THERE is, and alwaies hath beene in all things in the world, some good, some evill, some light. some darknesse: And in this declining state of things, the world growes worse and worse, and they that act for it and in it, though under very specious pretences of justice, are still more base and filthy then those that have, gone before; every generation having a more evill and lesse good then their predecessours. I know there be many good men amongst you, and that you have since the wrack of the Kingdome borne up gallantly, as if you would out-live the storme; That you have worne many favours of God, above, and against others; That you have own'd your selves to be the people of God, and God by many outward mercies hath own'd you: But in this worke you manifestly shew, that you have deeply revolted; and that after you had escaped the polutions of the world, you are againe entangled therein, and over come; And with the dogge, re­turned to your owne, and others, vomit: to licke up the filth of the world, which others, having drunke the Wine of the wrath of God, have spued up; You have beene exalted unto heaven, and are brought down to hell: You have back-slidden from a formall and carnall profes­sion of the Kingdome of Christ living in God, &c. to embrace the taile of this present evill world, to petty, beggarly, unbelieving, ma­licious projects for selfe safety. And as you have left God, and waxed wanton, upon his blessings, so he now hath left you; hath made your table to become your snare; fatted you up by former mercies, to receive your last and greatest judgements: What you had is ta­ken from you, and your wisedome, majesty, largenesse and good­nesse, that hath sometimes appear'd in you in other things, is turn'd now into distracted stumbers, dark and sad dreams of ruin, into uncertain, loose, wandring fancyes of your owne wofull con­dition, and absurd shadowes and vaine imaginations of wayes of deliverance: Poore wretches though, angry at you, yet my soule [Page 2]pitties you; never were men caught in such a snare of the Devill as you are; glorying you are in your owne righteous cause, and con­fident of your innocency and successe; And indeed you are shut up in a pit of darknesse, and already lost in divine displeasure.

As there are good men amongst you, so there is, I confesse, some good lies scattered in this Remonstrance; The Lord is in it; But as two legges, or a piece of an eare in the mouth of a Lyon. So torne in pei­ces, and almost devoured by that roaring Lyon, that wrathfull, cruell, malicious beast, the Devill, that it I should take paines to bring it forth to your view, it would most displease and offend you; you could not beare the sight of it, but would your selves hate it; therefore I will not loose my labour in it.

But the evill part is so grosse and visible, that I can with most ease deale with it, and for the present with most profit to you. And when that heape of dirt and folly is brought forth, and you made sensible of it, the good that lyes now buried in it, will be re­leased, and delight to come forth in you. It will be the greatest mercy to the holy One in you, to give a severe sentence against that wicked part that at this time prevailes so much in you.

In dealing with this worke of yours, I shall not trouble my self to follow you in all those crooked wayes, confused and multiplyed parenthesis, dark and vain tautologies, in which you are lost and grope: But well knowing your principles upon which you goe, as I finde them expressing themselves, I shall shew you the evill and folly of them, and that with such plainnesse, as the wiser and sobe­rer of you shall be convinced and brought forth, the rest condem­ned in themselves, and the world may run headlong to their de­struction, and dash themselves in peices against that rock of justice that fals upon them.

In the first part of your preamble you tell us of your tender re­gard to the priviledges and freedome of Parliament: Wherein you deale very deceitfully with the world, and conceale your owne princi­ples; For upon this ground you know you act, that the powers of this world are to be broken into peices; That the Parliament is one of the powers of the world, and that you are called to break them in peices: And therefore it becomes you (you know) to be steeld with stoutnesse and resolution, to trample upon all autho­rities that stand up against that justice of God that acts you: The priviledge of Parliament is a poore, corrupted thing, to that ex­traordinary presence of God that goes with you, and those high [Page 3]undertakings that you have in hand for the publique good, and the eternall salvation of the people: You should do as you have done, breake through these spider-webs of priviledge and freedome of Parliament, and immediatly goe through all to that glorious worke of yours; and not suppresse your owne principles, to court the world into a deceived opinion of tender regard to them. Indeed the priviledge and freedome of Parliament is gon and lost long a­goe, and you doe but fancy one; for a new and true priviledge and freedome doth not yet appeare to you, neither can you owne them.

In the next part of your preamble you tell us the reasons of your present declaring your selves, because things are [brought to the utmost crisis of danger] Tis true this, but you make a very ill use of it: There is two in the Kingdome, the holy one our life, peace, u­nion, agreement, &c. whom you have not seene yet: and a wicked one, which is wrath, malice, death, revenge, &c. These two are now conflicting together: The holy one would establish love, bear­ing one with another, forgiving one another, selfe-deniall, &c. The destroyer would continue mischeifs, warres, accusations, cru­elties, &c. The contention growes sharpe, and the evill one ma­king his utmost and last resistance.

Now we that see the power of truth and love, are at rest, being assured, that the righteous Lord is above all.

But here you come with your wofull feares, and say [which cals upon every man to contribute what helpe be can:] Doe not you know yet, that vaine is the helpe of man: You and all men come to offer helpe, but it is to a wicked world, to bring fuell to the fire of wrath; for feare, misery and destruction should cease raging; Cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils: A proud and empty thing: and cease you foolish men from blowing the coales of division amongst us: (And seeing, no effectuall helpe from else where appeare) your curse is not to see when good comes: Wee see salvation is nigh them that fear him, that glory may dwell in cur land; God a present helpe in the time of trouble: You are blinde, and cannot see the Lord our effectuall Saviour An enemy would make this sense of your words: Warre is your life, and seeing peace ready to come, and no effectuall helpe appeares to lengthen out misery, and destroy the Treaty, you will doe it.

And now you give us the ground of your undertaking th [...]s worke, (Conscience, and duty to God and men obliges) you sleighty passe over this which should be fully cleared; and the reason is, you [Page 4]are not upon a sound foundation; nor dare you come to a strict examination of your owne ground, but are hurried on blindly, upon weake passions of feare, jealousy, necessity, &c. without any sound bottome. This likewise I observe from your words here, and from some conference with some of you, that you know not which of these two to take for your principle, God or man; but are in a luke-warme condition, neither hot nor cold; neither hot enough in the spirit of God, to doe all things in a divine way: nor so cold, as to submit to the lawes of men. In discourse with some of you against your proceedings, that they were contrary to the royall law, the Will and Way of our Father; Which is, To doe good to them that hate us, and persecute us; to forgive our enemies; to over­come evill with good; to conquer by esuffering and love: They have pro­fessed, that in these things they act as men, in a civill respect; which in you that own your selves to be godly, spiritual men, and to have the power of godlinesse, is great impiety: For you in your affaires openly and professedly to decline the perfect way of Christ, and goe to the wayes of the Heathen; to lay aside, exclude and thrust out the heavenly man and his light, that you may please your selves in the darknesse of men. You do fully manifest not being Christian, divine, holy in all things, that truly you are so in no­thing, and so your religion is vaine: Or that you are fallen from God to man; You begun in the spirit, and end in the flesh, and so Christ is of none effect at all; for he that doth not doe all things in the power of God, he doth nothing in it: You forget that speech of Saint Paul, You walke as men, are you not carnall?

When we say, if you will walke as men, you must submit to your Governours, live under humane Laws, and be subject to them: then you fly from such ordinary things to an extraordinary call, as Phineas; to be carried by the mighty power and presence of God: that you in all things are as the Israelites in the wilderness; to have a Pillar of Cloud by day, and Fire by night to goe before you: Thus you halt between two opinions, and gad about to change your way; and are true to nothing, neither God nor man; but become as those Beasts in the Revelations, that have many heads and crowns upon them: your waies are beastly, cruel, absurd, monstrous with many heads; yet you'l be crown'd with the most glorious titles of the presence of God, the people of God, the cause of God: There­fore know this, though you would shuffle up your ground work, Conscience and duty to God and men, you shall not: For a conscience [Page 5]guided by the wisdom & power of God scornes such base and un­worthy waies as you walk in: & those men that you think are far below you scorn to lift up themselves above theit superiours, and to Lord it over King and Parliament as you doe; nor dare conti­nue in arm [...]s against command of God and men, and uphold a company of vile and wicked wrecches (only for their own safety) to the wasting and destroying of their Country.

Now you begin another part of your preamble, wherein you say that that rule of Salus populi, suprema lex, is of all others most apt to be abused: You have all pretended to this maxim, but have misera­bly abused it, and the people too: a company of deceivers and mountebanks that talk of curing, saving, delivering, but all wast, spoyle and destroy the people.

We shall ere long see, that Suprema lex, that law of love, the mercy and goodnesse of the most high God, is onely Salus populi, the salvation of the People of England; its misse-applyed so long as any man assumes it to himselfe.

And here for two or three pages you are trimming your way to seek love as the Prophet saith; you put an excellent dresse upon your work, and daub over a rotten sepulchre, wherein there is nothing but dead mens bones; with a shew of wisdome, as if you would out the haire of justice, and goe away more exact then all that have gone before you; a pure medium 'tween all excreams; avoiding all the rocks of Levellers and Cavaliers; of all rashnes and evil intentions, in which work you wrap up your selves in such a mi [...]t of circum-locutions, and are in such a wood of long and tedious expressions that as Solomon saies, Are too wonderfull for me!

You are in this discourse, An Eagle in the aire; carried a loft by the prince of the ayre in your owne fancyes: A serpent on a rocke, a crooked serpent, winding and turning this way and that way upon a rocke of confidence of God and your owne wisedome. A ship in the midst of the sea: You are gone from all firme land, from all solid principles of goodnesse, and are tossed about in a sea of weaknesse and confusion. And the way of a man with a maid: You are lusting af­ter your Mistris, honour; and to enjoy her, nimbly fly from one secret place to another to hide your selves from shame: such is the way of your adulterous spirits; being gone from your husband, the Lord, to the world: You eate up King, Parliament and People, to satisfie your carnall love of safety and an outward Kingdome, and wipe your mouths with some fine language, and say you have done no [Page 6]wickednesse: you may deceive your selves, but can't deceive either God or man: 'tis very plain, that when you have multiplied your vain words, your swelling words to justify your selves, it is but the atire of a harlot; and every one wil see that you doe but darken coun­sel by words without knowledge; and while you think to make your selves more vendible, you make your selves more abominable.

There be many particulars in this part worth answering; but those things wherein any shew of strength lies, you make often use of them, and wee shal meet with them againe he reafter, and therefore for present shal passe them over.

From the seventh to the twelfth page, you are relating how the Parliament Voted no more addresses, and how they were turned into this course of the Treaty. It were exceeding easy to shew in several parti­culars, of your discourse, that you doe, in favour to your selves, abuse the Parliament and others; and in most things accuse others of those things that you your selves are guilty of: but I shal leave that to some other Pen that loves to deale in such things: I would in al things discover to you how unchristian your charges are; In summe, you here lay open the instability of the Parliament, and by what means they were tossed from one thing to another, and so declare the evil practises of the Kings party; in both you are very large, and very harsh to both; without any molifying oyle, or mirigating mercy; having nothing else in your eye but to co­ver your own shame, and as fully as you can, discover others, to ease your selves and load others: Tis Christs worke to excuse others, and pity them, Father forgive them they know not what they doe; and to take the burthen and guilt upon himselfe, to bear our sinnes; he is made sinne for us: but 'tis your work to condemn others, and justify your selves Christ pities others when he suffers by their hands: you are cruel and mercilesse to o­thers when they suffer under your hands: such infinite distance is there between your spirits, and the Spirit of the Lord.

The poor Parliament, for their sinnes, are shattered and broken, ful of perplexity; the whole Kingdome ful of discontent against them; and they reeling this way and that way to save themselves and the Kingdome, and know not how to doe it.

The Kings party for their sinnes, likewise lying under sore bur­dens, heavy pressures, and strugling to get from under their into­lerable afflictions, but can't. And in al these afflictions, our Lord [Page 7]is afflicted, and bears al our infirmities, they lie upon Christs shoulders; and you seeing the Kingdome, and the Lord of the Kingdome) lying like the poor man, traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, wounded and halfe dead; not onely passe by, as the Priest and the Levite, and leave it to sinke under its misery; but delight to tear and rend its wounds, to keep them open that they may bleed continually: In al not a Word of peace or pity to any; as dry and hard as the rock: you have no balm at al for our wounds, nothing of the good Samaritan: but vineger, piercing, ac­cusing, condemning speeches; as Flesh-flies, living upon the pu­trified sores, so doe you finde ease, pleasure, and life to your cause upon the filth and ruine of the Nation: In this you are as the man possessed with the Devil, you are led by a dark, foul spirit, to walke and live amongst the graves, conversing with the dead car­casse of the Kingdome; you stretch out the line of confusion upon the Kingdome, and gather together the stones of emptinesse: you make long furrowes upon the backs of the people, intend our ruine to the fur­thest; and bring in to our desolate Nation, the wild beast of the desert to meet with wild beasts of the Islands; the Satyre to cry to his fellow, the Screech-Owle, and the great Owle to lay and hatch; and the Vultures with their mates: all these dance together in your discourse, which is black as pitch, dark and uncomfortable as the night, and threatning to add misery upon misery upon us, and not a sillable of healing mercy in any: sure your nature is to take pleasure, to wallow and tumble in our Nations woes. Give me leave to tel the storyaf­ter you, and to relate the businesse thus.

