A FAITHFUL MEMORIAL OF THAT REMARKABLE MEETING OF Many Officers of the Army in England, at Windsor Castle, in the Year 1648. AS ALSO, A DISCOVERY OF THE Great goodness of God, in his gracious meeting of them, hearing and answering their suit or supplications, while they were yet speaking to him.  
ALL Which is humbly presented, as a precious Pattern and Precedent unto the Officers and Soldiers of the said Army (or elsewhere) who are or shall be found in the like path, of following the Lord in this evil day; searching and trying their ways, in order to a through Return and Reformation.  
By William Allen, late Adjutant-General of the Army in Ireland.  Prov. 1.23. 
Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.  
LONDON, Printed for Livewel Chapman, at the Crown in Popes-head Alley. 1659.   

To Lieutenant-General Fleetwood, and other the Officers of the Armies in England, Scotland, and Ireland, especially to such of them, who in the sense of the dangers of the day, have been of late (as is said) betaking themselves to that most necessary duty of solemn Addresses, and fervent supplications to the Lord, humbling their souls before him, in the sense of their own and others abominations abounding in this day; with unfeigned desire and endeavour to find out, and forsake them accordingly; with all others in the Armies, that are or shall be found searching and trying their ways in order to return: The following Narrative is humbly tendered by a late member of them, and now a mourner for them; yet unfeignedly desiring their prosperity in the path of repentance.  
HAving understood, that you have of late been much conversant in seeking the Lord, in this day of distress, and enquiring (as becomes you) into the causes of his displeasure against us (which seems to wax hot) all which if performed in a right sense, observing right rules and ends, may be of singular use to help in time of need. Yet knowing the aptness of my own with others hearts to miscarry in such duties, and thereby miss of the desired success, by either setting up the stumbling-block of our iniquity before our eyes, or having any secret regard thereto in our hearts, the effect of which is to shut out prayer; I held it my duty to contribute my mite to this work of weight, by presenting you with a precedent once famous amongst us, by the success the Lord crowned it with, and us in that path, in a day of very great distress round about: and desire that so far as you shall see this practice here presented, with the method therein observed, to agree with the revealed will of God contained in the Scripture, relating to the duty of his people, in such a posture, that you will not be afraid to make it your pattern, since the Lord hath formerly born such a witness to it, and written such blessing upon it, as may well be set up as a Pillar of remembrance in the midst of us, to his praise, as well as our direction to, and in like duties in future straits.  
In the year 47. you may remember, we in the Army were engaged in actions of a very high nature, leading us to very untrodden paths, both in our contests with the then Parliament, as also conferences with the King; in which great works wanting a spirit of faith, and the fear of the Lord, and also unduly surprised with the fear of man, which always brings a snare; we, to make haste, as we thought, out of such perplexities, measuring our way by a wisdom of our own, fell into Treaties with the King and his party; which proved such a snare to us, and led into such labyrinths by the end of that year, that the very things we thought to avoid, by the means we used of our own devising, were all, with many more of a far worse and more perplexing nature, brought back upon us, to the overwhelming our spirits, weakening our hands and hearts, filling us with divisions, confusions, tumults and every evil work, and thereby endangering the ruin of that blessed cause we had with such success been prospered in till this time: for now the King and his party, seeing us not answer their ends, began to provide for themselves, by a Treaty with the then Parliament, set on foot about the beginning of 48. The Parliament also was at the same time highly displeased with us, for what we had done, both as to the King and themselves; the good people likewise, even our most cordial friends in the Nation, beholding our turning aside from that path of simplicity we had formerly walked (and been blest) in, and thereby much endeared to their hearts, began now to fear and withdraw their affections from us in this politic path into which we had stepped, and walked in, to our hurt, the year before. And as a farther fruit of the ways of our own backsliding hearts, we were also filled with a spirit of great jealousy and divisions amongst ourselves, having left that wisdom of the word, that is first pure, and then peaceable, that we were now fit for little but to tear and rend one another, and thereby prepare ourselves, and the work in our hands, to be ruined by the common Enemy, as these that were ready to say, as many others of like spirit in this day, of the like sad occasions amongst us, Lo, this is the day, we looked for. The King and his party prepare accordingly to ruin all, by sudden insurrections in most parts of the Nation; the Scot concurring with the same designs, comes in with a potent Army under Duke Hamilton. We in the Army in a low, weak, divided, perplexed condition in all respects, as aforesaid, some of us judging it a duty to lay down Arms, and quit our stations, putting ourselves into the capacities of private men, since what we had done, or was yet in our hearts to do, tending as we judged to the good of these poor Nations, was not accepted by them.  
