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<DATE>2007-08-04</DATE>
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<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B070710.apex.</ITEM>
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<STC T="T">669.f.8[27]</STC>
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<VID>161078</VID>
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<P><PB REF="1"><!-- PDF PAGE 18 -->
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
THe humble reque&s;t of certain Chri&s;tians reproachfully called Anabapti&s;ts, who onely de&s;ire to owne, im|brace, profe&s;&s;e and maintain the pure truths of God in the hatred of all errours, as namely univer&s;all redem|ption, free-will and falling away, with all other things contrary to whol&s;ome doctrine, who are accu&s;ed as factious movers of &s;edition and rebellion, and the cau&s;e of the&s;e unnaturall warres, and of the difference betwixt His Maje&s;ty and the Parliament, that &s;eeing &s;uch a common defamation is rai&s;ed upon them, by rea&s;on that per|haps &s;ome profe&s;sing and owning &s;ome truths of God in outward profe&s;sion which they hold, being hypocrites, do walk very &s;candalou&s;ly in the broaching and practi&s;ing of damnable errours and here&s;ies, even denying the Lord that vi&s;ibly &s;eemed to have bought them, and bring upon them&s;elves &s;wift damnation, and many follow their pernicious wayes, by rea&s;on of whom the wayes of truth are evill &s;poken of, 2 Pet. 2. 1. 2. and indeed now this Scripture is fulfilled, whereby we, according to that which our Saviour Lord and Ma&s;ter &s;aid, do undergo the ha|tred, revilings, and all manner of evill &s;peakings of many, which although it be a &s;igne to us of our ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e, Matth. 5. 11. ina&s;much as they &s;peak it of us fal&s;ly for his name &s;ake, yet con&s;idering he &s;aith, that they that kill us will think they do God &s;ervice, although indeed he &s;aith withall, it is becau&s;e they have not known the Father nor him&s;elfe, John. 16. 2. 3. and &s;eeing he hath a time to reveale him&s;elfe to his own, and hath promi&s;ed that the know|ledge of God &s;hall cover the earth as the waters cover the &s;ea, E&s;a. 11. 9. and that all &s;hall know him from the lea&s;t to the greate&s;t, Jer. 31. 34. mark, it &s;eems knowledge &s;hall begin at the lea&s;t. And whereas we now &s;ee God &s;tirring up the Magi&s;trates to take part with his poore de&s;pi&s;ed Saints again&s;t their antichri&s;tian great oppo&s;ers, wherein he hath made them his &s;word to lop off the heads of them already, which we acknowledge with all thankful|ne&s;&s;e, fir&s;t to God, and &s;econdly to them, and are further incouraged to intreat them as they are ju&s;t and godly, for Gods &s;ake to heare our cau&s;e, and do us ju&s;tice, that if God be God, we may follow him altogether, then will wrath and &s;tripes flee away, and peace, plenty and pro&s;perity with true joy and gladne&s;&s;e will come in the roome thereof: for when our wayes plea&s;e the Lord, he will make our enemies at peace with us, Prov. 16. 7. we therfore de&s;ire all that feare God, that they that are the mo&s;t affectionate Chri&s;tians would get the hands of all in their Pa|ri&s;h that feare God, who may be many more then they expect, for there were &s;even thou&s;and that had not bowed to Baal, 1 King. 19. 18. when Eliah thought he had beene left alone: therefore go to all in your Pari&s;hes, and de|&s;ire their hands to &s;o rea&s;onable a reque&s;t as this, namely, that ina&s;much as there are &s;uch accu&s;ations again&s;t us as afore&s;aid, that the Parliament would be favourably plea&s;ed for the glory of God and the clearing of his truths, and the farther &s;hining forth of Je&s;us Chri&s;t in his glorious Go&s;pell to his people, to call us before them, and al&s;o of the Doctors of the Synod as many as they plea&s;e, and proclaime that all the accu&s;ers of what we hold contrary to the truth of God, may here accu&s;e us; and if tho&s;e Doctors can prove their Mini&s;tery, Bapti&s;me or Sabboth to be com|manded of God, or owned by Chri&s;t, or any thing we hold to be contrary to godline&s;&s;e, then we will thankfully be reduced to the truth, and repent and revoke our errour, and &s;uffer for our pre&s;umption, but if it &s;hall be made evident, that neither their Mini&s;tery, Bapti&s;me nor Sabboth be commanded of God, although it be a light but very new &s;prung forth to bring us out of ignorance, whereout when it plea&s;ed not God to give us the means to &s;ee and come forth, the time of that ignorance God regarded not, but now will command all his people every where to repent, and walk after the light, and give them repentance for his glory, and their eternall comfort. Even &s;o come Lord Je&s;us. Thus intreating all that feare God, as they pitty poore &s;oules, that de&s;ire to be reduced from all er|rours to all truths, and be confirmed and &s;etled therein, to get in their &s;everall Pari&s;hes as man y hands as they can to a Petition to the Parliament for this &s;o rea&s;onable a de&s;ire, the which Petition you &s;hall have at M. Barbers in Thredneedle-Street at the hor&s;e-&s;hoe, from Thomas Nutt, one for every Pari&s;h.</P>
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