Once our King and Parliament, or People, lived quietly and lovingly together, imbraced in the armes of divine goodnes, prospered together as Husband and Wife, till their iniquities on both sides broke this union: and being parted by their jealousies and lusts, after many unkinde blowes betwixt them; The Parlia­ment the Wife, in a high rage, at the remembrance of al her Lords unkindnesse, and giving too much eare to her own passion, and the accusations of adultery, and provoaked by a multitude of perplexities, Voted no move Addresses: Shee would have nothing to doe with her Husband, but would forsake him for ever and be divorced from him; and then you who alwaies have lusted after the Royal Bed, encourage her with thanks, and court her for your selves.

But ere long the natural1 affections of these two divided friends, though much clogd with jealousies and discontents, be­gins to work towards each other, which may be interrupted for a season, but cannot be totally extinguisht: The Parliament find­ing nothing but distraction, dishonour, with scorn and misery in a solitary state, and finding her selfe unable to satisfie her unquiet children without their Father, begins to thinke how shee may a­gain recover her own head and husband, and to this purpose Voted a personal Treaty with the King.

And now we are fallen upon the principal and main subject of your Remonstrance, to shew the evil and danger of this Personal Treaty, in page 12. &c. you fall directly upon (this miserable in­convenience of a Personall Treaty) and elsewhere (miserable insnaring Treaty) It seems this Treaty doth very much offend, you declare so bitterly against it: Tis true, while things are at this imperfect state, it is a very easy matter to accuse or condemne any person or thing, but a hard matter to justifie or save any thing; that's the worke of the devil, this is the work of God. I confesse this Treaty is a poor, low, dark thing, neither party managing of it with that clearnes & brightnes of love and goodnesse that I could wish: that it doth not for the present give satisfaction to any side: & being infirm you have great advantage in appearing against it, and some shew of reason for it; and therefore your acting against it may doe some good to cleare it from some evill that adheres to it: for this is my minde, you nor none else can doe any hurt to him, or them, that are truly good: but all things, be they never so evill in themselves, worke together unanimously and constantly for their good: For this Treaty, there is a blessing, destroy it not; the seed of peace is in it, and it wil thrive and flourish; act what you can a­gainst it, you cannot destroy peace or union, thats the Lords.

In this darke businesse where the King and Parliament are gro­ping together to finde a little ease and rest for themselves, being wearied with the miseries of war, doth the Lord come as a theefe in the night; so that if both parties should designe by it to cosen the world, and one another, the thiese would cozen them both: I meane, steale away their evill lusts and sinnes, and bring good out of it against the designes of men; and if you would trample upon it, because its low and poor; and be jealous of it as dange­rous and insnaring; he will deceive you too, and make it for your good and peace as wel as others, and against your present thoughts [Page 9]of strife, steale into your breasts, and beget love and peace there al­so. This is the robbery of this thiefe in the night, to steale away evill from us, and surprize us with good.

Your fiery contention therefore against it will be very usefull; twill burne up those doubts and feares that are on either side; melt each other into a closer union: The root of it being the divine love; all you doe against it will but quicken that principle, and spur them on to a more hearty and earnest closing: and while you endeavour to rende them from each other, they will clapse the fa­ster about each other, and turne all their contention against you, who from your present promoting of differences, will be suspected to be the authors of all their strife.

Let us now examine the reasons you give against a Treaty, pag. 14, &c. You first quere, and then declare, that it is not just and good, nor safe; and so all along you insist upon these two things, satis fa­ction and security; To prove the justice of it, you state the interests of the Kingdome and Parliament, as they have beene the matter of our quarrel: In which we finde these faults.

First, You would make your owne and the publique interest to be one; they are so much different, that you are faine to patch them up together often, and bring in yours in a parenthesis; as here, pag. 14. (though even the particular safety of such as have engaged for the publique is not to be neglected) In this and in the rest of your discourse, it appeares, you conceive your selves neglected and left out in the Treaty; and you do by this require your own inte­rest to be considered; and that's very obstructive to peace, for men in a distracted Kingdom to uphold a particular interest, thwarting the generall, peace and union, the common interest of all States, and with violence to enforce it to the ruine of the whole.

That which you offer to us is not the publique, but your parti­cular interest; which indeed is not your interest neither, but a rent and division an erroneous opinion. For that there be a common and supreame councell, that the power of making lawes, chusing officers, punishing offendors, be in them, &c. Its very apparent that this is not halfe the interest of the Kingdome, tis much too narrow for a rich, ho­nourable nation: Generally you know the people of England de­sire peace, setled religion, establisht truth, freedome of trade, and this with His Majesty, under their King, that he may govern them according to their honest and knowne lawes, that they may live in prosperity and honour: For these devised things, you propose [Page 10]the people know them not, affect them lesse then know them; they are invented onely to please and secure your selves, and to pul downe Monarchy, against which you would make your selves irreconcileable: These principles are but the ax or knife, to prune and cut the extravagancies of Monarchy or tyranny; and if al the Kingdome were an ax or knife, we were in an ill case: You are but a part, and alas, an inconsiderable part; not one of an hundred will owne what you set downe as the publique interest; and a di­seased part; a bone started out of his place; a piece of timber, that is gone from the whole frame of the Kingdome, which is large, and consists of King, Lords, Commons, with innumerable, excellent branches growing out of these.

Now this were a strange cure, to breake off the bones in the bo­dy, to bring the whole to one dis-jointed part, or to force the whole house to come after one piece that is started out, is il work­manship. Tis a strange thing that men should place the welfare of the Kingdome in such inconsiderable things: Methinks tis a wonder, that men should bring forth some pedantick conceits, and then magnifie them so farre, as entitle them to the whole King­dome. Thus will meane and narrow spirits doe, when they in­trude themselves into publique affaires: When souldiers, men of private spirits, confident of their ability and judgement in greatest matters, shall produce brats of their owne braine, and impose them upon the nation, we shall be slaves indeed.

Secondly, That you that are Christians, that talke of the reign of Christ and of the Saints, should now engage your selves to so base an interest as this is; that you will espouse so poore a quar­rell, which, in summe; is to throw downe a King and Lords, and set up the people: That all power should be in the hands of the Parliament, and that to be certaine, and in the hands of a subordinate officer to call, &c. Will the establishing of this satisfie you for all the bloudshed, e­states ruin'd, &c? is this your satisfaction? should you not rather propose, that all power, and dominion, and reigne should be gi­ven to the Lord, that King, and Parliament, and People, and all should be filled with the righteousnesse and goodnesse of God? But these things are too good to be spoken of, beyond your faith ever to see it: But I'le tell you, if this be not your interest to have God all in all, to fill every thing, and to have all things offered up to him in truth and righteousnesse: your interest and Gods are more divided then yours and the Kings; and if you adhere to that [Page 11]you have proposd, you forsake your owne interest, and espouse the Devils, the God of this world, the Destroyer, and will perish with him.

Thirdly, This is a fault that you all along carry the interest of the publique in opposition to the Kings; which is a wicked thing to divide them that God hath joined: wherein you doe, as sword; men, cut in pieces, and indeed destroy and mangle, not onely the Kingdome, but the word, Interest, which is of a uniting significa­tion; inter esse is to be in or amongst each other: The publique hath its interest in the King, and the King his interest in the pub­lique; or they have the same esse, or interest, which is to be toge­ther in each other; the King is in the people, and the people in the King; the Kings being is not absolute, or alone, but an inte­rest, as he is in union with, and relation to his people, which are his strength and life; and the peoples being is not naked or soli­tary, but an interest in the greatnesse and wisedome of their King, who is their life and honour: And though you will dis-join your selves from Kings, God will not, neither will I; God is King of Kings; Kings and Princes God, as well as peoples; their, God as well as ours, and theirs eminently, as that spaech enforces God of Israel, Israel, God above all the nations; so King of Kings, Kings God more then of common men; and by neare and especiall kin­red and communion; assuming their titles and honour, and gi­ving them his majesty and dominion; Kinglinesse agrees with all Christians who are of a royall nature, made Kings with Christ, and cannot but be friends to it, being of kin to it; the children of God, borne of the King of heaven, are men of honour (not in a base, vaine way, but in a true, just way) and if there be not Kings to honor, they would want, objects to bestow that fulnes of honon that is in their breasts; would lose the greatest part of their de­light, which is majesty and glory, would want occasion of expres­sing their high and noble spirits: It's a bastard religion that is incon­sistent with the majesty and greatnesse of the most absolute Mo­narch; and such spirits are strangers from the Kingdome of hea­ven, and know not the glory in which God lives, and are of nar­row and evill mindes that are corrupt themselves, and not able to beare greatnesse, and so thinke God will not, or cannot qualifie men for such high places, with answerable and proportionable power and, goodnesse: You are indeed much in the flesh, in a form of religion which is weake and of a parting nature, cannot con­ceive [Page 12]nor comprehend things in union; you are dividing still tweene heaven and earth, 'tweene God and King; you can't own them in union, and so divide King and people: but the spirit of God is large, and reconciles, composes, gathers all into one, into Christ; God and man into one person; head and members into one body. This love you know not, that embraces God and the King in one person, and King and people in one body.

A fourth fault is, in your further stating of the controversy 'tweene King and Parliament, you bring in, in the second place, re­ligion; the order shewes the present frame of your spirits, first the world, and then godlinesse: But in this you erre exceedingly, in putting all the enmity against godlinesse and the power of it, on the Kings part, and charging it upon him as his interest, and assu­ming all religion and godlinesse to your selves.

Upon this ground stands much of the controversy betweene the Cavaliers and you; that they are wicked, you godly; they ene­mies to God, you Saints; they darknesse, you light, and therfore as you say afterward, What fellowship hath light with darknesse? This is a ground (if it stand good) of an everlasting quarrell; and if it fals, I hope some of the edge of your contention may be taken off.

The answer of this is as proper for me as any; who, you know, doe well understand the utmost of the religion you walke in, and have beene exercisd in it with as much exactnesse, faithfulnesse, power and comfort as any of you: Your consciences, many of you, can beare witnesse of the uprightnesse and efficacy of my con­versation amongst you; and that I was, when I was with you, not onely a companion, but a leader to you in the best things: and since have beene tryed by very great sufferings, and made a spectacle to God and men, and beene publiquely set up as a marke, for all men to shoot their opinions and judgements at, and dare challenge the whole earth, the Lord being my Righteousnesse to accuse me of any injustice to God or man: and now must testifie concerning you and my self with you, that that way wherein you walke is not the power of godlinesse, but a poore, weake, fleshly form.

You are indeed Saints by intention, counsell, hope; you aime at it, looke for it: but in your present state you are carnall, and walke in the flesh in great infirmity: that your state at best was but to be as the Jewes, having a forme of knowledge according to the letter of the law: which forme is now corrupted, left and forsa­ken of God, and you are become, through blindnesse & ignorance, [Page 13]enemies to the spirit, and to the Crosse of Christ: You live not the life of Christ; you are not dead to the world, nay, you op­pose that death; you will not suffer with Christ; you have not the spirit of God; walke not in your affaires in the wisedom and strength of God, nor in the love of God; you know not the minde of God, have not communion with God; what ever you doe, or have done, you doe it by the strength of man, and not by the pow­er of God; and now lest to a poore, blinde, unstable way, not knowing whether you goe, your waies being darke and slippery, and yet glorying in fleshly and outward things; mistaking earthy and common blessings for heavenly and inward; crying up the Lord, the Lord, when you doe the workes of the Devill: The Holy God will no longer suffer you to wear those names of Saints and God­ly, but will cast dung upon your solemne feasts, and curse your blessings, and discover you to be but whited sepulchres, and cause your rottennesse to come forth, uncover your nakednesse before the nation, that al may abhorre and loath that outward, formall religion which you pro­fesse; it doth and will more stinke in the nostrils of those people that have no knowledge of God, to see pride, self-love, contenti­on for the world, rebellion, falshood, folly and hatred of God, to be in such zealous pretenders to the spirit of God.

As you have not the power of godlinesse, so you have many vi­sible, grosse lusts and evill principles which morall men doe op­pose in you; you are not pure, nor is it onely for your purity (as you suppose) that the Kings party oppose you, but for your with­standing some things that are good in them, and such as their con­sciences are bound by God to prosecute; though there be that wickednesse in many of them too, to hate that of God that hath appeared in you, because different from theirs: but their oppositi­on is not directly against the face of God, for that never shin'd forth clearly in us, but against that particular form, as destructive to theirs, and our carnall principles which were contrary to theirs, and those obscured with many infirmities too: so that tis high pride for us to thinke that we are all Saints, godly, &c. and they enemies to God, because to us.

And 2. It is as much uncharitablenesse to judge them, as altoge­ther in the darke; for though they are indeed visibly in greater loosenesse many of them, and more in the condition of the Cen­tiles, living more manifestly according to the course of the world, &c. yet in many things you have justified their principles as more righteous then yours; and many of their persons [Page 14]more sober, patient, loving, gentle, yea more knowing and dis­cerning in the things of God then you: And though there be a­mongst that party the greatest, visible and morall wickednesse, yet there is among you the greatest enmity and malignancy to the spirit of God; the greatest pride, hypocrisy, selfe confidence, and spirituall wickednesse.

