A TESTIMONY.  
Against a Great IDOLATRY COMMITTED: And a true MOURNING OF THE Lord's SERVANT UPON The many Considerations of his heart, upon that occasion of the great stir about an Image made and carried from on● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 another, happening the 23. day of the ninth Month.  
By E. B.  
LONDON, Printed for Thomas Simmons, at the Bull and Mouth near Aldersgate, 1658.   

A Testimony against a great Idolatry committed, &c.  
IT came to pass and happened, that being at Kingston upon Thames, the 22. day of the ninth Month, it was ordered the next morning that I came from thence to London, and as I entered in at Charing-Cross, I beheld a very great multitude of people gathering together, and thronging, and pressing exceedingly, and the whole streets were filled from one side to another, upwards and downwards, so far as I could see, with abundance gazing forth at every Window, and upon the balconies, and house tops, and the glass was pulled down for people to look out into the streets, and an exceeding number of people there was, all the streets so thronged, that I thought it could not be possible that any more could throng in, or pass by, and there was Guards of Soldiers both of Horse and Foot, and they stayed me, and stopped my Horse, and said I might not pass that way, neither indeed could I well, by reason of the throng of people; and I stayed a very little, but presently passed back another way, in a kind of wondering at this great stir I found in my way 〈…〉 I beheld all spirits of people were up in a wonderment and admiration, and gazing they were, and hurrying, as if some marvelous and great thing had happened to them, or were to be seen by them; & I felt the spirits of men, women, and children were all on fire, and they were in an admiring frame, and in a condition not usual: And as I passed along, I turned in my mind to see of the Lord what this thing might be, and what might be the end of it, and why was this gathering, and running, and thronging of multitudes in this manner, and in this frame; and presently upon consideration, I perceived that a dead Image and invented picture would be carried that way, and that all this pressing and stir, and the gathering of this great multitude, was only to see and behold a dead Image without life or breath; and than my spirit was grieved, and my soul was vexed within me, and it run through me, Vanity, vanity, folly, and madness; What is all this setting of Guards, gathering of people in such thronging multitudes, and pulling down the Glass, and gazing of men, women, and children, high and low, rich and poor, people of all sorts that were come together? Is all this wondering of people, and inflaming of spirits in this admiring mood? Is all this (said I) but to see a dead invented Image of Wood or Wax, arrayed and decked with some foolish inventions? Said my spirit, Oh abominable! Oh Idolatry! Oh folly and vanity! and my life was grieved; What is all this preparation of people in this wondering frame▪ but to behold an Image carried, and to see simple foolish people following after it in their Idolatrous Robes and gestures▪ such who had invented it, and been at cost with it? and than my spirit was burdened, and the very smell of Idolatry and abomination entered upon me, and the weight of all this iniquity came into me, and vexed the righteous, and the very sense of this abomination seized upon my life, and I felt the burden of their so great wickedness, the making the Image, I felt a burden, and all the foolish circumstances about it for many days, and the people's folly and madness that so gathered and pressed to behold it, and so wondered after it, was a burden to me; and they that carried it in their foolish gestures; all this is iniquity and abomination, said my spirit; and I was loaden therewith, and said, Certainly the judgements of God will meet with this Work, and the Lord will be avenged because of it, and their souls should once feel the burden of it with terror, as mine at this present; & it came into me, It might be some would be wounded or pressed to death, or some wickedness would come out of this wickedness, that the anger of the Lord might break forth and smite such as were the foundation of this sinful abomination; and my spirit had a deep sense of the greatness and sinfulness of this high and mighty Idolatry, and it wounded me, and made me sad; but immediately (from that temper) on a very sudden my spirit was changed, and I was filled with the indignation of the Lord God against this Image, and this stir about it; his plagues, and fury, and fire run through me, to cry, Plagues, Plagues, and Vengeance against them because of this abomination; and I found my spirit set on fire with the very power of God rising in me against this Idolatry, that if I had been moved to it, and it been possible to have done it, I could have ridden through the Guards, and over the multitude, to have founded the judgements of God, and his woes, amongst them, and through them, and I could then have engaged the loss of my life, that the Lord might have been revenged upon this Image, and Image-makers, and Image-followers, and Image-wonderers after, that my soul might be freed from its present burden, through this grievous wickedness; Said I, What silly, foolish, blind, ignorant people are these! What a power hath the Devil over them! And how are they led captive at his will! What an influence hath the fight of a dead Image upon their dead hearts and carnal minds! Was ever the like, said I? Is there greater abomination at Rome? What blindness and sencelesness is over the hearts of this people? And after this manner for a good season after, my spirit within me aggravated and unfolded this