His highness' SPEECH TO THE PARLIAMENT IN THE PAINTED CHAMBER AT THEIR DISSOLUTION, upon Monday the 22 d. of January 1654.  
Published to prevent Mistakes and false Copies.  
reprinted at Dublin, by William Bladen, 1654.   

HIS highness' Speech To the Parliament, in the Painted Chamber, at their Dissolution, upon Monday January 22. 2654  
Gentlemen  
I Perceive, you are here as the House of Parilament, by your Speaker, whom I see here; and by your faces, which are, in a great measure, known to me. When I first met you in this Room, it was, to my apprehension, the hopefullest day that ever mine eyes saw, as to considerations of this World: For I did look at (as wrapped up in you, together with myself) the hopes and the happiness of (though not of the greatest yet a very great, and) the best people in the World; and truly and unfeignedly I thought so; as a People that have the highest and the clearest profession among them, of the greatest glory (to wit) Religion; as a People that have been like other Nations, sometimes up, and sometimes down, in our honour in the world, but yet never so low, but we might measure with other Nations; and a People that have had a stamp upon them from God, God having (as it were) summed all Our former Glory and Honour, in things that are Glory to Nations in an 〈…〉 we knew one another at home, and are well known abroad.  
And (if I be not very much mistaken) we were arrived (as I, and truly, as I believe, many others did think) at a very safe Port, where we might sit down, and contemplate the dispensations of God, and Our mercies, and might know Our mercies not to have been like to those of the ancients, who did make out their Peace and Prosperity, as they thought, by their own endeavours; who could not say, as We, That all Ours were let down to Us from God himself, whose Appearances and Providences amongst Us are not be outmatched by any Story.  
Truly this was Our condition and I know nothing else we had to do, save as Israel was commanded, in that most excellent Psalm of David, Psal. 78. v. 4, 5, 6, 7. The things which we have heard and known, and our Fathers have told us, we will not hid them from their Children, showing to the Generation to come the praise of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works which he hath done; for he established a Testimony in Jacob, and appointed a Law in Israel, which he commended our Fathers that they should make them known to their Children, that the Generation to come might known them, even the Children which should be born, who should arise and declare them to their Children, that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his Commandments.  
This I thought had been a Song and a Work worthy of England, whereunto you might have happily invited them, had you had Hearts unto it.  
You had this opportunity fairly delivered unto you; And if a History shall be written of these times, and of transactions, it will be said (it will not be denied) but that these things that I have spoken are true.  
This talon was put into your hands, and I shall recure to that which I said at the first, I came with very great joy, and contentment, and comfort, the first time I met you in this Place: But we and these Nations are, for the present, under some disappointment. If I had purposed to have played the Orator, which I did never affect, nor do, nor I hope shall, I doubt not but upon easy suppositions, which I am persuaded every one among you will grant, we did meet upon such hope as these.  
I met you a second time here, and I confess at that meeting I had much abatement of my hopes, through not a total frustration. I confess that that which dampt my hopes, so soon, was somewhat that did look 〈…〉 you that the management of Affairs did savour of a not-owning too too much savour I say of a not-owning the Authority that called you hither; but God left us not without an expedient that gave a second Possibility, shall I say, a possibility? it seemed to Me a probability of recovering out of that Dissatisfied Condition We were all then in, towards some mutuality of Satisfaction, and therefore by that Recognition, suiting with the Indenture that returned you hither, to which afterwards also was added your own Declaration, conformable to and in acceptance o, that Expedient, whereby you had (though with a little check) another opportunity renewed unto you to have made this Nation as happy as it could have been, if every thing had smoothly run on from hatsirct hour of your meeting.  
And indeed (you will give me liberty of my thoughts and hopes) I did think, as I have formerly found in that way that I have been engaged as a soldier, hat some affronts put up in us, some disasters at the first, have made way for very great and happy Successes.  
And I did not at all despond, but the Stop put upon you, would in like manner have made way for a blessing from God, that that Interruption being, as thought, necessary to divert you from destructive and violent proceed, to give time for better Deliberations; whereby, leaving the GOVERNMENT as you found it, you might have proceeded to have made those good and wholesome Laws, which the People expected from you, and might have answered the Grievances, and settled those other things proper to you as a Parliament, and for which you would have had thanks, from all that entrusted you.  
What hath happened since that time, I have not taken public notice of, as declining to entrench upon Parliament privileges: For sure I am, you will all bear me witness, that from your entering into the House upon the Recognition, to this very day, you have had no manner of Interruption or Hindrance of mine, in proceeding to that blessed issue the heart of a good man could propose to himself, to this very day.  
You see you have me very much locked up as to what you transacted among yourselves from that time to this, but something I shall take liberty to speak of to you, As I may not take notice what you have been doing, so I think I have a very great liberty to tell you, that I do not know what you have been doing, I do not know whether you have been alive or dead, I have not once herd from you in all this time, I have not, and that you all know: If that be a fault that I have not, surely it hath not been mine.  
