I Am not (I fear) the onely perſon, that comes hither hopeleſſe of doing any other good, (or good any other way) than by oppoſing 〈◊〉 , and endeavouring to hinder the deſignes of thoſe, who have brought the lives, liberties, and eſtates of the people of three Nations, to have no other ſupport, than a Government without any baſis or foundation. Although, I hope, we have not any of us ſo naturaliz'd our ſelves in the devill's dominions, by our habituall crimes, as not to return to the light of reaſon. Sir, I ſhould willingly be ſilent, could the voice and cries, complaints and groans, of the many thouſands in theſe Nations (that have felt, and feel, the weight of the oppreſſors) be heard. But whilſt they are not heard, or not regarded; and others (as unconcerned for them, and too much for themſelves) purſue not the truſt repoſed at their Elections to ſit here, Nolo meam perdere: I will not, muſt not, dare not, ſtifle my reaſon, barter my conſcience, nor loſe any opportunity of declaring what I am, and think, others ſhould be. And when Religion and Law, the two pillars of a Common-wealth, have Sampſon's ſhoulders (the power of the Sword) ſet to pull them down, ſit as a calm ſpectator. You know well, Sir, that it is the part of ſuch as are called, to conſult the concernments of the Republick; Semper vigilare & populorum ſuſcipere curam; according to that Encomium of Hector by Livie, Nocturnu vigilans & reipub. providens, &c. But he that ſleeping doth nothing, is more commendable, (or rather leſſe culpable) than he that waking doth amiſſe. Give me therefore liberty, in diſcharge of my ſelf, and as concern'd for others, to be your Remembrancer of the occaſion and buſineſſe, for which we that now ſit (and others, that, for ought I know, have as much right as our ſelves to ſit here) were at firſt convented. And if it appear (as queſtionleſſe 'tis too obvious) that we have degenerated or deviated, gon contrary to, or, at leaſt, walked out of the good road-way, to the peace, ſecurity, and advantage of the three Nations; I am unwilling to believe, that any man (out of a ſuppoſition that it is too late) will yet longer deferr to return, and experience to himſelf, that, Nihil eſt comodius vel tutius via Regia. Mr. Speaker, I ſhall not ſo much as queſtion, whether thoſe ſitting here, are, or are not, a Parliament. But ſure I am, that many uſefull Members (if it were ſuch) are wanting, to compleat this Body; and as ſure, that it were ſafeſt and beſt to joyne the Head to the Members. The Conſtitution of Parliaments was to conſult and adviſe with the King, for the government of his Subjects; To that purpoſe were we called hither: And how far we have proſecuted that, all Europe, yea, the whole World, is made judge. Let us make ſome retro-ſpection, and take a ſhort ſurvey of the tranſactions, by, and amongſt us, ſince our firſt meeting. We ſat not long, before our inconſiderate folly and arrogancy gave the King juſt cauſe to abſent, and to decline our actings. It did not then, (to ſome) but hath ſince (to all) appeared, that there were two great deſignes of two ſorts of perſons, ſitting in the Houſe; one of which (as in charity I do believe of many that were then Members) was, to purge the Councell of the King, and to reclaim the inſolence, and over-haughtineſſe, of the Biſhops and Clergy: The other, that which hath been ſince fatally effected, the deſtruction of them all. How to diſtinguiſh theſe perſons (yet) I know not; there being many Members (doubtleſſe) ſtill in beeing, (and ſome, I hope, ſitting here) than were then, and 〈◊〉 continue, hearty lovers of their King and Country. But all, or moſt of us, without diſtinction, are too guilty; ſome, by acting; others, by cowardly ſuffering that diſmall Tragedy to be acted. I need not prompt your Intellects, in the nature of thoſe horrid crimes we all have cauſe to mourn for: I fear, too many underſtood too well, and acted deliberately and reſolvedly what was intended, to attain to what they propoſed. The ſum of all is plain; That out of pretenſions to zeal for God, love to Religion, allegiance and duty to our King, and care for our Country, we cauſed ſo many thouſands to be murdered, ſo many families to be ruined, the King (whom we promiſed and proteſted we would make a glorious Prince) to be betrayed and beheaded; his Queen baniſHed, his Royall Children expoſed to the mercy of Strangers, Religion diſcountenanced, the Church defaced, the Laws violated, mens perſons impriſoned, their eſtates confiſcate and ſold. And all this to ſerve our own baſe ends, to enrich our ſelves, and to advance Libertiniſm, Anabaptiſm, Quakiſm, and Papiſm. Mr. Speaker, I wiſh theſe were not undenyable truths; but ſuch we all know they are: And yet ſuch, as ſome, notwithſtanding, can add to their confidence in committing, the impudence of