A LETTER to General Monk, expressing the sense of many thousands of the well affected people of England.  
Old Parliamenters, and old Puritans.  
To the Magnanimous and truly Excellent general Monk.  
Noble SIR,  
GOD hath made you the instrument of conveying one of the greatest blessings to this Nation that hath been bestowed upon it in these latter days; even of rescuing our Laws, Liberties, Estates, Ministers, Religion, all that is dear to us out of the hands of men, who being in their first constitution our servants, had by craft and treachery made themselves Lords over us, and designed to sacrifice all these to their own ambition. But the most wise and righteous God, who raised you as a deliverer to this poor Nation, hath caused them to fall before you without stroke striking, filling their hearts with fear, and their faces with contempt and shame, for which his wonderful mercy, as thanks are rendered to God by many on your behalf, so doubt not honoured Sir, but many prayers are daily poured out before the Lord for you, that he would direct your steps in his ways, so evenly and unerringly, that that deliverance which is so happily begun may be perfected by your hand. Your Excellency, (for that Title your merit gives you whether men do or no) cannot be ignorant that great persons (as yourself is) in great actions (such as this in which you are now embarked) are attended with great temptations, which though your own deep wisdom and much experience be sufficiently able both to discern and decline; yet will it not we hope be offensive to your Excellency to hear what the vox copuli is concerning the temptations that lie before you. First, some think there is now lying before you a sore temptation of making yourself great, and to take the supreme Power and Government of these Nations into your own hands, and make yourself a Protector, a King, or what you please, and it is verily thought you might do it with a far more universal acceptance than Oliver did; and it is feared there may be some who may secretly whisper such counsels to you: But surely Sir, it is hoped and believed you are so much a soldier, a Gentleman, a Christian, as that you despise and abhor the thought of any such thing, having declared the contrary as you have done. They that know you say you have too brave a Spirit, to purchase the personating of a King with so much guilt and infamy as Oliver did, who after he had played Rex upon the Theatre of the world, for a few years hated of some, scorned by others, flattered by a few, went off with reproach and hissing, and his memorial is perished with him; who had he had so much honesty in him as a Heathen, would instead of his pompous Funerals (yet unpaid for) have contented himself with a plain tombstone with this inscription {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, &c. Look upon me and learn not to be Treacherous, False, Ambitious. So recent an example of God's revenging wrath, should cast a damp upon the pride and ambition of men, but we see it did not: witness Fleetwood and Lambert, who not thinking themselves high enough till they were got into Phaeton's (that is Cromwell's) Chariot, had certainly set this whole Kingdom on a flame, if God by your hand had not cast them down as suddenly and strangely as if they had been thunder stricken. But your Excellency is of another Spirit, even like that Noble Earl, that said He had rather make a King then be a King. In which respect we fear not much your being overcome by this temptation. That therefore which others fear, and fear more is your being tempted to close with this piece of the Parliament now sitting at Westminster, and to assist and aid them in their setting up of that which they call the commonwealth of England, though by all that ever we poor Plebeians could see or understand of it, it is but the setting up of themselves; And that which makes us something fear you here is, that in many of your Declarations which you have emitted, you have expressly and in Terminis declared for this Parliament as it was sitting in Octob. 1659. and for the establishment of Government by a commonwealth. These things make us fear; but when we consider that these Declarations were made by you when you were in Scotland, or in the remotest parts of England, where you neither did nor could know the sense of the English Nation; we hope that now God hath brought you among us, where you may hear the sighs and groans of your Brethren, and from our own mouths understand what we groan under, and what we groan after, God may put other thoughts, and other resolutions into your heart then what you have yet published or declared to the world. Give us therefore leave to declare and Remonstrate to you that a great part, yea, the greatest part of the godly people and Ministers in England, who adhered to the Parliament in all their contest against the King from 1640. to 1648. never did own, nor never can prevail upon their consciences to own those men that now sit at Westminster for the Parliament of England, since they contrary to all Equity and Reason, contrary to their Trust and Duty, contrary to their Covenants