oppressing King and his potent partie yet notwithstanding all this mighty work of God our everlasting Parliament would not learn righteousness but went on in the same oppressing courses if not greater until they by walking in the same paths with their Predicessors come to the same shameful downfal which befel them for did not God cause their Sun to set at noon day and did not they go out like the snuff of a candle and have left a foul stink behind them And how contemptible hath God made them in the eyes of the people and although the action was so unheard of and so contrary to the letter of the Law yet I did never hear one so much as mutter against it for the people were sensible of their peâ—â—idiousness in breaking of their trust by neglecting to seek the publick good of the Nation and seeking of their own particular advancement by unjust practises and bribery and acting of several Treasons against the Nation as endeavoring to cut your Highnes and our Army by assisting of the late King and endeavoring the destruction of this City with many other horrid villanies 〈…〉 e releasing of the Priests and Jesuites and many bloody Irish Rebels the countenancing of the sworn enemies of the Nation and discountenancing of the most cordial friends thereof even to the distruction of some of them their â—â—ocking to Goldsmiths Hall by 5 8. or 10 at a time to help delinquents to come of 〈◊〉 an easie rate which to me did then speak thus much that they would have their Estates preserved that so they might be still able to carry on their wicked and hellish design against this Nation But my Lord this is that which doth stick upon the spirits of the people that these men were never questioned for all their villanies committed by them that so there might have been a difference between the precious and the vild that those few that were found faithful amongst them might have been had in singular honour for God had a small handful amongst them of faithful ones who did spend their spirits to keep the Common wâ—alâ—h from uâ—ter desolation and did precuâ—e some good things for their Country which I think did exceed all that went before them But my Lord I know not what to say to these things more than this that God doth suffer it to be so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled in saying Let God be trâ—e and all men lyars and hath not the Spirit told us That because Justice is not speedily executed 〈◊〉 an evil work the hearts of the sâ—us of men are set in them to do evil and that continually for if Justice had been executed upon William O Couner and his accomplices all the villanies that were committed by our perfidions Parliament Committes and others ha been preve 〈…〉 ed and if Justice 〈◊〉 been done upon them then the enemies duâ—st not have contiived this destinction against you and this Nation And I beseech you give me leave by the way to tell you that it is impossible to reconcile Christ and Antichrist together and that you cannot with safety put Sâ—â—pents in your bâ—som and not be destroyed by them until their stings be pluckâ— out For can you remove that enmity which God hath put between the seed of the woman and the seed of the Serpent then you may with safety close with them but if you cannot as I am sure you cannot for it is not in the power of men and Angels to do it then take heed what you do for if you have any further to do with them it will be your destruction Oh I beseech you call to mind the great and unparralel'd mercies which God hath vouchiased to you in England Ireland and Scotland for I dare say you dare not think that you did atchieve them by your own strength or policie or by the power of your own arm and if not than it must need be by the power of the Lamb and if so than certainly he hath merited somthing at your hands by it Therefore why do you so eviâ—ly requite him and suffer all those mercies to be burieâ— in oblivion Do you think that he did exalt you to the throne for you to leave him still sitting upon the Dunghiâ— and suff 〈…〉 hâ—â— Members and the friends of the Common-wealth to be still â—rampled upon and destroyed by unjust Judges and Antichristion Lawyers and such base varlets as dare without ground imprison â—en at their pleasure and constrain others to confine themselves to their own houses to the utter undoing of them and their families chusing that rather than to be destroyed by mercyless blood-sucking Jâ—ylors in stinking prisons My Lord I beseech you remember that you are sworn to maintain the Law and I am sure that all the jugling Antichristan Lawyers in England are not able to produce any Law for these things neither can there be any Law made to destroy the people seeing that the safety of the people is above all Law And now I beseech you in the Bowels of Jesus Christ not to suffer this unspeakable deliverance which doth bring in the bowels of it all our former mercies for if the enemy had now prevailed all the former mercies had been destroyed as if they had never beenâ— Oh let it not be passed over as all the former hath been but let it awaken you to works of justice and mercy and to break off your sins by repentance and your iniquities