If I had any Melancholy thoughts, and have sat down by them, why might it not have been very lawful to me to think that I was a 〈◊〉 judged Vnconcerned in all these businesses: I can assure you, I have not reckoned myself, nor did I reckon myself unconcerned in you, and so long as any Just patience could support my expectations, I would have waited to the untermost to have received from you the issues of your Consultations and Resolutions; I have been careful of your Safety, & the Safety of those that you represented, to whom I reckon myself a Servant.  
But what Messages have I disturbed you withal? What Injury or Indignity hath been done or offered, either to your Persons, or to any privileges of Parliament, since you sat? I looked at myself, as strictly obliged by my Oath since your recognising the GOVERNMENT, in the Authority of which you were called hither, and sat, to give you all possible security, and to keep you from any un-Parliamentary Interruption.  
Think you I could not say more upon this subject, if I listed to expaciate thereupon; but because my actions plead for me: I shall say no more of this.  
I say, I have been caring for you, your quiet sitting, caring for your privileges (as I said before) that they might not be Interrupted, have been seeking of God, from the great God, a Blessing upon you, sand a Blessing upon these Nations; I have been consulting, if possibly I might in any thing promote, in my Place, the real good of this Parliament, of the hopefulness of which I have said so much unto you.  
And I did think it to be my business, rather to see the utmost issue, and what God would produce by you, than unseasonably to intermeddle with you. But as I said before, I have been caring for you, and for the peace and quiet of the Nations, indeed I have, and that I shall a little presently manifest unto you.  
And it leadeth me to let you know somewhat that I fear, I fear will be through some interpretation a little too justly put upon you, whilst you have been employed as you have been (and in all that time expressed in the GOVERNMENT, in that GOVERNMENT, I say, in that GOVERNMENT) brought forth nothing that you yourselves say can be taken notice of without infringement of your privileges.  
I will tell you somewhat, that (if it be not news to you) I wish you had taken very serious consideration of; if it be news, I wish I had acquainted you with it sooner: And yet if any man will ask me why I did it not, the Reason is given already, because I did make it my business to give you no interruption.  
There be some Trees that will not grow under the shadow of other 〈…〉 a man may say so by way of allusion to thrive under the shadow of other Trees: I will tell you what have thriven, I will not say what you have cherished under your shadow, that were too hard, Instead of the Peace and Settlement, instead of Mercy and Truth being brought together, Righteousness and Peace kissing each other, by reconciling the honest People of these Nation:, and settling the woeful Distempers that are amongst us, (which had been glorious things, and worthy of Christians to have proposed) Weeds and Nettles, Briars and Thorn; have thriven under your shadow, dissettlement! and division, discontent and dis-satisfaction, together with real dangers to the whole, has been more multiplied within these five Months of your Sitting, than in some Years before.  
Foundations have been also laid for the future renewing the Troubles of these Nations, by all the Enemies of it abroad and at home; Let not these words seem too sharp, for they are true, as any Mathematical Demonstrations are or can be; I say, the Enemies of the Peace of these Nations abroad and at home, the discontented humours throughout these Nations, which I think no man will grudge to call by that name, or to make to allude to Briars and Thorns, they have nourished themselves under your shadow.  
And that I may be clearly understood, they have taken the opportunities from your Sitting, from the hopes they had, which with easy conjecture they might take up, and conclude, that there would be no Settlement, and therefore they have framed their designs, preparing for the execution of them accordingly.  
Now whether (which appertains not to me to judge of on their behalf) they had any occasion ministered for this; and from whence they had it, I list not to make any scrutiny or search, but I will say this, I think they had them not from me, I am sure they had not; from whence they had it is not my business now to discourse, but that they had, is obvious to every man's sense.  
What preparations they have made to execute in such a season as they thought fit to take their opportunity from, that I know (not as men know things by conjecture, but) by certain demonstrable knowledge, that they have been (for some time passed) furnishing themselves with Arms, nothing doubting, but that they should have a Day for it; and verily believing, that whatsoever their former disappointments were, they should have more done for them by and from our own Divisions, than they were able to do for themselves. I do not, and I desire to be understood so, that in all I have to say of this subject, you will take it that I have no reservation in my mind to 〈…〉 of Guess and suspicion, with things of Fact, but the things I am telling are of Fact, things of evident demonstration.  
