THREE SPEECHES, MADE BY Sir. john Wray, To the House of Commons, assembled in Parliament. 1 Against Thomas Earl of Strafford, and the Bishop of Canterbury. 2 Being a motion for the taking of an oath to maintain the Religion and vows established. 3 Against the Oath and Canons made by the Assembly at the last Convocation. London Printed, 1641. SIR JOHN WRAYES' SPEECH▪ April 6. 1641. Master Speaker, TRuth is the Daughter of Time, and experience the best Schoolmaster, who hath long since taught many men and States, the sad and woeful effects of an half done work. Master Speaker, those Convulsions and renting pains, which the body of Great Britain now shows that the ill humours and obstructions are not yet fully purged nor dissolved. Master Speaker, God will have a through work done, if in stead of redressing evils, we think to trans-seat all by remove of Persons and not things, well may we hush our troubles for a season, but they will return with a greater violence, for believe it Master Speaker, Let 〈◊〉 flatter ourselves as we please, any sighted eyes may see that although we think we have now passed the equinoxial and Straffordian Line, and seem to have gone beyond Canterbury; yet their faction, and their undermining. Agents (of all Religions) grow daily more and more powerful, and no doubt do labour an extirpation of all Parliaments; and men which will not think, say and swear to their opinions and practices. Have we not then Master Speaker, a Wolf by the ears, or rather a Fox by the tail? Is there any way to go or wolfe-free but one? then let us take, and not forsake that old English Parliamentary road, which is via tuta, and will bring us safely to our journeys end, that's my humble Motion. SIR JOHN WRAYES' Speech, May the third, 1641. Master Speaker, IF ever we intent to perfect and finish those great works we have begun, we must follow that via tuta which I formerly told you of, and in a word is this, to become holy pilgrims in that path (not popish) and to endeavour to be loyal Covenanters with God and the King, first binding ourselves by a Parliamentary and natural Oath, (not a Straffordian, nor a Prelatical one) to preserve our Religion entire and pure, without the least compound of Superstition or Idolatry: next to defend the defender of the Faith, his Royal Person, Crown and Dignity: and maintain our sufferance in his glory & splendour, (which can never be eclipsed if the balance of justice go right: and his Laws be duly executed. Thus doing Master Speaker, and making Jerusalem our chiefest joy, we shall be a blessed Nation, and a happy People: but if we shall let go our Christian hold, and lose our Parliament proof, and old English well tempered mettle, let us take heed then, Master Speaker, that our Buckler break not, and our golden Candlestick be nor removed, which God forbidden, and let me never live to see, nor Enggland to feel the want of, that's my Prayer to conclude my former Motion. FINIS. SIR JOHN WRAYES SPEECH Touching the Canons, December the fifteenth, 1640. Master Speaker, A Man may easily see to what tends all these Innovations, and alteration in Doctrine and Discipline, and (without a prospective glass) discover affar off, the active toylesomnesse of those spiritual Ingineers, to undermine the old and true foundation of Religion, and to establish their tottering heresy in room thereof; which lest it should not hold being built with untempered mortar, you see how careful they are by a vast Oath to force men's consciences, not to alter their Government archiepiscopal, etc. Mr. Speaker, the thoughts of the Righteous are right, but the Counsels of the wicked are deceit, and nothing else is in their hearts but destruction, and devastation, but to the Counsellors of peace is joy, so long as they keep themselves within the circle of spiritual Commerce, and studied to keep men's hearts upright to God and his Truth: there was no such complaining in our streets of them, nor have we overseen so many thousand hands against them as now there are come in, and no marvel though God with draws so many hearts and hands from them, who have turned so many from the Way of Truth, via tuta, they have stopped up; but via devia, they have enlarged and laid open, as appeareth by their crooked Canons. Master Speaker, I shall not go about to overthrow their government in the plural, but to limit and qualify it in some particulars: for as Sir Francis Bacon long since well observed there were two things in the government of Bishops, of which he could never be satisfied; no more am I, The first was, the sole exercises of their authority, and secondly, the deputation of that authority; but Mr. Speaker, I shall not now dispute of either, for my part, I wish some of them so well, and am so charitable to the rest, that I wish rather their reformation than their ruin: but let me tell you withal, that if we shall find amongst them any proud Becket, or Woolsie, Prelates, who stick not to write, Ego & Rex meus, or if there shall be found any cruel Bonners, etc. such (I protest) I would not spare for they will spare none. But if in the counterbalance there may be found but one good Cranmer, or one Latimer, or Ridley, I would esteem and prise them as rich jewels, fit to be set in the Kings own Cabinet, for such I am sure will pray for the peace of jerusalem, and for the peace of King Charles, and his three Kingdoms; which God long preserve in concord and unity, but Master Speaker, we must also be Actors in the preservation of Religious Concordance which will never be safe nor well at quiet, until these heavy drossy Canons with all their base metal be melted & desolved, let us then dismount them and destroy them, which is my humble motion. FINIS.