by showing merey to the pâ—or for God hath shewed thee what is good naâ—ely to do justice to love mercy and to walk humble with thy Gâ—d And my Lord you have born the name of a religious man for many years and the Apostle James doth tell us that pure Religion and 〈◊〉 filed before God and the Father is to visite the fatherless and the window in their adversity and to keep our selves unspotted from the world Now if God be pleased to give this mercy such a setting on upon your heart by the power of his eternal Spirit that it doth awaken thee to hearken to the voice of the Lord then thou shalt stand in despite of men and devils but if thou dost refuse to hearken unto the word of the Lord and walk perversly towards thy God I do then tell thee from the mind of God in Scriptures that thou shalt fall and not stand though all the Nations of the Earth should combine together to prevent it For I am sure that all the Nâ—â—ions of the earth are not able to rescue one man out of the â—ands of Jesus Christ when he shall seize upon him to call him to an account for his perfidious dealing with him Therefore be wise O Princes and lâ—arned O Rulers of the earth Kiss the Son least he be angry with you and you perish in the mid way For the Stone which is cut out of the Mountain without hands shall break down all Powers and shall be exalted above the top of all
Mountains And I beseech you all consider that God is about his overturning work and he will overturn and overturn until the Government be put into Christs hands and then we shall have justice for the Prophet saith that he is just We have had many overturns but there is a greater behind then any of the former and I hope it will be but the overthrow of all the corrupt powers of the Nation with the overthrow of the corrupt practice of the Law also Man was happy so long as he acted the will of God but when he sell to acting of his own will he made himself and â—ostâ—â—â—â—ity miserable And I cannot but admire at men that think to make themselves happy by seeking of their own wills Oh! when I do consider the actings of many of the Magistrates of this Nation who are men of great Estates and yet do daily break down the hedg of the Law which God hath set about them to preserve them and their Estates from the Sons of violence I say when I do consider their frequent practice therein it doth make me trâ—mble to think of the fearful event which might ensue if others should take example by them therefore I do earnestly beseech them all both for their own good and the good of the whole Nation that they do now begin to act in the will of God for in so doing they shall be blamless both in the eyes of God and man for I am sure that man can never be happy until he doth return into that coâ—â—ition wherein be was first happy and when our wills are bouâ—d up wholly in the will of our God then all controâ—â—â—sie ceaseth between the Creator and his creatures without which we cannot be happy And truly when the new overturn shall come I think the wisest man alive cannot say what party shall be undermost but this I am confident of that Christ will be uppermost for Antichrist hath had his day and the Sun thereof is a setting and the day of Christ is a dawning therefore let all the Agents of Antichrist know that they will suddenly know that all their labor is in vain although they have digged deep to hide their Councel from the Lord yea even to the bottom of Hell it self yet let them know that God is there and that nothing can he hid from his All-seeing eye and the woe that God hath denounced against them shall assuredly overtake them speedily and I cannot but wonder at their blindnes that they do not see the hand of the Lord stretched forth against them and how he hath made good his promise that no weapon formed against him shall prosper for if it could certainly we had been swallowed up long since Oh that this Nation from the highest to the lowest would hearken what this speaking providence of late years doth say and that they would have their eyâ— in their heads to see how by a mighty and an out stretched arm he hath wrought salvation to his people both in England Ireland and Scotland Could any hand but the hand of Jehovah have done it When they had 20. nay I am confident they had 40. for one and yet God hath carried it against them notwithstanding all the falsness of those â—at seemed to stand for us What treachery and perfideousness hath and may be discovered in some that sat at the Helm Is the Popes Emissaries would seriously consider the mighty wonders that God hath wrought since these troubles began it would make them cease to indanger themselves and to perplex us for though they have an excellent faculty in fomenting and continuing divisions amongst us yet I must tell them that they do begin their work at the wrong end for their divisions reacheth but to the creature and so long as the Creator is not devided the Trinity is still in unity for the Father is not against the Son nor the Son against the Spirit nor the Spirit against the Father but they are all one and do set themselves to carry on one design which is to advance the Son therefore until they can