These Weeds, Briars and Thorns, they have been preparing, and have brought their Designs to some maturity, by the advantages given to them, as aforesaid, from your Sitting and proceed; but by the waking eye that watched over that Cause that God will bless, they have been, and yet are disappointed. And having mentioned that Cause, I say that slighted Cause, Let me speak a few words in behalf thereof (though it may seem too long a digression) Whosoever despiseth it, and will say it is Non Causa pro Causâ, the all searching eye before mentioned will find out that Man, and will judge him, as one that regardeth not the Works of God, nor the operations of his hands, for which God hath threatened to cast men down and not build them up; that because he can dispute, and tell us, He knew not where the Cause begun, nor where it is, but modeleth it according to his own intellect, and submits not to to the appearances of God in the World, therefore he lifts up his heel against God, and mocketh at all his providences, laughing at the observations made up not without Reason, and the Scriptures, but by the quickening and teaching Spirit, which gives life to the other, calling such observations Enthusiasms. Such men, I say, no wonder if they stumble and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken by the things of which they are so maliciously and wilfully ignorant. The Scriptures say, The Rod has a voice, and he will make himself known, and he will make himself known by the Judgements which he executeth; and do we not think he will, and does, by the providences of mercy and kindness which he hath for his People, and for their just Liberties, whom he loves as the Apple of his Ey? Doth he not by them manifest himself? And is he not thereby also seen, giving Kingdoms for them, giving Men for them, and People for their lives? As it is in the 43. of Isaiah Is not this as fair a Lecture, and as clear speaking, as any thing our dark reason left to the Letter of the Scriptures can collect from them? By this voice has God spoken very loud on the behal of his People, by judging their Enemies in the late War, and restoring them a liberty to worship with the freedom of their Consciences, and freedom in their Estates and Persons when they do so. And thus we have found the Cause of God by the Works of God, which are the Testimony of God, upon which Rock, whosoever spilits shall suffer shipwreck.  
But it is Our Glory, and it is Mine, if I have any in the World, concerning the Interest of those that have an Interest in a better World; It is My Glory that, I know a Cause, which yet we have not lost, but do hope we shall take a little pleasure rather to lose our Lives than lose. But you will excuse this long digression.  
I say unto you, whilst you have been in the midst of these Transactions, that Party, that Cavalier Party, (I could wish some of them had thrust in here to have heard what I say) the Cavalier Party have been designing and preparing to put this Nation in blood again with a witness; but because I am confident there are none of that Sort here, therefore I shall say the less to that; only this I must tell you, they have been making great preparations of Arms, and, I do believe, will be made evident to you that they have raked out many thousands of Arms, even all that this City could afford, for divers Months last passed.  
But it will be said, May we not arm ourselves for the Defence of our Houses? will any body find fault for that? No, for that, the reason of their doing so hath been as explicit, and under as clear proof, as the fact of doing so, for which I hope, by the Justice of the Land, some will, in the face of the Nation, Answer it with their lives, and then the business will be pretty well out of doubt.  
Banks of Money have been framing for these, and other such like uses; Letters have been issued, with Privy Seals, to as great Persons as most are in the Nation, for the advance of Moneys, which have been discovered to us by the persons themselves; Commissions for Regiments of Horse and Foot and Command of Castles, have been likewise given from Charles Stuart, since your Sitting; and what the general insolences of that party have been, the honest people have been sensible of, and can very well testify.  
It hath not been only thus; but as in a Quinsy or pleurisy, where the humour fixeth in one part, give it scope, it will gather to that place, to the hazarding of the whole, and it is natural to do so, till it destroy nature, in that Person on whomsoever this befalls,  
So likewise will those diseases take accidental Causes of aggravation of their distemper; and this was that which I did assert, that they have taken Accidental Causes, for the growing and increasing of those Distempers, as much as would have been in the natural body, if timely remedy were nor applied. And indeed, things were come to that pass (in respect of which I shall give you a particular account) that no mortal Physician, if the Great Physician had not stepped in, could have cured the Distemper.  
Shall I lay this upon your Account, or my own? I am sure I can lay it upon God's account 〈…〉 mortal and destructive; and what is all this? Truly I must needs say, a company of men still, like Briars and Thorns, and worse, if worse can be, of another sort than those before mentioned to you, have been, and yet are, endeavouring to put Us into blood and into Confusion, more desperate and dangerous Confusion than England ever yet saw.  
And I must say, as when Gideon commanded his Son to fall upon Zeba and Zalmunna to slay them, they thought it more noble to die by the hand of a Man, than of a Stripling; which shows there is some contentment in the hand by which a man falls: So is it some satisfaction, if a commonwealth must perish that it perish by Men, and not by the hands of persons differing little from Beasts; That if it must needs suffer, it should rather suffer from rich men, than from poor men, who, as Solomon says, when they oppress, they l●●ve nothing behind them, but are as a sweeping rain.  