And this you will know that thus judge after the flesh, that those Publicans and Harlots shall enter into the Kingdome of God before you: Many of them shall come from the East and from the West, and from the remotest parts of the earth, and greatest distance from God, and sit downe with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdome of God, and you shall be thrust out: Therefore this manner of judging of yours, of ac­counting them evill, and your selves good, is one of those strong de­lusions spoken of; whereby you are,

First, Led to the destroying of others as righteous as your selves.

S [...]condly, Kept off from the sight of your owne iniquities, and and making warre with them: for indeed these two parties are within you; and if you were not kept by this formally, fleshly op­posing of sinne in others, you would have no other contention but with sinne in your owne breasts, to destroy those workes of the Devill in which you are bound.

Till you lay downe this fleshly warre with others, and begin that spirituall warre with Antichrist, Malignants, &c. in your owne hearts you will never have peace: And to satisfie you and all parts in the Kingdome concerning these oppositions and contests in religious matters, tis thus.

All men are in the darke, and know not the whole body of di­vine truth, onely lay hold each of some part of it; So that truth, which is one in it selfe in, and amongst the darknesse of men is divided, cut in pieces, and lies scattered about here and there; and every one holds what ha holds in enmity and contrariety to o­thers, and through pride and malice with that good that is in him, opposes God and goodnesse in others; that by this all may be ashamed and broken in pieces, and become guilty before God, and made at last to come downe from their proud conceits, and see they are fooles, and know nothing as they ought to know, and to be wil­ling to learne of others.

After you have stated the controversy to prove the injustice of an accommodation, you fall upon the King, judging him in the [Page 15]highest manner, as guilty of the foulest treason, murder, &c. and that too in a most unpardonable and irreconcilable way, as inca­pable of mercy, and beyond all peace and accommodation: There is nothing wherein the Devill is more exercisd, then in accusing; from which he hath his name: and there is nothing wherein he hath more corrupted the nature of man in these last daies, then this; it being that generall forme into which he hath cast the spirits of men, whence they are called, 2 Tim. 3.3. [...], Accusers, or in plaine English, Devils: Men are now very ordinarily, and with a shew of justice, Devils one to another.

This is common amongst men, especially amongst religious and professing men; The Scribes and Pharisees, men in the high­est forme of religion, are the most guilty of it, thinking ordina­rily that they have right to judge; and this is notoriously your sinne in this worke. To destroy it in you and others, we shall set set out the evill of it, as it hath beene expressed in some Scri­ptures.

Rom. 2.1. Thou art unexcusable, Oh man, whosoever thou art, that judg­est; God hath reserved the authority of judgement to himselfe, who is and will be Judge of all; its proper for God onely, who knowes hearts; who onely knowes good and evill; who can save as well as destroy; and therefore not fit for man, who can do nei­ther good nor evill; at best he cannot save, and therefore most unfit to be a judge: Therefore you, whosoever you are, be you ne­ver so good men, religious men, blest with never so great favours, you have nothing to doe to judge while you are men.

If it be objected, then there should be no Judges amongst men. I answer, Judges are Gods; I have said ye are Gods: and if they have not the power and goodnes of God, as wel as the place and title, they are Idols, Heathen Gods; and when we say, God is Judge alone, we meane not God out of, but in man; or man taken up into the Righteousnesse and Authority of God, man sanctified by God.

Secondly, Man, a judge, is inexcusable; he that will be a judge, is supposed to be so high in holinesse, so innocent as needs no ex­cuse; he that is in the nature of God, tis a shame for him to think of an excuse, Tis my infirmity, I am a sinner; but I have a Sa­viour: Tis a dangerous thing therefore, being men, and needing excuse for your weaknesse, that you presume to be judges, and put [Page 16]your selves out of excuse; you cannot say you are ignorant, no, you are wise judges; you cannot say you are weake, no, you are strong to sentence others; you cannot say you are sinners, being judges of the law you may not be thought breakers.

Or for a vile man to lift up himselfe in the place of God, to be so sottishly blinde in himselfe, as not to see his owne filthinesse, and conceive himself a God, it's a presumption that admits of no excuse tis so gross: or for a man to be so cruel to his brother as to judge him and thrust him out of the grace of God, is so Diabo­lical, as there's no excuse for it; by doing this men shew them▪ selves Devils, for whom there's no mercy, no favour.

It follows, For wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thy selfe; for thou that judgest dost the same things. There is a fellowship in evill as in good: every man while he is a sinner hath in him whatever a­ny sinner hath; as every righteous man hath what ever another righteous man hath: If you judge any part of your nature, you judge the whole: If a man that lives in the world, then your selves, your spirits, principles, actions, which are all worldly and sinfull: Especially and particularly, what ever any party accu­ses another of concerning these warres, they themselves doe the same things: To instance in the present case.

You judge the King guilty of breaking Covenant, of betraying trust, have we not broke our oath of Allegiance to him, and be­trayed the trust he put in his people? and have not we likewise betrayed that trust the Parliament put in us, when after promises of subjection to them, the Army refused, and made warre with them?

You judge him guilty of all the bloud, rapine, spoile: Dare any man say he is not guilty of it? Were we absolute in taking up armes, in prosecuting the warre, in continuing in armes? Is there not in all, self-love, malice, revenge, envy, distrust of God? Had we beene rightly carried in freeing England from oppression, we had freely laid downe our lives in a voluntary suffering, and that would have saved the Kingdome; whereas by our rash running to force, we are guilty of the miseries of warre as well as the King: But in continuing the Army after your enemies subdued, you are manifestly guilty of the present oppression upon the poore people; of the intolerable burden of free-quarter, and unreasonable taxes.

You charge him for seeking to set up his owne interest of will [Page 17]and power. Doe you not doe the same thing? What doe you now but set up will and power? Going beside all Law and right, to set up the worst will and power, the will and power of People, of the sword: Therefore let me expostulate with you, as that Apostle, Thou that saiest a man should not steal, doest thou steal? &c. Thou that hast so much light as to oppose tyranny, art thou the veriest tyrant? Thou that plead'ft for Laws, art thou greatest violater of Laws? We will goe further with the Apostle; Thou that abhorrest Idols, doest thou commit sacriledge? You abhorre his waies as grosse; but you have more secret and close iniquities; you rob God even of his Throne, setting up your formal religion in the place of God: you com­plain of shedding innocent blood, and you shed the truly innocent blood of Christ: Of Rapine and spoyle, and you daily spoyle the Temple of God, your own bodies and soules with your noysome lusts. Afterwards verse 3. Thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them that doe such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgement of God? He that judgeth is guilty, and his guilt begins to stir in him: God begins to write bitternes in the conscience, and then to save himselfe, he begins to judge others; judgement of men is the constant effect of troubled spirits; and this is your condition, you are restlesse in your selves, you finde God frowning upon you for your sinnes, that makes you seeke for fatis faction for blood, that it may be expiated, and the wrath of God appeased: The fire is kindled in your owne hearts, your tongues are set on fire of hell. If you had the peace of God upon true grounds you would be still; or if your consciences were besprinckled with the blood of Christ, you would not seek for expiation: But there is the voice of thy brothers blood, the blood of: Abel cries, not the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ, if you knew it, cries peace, reconciliation, union, favour, love, taking away enmity. The bloud of Abel for revenge, for justice: this is your voice, which shews, a Cains spirit; you are troubled for your sinnes; Thinkest thou to escape the righteous judge­ment of God, no, thou art running farther into it; you are not quitting your selves, but increasing your evils: Or despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse: God hath been gracious unto you, and re priev'd you for a while from destruction; doe you thus abuse it to harden your hearts to pride, malice and wicked insul­ting over your brethrent is this the use of your Victories, to have oportunities to doe more mischiefe? And so trea­sure up wrath for your selves: For all that you lay upon [Page 18]others, you, provide it and store it up for your selves. God hath declar'd, you know, rich mercie to the King and his party, in my Booke called, The Leaves of the Tree of Life: You despise this rich mercy, scorne it, and set up your mercylesse justice against it; Not knowing that the goodnesse of God leades to repentance: you require re­pentance before mercy: Gods goodnesse goes before, and leads to repentance; and that goodnesse that hath beene manifest, though you ignorantly despise it, counting it folly and madnesse, upon no other ground but because tis too rich and good for you to appre­hend; it shall produce its owne effect in power, and manifest your ungodlinesse in contradicting of it: And know you, that no man shall appeare either directly or indirectly against it, but he shall by it discover the evill of his owne heart, and manifest that he walkes in darknesse, and knowes not the glorious counsell of the Lord.

There is one place more I would have the world consider, and it would make them afraid of judging: Math. 7.1, &c. Judge not that you be not judged: You have judged the King and his party; for it you shall be judged, I'le judge you; And what judgement yee judge, you shall have; that measure that you give him you shall receive: You exclude him from peace, you have none your selves: You thrust him from mercy, you have no mercy your selves: You live not in the en­joyment of divine love, if you did, you could not be so cruell as you are, such enemies to peace: You are that evill servant, God hath forgiven you ten thousand talents, you come and take your fel­low servant by the throat for an hundred pence: The Lord is wrath with you, and now your forgivenesse is recald, and you must pay the utmost farthing: You shall not have mercy, as you have had it, freely, but you shall suffer for it: You remember the Kings finnes, God will remember yours againe: Know this, you are not in the Kingdome of God, nor blessed; if you were, you would be peace­makers; for Blessed are the peace-makers, for theirs is the Kingdome of heaven; they that are blessed by the enjoyment of God, and in the light of Gods Kingdom they see all things in union, the King one with God; and the Parliament and people one with the King; they are one in God in his largenesse of love, but you are cursing, dividing, and so are in the Kingdome of darknesse and the Devill: This is your judgement, all the evill that you bring forth is within you; tis your owne, though you will fix it upon ano­ther; [Page 19]if it were not in you, you would not, could not produce it.

And why beholdest thou the mote in thy brothers eye, but considerest not the beame that is in thine owne eye, &c. The evils that you charge the King and his party with, though great in your narrow mindes, are but motes in the account of God; your smalnesse aggravates them, his largenesse lessens them; He that counts the nations as a drop of a bucket, and dust of the ballance, counts these miscarriages that are amongst the nations a very small matter, easily blowes away that which you silly creatures lift at as mountaines, toile and sweat at it to bring forth ruine from it: Tis but a mote to a godly heart, easily forgiven; and a mote in the eye, hindring sight; the King and his party many of them saw no better; thought they ought to defend their right against us that rebeld: And now its a more in the eye indeed, it vexes them they are afflicted for it under the hand of God, and thats your cruelty; You persecute him whom the Lord hath finitten, and talke to the griefe of those whom God hath wounded: But you have a beame in your eye: Your sinnes are greater, being aggravated by many mercies, much light that others have not en­joyed: your sinne is a beame; your religion, strength, upon which you leane and lay so much weight, thats become an iniquity, and a beame in your eye, that you cannot distinguish any thing, nor discerne good from evill, but are starke blinde, you cannot see your brethren, but judge them enemies; and enemies are not fit judges: and if you could see them, brethren, you would not judg them as you doe; you cannot see to pull out the mote, to take a­way the evill, and leave the eye, but you are pulling out the eye, the eye of the Kingdome, one that is the apple of Gods eye: of whom he fares, Touch it not: not the eye onely, but the head, and so the whole body, taking away the eye, that you may leade the body whether you please.

Having taken this power of judging out of your hands, and shewd your sinne and shame in presuming upon it; We shall now consi­der some grounds you lay downe why the King is not to be recei­ved againe to peace, nor restored to his office and dignity: And we shall in the view of them see how much your injustice is against God, and your selves, in that where you professe for justice.

First, You insist upon this, pag. 24. God hath given him so clearly in your hands to doe justice, and afterward God hath given a double judgement against him, &c. And elsewhere you, pag. 5. to set forth Gods fa­vour [Page 20]to you, you say, God makes hast to judgement, and hath appeared as a severe avenger: Tis true, God hath judged the King againe and againe, and dealt very severely with Him; He is the greatest suffe­rer in the Kingdome, having lost His Crowne, Honour, Family, Liberty, Revenue, &c. And you thrive, increase in wealth, honour, live better now then ever, are Lords where you come; and you add misery to misery, and affliction to affliction: Is this justice or ma­lice? Hath God judged twice? And why will you not submit to his judgement? Why will you take it out of Gods hand? Doth not God know how to doe it? Is he not severe enough? You say he is severe: Doth he want wisedome to secure himselfe and his people? He knowes not how to make all sure, you must mend it: When did God chasten or judge man, and then give him to men to chasten againe? Or when did Gods people fall upon punishing af­ter God had done it? Is God weary of afflicting, and repents him of the evill, or remisse in executing his judgement, that you would have men take it into their hands? Know, foolish men, your plea is your condemnation, and what you bring as your strength, shewes your rebellion and unsubjection to the judgement of God

Secondly, You argue, pag. 24. No remorse appearing proportionable to the offence; if that could be seene, you should regard it with a propor­tionable tendernesse towards him. Herein you destroy and deny that free mercy of God, upon which you have lived a long while; and ma­nifest that your profession of the Gospell was indeed but in letter, not in power; if it had, you would as freely forgive, as God for Christs sake forgave you: And give freely as you have received freely. Where the love of God and the Gospell comes in power, it transformes and changes the person into its owne glory, and makes a Christian be indeed to others, what God is to him and in him. You requi­ring proportionable remorse for the offence, and then will give propor­tionable regard; how legall and humane is this? God forgives and shewes mercy, that men may repent; he loves first before we can love: but you must receive good before you can give, and will see repentance before grace, and that in the severest way of merit: Such sure will be the way of God to you, yea, such it, is, and your hearts are dry and utterly void of the riches of divine mercy; and you live upon your workes, duties, experience, victories, and such empty huskes, and not upon the love of God; or else you would not bring forth such wretched, harsh, flinty stuffe as this is.