work a devision in the Deitie it is impossible that they should ever accomplish their design and Iam sure God can never be devided in himselfe and I do beleeve that a great part of them are convinced of it and consequently of the impossibility of their prevailing against the Members of Christ but they must shew of what house they doe come of for they are like to their Father the Devill who knoweth he cannot prevaile yet he will do as much mischief as he can for he knoweth his time is short and therefore he rageth and would not have this Nation have a being neither in England nor Ireland and therefore hath he stirred up nustruments of cruelâ—y to raise such mercilesse taxes in Ireland as I thinke the like was never known in the world but they that have eyes to â—ee may see that God is a consuming of Antichrist with the spirit of his outh and will shortly abolish him utterly with the brightnesse of his coming Therefore my câ—unsell to all the Governors and Magistrates of this Nation is to close hands with Christ in doing the will of the Father for he saith If hee seeketh his own will his judgement is not just how then can they thinke that they doe justice whilst they doe seek their own wils but let them take heed for Christ will prevaile and he will have the will and the Law of his Father established therefore I beseech you close with him in it foâ— all power in Heaven and Earth is committed into his hands and he will prove a burthensome stone to crush in pieces all those that shall be found to oppose him for he will make all his enemies his Foot-stoole I could wish that the Governors of the City of London had in time thought of these things and then some of them would not have acted as they have done in binding over to the Sessions and good behaviours and afterwards commit him to prison that did discover to him the designe of the Irish Priests and Iesuits to burne the Citty and to massacre the people thereof I thinke that God hath bereaved them the use of common reason for could they think to escape any better then other men but there was more in it then I will commit to publick view at this time yet I hope God will stir up the Inhabitants of this City to importune our Grandees not to suffer those to have Government in this City who have brought off and acquitted the Plotter of the most dedesperate bloody designe that ever was set on foot in the world and stiffled the treachery of a dangerous Enemy of this Common-wealth and have punished those that did discover them My Lord I doe once againe intreat you as you tender your own safety to take heed of â—â—attereâ—s who cry peace and safety even when that destruction which they have plotted is ready to seize upon
you to the destruction both of your person this City and the whole Common-wealth but blessed be the God of mâ—rcies that hath carried you on to so deep a discovery of their damnable designe and blessed be his name for ever for regiving us all his former mercies anâ— deliveranciâ—s for 〈…〉 the wombe of this mercy were all his fo 〈…〉 mercâ—es 〈…〉 pped up But my Lord you are not yet come to the bottomâ— of it therefore I beseâ—ch you doe not thinke that the danger is pâ—st and theâ—â—upon grow secure but rather strengâ—hen your Guards and your Army also for I am confident that their des 〈…〉 doth still go on and I 〈◊〉 I am able to shew undeâ—iable reasons for it but I will â—â—â—beaâ—e to do it publickly the great God of Heaven and Earth 〈◊〉 his mercy such a seuing on upon your spirit that it may awaken you and make you to see wherein you have deâ—t unfaithfully with your God in not performing those ingagements and ovenants which you have made unto him in the time of your distresse can you thinke that he hath given you so many victor 〈…〉 and deliverances both in the field and upon your sick bed and that he doth expect no returnes from you againe And truly my Lord untill you doe establish Iustice and mercy in this Not on I date say that you have done nothing for Go 〈…〉 no nor for your Country For God hath shewed thee Oh max what is good and what he req 〈…〉 h of thee and if we will beleeve either the New or the 〈◊〉 Testament Religion doth consist in actions of this nature and 〈◊〉 in preaching Heating Reading and Praying though these are not to be neglected nay I could wish that they were â—uch morâ— used notwithstanding our Saviour calleth verball pra 〈…〉 buâ— baâ—ling and for this Common-wealth I beseech you consider what benefit we are like to receive by all that which is done whilst you receive into your bosome those that have all along endeavoured to destâ—oy both you and this Common-wealth to the desperate hazzarding of both and so long as you doe suffer our estates and livâ—es als 〈…〉 o lie at the mercy of mercilesse Lawyers and Judges who 〈◊〉 Knights of the Post â—o â—requently in the Courts and that bonâ—s of considerable summes may be forged and then proved by false â—aths Oh my Lord it would make you trâ—mble if you did know but the oâ—â— halfe of the villa 〈…〉 es of this kind how can any mans life or estate be in safety so long as these are suffered I am sure that our Counsellors of the Law can shew no Law for these