Now, such as these also are grown up under your shadow: But it will be asked, what have they done? I hope, though they pretend Commonwealth's interest, they have had no encouragement from you, but that as before, rather taken it, than that you have administered any Cause unto them for so doing, from Delays, from hopes that this Parliament would not settle, from Pamphlets, mentioning strange Votes and Resolves of yours, which I hope did abuse you. Thus you see, what ever the Grounds were, these have been the Effects. And thus I have laid these things before you, and you and others will be easily able to judge how far you are concerned.  
And what have these men done? They have also laboured to pervert where they could, and as they could, the honest meaning people of the Nation, they have laboured to engage, some in the Army; and I doubt, that not only they, but some others also very well known to You, have helped in this work of debauching and dividing the Army; they have, they have; I would be loath to say, who, where, and how, much more loath to say, they were any of your own Number, but I can say endeavours have been to put the Army into a Distemper, and to Feed that which is the worst humour in the Army, which though it was not a mastering humour, yet these took their advantage from delay of the Settlement, and the Practices before mentioned, and stopping the pay of the Army, to run Us, into freequarter, and to bring us into the inconveniencies most to be feared and avoided.  
What if I am able to make it appear in Fact, That some amongst you have run into the City of London to persuade to Petitions and Ad 〈…〉 own Votes that you have passed? whether these practices were in favour of your Liberties, or tended to be get hopes of Peace and Settlement from you; and whether debauching the Army in England, as is before expressed, and starving it, and putting it upon freequarter, and occasioning and necessitating the greatest part thereof in Scotland to march into England, leaving the remainder thereof to have their throats cut there, and kindling by the rest a Fire in our own bosoms, were for the advantage of Affairs here, Let the World judge?  
This I tell you also, that the correspondency held with the Interest of the Cavaliers, by that Party of men called Levellers, and who calls themselves commonwealths-men; whose Declarations were framed to that purpose, and ready to be published at the time of their Commonrising, whereof We are possessed, and for which We have the Confession of themselves, now in custody; who confess also they built their hopes upon the assurance they had of the Parliaments not agreeing a Settlement: Whether these humours have not nourished themselves under your Boughs, is the subject of my present discourse, and I think I say not amiss if I affirm it to be so.  
And I must say it again, That that which hath been their advantage, thus to raise disturbance, hath been by the loss of those Golden opportunities, that God hath put into your hands for Settlement, Judge you whether these things were thus or no, when you first sat down, I am sure things were not thus, there was a very great Peace, and sedateness, throughout these Nations, and great expectations of a happy Settlement, which I remembered to you at the beginning of my Speech, and hoped that you would have entered upon your business as you found it.  
There was a GOVERNMENT in the possession of the People, I say a GOVERNMENT in the possession of the People, for many Months, it hath now been exercised near fifteen Months; and if it were needful that I should tell you, how it came into their Possession, and how willingly they received it, How all Law and Justice were distributed from it, in every respect, as to life, liberty and estate; How it was owned by God, as being the Dispensation of his Providence, after twelve years' War, and sealed and Witnessed unto by the People, I should but repeat what I said in my last Speech made unto you in this Place, and therefore I forbear.  
When you were entered upon this GOVERNMENT, ravelin into it (you know I took no notice what you were doing) if you had gone upon that 〈…〉 visions for the good of the People of these Nations, for the Settling of such matters in things of Religion as would have upheld and given Countenance to a Godly ministry, and yet would have given a just liberty to Godly men of different Judgements, men of the same Faith with them that you call the Orthodox ministry in England, as it is well known the Independents are, and many under the Form of baptism, who are sound in the Faith, only may perhaps be different in Judgement in some lesser matters, yet as true Christians, both looking at Salvation, only by faith in the blood of Christ, men professing the fear of God, having recourse to the Name of God, as to a strong Tower; I say you might have had Opportunity to have settled Peace and Quietness amongst all professing Godliness, and might have been instrumental, if not to have healed the breaches, yet to have kept the Godly of all Judgements from running one upon another, and by keeping them from being overrun by a Common enemy, rendered them and these Nations, both secure, happy, and well satisfied.  
Are thess things done? or any thing towards them? Is there not yet upon the Spirits of men a strange itch? Nothing will satisfy them, unless they can put their finger upon their brethren's Consciences, to pinch them there. To do this was no part of the Contest we had with the Common Adversary; for Religion was not the thing at the first contested for; but God brought it to that issue at last, and gave it unto Us by way of redundancy, and at last it proved to be that which was most dear to us; and wherein consisted this, more than in obtaining that Liberty from the Tyranny of the Bishops, to all Species of Protestants, to worship God according to their own Light and Consciences? for want of which, many of our Brethren forsook their Native countries, to seek their Bread from Strangers, and to live in Howling Wildernesses; and for which also, many that remained here, were imprisoned, and otherwise abused, and made the scorn of the Nation.  
