The leaves of the tree of life: for the healing of the nations.: Opening all the wounds of this kingdome, and of every party, and applying a remedy to them: by which we come to a right understanding between King and Parliament. A universal agreement and peace on all sides, and the kingdom restored and setled upon a sure and unmoveable foundation: by the light of God shining upon William Sedgwick.

Chap. VII. (Book 7)

Shewing the sin and punishment of the people of both parties.

HAving seen the sin & judgement of these two great earth∣ly powers, let us descend lower and view the People of Eng∣land as they are divided by these two heads King and Parlia∣ment, into two streames, Round-heads and Cavailiers.

You are both deeply guilty of the evil of both your heads, and therefore justly fall into the same condemnation: look up∣on your King, and in him see your transgressions, and propor∣tionably your sufferings from a righteous God. Look you upon your Parliament, and in them behold your wickednesse, and your just afflictions: you have joynd your selves to them, or leand upon them, and are fallen with them; or you upheld them and sup∣ported them in their wicked waies, and they are fallen with al the burthen of Gods wrath upon you, and so breake you to peeces.

But particularly, and besides theirs, you are guilty,

First of the same things in a lesser way: You are tyrants and oppressors in your estates, in your families; as husband & wife, father and children; and do all live, not in the light of God and Christ, but in the darknes of Satan and this world: & if you had not a generall, you would be devoured with private vexati∣ons; the same evils being broken forth upon the world in fami∣lies, trades, bargains; deceits, cosonage, suites, strife, warrs, jarres, differences; & if the light of God appear not for your deliverance

you will bee utterly ruined, and the joy and comfort of these things utterly wasted; for the whole frame of things is out of course, and there is secret curses stolne into all rela∣tions and things; which much shakes and distracts, though not quite over-throwes their peace.

There is in your taking of parts, blinde zeale, igno∣rance of God and of the Kingdomes constitution, and grosse Idolizing man. Every one hurrying on in his way without judgement or consideration; forgetting God and making flesh your arme; mad of your particular Idols, KING and Parlia∣ment, which now you see are empty, vaine and helplesse things.

In taking sides, you are carried much by sinister and by respects, each seeking to make himselfe something by the warre, and to advance themselves whil'st they seeke to ad∣vance their party; all aiming at a worldly and carnall ease, prosperity, and preferment; and while you strived to ex∣alt your selves, you have lost the ground and foundation of all your hopes; and every one seeking to make himselfe some∣thing, hath made the whole nothing; in seeking to adde to what you had, you have lost the whole.

There was also much revenge, bloudy malice against your neighbours, and malignancy against each other; thirsty after the ruine of each other, and glad of oppertunities of doing mischief one against another.

And for these wicked things are become partners in the misery of the King and Parliament; as you have their and your owne sinnes, so you suffer their and your owne plagues: Their destruction is yours, you can't but be miserable in their misery; in their divisions your very hearts are divided; The very foundations are out of course; and you are left in a state of calamity without meanes or hopes of re∣covery.

Besides, The wrath of God is daily wasting of you, and you are wasting one another; the Nation becoming such a hel of confusion, that men are Divels one to another; maligning and hating each other to death: These waies would utterly waste you if you had ten thousand times more then you have. The fruit of all your long labours sweept away from you in a moment by mischievous villains; to have your bread taken from you, and your selves, and wives and children ti∣rannized over by free quarterers.

Honest industry quite discouraged, being almost use-less: most men that have estates betrayed by one side or other, plundered, sequestered. Trading (the life and subsistance of thousands) decaying, eaten up with taxes: your poor rea∣dy to famish, or to rise to pull reliefe from the rich mens hands by violence: the heavens and earth jarring in unsea∣sonable weather; and summer and winter fighting together, and invading each others quarters; which threatens famine upon you. Squeesd by taxes, wrack'd with war, the anvill indeed of misery, upon which all the stroakes of vengeance fall. A wofull Nation! once the freest people in the world, now the veriest slaves: slaves not to one, but to many Ma∣sters; and those many, of various and different tempers: by whom you are forced to be sometimes one way, sometimes another. And the Church, which is the joy of Saints, strange∣ly confounded; that none almost knows his owne, or his Neighbours Religion; in such a mist of darknesse are you.