THat this meeting may prove effectuall by Gods blessing to the end pretended, even a sweet union between the godly, and a hap­py Composure of this unhappy difference; I thought it my duty to give you (as briefly and plainly as I can:) that which I conceive, must necessarily be debated in order to this union: and were not Religion, Gods cause, the King­dom, nay three Kingdoms so nearly con­ [...]ned, I would have been silent for my brethrens sakes, for whom it [...] me at the very heart. But it may be remembred, the fathers dan­gers [Page 4] made the dumb child to speak, you know there is no sore can be throughly cured, but it must indure some smart; if this sore be not skil­fully handled, and throughly cured, it may prove fatall to the Gospel, throughout all Europe; and in truth, whatsoever specious pretext to the contrary, a perpetual farewel to Englands, Irelands and Scot­lands Common Right and Freedom For do not Soldiers usurp the Parlia­ments authority, which is one fair step to it? and for the Ministry, they'l be prea­chers; Rome may keep their Iesuits at home these wil do their work for them if God prevent not.; whatsoever Mr. Estwick is pleas'd to say, I am confident his own Conscience tells him, The Gen­tlemen he accuseth for promoting a new War, and his inveighing against the City Remonstrance, Declaration, and all the late Carriages of the promoters thereof, is really from a deep sense of their duty, and the danger, this Parliament was in by the Armies disobedience, whose proceedings all along since, doth sufficiently justifie, and make mani­fest, and whether or no the fundamental Laws of the Land be not now subverted, and the very being of Parliaments struck at, when the Ar­my hath not only refused to obey the Parliament, but contrarily hath forst obedience from them, both in voting and unvoting, and hath ta­ken upon them to judg the case of the Kingdom, nay, to be the Parli­aments Judges, and to require Reasons of their votes, to be given them, or such as they confide in, as appears by that Declaration of the 18, of June, and Parliament like, to receive the Countryes Petitions, set up a The Junto or Mock Par­liament at Putney. General Counsel against the Great Counsel of the Land undertake to do that there, only proper to Parliaments; vote down the Kings nega­tive voyce, the House of Pears, set periods to Parliaments, give Rules and Directions to Parliaments. I would I could not add that bold fac'd Treason, when they declared the Parliament to be no Parliament. In a word, as they have devided the Parliaments, so have they Fomented and Promoted all the divisions in the Kingdom, that shakes the very founda­tions of this Common-wealth; what exceeding Is there not jugling in the Kings being found at the Ifle of Wight. I wish his per­son be not st [...]l in danger; and that we knew the Truth. Juggling hath bin in the Army from the beginning, and also, withall the world besides: Absolon like to steal away the hearts of the people, and to cozen and cheat them out of their very understandings, to the betraying of them­selves, the Parliament, even to the indangering the ever having more Parliaments? What strange and undutiful expressions? What slander and Reproaches? Nay, what treasonable speeches and actions hath bin attempted against this Parliament? Was not the Kings taking from Holdenby disowned by the Army since own'd, upon very great pretences of loyally and duty to him, but what performances all the world may now [Page 5] see by his Maiesties present escape for the safety of his person, as well as by the attempts of the Agitators If you see them shot to death for their attempts upon the King, Par­liament & City, then I hope al wil be wel, no as bad as ever without Peters Repentance; even among the head Offi­cers, who sin in that also; is it not as just for the Agita­tors to disobey their Officers as for them to disobey the Parliament., to Impeach him without any Au­thority or Countenance of the Parliaments; and such other attempts upon the Parliament and Ministery of the Gospel, that if Absolon were now alive to act his Treason, it might wel enough pass among the Croud, for Common Right and Freedom Was not the Petition disown­ed since owned? Was not their disobedience disowned with a great deal of fained sorrow, since own'd with a great deal of real Joy; doth a­ny man know what to make of the Army now, one piece of it is for Paul, and other for Apollos, and an other for Sephaes, but all out of order, all disobedient to the Parliament, ever and anon professing that the Parliament is not yet for their turn; so that the truth is, and I think all the world can never make it out, that there is any thing to be said for them, but that whilst they were obedient, God honoured them to be Instruments to this poor Kingdom; which very service makes me pour out many a prayer to God, to pour upon them the spi­rit of Repentance and Obedience, without which I much doubt of any good by your meeting: for when God comes to enquire after all those things, I am afraid he wil charge upon the Armies disobedience, the new What is your own Child turn'd a Mon­ster that you are asham'd to own it. War you talk of, the accusation of the Imprisoned and banished ones, the renting and tearing in piec [...]s the Parliament, the City, the whole Kingdom, nay 3, Kingdoms, the hinderers of Ire­lands Relief; promoters of the Famine, both of bread, and of the word of the Lord, and of all the sad Consequences we fear may follow: So that the Subiect or matter that tends to a godly union in my opinion wil be speedily to make a Religious Retreat, if nature prevail so with you that you canot own the new War, yet let grace be so predominant as not to continue to charge it upon those you know are The Lord Maior, Alder­men, the Mem­bers of both Houses, and divers others occused of High Treason or Misdemea­nors. innocent, set at li­berty all those Gentlemen, most of which I know you have had such signal Testimonies of their faithfulness to this Parliament, that as I am confident, Treason wil not stick by them, so the several foot­steps of Gods providence ever since hath given strange Commendation to their endeavors, as if God would have the world to see, that they then did but attempt to do their duty: Put both Houses and the City into the same posture they were in, when you first medled with them, and then know, that there is much doubt too, whether unity and unifor­mity be not twins to live and dye together. I am perswaded there is many great Officers of the Army in [...]ool bloud, could heartily wish [Page 6] themselves where they were when they begun, but they are now in a snare, and Subiect to many Temptations: yet I hope their [...] ­genuity is such, that