Those that were sound in the Faith, how proper was it for them to labour for Liberty, for a just Liberty, that men should not be trampled upon for their Consciences? had not they laboured but lately under the weight of Persecutions, & was it fi● for them to sit heavy upon others? is it ingenuous to ask liberty, and not to give it? what greater hypocrisy, than for those who wer● oppressed by the Bishops, to become the greatest Oppressors themselves, so soon as their yoke was removed? I could wish that they who call for liberty now also, had not too much of that Spirit, if the power were in their hands.  
〈…〉 Contentious Railers, Evil Speakers, who seek by evil words to corrupt good manners, persons of lose Conversaions, punishment from the Civil Magistrate ought to meet with them, because if these pretend Conscience, yet walking disorderly, and not according, but contrary to the Gospel, and even to natural light, they are judged of all, and their Sins being open, makes them subjects of the Magistrates Sword, who ought not to bear it in vain.  
The Discipline of the Army was such, that a man would not be suffered to remain there, of whom we could take notice he was guilty of such Practices as these: And therefore how happy would England have been, and You, and I, if the Lord had led you on to have settled upon such good accounts as these are, and to have discountenanced such practices as the other, and left men in disputable things free to their own Consciences, which was well provided for by the GOVERNMENT, and Liberty left to provide against what was apparently evil.  
Judge you, whether the contesting for things that were provided for by this GOVERNMENT hath been Profitable expense of time for the good of these Nations? by means whereof, you may see you have wholly elapsed your time, and done just nothing.  
I will say this to you in behalf of the long Parliament, that had such an Expedient as this GOVERNMENT been proposed to them, and that they could have seen the Cause of God thus provided for, and had by debates been enlightened in the grounds by which the Difficulties might have been cleared, and the reason of the whole enforced, the circumstances of Time and Persons, with the Temper and Disposition of the People, and Affairs both Abroad and at Home, when it was undertaken, well weighed, (as well as they were thought to love their Seats) I think in my conscience that they would have proceeded in another manner than you have done, and not have exposed things to those Difficulties and Hazards they now are at, nor given occasion to leave the People so dissettled as now they are, who I dare say, in the soberest, and most judicious part of them, did expect, not a Questioning, but a Doing things in persuance of the GOVERNMENT, and if I be not misinformed, very many of you came up with this Satisfaction, having had time enough to weigh and consider the same.  
And when I say, such an Expedient as this GOVERNMENT is, wherein I dare assert there is a just Liberty to the People of God, and the Just Rights of the People in these Nations provided for, I can put the issue thereof upon the Clearest Reason, whatsoever any go about to suggest to the Contrary.  
But this not being the time and place of such an Averment, for satisfaction sake herein, enough is said in a Book, entitled, A True State of the Case of the commonwealth, etc. published in Jan. 1653. (And for myself, I desire not to keep it an hour longer than I may preserve England in its Just Rights, and may Protect the People of God in such a just: Liberty of their Consciences, as I have already mentioned) And therefore if this Parliament have judged things to be otherwise than as I have stated them, it had been huge Friendliness between persons that had such a Reciprocation, and in so great Concernments to the public, for them to have convinced me in what particulars therein my error lay, of which I never yet had a word from you. But if instead thereof, your time has been spent in Setting up somewhat else upon another bottom than this stands, that looks as if a laying grounds of a Quarrel had rather been designed, than to give the People Settlement; if it be thus, it's well your labours have not arrived to any maturity at all.  
This Government called you hither, the Constitution whereof being so limited, A single Person and a Parliament, and this was thought most agreeable to the Genral sense of the Nation, having had experience enough by trial of other Conclusions, judging this most likely to avoid the extremes of Monarchy on the one hand, and Democracy on the other, and yet not to found Dominium in gratiâ. And if so, then certainly to make it more than a Nation, it was requisite that it should be as it is in the GOVERNMENT, which puts it upon a true and equal balance. It has been already submitted to the Judicious honest People of this Nation, whether the balance be not equal, and what their Judgement is, is visible by Submission to it, by acting upon it, by restraining their trusties from meddling with it: and it neither asks nor needs any better ratification. But when trusties in Parliament shall by Experience find any evil in any parts of the Government, refered by the Government itself to the Consideration of the Protector and Parliament (of which time itself will be the best Discoverer) how can it be reasonably imagined, that a Person or Persons coming in by Election, and standing under such Obligations, and so limited, and so necessitated by Oath to Govern, for the people's good, and to make their love, under God, the best underpropping, and his best interest to him, how can it, I say, be imagined, that the present or succeeding PROTECTORS will refuse to agree to alter any such thing in the GOVERNMENT that may be found to be for the good of the People, or to recede from any thing which he might be convinced 〈◊〉 the balance too much to the single Person? And although for the present, the keeping up, and having in His Power the Militia seems the most hard, yet if it should be yielded up at such a time as this, when there is as much need to keep this CAUSE by it (which is most evident at this time impugned by all the Enemies of it) as there was to get it, what would become of all? Or if it should not be equally placed in him and the Parliament, but yielded up at any time, it determins his power, either for doing the good he ought, or hindering Parliaments from perpetuating themselves, or from imposing what Religions they please on the Consciences of men, or what Government they please upon the Nation, thereby subjecting us to Dissettlement, in every Parliament, and to the desperate consequences thereof; and if the Nation shall happen to fall into a blessed Peace, how easily and certainly, will their charge be taken off, and their Forces be disbanded, and then where will the danger be to have the Militia thus stated?  
