PLAIN DEALING OR A Fair Warning TO THE Gentlemen of the COMMITTEE FOR UNION: IN A LETTER Intended to ALDERMAN Folks, To be Communicated unto them accordingly at Gurney House, or elsewhere. Written by a Friend to the Parliament, City and Kingdom, and for their Vindication, is now published to the World.  MATH. 18. 7. ●o unto the world, because of offences: but it must needs be that offences come: but woe unto that man by whom the offence cometh. 
Printed in the first Year of the Agitators reign, MDCXLVII.   

PLAIN DEALING OR A Fair warning TO THE Gentlemen of the COMMITTEE FOR UNION.  
Gentlemen,  
THat this meeting may prove effectual by God's blessing to the end pretended, even a sweet union between the godly, and a happy Composure of this unhappy difference; I thought it my duty to give you (as briefly and plainly as I can:) that which I conceive, must necessarily be debated in order to this union: and were not Religion, God's cause, the Kingdom, nay three Kingdoms so nearly con●●●ned, I would have been silent for my brethren's sakes, for whom it 〈◊〉 me at the very heart. But it may be remembered, the father's dangers made the dumb child to speak, you know there is no sore can be throughly cured, but it must endure some smart; if this sore be not skilfully handled, and throughly cured, it may prove fatal to the Gospel, throughout all Europe; and in truth, whatsoever specious pretext to the contrary, a perpetual farewell to England's, Ireland's and Scotland's Common Right and Freedom 
* For do not Soldiers usurp the Parliaments authority, which is one fair step to it? and for the Ministry, they'll be preachers; Rome may keep their Jesuits at home these will do their work for them if God prevent not. ; whatsoever Mr. Estwick is pleased to say, I am confident his own Conscience tells him, The Gentlemen he accuseth for promoting a new War, and his inveighing against the City Remonstrance, Declaration, and all the late Carriages of the promoters thereof, is really from a deep sense of their duty, and the danger, this Parliament was in by the army's disobedience, whose proceedings all along since, doth sufficiently justify, and make manifest, and whether or no the fundamental Laws of the Land be not now subverted, and the very being of Parliaments struck at, when the Army hath not only refused to obey the Parliament, but contrarily hath forced obedience from them, both in voting and unvoting, and hath taken upon them to judge the case of the Kingdom, nay, to be the Parliaments Judges, and to require Reasons of their votes, to be given them, or such as they confide in, as appears by that Declaration of the 18, of June, and Parliament like, to receive the country's Petitions, set up a 
* The Junto or Mock Parliament at Putney.  General Counsel against the Great Counsel of the Land undertake to do that there, only proper to Parliaments; vote down the King's negative voice, the House of Pears, set periods to Parliaments, give Rules and Directions to Parliaments. I would I could not add that bold faced Treason, when they declared the Parliament to be no Parliament. In a word, as they have divided the Parliaments, so have they Fomented and Promoted all the divisions in the Kingdom, that shakes the very foundations of this commonwealth; what exceeding 
* Is there not juggling in the Kings being found at the Ifle of Wight. I wish his person be not st●l in danger; and that we knew the Truth.  Juggling hath been in the Army from the beginning, and also, withal the world besides: Absalon like to steal away the hearts of the people, and to cozen and cheat them out of their very understandings, to the betraying of themselves, the Parliament, even to the endangering the ever having more Parliaments? What strange and undutiful expressions? What slander and Reproaches? Nay, what treasonable speeches and actions hath been attempted against this Parliament? Was not the Kings taking from Holdenby disowned by the Army since owned, upon very great pretences of loyally and duty to him, but what performances all the world may now see by his majesty's present escape for the safety of his person, as well as by the attempts of the Agitators 
