A little eye-pleasing for the kingdom and army, that they may see. Wherein is clearly represented what the Supreme Power of the kingdom is, and how it may be known. By a true Friend and Lover of those Powers and Magistrates that be of God.  
THe Lord who is wonderful in council and excellent in working, who had according to his determinate will, as it were, withdrawn himself from the world, in the fore-going ages, hath now latey appeared again in this kingdom in some wonderful works of his, being, as it appears, about some notable design for the advancement of the kingdom of his dear Son.  
We who have lived in any light of God, are not ignorant how that in this last age the supreme Magistrates of the kingdom, had turned aside from the power of God, as well as from the way of God, and went about to strengthen themselves in their own ways, and to accomplish their own designs by a multitude of evil doers, whom they every where encouraged, maintained, and preferred, that they might be serviceable to themselves in whatever their hearts should desire; and in this wicked way of their own choosing, God in his secret and just judgement suffered them to prosper, till they had even almost oppressed all common justice, judgement and honesty in the State, and all spiritual worship and power of godliness in the Church. And then it became the fullness of time, for God to arise himself, and to stretch forth his own arm, and for his own names sake to vindicate his own power in the State, and Christs in the Church: wherefore the Lord sounds an Alarum and gathers together a power in the kingdom,( not the first power, which was of mans choosing rather then Gods, and whom he cast off, as he cast off Saul; but the second power which was of his own choosing and anointing, and whom he was with, as he was with David) and by this second power he breaks the Shield, the Sword and the battle, he makes the Kings and Princes of the Army to fly, while the poor Countrey-people divide the spoil; and by this he utterly subdues the enemy in all his power of war. But this puts not an end to our evils, nor reduces us unto our former peace, as we were in good hope; but through the weak and wicked administrations of some, and the just judgement of God over all, the whole Kingdom is become one general heap of confusion and disquiet, and no man now knows which are those hills to which he should turn his eyes, or which are those mountaines from whence he should expect help, and the great question of all men at this time is, where now lies the supreme power.  
In this matter, ● crave leave of all my dear countrymen, to speak freely my own apprehensions, not for the prejudice of any one man, much less of a whole Common-wealth, but for the profit and satisfaction of all.  
The supreme power then in the kingdom, is the power of God where ever it is to be found, and he cannot avoid the just censure of atheism who will deny, that the power of God is the supreme power, and that this supreme power of God ought to reign in the world: for that remaines an unalterable truth, that it is the most high God that reigns in the kingdoms of men; it is not men themselves that are to reign in those kingdoms they call their own, nor the devil that is to reign by and through men, but it is the most high God that is to reign, and the whole power of Government, both of this and all other Nations, is to be the power of God. Now the power of God reigns in the kingdoms of men, sometimes under one form, and sometimes under another; sometimes under Monarchy ▪ sometimes under Aristocracy, sometimes under Democracy, &c. and it is no matter what the outward form of Government be, so the power of God be underneath is: For it is not any form of Government, that we are to stand by, and submit to, but the power of God in it; but when the power of God leaves any form of Government, we are not to stand by that form, when it is destitute of the power of God, but we are to go along with the power of God, where ever that goes, and where that remaines we are to join, and there we are to submit ourselves. This may be thus illustrated: The presence of God is, that which the Church is to join to, where ever it is to be found; now in the dayes of the Old Testament the presence of God for Worship was promised to the Temple, here will I dwell sai●h God, and therefore all the faithful worshipped towards the Temple at Jerusalem, not for the Temples sake, but for Gods Presence sake which dwelled in the Temple: But now when Christ comes, the Presence of God leaves the Temple, to which it was annexed onely by a word, and dwells bodily in Christ: and therefore all the faithful quiter leaving the Temple, as the presence of God left it, now come to Christ, in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, and the Temple is nothing at all to them; but the Jews staying by the Temple when the presence of God had left it, became a reproach, curse, desolation and astonishment. So in like manner in point of Government, we may stay by any form whilst the power of God is in it, but to stay by the form, when the power of God is withdrawn, is to make our dwelling place with cruelty, tyranny, injustice, oppression and destruction.  
Now the common people of the kingdom, they onely regard the outward form of Government, but the wiser people of the Nation they most mind the power of God in the form: The ignorance of the former is the cause why they cry out so vehemently, Oh the King, the King, the King! and they say, they will never be quiet till they have the King again, though he have quiter cast off the power of God, and hath acted plainly and manifestly by a power as contrary to Gods, as darkness is to light, and through that wicked power hath wasted Cities and Counties, and laid towns and houses desolate, and slain many thousands of men, women and children in England and Ireland, and hath drunk up our blood as new wine, and filled both these kingdoms with the sad outcries and lamentations of widows and orphans, and hath stuffed our borders full with mischiefs and miseries of all kinds; though I say, the King hath cast off Gods power, and to speak plainly, hath acted in the Devills, and though the power of God hath cast off him, and left him as a most remarkable piece of weakness in the midst of the Nation, and as a man truly without strength, yet they, a foolish people and unwise, cry out for this King again, wherein they clearly say, give us a governor that hath none of the power of God at all with him, but who is acted by a contrary power, for the destruction of all the just ways of God among men. And truly, such a King may well serve such a people.  
