proceeding with one line considerably in it; they that could not endure to hear of it, then, when we came to our close considerations, then, instead of protracting, they did make as much preposterous haste on the other hand, and ran into that extremity; and finding that this spirit was not according to God, and that the whole weight of this cause, which must needs have been very dear unto us, who have so often adventured our lives for it; and we believe is so to you; when we saw plainly, that there was not so much consideration how to assert it, or to provide security for it; and indeed, to cross those, that they reckoned the most troublesome people they had to deal with, which was the army, which, by this time, was sufficiently their displeasure; when we saw this, truly, that had power in our hands, to let the business go to such an issue as this, was to throw back the cause into the hands of them we first fought with; we came to this first conclusion amongst ourselves, that, if we had been fought out of it, necessity would have taught us patience; but, to be taken from us so unworthily, we should be rendered the worst people in the world, and we should become traitors both to God and man; and, when God had laid this to our hearts, and that we found the interest of his people was grown cheap, and not laid to heart, and, if we came to competition of things, the cause even amongst themselves would even, almost in every thing, go to the ground; this did add more consideration to us, that there was a duty incumbent upon us, and truly I speak it in the presence of some that are here, that were at the close consultations; I may say, as before the Lord, the thinking of an act of violence was, to us, worse than any engagement that ever we were in yet, and worse to us than the utmost hazard of our lives, that could be, so unwilling were we, so tender were we, so desirous were we, if it were possible, that these men might have quit their places with honour. And truly, this I am the longer upon, because it hath been, in our hearts and consciences, our justification, and hath never yet been imparted thorough to the nation; and we had rather begin with you to do it, than to have done it before, and do think, indeed, that these transactions be more proper for a verbal communication, than to have put it into writing. I doubt, whosoever had put it on, would have been tempted to have dipped his pen in anger and wrath; but affairs being at this posture, that we saw plainly and evidently, in some critical things, that the cause of the people of God was a despised thing, truly then we did believe, that the hands of other men must be the hands that must be trusted with it, and then we thought it high time for us to look about us, and to be sensible of our duty. IfI should take up your time to tell you, what instances we have to satisfy our judgments and consciences, that these things were not vain imaginations, and things that were petitioned for, but that fell within the compass of our certain knowledge and sense; should I repeat these things to you, I should do that which I would avoid, to rake into these things too much; only this, if any body were in competition for any place of real and signal trust, how hard and difficult a thing it was to get any thing to be carried, without making parties, without things, indeed, unworthy of a parliament. And, when things must be carried so in a supreme authority, indeed, I think, it is not as it ought to be; but, when it came

to other trials, in that case of Wales, which I must confess, for my own part, I set myself upon, if I should inform what discountenance that business of the poor people of God there had, who had watchings over them, men like so many wolves, ready to catch the lamb, as soon as it was brought out into the world; how signally they threw that business under foot, to the discountenancing of the honest people there, and to the countenancing of the malignant party of this commonwealth. I need but say, it was so; many have felt, by sad experience,it was so, who will, better impart that business to you? Which, for myself and fellow officers, I think it was as perfect a trial of our spirits as any thing, it being known to many of us, that God kindles a seed there, indeed, hardly to be paralleled since the primitive times. I would this had been all the instances; but finding which way their spirits went, and finding that good was never intended to the people of God, I mean when I say so, that large comprehension of them, under the several forms of godliness in this nation; when I saw, that tenderness was forgotten to them all (though it was very true, that, by their hands and means, through the blessing of God, they sat where they did) and affairs, not to speak it boastingly, had been instrumentally brought to that issue they were brought to by the hands of those poor creatures, we thought this an evil requital. I will not say they were at the uttermost pitch of reformation, although I could say, that one thing, the regulation of the law so much groaned under in that posture it now is in, there were many words spoken for it, we know many months together was not time enough to pass over one word called incumbrances: I say, finding that this was the spirit and complexion of them, that though these were faults, for which no man should have dared to lift his hand, simply for their faults and failings, when yet we saw their intendment was to perpetuate themselves, and men of this spirit, for some had it from their own mouths, from their own de signs, who could not endure to hear of being dissolved, this was an high breach of trust, if they had been a parliament, never violated, sitting as free, and as clear as ever any sat in England; yet, if they would go about to perpetuate themselves, we did think this so great a breach of trust, as greater could not be. And we did not go by guess in this, and to be out of doubt in it, we did (having that conference amongst ourselves, whereof we gave account) we did desire once more, the night before the dissolution, and it had been in our desires, some two or three days before, that we might speak with some of the principal persons of the house, that we might, with ingenuity, open our ears to them, to the end we might be either convinced of the ground of their principles and intentions, to the good of the nation; or, if we could not be convinced, they would hear our offer, or expedient, to prevent this mischief. And indeed, we could not prevail for two or three days, till the night before the dissolution; there is a touch of this in that our declaration; we had often desired it; at that time, we attained it, there were above twenty of them who were members not of the least consideration, for interest and ability, with whom we desired to discourse those things, and had discourse with them; and it pleased the gentlemen-officers of the army, to desire me to offer their sense to them, and, indeed, it was shortly carried thus. We told them, that the reason of our desire to wait upon

