The end of the Parliaments consultations, and actions, is to free the Kingdome (the care whereof is to them by the Kingdome committed) from all those heavy tyrannies and oppressions which for many yeares, against expresse Lawes, and cautions to the contrary, have surrounded and overwhelmed the Kingdome, all which, if wee have not a desire to let them slip our memories, the Parliaments first Remonstrance will fully present unto us. Those men that do oppose the Parliament, are generally such as some way or other have thrived under those pressures, as being made instruments and actors in them, or else being addicted to vice and loosenesse, found that connivence and indulgence, then which, in times more reformed they cannot expect. Those men that doe now side with, and assist the Parliament, are such as in those corrupt times were trodden under foot, such as were vext and impoverisht by insulting Courts, and Court-officers, forc’t against conscience to perswade to the breach of the Sabbath, compelled to flie their Countrie, or separate from the Church, by inducing vaine and empty Ceremonies, which direct our mindes from consideration of Gods love to us in Christ, and are utterly inconsistent with the true, and spirituall worship of God; and indeed therefore pressed upon us, that thereby their friends might be knowne from their foes, the easie to be abused from the more difficult, that they might be imbraced, and have all encouragements both from the Minister, and men of high places; and these disgraced, prosecuted, and though of never so honest lives, yet if in all things not conformable, scandalled, and made odious: Ceremonies were therefore too pressed upon us, that by them the Church becomming more pompous, and outwardly specious, the Clergy (by whom the Statesmen were especially to doe their ill intended worke) might win greater esteeme, and grow more and more reverenced by the people, who seldome they know dive into the reasons of things, but are usually carryed away by outward shewes and appearances. The Parliaments other friends are such as have beene tormented with the permitted corruption of Lawyers, those devouring Locusts, no lesse ravening then the Ægyptian ones that overspread that Land; such likewise as had lost the liberty of Trade, for the gaining of which, they served a long and tedious apprenticeship, by unlawfull engrossements, and Patents; and all the multitude of good men, who are sensible either by their owne, or their nighbours sufferings, of the injuries of former times, or desirous to prevent and divert our oppression and slavery for the future: Now as it is a notable policy of evill men, though of quite different and opposite conditions to combine and associate together against all that oppose them, bearing with, and passing by any thing for the present, though at other times much distastfull. So how much more does it behove the honest men of this Kingdome, who are likely to taste equally the sweetes of liberty, or the bitter pills of slavery, how ever they may be perswaded otherwise for the present, to unite themselves heart and hand, to joyne together as one man, against all those whom they shall discerne either to oppose the Parliament, or endeavour to raise divisions and differences among themselves. The only way for our enemies to doe their worke, is not by strength, and force of Armies, for what ever their brags be, and how great soever their boasts by which they would seeme to have what they have not, that thereby they may encourage their party, and dishearten their adversaries, yet indeed their forces are but small, their provisions scanty, their meanes and mony only supplyed by rapine, which cannot be lasting, having neither Forts, nor Shipping, so that it cannot be that by strong hand they should have any hope to doe their worke: No certainly, and yet notwithstanding they still dare to hold up the Cudgels, seeme as confident as ever, beare up, as if the world were of their side; what should be the reasons hereof; reasons there are, we must perswade our selves, it is not to be supposed that they are foolehardy, or that the sense of their many mischiefes have made them desperate, because past hope of reconcilement (though they well may) their Councels are notable, and surely come not short of the most able the world affords, their subleties exceeds the Foxes, or the Serpents, Romes or Spaines; whose most damnable glory it is, that from meane beginnings they, by their wits especially, have raised themselves to the most extended tyrannies in the Christian world: and why should our politique enemies then despaire? Since their wits are as quick, their consciences as deeply pained and sencelesse, many of our people as easie to be deluded as ever men were, having the assistance of former contrivances in making men slaves, furnished with Machiavils, and Staffords instructions from Florence, with all the assistance Romes consistory, or Spaines can afford: and what force cannot doe, deceit may: a subtill deceitfull Declaration may doe much more mischief then an Army, the one kills men outright, and so leaves them unserviceable for both