What if I should say, If there should be a disproportion or disequality as to the power, it is on the other hand, and if this be so, wherein have you had cause to quarrel? What Demonstrations have you held forth to settle Me to your opinion? would you had made me so happy as to let me have known your Grounds. I have made a free and ingenuous confession of my Faith to you, and I could have wished it had been in your hearts to have agreed that some friendly and cordial debates might have been towards mutual Conviction; was there none amongst you to move such a thing? No fitness to listen to it? No desire of a right understanding? If it be not folly in Me to listen to Town-talk, such things have been proposed, and rejected, with stifness and severity, once and again; Was it not likely to have been more advantageous to the good of this Nation? I will say this to you for myself, & to that I have my Conscience as a thousand Witnesses, and I have my comfort and contentment in it, and I have the Witness of Divers here, that I think truly scorn to Own me in a Lie, that I would not have been averse to any alteration, of the good of which I might have been convinced, although I could not have agreed to the taking it off the Foundation on which it stands, etc. The acceptation and consent of the People.  
I will not presage what you have been about, or doing in all this time, or do I love to make Conjectures, but I must tell you this, That as I undertook this Government in the simplicity of my heart, and as before God, and to do the part of an honest man, and to be true to the Inerest which in my Conscience is dear to many of you (though it is not always understood what God in his wisdom may hid from Us, as to Peace and Settlement) So I can say, that no particular Interest, either of my Self, Estate, Honour, or Family, are, or have been prevalent with me to this Undertaking.  
For if you had upon the old Government offered to me this one, this one thing, I speak, as thus advised, and before God, as having been, to this day of this opinion, and this hath been my constant Judgement, well known to many that hear me speak, if this one thing had been inserted, that one thing, that this Government should have been, and placed in my Family Hereditary I would have rejected it, and I could have done no other, according to my present Conscience and Light; I will tell you my reason, though I cannot tell what God will do with Me, nor You, nor the Nation, for throwing away precious opportunities committed to US.  
This hath been my Principle, and I liked it when this Government came first to be proposed to me, That it put Us off that Hereditary way, well looking, that as God had declared what GOVERNMENT he had delivered over to the Jews, and placed it upon such persons as had been instrumental for the Conduct and Deliverance of his People; And considering that promise in Isaiah, That God would give Rulers as at the first, and judges as at the beginning, I did not know, but that God might begin, and though at present with a most unworthy Person, yet as to the future, it might be after this manner, and I thought this might usher it in. I am speaking as to my judgement against making it Hereditary, to have men chosen for their Love to God, and to Truth, and justice, and not to have it Hereditary; for as it is in Ecclesiastes Who knoweth whether he may beget a Fool or Wise, honest or not, what ever they be must come in upon that account, because the Government is made a Patrimony.  
And this I do perhaps declare with too much Earnestness, as being my own Concernment, and know not what Place it may have in your Hearts, and of the good people in the Nation, but however it be, I have comfort in this my truth and plainness.  
I have thus told you my thoughts, which truly I have declared to you in the fear of God, as knowing he will not be mocked, and in the strength of God, as knowing and rejoicing that I am kept in my speaking; especially when I do not form or frame things without the compass of the Integrity, and Honesty, that my own Conscience gives me not the lie to what I say, and then in what I say I can rejoice.  
Now to speak a word or two to you, Of that I must profess in the name of the same Lord, an I wish that there had been no cause that I should have thus spoken to you, and though I have told you, that I came with joy the first time, with some regret the second, that now I speak with most regret of all.  
I look upon you, as having among you many persons, that I could lay down my life individually for, I could through the grace of God, desire to lay down my life for you; So far am I from having an unkind or un-Christian heart towards you, in your particular capacities.  
I have that indeed as a work most incumbent upon Me, I consulted what might be My Duty in such a Day as this, casting up all Considerations. I must confess, as I told you, that I did think occasionally this Nation hath suffered extremely in the respects mentioned, as also in the Disappointments of their Expectations of that Justice that was due to them by your sitting thus long; and what have you brought forth?  
I did not, nor cannot apprehend what it is, (I would be loath to call it a Fate, that were too Paganish a Word) but there is something in it, that we have not our Expectations.  
