The Way to Heaven Discovered, Author to Parliament
A mild and gentle word of Reproofe to the ſcattered diſcontented Members of the Late PARLIAMENT.
HAve ye ſate ſo long at the Stern, and could ye not ſteer your Ship aright, but let it ſplit againſt a rock? Had ever any Parliament longer time to learn to do well then ye had? Had ever any Parliament ſuch a prize put into their hands as ye? Had ever any Parliament ſo many Prayers, Tears, and Petitions, as ye have had? Had ever any Parliament ſo many ſignall Teſtimonies of Gods free love, in giving in ſo many victories both by Land and Sea as you? Did ever a Parliament make more ſhew of Piety & Reality then you did? Did ever a Parliament make ſo many Proteſtations, Covenants, Engagements both to God and Man, to eſtabliſh Righteouſneſs, Truth, and Equity, as you? and yet this honourable, long-ſtanding, victorious, engaging Parliament, (if not falſifyed the truſt repoſed to them) they did fruſtrate the expectations of the people that had choſen them: and ſo at laſt came to be laid aſide, either by God, or Man, or both, and ſcarce a tear for them, or any eye to pitty them. Why ſo? did ever a Parl. promiſe more and performe leſs? did ever a Parl. ſeeke greater things for themſelves more then this? were I near them, and had the advantage of their ear, I ſhould whiſper a word of advice unto them, I would intreat them to read, and ſeriouſly conſider that portion of Scripture, Daniel 4. 27.
I would further deſire them to do as our Brother Zacheus did, Luke 19. 8. And Zacheus ſtood forth and ſaid unto the Lord, Behold Lord, the halfe of my goods I give to the poore; and if I have taken any thing from any man by forged cavillation, (or, they may ſay, either upon Publick Faith, or falſe accuſation) I will reſtore him fourfold.
If you take this advice, it may be you ſhall be hid in the day of the Lords anger, as in Zephan. 2. 3.
Oh! Let it never be truly ſaid of you, that ye gaine while the Nation loſeth; neither l…t it be ſaid of you, that yee have ſpent your time in feathering your own neſts: but now be willing to let every Bird have his own Feather, that every one may ſit down under his own Vine, and eat his own Bread, unleſs it be thoſe that have been the cauſe (or inſtruments) of our troubles.
I truſt I may ſay of ſome of the late Parliament, as once was ſaid of the Church of Sardis, Rev. 3. 4. Thou haſt a few names yet in Sardis which have not defiled their Garments, &c.
But to the reſt of that Houſe, let me tell them, that if they do not lay theſe things to heart, but rather comfort themſelves in the conſideration of any good that they have done; then I ſay unto you, that the divine wiſdome knoweth how to uſe bad men unto good purpoſes; and in the end not only to caſt them off, but to puniſh them when the world is done. Remember the ſtories of Haman, Jehu, and Saul, and in all ages, ſelf-ſeekers were ſelf-loſers, and ſelf-deſtroyers, viz. Adam ſought himſelfe, and loſt himſelfe; Abſalom ſought himſelf, and loſt himſelf; who ever ſought himſelf and proſpered? who ever that continued to ſeek himſelf but periſhed?
If ye ſay, We had a ſelfe-denying Ordinance; I ſay, ye had not a ſelf-denying heart and principle; (I am ſure, for mine own part, I know it to be ſo;) Beſides, it appearth by your endeavouring to make your ſelves a perpetuall Parliament, that the next might not queſtion you: it ſeemeth you had almoſt forgotten that next under God, all power fundamentally was in the people of God, and that all perſons intruſted with it as their Truſtees: and accordingly it is provided, that ſuch Truſtees be queſtioned for betraying, or ill managing their truſt.
Some of your actions do call for ſiftings, and the Lord will ſearch you (as with candles) and turn your inſides outward, that ſo ye may give an account of your Stewardſhip, for ye may be ſo no longer Stewards; ſurely there is ſhame written upon ſome of your footſteps, who are ſtanding in ſlippery places. Oh! might ever a Parliament have come off with more honour then you, if ye had but denyed your naturall ſelf, ſinfull ſelf, and religious ſelf?
Well, I perceive that as a Bird hoppeth from tree to tree, ſo do the honours and riches of this world from man to man: Nay, riches and honours are like the Moon or the Tide, alwayes increaſing or decreaſing; the Moon hath been increaſing, and the Tide hath been comming in (as it is humbly conceived) with you theſe eight or ten years; but now the Moon being at the full, and the ſpring Tide at the higheſt, the Moon is upon decreaſing, and the Tide upon returning.
Well, I ſee a man may have enough of the world to ſink him, but he can never have enough to ſave him; ſurely many times I ſee the worſt of men have moſt of theſe outward things, and the beſt of men have leaſt of earth, and moſt of heaven. I find in Scripture-record that a man may be great and graceleſs with Pharaoh, honourable and damnable with Saul, rich and miſerable with Dives.
Oh! I ſee, I ſee, that one ſtorm at Sea, one coale of Fire, one falſe Friend, one unadviſed word, one falſe Witneſs, may make a rich man a Beggar, and a Priſoner altogether: Surely if this had been conſidered, ſome things had been reformed that were not. Did you never read Pſal. 12. 5. Now for the oppreſſion of the needy, and for the ſighs of the poore, I will up ſaith the Lord, and will ſet at liberty? &c.
And in Pſalm. 146. 9. The Lord keepeth the Stranger, he relieveth the Fatherleſſe, and Widow, &c.
Did you not know that the oppreſſion of the poor, which was ſo great in the midſt of us, would pull down the judgement of God upon the heads of thoſe that had power to relieve them and would not?
May not many of you hereafter ſay, as Philip the third of Spain (whoſe life was free from groſs evils) being in the Agony of death, fear ſtruck into him, and theſe words burſt from him, Oh would to God I had never reigned! Oh that I had lived a ſolitary life with God, and not oppreſt the people! What doth all my honour profit me, but that I have ſo much the more torment in my death! My day of account is very neere, and all men ſhall know and feel that the ſleeping of vengeance cauſeth the overflowing of ſin, and the overflowing of oppreſſion cauſeth the overflowing of vengeance.
Abuſed oportunity will moſt certainly turn into fury; for Gods long forbearance is no acquittance; the day is at hand when he will pay negligent men and women for miſpending precious time, and for the abuſe of new and old mercies in the day of account. Mens actions are all in print, and they ſhall be read aloud in the eares of all the world, that all the righteous Nation that ſhall enter in, may ſay Amen, to that righteous Sentence that Chriſt ſhall paſs upon all thoſe that had a prize put into their hands to mind his glory, and to unload his people of their heavy burthens, that the oppreſſed might go free; but they had no heart to it, as in the Proverbs.
But inſtead thereof, ſought great things for themſelves, as, in Jer. 45. 5.
Nay, though Moſes and Aaron (two choice Chriſtians and Champions) did lead and govern Iſrael for a long time, notwithſtanding many dangers and difficulties, yet they were at laſt ſhut out of Canaan, becauſe they did not ſanctifie the Lord God at the water of Meribah, Deut. 32. 15. and Numb. 27. 14, 15. For ye were diſobedient unto my Word in the ſtrife of the Aſſembly, &c.