sides, but deceitfull words, when for want of consideration, unsettlednesse of judgement, and weake information, they captivate men, they make them not only dead to good mens assistance, and their Countries service, but promoters likewise of their deluders interest, to the insensible ruine and slavery of their brethren, and in conclusion, of themselves. Deceits and delusions are the principall weapons with which the evill Counsellors now fight; by which they subdue and captivate the understandings and affections of men; to scatter these, they hurry about from one County into another, and there at Assises, and other forc’t Assemblies practise, in one place they colour and glose over their owne evill actions, with seeming pretences of Law, Religion: in another, they scandalize and traduce the Parliament, for as they cannot want paint to make fowle and unsightly actions seeme faire and specious, so neither can they want dirt and mire to disfigure the best formed, and most honest enterprises in the world; words are never defective to make evill seeme good, and good evill: what villany was there ever committed, or what injustice, but words and pretences might be found to justifie it: Monopolies were once pleaded legall, and very wholesome for the people, we were once perswaded Ship-money was lawfull, and now Commission of Array; if unjust things were offered to us, as they are, without disguise and artificiall covering, they would appeare so odious, as that each man would cry out upon them, and therefore it is a high point of policy to make the worst things shew fairest, speake best, when they intend most mischiefe. In other Counties the people were thanked for their affections and assistance, when they found them wiser then to yeeld any, and when they were driven by necessity to a place, they would seeme to be invited by love, and certainty of compliance, when God knowes in many places they found it much otherwise, and would likewise elsewhere too, but that the people were necessitated to their assistance by force, rather then forward, out of any liking. Well, their policies and delusions are most numerous, and every day increasing, and therefore it behoves every wise man to stand upon his guard, to be wary and watchfull that he be not apprehended by their subtilties: in nothing there is required greater care, their invasions being insensible, and having once seised upon a man, he no longer dislikes, but approves of them, they force a man to love what erewhiles he hated, what he but now cryed downe, to plead for, and not to observe, because his intentions are honest, and he meanes no ill, that he is even against his knowledge his Countries enemy: Hee that can give any cautions how to resist their wyles, or shew wherein we are already seduced by our cunning adversaries, doth doe very good service to his Country, and deserves to be heard; this discourse was written principally for that end, namely, to discover to all good men how they have suffered themselves to be wrought upon by the adversary in a case very considerable, and thereby, though they observe it not, are become friends to their Countries chiefe foes, and foes to their principall friends. The worke of evill Counsellors, as it is to unite and joyne together their friends, so is it likewise to separate and divide their foes amongst themselves: all such are their foes as truly love their owne liberty, and desire to free themselves from their insulting tyranny: it must needs be very advantagious to them, if by any meanes they can divide these, for being disjoyned, they cannot possibly be so powerfull against them as otherwise they would be, did they continue at union: now amongst many other wayes that they have used to accomplish this end, there is not one hath been more effectuall then in raising, and cherishing differences concerning formes and circumstances about Religion, that so setting them together by the cares about shadowes, they may in the meane time steale away your substance: there is no difference they full well know is so permanent, as that which any way touches upon Religion, and therefore like cunning Pioners, have lighted upon what is likely to make the greatest breach, which by continuall plying the work, the difference dayly increasing, it is much to be feared that all the paines the Parliament takes, the assistance of good men, the hazards of our resolute souldiers, or whatever endeavours else are used for the accomplishing of good mens desires, will by this one difference, if continued, be utterly frustrate, and come to naught: for it is almost come to that passe, that the Puritan and Sectaries, as they are called, are more odious to the Protestant, then the Cavalier, Malignant, or Papist: all our discourses are diverted now by the cunning practise of the Polititian from our forepast calamities, plots, and conspiracies of lewd men, from thinking what will be the best wayes to speed and advantage our undertakings for our liberty, to raylings against the Puritan, to crosse and oppose the Puritan, to provoke him by many insolencies, and affronts to disorders, and then to inveigh with