Then you say, There is no change of heart, no repentance, no free, nor full yeilding to all the parts of publique and religious interest: you know not the heart, nor can you judge of the Kings principles; they are too high for you, you know not your owne hearts, and therefore not his: you expect he should turne, not to God, but to your forme of religion and government; and cannot count any thing a change, but yeilding to your way; which if he should, he should but be seven times more the Child of the Devill.

Tis true, the King hardly parts with his right, and unwilling to commit the government wholly into others hands; but he hath done it, though in weaknesse and darknesse, in a smoke: but for you to quench this smoking flax, is not the spirit of Christ; he is in a doubting condition, 'tweene willingnesse to yeild, and a feare of wronging himselfe, his posterity, and others by his grants; tis a hard case, and deserves bowels of pity, and is pitied by the bow­els of the mercy of God, though you deale harshly with him. Its a hard thing to part with honour and greatnesse; its easier far to seeke and get it then leave it: and if you could remember how God got ground in our hearts when he came to change us; how we disputed every inch, & never yeilded to the Lord but by constraint, you would accept of the Kings compliance: But remember, the same measure, &c. you will have occasion, ere long, to think of this with horror.

Thirdly, You argue against the accommodation, because now there is no equall ballance of affaires, pag. 24. Your meaning is, as you often expresse, the Kings forces are wholly subdued; he is in your pow­er, and now to restore him to a state of equality to your selves, making your selves levell with him.

To all men yet; what you make an argument of severity and justice, hath beene an argument of mercy: noble enemies require no more, but to get their enemies into their power, then they shew mercy, Tis Elisha's reason concerning the Syrians, Wouldst thou smite those that thou hast taken captive, with the sword and with the born; set bread before them that they may eate and returne to their master. This way likewise the Father of mercies uses and hath used to you and us, never bringing us downe, but that he might restore us and lift us up againe. And all noble creatures, both man and beast, have this part of the majesty of God in them, to spare them they [Page 22]have subdued; only Devils get into their hands that they might torment.

A fourth reason is, That he often caused warre to maintaine his interest against the publique interest, this constantly and unweariedly. We must note this by the way in proposing such an interest as you hold forth, to be the ground of the quarrell: you lye grossely: for these things, as you propose them, were never thought on in the begin­ning of the quarrell; yea, the Parliament and we alwaies profes­sed the contrary, &c. never to alter the government; never to change the fundamentall lawes; yea, to protect and defend the Kings person: therefore the case now stated by you is much dif­ferent from what it was; yea, these principles, you were lately not onely ignorant of them, but opposd them, when held forth by the Levellers; and are indeed but the dust or shivers of a split or broken Kingdome that you and they have gathered together to build your selves a nest with, and taken up now in designe onely to attaine your end, malice, ambition and revenge.

But your proposing this as that against which the King made warre, you doe the most justifie the King that ever arty one did or can doe; for your present forme of government is such a head­lesse monster, such a hoddy-doddy, such an all-breech, so different from the majesty of God, and the wifedome of men, that it would fright solid and serious men to their armes: if I should fight against any thing I should fight against this. And doth not your present practise confirme the King and his party in their way of warre, when they now see clearly, what before we conceald, that the life of the King and his posterity is aimd at: If there be any reason for a Prince to take up armes against his subjects, this is, when men at­tempt to destroy the King, and overthrow the very foundations of government: Tis true, for a Prince to strip himselfe wholly of all his dominion and royalty in love to his subjects, and to cure and recover their rebellions, is Christ-like; and the Lord will enable the King to make a full resignation of all, and of Fife too, into the hands of God; and when he shall doe it, it will be his ease and deliverance: And what the Lord requires in light and mercy, you require in darknesse and malice; For the Lord takes away that he may restore againe; and the King shall by loosing save all; by parting, with his power unto God in darke and cruell men, shall receive it againe into the life and glory of God.

You come, pag. 26. to the second part of the question, and a se­cond [Page 23]reason against accommodation, The safety of this agreement.

Let us consider what you would have secured, and that is ex­pressed in your Remonstrance, That the King hath forfeited all his power into your hands; That the people are free to make the best advantages: And pag. 27. Having him and his party captivated, and in their power; and sometimes you speake, conquest; which shewes, that we have got­ten all the King hath; we have, by warre, gotten advantage of power, honour, &c. And this is in danger now to be given away and lost by a Treaty; We see murder will out; what hath beene whispered in a corner, is come to be told upon the house top: We have all this while, to justifie our selves in this warre, said, that our warre was but defensive; and indeed if it prove otherwise, we must repent of it, and beare the shame of it; and now the truth shall come forth, I must deale plainly with you and my selfe; indeed its so grosse in your writing, that it was not onely defensive, but offensive, that it cannot be conceald; and that we had designes of particular interest and advantage: When we began the war there was this in our mindes, and hath beene in our mindes continually, That the King and his party were wicked men, and not worthy or fit for their places and power they had; and that we were Saints, godly, and they did properly belong to us: That the Saints are to have the high places in the earth, and now was the time for these things to be performed, and no body is now fit to administer justice, to rule over men, but we: Therefore we alwaies were glad of any of the Kings wayes that tended to difference and breach: glad when he left his Parliament and tooke armes, thinking that he was running to his destruction, and that he would split himself and his party by it, and we should have the spoile of them, and an opportunity to obtain our ends; and though we complaine now of the Kings obstinacy, really we have beene alwaies glad of it, be­cause it led to his destruction, and consequently to our advantage; and the King not yeilding, you know, now at this time was thirst­ed after, and you would not stirre till he manifested a yeilding minde to accommodation, or peace; being alwaies held destru­ctive to our end, or the recovery of our right (the whole King­dome) for we thinke our selves the onely true Lords: except the King would take part with us, and become one of our Saints, and so we should share with him. But wow God manifests that you are not Saints, but as weake men as others, as fooilsh, oppressing as others, if not worse: that you are not in a condition of reign­ing [Page 24]yet he is pleasd to blast your honour and keep you low; and hath so ordered it, that a Treaty is on foot to settle things and you are left out, are likely to lose those places which you and your riend: have, & not to attain those golden daies you hoped to see: you find fancies of reigning to be but a dream that you must come down again from that you have gotten, and hoped to get; so your outward and fleshly glory is dying, lies a bleeding in this mi­serable inconvenience of a Treaty; this insnaring Treaty; when you and your friends in the House and abroad, shall have your hearts rip­ped up to you, you'l say this is truth; and this is the reason that you seek security, something to uphold your tottering Kingdom: Now to part with this is death to you, and you call it a preposte­rous and self-deserting way, page 27. Now consider this.

First, you have by this wofully defil'd your cause and manifest you undertooke the warre for advantage; though it may be you were such strangers to your owne hearts, as not to know it: But their is more evil in you then yet you understand, and it will break forth in your life. If the warre had been only defensive, you would have rested quietly, when much more is offered then we e­ver had.

Secondly, that you count all your own because you have fought for it; the Kingdome and glory of it is but enough to re­ward you for your workes; that you have right to all, tis yours, and your parties, and this makes you often expresse the Kings title by conquest; indeed you would enforce him to hold by it, though he never mentiond it; because its your present claim, you count your selves conquerours; which is a brutish thing, and by it you would extinguish civility, contract, religion, humane nature, law, and all the obligations of them to bring in your title, force: Beastly Warre: That you will lose nothing, but keep what you have got, and would by warre and force secure what by force you have won; and therefore call self-deserting (all one with self-deniing, or self-for­saking) preposterous

Now then to conclude this, you are not Saints yet; Saints will not seeke a Kingdome by the destruction of others, nor rejoice in the evill of others, either sinne or punishment; not in others fall, that they may rise; not advance themselves by an Army composd of ungodly men; not by force, but love: Yet tis true, Saints shall reigne notwithstanding, and those will prove Saints before you, that you little thinke for; God will provoke you by a foolish people. [Page 25]Know too, that Saints rights are secure in heaven, and need not begge security of men; I scorne that cause that is subject to ruine and destruction; and therefore your feares and sad expressi­ons of danger impending, shewes your foundation to be upon the sands; I laugh at your destruction, and mocke when your feare comes: You live in God, stand for God, and the Gospell of God, and talking of ruine and destruction; base is that way, and accursed, that is subject to such black thoughts; our cause is immortall, tis eter­nall, it lives and triumphs in death, is gaine in losse, destruction is farre from us, we know it not: But sit under our owne Vine and Fig tree, and none makes us afraid.

Another thing in danger, is, persons engaged, the party adhering; you harpe often upon this string, pag. 28, 29. foure or five times; you thinke the King will be revenged of you for your eminent activity against him: This discovers a base and poor spirit, and unbecoming Chri­stian souldiers, to continue war, break off peace, designe the ruine of the King and his family, subvert the whole government of the Kingdome to secure your owne lives; and this, I know, is one maine reason of your present activity, and others are but assum'd and pretended to cover this; a Principle very destructive to a Kingdomes peace, and contrary to the spirit of Christ; fear, a snare and the pit have taken hold of you, that are forced t o continue the di­sturbance of a nation, and all the miseries of warre upon us to save your selves: Let us suppose your feares (and the feares of those that are called honest men, for this is a generall distemper) to be demonstrations, as doubtlesse to you they are, and that indeed the King should picke out a dozen, or twenty, or more, to suffer; what then, suppose I were one of them, I account thus.

I have victory over death, and death is swallowed up by victo­ry, and therefore cannot feare it, am free from it, death can­not hurt me, I sport with it, am above his reach; I live an im­mortall life, and cannot see death; and he that hath not this free­dome is a slave.

Secondly, I have no life but truth, and if truth be advanced by suffering, then my life also; if truth live, I live; if justice live, I live; and these cannot dye, but by any mans suffering are en­larged, enthroned; and so I am enlarged: If I, or any other, have a life distinct from truth, its a lye; if distinct from justice, its un­just.

Thirdly, My life is a common life; I live with you and in you, I can confesse you and all have a right to it; if you come for it, take it; if I had a life separated from you I would lay it downe for my brethren, and I ought to do it; that I might live with you, and you with me; and I would spoile principalities and powers by this crosse; If the King should come to take it, I would so freely yeild, that he could not but yeild to that love that can dye for him; & so hold forth a true immortall power that is too strong for earthly and fleshly oppositions; or if any should seeke my life, I would be content to give it, that I might live againe in their soules: And this is the way of the Gospell to overcome Tyrants, and no other way, and to gaine Kingdomes indeed.

Fourthly, I count it not an honest life that needs such force with so much misery to the Kingdome, to maintaine it; but on the other side I am engaged to dye for my Country, and I shall more advantage the cause of liberty and religion by one single suf­fering that is pure, then we have done by all the bloud that hath beene shed in this rude way of warre; and lay a better and stronger foundation against tyranny and errour, then all these warres; I judge it ten times more honourable for a single person, in witnes­sing truth to oppose the world in its power, wisdome and autho­rity, standing in its full strength, and that nakedly and singly, then fighting many battels by army force; this Is brutish, common, the other Christian, divine, holy, excellent; and therefore your great care of securing your selves, comes from a slavish fear of death, from an unwillingnesse to suffer, and want of the power of god­linesse to meet the power of the world with, and true and hea­venly love to your Country: you know not that command, Eph. 5.2. Walke in love as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himselfe a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour: If you had this perfect love it would cast out fear; if your life were indeed united to God, or Christ were your life, or that you loved others so as you could dye for them, you would not not now be to seeke for security: 'Tis your great fear, and expressed page 38. you may be made a sacrifice: That which is proposed to you by God, upon the example of Christ is abhord by you. If Christ had been led by this principle when he saw his enemies engaged against him to seeke his life, to have sought their life to secure his own, he had not shewed himselfe to be the Sonne of God: and you in this, declare your selves not to be the Sonnes of God: It's no justice, lesse piety, to take away a­nothers [Page 27]life to save our owne; that's the way of God to lay down his life for others: and thats a wicked life that requires other mens lives to maintain it, that cannot stand but by others fall.

Now let us consider the reasons of the insecurity of the pub­like interest in this accomodation; you give many, and may give many more, considering how much wrath God hath let out upon the world and all parts of it to destroy it; 'tis the easiest thing now that can be to finde out wayes of ruine; but hard to finde wayes of peace: and though we must confesse you very quick-sigh­ted in discovering of dangers, and very sensible of evil, yet we wil not admire it as any excellent piece of policy, but judge it as the effect of a fearful and self-condemning spirit.

