<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>8-28-09</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Added TEMPHEAD, checked ID, and added TYPEs to DIVs in order to validate. Proofed title. Checked ^s. Reviewed structure; changed Q to CLOSER. Checked placement and completeness of PBs. Checked for damage GAPs, #s, @s, --s, oe's, and UNCLEARs. Corrected [dollar]s. Checked for EPIGRAPHs and ARGUMENTs. Checked spacing of foreign GAPs. Checked CLOSERs, BYLINEs, SIGNEDs, OPENERs, SALUTEs, and TRAILERs. Checked for startqs and endqs, abq's, Ae's, qs, and Qs. Checked I / Js and U / Vs. Checked proofsheets and made corrections. Sample: 2 minutes. Proofing: 15 minutes. Tag review and corrections: 10 minutes. DONE.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A94647">
<STC T="W">T1673</STC>
<STC T="T">669.f.10[37]</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99869211</BIBNO>
<VID>162577</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>To the right Honourable the Lords and Commons a&s;&s;embled in Parliament, the Humble Petition of</HEAD>
<OPENER>Humbly &s;heweth,</OPENER>
<P>THat we account true Religion the life and crowne of all our Liberties and Priviledges; a pure and perfect Reformation in all Chri&s;ts Ordi|nances,
the lu&s;tre and beauty of Religion; and tho&s;e per&s;ons or Nations much honoured of their God, whom he plea&s;eth to employ in the
promoting and accompli&s;hing of &s;uch a Reformation. Such Honour was in part ca&s;t upon our pious Predece&s;&s;ors in the dayes of
King <HI>Edward</HI> the Sixth, and Queene <HI>Elizabeth</HI> (of happy Memory) when after the dark mid-night of Popery, the day of Reformation in
Doctrine and Wor&s;hip began &s;weetly to dawn upon this Kingdom: But Divine providence hath devolved a double honour upon this Age, and therein
principally upon you (Noble Senators) whom God hath wonderfully rai&s;ed up, more perfectly to repaire his Hou&s;e in all the beauties of Doctrine,
Wor&s;hip, Di&s;cipline, and Government, having mightily &s;tirred up your Spirits, heartily to re&s;olve it, &s;olemnly to Covenant it, and really to exhibit &s;ome
fir&s;t fruits of it in the Directory for publike Wor&s;hip, which we accept with all thankfulne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Notwith&s;tanding we are not able longer to conceale from your Honours, how extreamely our Spirits are perplexed and amazed, that the great bu&s;ine&s;&s;e
of Church-Government and Di&s;cipline, (whereupon the whol &s;tre&s;&s;e of the pre&s;ent Reformation will leane, and whereby all Chri&s;ts precious Ordinan|ces,
and in particular the Lords Supper &s;hould bee pre&s;erved from all contempt and profanation) &s;hould to this very day remaine une&s;tabli&s;hed by your
civill &s;anction: For, we verily believe that <HI>England</HI> was never ble&s;t with &s;uch a Parliament as you are; That Engli&s;h Parliament never had &s;uch a learned
pious and faithfull Synod, to hold forth &s;incerely the minde of Chri&s;t, and the Modell of Church Government agreeable to his will, as you have: That
no Parliament ever had &s;uch, and &s;o many forcible engagements upon them from God, and unto God as are upon you: And that this City of <HI>London</HI> did
never &s;o flouri&s;h with &s;uch a con&s;cionable and painefull Mini&s;try (ready to put the Government and Di&s;cipline of Chri&s;t into execution, for a patterne
and encouragement to all the Kingdom) as we have at this day: whence then &s;hould it be, that the children being come &s;o neare to the birth, there is yet
no &s;trength to bring forth?</P>
<P>Beare with us a little in this fervour of our Spirits (it is for our Religion, Reformation and the Hou&s;e of our God, and we cannot hold our peace)
what way &s;oever we ca&s;t our eye, we cannot but &s;ee mo&s;t &s;ad fruits of the not &s;etling of Church-Government to this day; Hence many abominable errors
and damnable Here&s;ies are broached among&s;t us without controule: And the precious truthes which Ie&s;us Chri&s;t &s;ealed with his blood are trampled under
foot. Hence the pure and holy Ordinances of Chri&s;t, e&s;pecially that of the Lords Supper, are either wofully profaned by per&s;ons gro&s;ly ignorant and &s;canda|lous:
Or, uncomfortably omitted in many places, now for a long time together, which &s;hould be often di&s;penced: Hence, multitudes of un&s;table &s;oules have
fallen off (e&s;pecially within the&s;e two or three yeares la&s;t pa&s;t) into many &s;trange Sects, maintaining mo&s;t horrid and bla&s;phemous opinions: Incorpora|ting
them&s;elves into &s;eparate A&s;&s;emblies; &s;etting up illiterate per&s;ons to bee their Pa&s;tors: And mannaging their meetings with great boldne&s;&s;e
and in&s;olency, in contempt of all Authority, to the di&s;turbance of the City, every one doing what is right in his own eyes, and there is no cour&s;e to
reclaime them. Hence, unnaturall flames of divi&s;ion (e&s;pecially about Church-Government) are occa&s;ioned, in the &s;ame Kingdome, betwixt
people and people; in the &s;ame Citty, betwixt Mini&s;ter and Mini&s;ter; in the &s;ame Congregation betwixt Pa&s;tor and Flock: yea, in the &s;ame
Family betwixt Ma&s;ter and Servant, betwixt Parents and Children, betwixt Husbands and Wives: differences in opinions breeding aliena|tion