But those that are wise and rational among us, they look above this regal form: yea above all outward forms whatever, as well Parliamentary as regal, and that power which they will onely own and aclowledge, it is the power of God among what sort of people soever it is to be found; for they know, that this is the only power of God that can and will govern men in justice, judgement and righteousness: and if Government be committed to any sort of men that are without this power, the consequence will certainly be tyranny and oppression, as we have seen in these dayes of ours in more then many instances.  
To draw near then to what I would say, if the King be destitute of the power of God, or the Parliament, or the like, they are no longer the supreme power, except we will resolvedly give up the kingdoms of the world to the devil, which not onely every Christian, but every man should contend against with all the power that God hath given him. But the power of God, though in a company of mean men, is absolutely the supreme power, to which all are to join themselves, and to which they are to submit: as we see in many instances of Scripture: for example, when the people of Israel were in egypt, they were all in an equal condition of bondage, and no one man above another, and who would have thought to have seen a King or Ruler amongst them, and then the presence and power of God found out Moses, and abode with him, and he became the Supreme power, and though at first the Israelite refused to obey, saying, Who made thee a Ruler and Judge over us? Yet when it was more manifest that the power of God was with him, then not he onely, but all the people obeyed him, and after when Moses died, how came Joshua above all the rest, to be the supreme power, but because God said to him, I will be with thee as I have been with Moses. Further, when God departed from Saul,( a King of the peoples preremptory choosing) the Supreme power was no longer with him; but God choosing David a poor shepherd, the Supreme power, which is the power of God, became his, and the power of God with David, swallowed up by degrees the power of the creature which was with Saul, and so the kingdom came to be established in Davids hands. After this, when David died, how came Solomon a younger brother to be the supreme power rather then Adonijah the first born, but because God appeared to Solomon and was with him, and was not with Adonijah, &c. If any say, these were extraordinary, and in the first daies of the Church, I anwer: No, it was Gods ordinary way thus to deal, as you may see all along in the story of the Church, and God hath promised it shall be so also in the last daies of the Church, saying, Isa. 1. I will give them Judges as at the first, and counsellors as at the beginning.  
Now if any ask me, yea, but how shall wee know the power of God from other powers in the world, that we may come in unto that?  
I answer, the Apostle gives us an unerring Character of such powers, Rom. 13. begin. where he saith, the Powers that be are ordained of God, and these Powers so ordained, do encourage and protect the good, and do terrify and revenge upon the evil, and in both these, they are the Ministers of God excercising his Power among men: & Peter saith, the Governours to which we are to submit, are sent of God, for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well. And thus it is evident, what that power is that is of God, and unto which wee are to submit.  
Now if we look to the power that the King managed, it is notoriously known, that that power was a terror to the good, and a praise to the evil; that that power did punish the good, and reward the evil, and so was none of the power of God. How many good men in all parts of the kingdom were vexed, oppressed, imprisoned, undone, banished, and driven into other parts of the world for succour, for their lives and livelihoods? and how many evil men, Popish and Antichristian Prelates, luxurious and tyrannicall Lords, unjust and wicked Judges, together with a multitude of profane and ungodly persons of all conditions, did the King countenance, prefer, and put into places of trust and honour every where in the kingdom? as if he had a project in his heart to strengthen himself against Jesus Christ, and totally to suppress his kingdom from having any place in his Dominions.  
Now when it was thus apparent, that the Kings power was not Gods power, but contrary to it, God( according to his usual dealing) raises up another power in the kingdom and breaks that in pieces: and then the power came in the hands of the Parliament, and they at first laid hold on Gods power, and were mighty through it as long as they did cleave unto it: but now they not learning righteousness by Gods judgements on the Kings power, did also turn aside from Gods power to their own, and they became as unjust, tyrannicall and oppressive as the former power, and much more, and so how busy, cunning and active became they to suppress godly men every where, and to encourage, protect and prefer evil men that might be serviceable to their own turn, after the example of the King, till at last God powred contempt upon them also, and raised up a sorry company of very servants and bondmen of the City, the actors and executioners of their Masters counsels, to invade the power of the Parliament, and to force them to make what laws they listed, which accordingly they did for fear of that rude multitude: God hereby declaring his departure from that form also, and discovering that the power left behind would now be content to be subject even to the lusts of servants, and so would never be able again to stand out against the new temptations and courtings of the King, if he should return again.  
So that this present form of the Parliament seems to many men, as destitute of the power of God, as the former of the Kings; for I pray, what justice have they done, which concerned not themselves? What oppressed ones have they relieved that were not related to themselves? What ends have they prosecuted, but their own? And so under this present power of theirs doth not the kingdom groan under a thousand oppressions for one heretofore? Are not all our burdens multiplied? And is not injustice, cruelty, oppression, and most Arbitrary power, spread as a covering over the whole kingdom, by the hands of their Committees? and are not they themselves still preparing more snares, for the most precious of the people of God, and preparing more opposition and resistance to Christs spiritual worship? Do they not nourish Traytors to the kingdom in their own bosom, and hold them so fast in their arms, that no loud outcries for Justice can wring them forth? And now let the whole kingdom judge, whether they be any longer the power of God, the Apostle describes.  