In the first place, you fall downe into the observation of past times, and challenge story for an instance &c. page 27. There is, I know, a good use of story; but in you, it is a dul and heterogene ous thing; and a looking back for strength, declining your owne principles which you have professed; new light, the Kingdome of Christ, to be carried on by the Spirit and power of God; and those things will not, you know; subject themselves to the weaknesse and darknes of former ages: you know you have a light of truth and justice that no age can paralel; that your waies are beyond all example: why doe you then disturb the dead, and challenge them to testify in these affairs that they are ignorant of? Or why doe you seek the living amongst the dead, and depart from the living God to dead Idols to relieve you?

Then you bring forth many evill surmisings, as how apt Princes are to break such accommodations, and how easy tis for them; page 29. and in proving these, you are as a bird wandring from her nest, you have forgotten your resting place, and being in a darke wildernesse, you are pursued by fear and wrath on every side; I will not follow you in you wan­derings; but give you sight of your condition in these few obser­vations.

First, You looke upon all past passages and present actions in this Kingdome, in the darknesse of man, not in the light of God; in the weaknesse, instability and unfaithfulnesse of wicked man; not in the strength, stability and faithfulnesse of a righteous God.

If you would see the peace of God in this agreement (though covered with rags) you would rejoyce in it and blesse it; and if [Page 28]you saw God bringing down wicked powers, and preventing of them in an evil course, you would rest in the worke of the Lord, and know God that hath done it is faithfull, and wil doe it still. If you saw the justice of God against tyranny and oppression, you would know that, justice is eternal and will for ever secure us: or if you saw God give us these concessions and grants from the King; God disposing his heart by fear or love, and could say 'tis the Lord that doth it, you might think he will continue them to us, or if he take them away 'tis to give us better: If you did see the heart of the King is in the hand of the Lord, and 'tis by him he yeelds to what he yeelds; you would rest in it, that the same hand will cause him to doe more: or if you saw God hath taken the King into his power, and so the whole Nation; that God hath taken his great Reign, the power of God is come forth to sway the Scepter, then you would conclude that Satan shall not misleade the King to be treacherous and false to us: But you behold things as they are in the wicked one, and there you finde nothing but curses, feares, troubles; and it's best for you that you might by that be led to the Lord: But for the present you see things onely in a carnall eye, and not with a spiritual, and so with an evil eye, which is the reason you cannot see your rock, the good­nesse of God.

Secondly, You doe declare, by your fears, and expresly by words, that those things that the Parliament now obtains of the King, in the way you behold them, that they are forced things, not natu­rall, but violent, and so not durable: that they are unjust and op­pressing, and so not lasting: for if you could looke upon them as naturall, or right and just, you had reason to think they were lasting; for God is the protector of just things, and stand firm a­gainst all the power of hel; and if they were so in you and them, or as far as they are so, all things that appeare against them will be dasht in pieces, Justice being an invincible Rock: but you are extreame sensible of their going back againe to the King from whence they came; and returning to their origi­nall.

If you did indeed believe that the originall of power were in the People, these grants would rest with you; and if there be any more behinde, you might be perswaded they would freely follow these you have already, for things naturally or by the appoint­ment [Page 29]of God run to their center. But it seems you finde no peace in these, and complain of the danger you are in of losing of them, which shews those things have no good bottome or foundati­on in you: And know this, that these violent courses that you are upon, of disclaiming and renouncing all dependance on the King, or ac­cord with him, and an utter rejection, expulsion and deposure either of his whole race, and all that claim it upon the same account of right; or at least of his particular Person, and execution of justice upon him, page 28. wil not secure what you have got; but rather it is the way to lose them, and set up Princes in a higher way then ever: for all things being by force, compelled from their nature, that force being removed, they returne with the greater earnestnesse: and no­thing that is violent can be perpetuall: Besides, Hee that will save his life shall lose it: especially when it is going, and men use wick­ed waies to uphold their tottering state, then it goes, as wee say, with a vengeance; and that is your condition: God sayes in your hearts and consciences, your standing is corrupt and un­godly, and he hath a quarrel against it, and it must fall: The rumour of your fall (In respect of your present greatnesse) sounds in your bosomes, and it is that which puts you up­on these courses to save your selves, which will hasten your fall.

Thirdly, Your deep sense that you have of the Kings recovering what he hath lost, of his getting into his seat and Throne again, and of the disposition of the generallity of people to help him to his beloved dignity: whence you make such totall conclusions not onely of probabilities of danger, but certain insecurity, and perpetuall prejudice to publi [...]e interest, supposd the best constitutions and strictest laws imaginable &c. page 47. These things doe declare that these Concessions are not long lived; and doe prophesie the restitution of the King to his ancient Rights, and give a clear testimony to the immor­tality and stability of Kinglines.

You see that the King hath a will to redeeme his present losse: you may see it in your owne hearts, that every man hath a lust after power and authority: And you have seene it in his constant carriage. For my part I condemne his unlaw­full seeking of it, and any falshood in it, but if he should not en­deavour the maintaining: and restoring of the dignity of Kings, Hee were false to his trust, and the glory and ma­jesty of God that he is intrusted with: And therefore [Page 30]that desire of recovering his losse, is justifiable in him; yea, I should condemne him as unbelieving and weake spirited, if he should not hope for it, and constantly aime at it: But here's his misery, and yours for the present, that you are not acquainted with that ful­nesse of power that is in God to dispense, and that wisdom where­by it shall be disposd; so that he shall have as much and more then ever he had, and you all, and more then you desire; and that way will be shewed him to confirme what you aske of him, and give you more, and yet continue his owne Royalty in the greatest abso lutenesse and perfection: And for want of this, you are tug­ging and pulling the Kingdome in peices to satisfie your selves with dominion; whereas if you were in a right understanding of things, there is enough in God, in the nation, to satisfie all desires, and largenesse enough for all to have what they would, without entrenching one upon another, or maligning one another. If he desire it in a carnall and wicked way, he shall never have it; If he commit it to the Lord, and expect, it from him, he shall have it, and that will be his and our mercy.

Tis granted then, that he hath a minde to recover, and that this is according to his principle, and maybe managed rightly, and not to the prejudice of the Parliament, or his opposers: And that he shall rise, yea, is now great, your Remonstrance seales to it. You condemne the Parliament for owning him so farre, as to seeke to him by a Treaty; and you by taking such paines to arme your selves against him, make it manifest, he hath a great power; which is a wonder, that a Prince, spoild of all his au­thority, naked, a prisoner, destitute of all friends and helps, whol­ly at the dispose of others, tied and bound with all obligations a that a Parliament can imagine to hold him, should yet be such terrour to you, and fright you into such a large Remonstrance, and such perilous proceedings as you are upon to save your selves from him, that is now a worme; either you are full of fear, that are so affected with a shadow, or else there is some strange power in him.

As you give testimony to his power, so you take a course to ad­vance it; for there is nothing that hath any sparke of God in it, but the more it is suppresid, the more it rises; afflictions being alwaies great improvements to good things, which shine most when they are tried.

You speake of his reputation, pag. 36. The more you crush [Page 31]him, the sweeter savour comes from him; and while he suffers, the Spirit of God and glory rest upon him: There is a sweet glory sparkling in him by suffering though you see it not: You do but rend away his corruptions from him, and help to wast his drosse, and draw forth that hidden excellency that is in him; and natu­rally men are ready to pity sufferers, When nothing will gaine me, affliction will; I confesse his sufferings make me a Royalist, that never cared for him: He that doth and can suffer shall have my heart; you had it while you suffered; now you are great, and need it not; the poore, suffering, oppressed King and his party shall have my compassion; your severe punishing him for his weak­nesse in government, and great abuse of government your selves, will beget in people an high account of the King, and provoke them to greater rage against you; and therefore you are upon foolish waies; while you, are seeking to prevent these evils, you are running further into them; you are raising more evils against your selves, not allaying of them: Tis the power of love binds men from hurting you; cruelty inrages men, and will turne men into Devils against you.

Fourthly, Your speech shewes what's within, Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh: A good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth good things; and an evill man, out of the evill treasure of his heart, bringeth forth evill things: no man can speake any thing but himselfe. Tis our happinesse to live to see the hearts of men clearly brought forth.

You tell us of the King, how probable, yea, demonstrable tis, that he will cast off these verball and literall confessions and concessions, and that his yeilding for the present is but upon designe to obtaine the Throne, but when be hath it hee'l quickly breake, and have colourable grounds for it: Which doth but tell us what you would doe, or what is in your hearts to doe: It seemes you are able to teach the King deceit, and to shew him a way to escape out of all engagements; Charity think­eth no evill, because it thinks nothing but God, it hopes all things, be­lieves all things, because it sees God at the bottom of all things: But you hope for nothing but deceite, falshood and treachery, Wise to doe evill, but to doe good no knowledge: You speake evill, but cannot sgeake good; Curse you doe, but blesse not; you never speake a­ny good of the King, or any, but in scorne; and so you mention the King (Good man) So large and cunning in discovery of ill, and void of good, shewes you empty of one, and full of the other.

Fifthly, You expresse a multitude of dangers ready to come upon us by this Treaty; from the King his reputation, party their multi­tude, their activity, their greatnesse, from abroad, from home, from the Parliament their divisions, their burdening the people with taxes, from the force that is upon the King, &c. Feare hath taken bold of you, it en com­passes you about on every side; Like Cain, that saies. Every one that meeteth me will kill me; you know no safety: Can this be away of God? Doth not God establish our goings, and set our feet upon a rock, and make us able to lye downe and sleepe in a wildernesse, and not be afraid? We know none can hurt us, having Salvation for wals and bulwarkes, and can and doe live in the face of hell, death, Devils, and not be disturbed, yea, seeke no other protection then the arme of God.

They are the sinners in Sion that are afraid; We that are the people of God, dwell in that mountaine where there is no hurtfull thing; Our City gates stand open night and day, and we feare no surprizes, no designes can betray us; we are not troubled to shut our gates to keepe out death, evill flyes from us; we need no black designs against our enemies to save our selves, we do declare against all that walk in a way contrary to this; That their wisdom is not from above, not pure, so not peaceable, but is earthly, carnally sensuall and devilish. In this per­plexed state you are in, is seene your judgement is begun; you have left God, and he hath left you to these tormenting feares; this is the wrath that was threatned upon you; you are seeking selfe­safety, tis your businesse; therefore you uphold your Army to preserve the lives of the godly party, and safety flyes from you: God lookes every way upon you with sadnesse and wrath; tis your wickednesse to thinke of, or speake of safety in a worldly state; you have beene taught otherwise, and know, you shall ne­ver have it; you thinke you may use the meanes, no, all meanes are wicked that have an end contrary to the revealed will of God; and this hath beene told your hearts, that there's no peace but in God. This is a generall distemper, and that which your friends are guilty of extreamly, but Tis the spirit of hondage to feare, and not of love and a sound minde. This passion sets you on work, and there­fore your businesse must needs be base and vile; to act for ones selfe in any kinde, is evill and un-christian; but to aft for selfe­safety is so meane and poore a thing, as it must needs produce most vile and absurd actions: It is of all affections the unworthi­est; a deepe pit, and causes blacke, horrid and foule things: I'le shew you a little that rest and peace which we enjoy; that security [Page 33]which you have turned your backes upon, in refusing the Lord, and for want of it are groping in these darke waves of yours.

First, I feare no party nor interest because I love all, I am recon­ciled to all, and all are reconciled to me; I have enmity to none but the son of perdition; I oppose nothing but destruction, and ther­fore nothing opposes me: Tis enmity begets insecurity; and while men live in the flesh, and in enmity to any party or interest, in a privace, divided and selfe good, there will be perpetuall wars and strife; except that particular should quite ruine all other parts, and live alone, which the universall must not, will not suffer, for the admitting a part to eate up and devoure others, were to de­stroy the whole, which is God; and such a minde in any part doth not onely fight with another part, but against the whole; and so every faction of men striving to make themselves absolute, do di­rectly warre against God, who is love, peace, and a generall good, gives being to all, and cherishes all; and therefore in such, oppo­sition of fellow members, and of God, the God of peace and uni­on, there can be no peace nor securicy: But we being enlarged in­to the largenesse of God, and comprehending all things in our bo­somes by the divine spirit, are at rest with all, and delight in all, for we know nothing but what's in our hearts; Kings, Nobles are much beloved because they are in us, of us, one with us, we be­ing Kings and Lords by the anointing of God.

Secondly, We inherit all things, having overcome; we are free the Sons of God, and all things are given unto us, are our owne for our use: the greatest as well as the least; and therefore feare no­thing, being Lords of all: To be in a state apprehensive of dan­ger is to be a servant; and while servants are quarrelling one with another, beating one another, their Lord is absent, and they are in danger one of another.

