I Am not (I fear) the onely person, that comes hither hopelesse of doing any other good, (or good any other way) than by opposing [...], and endeavouring to hinder the de­signes of those, who have brought the lives, liberties, and estates of the people of three Nations, to have no other sup­port, than a Government without any basis or foundation. Al­though, I hope, we have not any of us so naturaliz'd our selves in the devill's dominions, by our habituall crimes, as not to return to the light of reason. Sir, I should willingly be silent, could the voice and cries, complaints and groans, of the many thousands in these Nations (that have felt, and feel, the weight of the oppressors) be heard. But whilst they are not heard, or not regarded; and others (as unconcerned for them, and too much for themselves) pursue not the trust reposed at their Elections to sit here, Nolo meam perdere: I will not, must not, dare not, stifle my reason, barter my conscience, nor lose any opportunity of declaring what I am, and think, others should be. And when Religion and Law, the two pillars of a Common-wealth, have Sampson's shoulders (the power of the [Page 2] Sword) set to pull them down, sit as a calm spectator. You know well, Sir, that it is the part of such as are called, to con­sult the concernments of the Republick; Semper vigilare & popu­lorum suscipere curam; according to that Encomium of Hector by Livie, Nocturnu vigilans & reipub. providens, &c. But he that sleeping doth nothing, is more commendable, (or rather lesse culpable) than he that waking doth amisse. Give me therefore liberty, in discharge of my self, and as concern'd for others, to be your Remembrancer of the occasion and businesse, for which we that now sit (and others, that, for ought I know, have as much right as our selves to sit here) were at first convented. And if it appear (as questionlesse 'tis too obvious) that we have degenerated or deviated, gon contrary to, or, at least, walked out of the good road-way, to the peace, security, and advantage of the three Nations; I am unwilling to believe, that any man (out of a supposition that it is too late) will yet longer deferr to return, and experience to himself, that, Nihil est comodius vel tutius via Regia. Mr. Speaker, I shall not so much as questi­on, whether those sitting here, are, or are not, a Parliament. But sure I am, that many usefull Members (if it were such) are wanting, to compleat this Body; and as sure, that it were safest and best to joyne the Head to the Members. The Constitution of Parliaments was to consult and advise with the King, for the government of his Subjects; To that purpose were we called hither: And how far we have prosecuted that, all Europe, yea, the whole World, is made judge. Let us make some retro-spec­tion, and take a short survey of the transactions, by, and amongst us, since our first meeting. We sat not long, before our inconsiderate folly and arrogancy gave the King just cause to absent, and to decline our actings. It did not then, (to some) but hath since (to all) appeared, that there were two great de­signes of two sorts of persons, sitting in the House; one of which (as in charity I do believe of many that were then Mem­bers) was, to purge the Councell of the King, and to reclaim the insolence, and over-haughtinesse, of the Bishops and Cler­gy: The other, that which hath been since fatally effected, the destruction of them all. How to distinguish these persons (yet) I know not; there being many Members (doubtlesse) still in [Page 3] beeing, (and some, I hope, sitting here) than were then, and [...] continue, hearty lovers of their King and Country. But all, or most of us, without distinction, are too guilty; some, by acting; others, by cowardly suffering that dismall Tragedy to be acted. I need not prompt your Intellects, in the nature of those horrid crimes we all have cause to mourn for: I fear, too many understood too well, and acted deliberately and resolved­ly what was intended, to attain to what they proposed. The sum of all is plain; That out of pretensions to zeal for God, love to Religion, allegiance and duty to our King, and care for our Country, we caused so many thousands to be murdered, so many families to be ruined, the King (whom we promised and protested we would make a glorious Prince) to be betrayed and beheaded; his Queen banisHed, his Royall Children exposed to the mercy of Strangers, Religion discountenanced, the Church defaced, the Laws violated, mens persons imprisoned, their estates confiscate and sold. And all this to serve our own base ends, to enrich our selves, and to advance Libertinism, Ana­baptism, Quakism, and Papism. Mr. Speaker, I wish these were not undenyable truths; but such we all know they are: And yet such, as some, notwithstanding, can add to their confidence in committing, the impudence of