A Few words in true love written to the old long sitting PARLIAMENT, who Are yet left alive, and do sit there now in the Parliament House at Westminster.  
WHo would have thought such a thing that ever the long sitting Parliament of England, who appeared once bold with open face, for God and his poor suffering people, to remove oppression and injustice, should have had so much of God's countenance towards them, as to have full freedom to sit again to do the work for God and his people that was so long neglected, that the Lord was wearied with their long sitting to so little purpose, & so they were thrust out as a stink in his nostrils, and a burden to the nation. Oh friends you may well remember what a cry was heard at Westminster about the time of your first sitting, for Justice, Justice, and how far the sense of this reached your hearts, and how far in the sense of it you were vigorously carried on to prosecute it by the same arm of power, that reached your hearts and gave you a sense of it, to make you willing to set your shoulder to the work of God and his people, to which end you were called thither, and therein the presence of God was with you, as you may remember after a short time, eausing your enemies to fly before you when none pursued them, who were in enmity through oppression and injustice against the God of justice, and his people that cried to him and you for it, and herein as in truth of heart you appeared united with joint consent to throw down and root out oppression and oppressors, surely it cannot be forgotten by you; how often God's powerful presence appeared for your protection and preservation, and was a terror to the adversaries of Justice and righteousness, and then it was in your hearts to act singly for the Lord and the good of the Nation being touched with the sense of God's dreadful presence and his fear which moving in your hearts put you upon a desire then to deny self, doubtless in the whole work, and to that end that the integrity of your hearts might appear to all that feared the Lord, that their hands and hearts might join with you and be strengthened against the common adversary of Justice, a self denying Ordinance was put forth by you, that it might be manifest your hearts were upright and not self-seeking, which I did then believe was real in your hearts, when you were low in the time of your straits, and I remember it did refresh me to hear it, and it reached the hearts I suppose of thousands to be knit to you, and join with you as on man, against the known enemies of righteousness: But alas friends: when your straits were over and the temptation appeared to draw you from the simplicity of truth and righteousness, to rule in your own particulars, to deny self, as you had in the time of your straits set forth, than you left looking to that which preserved your hearts single to deny self, (God's presence) and looked to the temptation, & joined to self & went out from the presence of God, which formerly had moved in your hearts to deny self, & so there you lost his presence, even than when I heard that you had given gifts to one another, of that which was the Kings, which was the people's right, which in your Ordinance you had denied; I was sadded at my heart, & I know it was an ill savour over all the Nation & farther too, & here receiving gifts one of another, which you had no right to give not receive, your eye came to be blinded that should have seen the thing that was just to proceed to do it, and your hearts hardened from God's fear, and so the sense of oppression and in justice began to be lost, and then how could you proceed to remove it from off the nation when you yourselves were gone into it? joined in doing the thing that was unjust, in one body that did unjustly oppress before you, so here was no way for you to do good for the Nation, in removing of oppression except you had returned to God's presence, that which gave you a sense of the oppression in others, adversaries to the good Old Cause, to give you a sense of your own turning aside, from that which was just in your own particulars, that so being sensible of your own evil in giving and taking that which was not your right, but the poor Nations right, to have had ease from oppression by: I say had you not shut your eye, and closed your ears, that should have seen and heard the cry of oppression in your own particulars, the weight of it might have been felt through the presence of God, to have moved it in your own particulars, and then the same that gave you a sense of the weight of the thing that is unjust in yourselves, to remove it might have carried you on, with your eye open and your ear open, to see and here the cry of injustice through the Nation, having the fresh sense of it upon your own hearts, where the cry was heard in your own particulars to have removed it from off the Nation where ever, you had heard of it or seen it in the Nation. Wherefore I charge and warn you in the dread of God, from a deep sense of the evil you are fallen into, and brought upon the Nation, by your turning aside and doing the thing that was just and right in the sight of God (to deny self) there, I say I charge you in God's dread begin to root out the thing that is unjust in your own particulars, which you have given and taken, which was and is the Nations right, and come to be led by that righteous Principle which once moved in you to deny self, wherein the presence of God was, that it may rule in you to give up to the Nation that which you have received, which is their right, and prove the Lord with this, if in the simplicity of your hearts you shall be made willing tosu bject yourselves to his will, to deny yourselves, wherein self stood up and bore rule in you to take that to yourselves which was not yours, but should have stood in the counsel of God clear of it: I say if you give up this, prove if you ever find straitness in God's presence to be with you, when you are not straightened in your own bowels, from doing the thing that is right in his sight, first in your own particulars, and then as the Lord shall discover what is unjust and oppressive th' the Nation, then to root out and throw down, that likewise by the same presence of God's arm and power that hath rooted up and thrown down the unjust thing in your own particulars; here was the breach and the loss to you of the presence of God, and as in truth of heart, you begin here you will feel the healing of the breach, and his presence to bless guide and preserve you as in the uprightness of your hearts you are willing to go on to ease the Nation of oppression and injustice, which the cry of it is greater and much louder in the ears of the Lord, than it was when you were first called to fit, to consider how to case the people of this Nation from under the burden of it.  