juſtifying and defending them, aſſerting their right and authority by their power and violence: Though it be as ridiculous to wiſe men to maintain an Authority, in the ſubject of dethroning and depoſing their Soveraign, as 'tis prophane and damnable to intrench upon the prerogative of Heaven. And if the King be, Sicut Vicarius Dei, & Miniſter in terra; How dare any, but the great Emperour and Deputer of that Vice-roy, undertake or deſigne his removall. It was, Sir, (no doubt) juſt cauſe of ſadneſſe, upon the ſpirits of all honeſt perſons, that had been too eminent in the proſecution, of what received ſo ill ſucceſſe, to have that little power or poſſibility they had of retriving, what, before the murder of our late King, ſeemed posſible to be recovered, wreſted from them, by the force and violence of the then, and now pretenders to reformation, having no other warrant then their rebellious ſwords, which hath been the onely Corrilium they have uſed, like the unskilfull Phyſitian, Omnium occulos ſanare. And when afterwards ſome were left ſitting, that were ſeriouſly ſenſible of their miſcarriages, and endeavoured to evidence their remorce, by re-ſetling and reducing what they found wholly out of frame; then for ſome few ſelf-intereſſed, irreligious, ſacralegious perſons, by meer ſupremacy of power, to enforce their diſſolution, and give way to the ſuccesſion of a corrupt, Anabaptiſticall, Jeſuiticall ſect of people, to introduce an abſolute arbitrary Government, without Rule or Law, ſave onely that of the wills of the Legiſlators, that altered as their occaſions and advantages prompted. What muſt it then be to us, if there be any hear (as God forbid the contrary) that dare be honeſt, to ſee the Tragedy continued, acting and acted for ſo many years together; and when we now pretend an Authority, and have thereby opportunity to become men again (having hitherto appeared to the univerſal ſpectators, as Beaſts, Woolvs, Tigers, and a meer Antropophagi, devouring, and cauſing one another to be devoured) and to demonſtrate how fully ſenſible we are of our fat all and damnable errors, to find the people ready to be intangled in another Labyrinth, out of which, 'tis evident to all rationall capacities, there is no clue to conduct us, but that threed of Government which hath been raſhly cut in ſunder. Mr. Speaker, I muſt not waſte your time, nor need not (I think) ſpeak much of this ſubject, all of us having too great teſtimony in our ſelves of the ſad truths I mention. But (Sir) I beſeech you, let us not amidſt our ills be ſo deſperate, as to believe our ſelves altogether unſafe, without attempting greater. No, let us rather take up the Nunquam ſera; and whilſt ſome poſſibility remains of ſuch a compenſatory reſtitution, as may render us capable of mercy, do ſomething may procure it. I cannot boaſt the Art, whereto ſome here pretend, of Preaching, although I may more juſtly now aſſert a legall Call, to preach Repentance (evidencing my own by a free confeſſion) than they to aſcend the Pulpit, and become Umpires of Scripture, without other warrant, than what they collect by abuſe of that part on't, which reacheth them to provide for thoſe of their own houſhold, which they have done ſo ſucceſsfully, that they have inverted the Text, and are worſe than Infidells. But, Mr. Speaker, I ſhall beg your conſideration onely of two things; Firſt, Of the condition wherein we, and the three Nations now are; and, if I may ſpeak my own thoughts freely, I hope I ſhall ſpeak ſome of yours too in them. 'Tis not unknown, that we were ſometimes the wonder of the world, famous for Good, though now for Evill, and our Nation ſo Glorious, and happily enriched with Fruitfulneſſe, Peace and Plenty, and Governed by ſuch wholſome Laws, that thoſe in League with us, loved and honoured us, and our enemies envied and admired us: And now we are become ſo hatefully ridiculous, that we are paſt the benefit of love or pitty, and are, and muſt be, lookt on by all (ſave ſuch as by-reſpects ſeduceth) as a People without a Government, or Governours: and what conſequence may be from thence expected, is eaſily inferred from the fatall diſſentions, and generall misfortunes of thoſe people we read of, When there was no King in Iſrael. I may, Sir, challenge the beſt, and moſt criticall Etymologiſt, to give the Government we now are under (if we have any) a ſignificant Chriſtian name. I am confident none, or very few here can think, (what ever it may be expedient for us at preſent to ſay or declare) that it is a Parliamentary Government, every man rationall, having ſo much naturall Logick about him to evince the contrary. Parliaments were never heard of before Kings, nor never made, legally called, or conſtituted, but by the King. If then there be no King, what followes? Ceſſante cauſa, ceſſat etiam effectus.