great abomination, tumbling it over and over in my own breast, with a secret pity for their souls which were ensnared and captivated through all this Wickedness. But further, I considered that all this abomination & sinful Idolatry, is about the Funeral of the late Oliver Cromwell; then said I, What for him! Alas for him! who was once a great Instrument in the hand of the Lord to break down many Idolatrous Images and grievous Idols; and did not the Lord once stir up his heart against all such things? And did not once his Children, Officers, and his brave Soldiers and Army, pull down all the Images and Crosses, and all such like Popish stuff, where ever they met with it? And said my spirit, What grievous and abominable Work is this? Have they now made a costly Image of him? and are such as were once his Soldiers, now guarding it, and watching over it? and his Children and Officers following it? and multitudes of the Inhabitants of London wondering and gazing after an Image of him? This is sad, said I, and great pity; What a change is this in so short a time? Was it but a few years since that he, and his Army, and his Servants, and Children, and Officers were so zealous to overthrow Images, Pictures, and Idols, that they could not endure the sight and worshipping of them? and have they now made an Image of him, which his Officers, Children, and Kindred are carrying from place to place, and following it, and multitudes caused to wonder after it? What a change is this, said I? Oh sad! Are people running after Images again, as in the time of Popery? And have they made an Image, and decked it with costly array, and set it up for people to visit a long time, and then haling it from place to place? Are they doing this in London, as they do at Rome amongst Papists? This is pitiful; but how comes it to pass? I began to consider, and said, I knew the man when he was living, and had the knowledge of his spirit, and I was persuaded if it had been asked him in his life time, if such work should be acted about him, such an Image made like him, and laid for so long time in a sumptuous place and manner, and then carried by his Friends, and Children, and Kindred, and Army, and then set up in such a place, and be removed from place to place; I say, I believe he would have denied it, and said, It shall not be thus for me when I am dead; I suppose he would not have suffered it thus to have been; he was more wise I thought; he would have said; Nay; What, to make an Image of me, and deck it diversely from one form to another, and visit it, and then carry it from place to place, up and down! this will be a shame to my children, and a disgrace to my Kindred, and a reproach to my Officers and whole Army, and all the Nation will mock and be offended, and they may say, These are they that were once enemies to all Images and dead Idols, and pulled them down, and broke them down; and are these now making an Image, and setting it up, and wondering after it from place to place? Nay, (might he have said) if thus it be done, they at Rome may laugh us to scorn, and the Papists may say, we have learned of them, and put their persons from among us, and banished, and killed them, and set up their practices: Sure he would have said thus, or I'm certain the Witness of God in his conscience might truly have said it, because it is truth.  
But upon another consideration, I said this is come to pass after this manner, though he was once zealous against all popery, yet he did too much forget that good cause, and too much sought the greatness and honour of the World, and loved the praise of men, and took flattering titles and vain respects of deceitful men, and many great abominations were upheld through him, as tithes, and old mass-houses, and ordaining of ministers by man's will, and the false worships, and sprinkling of infants, and such like popish stuff first invented at Rom●; and he suffered the servants of the Lord to be persecuted, and imprisoned, for denying and crying against such things as were popish, and which himself sometime seemed to deny, and because of this, said I, this may justly be come to pass, that an Idolatrous Image and Picture, should be made of him when he is dead, and decked, and laid in a sumptuous manner, and visited, and then carried from place to place, (as was usual in the time of popery) for multitudes of foolish people to gaze upon, and wonder after, and admire, and praise; that all men might see the first cause is lost, and that zeal which his kindred and army had once in their hearts against popery is extinguished, and people are turned again to gaze after Images, which is popish; for such practices that day between somerset-house and Westminster were first ordained at Rome, and practised by the papists; and he that suffered many to be imprisoned, for denying and crying against such worships and practices as were in themselves Popish; and which he himself once fought against▪ it's happened now when he is dead, and it's suffered that they should make a fool of him in a popish way and manner, for such practices is no other than foolery and foolishness, tending to the dishonour of a good man; but in the midst of my considerations, a pity struck through me for once noble Oliver that is now dead, and his place no more found, and I was grieved he should be thus abused being dead, by such stir about an Image made of him, for many weeks together as hath been, and I began to recall my former acquaintance with him, and the former dealings of God towards him, and what a gallant instrument for the Lord he once was, and how many glorious and noble victories, God once gave him, and what good parts, and what a gallant spirit there was in him, and how once he showed me, and declared