But where then shall we find the power of God, if both King and Parliament have declined from it, and are now found destitute of it?  
I answer, I see none of the power of God left in the kingdom, if it be not to be found in the Army: for certainly the Power of God did first set them up, and since keep them up, and made its residence among them, and fought their battailes, and stormed their Cities and strong holds for them; and as the power of God hath produced them and their works, so they again have acted according to Gods power; and I have no where observed of late through the whole kingdom, any power that hath encouraged and protected and countenanced the good, and cashiered, and punished and revenged upon the evil, as they have done; and therefore the two former powers remaining faint and sinnewlesse, this power only remaines hitherto strong and mighty, and so is like to do, as long as it remaines the power of God. But the Army of late also hath had its qualms and Ague fits, and they have been departing from the power of God, divers of great place in it have become faithless and heartless, and durst not rest on that power alone, for the doing of the works of God, and so have sought to strengthen themselves in vain, by the two former empty forms of King and Parliament: yea they have suffered and constrained the power of God in and among them( which ought always to be active and operative) to ly still for many moneths together; till the axletree of the Kingdom is cracked quiter asunder, and the very foundations of it are tottering, and confusion and ruin like a desperate sickness is spreading itself through all the members of it, and yet they sit still and do not help at all. And this is the great and crying sin of the Army at this time; they say, they are the servants of the Parliament, and they must expect their commands. And are you yet no further? are you yet bewitched and benumbed with those Syrens that are among you? can you, honest and valiant men, see the whole kingdom flaming about your ears, and stand still till you have a Commission to go quench it? can you hear the outcries of thousands and Millions from all parts of the kingdom, crying out to you, as the man of Macedonia to Paul, come and help us, Oh help us, help us, from the bondage, oppressions, injustice, delays, vexations, undoings and grindings to powder of the Ministers of Parliament, Sequestrators, Countrey-Committees, Parliament-Committees, and many such like instruments of woe, who are sucking out the very blood, and eating out the very hearts and bowels of the kingdom, and see and hear all this, and ly still at free quarters, and sleep on the best beds, and fare at the best tables, as if this nothing concerned you? know you not yet that Necessity is not to be tied by any laws, nor to be limited by any forms? know you not that to relieve the oppressed, and to break in pieces the oppressors, and what ever else is materially good, is lawful to be done in case of necessity. If a Troope of your horse march by the high way, and see rogues and robbers spoilng an honest man, will you pass by and refuse to help him, till your General give you a Commission for that particular business? How then can you answer it to God and the kingdom, to suffer so many men, and their inheritances, to be oppressed and spoiled, to see Committee-men and Cavaliers tread upon on the necks of the free born people of England and to make them bow down, that they may go over them, whilst you have power to help and succour them, but yet prolong still, and refuse to do it, because the Parliament hath not commissioned you with any such kind of power: And must the power of God in the kingdom ask leave of the power of the world and of the devil, to do justice among men? Must the power of God be still smothered under a thousand forms, and be kept out of sight, by the customs and traditions of men, that it may not act clearly and above all things among us? That which among many creatures would be a great evil would be a great good among you, to wit, to know your own power: that is, to know how the power of God in the world is power above all power, a free, absolute, universal power, not to be limited by any forms, persons, times or places, but is still to be uppermost in the world. And therfore know, that God hath raised you up for such a time as this is, and if you refuse to help this distressed Nation, whose throat is now become so hoarse with calling for help, that it cannot speak many words more, God will find deliverance for us some other ways, but you, all of you, shall perish: and you that would not help the afflicted, shall be yourselves afflicted, and none shall help you. Yea all the wrongs, oppressions, miseries, woes and evils of this whole kingdom shall lye upon your heads, whom God had armed with power to remedy them, but you would not.  
And therfore bitter shall be the cup of those wise Officers of the Army, who leaving the wisdom of God, have gone down to sense and reason to ask counsel, and to politic men of carnal principles; for their wisdom is their snare, and they have deserted the way of faith. And the Lord be the strength of those man-children, who have appeared as the first fruits of the power of God in the lapsed state of the Army, whose faithful and powerful agitations I look upon as some first buddings of Christs kingdom among us: and increased of God be their faith, who dare undertake, without any human help, such a work, wherein they are like to find all the power, honour, riches, wisdom, learning, Gentry, Nobility and Royalty of the kingdom against them; and yet the power of God with them will carry on his own work against all these, which shall all fall backward before it, as those Officers, who being armed with worldly power to apprehended Christ, fell down backward before Christ the power of God.  
And therefore let such godly men, as they have begun in faith, so continue in the same faith, and let all that see the presence and power of God with them, come in unto that power; for what is impossibl● to our power, is possible to his, who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.  
FINIS.   

Printed in the year 1647.