies mourning, a vision was set before me, to shew her cure, and the manner of it, by this similitude: A man who is a member of the Army, having sometimes much bewailed her state, saying, He could gladly be a sacrifice for her, and was set before mee, presenting the body of the Army, and on the other hand, a woman crooked, sick, weak & imperfect in body; to present unto me, the weak and imperfect state of the Kingdom: I having the gift of faith upon me for her cure, was thus to appeal to the person, on the other hand, That he should improve his faithfulnesse to the Kingdom, by using diligence for the cure of this woman, as I by the gift of faith on me should direct him. Neverthelesse it is not the gift of faith in me, say I, nor the act of diligence in you, but in dependance on the divine will, which cals me to beleeve, and you to act. Wherefore I being called to beleeve ought not to stagger, neither you being called to act should be slacke: for looke how farre you come short of acting (as before the Lord for her cure) not according to the former rule by men prescribed for cure, but according to the direction of the gift of faith in me, so farre shall you come short of her consolation; and look how farre you shall act, as before the Lord, with diligence for her cure, you shall be made partakers of her consolation.
She being after demanded, Whether she had any direction to give the Councel? She answered, not for the present, for the was in this case presented to her self as the Church, which spirit is in you, and shal guide you.
[Page 2] I am therefore to signifie unto you, that there is but one step between you and restauration, the which whosoever taketh not warily shall stumble, and fall, and be taken, and that is this, you are to stand as in the presence of the Lord, to be dead unto all your own interests, lives, liberties, freedoms, or whatsoever you might call yours: yet pleading for them still with men, speaking to every one in his owne language, for they are your due with them; but except you are as ready to resigne them up to the will of the eternal pleasure, as to plead them with men, you shall surely lose them; For he that will save his life shall lose it, and he that will lose it shall save it.
The Lord hath a controversie with the great and mighty men of the earth, with the Captains, and Rulers, and Governours: You may be great and mighty upon the earth, and maintaine his controversie, but against the mighty men of the earth is his controversie held: For as you are the potsherd of the earth, he will surely break you to peeces, till there be not a shred left to carry coals on. The Kingly power is undoubtedly fallen into your hands; therefore my advice is, that you take heed to improve it for the Lord. You have justly blamed those who have gone before you, for betraying their trust therein. I speake not this as you are souldiers, but as the spirit of Judgement and Justice is most lively appearing in you, this is therefore the great worke which lieth upon you, to become dead to every pleasant picture, which might present it self for your delight, that you perfectly dying in the will of the Lord, you may finde your resurrection in him.
She being afterwards asked by some of the chief Officers, Whether she conceived they were called to deliver up the trust to them committed either to Parliament or people? She answered, No, for this reason, it being committed to their care and trust, it should certainly be required at their hands, but take them with you as younger brehren who may be helpfull to you: Neverthelesse know you are in the place of watchmen, wherefore slacke not your watch over them, for the account of the Stewardship shall be required at your hands.
It was further said unto her, How then shall we be free from the aspersions of the people, who will be ready to judge that we improve this interest for our own ends? She answered, Set your selves, as before the Lord, to discharge the trust committed to you, and trust him with your reward: I speake not this that you should bee exalted above your brethren, but that you might stand in faithfulnesse to [Page 3] discharge your duty; For he that will save his life shall lose it, and be that will lose it shall save it. You have been Noble-men, behaving your selves with much valour and courage (as amongst men) now therefore lose not your reward, for this will be the greatest piece of courage that ever you were made the examples of; if you shall bee as well content to lose house, land, wife and children, or what ever you might call yours in divine will, as ever you were to lay down your lives in the field.
I Have considered the agreement of the people that is before you, and I am very jealous lest you should betray your trust in it (in as much as the Kingly Power is fallen into your hands) in giving it up to the people; for thereby you give up the trust committed to you, and in so doing you will prove your selves more treacherous then they that went before you, they being no waies able to improve it without you. You justly blame the King for betraying his trust, and the Parliament for betraying theirs: This is the great thing I have to say to you, Betray not you your trust.
I have yet another Message to shew you, I know not what acceptance it may finde with you, yet I am content, here it is, let it finde what acceptance it may, I leave with you.
The Message is as followeth.
HAving already found so free admission into your presences it hath given me the greater incouragment (though more peculiarly, the truth perswading me thereunto) to present you with my thoughts in these following lines. I am in divine pleasure made sensible of the might of the affaires which lye upon you; and the Spirit of sympathe abiding in me, constraineth me to groane with you in your paines, you may remember I told you the Kingly power is undoubtedly fallen into your hands, which power is to punish evill doers, and to praise them that doe well: Now therefore my humble advice to you is, that you stand as in the awfull presence of the most high Father, acting your parts before God and man, you stand in the place of interpreters, for many hard sayings present themselves to you, and will doe, looke for it: wherefore see,
[Page 6] That you give unto men the things that are theirs, and upon God the things that are his, it is true indeed, as unto men (I know I appeale by the gift of God upon me) the King is your Father and husband, which you were and are to obey in the Lord, & no other way, for when he forgot his Subordination to divine Faith hood and headship, thinking he had begotten you a generation to his own pleasure, and taking you a wife for his own lusts, thereby is the yoake taken from your necks (I meane the neck of the spirit and Law, which is the bond of your union, that the holy life in it might not be prophaned; it being free and can not be bound: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, hath freed us from the law of sinne and of death, for the letter of the law, which speaketh to the flesh kileth, therefore you must suffer of men in the flesh, for the Lords sake, that so dying to your own bodies (that is to al selfe, interest in divine will) you might also receive your resurrection, for you must dye before you can rise, you must loose your lives, Interests, Liberties, and all (before you can save them) casting your Crowne at the feet of the Lamb, who only is worthy, yet still pleading for them with men, for they are your due with them, a share they may not deny you; Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: for they rest from their labours, and their workes doe follow them
From your own labours, I wish you rest in the Lord, that the fruit of your labours, which is the life of your faith may follow you to prison, & to death; know this, that true liberty either is not bound to any thing, nor from any thing, for it is subject to this or that (neither this nor that in divine will) neverthelesse as from the Lord you have al that you have, and are so to the Lord, you owe althat you have, and are for his own name sake. So from the King in Subordination.
