A WORD in due SEASON TO THE Ranting Royalists, AND Rigid Presbyterians, etc.  
By a Person wholly Disinteressed in any of the late, or present Factions.  
Printed, In the Year, 1660.   

A WORD in due SEASON TO THE Ranting Royalists, AND Rigid Presbyterians, etc.  
Gentlemen,  
IT is too manifest, That, in the first War, some of you (I mean the Outrageous Royalists) did more prejudice the KING your Master, than the Swords of his Enemies; many of you brought more Scandal on Him, than their tongues; And as Divines tell us, It was not only Judas that Betrayed, nor Pilate that Condemned, nor the Jews that Buffeted our Saviour, but every presumptuous sinner acted, and still acts his Part, in the Tragedy: so by God's just Permission, and for our deserved Punishment, your Exorbitances (I fear) conspired with the malice of others, in bringing that sacred and innocent head to the Scaffold: What an odium brought you upon his Actions? What a jealousy upon his Counsels? Nay, what contempt upon his Person and Authority? The worst of their Proceed from thence received, (I will not say, Justice) nor scarce Colour; but sure I am, that what pretence they had, they borrowed of you: Otherwise, his Innocency fight with Arms (Charity binds me to believe in his judgement) purely defensive, and with frequent Solicitations pursuing Peace, would either have prevailed with the Parliament for an Accommodation, or left them generally condemned, as malicious Contrivers, and obstinate Continuers of the WAR, whereby most of the good people of England, but especially of London, and the Associated Counties, would soon have been undeceived, as they have since been by late and woeful experience; for it is well known, that many (then) the fiercest Zealots for our unhappy Reformation, never hated the Person of their SOVEREIGN, nor envied his just Power, but sincerely loved him, and hearty embraced his Govenment; yet being first terrified by your threats, and exasperated with your Provocations, were, afterwards, by their factious Teachers and Ringleaders, too easily cheated of their Loyalty, and led captive, as it were, into mere Sedition, under the specious (but stolen) pretence of removing evil Counselors, and rescuing his Majesty's Authority and Person (as they were told) out of the hands of a desperate Crew, which abused his goodness and facility: The truth whereof, doth since evidently appear, by their frank confession, hearty contrition, and late most effectual endeavours, with sober and generous Actions, to cancel the memory of their former errors, and satisfy the World (at least the judicious) they never sinned presumptuously; for insolent and malicious Treason commonly festers the soul, and ends in the gangrene of a despairing and implacable Gild; whereas, their desire to trust that Prince, whom once they disobliged, savours, though of much Error at first, yet now of more Ingenuity, and must be construed to proceed only from such soundness of heart, and clearness of spirit, as by good men ought to be highly cherished; and, perhaps, far better esteemed, than the mere ostentation of perseverance in pretended Loyalty, but real Animosity: Wherefore, Gentlemen, in true friendship to you, (whom I would willingly, in part, excuse, upon the score of your great Suffering, and Oppression, which transports even wise men) but especially, in zeal of his service, whom we all profess equally to desire, give me leave without offence, a little to expostulate with you.  
Do you think it a small matter, That after a long consumption of our blood and spirits in a civil War, or a Peace, more hostile than it, God hath, at length, miraculously afforded us a possibility of Settlement? That after a tedious night of Egyptian darkness and bondage, God hath given you a glimpse, and indeed as yet, but a glimpse of hope, That you, as Englishmen, may in due time, with others, enjoy your birthright, (viz.) an Equal Protection and Benefit of the Law; and will nothing, now, already, content you but absolute Dominion, and to have all things prostrate at your feet? Is this a fitting return of thankfulness to God, for your deliverance begun, or a probable means of prevailing with him, to continue and perfect his mighty work? Have you so soon forgotten your Sequestrations, Prisons, and Scaffolds? Can you remember no sins of yours, that entitled you to those Punishments, or might modestly oblige you, at least to confess the justice of God, in the unjustice of Men; but must all your sufferings be imputed to mere supererogation and glorious Martyrdom? Was it a Crime, unpardonable, in your Adversaries, as you pretend, to rebel, though many of them transgressed, more out of ignorance, than contempt of their Duty; and is it no fault in you, who glory in being so Orthodox, to breathe out Violence, cherish your lusts, and steep your souls in Revenge? Are you of the Nature of those Elements, which, in our Proverbial dialect, are good Servants, but ill Masters, and which, if not confined, will drown and devour all? Were you fatally designed either to be Slaves, or Tyrants, Gibeonites, or Pashas? Are you like those in Bedlam, not to be tamed but with hunger and stripes? Can you imagine, the lofty pretences of a Party, which hath been so often foiled, so long suppressed, so much suspected, will consist with the satisfaction of others more considerable, the Settlement of the Nation, the Exigence of Affairs? Or can you ever hope to carry it with a high hand by your silly Rhodomontadoes? Hath not experience yet made you sensible, That the People of this Nation, having tasted the forbidden fruit, are now become sinfully wise; That their eyes being indeed opened, but withal their natures vitiated, and wils depraved, they are quite fallen from their primitive innocency, so as I fear, the KING, if restored, must buckle to inconveniences, and Reign, at least, for some time, rather as a Probationer then a Prince? Were not some of you drinking your late Master's health, whilst his Cause, nay, perhaps, himself was bleeding his last? Have not you since served his Son, much at the same rate, and with like success? Will you never learn to govern your Passions, to allay your Cups, or turn, if not truly Virtuous, yet ordinarily Discreet, so, at least, as not to fall miserably into the Pity of your Friends, the Scorn of your Enemies, and Obloquy of the People: That a Righteous cause may no more be blasted with your Scandals, Good men branded for your Licentiousness, and the sober and numerous Royal Party (which certainly hath no Peer for constancy, justice, and modesty) decimated, as it were, again in its reputation, for the Enormities, of a few (that being God be thanked your number) Do you not know, how the KING disowne's you, the People dislike you, your Friends blush for you, and the Enemies of our quiet now make use of your exorbitances or treacheries (a belief of the latter your irrational Ranting extort from me) to obstruct a lawful and happy Settlement. And if (which God in mercy prevent) now in this great Crisis of our hopes, and fears, through your folly and frenzy (I wish I could forbear to say, some of your falsehood) the hands of true Englishmen should be weakened, the Factions exasperated, the jealous alarmed (though falsely) the tender sprouts of Loyalty nipped and discouraged, so that our hopes and endeavours should prove abortive, and your poor Country return to its thraldom, would not the present Age and Posterity, have cause to curse you, more than any of our late Tyrants and Taskmasters? And who indeed would then, be accounted such Traitors, and firebrands, as you? However, think seriously, if you can, whether (you persisting) the Nation (now inclined to vomiting) will not spew you out amongst the fanatics, as a morsel, which if it were swallowed, can never be digested, but must oppress nature, putrify in the stomach, and poison the blood; in fine, a mere Faction, and an Extreme, no less nauseous and dangerous, than the Rump itself.  
