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<DATE>2008-08-03</DATE>
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<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B080710.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<STC T="T">669.f.13[5]</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">50811831</BIBNO>
<VID>162900</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 7 -->
<HEAD><HI>To the Right Honorable, The Lords and Commons a&s;&s;embled in Parliament:</HI> The humble Petition of the Major, Magi&s;trates, Mini&s;ters and Commons of the Town of <HI>Ply|mouth,</HI> and others well-affected and de&s;irous of the Peace of God to rule in this Kingdom;</HEAD>
<OPENER>SHEWETH,</OPENER>
<P>THat your Petitioners being con&s;cious of their Solemn Engagement with you in Prote&s;tation, Vow and Covenant before the Searcher of Hearts, and Judge of Spirits, for Reformation according to Gods Word, Extirpation of Popery and Prelacy, Re&s;titution of Civil Rights and Liberties, Main|tenance of the Ju&s;t Priviledges of Parliament, and the Defence and Pre&s;ervation of His Maje&s;ties Per&s;on and Authority in the Pre&s;ervation and Defence of all the former, do finde them&s;elves bound upon ju&s;t grounds to make this recognition of their Duty unto you at this time.</P>
<P>For fir&s;t, knowing that this general Engagement was undertaken in order to procure a ju&s;t, holy and &s;afe Peace, which God might own, We de&s;ire humbly to minde you, as our &s;elves de&s;ire &s;adly to con&s;ider, and to bear the iniquity in bitterne&s;s of Soul before God, whether the breach of Covenant in retarding the work of Gods hou&s;e, and too much &s;paring Malignant wickedne&s;s again&s;t God and man, have not pro|voked the Lord to keep this Peace far off from us.</P>
<P>Secondly, having &s;een &s;trange actings of many, and (as we humbly conceive) irregular pre&s;sing upon your Authority to Bya&s;s you &s;everal ways, formerly and of late; and having heard of much Treachery of men in betraying their Tru&s;ts both by Sea and Land, and of impetuous Petitions and unrea&s;onable for a Per&s;onal Treaty upon any terms, without due Satisfaction and Security given for the effecting tho&s;e nece&s;|&s;ary and ju&s;t ends of the Covenant (which we are con&s;ident many of tho&s;e Petitioners have &s;worn al&s;o to the Almighty) and for Ce&s;&s;ation, and laying a&s;ide your Arms in &s;uch a time when the cruel and Malignant Enemy is prepared to ruine you and the Kingdom, we are &s;en&s;ible that the&s;e perver&s;e workings mu&s;t be grievous to you, and cau&s;e many ob&s;tructions to the work of God in your hands, as well as to the King|doms Peace, which we are confident God will require of tho&s;e Authors.</P>
<P>Thirdly, con&s;idering that ye are of the &s;ame mould with us, though called of God, and &s;et up over us for good at this time, and that ye are &s;ubject to di&s;couragement, and to wax feeble by defections and oppo|&s;itions of men, we that are your weake&s;t and lowe&s;t parts de&s;ire to be &s;upplying to you what &s;trength the Lord gives in, who alone is the life of you and us: Whom that we may not make our Enemy,</P>
<P><HI>Your Petitioners for them&s;elves, and in the name of many thou&s;ands, do humbly pray you in the mid&s;t of all di&s;tractions, to be incouraged in the Lord, to look &s;trictly to the performance of the Solemn Covenant, as you have to the making of it, that Gods work in e&s;tabli&s;hing Religion and Government according to his Word be ha&s;tned, That your bands be &s;trong to do Iu&s;tice early and impartially among men, That you do not precipitate your Coun&s;els and Re&s;olutions for a Treaty prejudicial to the end of our Covenant, at which God &s;hould be angry: For as the Petitioners profe&s;s them|&s;elves to pray and long for the Peace of our Native and Neighboring Kingdoms; yet &s;uch a Peace do we de&s;ire, whereof God may be the Author, Rule and End, which alone will keep us in true &s;afety. And fora&s;much as ye have engaged all the true hearted, godly and well-affected in the&s;e Kingdoms to undertake with you to their E&s;tates and Lives, We humbly pray you faithfully to per&s;evere in acting your Declarations frequently made for their common &s;afety, and notwith&s;tanding specious pretences made by Petition, not to &s;werve from your fir&s;t ju&s;t Principles of our general Covenanting with you to make God angry, and let in the common Enemy to spoil. And furthermore our humble reque&s;t is, &s;eeing God hath made this poor place and people &s;erviceable for the Kingdoms good, and pre&s;erva|tion of your power through your Supplies to them (for which we de&s;ire unce&s;&s;antly to ble&s;s the Lord) that &s;till through your gracious influence it may be enabled to &s;erve God and you again&s;t the common Enemy by Sea and Land; and that &s;uch Authority may be derived from you unto us, as may enable us to act again for our own and Kingdoms Defence: In doing all which ye &s;hall plea&s;e God, encourage the hearts of the faithful in the Land, &s;trike fear on your enemies; The Lord of Ho&s;ts him&s;elf &s;hall be &s;till your &s;hield and great reward, but a terror and confu&s;ion to and deceitful men.</HI></P>
<CLOSER>So &s;hall your Petitioners pray.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="imprimatur">
<P>ORdered by the Commons a&s;&s;embled in Parliament, That this Petition be forthwith printed and publi&s;hed.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>H: El&s;ynge, Cler. Parl. D. Com.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>Edward Husband,</HI> Printer to the Honorable Hou&s;e of Commons, <HI>Augu&s;t</HI> 25. 1648.</P>
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