all bitternesse against his disorders: if at such times as these, when so great a worke is in hand, as the freeing of us from slavery, we can be so drowzily sottish as to neglect that, for the satisfying our giddy and domineering humour, what can be said of us, but that our fancy is dearer to us then our liberty, that we care not what goes to racke, though it be our substantiall Religion, Lawes, and Liberties, so we doe but please our selves in crying downe our Brethren, because they are either more zealous, or else more scrupulous then our selves: These things my friends, (for all good men are such) doe shew that you are not considerate, nor doe not sufficiently beare in mind what was told you in the Parliaments first Remonstrance, that it was (and still is) one of the principall workes of our common enemy, to sow division between the Protestant and Puritan, you have beene too easie, and quickly wrought upon by him for the accomplishing that worke: I would to God you would lay it to heart; the Puritan intends no mischiefe to any, you may assure your selves he does not: if you inquire you shall finde that they had no hand in our former oppressions, they were no maintainers of any unjust courses, or Courts, unlesse by those many fines which were extorted from them, for that they of all men had the courage to withstand their injuries: wee heare of daily plunderings, rapes, and murthers of the Cavaliers, women with child runne through, and many other butcheries, and yet wee passe by these, as if by no interest they concerned us, and let flie our speeches only against the Puritan for plucking a raile downe, or a paire of Organs, a Surplice, Crucifix, or painted window, which are indeed no way conducible to the substantiall worship of God, and yet retained by the ill disposed Clergy, as fuell to yeeld matter to that discord they would continue amongst you: See how much too blame we are, see how exceedingly the polititian has deluded us, that we should doe thus, and yet see not that we doe unwisely. If thy brother bee weake and thou strong, beare with his weakenesse, or if the Puritan esteeme thee weake, and himselfe strong, it will be a good lesson to him; if wee be strong we should beare with them that are weake; if we are weake we should not judge them that are strong, it will be no shame for any one to take the Apostles advice; let not slight and indifferent things divide our affections; let them not especially when substantiall things lie at the stake; it is all one as if our enemy being in the field with full purpose and speed to destroy us, wee should turne aside to exclaime against a man that flung dirt upon us or laught at us: and wholly neglect altogether to defend our selves: what a shame will it be unto us, when hereafter it is said that the English might have freed themselves from oppression and slavery, but that in the doing of it they neglected their common enemy, and fell at variance among themselves for trifles. Ceremonies and other things that occasion difference, are stickled for by the Protestant, not for that they thinke them necessary, for surely unlesse it be for some indirect end they cannot be urged to be so, but for that they are not yet taken downe by authoritie: The Puritan they would have them taken away for that they conceive them vaine, unwarrantable by Gods Word, reliques of the Romish Religion not throughly purged away, and therefore they desire they should be left off by us, which are the principall cause of their separation from us: In all differences to bee unwilling to reconcile, shewes not a spirit of love, which Christians should ever be possest withall, but of pride and contention, the Protestant hath not the engagements of conscience upon him, as the Puritan has, and therefore may the easier beare with the Puritans infirmities, if meat offend my weake brother I will eate no meat as long as I live, what an excellent thing were it if we could have that hold fast over our selves that the Apostle had to refraine from any thing, how pleasant and deare soever unto us, rather than give any offence, or occasion any difference betweene our selves and weake brethren: let every man thinke of the answering this question to himselfe: whether if lewd men doe get the better over the Parliament and honest men of the Kingdome, either Protestant or Puritan are likely to be any other but slaves: Certainly if any of them doe perswade themselves otherwise, they are like the stiffenecked and unweildy Hebrewes, that wisht they were slaves in Egypt againe, where the much loved Flesh pots were, for that it was troublesome and dangerous passing through the Wildernesse into Canaan, a land of plenty and lasting liberty. Be not deceived with deluding thoughts of former times, when plenty covered our oppressions, and because of peace wee could not see our slavery: it was a time when such as Buckingham, Stratford, domineering Bishops, corrupt and lawlesse Judges, grew rich and potent: when Courts Minions for no services but slavery and luxury were exalted, when offices were not conferred on foreseene vertue and honest desert, but were bought and sold; when