A Petitionary EPISTLE Directed to the LORD PROTECTOR, AND People of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, to continue in unity.  
GREAT SIR,  
FOR so You are, God having exalted You to be the absolutest Imperial Chief, that hitherto hath Headed these Nations; our preceding Blessings fills us with hopes of future Successes; our Faith cannot miscarry if diffidence in You, & disobedience in the Peeple, prove not the Rocks to split this glorious Vessel of England's Commonwealth, and its chief Commander, upon their entrance and into the Harbour of Peace and Honour: Therefore in the love of Christ I beseech you not to take amiss my honest plainness, which will keep at distance from indecent rudeness.  
Though in the cure of these distempers I launch deep into the sore of corruption, and apply Corrosives to cleanse it, you shall have balm to heal it without a scar, and Cordials to cherish and strengthen the Vitals.  
My Lord, I address to you, Recollect what you were, consider what you are; who hath chosen you, and what you are to do for him, read Deut. 17. from Ver. 14. to the end, your Office is there bounded. Peruse the 18. of Jeremiah, and turn over the Records of Jeroboam and Jehu; let their sleightings of the Promises annexed to their preferment, and the superstructures of their own devices added to the Lords foundation, be pondered by you: The Lord hath given you a heart and head suitable to the work he hath designed you for; The world will witness while it continues, that you have an immense portion of prudence and courage, yet you have not done the work that is expected from you; the heady, stiff-necked disobedience of the people forcing you to run into yourself, which will never do the work.  
You have been excellent in modelling, framing and regulating of Armies; but how fruitless hath been your purging forming, and creating of Parliaments? the Lord having blasted all your undertake in that kind, the reason being not seen, if discerned, not desired. My Lord submit only to the Lord Almighty in this particular, and he will give your Subjects hearts to maintain you in that Throne he hath made their hands to lift you into: My prayers and labours have been, and are, that your Glory may not only continue, but increase.  
A great contest is between you and the People, as to the Election of a Parliament, God can and will only umpire it; trust him with both your interests, and make your Elections by lot; divide and rule, is Machivil's Maxim; but division is the mother of destruction, is Christ's Assertion.  
Brethren of this united Commonwealth, of what judgement soever you be, in all Christian love I come to you, and wish that as so many beautiful and sweet flowers growing in the Lord's garden, you may be chosen in your several varieties, gifts and operations, to be included in the silken bond of Peace to make a Poesy that may be pleasing both in the eyes and nostrils of the Prince of Peace.  
What are you weary of your well-being? David's complaint was, Lord where are thy loving kindnesses? hast thou forgot to be merciful? But instead thereof, the Lord complains, How are my mercies and deliverances forgotten? Have I not freed you from servitude both spiritual and temporal? have I not cleansed you from your own blood you lately wallowed in by a civil war? Have I not removed the Pestilence from you, and not suffered the Famine to approach you? Have not I given you faithful, wise and couragions Governors that have made you quiet at home, feared abroad, and famous to all Nations? But what hath been your return unto him for all these mercies, except pride, covetousness, hypocrisy, and disobedience? for which you must expect fearful judgements, unless a timely return by repentance and amendment be speedily made with all submission to the Lords Ordinance by himself constituted, continued and approved; the neglect and breach of which hath brought you into all these contentions; greater calamities are you falling into, unless you agree to prevent them in leaving it to beidecided by our merciful Lord God, who only can compose it.  
Parliaments are like the brazen Serpent; once your cure, now your idol; see, what have they done, since the first Scottish King's reign, till this time: Say, if any one begun & ended to the Prince and people's content; what inconveniences have not some brought? how have you esteemed of of them? How have some of them acted that which they condemned unlawful in the Star-chamber-practice upon Burton, Pryn, and Bastwick? How have their Acts been lately violated? witness the last Act for Prisoners, suspended at the arbitrary pleasures of some during the intervals of Parliaments Sessions: And those Acts which provide for the dispose of treasure, broken by factious persons, and when complained on, not only connived at, but also countenanced by some in Parliament; which if you be not careful to preserve those Laws you find, you teach the people to break those you make. How can you hope for any good to be effected by Parliaments as now elected? Have you not seen sometimes the Presbyterian, otherwhile the Independent? nay, have you not complained of a Cavalier-prevailing party in them? You know it is a remnant that is faithful: How oft have you suggested the major part to be corrupt, which hath caused you to purge Parliaments, and gave you an entrance into Scotland; And can you forget how in the last Parliament in the very beginning by those factious Elections they had chosen Members, which if the Lord in mercy had not restrained them, before this time we should have been plunged in blood and destruction. I tremble when I think on the Hazlerig-troop of secluded Remonstrants in the beginning of that Parliament, did term him whom the Lord chose, and themselves fought with in the same cause for their Countries redemption, Tyrant and Usurper. How have they by their murmur and provocations caused him (like Moses) to strike when he should but speak? and by their frowardness and ragings, forced him (as Aaron) to make a Calf like the Egyptian Ox, an other House instead of a House of Peers? But we hope the vanity of Messages and Messengers during the last fortnight's sitting, will for the future free us from the like mischiefs.  