And now bear with me a little and I shall plainly tell you how the sense of your evil doings came to be now at your first fitting fresh upon any heart, and that it was plainly good in the sight of God, I should thus lay it before you.  
When the wars began in this Nation, through the unwillingness of the Rulers of it to be subject to equity and Justice, than I desired (my trade failing) to be employed in some service for the commonwealth, towards maintaining myself and family, so for a season I was employed at the fortifications about the City, my allowance as an Overseer of that work was three shillings a day, which I was glad of and well content with; for sometime but being in company with others, that would delight themselves to go and drink sometimes, with the Workmen, more than was meet, which was other Overseers, which were corrupt, one of the Workmen told me as I remember, that when they spent moneys so, the Overseers he knew did not spend it upon their own charge, but upon the commonwealths, I said how, said he, do not you know, they can sometimes set down a man more than they employ, or at least if that cannot so well be, to set down for some two pence a day or so, more than I gave, so here by subtlety I was betrayed, and my mind led out to desire more than my allowance which in that service wherein I was unfaithful, as I remember it came to about six pound that I took more than my allowance in the deceit of my heart. Now all the while I was acting unrighteously, I had no peace with God, for his presence I went from, which should have preserved me out of the thing that was evil in his sight, and sometimes I had trouble in the thoughts of the evil I had proceeded in, in being unfaithful to my trust, but I got over the trouble and went on in the deceit of my heart to do evil, so that my eye was blinded that I did not see the evil to be so great, and my heart hardened through custom of finning, that I went on without much remorse, so that work seizing, being finished, after obtained to be employed at the custom house, for the excise aboard on ships, which I was by oath bound to do service in faithfulness: now when I was first passed on that service I had some dread of God upon me, and did proceed in faithfulness, to discharge my trust, and as I stood in his dread I was preserved from joining with those that were employed with me that were unfaithful, knowing then that I reaped nothing but sadness of heart in my former unfaithfulness in the other employment, so then as I stood in the Counsel and dread of God, I stood firm as an Iron Pillar in the power of God, which did preserve me out of temptations, that I could slight the bottles of Wine was brought, and what was otherwise offered to ensnare my heart being single, but by degrees being amongst the wicked, and going out from the integrity which should have preserved me, turning from the simplicity and looking to the subtlety of the Serpentine wisdom in others, which would use arguments to persuade me, to do that for them wherein I should be false to my trust, saying what was my oath, was it not to be faithful to the Common Wealth in the du●y of Excise; and was not I one of the Common Wealth, that deserved to have more allowed me then I had, and if I did take something and let others have something in taking some moneys of them to let them have it, what wrong did I to the commonwealth, seeing we were Members ourselves of it, and had a right to it more than those that look more for less service, to enrich themselves as the custom and Excise, Commissioners for setting some of them a few hours in a day had each of them many hundreds a year, not doing such service as I did.  