Some also encouraging themselves and us to such a thing, by urging for such a practice the example of our Lord Jesus, who when he had born an eminent Testimony, to the pleasure of his Father, in an active way, sealed to it at last by his sufferings; which was presented to us as our pattern for imitation.  
Others of us were different minded, thinking something of another nature might be farther yet our duty, and therefore were by joint advice, by a good hand of the Lord led to this result, viz. to go solemnly to search out (and humble our souls before the Lord in the sense of) our iniquities, which we were persuaded had provoked the Lord against us, to bring such sad perplexities upon us, as at that day, out of which we saw no way else to extricate ourselves.  
Accordingly we did agree to meet at Windsor Castle, about the beginning of 48. and there spent one day together in Prayer, enquiring into the causes of that sad dispensation. Coming to no farther result that day, but that it was still our duty to seek; and on the morrow we met again in the morning, where many spoke from the Word, and Prayed; and the than Lieutenant-General Cromwell did press very earnestly, on all there present, to a thorough consideration of our actions as an Army, as well as our ways particularly, as private Christians, to see if any iniquity could be found in them; and what it was, that if possible we might find out, and so remove the cause of such sad rebukes, as were upon us by reason of our iniquities, as we judged at that time. And the way more particularly the Lord led us to herein, was to look back, and consider what time it was that we could with joint satisfaction, say to the best of our Judgements, the presence of the Lord was amongst us, and rebukes and judgements were not as then upon us. Which time the Lord led us jointly to find out and agree in; and having done so, to proceed, as we then judged it our duty, to search into all our public actions as an Army; afterwards duly weighing (as the Lord helped us) each of them, with their Grounds, Rules and Ends, as near as we could; and so concluded this second day with agreeing to meet again on the morrow: which we accordingly did, upon the same occasion, reassuming the consideration of our debates the day before, and reviewing our actions again; by which means we were by a gracious hand of the Lord led to find out the very steps (as we were then all jointly convinced) by which we had departed from the Lord, & provoked him to departed from us; which we found to be those cursed carnal conferences, our own wisdom, fears, and want of faith, had prompted us the year before, to entertain with the King and his party. And at this time, and on this occasion, did the then Major Goff (as I remember was his title) make use of that good word, Prov. 1.23, Turn you at my reproof, etc. which (we having found out our sin) he urged as our duty from those words, and the Lord so accompanied by his Spirit, that it had a kindly effect, like a word of his, upon most of our hearts that were then present; which begot in us great sense, shame, and loathing ourselves for our iniquities, and justifying the Lord as righteous in his proceed against us: and in this path the Lord led us not only to see our sin, but also our duty; and this so unanimously set with weight upon each heart, that none was able hardly to speak a word to each other for bitter weeping, partly in the sense and shame of our iniquities of unbelief, base fear of men, and carnal consultations, (as the fruit thereof) with our own wisdoms, and not with the word of the Lord, which only is a way of wisdom, strength and safety, and all besides it ways of snares: and yet were also helped with fear and trembling, to rejoice in the Lord, whose faithfulness and loving kindness we were made to see yet failed us not; but remembered us still, even in our low estate, because his mercy endures for ever. Who no sooner brought us to his feet, acknowledging him in that way of his, viz. searching for, being ashamed of, and willing to turn from our iniquities, but he did direct our steps, and presently we were led, and helped to a clear agreement amongst ourselves, not any dissenting, that it was the duty of our day, with the forces we had, to go out and fight against those potent enemies, which that year in all places appeared against us, with an humble confidence in the name of the Lord only, that we should destroy them; also enabling us then, after serious seeking his face, to come to a very clear and joint resolution, on many grounds at large then debated amongst us, that it was our duty, if ever the Lord brought us back again in peace, to call Charles Stuart, that man of blood, to an account, for that blood he had shed, and mischief he had done, to his utmost, against the Lord's cause and people in these poor Nations: and how the Lord led and prospered us in all our undertake this year, in this way, cutting his work short in righteousness, making it a year of mercy equal, if not transcendent to any since these Wars began, and making it worthy of remembrance by every gracious soul, who was wife to observe the Lord and the operations of his hands; I wish may never beforgotten; bringing us together again, from all parts shortly after, with admiration; each one's heart as it were filled with the wonders beheld, and occasion given to all to say each to other, Lo, what hath God wrought! the King's Armies in all places broken, his strong holds most of them taken: he himself all that time treating with the then Parliament, and both of them desirous to conclude; yet by an overruling Providence hindered, and the King so infatuated, as he stands disputing Punctilios till he loses all, and himself with it, and is fetched away from his place of Treaty to a Prison, in order to execution, which suddenly followed accordingly; and all this done within less than three quarters of a year, even to astonishment of ourselves, and other beholders both at home and abroad; yea our very enemies than were made to say, God was amongst us of a truth, and therefore they could not stand against us.  