them, was, that we might know from them what security lay in the way of their proceedings so hastily with their representative, wherein they had made a few qualifications, such as they were, and, how the whole business should be executed, we have no account of; and we desired them they would be pleased, and we thought we had an interest in our lives, estates, and families, as well as the worst people of the nation, and that we might be bold to ask satisfaction in that; and if they did proceed in honest ways, as might be safe to the nation, we might acquiesce therein. When we pressed them to give satisfaction in this, the answer was made, that nothing could be good to the nation, but the continuance of this parliament; we wondered that we should have such a return, we said little to that.

But seeing they would not give us that which might satisfy us, that their way was honest and safe, they would give us leave to make our objections. We did tell them, that we thought that way they were going in would be impracticable; we could not tell them how it would be brought to pass, to send out an act of parliament into the country, to have qualifications in an act to be the rules of electors and elected, and not to know who should execute this. Desired to know whether the next parliament were not like to be all presbyters? Whether those qualifications would hinder them, or neuters? And tho' it be our desire to value and esteem persons of that judgment, only they having been as we know, having deserted this cause and interest upon the King's account, and upon that closure between them and the neighbour nation, we do think we must profess we had as good have delivered up our cause into the hands of any, as into the hands of interested and byassed men; for it is one thing to live friendly and brotherly, to bear with, and love a person of another judgment in religion; another thing to have any so far set into the saddle upon that account, as it should be in them to have all the rest of their brethren at mercy. Having had this discourse, making these objections of bringing in neuters, or such as should impose upon their brethren, or such as had given testimony to the King's party, and objecting to the danger of it, in drawing the concourse of all people to arraign every individual person, which indeed did fall obviously in, and the issue would certainly have been the putting it into the hands of men that had little affection to this cause. The answer again was made, and it was confessed by some, that these objections did lie; but answer was made by a very eminent person, at the same time as before, that nothing would save the nation but the continuance of this parliament; this being so, we humbly proposed an expedient of ours, which was indeed, to desire that the government being in that condition it was, and things being under so much ill sense abroad, and so likely to come to confusion in every respect, if it went on; so we desired they would devolve the trust over to persons of honour and integrity, that were well known, men well-affected to religion and the interest of the nation, which we told them, and was confessed, had been no new thing when these nations had been under the like hurlyburly and distractions, and it was confessed by them, it had been no new thing; we had been at labour to get precedents to convince them of it, and we told them these things we offered out of that deep sense VOL. VI. I

we had of the good of the nation, and the cause of Christ. And being answered to that, nothing would save the nation but the continuance of that parliament, although they would not say they would perpetuate it, at that time least of all.

But, finding their endeavours did directly tend to it, they gave us this answer, that the things we had offered were of a tender and very weighty consideration; they did make objections how we should raise money, and some other objections. We told them, that that we offered as an expedient, because we thought better, than that for which no reason was, or thought would be given; we desired them to lay the thing seriously to heart. They told us, they would take consideration of these things till the morning, that they would sleep upon them, and I think that there was scarce any day that there sat above fifty, or fifty-two, or fifty-three. At the parting two or three of the chief ones, the very chicfest of them, did tell us, that they would endeavour the suspending the proceedings of the representative, the next day, till they had a further conference; and we did acquiesce, and had hope, if our expedient would take up a loving debate, the next day we should have some such issue of our debate, as would have given a satisfaction to all; they went away late at night, and the next morning we considering how to order that which we had to offer to them, when they were to meet in the evening, word was brought they were proceeding with a representative with all the eagerness they could; we did not believe persons of such quality could do it; a second and third messenger told us, they had almost finished it, and had brought it to that issue with that haste that had never been known before, leaving out the things that did neces sarily relate to due qualifications, as we have heard since, resolved to make it a paper-bill, not to ingross it, that they might make the quicker dispatch of it, thus to have thrown all the liberties of the nation into the hands that never bled for it; upon this account, we thought it our duty not to suffer it, and upon this the house was dissolved.

