BEing full of sad Apprehensions concerning the danger and evil of the Treaty with the King, and of any Accommodation with Him, or Restitution of Him thereupon, We did by our late Remonstrance, upon the Reasons and Grounds therein expressed, make our Applica­tion thereby unto the present House of Commons, that the dangerous evil of that way might be avoided, and the Peace of the Kingdom setled upon more righteous, safe and hopeful Grounds, viz. a more equal dispensing of Justice and Mercy in relation to things done or suffered in the late Wars, and the establishing of the future Govern­ment of this Kingdom upon a safe Succession and equal Constitution of Parliaments, and that (for the ending of present, and avoiding of future Differences) to be Ratified by an Agreement and Subscription the people thereunto.

This course we took, out of our tender care and earnest desire, That all ways of Extremity might be avoided, and that those matters of highest concernment to the publique Interest of this Nation, might be pursued and provided for (if possible) by those whose proper Work and Trust in was. And herein we were willing to hope, That the per­sons so trusted, or the majority of them, might possibly have been either driven into that destructive way by forcible Impulsions, or lapsed thereinto through some Inconsideration, or Misapprehensions [Page 4]and conceived Jealousies: And therefore we did carefully decline the insisting upon any thing that might continue or renue any former Jea­lousies or Animosities, and kept onely to such things as were of neces­sity or advantage to the common Cause, and of common and equal concernment to those that have engaged in it: Which things we pressed in the way of Reason and Perswasion onely, that they might be duly and timely considered. But to our grief we finde, in stead of any Satisfaction or a reasonable Answer thereto, they are wholly rejected, without any consideration of what ever Reason or Ju­stice might be in the things set forth or propounded therein; for what less can be understood, when the things propounded were main­ly for the avoidance of evils appearing in the Treaty with the King: And yet they put off the consideration of them, till there should be no place left for any consideration at all: First, laying it aside till Monday last, by which time the Treaty (as then supposed) would have been concluded; but that failing, and two days more being added to the Treaty, the consideration of our Remonstrance, on the day appointed, was waved and laid aside; the Treaty, the mean while, going on in the former way and terms, and like to be concluded the very next day.

Now, though we are far from that presumption, that the things should therefore be answered or considered, because propounded by us, save for the Reason, Justice, or publique concernment therein; yet, having no Answer, or any thing shewed to us the contrary, we cannot but upon the grounds Remonstrated (and many more which might be added) remain confident in our former Apprehensions con­cerning them. And seeing the prevailing part of those, to whom we did apply, to have, as it were, their eyes wilfully shut, and ears stopt, against any thing of Light or Reason offered to them, we finde no place left for our former charitable or hopeful Apprehensions, concerning their error in such evil ways; but remaining fully assured of the danger and destructiveness thereof, as to all those publique ends for which they were intrusted, and also of the just advantage and necessity which lye in the things we have propounded and insist on, we now see nothing left, to which their engaging and persisting in such ways, and rejection of these better things propounded, can rationally be attri­buted less then a treacherous or corrupt neglect of, and Apostacy from the publique Trust reposed in them; although we could wish from our souls, we might yet finde the contrary. Nevertheless, we do not in these things assume a standing Power of Judgement (as of Right or [Page 5]Trust) to conclude others thereby, acknowledging that to lye most properly in those whom the people duly choose and trust to Judge for them: But considering that such power, where it is, is committed but in Trust, and that neither this, nor any other people, did ever give up their natural capacities of common Sence or Reason, as to the ends and fun­damentals of that Trust, and that as to the breach of such Trust, there is no higher formal power of man in being to Appeal unto for Judge­ment, in such case (as all others concerned in such breaches of Trust will) so as we cannot but exercise that Common Judgement which in our Natural Capacity is left to us: And though in smaller failers of such Trust, which might be born, without hazard of Destructi­on to that Interest, and those People, for which especially the Trust is, or where the Trustees were of an indifferent equal con­stitution, in reference to the whole, or where we had an orderly and open way left for a just succession of another formal and pro­per Judicature to be appealed unto in due time; we should not op­pose or hold forth our private Judgements to the least disturbance of that orderly and peaceable course of Judgement so establisht; yet in our present case we are so fully convinced of the greatness and de­structiveness of those evils we have declared against, and of the nece­sity and essentiallity of those better things we have desired and pro­pounded, and how inconsistent it is with the publique Trust, and fun­damental ends of it, still to pursue the one, and reject the other, as that we dare with confidence appeal therein to the common Judgements of indifferent and uncorrupted men, and to the more righteous Judge­ment of God above all.

