A Most Learned, Conscientious, and Devout-Exercise; held forth the last Lordsday, at Sir PETER TEMPLES, in Lincolnes-Inne-Fields; BY LIEUT-GENERALL CRUMWELL. As it was faithfully taken in Characters BY AARON GUERDON.  
LONDON, Printed in the year 1649.   
ROM. 13.1. 
Let every Soul be Subject unto the Higher Powers; for there is no Power but of God; the Powers that be, are Ordained of God.  
DEAR Beloved Brothers, and Sisters: It is true, this text is a Malignant one; the wicked and ungodly have abused it very frequently, but (thanks be to God) it was to their own Ruin; yet their abuse shall not hinder us from making a right use of it. Every thing is Subject to be abused, be it never so holy or good: the men of God, the Creatures of God; all are subject to injuries and abuse; the Counsel of State, the Parliament, the Army, the General have, been and daily are abused; nay even myself have not escaped the violence of those Seducers whose tongues are sharper than a twoedged sword; my very face and nose are weekly maligned and scandalised by those scribbling Mercuries, Elencticus and Pragmaticus; insomuch that were it possible, they would raise a Faction in my forehead, and make mutinies amongst my very teeth. It's true I have a hot liver, and that's the cause my face and nose are red; for my valour lies in my liver, not in my heart, as other men's (never any man could say my heart was stout) indeed the Generals lies there, and that's the reason his face is pale. You all know I never was a drunkard, although when I was at the lowest I had Beer enough (for you know I had near relation to a Beere-Brewer) and I had always money to buy Wine with, if I pleased; so that I might have been a drunked if I would; yet you know I am a temperate sober man, else I had never been so good a Soldier. But what is it the Malignants will not abuse, who let not to abuse themselves? I'll warrant you they would abuse our very wives too if they durst; and I fear some of them do— you know what I mean— but no more of that at present.  
My Text you see is Scripture and Scripture must be believed next to our Diviner Revelations, be it what it will, but the Malignants they would interpret it one way, and we (the Saints) interpret it another: now let any body judge, whether they or we are to be believed: whether (I say) those ungodly Cavaliers that fought to uphold Tyranny and Antichrist, or we that in the uprightness of our hearts fought for Liberty and Freedom, and for Establishing the Kingdom of King Jesus: surely Beloved, it is we that are in the Right of it, I think none of you will deny it.  
But now that I spoke of Kings, the main question is, whether by Higher Powers, are meant Kings, or the Commoners? Truly (Beloved) it is a very great question amongst those that say they are learned: But I think verily they make more stir about it then needs; for may not every body that can read observe that Paul speaks in the plural number, the Higher Powers; now had he meant subjection to a King, he would have said, Let every Soul be subject to the Higher Power, that is if he had meant one man, but by this you see he intended more than one (for he bids us be subject to the Higher Powers) that is the Council of State, the house of Commons and the Army. I hope I have cleared this Point: So now then I will come closer to the words themselves, and show you▪ truly and plainly (without any gaudy Rhetoric) what they signify unto us, that you be not deceived: and I tell you this is not to be done by every Spirit, but only by such who are more than ordinarily endowed with the Spirit of Discerning: I confess there are many good men and women amongst you, that intent well, and speak well, and understand well, but yet cannot apprehend well all things that lurk in Scripture Language, for lack of a sufficient measure of the Spirit: they must be inwardly called thereuneo, or else they are subject to errors and misconstructions.  
Well then! you see who are fittest to interpret, and I presume you believe God hath abundantly supplied me; I do not boast of it, but I speak it to his glory that hath vouchsafed to take up his Lodging in so vile, contemptible, unswept, unwashed, ungarnished a Room as is this unworthy Cottage of mine. But It was his will, and I am thankful for it.  
Now the Words offer themselves very naturally, they are plain, not difficult, but prostrate their sense in most perspicuous manner.  