This we tell you, that you may so know, that what hath been done in the dissolution of this parliament, was as necessary to be done, as the preservation of this cause; and that necessity, that led us to do that, hath brought us to this issue, of exercising an extraordinary way and course, to draw yourselves together upon this account; that you are men who know the Lord, and have made observations of his marvellous dispensations, and may be trusted with this cause. It remains, for I shall not acquaint you further with that that relates to your taking upon you this great business, that being contained in this paper, in my band, which I do offer presently to you to read, having done that which we thought to have done upon this ground of necessity, which we know was not feigned necessity but real, and true, to the end the government might not be at a loss, to the end we might manifest to the world the singleness of our hearts, and integrity, who did those things not to grasp after the power ourselves, to keep it in a military hand, no not for a day, but, as far as God enables us with strength and ability, to put it into the hands that might be called from several parts of the nation; this necessity I say, and we hope may say, for ourselves, this integrity of labouring to divest the sword of the power and authe

rity, in the civil administration of it, hath been that that hath moved us, to conclude of this course; and having done that, we think we cannot, with the discharge of our consciences, but offer somewhat unto you, as I said before, for our own exoneration, it having been the practice of others who have voluntarily and out of sense of duty divested themselves, and devolved the government into the hands of others; it having been the practice, where such things have been done, and very consonant to reason, together with the authority, to lay a charge, in such a way, as we hope we do, and to press to the duty, which we have a word or two to offer to you. Truly, God hath called you to this work by, I think, as wonderful providences, as ever passed upon the sons of men in so short a time. And truly I think, taking the arguments of necessity (for the government must not fall) take the appearances of the will of God in this thing; I am sure you would have been loth it should have been resigned into the hands of wicked men and enemies. I am sure God would not have it so. It comes, therefore, to you by way of necessity; it comes to you by the way of the wise providence of God, though through weak hands; and therefore I think, it coming through our hands, though such as we are, it may not be taken ill, if we offer to you something, as to the discharge of that trust which is incumbent upon you; and, although I seem to speak that which may have the face of a charge, it is a very humble one; and he that means to be a servant to you, who are called to the exercise of the supreme authority, to discharge that, which he conceives is his duty, in his own and his fellows names, to you, I hope, who will take it in good part. And truly I shall not hold you long in that, because I hope it is written in your hearts to approve yourselves to God; only this scripture I shall remember to you, which hath been much upon my spirit; Hosea xi. ver. 12. Yet Judah ruleth with God, and is faithful among the saints. It is said before, Ephraim did compass God about with lyes, and Israel with deceit.' How God hath been compassed about with fastings, and thanksgivings, and other exercises and transactions, I think we have all to lament; why, truly, you are called by God to rule with him and for him, and you are called to be faithful with the saints, who have been somewhat instrumental to your call. He that ruleth over men, the scripture saith, he must be just ruling in the fear of God.'

And truly it is better to pray for you, than to counsel you in that, that you may exercise the judgment of mercy and truth; I say, it is better for you to do it, than to advise you to ask wisdom from heaven for you; which, I am confident, many thousands of saints do this day, and have done, and will do, through the permission of God, and his assistance to advise you. Only, truly, I thought of a scripture likewise, that seems to be but a scripture of common application to every man, as a Christian, wherein he is counselled to ask wisdom; and he is told what is that wisdom that is from above; 'it is pure, peaceable, gentle, casy to be intreated, full of good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrisy.' And my thoughts ran thus upon this, that the executing of the judgment of truth, for that is the judgment that you must have wisdom from above for, and that is pure, that will teach you to execute the judgment of truth; and then, if God give you hearts to be easy to be intreated, to