* If you see them shot to death for their attempts upon the King, Parliament & City, than I hope all will be well, no as bad as ever without Peter's Repentance; even among the head Officers, who sin in that also; is it not as just for the Agitators to disobey their Officers as for them to disobey the Parliament. , to Impeach him without any Authority or Countenance of the Parliaments; and such other attempts upon the Parliament and ministry of the Gospel, that if Absalon were now alive to act his Treason, it might well enough pass among the crowd, for Common Right and Freedom Was not the Petition disowned since owned? Was not their disobedience disowned with a great deal of feigned sorrow, since owned with a great deal of real Joy; doth any man know what to make of the Army now, one piece of it is for Paul, and other for Apollo's, and an other for Sephaes, but all out of order, all disobedient to the Parliament, ever and anon professing that the Parliament is not yet for their turn; so that the truth is, and I think all the world can never make it out, that there is any thing to be said for them, but that whilst they were obedient, God honoured them to be Instruments to this poor Kingdom; which very service makes me pour out many a prayer to God, to pour upon them the spirit of Repentance and Obedience, without which I much doubt of any good by your meeting: for when God comes to inquire after all those things, I am afraid he will charge upon the army's disobedience, the new 
* What is your own Child turned a Monster that you are ashamed to own it.  War you talk of, the accusation of the Imprisoned and banished ones, the renting and tearing in piec●s the Parliament, the City, the whole Kingdom, nay 3, Kingdoms, the hinderers of Ireland's Relief; promoters of the Famine, both of bread, and of the word of the Lord, and of all the sad Consequences we fear may follow: So that the subject or matter that tends to a godly union in my opinion will be speedily to make a Religious Retreat, if nature prevail so with you that you cannot own the new War, yet let grace be so predominant as not to continue to charge it upon those you know are 
* The Lord Maior, Aldermen, the Members of both Houses, and divers others occused of High Treason or misdemeanours.  innocent, set at liberty all those Gentlemen, most of which I know you have had such signal Testimonies of their faithfulness to this Parliament, that as I am confident, Treason will not stick by them, so the several footsteps of God's providence ever since hath given strange Commendation to their endeavours, as if God would have the world to see, that they then did but attempt to do their duty: Put both Houses and the City into the same posture they were in, when you first meddled with them, and then know, that there is much doubt too, whether unity and uniformity be not twins to live and die together. I am persuaded there is many great Officers of the Army in ●ool blood, could heartily wish themselves where they were when they begun, but they are now in a snare, and subject to many Temptations: yet I hope their ●●genuity is such, that though ambition bids them go on, that they will Remember they have not so learned Christ; and the further they go the more misery they will run themselves into; for I am confident, without Repentance, God will bring them to a s●● reckoning, at last: and indeed Gentlemen: how can a true Israelite, a true English man, dispense with his duty? Nay can England, that has obleiged itself by so many Solemn Vows 
* How y●u have k●pt the Coven●nt let your conscie●ces speak, that have not only ●uffered the privileges of Parliament to be b●●ken, but have broken them yourselves. Do not your own consciences check you if they do defer n●t Repentance, un●avel & und● what you have rashly done; for I hope you see what it is to let the golden 〈◊〉 of Government loose, and if you be real converts leave juggling.  and Covenants, to preserve the Parliament, when so apparently it is endangered? were not the 11. Members fain to leave the Parliament, or else they would turn them out by force? Did not the Parliament Vote six days one after another, That, that was a Parliament the Army Voted was none; and would, as I think, have Voted so till this day, could we say they were not now under a force? But I believe the last great turn given to the Parliament by that 1000 Horse, commanded by Major Desborough into Hide Park (to execute that dreadful Declaration or poisonous purge, of which the Parliament hath never yet recovered, and was such a blow to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to these three Kingdoms ●● cannot yet be paralleled) will require a thorough REPENTANCE: And though we cannot see all the plots and designs of men, yet God knows all the present jugglings of this Age; and we have had so much experience in all the transactions, since this unhappy difference, as to say, surely this putting of the Army thus out of joint is to try the skill of some or other. But, I hope, the Gentlemen that press an Union upon that ground, will see a providence in it, and say of their policy, all is vanity: and that surely by this division in the Army, God minds us of our disobedience, and that we should trust God more in his ordinary way of providence: and let Parliaments alone with the settling of Church and State, as only proper to them: And if the Soldiers act without, or in opposition to their Officers: is it not Lex Talionis? Is it not the bitter fruit of their own rash counsels and Actions? Believe