justifying and defending them, asserting their right and authority by their power and violence: Though it be as ridiculous to wise men to maintain an Autho­rity, in the subject of dethroning and deposing their Soveraign, as 'tis prophane and damnable to intrench upon the preroga­tive of Heaven. And if the King be, Sicut Vicarius Dei, & Mini­ster in terra; How dare any, but the great Emperour and De­puter of that Vice-roy, undertake or designe his removall. It was, Sir, (no doubt) just cause of sadnesse, upon the spirits of all honest persons, that had been too eminent in the prosecu­tion, of what received so ill successe, to have that little power or possibility they had of retriving, what, before the murder of our late King, seemed possible to be recovered, wrested from them, by the force and violence of the then, and now preten­ders to reformation, having no other warrant then their rebel­lious swords, which hath been the onely Corrilium they have used, like the unskilfull Physitian, Omnium occulos sanare. And [Page 4] when afterwards some were left sitting, that were seriously sen­sible of their miscarriages, and endeavoured to evidence their remorce, by re-setling and reducing what they found wholly out of frame; then for some few self-interessed, irreligi­ous, sacralegious persons, by meer supremacy of power, to en­force their dissolution, and give way to the succession of a corrupt, Anabaptisticall, Jesuiticall sect of people, to introduce an absolute arbitrary Government, without Rule or Law, save onely that of the wills of the Legislators, that altered as their occasions and advantages prompted. What must it then be to us, if there be any hear (as God forbid the contrary) that dare be honest, to see the Tragedy continued, acting and acted for so many years together; and when we now pretend an Authority, and have thereby opportunity to become men again (having hitherto appeared to the universal spectators, as Beasts, Woolvs, Tigers, and a meer Antropophagi, devouring, and causing one another to be devoured) and to demonstrate how fully sensible we are of our fat all and damnable errors, to find the people ready to be intangled in another Labyrinth, out of which, 'tis evident to all rationall capacities, there is no clue to conduct us, but that threed of Government which hath been rashly cut in sunder. Mr. Speaker, I must not waste your time, nor need not (I think) speak much of this subject, all of us having too great testimony in our selves of the sad truths I mention. But (Sir) I beseech you, let us not amidst our ills be so desperate, as to believe our selves altogether unsafe, without attempting greater. No, let us rather take up the Nunquam sera; and whilst some possibility remains of such a compensatory restitution, as may render us capable of mercy, do something may procure it. I cannot boast the Art, whereto some here pretend, of Preach­ing, although I may more justly now assert a legall Call, to preach Repentance (evidencing my own by a free confession) than they to ascend the Pulpit, and become Umpires of Scrip­ture, without other warrant, than what they collect by abuse of that part on't, which reacheth them to provide for those of their own houshold, which they have done so successfully, that they have inverted the Text, and are worse than Infidells. But, Mr. Speaker, I shall beg your consideration onely of two things; [Page 5] First, Of the condition wherein we, and the three Nations now are; and, if I may speak my own thoughts freely, I hope I shall speak some of yours too in them. 'Tis not unknown, that we were sometimes the wonder of the world, famous for Good, though now for Evill, and our Nation so Glorious, and happily enriched with Fruitfulnesse, Peace and Plenty, and Governed by such wholsome Laws, that those in League with us, loved and honoured us, and our enemies envied and admired us: And now we are become so hatefully ridiculous, that we are past the benefit of love or pitty, and are, and must be, lookt on by all (save such as by-respects seduceth) as a People without a Government, or Governours: and what consequence may be from thence expected, is easily in­ferred from the fatall dissentions, and generall misfor­tunes of those people we read of, When there was no King in Israel. I may, Sir, challenge the best, and most cri­ticall Etymologist, to give the Government we now are under (if we have any) a significant Christian name. I am confident none, or very few here can think, (what ever it may be expedient for us at present to say or declare) that it is a Parliamentary Government, every man rationall, having so much naturall Logick about him to evince the contrary. Parliaments were never heard of before Kings, nor never made, legally called, or constituted, but by the King. If then there be no King, what followes? Cessante causa, cessat etiam effectus.