honours that ought to be the rewards of vertue, were by gold purchased, and they onely deemed fit Subjects for both, that were easie to be corrupted, such as had stupid consciences, & would suffer their masters to undertak any dishonest employment. He that wishes for former times wishes for such times wherein it had beene much better for a man to let goe his right of inheritance, though never so apparantly his, to any varlet that would have laid but any colorable claime to it, rather then have bin wurried by Court Mastives, & eaten to the bare bones by griping Judges and avaritious Lawyers, wherein a murder in one man was not so much punished as a word in another, wherein a poore man was hanged for stealing food for his necessitie, and a luxurious Courtier of whom the world was never like to have any other fruits but oathes and stabbes, could be pardoned after the killing the second or third man: wherein in a word, knaves were set upon honest mens shoulders, all loosenesse was countenanced, and vertue and pietie quite out of fashion: In these times, who kept themselves so steddy as the Puritan, who opposed against those exorbitant courses, and by that meanes who smarted more then they: sure I thinke their sufferings are yet in each mans memory, who but they, or they especially withstood all Church innovations, and other taxes and impositions, for which both the Bishops and Clergy, as also the corrupt Statesman, and Projector were their protest and open enemies, and even then to make them odious, invented ridiculous names for them, and studied scurrilous tales and jests against them, and ever signed new devices concerning them, to direct our thoughts from our every dayes oppressions, to sport at the Puritan. The wayes of wicked men are like the way of a Ship in the Sea, so quick and speedily covered, that without much observancy we cannot trace them: So that we see these endeavors to make the Puritan odious is no new policy, nor yet the reasons why it is endeavored, and how great a blemish it is unto our judgement, that though this deceit hath beene so long in practise, and so apparently mischievous to good, and advantageous to bad men, we should not yet discover it, or being discovered and declared unto us, wee should not lay it to heart, and endeavor to avoid it. Sure I thinke there is no more evident marke of our disaffections to the Parliament, then our invectives against the Puritan, whom the Parliament and all good men ought in all reason to esteeme well of, for that they have beene so abundant in their contributions, so forward in their services, so neglective of their private, to advance that necessary and most allowable work, both by God and all reasonable men in the world, of freeing us and our posterity from loathsome Tyranny and oppression: whatsoever faults the Puritan hath, this is not a time to cast them in his dish, neither are we certaine that they are faults, we have but so digested them to our selves, what he can say for himself, in his own justification, is not yet heard, nor is there yet a time of hearing: we may assure our selves that the Parliament will endeavour all that possible they can to give all sorts of men that will not prove obstinate, and unsatisfiable, the best and largest satisfaction: If they should now goe about it, or if they should at any time heretofore have enterprised it, they might in the meane time have had their throats cut, it is and hath been the endeavour of the Kings evill advisers, to urge them alwayes to the settlement of the Church, a worke they know requires much time for the performance of it, and so must of necessity have diverted all considerations and provisions for their safety, when in the meane time those advisers would have been most active and vigilant, losing no jot of time, nor balking no opportunity or advantage to have fortified themselves, made a prey of the Parliament, and in their mines have buryed all thats neer & deer unto us: We see, that though the Parliament have only intended one business, the defence and preservation of themselves, and the Kingdome, so great opposition hath yet been made, and so difficult a worke have they found it, that there is no man can say they are too forward: and therefore if we will not willfully make our selves a prey to our common enemy, let us resolve for the time to come firmly to unite our affections beyond the policy of evill-witted men to dissolve: let those whom the malignant and inconsiderate call Puritans, endeavour all that they can possibly, to give no offence to the Protestant, and let the Protestant be slow in taking any at the Puritan: the Puritan indeed is too blame in his not observing all hee can to win by love, gentle behaviour, such as differ from him in opinion, in not endeavouring all he can to bridle his passion, and not suffer his different opinion to coole his love and affection to other men: what? We have all need one of another, and till such time things are throughly canvassed, and examined, how ever each man concludes himselfe to be in the right (we know we are partiall to our selves) he may be mistaken, and upon better reasons