You have all that you have and are, and also in Subordination you owe him all that you have and ate, and although he would not be your Father and husband, Subordinate, but absolute, yet know that you are for the Lords sake to honour his person. For he is the Father and husband of your bodyes, as unto men, and therefore your right cannot be without him, as unto men, I know and am very seusible, that no small straight lyeth upon you in respect of secureing his person (for the manifold conceived inconveniences following, and necessities of evill event) in respect of raising more wars, and also other things well known to you [Page 5] which will present themselves unpossible for you to avoid, neverthelesse, this is my humble and hearty prayer to the everlasting Father (which I present to you in words, that you may be edified thereby) Remember I said, everlasting Father, for so we shall best know him for our consolation; that it might please him of his infinite, eternal life and goodnesse to grant you a sure and certaine knowledge of this, that all things which are impossible with men (at the utmost extent of impossibility) are possible with him, who onely saith it, and it cometh to passe, the Lord of hoasts, the God of the whole earth, who commandeth all hoasts of men, Angels and Devils, whose eies run to and fro throughout the face of the whole earth; To shew himselfe strong in the behalfe of all those that trust in him: Wherefore put your swords into his hands for your defence, and feare not to act the part of Abigail, seeing Nabal hath refused it (by Appropriating his goods to himselfe) in relieving David and his men in their distresse; it was to her praise, it shall be to yours, feare it not: Onely consider, that as she lifted not her hand against her husband to take his life, no more doe yee against yours.
For as the Lord revenged his owne cause on him, he shall doe on yours; For vengeance is mine, I will repay it, saith the Lord; who made him the Saviour of your body, though he hath profaned his Saviour-ship; Stretch not forth the hand against him: For know this, the Conquest was not without divine displeasure, whereby Kings came to reigne, though through lust they tyranized, which God excuseth not, but judgeth; and his judgements are fallen heavy, as you see, upon Charles your Lord: Forget not your pity towards him, for you were given him an helper in the body of the people: Which people are they that agreed with him to subject unto the punishment of evill doers, and the praise of them that doe well: Which law is the spirit of your Union: And although this bond be broken on his part.
You never heard that a wife might put away her husband, as he is the head of her body, but for the Lords sake suffereth his terror to her flesh, though she be free in the spirit to the Lord; and he being uncapable to act as her husband, she acteth in his stead; and having the spirit of Union abiding in her, she considereth him in his temptations, as tempted with him: And if he will usurpe over her, she appealeth to the Father-hood for her offence, which is the spirit of justice, and is in you; For I know no power in England [Page 6] to whom it is committed, save yourselves (and the present Parliament) which are to act in the Church of Christ, as she by the gift of faith upon her, shall be your guide for the cure of her body, that you might therefore commit an unsound member to Satan (though the head) as it is flesh; that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord (I believe) And accordingly you may hold the hands of your husband, that he pierce not your bowels with a knife or sword to take your life. Neither may you take his, I speake unto you as Men, Fathers and Brethren in the Lord: (who are to walke by this rule) Whatsoever you would that men should doe unto you, doe yee the same unto them: I know it would affright you to be cut off in your iniquity; but O, how faine would you have your iniquity taken away! Consider also others in their amazement; I know you have said it, and I believe, that if you could see sutable sorrow for so great offence, you should embrace it: I beseech you in the bowels of love, for there it is I pleade with you, looke upon the patience of God towards you, and see if it will not constraine you to forbearance for his sake: I know the spirit of sanctity is in you; and I know as wel the spirit of bondage holdeth you oft-times, that you cannot but groane for deliverance: Wherfore I beseech you for the Lords sake, whose I am, and whom I serve in the spirit, that you let not goe the Vision which I shewed you concerning the cure of England, as it was presented to me. Wherein the party acting, being first required to stand, as in the awfull presence of God, and to act for her cure, according to the direction which he should receive from the Church, by the gift of faith upon her: (Act he must) but not after any former rule by men prescribed for cure, but after the rule of the gift of faith) which I humbly beseech the Almighty Lord to establish in you. I rest,
After the delivery of this, she was asked, whether she spake against the bringing of him to triall, or against their taking of his [...]
She answered, Bring him to his triall, that he may be convicted in his conscience, but touch not his person.