But ſuppoſe an Impoſſibility, that there was a Parliament in England which did ſurvive the King that cauſed it; yet, was it not diſſolv'd, and legally too, notwithſtanding the Act we dore on, that it ſhould not be diſſolv'd but by Act of Parliament? However, others may truly expound that Act of force, a wrong; we are eſtopped by our aſſent, to ſay it was illegal. Was the ſtanding at the Parliament-Houſe dore, before the late King's death, and with violence denying entrance to men, duly choſen by their Country, impriſoning their perſons, and appointing a certain number of their own to ſit, and directing them to enact what they had deſigned, and nothing elſe. Was that lawfull? Were thoſe perſons then left a compleat Parliament? and were the reſt lawfully ſecluded? And is it not as lawfull for the ſame perſons, by the ſame power, when thoſe ſitting begun (or were feared) to be too honeſt for their purpoſes, utterly to annihilate and diſſolve them? I beſeech you, Sir, let us not befool our ſelves into an opinion, of cheating the eyes of the world with a mask, that every one may ſee through. But finding now our conſtitution, and the ſtate of our maladies; let our next conſideration be, how, with the skilfull Phyſitian, to reſtore our own and the peoples health, ſo manifeſtly impaired, and become almoſt incurable. To which purpoſe, (Sir) it will not be amiſſe to conſult, whether many, yea, moſt (now) that undertake to preſcribe remedies, are fit perſons to adminiſter this kind of Phyſick. It is a rule moſt conſonant to reaſon, in all Tryalls at Law or Equity, that perſons concerned in any cauſe depending, ſhall not have power to aſſert by their own teſtimony their right or intereſt, much leſſe to adjudge their own properties. And how much more unreaſonable and unjuſt is it, that thoſe perſons who are become purchaſers, and poſſeſſed of the Eſtates and Inheritances of the Perſon, whoſe Title upon no other ground is oppugned, to be judges of his right and intereſt, and to give Laws, by no other authority, than what is founded upon Rebellion and Treaſons? And what juſtice can be expected from men, that have no rule but their carnall and diabolicall principles, to guide their partiall agitations to their own preſent advantages?

Mr. Speaker, I could wiſh that more of us, than I fear there are, were of Menanders judgment; and could be perſwaded that, Honeſtius & tutius eſt pauperem eſſe quàm injuſte divitem; and that (ſure) would deter us from adventuring upon temporall gain, by an eternall loſſe; and from digging into the Mines of other mens treaſure, by murders, thefts, rapines, treaſons and rebellions, which muſt inevitably determine in our own and the peoples deſtruction. Let us caſt our thoughts a little upon the fate of Ziba, Achitophel, Abſolon, Adonijah, Adoram, Judas, and others, amongſt the many Traitors in Holy Writ; of Perſons, Grac • hus, Cataline, Decius-Brutus, Trebonius, Milo, Caepio, Marcus, Lollius, Beſſus, and others, in Hiſtory abroad; and Straw, Cade, Tiler, Cromwell, and others at home: And let us not dare to purſue their helliſh ſtratagems, unleſſe we would willingly ſuffer the ſame deſtiny. We have, Sir, by ſad experience, at too dear a rate, bought and learned the knowledge of our errors, and how unſuitable the Government we pretend to is, unto the conſtitution of theſe Nations, having introduced nothing but confuſion, and opened the gap to all licentiouſneſſe; confirming that for truth which others heretofore have found, that, Multos Imperitare malum.

Sir, I ſhall inſtantly make an end (for this time) of ſpeaking, and heartily deſire, we all would now begin ſome ſeaſonable acting. And by way of prevention, (leſt too ſoon it become too late, to do what now we may; and that be forced from us, which now, by making a vertue of the neceſſity incumbent on us, we may with advantage offer) ſpeedily lay by our private intereſts, and re-aſſume the publick ſpirits befitting us; re-call our King, re-ſettle the Government under him, bear that durus ſermo, freely to ſurrender what any of us. 〈◊◊〉 from him; and joyne together with him in a firm eſtabliſHment of the Church and State, Law and Religion; that the Land may once more flouriſh, and the honour, plenty, and proſperity of the people be again revived. And that we (now) ſhould be perſwaded thus to do, I find no reaſon to diſpair, having ſuch violent inducements, by the opportunities abroad and at home now tendered us. The ſickly reign of Treaſon, in all probability, (whether we will or not) comming near its period, Can we, Mr. Speaker, be ſo ſottiſh, or bewitched in our ſecurity ſo much, as to believe our ſcarlet ſins have not ere this reached Heaven, and that the great Avenger of blood will not ſoon over-take us, unleſſe we fly to the Sanctuary of Penitentiall Expiation? No, Sir, be we aſſured, if men concerned ſhould ceaſe to act their duties, Heaven it ſelf, by ſome miracle, would create a way to ſuch an eminent Juſtice. It is for want of this the Nations mourn; for this, the ſilent ſighs of the immured priſoners, the longing wiſhes of our unjuſtly baniſhed Country-men, the afflicted mothers lamentations for their murdered ſons; the pittied wants of the innocent unſuſpecting Infants, of their undone Parents, do invoke Heaven. In fine, the voice of GOD commands, and all good men deſire it; let none therefore dare to contradict it.