which as yet he sees not may alter his judgement and be convinc’t; let us unite together as one man to the extirpation of certaine and discovered enemies both of our substantiall Religion, our lawes, and liberties, that so all being quiet, and wee assuredly freemen, all stratagems dissolved, arid the Sunne of peace againe appearing, the Church may be so purged and so religiously setled, that the Puritan may have no cause of seperation (which cannot be according to his desire but that to which by the instigation of his conscience he is necessitated too) and so may be no longer an eyesore and distastfull to the Protestant, but both may with mutuall joy and peace of conscience joyne together in praises and thanksgivings to that God, who by the free, and alone death of his Sonne attoned and reconciled us to himselfe, and in giving us his Sonne hath together with him given us all things also. But to what purpose will this, or other discourses of this nature be, when there is a sort of people in this kingdome, who make it their study and bend all their endeavours for to encrease and enlarge this difference: and yet have full permission, and all opportunity that may be to doe their worke; neither could the polititian have ever made this breach or extended it to that businesse it is at, but for the certaine assistance of the Clergy, who for that end bound them his instruments, by the liberall distribution of honours and preferments, by enlargements of dignity & livings, by giving them power in Courts, & letting them tast the sweets of domination: by authorising them in their advance of tithes, multiplying their duties, favouring them in their abundant differences, and restlesse lawsuits; and in all likelihood they must bee their servants who pay them such large wages; insomuch that in all the time of this Kingdomes slavery and wicked mens oppressions of us, who were greater promoters of both then the Clergy; what was the politique subject of their Sermons then, and discourses, but the advance of prerogative, and unlimited sway; the gayning of estimation to themselves not by their doctrines or lives, for what could be more corrupt and scandalous, but by subtill delusions, and delusive sophismes; the fitting of our minds for slavery, the abasing of our courages against injuries in Church or State; by preaching for obedience to all commands good or bad, under deceitfull termes of active and passive, by which meanes injurious men were heartned in induring mischiefes, and good men moap’d and stupified to a patient sufferance of them, their very tongues tied up and no libertie given so much as to motion against apparent injuries, or to discover to the world the iniquitie of them: This use is made of those most admirable guifts we admire the Clergy for, to this good end serves their great learning and excellent parts; and as in former times by these and many other wayes they onely employed their studies to make us apt and easie to admit our slavery without grudging or gainsaying, so doe they still continue the Statesmens hirelings, to further that difference betweene the Protestant and Puritan, which makes so much for their advantage: And that they may be truely serviceable, to this end they are brought up in the Universities fitted for the purpose; no man there countenanced unlesse he is like to prove a champion against the Puritan, the greater their abilities are that way, their preferments are answerable, insomuch, that generally those Ministers are onely good, that trusting onely to themselves, and not taking the pleasing course, could expect no encouragement from the Bishop or others in high places, but very contentedly did betake themselves to such places their honest friends and deserts obtained for them, whereas men of that other straine were almost courted into benefices, where the former benefits did not more sway with to justifie injustice, and sow division, then the longing expectation after greater and greater preferments; and what though some have refused preferments, and yet are zealous in your worke; it is well knowne yet that they live in abundance, drinke the sweet, and eate the fat of the Land, are recompenced with large gifts, and abundant Legacies; who by a cunning refusall of what they need not, and perhaps they thinke would be too troublesome, have taken so deepe root in unwatchfull mens minds, that there are none so great promoters of this worke as they; who likewise being the most subtill of all the tribe, order the businesse so, that what by their abilities of speech, reverent estimation men have of their persons, of their functions, of their sinceritie, they even delude them as they list, and have so farre fomented this fire of dissention, that it is to bee feared it will very shortly breake out into a flame: they have even heightned this hatred to an insurrection, the people rise up one against another, grow into factions and acquaintances by wearing colours, and publike meetings, outfacing authority, and slighting the most soveraigne power, even of the Parliament it selfe; nor is this likely in short time to be extinguisht, though much care