_O Lord, give them that are yet living, a timely sense and sorrow for their great sinne, whom thou knowest guilty of raising or not suppressing those disorders: Let shame here and not suffering hereafter be their punishment._ _Set bounds to our passions by Reason, to our errors by Truth, to our seditions by Laws duely executed, to our schismes by Charitie, that we may be, as thy_ Jerusalem, _a Citie at unity in it self._ _This grant, O My God, in thy good time, for Jesus Christs sake._ Amen. * * * * * 5. _Upon His Majesties passing the_ BILL _for the Trienniall Parliaments: And after, setling this, during the pleasure of the two Houses_. That the world might be fully confirmed in my purposes at first, to contribute what in Justice, Reason, Honour and Conscience I could, to the happy success of this Parliament, (which had in Me no other Designe, but the generall good of My Kingdoms) I willingly passed the BILL for Trienniall Parliaments: which, as gentle and seasonable Physick, might (if well applied) prevent any distempers from getting any head, or prevailing; especially, if the remedy proved not a remedy beyond all remedy. I conceived, this Parliament would finde work with convenient Recesses for the first three years: But I did not imagine, that some men would thereby have occasioned more work then they found to do, by undoing so much as they found well done to their hands. Such is some mens activity, that they will needs make work rather then want it; and chuse to be doing amiss, rather then do nothing. When that first Act seemed too scanty to satisfie some mens fears, and compass publick Affairs; I was perswaded to grant that BILL of sitting during the pleasure of the Houses; which amounted, in some mens sense, to as much as the perpetuating of this Parliament. By this Act of highest confidence, I hoped for ever to shut out, and lock the door upon all present jealousies, and future mistakes: I confess, I did not thereby intend to shut my Self out of doors, as some men have now requited me. True, it was an Act unparallell'd by any of my Predecessors; yet cannot in reason admit of any worse interpretation then this, of an extreme confidence I had, That my Subjects would not make ill use of an Act, by which I declared so much to trust them, as to deny my Self in so high a point of my Prerogative. For good Subjects will never think it just or fit, that my Condition should be worse, by my bettering theirs; Nor indeed would it have been so in the events, if some men had known as well with moderation to use, as with earnestness to desire advantages of doing good or evill.