But alas, who would have thought that so few years would have worn out the memory of such a not-to-be-forgotten mercy, or that any of those that then saw his works, and sang his praise, should so soon forget what their eyes had seen, as not to wait for his faithful counsel in future straits! Yet behold, how some directly, and others consequentially are now saying, All these things were but the product of a potent politic party flushed with success; and others, though more modest & moderate, yet it's to be feared, in too eager a pursuit of falling in with, or fear of being hurt by what is uppermost, if not timely complying, at once in the lump adventure to cry up absolute obedience to the powers that are, though thereby they condemn themselves and others, as transgressors and rebels for opposing those that were; together with the whole series of action made glorious by God's appearances with us, beyond parallel of any late years: and thus doth the name and works of the Lord suffer (as Christ of old) between these two, who almost equally, though not alike intentionally, rob the Lord of his glory, and give great occasion to the worst of our enemies the more to blaspheme.  
This is the brief, yet true account of this matter, with the blessed effects of it, as a manifestation of the Lords inclination & disposition to poor returners; who is still the same, because he hath said, and will perform it, as in Jer. 29.12, 13. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your hearts. And I have a little hope that this precious pattern, thus presented, may not be without some use to you in this day, if the Lord lead your hearts rightly to consider it. That we are a poor broken, divided, entangled, bewildered people in our public affairs; none but they that are very great strangers in our Israel can be ignorant: for who hath known and observed former days, when the Candle of the Lord shined on our Tabernacles, by the light of which we walked through darkness, and shall compare those days with these four or five years past, can look upon them without a heart deeply affected, to think what once we were (when we followed the Lord, though in a land that was not swoon, when we were a more plain simple-hearted people, yet prospered by the Lord to the terror of enemies abroad and at home, through an eminent presence of God with us) and what now we are, since we have turned aside into the carnal, empty, formal shows of the Nations, admiring, (and acting by) their Policies, and saying a confederacy with them, fearing their fear, and not sanctifying the Lord in a way of believing: how are we become the tail, and not the head, a hissing, yea, a scorn to the basest of Nations! what rebukes at Sea, at Land! what disappointments of erterprises! what strokes on many formerly eminent public instruments! what impoverishing of these poors Nations, by decay of Trade in all parts, to the ruin of many! what sore visitations, and of long continuance on the Nations throughout, by deaths, and linger pining diseases! Yea, what heart-dividings are amongst those that have been as one stick together, used in the hand of the Lord, in his works of wonder in the midst of us, and thereby endangering the whole interest we have fought for, into the hands of such as are known enemies, or at best have been but faint friends to it and us, in days of distress? And are not all these things worth considering and enquiring into, by every gracious heart, with the causes of them? for sure the Lord afflicts not without cause, nor grieves not the sons of men willingly.  