things neither can they shew any Law for keeping a widow in their Courts which fued for 80. l. untill they have gotten above 200 l. in Fees and yet the money unrecovered truly my soule can not but mourn for these things and also to think of the wofull misery which will assuredly fall upon that Generation of men for the woe was denounced by God himselfe for binding heavy burdens and laying them upon other mens shoulders and that strook that hath been so many hundreth years in comming must needs be dreadfull when it cometh My Lord Solomon was a wise man and he could see nothing in any thing under the Sun but vaâ—ity and vexation and he saith that he that cometh after him shall do nothing but what he hath done before him certainly the more our hearts are let forth after any thing under the Sun the further we shall be from being satisfied therewith but experience telleth me that God can satisfie the soule to the full without any aboundance of outward things and that it is greater riches to injoy him without carnall greatnesse or honour in the world then it can be to injoy more of them then our hearts can desire without him For what doth it advantage a man to win the whole world and loose his own soule Every building that is not founded upon a Rocke shall fall and I know no Rock of stability but the Rock of ages therefore if you mean to stand make God your stability by establishing Justice and Righteousnesse and M 〈…〉 y in this Nation make Justice the Foundation and Mercy the corner stone and then your building shall stand and you shall have the prayse and hâ—nour of a wise Builder and give me leave with Jethro to say that the thing which thou dost is not good the worke is too great for you and your Couâ—â—ell It will weary out both you and the people therefore I beseech you let us have a Committee to examine and redresse the grievances of the Nation and leave the weighty matters to you and your Counsell of such men as wee shall 〈◊〉 and such as there can be no exception against and then you shall see all the secret enemies of your person and this Nation discover the debts of the Nation p 〈…〉 the minds of the people quâ—eted and their hearts united together to the great astonisâ—ment of all Christendome and you shall have such a bank of treasure and publick revenue as shall make all the enemies of this Nation affraid ever to attempt any thing against it for what doth or hath in former ages incouraged the Enemy but our divisions and the treacherous ploâ—s of the popish Emisaries therefore I thinke it unpossible for England to be in â—afety untill they be transplanted for are they not sworne to hazard lives and all that is dear to them to destroy those which they call Hereticks and hath not this Nation in past ages sound it to be their constant indeavour and France can likewise manifest their unsatiable thirst which they have after Protestant blood it is time for thee O Lord to work for men have destroyed thy Law and unstead thereof hath brought in a 〈◊〉 Antichristiall Jugell which destroyeth the people only to inrich themselves My Lord what would you have of this Nation if Honour then you shall have as much as you can stand under it Wealth then you shall have more then you can tell what to doe withall only gratifie this Nation in this one thing of justice and they will serve you for ever and that with fredome and checifulresse you will not need to conâ—â—raine them for they will be more carefull of you then of their own lives then will the prayers of the poor continually ascend unto the Thionâ— of 〈◊〉 untill as I may speak with holy Râ—â—â—râ—rce that they have surpâ—â—ed the Almighty â—n your behalfe And my Lord if you w 〈…〉 grant us this Committee and give them full power to pâ—ocâ—ed according to the righteous Law of God an 〈…〉 of th 〈…〉 Nation then I will ingage my life to pay all the Publick Faith B 〈…〉 of the Nation with one moyetie of what wâ—ll be brought in by them a 〈…〉 r the discoverer hath had his fifth part and the other â—â—oyiety shall goe in to the publick Treasury
freed the nation from the tyranny of the Gentlemen of the long Robe notwithstanding that God calleth for it his people hath prayed and sâ—ught it at thy hands both by writing and by word of mâ—uth Oh my Lor 〈…〉 â—bâ—â—eech you consider what a cloud of witnesses wâ—l come in against you consider iâ— I say before it be too late for â—ssâ—redly if you wil not do that work for which hee hath brought thee unto this place â—ssuredly he wil suddenly lay thee â—side I beseech you consider that God hath put power into your hands to establish I â—stice and righteousness in this nation and if there be a principle within you why is it not don I do profess it maketh me to tremble to think how unanswerable it is both before God and man And the late King did think himself as far from being questioned by man as you can yet you see what is become of him I beseech you remember that it is God that ordreth the spirits of men it is he that subdueth the hears of the people unto Kings and Governors and it is he that raiseth the spirits of the people against them when they do not govern in and for the Lord and I do not know any ty