it, all the would, that observes the Army, may with good reason conclude, that they are gone so far, that they now resolve only to depend upon their own strongth for indemnity: their own Papers do more than intimate as much: if so then, what good issue of this meeting can be expected without some better encouragement from that party: but some kind of acknowledgement, or s●bmission or something akin to it? And indeed, what ever is pretended that seems to be their aim, if Master Estwick spoke their Meaning at the last Meeting; and if so, ●hen know that an ungodly Union cannot hold; for if you could outreach or outwit men, it's to no purpose, for God will laugh you to s●orn and have you in derision; as its good to forget on all sides, so its dangerous to countenance any of the late passages since this difference, or to comply while they have power to drive on their own designs 
* To be sure they have not power to defend King, Parliament and Kingdom, as appears by the King's flight at their confession & practice daily. Do not the Gen●ral Counc●l drive one way and the Agiltators another ●● the best Lie, Gen. Cromwell can do is but to obstruct their treason, which they choose to suffer in h●●es of a better opportunity to act it; and it's well known have no small Party, and are in a desperat● c●●dition. . It would be too tedious to give you a taste of all the bitter fruit of the army's disobedience: but in one Paper they take Liberty of Conscience, to desire the punishment of those Gentlemen that out of conscience, and in obedience, left the Army: And M. Estwick more than intimated, that he greatly desired an Union between the Parliament and City, only some particular Gentlemen should lie under the guilt of a new War; of whose innocency, by this time, I presume he cannot be ignorant: but that self defence, which he is pleased to call a new War, I am fully satisfied, had been the only way to preserve the Parliament, City and Kingdom from all those dangers both felt and feared, had they not by their craft and subtlety, sown so much division among the godly, that we thereby were in danger of a common Enemy. To conclude, so long, I am confident▪ as a counsel of Agitators is set up to oppose the great Counsel of Parliament, and we humble not ourselves for it, there is little hopes of an Union; nay it is a great dishonour to our English Nation, a hissing stock and byword in all Countries. Can you read, without trembling, the Case of the Army, and Call to the Army, the Diurnal, & several other Papers, what danger our Religion is in, what dishonour is cast upon our God, what Heresies and Blasphemies are fomented and maintained, what Hypocrisies in reference to Ireland, what double dealing in reference to England. Witness their own Relation of his majesty's escape or retirement; indeed they have as many several designs as they are parties in the Army; and all tend to a New War, if hiding or driving of King, Parliament and Religion our of the Kingdom will do it, under the notion of Peace and Truth or common Right and Freedom. What endeavouring to charge their own treasons 
* What difference between private tampering now and Sir Io●●●●thans treasons or is there liberty for saints to act what was treason as they say in the 11. Members or any else? or is this the way to peace to keep the Parliament in the dark, or if they will see to putout their eyes? this Machivil an polcy will never restore England's peace surely it's neither the victory over the Agitators, nor the General council, nor any other select number of officers in the Army but the army's obedience to the Parliament, & the freedom of Parliament and application of both Kingdoms to his Majesty that's likely to procure a firm & lasting peace  and mischiefs upon other men's shoulders; all which together with the present necessity of settling the King and Kingdom, relieving Ireland, easing the Kingdom of those unnecessary, Taxes, as Free quarter and all other charges upon the poor Country▪ occasioned by the army's disobedience; I say, as all these calls for Fasting and Prayer, and for humbling ourselves to a happy speedy Union; so shall it also be the daily prayer and sincere endeavour of  
Yours and the Kingdoms humble and faithful Servant, A. T.  
England's sickness, Ireland's dying, and Scotland's sad Complaints  
Are from our ●rethrens mischiefs we thought to be the Saints.  
Our Religion and Liberty the glory of this Nation,  
Is through their disobedience brought near to desolation.  
And without our God step in to stop their persecution,  
We may expect at last, the Parliaments dissolution▪  
And ●nstead of King & Parliament, the Pillars of this kingdom  
Have Community and parity for Common right and freedom.  
But that sincere Repentance may be their Resolution.  
God give them grace, and pardon too, and send a good conclusion  
FINIS.