For first (Beloved) by these words Let every Soul etc. we may understand that every one of us have Souls; whence I raise this Doctrine, that it is an ungodly, irreligious, profane and Idle Tenent amongst the wicked to think or say that Women have no Souls. Mark (my Beloved) to think or say etc. for there are many now adays that think, and will not speak what they think, and others that speak, and will not think what they speak. But we are, none such— Dear Sisters it is a great abase to your honourable Sex— And now truly I will turn to you only, for you have been our daily and nightly comforters; indeed lafoy ye have! you have raised our drooping Spirits, though never so much dejected; you have got us stomaches when we had none, and furnished us with flesh on all occasions; we never found you unwilling, or unready to help us, when we were the farthest from home. Believe it when I lay before Pembro●ke Castle my Landlady where I quartered (who had once been a Malignant, and then but newly crept into the state of grace) she (I say) had a good Soul within her, she was brim full of the Spirit, and yet she was very handsome; which is strange, for seldom we find a perfection without an imperfection; commonly Women that are fair without, are either false or foul within; but to me she was neither. And yet I do not speak this to condemn beauty, for it is of singular comfort and good use, and those that be fair may be true and good: but this is secundum majus & minus (as the Logicians cant) some are better than other some (that's the English of the Lataine) and indeed I have found great difference in Women. Then again when I came in Yorkshire, I met with Mrs. Lambert (the espoused of that honourable and valiant Saint M. G. Lambert) she (I say) is a Woman, not very fair I confess, but of as large a Soul, and as full of the Spirit as any I ever yet met with: I profess I never knew a woman more endowed with those Heavenly blessings of love, meekness, gentleness, patience and long suffering; nay even with all things that may speak her every way deserving the name of a Saint: And yet I say she was not very beauteous or comely, for she is something foggy and Sunburnt (which is strange in that cold Country) But what Nature had denied her of Ornament without, I found she had within her a soul, a devout sweet foul; and God knows I loved her for it.  
Thus we find then both by Scripture and experience, that all of us have souls, men and women. But then again (beloved) some have good souls and some have bad; Mrs. Lambert hath a good soul, and no doubt, nay (I know) many of you that be here are (and have) good souls within you: the Cavalieres and their Queans are the bad souls, they serve and are subject to bad and ungodly men (men did I call them?) nay Devils that would devoute us, and drink themselves drunk with the blood of the Saints.  
By this than it is evident who have, and who are the good Souls; Whence I raise this Doctrine, or rather point of Faith. That we are not to believe, or account any to have, or to be Souls, but those that are of the Family of Saints (I would have said Love, but that it is a particular Sect, something differing from Ours.  
Come on then, Let every Soul be Subject, etc. Whereby by we see all Souls, good and bad, are bound to be Subject. All-Soules College in Oxford must be Subject to the Visitors, All-Soules day, though a superstitious holiday and strictly kept by the Papists) must be subject to labour and toil: Your Souls (Brethren and Sisters) must be subject to persuasion, to love, familiarity and friendship, to all things that may increase or elevate the Spirit; to kindle and take fire (like Tinder) upon every spark and glace of our affections; O my dear Brethren and Sisters, Love, it is the fullfilling of the Law, what need we more then? It covers a multitude of sins; Lo you there! It hides all our Infirmities: had one of us loved another, these differences and blood shed had never happened. But some will object and say; There is a Lust as well as Love; and sometimes Lust is falsely termed Love. I tell you beloved, these nice and critical distinctions are things that once had like to have undone us: Lust is nothing but a desire of any thing, and if (my Beloved) we desire to enjoy one another, God forbidden but we should help and comfort each other, and lay out ourselves as fare, and freely as may be, to Assist each other in the free embraces of the Spirit. The Laws of Reason and Nature require it of us.  
But let's look yet a little further: Let every Soul be subject to the higher-Powers, etc. What those Higher-Powers are, I have told you before, they are the Counsel of State, the house of Commons, and the Army; and God forbidden but all men should obey them: that is, that the People be subject to the Counsel of State, the Counsel of State to the house of Commons, they to the Army, the Army to the General, and the General to me; to me (I say) who have Plotted, Advised, Counselled and Fought for both you and them these seven years; and now at last purchased your freedom and liberty. Dear brothers and sisters, I speak it not in ostentation, but with thankfulness and glory to him who made me so useful an Instrument in this blessed work of Reformation. For (beloved) it was I that juggled the late King into the Isle of Wight, It was I dissolved the Treaty, It was I that seized upon and hurried him to Hurst Castle, It was I that set Petitions a foot throughout the Kingdom against the Personal Treaty, and for bringing the King, and other Capital offenders to Justice, It was I that contrived with the help of my son Ireton) the large Remonstrance of the Army, It was I that prescribed the erecting of the high Court of Justice, and which brought the King to his Trial: In a word, it was I that cut oft his head, and with it all the shackles and setters of the Norman slavery and bondage, It was I that cut off the heads of Hamilton, Capell & Holland, It was I that surprised the Levellers at Burford, & in Northamptonshire, It was I that broke their Design, destroyed Thomason etc. dispersed and appeased the rest, and which have healed the late distempers of the Army, whereby the Land is now restored to this blessed Peace, Tranquillity and Plenty▪ and therefore (I say) I may justly and without ambition style myself the Author of all the Kingdom's present and future Happiness.  
