It seems to me that Oliver Cromwell was stuck at a fork in a road, often proceeding in one direction only to change his mind before he reached his destination. As the head of the Council of State with advisers he had appointed (not a good start,) Cromwell wanted the people of England to follow the word of god, but with the freedom to think for themselves. He understood the importance of a strong parliament, he wanted its members to be honourable and trustworthy, men that the population would trust and support at a time of crisis, Cromwell considered this the way forward. Fine values you could say, however....
Cromwell was a Janus, the parliament he set up he dismissed on two occasions when they disagreed with him, he wanted a government with the authority to control, but kept a large army to suppress if necessary, he wanted people to be comfortable in their beliefs, but forced them to follow a strict Puritan regime, coming down hard on the population if they stepped out of line.
Oliver Cromwell's parliament had ordered the execution of Charles I for his belief in the right of succession then insisted that his son step into his shoes. Cromwell didn't fully understand, until it was too late Shakespeare statement
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."
Oliver Cromwell, I feel, was a man with the right basic ideas who failed to realise that applying them would not be easy.