I did think also for myself, that I am like to meet with Difficulties, and that this Nation will not (as it is fit it should not) be deluded with pretexts of Necessity in that great business of raising of money, and were it not that I can make some Dilemmaes upon which to resolve some things of my Conscience, Judgement, and Actions, I should sink at the very prospect of my Encounters; some of them are general, some are more special, supposing this Cause, or this Business must be carried on, either it is of God, or of Man, if it be of Man, I would I had never touched it with a finger; if I had not had a hope fixed in Me that this Cause, and this business is of God, I would many years ago have run from it. If it be of God, he will bear it up. If it be of Man, it will tumble, as every thing that hath been of man, since the World began, hath done. And what are all our Histories, and other Traditions of actions in former times, but God mani●esting himself that he hath shaken and tumbled down, and trampled upon every thing that he hath not planted? And as this is, so the alwise God deal with it.  
If this be of humane Structure, and invention, and it be an old Plotting and Contrivance to bring things to this Issue, and that they are not the births of Providence, than they will tumble. But if the Lord take pleasure in England, and if he will do Us good, he is able to bear us up; Let the difficulties be whatsoever they will, we shall in his Strength be able to encounter with them. And I bless God I have been enured to Difficulties, and I never found God failed when I trusted in him; I can laugh and sing in my heart when I speak of these things to you, or elsewhere. And though some may think it an hard thing without Parliamentary Authority to raise money upon this Nation; yet I have another Argument to the good people of this Nation, if they would be safe, and have no better Principle; whether they prefer the having of their Will, though it be their Destruction, rather than comply with things of necessity; that will excuse me, but I should wrong my native country to suppose this.  
For I look at the People of these Nations, as the blessing of the Lord, and they are a People blessed by God. They have been so, and they will be so by reason of that immortal seed, which hath been, & is amongst them, those regenerated one's in the Land, of several Judgements, who are all the Flock of Christ, and Lambs of Christ, though perhaps under many unruly passions, and troubles of Spirit, whereby they give disquiet to themselves and others; yet they are not so to God, as to Us, he is a God of other patience, and he will own the least of truth in the hearts of his People, and the people being the blessing of God they will not be so angry, but they will prefer their safety to their passions, and their real security to forms, when necessity calls for supplies; had they not well been acquainted with this principle, they had never seen this day of Gospel-Liberty.  
But if any man shall object, It is an easy thing to talk of neccssities when men create necessities; would not the Lord Protector make Himself great, and his family great? doth not He make these necessities? and than he will come upon the People with this Argument of necessity.  
This were something hard indeed, but I have not yet known what it is to make necessities, whatsoever the Judgements or thoughts of men are. And I say this, not only to this Assembly, but to the World, that that man liveth not, that can come to me, and charge me that I have in these great Revolutions made necessities; I challenge even all that fear God: And as God hath said. My glory I will not give unto another, Let men take heed, and be twice advised, how they call his Revolutions, the things of God, and his working of things from one Period to another, how I say, they call them necessities of men's creation, for by so doing they do vilify and lessen the works of God, and rob him of his Glory, which he hath said, he will not give unto another, nor suffer to be taken from him. We know what God did to Herod when he was applauded, and did not acknowledge GOD; And GOD knoweth what he will do with men when they shall call His Revolutions, humane Designs, and so detract from his Glory, when they have not been forecast, but sudden Providences in things, whereby Carnal and Worldly men are enraged, and under, and at which many I fear (some good) have murmured and repined, because disappointed of their mistaken Fancies; but still they have been the wise disposings of the Almighty, though Instruments have had their passions and frailties; and I think it is an honour to God to acknowledge the necessities to have been of Gods imposing, when truly they have been so, as indeed they have, when we take our sin in our actings to ourselves, and much more safe, than judge things so contingent, as if there were not a God that ruled the Earth.  
We know the Lord hath poured this Nation from Vessel to Vessel, till he poured it into your Lap, when you came first together: I am confident, that it came so into your hands, was not judged by you to be from Counterfeited, or feigned necessity, but by Divine Providence and Dispensation. And this I speak with more earnestness, because I speak for God, and not for men; I would have any man to come and tell of the transactions that have been, and of those periods of time, wherein God hath made these Revolutions, and find where they can fix a feigned necessity.  
I could recite particulars, if either My strength would serve Me to speak, or yours to hear; if that you would revolve the great hand of God in his great Dispensations, you would find that there is scarce a man that fell off at any period of time when God had any work to do, that can give God or his work, at this day, a good word.  
