mistaken fancies; but still they have been the wise disposings of the Almighty, though instruments have had their passions and frailties; and I think it is an honour to God to acknowledge the necessities to have been of God's imposing, when truly they have been so, as indeed they have, when we take our sin in our actings to ourselves, and much more safe than judge things so contingent, as if there were not a God that ruled the earth. * ** It was, say some, the cunning of the lord protector, (I take it to myself) it was the craft of such a man, and his plot, that hath brought it about. And as they say in other countries, there are five or six cunning men in England that have skill, they do all these things: Oh what blasphemy is this! because men that are without God in the world, and walk not with him, and know not what it is to pray, or believe, and to receive returns from God, and to be spoken unto by the spirit of God, who speaks without a written word sometimes, yet according to it: God hath spoken heretofore in divers manners; let him speak as he pleaseth. Hath he not given us liberty? Nay, is it not our duty to go to the law and to the testimonies, and there we shall find that there have been impressions in extraordinary cases, as well without the written word as with it? and therefore there is no difference in the thing thus asserted, from truths generally received, except we will exclude the spirit, without whose concurrence all other teachings are ineffectual. * I may be thought to press too much upon this theme, but I pray God it may stick upon your hearts and mine; the worldly minded man knows nothing of this, but is a stranger to it; and because of this his atheism and murmurings at instruments, yea, repining at God himself; and no wonder, considering the Lord hath done such things amongst us as have not been known in the world these thousand years, and yet notwithstanding is not owned by us. I have troubled you with a long speech, and I believe it may not have the same resentment with all that it hath with some; but because that is unknown to me, I shall leave it to God, and conclude with that I think myself bound in my duty to God, and the people of these nations, to their safety and good in every respect; I think it my duty to tell you, that it is not for the profit of these nations, nor for common and public good, for you to continue here any longer; and therefore, I do declare unto you, THAT I DO DISSOLVE THIS PARLIAMENT. The above extract contains perhaps not more than one half of the entire speech; yet, what is omitted is of far less value. The speech furnishes no mean specimen of Cromwell's talents as an orator. It is marked, too,with all his characteristic hypocrisy. 2. Whitelocke also wrote, "Memorials of the English Affairs, from the supposed Expedition of Brute to this Island, to the end of the Reign of King James I." Published from his original MS. with some account of his life and writings, by William Penn, esq. governor of Pennsylvania; and a preface by James Welwood, M.D. 1709, folio. 3. There are, besides, various speeches of his "own in his "Memorials," and in other collections. SIR THOMAS BROWN, AN eminent physician and writer, son of Mr. Thomas Brown, merchant, of London, descended of an ancient and respectable family in Cheshire, was born in 1605, in Cheapside, London. He was educated first at Winchester College, and afterwards, 1623, entered gentleman commoner of Broad-gate-Hall, since Pembroke College, Oxford, as student of medicine. Having taken his degrees in arts, he practiced physic for some time in Oxfordshire. But his mother marrying sir Thomas Dutton, an official man under the government of Ireland, he accompanied her and his step-father to that island, where he visited all the fortresses of the kingdom. This journey inducing an inclination to travel, he made the tour of France and Italy; and having remained for some time at Montpelier, and at Padua, he came back to Holland, where, at Leyden, he took the degree of doctor of physic. Returning to England about 1634, he settled, two years after, at Norwich; and the year following, 1637, was incorporated doctor of physic at Oxford. On account of his great reputation as a physician, he was subsequently made honorary fellow of the royal college of physicians in London. He was knighted in 1671, by Charles the Second, in his progress through Norwich, with singular marks of consideration; and died in 1682. 1. The first of his productions was the Rentgio Medici, or, The Religion of a Physician, written in 1635. This piece, having been communicated to various persons, became much corrupted by transcription, and in this state was surreptitiously printed, which induced the author to publish a correct copy of it from the original. It is divided into two parts; the first containing his confession of faith, all his 'curious religious opinions and feelings; the second a confession of his charity, i. e. all his human feelings. I shall select a specimen or two from each. |