what the former dealings of the Lord had been upon his soul, and how he was troubled in conscience formerly, and my spirit run through many such things, with a great deal of seriousness & pity; & then said I alas! alas! is it ended all in this, all his former good service for God and the nations, all his victories, and his good actions, and his beating down of superstition? is this the end of it all? the making of an Image and carrying it from place to place? is it ended all here? what formerly he hath been, and what he hath done? how hath this cloud of folly, cast a stink and darkness upon his former brightness and glory, and nobleness? and is this the end and final farewell of once noble Oliver? what only the sight of an Image carried and set up? hath the City of London and the nations no better Memento of him? but oh! had he been faithful to the end to God, he would have left a more lively and heavenly character to have been read for his sake, than an Image of him, and such idolatrous practices; and my life could have sorrowed upon some considerations passing through me about this business, and for▪ some hours my spirit could not rest, and in the very time it lay upon me to write this; and after all this said my spirit, where is all the old priests now, and his ancient teachers whom once had a great zeal against all these things, and against all such practices? Where are they now, are they blind also said I, that they cannot see this abominable idolatry and cry against it: had they any hand in it? or were they consenters to these things? what is become of them? is their zeal for the Lord, and against idolatry quite gone, thought I, they might have prevented this disgrace to their old master, who hath served them well, and set them in great places and put them in large Benefices, and they might have done something for him when he is dead, and have prevented this folly, and idolatry, which is acted upon him this day; for certainly all people in the nation that fear God, will be offended, and judge in their hearts such work; the framing of an Image, and sounding trumpets, and beating drums before it, and clothing horses in mourning, and trailing their pikes, and even the very honourable of the nation clad in mourning, and following this Image, and all this stir, and cost, and preparation for many weeks before hand, and such decking in mourning attire of great and noble men, and all but to accompany an Image from one place to another, whereby people are deceived, who might look upon it to be the burial of Oliver Protector, when as it was but an Image made by hands, and decked and trimed in a vain manner, as if it had been some poppet play, which if it had been indeed his bones they had accompanied to the grave in such a manner, that had been less condemnable, and I should not had aught against it; but for the wise men in the nation to be chief in these things, and to exercise themselves in such folly and vanity; this grieves the righteous soul, and if I should justify it, the Lord would condemn me; but the shame will fall upon themselves that acted it, and chiefly upon their priests and teachers, because they were consenting to such vanity and piece of popery as this was; and had these old doctors and teachers feared God, and their hearts been a right towards him, they would have endeavoured the stopping of this abomination, and another way might have been thought upon whereby a more lively and godly Monument of their old Master might have stood to generations; What shall the making, and visiting, and carrying, and setting up of a dead Image for foolish people to gaze upon, and run wondering after in their wicked minds, Must this be all the Monument? And shall we have no other representation of once noble Cromwell? Is his life and former glory, and nobleness, shadowed with the sight of a dead Image? Alas! this presents nothing at all to such as fears God, but folly and ignorance, vanity and idolatry, and when they look upon it they shall be grieved in their spirits, and vexed when they can find no more monument of that once noble man, but an invented Image and Picture, and the priests shall be ashamed, and may have the greatest rebuke, for they that lead the people have caused them to err.  
And now upon the whole matter, from the very beginning to the end thereof▪ I do declare against it, and that a fearful abomination hath been committed in the sight of the Lord, in relation to this Image, and you have vexed the Lord's soul, and his hand you shall feel upon your consciences, and the weight thereof in the time to come, the spending of so much of the creation, and wasting money and other things, the Lord will lay to your charge; and the whole City hath been abused with running and wondering after the work of your own hands. And now all you that have gone to gaze and wonder after an Image, What saw you? What beheld you? What wondered you after? Aught, except folly and vanity, and a dead Image, whereby the man and his Nobility was abused, in honour to whom they say it was done. And when many days were spent, what were you the better? What were you edified? Were you not convinced of your own folly? and might not your own wickedness reprove you? And did not the light in your own consciences check you, and prick you, and condemn your vain minds that wondered after folly? though now you may be hardened, yet one day you shall confess when the witness of God in you doth arise, and bring all your deeds to remembrance, then shall you say this work was abomination & a great sin in them who invented it, and caused it to be brought forth, and in yourselves that foolishly wondered after it, and the judgements of the Lord are against all these things.  
E. B.  
The End.