or rule in all the Scriptures no not in the neerest relations that requireth obedience but in the Lord then if magistrates and governors wil cast aside the wil and law of God and act in and for their own wils and by the corrupt Antichristian laws which were divised by covetous men with the help of the Devil to inrich themselves by the ruin of many thousand families widows and fatherless I say if they do act and command and govern in their own wils and by a Law which is so directly opposiâ—e to the wil and law of God than no wonder though there be so much murmurring and complaining in our streets so much plotting contriving the ruin and destruction of our governors for the thing is of God though the evil and bloody intention in them is from the devil and their own lusts because they cannot set up Antichrist and establish iniquity and all ungodliness by a law that so they might live according to their own lusts this I say is of the devil yet I say the thing is of god and that for most righteous ends to make governors afraid to act in their own wils and by corrupt Antichristian laws for hath not god promised that if our ways pleaseth him he wil make our enemies at peace with us then my lord what conclusion can be drawn when not only our enemies but our frends are at variance with us and have sought our destructions the Lord sayd to one if thou dost wel shalt thou not be excepted yes thou shalâ— be excepted with god and excepted with man then my lord who can hurt thee who will plot any evil against the nay wil not all bless thee and bless god for thee that ever he brought such a man to rule over us but my Lord if thou doest evil sin lieth at thy dore and certainly if sin once lye there Judgment wil not be long absent I mean judgment 〈…〉 h a witness for it is a Iudgment to have the people ready to rebel and to rise up against thee but when it cometh with a witness it wil take effect to the sweeping of thee and thine off from the land of the living therefore my Lord I beseech thee lay it to heart what wil neither real mercies bestowed upon thee nor iudgments threatned and shaken over thee awake thee though timely discovered to preserve thee whereby god showeth thee how he could have cut thee off but this he doth to make further trial of thee to see if thou wilâ— be awakened and driven out of thy own wil to Act in the wil and Law of thy god that so he might be a shield and a buckler unto thee and unite the hearts of the people unto thee Oh my Lord ' I beseech the return to thy god and be safe make him thy stability by establishing iustice iudgment and righteousness in this Nation Oh! that thou woludst thus try God and once in thy life keep a true fast by breaking the bands of wickedness by taking off every burthen and letting the oppressed go free Oh ' I say that thou wouldest thus try god and see if he wil not open the windows of heaven and power down abundantly blessings of all sorts both upon thee and thine this whole nation then wil the people bless thee and when ever they do see thy face they wil make the heavens to ring with their acclamations and strong cries which they wil send up to heaven for thee it wil make the hearts of the widows and fatherless to siâ—g in them for ioy I beseech you consider of the greatness of the good which wil come by it for it wil discover much more evil than I have or is fit to mention in a publike way it wil procure far greater good to this nation then my pen is able to express for it wil do the greatest part of your work to your hands and it wil be done on free-cost for they wil act without any sallery so that the work will be done without any trouble to you or charge to the people Oh how wil this unite the hearts of the people unto you and it wil remove your desperate enemies far from you which now are in your bosom I beseech you be no longer deluded by the Lawyers to think that they wil regulate the Law see justice done to the oppressed of the nation for is it not their trade to oppress by their delatory proceedings putting fair glosses upon foul causes making good seem to be evil and evil seem to be good whereby they do bring more detriment to the nation than all the cheaters pick-pockets Highway-robbers or all the charge of the whole Army is it possible that any which do live by the corrupt practise of the Law should see the evil thereof so long as the gain thereof is as a gift which the Spirit saith doth blind the eys of the wife and these are wise men they are wise to do evil but to do good they have no heart I speak for the generality of them I include not all for I do know a few and but very few of them of whom I have better hopes but it iâ— an easier work to make ten 〈◊〉 Laws out of the Scriptures than to reforme the old which is so ful frought with corrupt juggles and deceitful tricks to make one shut beget ten others but â—ethinks I do see the lawyers the traytors and the tyrants floâ—king about my Lord 〈◊〉 him that these men cannot deâ—ermin things according to J 〈…〉 ce because they are ignorant of the Law to which 〈◊〉 answer that they are men that are very wel instructed in the Law of right 〈…〉 usness which is the Law that must do