It is true (Beloved) the General is a stout and valiant man, and he hath great appearance of God in him; but fit fare to be passive then active in the Affairs of State, he is fit for a Charge then a Council: and the truth is (as I may tell you under the Rose) he wants brains to do any thing of moment. But indeed this I may say for him, he is a man doth not seek himself, I never found him wilful, but willing always to submit to better judgements than his own. For when Sedgwick (that fast and lose Priest) of Covent Garden, upon the King's Trial; had writ to his Lady, to advise him to remit the Execution of that just Sentence, and to wash his hands of his death; he (honest man) presently acquainted me with the business and shown me the Arguments given to persuade him against it; and freely referred all to my judgement: and the 28. of January (being the Lord's day) at night I went to him in Queenestreet attended with two Troops of my own Regiment, to remove the scruples he made upon that Rascally Priest's Letter, or to secure him by force in case he had contracted more, and would not be satisfied. But he (good man) gave me thanks for my pains and told me I had fully resolved him. All this (beloved) I speak in honour of the man; but truly he is too great to be so good as we must have a General (for you know he is a Lord) and unless he be a Lord and no Gentleman, as I fear he will not acknowledge himself, he is not for our turns; the rather for that he is easily seduced (I have experience of him) and led away by every wind of doctrine, by mere apparences and shadows of Reason— Truly (beloved) I think myself and my son Ireton may prove of greater use to the Republic than any other; and if we be but once the acknowledged Governors thereof by the People, we believe we shall answer their expectations to a hair's breadth; which if ever we be, then beloved it is I and my son who are the Higher Powers meant in my Text, to whom subjection is commanded: For (as I told you before) it cannot be to one single man, it must be to two, or more; and truly, if the people shall think us (as we think ourselves) worthy of that trust, we shall discharge it faithfully, and study to merit it at their hands: but mistake me not, I do not mean by merit as the Papists do, that is, to deserve it at (their hands for the good works we have done; no no, we will acknowledge it to be merely out of the free grace and mercy of the people; for when we have done all we can for them, we confess we are but unprofitable servants.  
I thank them they have made me General for Ireland, and you know I am upon the point of going thither, in great hopes of reducing those Rebellious Traitors to our obedience. But then (beloved) so many of you as go along with me, must be mindful of my text; that is, you must be Subject to me and my Lieutenant General. Whensoever we bid you go, you must run; when we bid you Storm, you must do it, though it be against nothing but stonewalls: you own us your lives and your limbs, and all that you have; whensoever we demand them you ought to surrender, and that freely, not grumbling, for you must submit to the Higher Powers &c.  
The verity is, this expedition against Ireland is like to prove a very hard task, unless I can in policy engage Owen Roe, if not join with Jones, Munk and Coote, yet to keep off at a distance with Ormond: I am (beloved) about it, and I shall do my endeavour too, to set Inchequeene and him at variance: and yet at that very instant will I lose no opportunity to re-obliege him to the Parliament; for you all know what Inchequeene is— I have him— I will not say how— But it's very probable an Act of Indemnity tied in the strings of a 5000.l. bag may work a miracle. For he (good man) is but misguided, he stands not upon such punctilios of honour as Ormond doth— In truth (beloved) this Ormond is a shrewd fellow, and (were he not one of the wicked) a man highly deserving; not so much for his knowledge and experience in Military Affairs, (which yet may challenge some proportion of honour) as for his diligence and faithfulness in the trust committed to him (valour I will not allow him any; 'tis only desperateness, and that he wants not, but) remember we not how politicly he carried himself in the business of Dublin, after we subdued the Common-Enemie here the first time? How dexterously he avoided the Messages and Commands of the late King (which we extorted from him) for the surrender of that City? How shamefully he baffled our Commissioners which were sent to Treat with him about it, at what distance he kept them, still urging the Captivity of the King to excuse his disobedience; and how oft, and on what sleeveless Errands he sent them back to re enforce their Instructions; whilst all that while he was underhand endeavouring to know the King Pleasure, by the hands of his own Messenger?— And when he was satisfied with the Reality of the King's Desires, and Condition; how notably he trucked with us for his own security and satisfaction?— Nay more, when he stood upon the receipt of some thousands before he would surrender; you shall hear how he there served us— For notwithstanding that I caused the parliament by their letters volutarily to assure him the full double of the sum he demanded, upon condition he would quit the Kings (& declare for our) Interest; and that hereunto he had returned a fine silver-tongued Response in answer to the parliament, & had thereupon returned him the authority of the parliament to indemnify him and his Followers for all things said or done in relation to the English or Irish Wars, and 4000.l. in recompense for his losses; with this additional assurance; that he should soon after the surrender be re-invested▪ with full power and government of Dublin by Commission from the Parliament; yet no sooner was Dublin delivered to us (upon the King's letters) and his Passport sent him, but in contempt of all our fair and civil proffers, he transports himself for France, abruptly waving both our proffers and protection.— This Beloved, I instance not to justify him in his Rebellious courses against the Nation (those I will use my utmost to destroy him for, but) to let you see how gloriously, even a wicked and ungodly man (as this Ormond is) appears in the Eyes of the World, who but approves himself true to his trust, that scorns to be corrupted with gold, and continues so to the last; whereunto (Beloved) you are all of you enjoyed by the words of my Text— Be subject to the Higher Powers &c.  