But suppose an Impossibility, that there was a Parlia­ment in England which did survive the King that caused it; yet, was it not dissolv'd, and legally too, notwithstanding the Act we dore on, that it should not be dissolv'd but by Act of Parliament? However, others may truly expound that Act of force, a wrong; we are estopped by our assent, to say it was illegal. Was the standing at the Parliament-House dore, before the late King's death, and with violence de­nying entrance to men, duly chosen by their Country, im­prisoning their persons, and appointing a certain number of their own to sit, and directing them to enact what they [Page 6] had designed, and nothing else. Was that lawfull? Were those persons then left a compleat Parliament? and were the rest lawfully secluded? And is it not as lawfull for the same persons, by the same power, when those sitting begun (or were feared) to be too honest for their purposes, utter­ly to annihilate and dissolve them? I beseech you, Sir, let us not befool our selves into an opinion, of cheating the eyes of the world with a mask, that every one may see through. But finding now our constitution, and the state of our ma­ladies; let our next consideration be, how, with the skilfull Physitian, to restore our own and the peoples health, so manifestly impaired, and become almost incurable. To which purpose, (Sir) it will not be amisse to consult, whe­ther many, yea, most (now) that undertake to prescribe re­medies, are fit persons to administer this kind of Physick. It is a rule most consonant to reason, in all Tryalls at Law or Equity, that persons concerned in any cause depending, shall not have power to assert by their own testimony their right or interest, much lesse to adjudge their own proper­ties. And how much more unreasonable and unjust is it, that those persons who are become purchasers, and possessed of the Estates and Inheritances of the Person, whose Title upon no other ground is oppugned, to be judges of his right and interest, and to give Laws, by no other authority, than what is founded upon Rebellion and Treasons? And what justice can be expected from men, that have no rule but their carnall and diabolicall principles, to guide their partiall agitations to their own present advantages?

Mr. Speaker, I could wish that more of us, than I fear there are, were of Menanders judgment; and could be perswaded that, Honestius & tutius est pauperem esse quàm injuste di­vitem; and that (sure) would deter us from adventuring upon temporall gain, by an eternall losse; and from digging into the Mines of other mens treasure, by murders, thefts, rapines, treasons and rebellions, which must inevitably determine in our own and the peoples destruction. Let us cast our thoughts a little upon the fate of Ziba, Achitophel, Absolon, Adonijah, Adoram, Judas, and others, amongst the [Page 7] many Traitors in Holy Writ; of Persons, Grac [...]hus, Cataline, Decius-Brutus, Trebonius, Milo, Caepio, Marcus, Lollius, Bessus, and others, in History abroad; and Straw, Cade, Ti­ler, Cromwell, and others at home: And let us not dare to pursue their hellish stratagems, unlesse we would willingly suffer the same destiny. We have, Sir, by sad experience, at too dear a rate, bought and learned the knowledge of our errors, and how unsuitable the Government we pretend to is, unto the constitution of these Nations, having intro­duced nothing but confusion, and opened the gap to all licentiousnesse; confirming that for truth which others heretofore have found, that, Multos Imperitare malum.

Sir, I shall instantly make an end (for this time) of spea­king, and heartily desire, we all would now begin some seasonable acting. And by way of prevention, (lest too soon it become too late, to do what now we may; and that be forced from us, which now, by making a vertue of the ne­cessity incumbent on us, we may with advantage offer) speedily lay by our private interests, and re-assume the pub­lick spirits befitting us; re-call our King, re-settle the Go­vernment under him, bear that durus sermo, freely to sur­render what any of us. [...] from him; and joyne together with him in a firm establisHment of the Church and State, Law and Religion; that the Land may once more flourish, and the honour, plenty, and prosperity of the people be again revived. And that we (now) should be per­swaded thus to do, I find no reason to dispair, having such violent inducements, by the opportunities abroad and at home now tendered us. The sickly reign of Treason, in all probability, (whether we will or not) comming near its period, Can we, Mr. Speaker, be so sottish, or bewitched in our security so much, as to believe our scarlet sins have not ere this reached Heaven, and that the great Avenger of blood will not soon over-take us, unlesse we fly to the Sanctuary of Penitentiall Expiation? No, Sir, be we as­sured, if men concerned should cease to act their duties, Heaven it self, by some miracle, would create a way to such an eminent Justice. It is for want of this the [Page 8] Nations mourn; for this, the silent sighs of the immured prisoners, the longing wishes of our unjustly banished Country-men, the afflicted mothers lamentations for their murdered sons; the pittied wants of the innocent unsuspe­cting Infants, of their undone Parents, do invoke Heaven. In fine, the voice of GOD commands, and all good men desire it; let none therefore dare to contradict it.