It was, say some, the cunning of the Lord Protector (I take it to myself) it was the craft of such a man, and his plot that hath brought it about. And as they say in other countries', There are five or six cunning men in England that have skill, they do all these things: Oh what Blasphemy is this! because men that are without God in the World, and Walk not with him, and know not what it is to pray, or believe, and to receive return from God, and to be spoken unto by the Spirit of God, who Speaks without a written Word sometimes, yet according to it: God hath spoken heretofore in divers manners, let him speak as he pleaseth. Hath he not given us liberty? nay is it not our duty to go to the Law and to the Testimonies, and there we shall find that there have been impressions in extraordinary cases, as well without the written Word as with it, and therefore there is no difference in the thing thus asserted, from truths generally received, except we will exclude the Spirit, without whose concurrence all other Teachings are ineffectual; He doth speak to the Hearts and Consciences of men, and leadeth them to his Law and Testimonies, and there he speaks to them, and so gives them double teachings, according to that of Job. God speaketh once, yea twice; and that of David, God hath spoken once, yea twice have I heard this. Those men that live upon their Mumpsimus and Sumpsimus, their Masses and Service-Books, their dead and carnal Worship, no marvel if they be strangers to God, and the works of God, and to spiritual dispensations. And because they say and believe thus, must we do so too? we in this Land have been otherwise instructed, even by the Word, and Works, and Spirit of God.  
To say that men bring forth these things, when God doth them, judge you if God will bear this. I wish that every sober heart, though he hath had temptations upon him of deserting this CAUSE of God, yet may take heed how he provokes, and falls into the hands of the living God by such Blasphemies as these, according to the 10th of the Hebrews, If we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sin (it was spoken to the Jews, that having professed Christ apostatised from him) what then? nothing but a fearful falting into the hands of the Living God.  
They that shall attribute to this or that person the contrivances and production of those mighty things God hath wrought in the midst of us, and that they have not been the revolutions of Christ himself, upon whose Shoulders the GOVERNMENT is laid, they speak against God, and they fall under his hand without a Mediator, that is, if we deny the Spirit of Jesus Christ the glory of all his works in the world, by which he Rules Kingdoms, and doth administer, and is the Rod of his strength, we provoke the Mediator; And he may say, I'll leave you to God, I'll not intercede for yond, let him tear you to pieces, I'll leave thee to fall into God's hands, thou deniest me my sovereignty and Power committed to me, I'll not intercede nor mediate for thee, thou fallest into the hands of the living God. Therefore whatsoever you may judge men for, and say, This man is cunning, and politic, and subtle; take heed, again I say, how you judge of his revolutions, as the products of men's inventions.  
I may be thought to press too much upon this Theme, but pray God it may stick upon your hearts and mine; the worldly minded man knows nothing of this, but is a stranger to it, and because of this his Atheism and murmur at instruments, yea repining at God himself; and no wonder, considering the Lord hath done such things amongst us as have not been known in the world these 1000 years, and yet not withstanding is not owned by us.  
There is another necessity which you have put upon us, and we have not sought; I appeal to God, Angels, and Men, if I shall raise Money according to the Article in the GOVERNMENT which had power to call you hither, and did, and instead of seasonable providing for the army, you have laboured to overthrow the GOVERNMENT, and the Army is now upon freequarter, and you would never so much as let me hear a tittle from you concerning it, where is the fault? has it not been as if you had had a purpose to put this extremity upon us and the Nation? I hope this was not in your minds, I am not willing to judge so; but this is the state unto which we are reduced: By the Designs of some in the Army who are now in Custody, it was designed to get as many of them as could, through discontent for want of money, the Army being in a Barren country, near Thirty weeks behind in pay, and upon other specious pretences, to march for England out of Scotland, and in discontent to seize, their General there, a faithful and honest man, that so another might head the Army, and all this opportunity taken from your delays, whether will this be a thing of feigned necessity? What could it signify but that the Army are in discontent already, and we'll make them live upon stones, we'll make them cast off their governors and Discipline? What can be said to this? I list not to unsaddle myself, and put the fault upon others backs; Whether it hath been for the good of England whilst men have been talking of this thing or the other, and pretending liberty, and a many good words whether it hath been as it should have been? I am confident you cannot think it has, the Nation will not think so. And if the worst should be made of things, I know not what the Cornish men, or the Lincolnshire men may think, or other Counties, but I believe they will all think they are not safe. A temporary suspension of caring for the greatest Liberties and privileges (if it were so, which is denied) would not have been of that damage, that the not providing against Free Quarter hath run the Nation upon. And if it be my liberty to walk abroad in the Fields, or to take a journey, yet it is not my wisdom to do so when my House is on fire.  
I have troubled you with a long Speech, and I believe it may not have the same resentment with all that it hath with some: But because that is unknown to me, I shall leave it to God, and conclude with that, that I think myself bound in my Duty to God and the People of these Nations, to their safety and good in every respect. I think it my duty to tell you, That it is not for the profit of these Nations, nor for Common and Public good, for You to continue here any longer, and therefore, I do Declare unto you, THAT I DO DISSOLVE THIS PARLIAMENT.