Nor will I let to acknowledge him less formidable than faithful; for doubtless he hath gone very near to parcify all Interests, and picked out of them a numerous Army, over whom he hath placed good Officers (good said I?) I do not mean (beloved) Godly Officers (for they are all of them Papists or Popishly aff●…cted) but tried soldiers; such as will not easily turn their backs of an Enemy— I must ingenuously confess too, they have a great strength by Sea, and a number of wilful Fellows for Mariners, who are in great heart by reason of the many, and great Prizes they have taken from our Merchants, and so forth; but what of all this? shall were therefore be discouraged? God forbidden▪ the more numerous the Enemy is, the greater shall be the victory over them; the more difficult the work is, the more our honour; the fuller their pockets are the worse they will fight: you know by experience the plunder of Leicester gave us the victory at Naseby; there you saw the Cavaliers choose rather to leave their King to His shifts, then shift from behind themtheir Cloak-bags— Believe it (Brothers) we shall meet with many advantages against them— Rupert himself (I know) will do us some good, though it be but in Crossing of Proverbs: and hear I but once that Culpepper or Hyde is there,— doubt it not, all is own— I cannot recount a Tithe of them. But this I am sure, the honest Citizens have feasted us to good purpose, for upon that occasion, we had their Promise to advance moneys a fresh for Ireland— Sans Nombre on Mensure (that's French b●loved) the English whereof is, without Weight or Measure)— Verily they are of a stiffnecked generation, become very tractable, and obedient servants: of a turbulent and mutinous, an exceeding meek and humble People.  
And indeed (my Beloved) it was no small work we had, to subdue those Malignant Spirits of the City, considering how audaciously they once withstood our Authority, and despised our Government; how peremptorily they Petitioned for Personall-Treaty with the King, and sent their Servants into Colchester, Surrey and Kent, to enforce us thereunto: how bitterly they inveighed & railed against the honourable Proceed of the Parliament and Army: How largely they contributed to bring in a foreign Nation to Invade us, whilst yet they denied us the payment of our Arrears, or to continue the necessary Taxes, or Excise, for our future maintenance, who had preserved them and their Families from the Rapine and Cruelty of a Barbarous Enemy. but (beloved Brethren) I mean not to rip up old Matters: Let is suffice, that being thus warned by their mishap, you fall not into the like sin of Disobedience to higher Powers; there being no Powers but of God, the Powers that be being ordained of God.  
Object. But it may be some here may object & say; how shall we be secured, in your absence, from the malicious Plots & contrivances of the Presbyterians, Malignants and Levellers: Since we cannot but expect they will be Complotting our Ruin, especially Lilburne and the rest with him in durance, whose Spirits can never be quelled but by a Crumwell, they being so implacable and desperate?  