And their Masters, meaning you, could give so much to one, and so much to another, which I appeal to your consciences, if it were not truth, so if I did not take it and let others have a part, others with you, such as you would dispose of what you pleased, to your own self-ends, and where then was the benefit of my trusty service to the commonwealths good. So that through your subt●l wisdom of the flesh, which is Earthly, my heart turned from its integrity, and joined with the enemy of it, which did betray mere self joining with the temptation, to gain something to it, I lost the wisdom which should have led me to deny self, wherein the true gain which is durable riches, (Peace with God lost.) Thus through your evil example, the evil party in the heart of flesh, going on in deceit, being through your evil doing encouraged, led me astray from God, for I thought then, according to my vain imagination, that if you could do such great things against your Trust and be guiltless, that I might do smaller matters with freedom: and so went on in unfaithfulness to my Trust, (and an unfruitful work of darkness) for which I tasted God's sore displeasure, for in his eternal Love to me, he followed me close with plagues, and his righteous judgements, whereby my hard heart might be broken, and I by h●s judgements ●et up, in my heart might come to learn righteousness, which th' the abundant Grace, Patience and long suffering of God, was effected in me. But before I knew this, I went on long in impenitency, under plagues and judgements, that I became even a ter●our to myself, and was full of trouble of spirit, yet hid my iniquity in my bosom, the cause of my long trouble and disquietness, and a small thing would then discontent me, and so grew very peevish and froward, in so much, that when my dear wife sometimes spoke but mildly to me, I should soon break forth into passion, she not knowing what ailed me to be soon ang●y, which I then was ashamed to tell her, or any one, but still covered my iniquity in my bosom, but the Lord's Eye saw it, and his hand and arm found it out, to plague me for it, so that I went a long season under the heavy weight, and burden of his indignation: which was the Cup given by his righteous hand to me to drink, who had long drank of the▪ Cup of Abomination, through my unfaithfulness, but since, I see the Lord's eternal love was woe king towards me through all this, not suffering me to have ease whilst I went on to dishonour him, by a Conversation full of worldly spots and defilements, and once it was in my heart to have informed the Commissioners with what I had done, enacting unfaithfully, and to cast myself at their feet, to deal with me as they would. Another time it was in my heart, that it was suitable to my unfaithfulness, to get the Pillory set before the Exchange, and there stand voluntarily with the Money that I had taken unjusty, that I might there have stood an example, to be a warning to others never to do the like wickedness, another time it appeared good to me to have passed to the custom House at the 12th▪ hour, when many people would be there, and then declare to them there the evil of my doings, and there to return the Money I had badly received, that they all there might take Example my me. But after a long season, I was wearied with my wickedness, and through judgements was broken off from receiving moneys any longer, when any one offered it unto me, for the space of about a year before I left that employment. About the same time there came to London some young Men out of the North, which were called Quakers, one of my acquaintance asked me if I had heard them. I said I had heard them once, yea but said he, hear them five or six times, and then judge whether it be not truth that they declare. I said to him it is like I should, or to that effect. So I passed to one meeting or two, but I had not received any thing that reached my heart, but going to another meeting, at the Place called the Bull and Mouth in Martius London. There were three of the Servants of the Lord, Ministers of the Everlasting gospel, George Fox, Francis howgil, and Edward Burrowghs; and one of them was speaking of the cross of Christ, which whosoever will be Christ's Disciple must deny himself, and take up daily; Said one of them, that which crosseth the carnal mind is the cross of Christ, the carnal mind said he, is Enmity against God, as any one comes to stand in the cross, which crosseth the carnal mind, which is the power of God, the partition Wall of Enmity comes to be broken down: and reconciliation witnessed, the Enmity being slain by the power of God, which is (said he that spoke) that which crosseth the carnal mind which the Light. Now I hearing these wo●ds spoken, the witness of God in my heart answered, that this was true, for thought I in myself, the light which discovers sin and checks, for it, checks for that which the carnal mind would run into, now as the reproof of wisdom there is harkened to, and turned at, which is the Light, which word is a light to the feet of the soul▪ as it is taken heed to, to guide out of the paths of Death, and Condemnation, which the carnal mind, would go out from God which is light into, to do the deeds of Darkness. I knew as the light which is