This is the condition of all the world, and of you in the Ar­my, and therefore are farre from Lordship, true spirituall reign­ing; yea, hell, deaths destruction it selfe is ours, and doth us ser­vice: In our great houses there are vessels of honour and of dishonour; both usefull and profitable; Captivity is become our captive; death is become life; confusion hath its beauty, they are all excellent, as wee in our house dispose of them and enjoy them; our [Page 34]interest is publique, extends to all, and all are our interest.

Thirdly, We live in heaven, peace is in our wals, and plenty, in our pala­ces; that word is performed to us, They shall see evill no more; wee know no evill in our Paradise, not eating of the forbidden fruit; all is good, in all we see a smiling, bright, sweet face of majesty; Wee live upon Mount Zion, and it is large enough to receive our souls, bodies, estates, lives, families, all is taken within the Gates of the Holy City, and this City reaches all over the earth: Here we en­joy all things, all persons, all actions, we never goe out of it, but live in the peace and safety of it continually: And here there is no more curse, nor death, sorrow and sighing flee from us; God wipes all tears from our eyes, and enjoying this, and all in this, in truth and pow­er; we need no defence, no safety but our owne rocke. Our house which is from heaven.

Fourthly, I feare nothing in the world, because Greater is he that is in us, then he that is in the world; I have overcome the world, it is at my feet, I trample upon it; If you finde any world in me, you shall doe me right to afflict it, break it; Let it suffer, tis righteous it should, I would have no worldly thing that lives out of God have rest, its against my life and principle; and by this I doe overcome it, and shall never be troubled for the losse of it, for I would have no in­heritance, no life or being but in the eternall world: The world, I know, it is a poore shadow, a fading thing, and is onely terrible in the darke, theres nothing in it, but it is more excellently and mightily in us in God; Men, Kings, Emperours, as they are in an earthly state, we know they are wormes that shall dye, mortals, and trouble they may themselves, not us; They are not worthy of a caution to them that live above them, or take heed: Have they power: so have we everlasting power, and either theirs is one with ours, or infinitely short of it: you shew your selves weake and under them when you feare them. Have they policy, wisedome, we have treasures; either theirs is ours, or else we can make fooles of them; if they act not in our light, we are, and can, when we will, goe beyond them; they are filly men that fear cunning, nar­row pated men, that cannot secure themselves from policy: Have they multitudes, a large and numerous party; we have more, and they can have none but ours, all are ours, we have Legions, ten thou­sand times ten thousand; They that are with us are more then they that are against us; yea, all are for us, if they knew us and what they would have, we having with us the desire of all nations: Would they have a [Page 35]King, they are in the darke; but wee know they truly can desire none but our King, &c. and if you doubt and fear, you are solitary and alone, a widow, not married to God and his innumerable hosts: Of all things we would not fear men because they are wick­ed, false, breakers of Covenant, perfidious, &c. This is to set up wickednesse by a Law; to accuse God, that the wicked goe unpunish­ed, that 'tis in vain to serve him, that he is not just; 'tis to offer the highest honour to the basest creatures, men in wickednes; We know they worke in that fire that will destroy them: if men be e­vil they can't hurt me but as they hurt themselves; they are haste­ning to their own destruction, they carry their ruine with them: besides, we know such men are in hel, and there chaine them: though Kings; we can, by the power of God, binde them in chains of Iron: have power to binde the devil and cast him into the bottomlesse pit: We assure you, that the devil shal not appear in any form or persons, be they never so great, never so gifted, ne­ver so glorious in religion or power, be it in you or any other, but we will deal with him, cast loads of wrath upon him, and fil him with torment; cast him from his heaven of outward religion or power, and secure him within his own bounds, that he shall no longer destroy the earth: We doe and wil dissolve his works be they never so wisely contrived, Set our feet upon him, and tread upon this Lyon and Adder, and he shall not hurt us.

Therefore you, while you tel us or your great fears, and demon­strate certain certain insecurity, and travel to bring forth your sense of dan­ger, you and the godly party are in; you think you are wise men, must act as rational men for your safety, and judge us fools, mad men, that if you should doe as wee, the whole Christian cause would fall to the ground, and all would be lost; We wil lay this upon you, Rev: 21.8. The fearfull and unbelieving &c, have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death: you are in a lake of sire, worke in the fire, and this is of the Lord, it is the just judgement of God upon you; not of men, but of and by the Lord; you are beyond the reach of men, but are reserved to be punisht, from the presence of the Lord, This is your second death; you were dead in sinnes, are quickned by repentance, but are gone back; the life of grace and Religion is dead in you, and you that escaped the first, are fallen into a second death: But one word more answering to this, Revelations 22.15. Without are dogges: you are acting all along without the City: [Page 36]yea, professedly setting up a power that is in the world at distance from and out of God; which you cal highest power on earth, created, standing power on earth; and for that power that divinity hath design'd, you laugh at it; & you know your wholl trade is now driven in the world as distinct from heavenly things, though you would cover it too with a sheeps skin, and cry tis the Lord, the Lord with us: but you are cast out, and gone out, and live out of the blessed and glorious presence of God, and so are dogs rated by God into a filthy kennel of base things; and are fearful as dogs: God hath beaten you by the King, and kept you under, and you are fearful of the same hand stil, and thinke 'twill be worse yet, we shall suffer again; and that sets you a barking out your wrathful angry and feirce stuffe. If you were with your Father in his presence as Sonnes, these cla­mours would cease, and you would be above all, and doe good to all, and blesse all as your Father doth.

This is a main ground-worke of your whole busines; that law of nature which teaches men to save themselves, and therefore wee have taken the more paines to discover the rottennesse of it, and how you decline God and grace to flye to depraved and cor­rupt nature to be your guid and God; and to the poore and basest principle of nature, self-preservation, which must lead to the un­worthiest things; and for professed Christians to act so low, is great wickednes and a curse.

You doe in this discourse meet with two objections.

First, Your own former declaring for the King, which seems a little to trouble you; but you with some difficulty scramble over it; and I thinke in that spirit that you are in will stand at nothing: we will only say this, that by breaking those Proposals, you justi­fy all the breach of promise in the King or any others, and doe, not onely break the command, but teach men to doe so; for upon the principles of your apology for your selves, every man is free from all engagements whatsoever.

As first, you say, page. 43. concerning your complyance with the King, Partly necessitating us for the present prevention of that mischiefe to the publike they were runing into in that kinde as we apprehended: we were drawn into &c. if men for necessity, and to avoid publique danger, say a thing though hee performe it not, there is no great evil in it.

Secondly, That moderation was but Hypotheticall; That is [Page 37]no such engagements are absolute, but conditionall, nor to be ob­served, but saving the Publique interest; Now we being judges of what is safe for the publique interest, can deliver our selves when we please; which is the Pharisees law, If a man say it is Corban, its a gift, shall be free.

Thirdly, We aimd not at the strengthening our selves to the ruin of any per­sons, but to prevent, &c. So that there be honest intentions, we may steppe over these outward bonds; and wisely to prevent mischief, breake all relations, trample upon all authority. And afterward you repent, and say, 'Twas errour, frailty, unbeliefe and carnall counsels, pag. 44. And pag. 52. you fall upon it againe, and there you say were led to it by the Parliaments course: and now God hath o­pened your eyes, and let you see beyond what you did before.

How excellently doe you teach men to goe from what they have said; if they see further and can repent it, they are free: See how abhominable religion is when once corrupted: Theres no kinde of men can be such compleat and neat knaves, as a Jesuite, a Pharisee, an old well studied professour of Religion; when once mens consciences are defiled, and they begin to trade in the world, with a pretence that tis for God, they are so cunning, that no bonds of honesty or faith can possibly hold them.

This businesse of your repentings concerning your former com­pliance with the King, is a great strength to you, and you much build upon it: You have seene your sinne, you say, and been hum­bled for it, and sought God, and are cleane from it, you have been troubled, but now are at peace: Alas poore men! A deceived heart hath turned you aside, and you see not the lye in your right hand; This your Righteousnesse is a broken bow that starts aside; A broken reed, that while you leane upon it, will peirce your hand. To shame you for the iniquity of holy things, and shew the abhomination even of your Refor­mation, Know this from him who knowes your wayes and hearts.

First, That it was not your sinne to carry out principles of ten­dernesse and goodnesse to all, and of faire and gentle dealing towards enemies, as you formerly did in your proposals: but to doe this falsly and hypocritically, to take these Lambe-like proposals to cover a Ravening Wolfe; or to assume them, not out of love to them, but to gaine reputation; or to gull and cheate a party into a quiet waiting upon you for deli­verance, [Page 38]till you had gaind your end, and then deceive them, and wholly relinguish them, this is your sinne; And this you were by me admonished of concerning the King, that if you did looke towards him, you should nakedly and freely discover your hearts and bosomes to him; if he did so close with you, it might be wel; but that you should not (as you did) in distrust of God, falsly, with­out judgement accept of him and agree with him, that was de­clared to you to be evill, and a daubing with untempered morter.

Secondly, In your turning now you turne not to God; God saies to you, You do not at all fast to me, but you are an empty vine bringing forth fruit to your selves: For this present expedition, though you are blinde and see it not, is meerly for and to your selves; And there are in you the same wickednesse that was in the former, and worse; frailty is now malice; unbeliefe turnd to self-confidence; carnall counsell into devilish counsell: There is nothing more of the glory of God in you now, but lesse; yea, That which you seem'd then to have is taken from you; your wisedome, mercy, moderation, &c. So you turne not from the iniquity of your way; not from this in hypocirsy, to this in truth, in righteousnesse; but from a vaine proposall of good to acting evill, you turne indeed, but to Egypt, you are gone from good in shew, to evill in substance.

Thirdly, The root of this worke you have in hand is a sense of the losse of Gods favour; you have felt Gods frownes upon you, and that hath put you upon this work, to recover your lost splen­dour, and to make satisfaction.

This is a miserable, dark principle, and begets very wicked pra­ctises: in a sense of the wrath of God to seek for means to expi­ate his displeasure: Esavs teares, Sauls sacrificing, Israels offering up the first borne of their bodies for the sinne of their soules: Poore blind­ed men! when they seeke to satisfie God, run more in wickednesse against him: he that goeth upon such grounds to satisfie an angry God, and to quiet a fearfull and guilty conscience, will alwaies be bloudy and cruell, and are thrust on commonly to some eminent folly, some notorious and absurd wickednesse, and so are you, not being establisht in the love of God, nor walking in a plaine path of righteousnesse, but blinded in wrath, are hurried from one extream to another: This cursed giddinesse of flesh to doe evill, and think they doe God good service, is the fruit of apostacy, and quenching the spirit of God; to be so left to your selves, that which way soever you goe, you commit iniquity, and not able to know or practise the [Page 39]truth; you are in this the greatest examples of divine justice that this age hath brought forth.

The second thing that lies in your way, is the Covenant, which obliges to the preservation of the Kings person and authority, pag. 54. but not so strongly, but the snare is broken, and you have an honest way to escape; Many things you bring to quit your selves from it; that clause, In the preservation of the true Religion and liberty of the Kingdome, pag. 55. If it have an evill sense it cals for repentance, pag. 57. This how­ever will never faile, repentance knowes how to wash away any Covenant. Then you plead, 'twas 'twixt man and man, and would exclude the King, as not present nor consenting, pap. 58. and after would exclude God from being any thing but a witnesse, pag. 50. You would have God have as little interest in it as you can: Tis a very ill tem­per of minde that lessens the interest of God in our affaires: Its an ill tongue that is an oratour for man, and denies God; that saies God is but thus: Tis no dishonour to the King to be left out, where God is not admitted to be a party, onely a looker on: But God saies, What you did to one of these little ones, you did to me: You vowd to me in the King, though a little one, imprisoned, sicke, naked; yet your oath was to me.

God saies, I put in the preservation of the Kings life and au­thority into the Covenant, into all your oaths and protestati­ons, on purpose to save him after all his sufferings for sin: And ob­servance is due to me; I was in that Covenant, and will punish the breakers: Where are you now?

Concerning your breaking this Covenant in a thing so ex­presse, so agreeable to all the Parliaments Declarations and Re­monstrances, we will lay downe these three considerations.

First, That Oaths and Covenants, the maine pillars of humane society, the greatest determiners of controversies, the chiefe part of divine worship, is in this age most commonly violated, and im­pudently prophaned: Poore world! what will you doe? Thy great security from danger, Oaths, thy Physitian that hath cured thy breaches often, and heald distempers, is become ineffectuall: There is such wickednesse amongst us, and that crept into the best of men, and under such pretences of piety to God, that no Cove­nants will hold them: Certainly if God doth not manifest, a new and everlasting Covenant to compose and binde us together, we shall live in a wildernesse of horrid confusion.

Secondly, That these are the last and perilous times spoken of, [Page 40]2 Tim. 3.1. &c. And that you, amongst others, are the people there spoken of, Lovers of themselves; That's your fundamentall Law, selfe­preservation, and the ground of your present actings, to intrude your selves into the worlds greatnesse, out of a high opinion of your owne deserts, thinking your selves onely wise, just, holy, honourable, &c.

I could shew you the other particulars, and may in time apply the Text to you, if you repent not; but for the present occasion, tis said, there they shall be Truce-breakers, [...], against accom­modation, no treaty, no agreement: Or breakers of Cove­nant, and then it followes, [...], Accusers, and at this you are exquisite.