And would you inquire aright, pursue the method laid down in the Case presented; inquire when could you with joint satisfaction, say, At such a time the presence of the Lord was with you; and these sore hands of displeasure that have of late years attended you, were not upon you, nor works in your hands as now. And if you can but find that, let me advise and beseech you, as you tender the delivery of your own souls, and good of these Nations, weigh action by action since, and see where you have gone out of that prosperous path you were formerly in, and fear not to look into any action you are or may be concerned to look into, in which you think evil may be at the bottom; for that remaining, will cause greater shake than the most strict enquiry you make can do: and consider what as an Army you have done, with the grounds of it, and what you have engaged before God, Angels and Men to do; and either, if it be your sin, make your repentance as public as your evil hath been, and so clear yourselves; or else up and be doing, whatever you judge your duty, in the face of whatever difficulties you meet with; and in that path doubt not of Gods being with you, while you are with him: but if you will neither pursue your duties in one respect or other, know of a certain, the Lord who is a jealous God, will not be mocked by any that is not stronger than he, but will be above men, and make them know, he will be so in those things in which they deal most proudly, and deliverance shall arise some other way, with sore rebuke to you, for your shameful neglects of duty in such a work of weight which you have been entrusted with, and must ere long be called to an account how you have discharged it.  
Alas, may we not say, & shall we be afraid to say, We, our Rulers, Prophets, Armies, People have sinned; yea, have grievously departed from the Lord, and help nor healing is not to be had, but in returning from what evil soever is in our hands or hearts? It is not Power, nor Policy, nor Foreign confederacies; 'tis not Prayers, though frequent, or seemingly fervent, no, though attended with tears and confessions, without thorough forsakings, will be a path of safety for us, Isa. 58. No, the voice of the Lord is plain to Rulers, Armies, People, Thus saith the Lord, Consider your ways: Why do we labour in the fire for very vanity? Why is wisdom hid from the Prudent? Why do we sow much in prayers, tears, confessions and hazardous undertake at home and abroad, and bring in little, and what we get is as it were put into a bag with holes, and the Lord in a way of rebuke seems to blow upon it? is it not that we should consider our ways! Oh search and try, yea call in the help of God and good men in this, to see if there be any way of iniquity in your hearts or hands, and clear yourselves of it, with manifesting most indignation against it. And for your help herein, if it may be, let me humbly caution you to take heed of advising only with such that may be most pleasing to you; self-love is apt in such cases to blind much: yea, or with such only or chief, that are or may be under the influencing power of profitable employments, steered by the favours, or fear of the frowns of Rulers; but rather with such who have been persons of known integrity, and ancient constant friends to the good old cause of God, and their Country, in all its vicissitudes and lowest ebbs; not Shimei-like cursing and deserting in a day of distress, and changing their Languages when it tended to the change of their conditions, for outward advantage; but such as have not been pleased with their highest, most profitablest promotions and preferments, when they could not see the cause of God and their Country promoted also; and let not those names of odium, of dissatisfied, etc. (that they have been clothed with, the better to answer the evil designs of some) affright you in this matter: and if you dare thus pursue duty in this path of simplicity presented to you, without setting up the stumbling-block of any your iniquities before you, I am persuaded (not without many demonstrable grounds producible from the word) you will find it a path of peace, through the Lord's blessing it; and you, in the sincere applying to it, will be directed and led to grounds more clearly laid, for an unanimous, vigorous prosecution of the old dying cause, by its best and truest friends, than hitherto you have found; or at least will find it effectual to the rescue of your own souls out of paths of danger, which for want of pondering according to the Word, you may be walking in to your great hurt. And therefore, let me beseech you in all sincerity, as you tender your own, and these poor Nation's welfare, apply to it with speed. For your betaking yourselves to any other courses, will prove fruitless as aforesaid; for the Lord hath smitten, and only can heal; and if ever he do, he will do it in this way, Hos. 5. If what I have proposed, prove any way advantageous to the ends for which it is offered, viz. to cause you to search, try, and turn from the evil of your ways; I have my end, and let the Lord have glory: but if this poor means, in much faithfulness and tenderness presented to you, be rejected or slighted by you; I shall, I hope, be enabled to mourn in secret for you before the Lord: and shall have this satisfaction, when I shall come to lie down in the dust, which how soon it maybe I know not, that I have in some measure delivered my own soul, and endeavoured the like for yours; and shall earnestly entreat the Lord, that this poor word of warning amongst many others in this day presented to you, may not one day meet you, as a witness against you, for not regarding it: for I am well assured it shall live, speak, and have its fruit, when you and I shall cease to be.  
William Allen.   

POSTSCRIPT.  
THis Paper was sent to the Press about six weeks since, to have been made public at that time; but by an unexpected obstruction, hath hitherto been hindered: but hoping it may yet be of some use, is therefore now published.  
April 23. 1659.  
FINIS.