the cross to the carnal mind, is taken heed to and stood in, the Death must needs come upon the carnal mind, and the sin cease to be committed, and so the partition wall of Enmity would be broken down by the cross to the carnal mind, so then, an entrance into God's Kingdom was ministered to me, and plainly discovered before me, and my eye was opened, to see the working of the mystery of Iniquity in me. My heart being in Measure turned to the Lord, desires were raised up in me, to wait upon the Lord, in the light, which I knew then had often convinced me of sin: that I might feel the power, God breaking down the Partition wall of Enmity in my own particular, which through sin and transgression I saw, was standing in me. So the first great sin mine Enlightened Eye fixed upon, was unfaithfulness to my Trust; And my trouble began afresh, in remembrance of that, and God's witness arose in me to testify against me, that the partition Wall of Enmity was not broken down in me in the sin of unfaithfulness to my Trust, and that I was not clear in his sight, in that particular: Though the Judgements and terror of the Lord had rooted out, and driven me from the practice of such wickedness, yet somewhat did still remain to be removed, in that particular, and it was made plain to me, waiting in the light, that it would be good in the sight of God. To deny myself, and to give up to the death of the cross, the ground of the Partition wall of Enmity, which was Covetousness in me, and to give in freely what I had unjustly received, to the Commissioners of the Excise in Broadstreet, under whom I had been employed at the customhouse: that it might be given out by them, with the rest of moneys that was there received for the service of the commonwealth, whose it was and not mine, so having much trouble upon me, being loath to part with so much; which truly then, was near if not full half I had in the outward; having a wife, and five children, to provide for, and not freedom to keep my employment any longer, being convinced it was oppression, the Excise than an no necessity of it; And that I ought not be a servant to any in oppression. So the trial of my faithfulness to stand in the cross to my carnal mind, and deny self in this thing, was great and much trouble I was under for some time, through my unwillingness, to give up self, to be slain on the cross to my carnal mind, and then a servant of the Lord, George Fox coming to my house, I told him in part how it was with me, and he said to me, he that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall find mercy, and I saw his heart was lifted up to the Lord in prayer for me, which was heard, and my groaning was not hid from him, so the Lord reached down hi● right arm of Power, and touched my heart with his grace, and long suffering, and made me willing to submit to his will, deny myself, and give up to the Commissioners for Excise the sum of money I received unjustly, which was made plain to me, waiting in the light, to be near one hundred and fifty pound, but it lay on my heart to restore more rather then less, and so I was made free by the power of the Lord, and did give back, at the Excise Office London, one hundred and sixty pound. So than I felt the Truth of the words George Fox spoke to me, he that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall find mercy. For much ease, peace, and ref eshment I received into my soul from the Lord, in my obedience to the power of his Grace, in the cross to my will in that thing: Giving praises to his pure holy Name for evermore. Now knowing the terrors of the Lord for unfaithfulness to my Trust, which let that of God in your consciences answer, if you many, or all of you are not guilty, (if not in giving and taking that which was not yours) yet in consenting with them in it which did, till you declare to the Nation whom you wronged therein, your disprovement of their so doing, the sin will lie at your door and be charged upon you, when God appears with his terrible outstretched arm of judgement, to give unto each of you according to the deeds done in the body, whether good or evil, which hastens a pace, therefore read through yourselves, with the Light which I have written, that you may be converted and healed, that your sins may be blotted out, (confessing and forsaking of them) and a time to you of refreshment may come from the presence of the Lord, which would be more sweet to you to feel and enjoy, than now you can be sensible of; And now I could even freely unbosom my heart to you further, how the Lord's presence hath gone along with me since, even to this present time: That you might see that the same g●ace of God which hath appeared unto all men, and Checks for sin, is sufficient to save from sin, as I being brought by the power of it waiting in it, to deny self in that particular have Experienced. For I being turned to it, it wrought in me an awe and dread of God least at any time I should offend with my tongue or do any evil action, and so thereby came under God's displeasure, so reading some books of those people's putting forth, who are called Quakers, I could not find any thing in them contrary to truth; so speaking with one that had heard those people, he asked me what I thought of them, for his