Thirdly, That Covenants being the strength of humane socie­ties, and so great bulwarks of the world, degenerated or apostasi­ed Religion is the great engine of Gods wrath appointed to breake them downe: Solemne Oaths and Covenants are able to hold most mens consciences, but men heightned by Religion into the forms of the spirit, doing things by immediate direction from God, carrying a glorious presence of God before them, affirming that they are called by God to doe some speciall worke in the world: these can easily mount above the highest forts of Oaths, and trample them under foot presently: Men that have tasted of these high things, and begin to make them serviceable to worldly ends, they are such cunning pick-locks, that they can finde a way through all dores to come to the treasures of power and authori­ty: A people that have had a savour of heavenly things in a flesh­ly way: turne them loose into the world, and they'l teare it up by the roots; they are whetted for destructions such as are spo­ken of, Ezek. 21.31. Brutish men, skilfull to destroy: such wicked spirits are now abroad, that are brutish, spare not the holiest nor honourablest things: Kings, Lords, Ministers, Scriptures, Ordi­nances, Oaths, Covenants lay all waste; and yet in the greatest brutishinesse, skilfull, though there be the most sensuall and beastly confusion, yet they shall doe it artificially, skilfully, say tis for God, justice, religion, &c. and that they doe it by the power of Christ, and the spirit of God, in religious zeale, &c. and so exact, that they will not be knowne from builders, restorers, reformers. But the holy, good, wise, mercifull spirit of the living God, the Father of mercies, will in his owne light condemne this uncleane spirit, and drive him out of the land.

Having cleared your way to what you have to propose you give us your apprehensions of the remedy, page 60. your first is to, lay aside this evil and dangerous Treaty: This is a strange remedy against civil warres, to lay aside treating: Then you require that the Kings demands be rejected, especially that of his restitution to London; This is very terrible to you that the King should recover any strength; no, keepe him downe as long as you can, let him not rise: how far is this from the power of godlines, oracting in the power of God: a poore pusilla­nimous, cowardly, worldly policy: you dare not thinke of the King getting any power, for then you know you durst not deale with him; not barely in the power of God: but he a prisoner and you free; having an Army at your command, you dare accuse him; if he were in power, you would shrinke out of the Kingdome; whereas if you lived in the power of God, you might trample up­on Thrones; if he were wicked pul him from his greatest glory, and binde him in chains.

Secondly, you would have that bargaining proposition laid aside, and would have all justice done immediatly, from the judiciall power of the Kingdome the Parliament, and not by grant from the King: you doe the King a courtesy in that: and this being done, you wish moderation and mercy; not as long as there be any apprehension of fear▪ there's little mercy from fearful enemies: mercy is in Breasts that are strong and mighty. But page 62. you come to the marrow of the businesse, to propound high things that sha1l reach us peace with God, and quiet amongst men: There was never such a mocking of God since the world stood: for men that have professed Christ our peace so long as you have done, should now tall from that atonement (which you only talked of, had not in power) to offer up to God the bloud of men, the bloud of men already in affliction, the bloud of their enemies, and that upon such principles to secure themselves, to obtain and keep self-advantages; 'tis such a sacri­fice as was never yet by the darkest heathens invented: if you had covertly sought revenge upon him, &c. you had had some equals and examples for your fact; but to doe the same thing (in feare and revenge to remove an adversary) and boldly, impudently, to bring it to God as a sacrifice to appease his displeasure, and expiate sin, is an unparalel'd wickednes: and a project as foolishly contriv'd, to quiet the people by taking away a Prince beloved of his people, indeer'd to them by his sufferings; whose government (though ful of weaknes) was far better then those that succed him; [Page 42]a Prince, strong in the affection of his Subjects, and forain alli­ance, and then when he is in a yeelding way to peace, to give sa­tisfaction to his Subjects, yea, when he is upon an agreement, then to seeke the removal of him by death, or deposure against the desires of the bodie of the Kingdome, and of their representa­tives in Parliament; upon the foul and black designs of a few un­believing people, that this should be a way to quiet the Kingdome it's as far from policy as the other is from piety.

But to your Proposals; first, you propound, That that capitall and grand author of our troubles, the Person of the King, may be brought to justice for the treason, blood, &c. Two things we wil consider.

First, Your Justice.

Secondly, The person upon whom 'tis to be administred.

First, 'Tis not justice that you desire, it appears so to your blinde and deceived hearts; but in the face of God it appears farre otherwise: To tel you that justice must be done by law, and that no law takes hold of the King, will not convince you, though to others it wil manifest that; you that pretend to contend for the laws, are the greatest violaters of them. But the searcher of hearts will deale otherwise with you, and shew you what's within you, and discover the falshood and injustice of your spirits.

First, Know this (for you have felt it) that God hath a con­troversy with you: that though you have done many things for him, yet you are not perfect; but there is some wicked thing to be purged out of you, which is your glorying in that fleshly way in which you are: God hath called you out of it, and you have re­fused him, and sunke down deeper into it, blessing add strength­ning your selves in it; being unwilling to strip your selves naked of those carnal1 helps and advantages that you were engaged to; or to suffer a losse of those glorious favours that you have re­ceived, that you might have better: but loving this present evil world, and despising the Spirit of God and refusing his safety a­lone, and to rest and live under his wings abhorring to cease acting in the flesh, and to be perfected by sufferings: You have, by this joyned your selves to the prince of darknesse, departed from God to the God of this world, by which Satan hath betrayed you, spoyled all your glory; gotten those good things God gave you, into his possession, and imployes them against the Lord, and takes the poor people of God captive, to serve in the foule and base waies of the world; and the Lord now comes for justice against [Page 43] this spirituall wickednesse in places; you have dealt against small petty corruptions and have seen them executed; but now the de­vil hath corrupted all your gifts and graces, and spilt the bloud of Christ, who was a babe in you, and brought great spirituall mischiefs upon you, death, wrath, trouble, absence of God, de­prived you of your freedome with God, &c. now God cals for justice against this destroyer of such precious beginnings of god­linesse, and creates trouble in your spirit for want of it: but this cunning serpent beguiles you and sets up a shadow of an enemy a King without, as an object to your justice, to save himselfe and all his villany from the justice of God within: Poor beguild wretches, you are not yet acquainted with his wiles: you are turned out of the righteous way, and will never finde peace till you come to see all those evils in your selves in truth, which are in shew and shadow in the King; and when the sword of the Spi­rit which cuts inwardly, is turned against those enemies of God you will doe justice indeed.

Secondly, This way of acting in you for justice, is great aposta­cy, for a company of men that have been led up into such high things of God, to live in God, and doe all things in the Spirit of God; now to fall down into the way of heathens; to lay the weight of their spirits upon so poor a thing as moral justice, and to daunce after the example, or take for their guide and rule the blinde actings of Gentiles that lived in the world without God; and onely sought an outward freedome: and to prostitute the Spirit of God to such Common and prophane things, is exceeding unwor­thy of the profession of a Christian, and a going back from Canaan to Aegypt.

Thirdly, Your Justice is but a bare name, or a heathen co­vering, borrowed from men to hide your shame, your malice, unbeliefe, feare, and such like monstrous lusts, which you know you are not free from; and though you would not see, you shall see, and the world shall see too, that you are as o­ther men are, and take up the lees and dregs of the world: cun­ning waies to remove adversaries, to take away those that stand in your way; and paint them over with the names of justice, security to the publique interest, and so act them in the face of the Sunne. Take but this instance; hundreds of the Kings party, the basest and worst of them who have borne armes for the King; [Page 44]are yet admitted into your Army, joyned with you in engage­ments; because it is for your advantage end the strengthning your selves; to let goe the principal and punish inferiour instruments, say you, is not just: And so spare inferiours to serve us, and punish great ones to secure our selves of them, it is great injustice: It is an old deceit of justice to lay hold of small offen­dors, and let goe the great ones, that is grosse and common: but to accept the small ones into, alliance, favour and service because we want their bodies; and to seeke the ruine of great ones, be­cause we would have their honours, places and estates, is a new wickednesse, a path not trodden in before; high flying and gal­lant cruelty, spare rogues, slaves to doe slavish worke, men of no conscience, worth nor honesty, and strike at a Prince standing for his interest engaged by conscience and honour: This is your ju­stice.

Now for the King, against whom you goe in ful cry; I have this to say to check your violent course.

First, That he had and hath a true lawful right in the King­dome and to the Kingdome, as good as any man hath to any thing he possesses, his crown, revenue and dignity is as righteously his birth-right and inheritance as anothers house or land; and he that denies this is wilfully blinde.

As he hath a right to his Crown and Subjects, so it is his Peo­ples right to have a King, I confesse it my birth-right to have relation to a King, to live under a great Monarch; and if I am denyed it, I am denyed my native right, and so my pleasure of honouring and serving him, and receiving honour from him, and many and great profits comming by him.

And he having a right to his Crown, and his People a right to him, it was as just for him and his party to stand for their right as for any other party to uphold theirs: It is true his inte­rest, and Parliaments, and Peoples were all in the darke, and none could distinctly divide one from another, or clearly judge which is which; and so ordained by God for the fall of them as they stood in a worldly way: It is true the King abused his interest and power, and in the exercise of it transgressed against GOD and his People. And it is as true, when the Parliament came to plead their right, they were to seeke, and did in contending for it sinne against GOD and the King [Page 45]so that both have a right, both have some reason to contend for their right, but both have erred in maintaining their rights; And therefore the King is not free from sinne alone, nor guilty alone, nor his party: The Parliament not free alone, nor guilty alone, but each side have some good and evill mingled together, you nor they perfectly righteous, all have transgressed and gone out of the way; and therefore tis pride and partiality in you to say he is guilty of all the bloud, rapine, &c. No, all are guilty; We must say, There it none righteous, no not one: You may say he was first guil­ty, or most guilty, because he is first and greatest, and so hath suf­fered first & most: but to clear your selves as pure only, & condemn others as guilty onely, is pride and uncharitablenesse; and all proceedings upon this ground, are acts of hostility, and a conti­nued prosecution of the old difference.

Thirdly, I say that the King in his present state is more righte­ous then you, he now suffers and acts, and is in his present way the most just in the Kingdome.

First, He hath confessd his errour, though you wickedly urge it against him; and though it be in weaknesse, yet the Lord is ten­der of him in it: He hath expresly own'd his sinne, and the Par­liament implicitly in yeilding to treat with him, and shewing a readinesse to receive him to favour: Tis in their hearts that they were rash, violent, and too captious and ready to take advantages against the King, being spurd on by some carnall and smister ends; and so farre as they incline to acknowledge their errours, they are in a way to pardon: Onely you justifie your selves as innocent, and so most or 1ast guilty.

Secondly, He hath beene in this Treaty in a self-denying way, in a way of parting with his rights, though misinterpreted, b ing looked upon through enmity and jealousyes, and you and the Par­liament are upon the gaining and securing to your selves: He is coming downe, you and others are getting up: He is falling, you rising: He is a sufferer, you inflicters of sufferings.

Thirdly, He ownes a God in the world, and appeales to him: that principle that you disdain so much, pag. 47. and elsewhere, is more righteous then yours, which are seeking to set up a darke forme of Government without God; so just as not to need God; in which we may rest, and never goe further to appeale to God. The King hath appeald to God, and it hath cost him deare; God hath judged him for his sinnes, as you say often in your Remon­strance, [Page 46]and tis a wonder to me that you should fleight that maxim of impunity from man, and appealing, to God, when God is come forth so visibly as he is, to punish all ill government: Yea, that which you fly to your selves in your second Declaration, and the Ho­ly God is as righteous to you as to the King, to punish you in your kinde as him in his: And as it hath beene his fall, so it will be his and your rising, sticking fast to your appeale to God in distresse, he will restore him and you.

A fourth is this, That the King in his offers of peace hath shewd a fatherly and large spirit, and endeavoured the comprehending of all interests; and you insist only upon your own, and others, as relating to yours.

The fifth and last thing I have to say for the King, is that which I have already published, That he is an Image of the glory of God the Fa­ther, and chosen by the divine majesty to bring forth it selfe: A vessell of honour, pardoned, loved, and taken into union with God.

And tis not the least aggravation of your sinne that you goe on in your waies against him, after the divine Grace had so publiquely ownd him: And this you doe without any knowledge of the mind of God, or any ability to shew the evill & weaknesse of that discovery; but in a rude and brutish pursuing of your owne sense and experience: you are sunke deepe into the earth, or else you would not say (after such a manifest judgement given by God) as you doe, pag. 48. If they claime by immediate, divine designation, let them shew it, pag. 50. in a way of rejecting and denying at least; Which we are sure can be no lesse then something of Divinity: Indeed you can­not, nay will not see divine things amongst men, else you would not now say, Let them shew it. But of all tis the greatest wonder that you should be such opposers of Divinity and divine designation, who have professed God is in all, there is nothing but God, and cry up the name of God so much to be in your owne darke and confused wayes, and will not acknoeledge him in any thing that is ho­nourable or excellent: And though your Remonstrance be against this glory of God breaking forth in the King, your actions shall and doe promote it: and this may be your comfort, that these sufferings will so refine and improve him, that he will appeare in that excellent spirit of love and goodnesse, as shall freely forgive your violence against him, and rejoice in his sufferings, being the certaine way to a true Throne of Glory. Thus I dare meet with al [Page 47]your power, and interpose betweene the edge of your inflamed wrath and the King; I value not what you can doe or say: If you say I am turnd Royalist, I am of a Royall Seed, a Royall Priesthood, and a lover of Royalty in the most High God, and no where else: If you say I doe it upon carnal grounds, you may say it, but shal not long thinke it, but wil wish your selves as free from worldly respects and selfe-seeking in acting against, as I am in appearing for the King ere long.