be used, and great paines taken for the doing it, so long as a cunning malicious sort of men are suffered without controule or just punishment to yeeld new matter to this destructive flame of contention; to curbe the licence, and punish the insolencies of those licentious Clergymen may very well be one of the principall workes of the Parliaments, whose earnest endeavours and noble undertakings doe find no greater opposition from any sort of men, no not from the Cavalier himselfe, or the Kings evill Councellors, then from these men of malice and dissention; many of them are Delinquents, and so voted, others likewise would appeare to be so, did the people thinke it a fit time to make their complaints, many of them are of scandalous and debaucht lives, all of them indeed are bound by the respects they have to their owne safetie to destroy the Parliament, by whom they know, were they at leasure they should be sifted, and their crimes censured, and to bring in againe the former government, wherein they found so great connivance in all sorts of vices whatsoever: And now what more seasonable councell can there bee to all sorts of men, then to try and examine all that they heare, to entertaine nothing for the opinion we have of the man, for the judgement is never so likely to be deluded as when the person is too highly esteemed, to see likewise in how many respects the Clergyman is bound to make the Puritan odious to the Protestant, and how greatly disadvantagious that is to the worke, all honest men are bound in conscience to further, and likewise to conclude those Clergy men disaffected that shall hereafter endeavour it, and to let both them and others in authority know it, to be firme in their affections to the Puritan, past all their subtilties to disunite them, that so all honest men being heartily united, the greater may be their force, and the kingdomes enemies the speedier subdued.

The Ministers under pretence of railing against, [the Puritan, Sectary, Brownist, and Anabaptists] doe scandalize and defame all the honest men of the Kingdome, yea even of the Parliament themselves: so that if we be not the more cautious we may be so farre deluded, as to disesteeme even their actions, not for that to any reasonable discreet man they can appeare to be any other then as the actions of the most wise should bee, but because they are approved of by the honest Puritan: It is not safe they thinke to rave against the Parliament point blanke, they would then indeed appeare so palpably malicious and villanously disaffected, that men would have much adoe to tarry their tryall by Law without doing present execution on them: & therefore like men full of subtlety, they wound the Parliament through the Puritans side, and therein take so vast a liberty, that almost provokes an honest hearted man beyond his patience; sometimes they speake in a doubtfull sense, so as that all who are misled by them can understand them, and yet they thinke that if they should be questioned, as out of guilt of conscience they cannot but expect if they shall bee able to give such an interpretation to their words, that thereby they can delude the holdfast of Law and the censure of justice: thus they provide an excuse before they act their villany, and proceed as farre as they imagine that will beare them out; what high time it is that these men should bee crushed, least in time they sow so many tares in the hearts of men, that no wisedome of man shall be able to plucke up, but that they choake even the seeds of good doctrine, and root out of our minds the very principles of reason: Another villanous worke they have in hand, is to take away our courages and dull our resolutions by commending peace unto us, when we are necessitated to take up our Swords; what fooles they imagine us to be, as if we did not know what were the sweets of peace, but then it must be accompanied with liberty, the bondman is at peace; there is peace, there is peace in a dungeon, yet I thinke no man can bee heartily in love with such kinde of peace, no certainly, if our liberty and our religion be much dearer to us then our lives, as I thinke they are to every wise man, then sure they must be dearer to us then our rest, our swords are drawne for them, and so long as they are violated, what peace? what peace? so long as the insolencies and conspiracies of unjust men, and their usurpations are so many? what peace? so long as those that would free us from former oppressions, and would provide for our future liberties, are in no safety but in continuall hazard of their lives? were wee not necessitated to it, it were madnesse to thinke wee could take pleasure in shedding of our owne bloods: what shallow men doe they imagine us to be, that thinke, that through their sweet words, and smooth faces, we doe not see their fowle and mischievous intentions: yes to their griefe of heart and the joy of all good men they behold that, notwithstanding they have in many other things deluded us, in this they have not; the Militia is setled in safe and trusty hands, the Forts and strong holds made good, the Navy secured and commanded by a faithfull