And as the incompetency of this Parliament, in its present constitu­tion to give an absolute and conclusive Judgement for the whole (espe­cially to be the sole Judges of their own performance, or breach of Trust) doth make the juster way for such an Appeal, so indeed we see no other way left for remedy, in regard the present unlimitted continuance of this Parliament doth exclude the orderly succession of any other more equal formal Judicature of men, to which we might hope in due time other ways to appeal.

Thus then we apprehend our selves in the present case, both necessi­tated to, and justified in an Appeal from this Parliament, in the present constitution as it stands, unto the extraordinary Judgement of God and good people; and yet in the prosecution of this Appeal as we shall drive it on, but to the speedy obtaining of a more orderly and equal [Page 6]Judicature of men, in a just Representative, according to our Remon­strance (wherein to acquiesce) so in the present procuring of Justice with the peoples case and quiet, and in the setling of the Kingdom up­on a due, safe and hopeful succession of Parliaments: It is our hearts desire, and shall be our endeavor, that so much, both of the matter and form of the present Parliamentary Authority may be preserved, as can be safe, or will be useful to these ends, until a just and full Constitu­tion thereof, both for matter and form (suitable to the publique ends it serves for) can be introduced.

And therefore first, It should be our great rejoycing (if God saw it good) that the majority of the present House of Commons were become sensible of the evil and destructiveness of their late way, and would resolvedly and vigorously apply themselves to the speedy exe­cution of Justice, with the righting and easing of the oppressed people, and to a just and safe settlement of the Kingdom upon such foundati­ons as have been propounded by us and others for that purpose, and would for the speedier and surer prosecution of these things, exclude from Communication in their Councels, all such corrupt and Aposta­tized Members as have appeared hitherto, but to obstruct and hinder such matter of Justice, Safety, and publique-Interest, and to pervert their Councels a contrary way, and have therein so shamefully both falsified and forfeited their Trust.

But however (if God shall not see it good to vouchsafe that mer­cy to them and the Kingdom) we shall, secondly, desire, That so many of them as God hath kept upright, and shall touch with a just sence of those things, would by Protestation, or otherwise, acquit them­selves from such breach of Trust, and approve their faithfulness, by withdrawing from those that persist in the guilt thereof, and would apply themselves to such a posture, whereby they may speedily and ef­fectually prosecute those necessary and publique ends, without such Interruptions, Diversions, or Depravations of their Councels from the rest, to their endless trouble, oppression and hazard of the Kingdom as Formerly, and for so many of them, whose hearts God shal stir up thus to do; we shall therein, in this case of extremity, look upon them as persons having materially the chief Trust of the kingdom remaining in them, and though not a formal standing power to be continued in them, or drawn into ordinary Presidents; yet the best and most rightful that can be had, as the present state and exigence of Affairs now stand; And we shall accordingly own them, adhere to them, [Page 7]and be guided by them in their faithful prosecution of that Trust, in order unto, and until the introducing of a more full and formal power in a just Representative to be speedy endeavored.

Now yet further to take away all jealousies in relation to our selves, which might withhold or discourse any honest Members from this courage, as we have the witness of God in our hearts, that in these pro­ceedings we do not seek, but even resolve we will not take advantages to our selves, either in point of Profit or Power; and that if God did open unto us a way, wherein with honesty and faithfulness to the publique Interest, and good people engaged for us, we might presently be discharged, so as we might not in our present Employments look on, and be accessory to, yea supporters of the Parliament, in the pre­sent corrupt, oppressive and destructive proceedings, we should with rejoycing, and without more ado, embrace such a discharge, rather then interpose in these things to our own vast trouble and hazard; so if we could but obtain a rational assurance for the effectual prosecu­tion of these things, we shall give any proportionable assurance on our parts, concerning our laying down of Arms, when, and as we should be required: But for the present, as the case stands, we apprehend our selves obliged in duty to God, this Kingdom, and good men there­in, to improve our utmost abilities in all honest ways, for the avoid­ing of these great evils we have Remonstrated, and for prosecution of the good things we have propounded; and also that such persons who were the Inviters of the late Invasion from Scotland, the In­s [...]ig [...]ters and Incouragers of the late Insurrections within this King­dom, and (those forcible ways [...]ng) have still pursued the same wicked Designs by treacherous and corrupt Councels, may be brought to publique Justice, according to their several demerits. For all these ends we are now drawing up with the Army to London, there to fol­low Providence as God shall clear our way.