How at present do we plunge him to preserve us? Alas! the quarrel is between Christ and Antichrist: Are not He and the King of Sweden the prime Champions or Christendom that stand for the reformed Religion? Look round about you, and see if you are not in the midst of flames; you will find Tinderboxes and Fuel from all parts to increase them, and factious bellows to blow them higher, but few to bring a bucket of water to quench them. Consider what condition you are in; you have yet peace at home, the Portugal, French Dane, Dutch and Spanish have for their affronts sought compliance, or suffered for not doing of it: What would you have him to do? how support the Armies and Navies? hath he had Kings, Bishops, Deans and Chapters with Delinquents Lands? Or, are they dispersed among the people? How hath this City lately in a manner had cities added to it? Where are his banks, favourites, riots, works of ostentation, for which he extorts your treasure, and misimployes it? You Citizens, can you be wise and provident in your particulars, as in adventuring your wealth to sea, engage your credit, and with patience expect a gainful return; and you Countrymen the like in your crops; and will it not persuade you to the like cheerful patience when the welfare and honour of the Public is concerned? Will you when you are by your skilful stout Pilot whom the Lord enabled to steer you safely in all your bypast storms and dangers, and hath brought you even to your desired Havens mouth, the winds rising high and the rocks in his way, will you then bind your Pilot hand and foot, and wilfully cast him, and yourselves away? You see your danger, and necessity, and be assured no Foreigner sides with any that are declared enemies to this Nation, but for their own advantage, our destruction. To prevent which, stand upon your Guards both by Sea and Land, enable our Protector accordingly, you have had long experience of him, and the Lords love to him; Petition him speedily to settle all differences, by calling of a Parliament, in which improve your reason and prudence to exempt malignant and lewd persons, and such as are factious, and according to your judgements and affections, make choice of such as shall best like you, and though they have never so few voices let them come to the lot; you have no other way then this left you, it will give quiet, and the Lord will bless it, for the excellent and frequent use of it, read how the Land of promise was divided by it, Achan discovered, Saul elected King by it, jonah detected; it periods all differences, it preserves Christ's Coat whole, which you Episcopal, Independent, Rebaptised, Presbyters, Quakers, & others, do all pretend to, & are ambitious to engross, & so tug & contend for it, that you will tear it in pieces unless you are as wise and civil as the soldiers who cast lots for it. Ye are all alike aspiring like the sons of Zebedee, to sit at the right and left hand of Christ; to have the Magistracy and Ministry in your power; but the Lord by this will dispose them to such as himself can only search and finds to be upright-hearted: This was the way the Apostles followed after their wisdoms and affections had voted two Competitors, one of them must supply judas his vacancy, and Mathias by it was admitted to the Apostleship; This way the Lord will continue till the end of time; for in the end of days Daniel shall stand in his lot, Dan. 12.13.  
Now that you may be persuaded to embrace this Ordinance, give me leave to show you where the Lords displeasure hath gently chastised the infringement of it: Call to mind when succours were to be sent to relieve our distressed Brethren in Ireland, the supplies were drawn forth by lot, the Lord Lambert and Col. Scroop, both gallant and faithful persons were chosen by it, the Lord Lambert for reasons best known to the then Governors, did not go when God by it said Go; but after when he would have gone in splendour he was eclipsed and withheld, and Col. Scroop who had submitted to the Lot, and after Election refused to go, his Regiment suddenly broke and mouldered away. Lay these gentle corrections to heart, and join all by prayer to God, and petition to the Protector that you may thus elect a Parliament; it wiil quiet all distractions, and unite the Members with their Head; none dare or can oppose it, but such whose consciences judge themselves unworthy of it; whose hearts tell them the Lord knows them, and will not admit them by it Consider you are a People blest by God, the wonder of the world, and that the Lord hath given you a CHIEF which hath exceeded all Precedents, and will be a pattern to Posterity. The Lord in his abundant mercy engrave upon your hearts and bring the meditation often to your minds of samuel's warning to the Israelites, 1 Sam. 12.24, 25. Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you.  
But if you shall still do wickedly, you shall be consumed both ye and your King. Which the Lord for the love of his Son Christ Jesus avert, is the fervent prayer of  
Your obedient subject and christian brother, N. T From a loyal & loving heart, March 22. 1658.   

Postscript.  
THis piece is like the wedding supper; see Luk: 14 from Ver. 24. to 26. it was intended to the Governors, but could not get admittance; the governed are equally loved and concerned, and therefore invited: the seed is from above, 'tis now sown (though by a weak hand,) God in his time will bless it with increase: The sowers reward will be as the poor man's that saved a city, Eccle. 9.15. But I have done my duty; and that's my comfort.  Horace. 

Est modus in rebus, sunt certi denique fines,  
Quos ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum.   

In things there is a measure, and an end,  
Which RIGHT on this, or that hand will not bend,    
FINIS.