and couragious lover of his country, that a strong and a welfurnished Army is a foote to the terrour of wicked men and we hope to the suppression; they are quite frustrate of their ends, all their cunning discourses and subtle motions for peace, though delivered with never so much pretended piety, and seeming love to our safeties, come short of their purpose, they have not thereby lulled us asleepe, and made us too secure, no, we have the courages of men, of valiant provoked men upon us, provokt by an insight into all our injuries, which are now fresh in our memories, provoked by discovery of their delusions, and animated by the amiable sight of liberty which we may now if we will our selves obtaine, of which for many yeares we have beene deprived: and therefore it is not good nor honest that they continue their invitations to peace, so long as the Parliament see it needefull to provide for warre. This it is when they will be overwise and passe the bounds of their office, nor are they more mistaken in this, then in other matters, especially when they plead the Kings cause, their engagements and flatteries here make them starke blind, and let them not see how under stickling for the Kings prerogative they comprehend under that such things, the obtayning whereof if duly considered would make his Maiesties office the most hazardous, and fraught with least content of any one in the Kingdome. A negative voyce they much stand for, a power of calling and likewise of dissolving Parliaments; these things because they carry power with them, and seeme to adde much greatnesse and high prerogative to the King, they stickling for them, and see not that if the King should have them, he would be thereby ever liable to the blame, and censures of the people; for if any thing should be consulted of by the Parliament, and by them concluded to be safe and necessary for the Kingdome, and that the King by that power they claime for him, should crosse it if the people should in the time to come by necessitie for the want of what the Parliament would have provided for them, and the King would not, whom have they then to blame but the King; and he likewise must of necessitie lie under their hard opinions, should the neglect of calling Parliaments bring oppressions upon the people: or the too soone dissolving them without consent of the House before their businesse were fully dispatcht. Both which in their booke of Canons and constitutions ecclesiasticall, where without once mentioning the Parliament, they take liberty to make the Kings Prerogatives what they please, there I say have they peremptorily concluded the power of calling and dissolving all assemblies to bee the Kings undoubted right, and would likewise have possest the people so by the quarterly reading of those decrees of theirs in Churches by their owne order: It is true indeed these commons are most justly damned by the Parliament, but by the remembrance hereof we may palpably observe, what a power they then usurpt to themselves, and how notoriously they abused that power to the prejudice of the King, his perpetuall hazard and disquiet: The King past all question saw all this when he so willingly assented to those two acts for the constant calling of Parliament, and not dissolution of this, both which the Clergy had no other meanes to disanull and make of no effect, then by infusing into his Maiesties eares, and insinuating to the people, that the King hath a negative voyce by which all that the Parliament shall doe comes to nothing, unlesse it pleases the King to assent, which is not like to be but when those that are so powerfull (his evill counsellors) over him shall give way to; by which meanes alone those evill men have a power of crossing and making voyd all the debates and conclusions of the Parliament, and though this bee in effect to make the safety and freedome of the people to depend upon one mans will & understanding, an absurdity in government; a man would think these men could not have the impudence to plead for, much lesse that the people should be so unadvised as to admit it to enter their thoughts as a thing just and reasonable, yet indeed so impudent are those as to plead for it, and so ignorant are the people, as to admit it, which is the ground and occasion of all the evils and mischiefes which at this day threaten both his Maiesty and the whole people. So that wee see the King hath little to thank them for their too hasty forwardnesse in clayming what is so unsafe for him, and so likely to divide the affections of the people from him: But what care they, the King getting power, they get advancement, credit, honour, and what not? so little respect they what is safe for him or prejudiciall to the people, so their owne ends bee served; there comes no harme from good consideration, the advice then cannot be amisse, to wish every one to consider what they heare, to examine all not timorously, nor prejudicially, but impartially by that uncorrupt rules of reason, and to give no credit to what is spoken for the credit or estimation of the speaker, but because it is the truth, and nothing but the truth.