though ambition bids them goe on, that they will Remember they have not so learned Christ; and the further they go the more misery they wil run themselves into; for I am confident, without Repentance, God wil bring them to a s [...] reckoning, at last: and indeed Gentlemen: how can a true Israelite, a true English man, dispence with his duty? Nay can England, that has obleiged it selfe by so many Solemn Vows How y [...]u have k [...]pt the Coven [...]nt let your consci­e [...]ces speak, that have not only [...]uffered the priviledges of Parliament to be b [...]ken, but have bro­ken them your selves. Do not your own con­sciences check you if they do defer n [...]t Re­pentance, un­ [...]avel & und [...] what you have rashly done; for I hope you see what it is to let the gol­den [...] of Government loose, and if you be real converts leave jugling. and Covenants, to pre­serve the Parliament, when so apparently it is indangered? were not the 11. Members fain to leave the Parliament, or else they would turn them out by force? Did not the Parliament Vote six days one after an­other, That, that was a Parliament the Army Voted was none; and would, as I think, have Voted so til this day, could we say they were not now under a force? But I believe the last great turn given to the Parliament by that 1000 Horse, commanded by Major Desborough into Hide Park (to execute that dreadful Declaration or poysonous purge, of which the Parliament hath never yet recovered, and was such a blow to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to these three Kingdoms [...] cannot yet be paralel'd) wil require a thorough REPENTANCE: And though we cannot see all the plots and designs of men, yet God knows all the present juglings of this Age; and we have had so much experience in all the transactions, since this unhappy difference, as to say, surely this putting of the Army thus out of joynt is to try the skil of some or other. But, I hope, the Gentlemen that press an Union upon that ground, wil see a providence in it, and say of their policy, all is uanity: and that surely by this division in the Army, God minds us of our disobedience, and that we should trust God more in his ordinary way of providence: and let Parliaments alone with the setling of Church and State, as only proper to them: And if the Soldiers act without, or in opposition to their Officers: is it not Lex Talionis? Is it not the bitter fruit of their own rash Councels and Actions? Believe it, all the would, that observes the Army, may with good reason conclude, that they are gone so far, that they now resolve only to depend upon their own strongth for Indempnity: their own Papers do more then intimate as much: if so then, what good issue of this meeting can be expected without some better incouragement from that party: but some kind of acknowledgment, or s [...]bmission or something akin to it? And indeed, [Page 7] what ever is pretended that seems to be their aim, if Master Estwick spake their Meaning at the last Meeting; and if so, [...]hen know that an ungodly Union cannot hold; for if you could out-reach or out-wit men, its to no purpose, for God wil laugh you to s [...]orn and have you in derision; as its good to forget on all sides, so its dangerous to countenance any of the late passages since this difference, or to comply while they have power to drive on their own designs To be sure they have not power to de­fend King, Par­liament and Kingdom, as appears by the Kings flight at their confessi­on & practice dayly. Do not the Gen [...]ral Counc [...]l drive one way and the Agiltators another [...] the best Lie, Gen. Cromwel can do is but to obstruct their treason, which they chuse to suffer in h [...]es of a better op­portunity to act it; and its wel known have no smal Party, and are in a desperat [...] c [...] ­dition.. It would be too tedious to give you a taste of all the bitter fruit of the Armies disobedience: but in one Paper they take Liberty of Conscience, to desire the punishment of those Gentlemen that out of conscience, and in obedience, left the Army: And M. Estwick more then intimated, that he great­ly desired an Union between the Parliament and City, only some particular Gentlemen should lie under the guilt of a new War; of whose innocency, by this time, I presume he cannot be ignorant: but that self defence, which he is plea­sed to cal a new War, I am fully satisfied, had been the only way to preserve the Parliament, City and Kingdom from all those dangers both felt and feard, had they not by their craft and subtilty, sown so much division among the godly, that we thereby were in danger of a common Enemy. To conclude, so long, I am confident▪ as a counsel of Agita­tors is set up to oppose the great Counsel of Parliament, and we humble not our selves for it, there is little hopes of an Union; nay it is a great dishonor to our English Nati­on, a hissing stock and by-word in all Countries. Can you read, without trembling, the Case of the Army, and Call to the Army, the Diurnal, & several other Papers, what danger our Religion is in, what dishonor is cast upon our God, what Here­sies and Blasphemies are fomented and maintained, what Hy­pocrisies in reference to Ireland, what double dealing in refe­rence [Page 8] to England. Witness their own Relation of his Ma­jesties escape or retirement; indeed they have as many se­veral designs as they are parties in the Army; and all tend to a New War, if hiding or driving of King, Parliament and Religion our of the Kingdom wil do it, under the notion of Peace and Truth or common Right and Freedom. What indeavoring to charge their own treasons What diffe­rence between privat tampe­ring now and Sir Io [...] [...] ­thans treasons or is there li­berty for saints to act what was treason as they say in the 11. Members or any elle? or is this the way to peace to keep the Parliament in the dark, or if they wil see to putout their eyes? this Ma­chivil an pol­cy wil never restore Eng­lands peace surely its nei­ther the victo­ry over the A­gitators, nor the General Councel, nor any other se­lect number of officers in the Army but the Armies obedi­ence to the Parliament, & the freedom of Parliament and application of both Kingdoms to his Majesty thats likely to procure a firm & lasting peace and mischiefs up­on other mens shoulders; all which together with the present necessity of settling the King and Kingdom, relieving Ire­land, easing the Kingdom of those unnecessary, Taxes, as Free quarter and all other charges upon the poor Country▪ occasioned by the Armies disobedience; I say, as all these Cals for Fasting and Prayer, and for humbling our selves to a happy speedy Union; so shal it also be the dayly prayer and sincere indeavor of