part he said, he did believe that what they declared would stand, when all else would fall, and he asked me if I believed that thee and thou to one particular Person was truth I said yea; said he then, if I did not come into obedience to what I was convinced of to be Truth, I must come under condemnation, I said it was truth: So then knowing a stay to my mind, the Light it became a bridle to my tongue, and preserved me in the word, Thou, in heart and tongue single to the Lord, and redeemed me out of the world's words into truth's Word, which is & was from the beginning, Thou to one particular person. Then loving the Light, bringing my deeds to it, to prove them whether they were wrought in God or not. I saw that I was in respect of Persons (Which whosoever doth respect persons commits sin,) in that foolish thing putting off the hat, to some, and not to others, according to a vain custom of the World, which is evil in the sight of God. So than the same Grace, taking heed to the Light which is the Grace. I knew the cross to my carnal mind, to give me dominion over that evil, and to redeem me out of that likewise: and this was the day of small things with me, which none is to d●spise, for it was precious, than a strong Enemy appeared, which warred in my members to bring forth fruit unto Death, and had been of long continuance in me: which whilst I looked to the Light I had power over, but when a Temptation to it appeared, I looking to the Temptation, that which my carnal mind led me into, leaving the Light which should have preserved me single in the sight of God, in the cross to my carnal mind, there I fell into Temptation, and then the swift witness of God in me, pursued me with Judgements, and the Lord's anger was kindled against me, so that I became again, a terror to myself; and seeing what I had done, I said in my heart, in zeal for the Lord, whom I had greatly displeased: Yea I said, cursed be that hand that lifteth itself up against the Reign of Christ in my soul, for loving the Light though it did condemn me knowing that in it was my life, it discovered to me wherein my heart was adulterated from the pure God, and Woe, there was my portion: and the curse came on both my hands with which I had been in Rebellion, th●ough disobedience, as again●t the pure God of my life, but waiting in the Light, I was born up in Patience to wait in the Light, to receive power to st●nd in the hour of Temptation, against the Fiery Darts of the Adversary; then further I saw into several things in my calling, in the outward, that I was not a servant to the Lord Ch●ist, in who had enlightened me with h●s true light, and that improvision of Rings and toys to sell to proud and vain people, I was a servant to the devil, in the hearts of proud and vain people that came to my shop to buy such things, which by the power of the same grace of God that discovered them to be evil, and my service evil there in selling them; I say by the sam-power I am ransomed and redeemed out of ●h●● service, and this I have been made free in, to relate to you, that you may come to own Christ Jesus the Light of the World, through h●s Grace which hath appeared to all men to be taught to deny ungodliness, whereby each of you might come to witness in truth redemption out of a vain conversation, having escaped the corruptions that are in the World, through the knowledge of him, whom to know is life eternal. Ah friends, when you went out from the truth, which would have made you and the Nation free from guilt and condemnation, and preserved you free had you stood in it, so that you might have felt the blessing and presence of God with you, and so to have been a blessing and good savour to the Nation: whereas now the ill savour that went from you, spread over the whole Nation, and many poor Soldiers I heard sold their Debentures for six pence in the pound, some for one shilling, some for two shillings in the pound; and some, with that money, by the report doubling of the Debentures purch●sed Kings Lands, for what the wood was worth upon the ground: and this surely should have been seen too better by you, when this poor Nation groaned under such a weighty bu●then, and poor soldiers defrauded of their right, for the eyes of sober people looks upon these things, I mention it to provoke you to a deep sense of it, that your hearts might be broken, and you might consider, for then when I heard it I remember it was a great grief of heart to me, and as you may truly taste them words true to you, that sin is a reproach to any people, so that now longing desires might spring up in you to taste the other words true to you, that righteousness exalteth a Nation, by the Righteous working of God's grace and power in you, making you willing to deny self, and to stand in the daily cross to your carnal minds, that iniquity may be rooted out of you by it, and you through it be guided into equity, whereby God's presence you may come to feel in the blessing of Peace to your own particulars, and may become a refreshment and blessing to the Nation, which is the desire of him who in true love flowing towards you, had it in his heart to write these lines unto you.  
Humphrey Bache. Tower street London. 13. d. 3d. month. 1659.   

London, Printed for M. W. 1659.