and Protestations, suffered so considerable a part of their Members to be by the Army plucked from them. Nay, not only suffered it, but we fear some of them contrived it, and all of them now since their last meeting abetted it. Resolving upon a solemn Vote next day after their solemn fast, that these Members were duly excluded: a thing so contrary to the light of common reason, that every man is ready to blush at the reading of it; Is this the fast that God hath chosen? Is this to lose the bands of wickedness, and to let the oppressed go free? Nor, secondly, can we (if this were not) look upon that handful of men sitting at Westminster as men to be trusted with the Lives and Liberties of the Nation, and least of all with Religion. Some of them being persons of notorious looseness and debauchedness, others desperate Atheists, despisers of the Word and Ordinances. The most of them, (whether out of carnal policy, or what other principle God knows) friends to all Sects, Errors, and Heresies, even to Popery itself; witness their repealing penal Statutes made against Popish Recusants before their breaking up in 1653. and their Vote passed in the Speakers Chamber before the last breaking up in 1659. whereby they gave Papists equal protection with the most pure and Orthodox of Protestants, we hope your excellency when you are informed of these things, will not think it strange that neither City nor country can cheerfully accept these men for England's Parliament, we hope yourself having expressed so much zeal for the true Orthodox Protestant Religion, and for the Ministers and Ordinances of Christ, will not now give them up to the mercy of these men. We have done with the Parliament, may it please your Excellency to give us leave to express ourselves concerning the other particular, the changing of the Government of the Nation into a commonwealth. First, we call to remembrance that saying of the holy Ghost, Prov. 22. 28. Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers have set. Our forefathers according to the wisdom given them of God, had very equally and justly bounded both the King's Power and the subjects Liberty. The late King he went about to remove the ancient landmark of the people's Liberty, and this hath been the overthrow of him and his family unto this day. Let the People now take heed of removing the other Landmark, lest the Lord see it, and it displease, and he lay their Liberty as low in the dust as he hath done the King's Authority. Extrema non durant, There is also another Text that not a little troubles us when we think upon these changes, and that is Prov. 24. 21. My son, fear God and the King, and meddle not with them that are given unto change; for their calamity shall rise suddenly, and who knoweth the ruin of them both. Sir, you have merited so well at our hands that we cannot but be very unwilling you should be involved in that calamity which we are very confident will again suddenly overtake these Members given to change. Secondly, we call to remembrance how in the beginning of the quarrel between the King and Parliament. The King did lay to their charge that they had a design to alter the Ancient Governments of the Nation, and to let a flood of errors and heresies into the Church, and that thereupon he was forced to take up arms for his own defence, and the defence of Religion; and now if these men do indeed alter the Government, as they intend to do; and do set open a door to all Errors and Heresies, as they have begun to do; do they not thereby justify the King before God and men (for whoever yet questioned but that it was lawful for a King to defend Religion, and his just Authority against those that seek to subvert them) and do they not hereby bring upon themselves the guilt of all the blood that hath been shed in England, and we are very loath you should share with them in that guilt. Thirdly, we call to remembrance that the Parliament both in their answers to the forementioned Declarations of the Kings; and in all their Declarations both to this and neighbour Nations, Scotland, Holland, &c. did in the most solemn manner that could be disclaim this altering of the Government, and looked upon it as the greatest slander that could be raised against them, and therefore they cannot alter it without falsifying their word to foreign States and Princes, and incurring the note of false and perfidious men. The very suspicion of which crime we are persuaded your noble soul abhors. Fourthly, we call to remembrance the many solemn vows and Covenants whereby the Parliament bound themselves and us to maintain the Government as it was then established; and therefore they cannot alter it without incurring the guilt of Perjury or Covenant-breaking, which God never suffers to pass unpunished, no not among the Heathens. Fifthly, we consider the blood and treasure that this attempt hath put England, Scotland and Ireland to already. The blood that Cromwell shed in Scotland; and the blood that Cromwell shed in Ireland (after your Excellency had ended the first War with the Popish Rebels) in what quarrel was it spilled, but in the quarrel of this