Answ. Truly Beloved, you that do, do very well to make these doubts; I like these doubting Christians above all Christians, provided they be not jealous: and yet (my beloved) a Man or Woman may be jealous without Cause, as that holy Man of God, major-general Lambert is of his Wife, which truly proceeds not so much out of any corruption in Judgement, as Manners; yet the Man was well Bred, though not educated so well as we are in the South: But as to this point, you shall hear how careful I have been to provide for your safety, and the Peace of the Nation, in my Absence. For supposing that Lilburne and his Faction, and the rest of our Enemies (as God knows we have too many) will strive to alienate the Hearts of the People from me, and to usurps the Rule and Dominion to themselves, if a convenient strength, and some one or other were not left, fitted with Policy and Courage to restrain them; I have taken care that my son Ireton shall stay amongst you, and that my Corrival, (noble Lambert) shall go in his stead, as my Lievetenant-Generall into Ireland: And my Son (you all know) wants no Spirit (if he did, he should never have married my Daughter, that you may well think) As for his Policy, I suppose you have as little reason to doubt of it, as I have of his Fidelity: The large Remonstrance, renders him (as I take it) very clean handed and subtle; and with him I'll see a sufficient strength both of Horse and Foot be left, which (together with the City-forces which we have engaged, and are ascertained will stick to us; the General (so popular and valiant a Man) staying here also to oversee them) shall (I warrant you) suppress all insurrections & tumults whatsoever. However I have given such Order to my Son Ireton concerning Lilburne and the rest, that if ever hereafter he observe him, or them, to stir up the People to Sedition, or scribble any thing (as formerly) against Our lawful Proceed; that forth with he shall execute Justice upon them: And I think (dear Brethren) you will judge it but necessary, since neither our Mercy, nor the sense they have of the uprightness of our Cause will invite them to forbear bespattering the Innocent Robes of this Infant-State.  
And now (Beloved) as we must not conceal any thing from one another, I shall make bold to requite your ingenuity by the instancing one other doubt, with a danger at the end of it; which although it may startle you at the first sight, yet be of good courage, be faithful and strong; it admits of an easy solution. And that's the Accord of the Scots with their new-King— Truly I must confess my Designs were never till now so diverted and confounded; for I must tell you, I have Reverenced that short, but pithiy Precept of my father Machiavelli [Divide & Impera] so long as I could keep them at odds amongst themselves, I feared not but order them as I pleased. But now it is too true, that both the Parliament and Priests of that Kingdom, have attainted Argyle of high Treason [That is, for holding the hands of the Scots until we Executed that Exemplary piece of Justice on the King.] And that therefore they intent to cut his head off; which if they do, than (Beloved) they destroy our only friend in that Kingdom, and the differences on foot there must needs expire with his breath; which being once done, they will have nothing left to do, but vie Authority with us, and threaten a second Invasion. For you must understand the Scots are a Warlike People, and that there is nothing will make them sooner Rebel, than Idleness and Peace; so that if this be so, we shall be sure to have them amongst us— Now beloved, to preserve ourselves against them in this great Garrison of our English Commonwealth: It is for our safety that we quit those out houses of Ireland; and if they were burnt it matters not, so we maintain but what we have already in possession. To which end I have resolved, that if they cut off the head of Argyle or otherwise disable him to prosecute our Interest there, that then I will wave the War of Ireland, and keeping the foredoor of this Nation close shut, bend all Powers to defend the Back door against that perfidious Nation. And this (I conceive to be the surest way: provided I can but make choice of able and Trusty men to secure the Ports, Towns, and Inland Garrisons without Revolts or Treachery— And this will be easily done, considering the men and monies we have at our pleasure— I tell you brothers, our thousand shall slay their ten thousands, and in a short space make the a miserable little People, and at length root them out from off the face of the Earth and possess us of their lands, for an Inheritance to us and our Generations for ever.  
But I have strayed too fare from my Text; I will now come to the remaining words thereof, and so conclude— For there are no Powers but of God etc. the Council of State, the House of Commons, the Council of War, and the High Court of Justice (when it was) were all Powers of God; and the following words of my Text give you the Reason. For the Powers that be are Ordained of God: Be they Just or Unjust, they are all of God, God ordained them; and so he did that Tyrannical Power of the late King, an those Belly-Gods the Bishops, to punish us for our Infirmities. But now that bee hath graciously removed those Powers, he hath Ordained ours to Preserve, Cherish, Elevate, Comfort and Delight the Saints and to Rule and Govern the Land, in Sincerity and in Truth; to distribute Justice equally and Impartially according to His Will— But the times is spent, and I must be marching— I desire therefore (my dear brothers and sisters) that you daily pour out your Prayers and Supplications for us, and for our success against the wicked and ungodly, that are risen up against us: and that you cease not to comfort one another with mutual Embraces, and Spiritual kisses, to delight and sweeten your passage through this veil of misery; And that you take especial care to strengthen and corroborate yourselves with Capon and Cock-broth, that I may find Oil in your Lamps at my Return,  
FINIS.