AND you my good Friends of the Presbyterian Party, know, that you are generally distinguished into Two Classes, (viz.) Moderate and Rigid. You of the First rank are by all sober men acknowledged, now, to be of the best sort of Englishmen, not differing (materially at least) from the Moderate royalist; Generous Assertors of our Liberties, stout Oppugners of encroaching (and consequently) Maintainers of Just Prerogative; above all, you are considered as Persons, that will modestly acquiesce in Freedom of Parliament, the only Cure proper to our Distempers. For we suppose your Moderation, which to you was natural, cannot but be greatly improved, by your Experience, since many, even the Principal of you, having been for your Loyalty, and Temper, forcibly excluded from the Government, more than Eleven years, have, thereby, had leisure to reflect on Errors, to observe passages, and to design Expedients, without the Partiality of Gamesters; Great reason therefore, we have, to promise ourselves, That you, who have not only, with others, seen, and felt the fatal consequences of the Swords interposing in our Laws, but more signally, in your own Persons, suffered those memorable insolences and indignities from Red-coats, will be for ever most tenderly concerned for the honour of Parliaments, and careful never to encourage, much less (under any pretence, how specious soever) yourselves to practise that Violence, which you have so justly and notably branded in others, when exercised on you; And this honest Principle, wherein the Sober Royalists shake hands with you, I take for the only basis, upon which, we can, possibly be settled.  
But for you, of the other sort, (viz.) The Violent and Rigid, I must tell you Plainly; You are esteemed, but a kind of frantics, and very paltry ones; In your Policy, Pedantic, in your Justice, Narrow and Mechanic, selvish in Conversation, Waspish in Argument or Debate, Perverse in Business, Eccentric in your Motions, and true to no Principle; You are observed not to walk by the Golden rule of doing as you would be done to; nor think yourselves concerned in that Sacred Precept, of doing no evil, that good may follow; Per fas, aut nefas, and Flectere si nequeo superos, etc. are no small part of your Decalogue. Waving therefore the design of convincing your Judgements, as impertinent, if not impossible, give me leave to acquaint you, That the Nation hath, hitherto, seen little of you to enamour them; That the most Extravagant of Sectaries are more grateful to us, than you, in regard they allow others the same freedom, they arrogate to themselves; That the Discipline of Geneva is every where censured, as a Government, by Princes justly suspected and feared, by Nobility scorned, and by the People of England, loathed; That it will never be settled here, by fair means, nor surely, I hope, by foul, or if it be, it must come, like Mahomet, with a Turkish Cimitar in its hand, and desolation at its heels: You may, therefore, do well, for our sakes, and your own, to desist from so hopeless a pursuit, and content yourselves with the Liberty of Christians, and Englishmen, without contending for a Dominion, so distasteful to all, but yourselves; However, I beseech you, refrain your factious and unworthy Arts, in spreading and fomenting those Calumnies, which yourselves know to have no other ground then the levity of a few Malcontents, no deeper root, than the Tavern, nor any Reputation, but what you delight to give them, and which would vanish of their own accord, like froth, or bubbles, if you were not as ready to uphold, as industrious to propagate discord; as the indiscretest Cavaliers are apt, (and alas, too apt they are) to vent their follies.  
Finally, you Churchmen, whether of the Classical or Episcopal Judgement, Remember, you are Ministers of the Gospel, not of the State: For which purpose, our Pious Laws have provided you a peculiar Maintenance, to depend on no man, have both Sequestered you from Public Offices, and exempted you from Civil Duties: Thrust not then your Sickles into any other Harvest; Act not the parts of News-mongers and Politicians; wherein, as your Errors are of themselves Presumptuous, to the People most Contagious, so your best Abilities savour of Impertinency, Ostentation, and a worldly mind: What say your Adversaries? You, no question, struck the first stroke; for our Statesmen turned not Preachers, till our Preachers turned Statesmen. It is, surely, high time, you redeem the Credit, you have lost, whether as Evangelists, Christians, or good Citizens; and stop their mouths, who have too much colour to Object, That your Blessings and Curses arr like those of Balaam; and that, indeed, you deliver not Christ's Ordinances, but your own Passions; wherein, though, perhaps, you may not always ere in the Main, yet, commonly, you transgress, in the measure. I could much have enlarged upon these Subjects, but this, I hope, may suffice, if it be read with the same spirit, where with it is written.  
THE END.