The three next things propounded are but the raveling out of the same principle; wherein you shew what a reach your great feares have, and how wary you are to fortifie your selves against al from whom there may be any appearance of danger; And so the Kings Children must suffer, and a competent number of his chiefe Delin­quents. There is here nothing of a new principle, and therefore I omit it.

Your sift is, for satisfaction of Arrears: This is a main wheel, though it makes little noise here; For I believe, if you could get your Arrears, which are very considerable summes of money, and would helpe you to live conveniently, and could rationally and upon visible grounds promise your selves safety and a quiet life, you would be content to lay downe many of you and be quiet. This is good sober dealing, and you thinke it very justifiable, For the Labourer is worthy of his hire; And you know many of you, I thinke the greatest part of the body, would have left long agoe, if they had not hoped to recover some good part of their Arrears. But is this sutable to our profession when we undertooke this Warre? Did not we scorne a mercenary souldier, or souldier of fortune? And upon those termes have dealt with God and men; yet now the Kingdome must lye under misery till you have your arrears. I'le but say this to you, you are upon as good a way to pay or acquit your Arrears as the Scots were.

Your next thing propounded is concerning the Parliament, that it should have a Certaine period, and so the great trust reposed in them may returne to the people, pag. 65. This Parliament hath beene a pretty hackney for you, you can ride it as long as you will, and which way you wil, and then turne it up: Prescribe it what it shal doe, and how long: Wee see now your tender regard to the pri­viledge of Parliament: How pitifully you use this Old Masse, as you cal it, pag. 45. You guard it and regard it, mould and turne this masse til it be fit for your purpose; and when it hath dethron'd [Page 48]the King and enthrond your government, you will release them and send them packing: You are as the Sea, boundlesse, let loose from all ties and obligations of superiours, and none can stand before you: You trample upon Parliament as well as upon King, imprison him, and force these to doe your worke, and then a pe­riod.

At last you shew us the grounds that you would have the King­dome setled upon, pag. 66. which I shal not much meddle with in particular: Onely consider,

First, That you professe your selves (and tis your property) to be appointed and cald for breaking in pieces the powers of the world, and to be As the Potstheards of the earth, that dash one against ano­ther: And in this you are very skilful and able: But what then have you to doe with setling? Tis not your trade; you were ne­ver cut out for it, nor bound 'prentise to it; and so it seemes by the grounds you lay of common right; which are onely framd with respect to your owne private interest, and have little of right freedom or common in them, onely much of safety for your selves, as you thinke: Why doe you dissemble with men, holding forth a foun­dation to settle the Kingdome, when you know al things are un­setling, and for that you act.

Or if this be a ground laid for future settlement and safety, its a wofull Babel, an Idol, a lye, a vanity, a thing that cannot save: Will this reach to heaven, or save you from the floud of wrath that is broken out upon you? Tis an unprofitable, empty, desolate thing, A vessell in which is no pleasure, neither inward nor outward; Like the image of Dagon, fallen, and without his head; You would thinke it Apostacy for men to goe backe to 10 or 20 years since, but to plead for an age before the conquest, and run backe to to the most barbarous times; not only from God, to the glory of great states, but to Egypts Garlicke and Onions, to the dul, senselesse people, and set them up, as Idols, to save you, and fall downe be­fore this wood and stone, as things of vast concernment: What a condition are you shrunk into? Ensnard in holes of earth. Here lies the glory of your Saintship, of your Kingdome of God, or this is the end of al your carnal and fleshly religion: This is the hea­ven you settle in, the grounds of your peace; The Lord marches thorow the land in indignation, and wounds the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundations to the weak; Thou didst strike thorow, with his staves, the head of the villages; Thou hast wounded the head, the [Page 49]glory of the Kingdome, and now thou strikest thorow the head of villages, not onely destroy royall, but popular power, and dost rip up the foundations, and shew the folly, rottennesse and ungodlinesse of the lowest stones as wel as of the highest; None shall escape thy Righteo is iudgements.

Your last thing propounded is a contract or agreement; a contract or bargaine, not a marriage, for there is no husband; An agree­ment with death, no life, no God; no, wee have enough of them; Alas, they are poore things, they will not hold a quarter of a year; a cobling device: Let us have a Saviour that can defend himselfe, and needs not to be tied together, and naild fast by an agreement or contract: this is a poore God; an old Canonical trick, sub­scriptions; Conformity for State as wel as for Church; That none be capable of any benefit by it but such as subscribe; None beare any office or place of publique trust; nor King except be subscribe; This is publique li­berty and common right: There was never grosser tyranny ever ap­peard in the world: Tis I am very sure, the last and worst piece of folly (in this kinde) that ever was brought forth; And after the casting off al powers, breaking al Covenants, this comes in as a crowne of the worke, a great chaine of darknesse, to binde us to the earth for ever; a great bog, in which we may lye fast: Where is that liberty of the spirit, that glory of God that should make men confesse God is in you of a truth? This is your binding Kings in chaines of Iron: Did ever men fall from praying for, professing of, preaching of, aiming at the last and great glory of God? as you do to such a beggarly rudiment, as agreement with the people, subscripti­on upon penalty. Your condition is well expressed, Isay. 65. 4, 5. Which say, Stand by thy selfe, come not neare me, for I am holier then thou. You say to the King, Bishops and Presbyters, stand by, thrust them away, and their oaths, conformities, covenants; stand by al you Ecclesiastical subscriptions, we wil have a civill one: You requi­red some, we wil have al subscribe: We are the most Righteous that have come yet, none before us did such things as we; And yet, saith the Text, Which lye amongst the graves: You lye downe in the rotten Sepulchres of the Bishops; their waies are dead and putri­fied, and you goe downe into them, and defile your selves with them, And lodge in the monuments: You have striven long for refor­mation, and for the Kingdome of God, but at last wildred and nighted, you take up your rest and lodging amongst the dried bones of your dead ancestors, would save your selves by oaths, subscriptions, &c. which are the great signes of the uncertainty [Page 50]and mortality of states; when they finde they begin to dye, they set up their memories on these monuments of Covenants and Subscriptions: And eate swines flesh; that's another evil; You live upon that beast, a swine that loves digging and rooting in the earth: You are not content with what the earth, by the favour of heaven, sends forth, but are digging into, and turning up the bowels of the Kingdome to satisfie your swinish appetites: Or love to wallow in mire, and to lye upon the dunghil of the King­domes confusions, and take pleasure in it: And broth of abhominable things; you abhominate tyranny, compulsion, enforcing in o­thers, to impose and advance their owne interest; but refusing to doe the thing it selfe, you eate the broth, doe the same thing in a looser, weaker, baser and more servile way.

You are the lees and dregs of the world, the taile of it; you thinke you are the best, but are the worst; for the world growes worse and worse, and the deeper you goe into it, the further you are from God, and the neerer to hel, to confusion; for the world hath its foundations in the deeps: Tis a fond conceit arising from the grossest ignorance and self-love, to thinke that you are better then others, al your waies being more absurd, violent, irratio­nall, then the worst of those that have gone before you: You may reade your description excellently penned long agoe, 1 Tim. 4.1, &c. Now the spirit speaketh expresly; He speakes to whom all times are now, who sees all things present: He speakes truth, things are be­cause he speakes them: Therefore doth your glory fade away, Be­cause the spirit of the Lord hath blowd upon it, and he speaks expresly; There's nothing the Lord brings forth more exactly, fully and clearly, then the apostacy of carnal professours; a worke wherein be de­lights to be compleat, and to doe it to the life; to fil religious flesh, kicking against him, with absurd folly and grosse wicked­nesse: In the latter times, which are these daies, when time growes low, tis the worst: That time wherein we are looking for the greatest good, then appeares the greatest evill.

And that in Apostates Some shall depart from the faith; the spirit saies now expresly you are these some; you have departed from the faith.

First, From the doctrine of faith, expressed in the last verse of the former Chapter, and in the 6. v. of this Chapter, In the words of faith and good doctrine: The most forward of you in religion doe depart from the chiefe and maine doctrines of Christ; and nei­ther doe nor can hold forth those mysteries, God manifest in the flesh, [Page 51]&c. And from al rule of faith you doe depart by profession and practise: to speak to you concerning those commands of subjecti­on to Kings, Superiours, &c. is literal, legal, you have a spirit above those commands, and those concerning the worship of God, you are above Ordinances, &c. and so falling into a state of liber­ty and loosenesse from al lawes.

Secondly, You have departed from what you have believed, which was the Kingdome of Christ, purity of religion, &c. into le­veling, irreligious, worldly principles, giving heed to seducing spirits: you talke of the Spirit, but are led by an unclean spirit, a false spirit, or an erring and seducing spirit; the devil and your owne lusts have carried you away from the way of Christ, which is by the Crosse, to ascend to glory, by suffering to reigning; but that way you de­cline and fall upon worldly contests for worldly things: I won­der at your grosse deceit, deceiving and being deceived (did I not know your hearts are made grosse and fat, that you are given up to strong delusions, to believe a lye) that you should pretend to be led by God in your waies, and that he goes before you, and yet are in such darknesse (as your selves professe) you see not a foot before you; but attend every day for new leadings, new discoveries of the minde of God: into what a miserable labyrinth hath the devil led you! to goe blindly and confidently after your owne imagi­nations which are confused, darke, and uncertain, and cause you to attend to those motions and actings, and tell you 'tis the Spirit of the Lord. No no, The Spirit of God is light, clearnesse, stability; 'tis that Anointing whereby we know all things, from first to last, he leads us in plain paths; in waies of order, peace, goodnesse: I abhorre that that blind mole, that bat, that dusky night-owle, that halting, blind thing which you follow, should be cald by the name of God or the spirit of God; Doctrines of Devils, of wrath, malice, accusations, disorders, confusions, destructions, or as Mead interprets [...], of earthly, humane, petty Gods or Saints; such are your Gods humane, earthly, weake Gods, that have no glory, majesty nor excellency in them.

Vers. 2. Speaking lyes in hypocrisie; Your justice, publique interest, common right are al lyes; and so are all men, and things of men but a lye; and you speake them in hypocrisie, cunningly, to deceive and seeke your selves, and your owne interest, Having their conscience scard with a hot iron: God hath set some brands and marks of favour upon you, given you some victories and successe, to insnare your proud hearts, to sat up the flesh for its destruction: This, and your [Page 52]fiery, zeale for justice, for common good, which is a base mettal, at best iron (made to breake things in pieces) but these, as a hot iron, doe so hisse in your mindes, and smoke in your eyes, that you cannot heare the voice of God, nor see his waies; you are so obdurate up­on these things, Gods glorious presence with you, the wonders he hath done by you: (things common to Alexander, Caesar; and many Heathens more in a greater way then ever you had them) that you think it impiety, malignancy, &c. once to question your way.

All the rest concernes you, Forbidding to marry, you forbid hea­ven and earth to marry; forbid King and people to marry; and the same spirit goes so farre in some, as to deny marriage, and to maintaine a community amongst men and women, because In the resurrection there is neither marrying nor giving in marriage. To abstaine from meats; Many things you would have men abstain from, Kings, Lords, Tithes, and many other good creatures of God, that your sto­mack cannot digest, and you forbid others the use of them, because you are not sanctified, neither doe you see them sanctified by the e­ternall word and prayer.

You are drawing towards an end, and here I shall joine issue with you, pag. 69. That since the heart of man is deceitfull and corrupt a­bove all things, and most apt to answerable counsels and actings where it can hope to walk in the dark, undiscernd and undistinguisht: therefore you desire liberty of entring dissents: Upon this ground doe I desire liberty to enter my dissent from you, and upon what followes in your words, In these transactions of such high moment to the publique and all honest interests, and in times so apt to deceit, defection and apostacy. With you, pag. 70. I professe, That as the exigence of the case, and nature of the businesse requires (being of such vast importance to all publique, religious and honest interest, not in this Kingdom only, but in neighbour nations) I have dealt with al plainnes and clearnes, as God hath enabled me. And now to conclude, we hope that in an age of so much light; meer wil and resolution wil not be held forth and pursued against it: But that what reason and righteousnes there is in the things we have said, wil be considered and followed. Tis my request to you in your own words, & that you would not in prejudice or dis­dain lay these things aside; but that you would, setting aside your present actings of lesse importance far, yea, of certain danger & ruin to your selvs and others, you would consider what I have here pro­posed in love to you, & for your good & safety, & the peace of the Kingdom.

He that being often reproved hardneth his necke, shall suddenly be de­stroyed, and that without remedy.