Idea, this fairy commonwealth (which we often hear the name of, but could never yet see.) That vast Treasure that hath been expended now for these eleven years in the maintaining of an Army here in England (necessary for nothing but for the cudeling of People into a compliance with every prevailing power) whom may we thank for it but the modellers of our commonwealth. Sixtly, we cannot but fear that the altering our Government into a commonwealth, will be so far from ending that it will but perpetuate our miseries from Generation to Generation; for so speak as Christians, the foundation of this intended commonwealth hath been laid in so much Treachery, Perjury, Blood, and there is such a cry of the Fatherless, Widow and Oppressed goes up before the Lord against it, as it can never be blessed to England; and to speak as men, the Masters of this new commonwealth know there is such a spreading family of the Stuarts, and their interest is so spread and rooted in this Nation and among Neighbour Nations, Protestants as well as Papists, that let them make never so many Votes, Engagements, Oaths of Abjurations, they will never dare to trust their Infant commonwealth, as themselves call it, without an Army Royal to back it. And so the Nation must be at the charge of maintaining continually an Army of fifty or sixty thousand men, to please the humours, and maintain the Grandeur of forty or fifty men that are (forsooth) the commonwealth's Representative of England, for more there are not that are sticklers for this new device. For this, seventhly, we complain of as a very great grievance and oppression that so inconsiderable a number of men should assume to themselves the sole Legislative Power, and impose Oaths and new forms of Government upon the Free-both People of this Nation, not only without their consent, but contrary to the known judgement and conscience of the People of the Nation. For, Eighthly, this themselves know, and we will not hide it from your excellency, that if it were put to the Scrutiny, whether the People of this Nation would be governed after the form of a commonwealth or no, there is scarce one man of 500 but would give his Vote in the Negative, except Papists, Quakers, Anabaptiss, and other Sectaries, or those who under the specious pretence of a commonwealth, seek their own private wealth, and have built their nests upon the public ruins. And into the secrets of these men we hope your soul will never enter. And that this averseness to a commonwealth may not be judged will and stubbornness in us to all the former Reasons. 9 Let us add this (in the ninth place) that this device of changing the Government of England into a commonwealth, it is a pure Popish Jesuitical device to alter and overthrow the true Protestant Religion in England, witness father Parsons his memorials for Reformation printed at Sevill, An. 1596. Campanella in his Monarchia Hispanica, and Cardinal Richilieu in his Instructions. These things make this alteration of Government not only suspected but formidable to these that love the true Religion, as we doubt not but your Excellency doth. And such cannot but with grief observe, that under these men that are the Contrivers of our commonwealth Religion, hath suffered more detriment than it did in a leven years before. 10. Lastly, we cannot but observe how God from heaven hath apparently fought against this Idol of their brain. These men said in the pride of their hearts (in one of their Declarations as soon as they had cut off the King's head) that they would speedily set up in the Nation a better Government than ever was under any, even the best of Kings. (Surely they might have excepted David, or Josia, or Hezekiah) But see how God hath befooled them from that day to this (which is now eleven years) they have not been able so much as to lay their foundation. Sometimes God divides their Tongues, and puts all in a confusion and disorder, as in the building of Rabel; sometimes he scatters them, so in 1653. so again in 1659. This is the Lord's doing. Lord when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see, but they shall see, if they be not more blind than Balaam, he when the Angel of the Lord had stopped his way twice, the third time desisted: Twice God hath stopped these men in their Eager pursuits of a commonwealth, Let them desist in time if they will not, yet we dare not say a Confederacy to them, lest we should be found desertors of our Covenant, self-condemned and fighters against God.  
And therefore we do humbly pray, That your excellency (according to the opportunity and Authority wherewith God hath betrusted you) would interpose effectually with that part of the Parliament now sitting at Westminster, that their secluded members may be readmitted, and vacant places may be filled up, then shall we cheerfully own them as the Parliament of England, and humbly acquiesce in their declared judgements. And in so doing you shall make us happy, yourself Honourable to the memory of all after ages; and oblige us, and our Posterity after us to be  
Your lordship's most humble Servants, The Commons of England, January 22. 1659.