of affection, and both breaking out into many bitter, and reproachfull contentions; Hence Orthodox Mini&s;ters are de&s;pi&s;ed and di&s;couraged
in their Mini&s;try: Hopefull Plants di&s;heartned and deterred from the Mini&s;try; Publike A&s;&s;emblies are for&s;aken; The pretended Preachers of new Go&s;pels
cried up: Univer&s;all tolleration of all opinions and Religions pleaded for: The Sabbaths and monthly dayes of Humiliation (though backed by your Autho|rity)
wilfully contemned: And a wide &s;luce opened unto all profane&s;&s;e and licenciou&s;ne&s;&s;e. Finally, hence it comes to pa&s;&s;e, that the hearts of the truly
Godly, who have &s;o long groaned after Reformation, are overwhelmed with griefe and faintings through Hope deferred: Our friends in forraign Coun|treys,
e&s;pecially our deare Brethren of <HI>Scotland,</HI> are a&s;toni&s;hed at our delayes: Our enemies at home &s;corne and in&s;ult over us, as given up to a &s;pirit of
giddine&s;&s;e, looking at this City as a &s;tage of Schi&s;m, Faction, and Here&s;ie: Our di&s;tempers grow more incurable, and Reformation every day more difficult
and improbable: And though our God hath rewarded our beginings of Reformation, with his beginings of deliverance; yet hath he al&s;o of late mani|fe&s;ted
divers &s;ad and remarkable tokens of his di&s;plea&s;ure from heaven again&s;t <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Scotland,</HI> both by &s;word and pe&s;tilence, becau&s;e (as we ju&s;tly
feare) we make no more ha&s;te to compleat the Reformation in all the de&s;ireable perfections of it, according to our Covenant, wherein (led both by your
precept and example) we have religiou&s;ly lifted up our hands to the mo&s;t high God.</P>
<P>When we con&s;ider the&s;e things, we could poure out our very &s;oules in us. For God is our record (and your Honours al&s;o in part can beare us witne&s;&s;e)
what we have done and &s;uffered in this concerning Cau&s;e of God and Religion; And how we have &s;pared neither our prayers, nor teares, nor outward
e&s;tates, nor limbs, nor blood, nor our deare&s;t lives for the publike; but e&s;pecially for the promoting of a &s;peedy and perfect Reformation in all matters of
Religion. Without which we value no worldly comforts: With which we hope we &s;hall feare no earthly cro&s;&s;es; and till this be effected, we cannot ex|pect
that God will fully ble&s;&s;e either you or us with compleat deliverance.</P>
<P>Wherefore we mo&s;t ardently and humbly importune this Renowned Parliament (our chiefe hope and help under God in this ca&s;e)</P>
<P>1. That as you tender the happine&s;&s;e of this now mi&s;erable Church: The true pro&s;perity of this di&s;tracted City and Kingdom: The timely comfort
of all your reall friends: The &s;ea&s;onable cure of all our deep di&s;tempers before they grow remedile&s;&s;e: The ha&s;tening of the Kingdoms enlarge|ment
from all its pre&s;&s;ing di&s;tre&s;&s;es, and its enjoyment of all contrary ble&s;&s;ings from the Lord: The exaltation of the name of God, who&s;e glory
is now profaned to the du&s;t: And your faithfull performing of Covenant with the mo&s;t high God touching Reformation: you would make all
po&s;&s;ible ha&s;te forthwith to e&s;tabli&s;h, by your civill Sanction, that Government and Di&s;cipline among&s;t us, which Chri&s;t hath left to his Church,
(A Modell whereof the Reverend A&s;&s;embly of Divines, according to the wi&s;edom given unto them, have framed, and (as we under&s;tand) already
pre&s;ented to your Honours) which being e&s;tabli&s;hed, we &s;hall better be enabled with greater hope and patience to wait till the Confe&s;&s;ion of Faith,
and publike Cathechi&s;m can be fini&s;hed; which mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily take up a farre longer time then can po&s;&s;ibly be &s;pared from the &s;etling of Go|vernment
without many unavoydable and de&s;perate mi&s;chiefs. And we be&s;eech you to remember how the Lord hath ha&s;tened of late to load you
and us in a &s;hort &s;pace with his many benefits; as the Victory at <HI>Nazeby,</HI> the quick recovery of <HI>Leice&s;ter,</HI> the reliefe of <HI>Taunton,</HI> the &s;urrender
of many &s;trong holds into your hands, as <HI>Bridgewater, Scarborough, Pomfret, Canon-froom, Sherburne,</HI> and <HI>Bri&s;toll:</HI> And what more reall ex|pre&s;&s;ion
of gratitude for &s;uch high favours, can you render unto the Lord, then to ha&s;ten the repaire of his Hou&s;e, that &s;o ha&s;tens the building up
of yours; as you were effectually pre&s;&s;ed at the Publike Thank&s;giving after <HI>Nazeby</HI> field, which Sermon was by Order of both Hou&s;es of Par|liament
commanded to be printed, which gives us good hope that our &s;econding of that now which was then preached in our eares, and took
deep impre&s;&s;ion on our &s;pirits, will be an acceptable &s;ervice unto your Honours.</P>
<P>2. That when&s;oever Church-government &s;hall be &s;etled by your authoritie among&s;t us, it may be e&s;tabli&s;hed with &s;uch a compleat mea&s;ure of power
and authoritie upon the Presbyteries which &s;hall be erected in England, as may fully enable them to maintaine all Chri&s;ts &s;acred Ordinances,
e&s;pecially the holy Supper of the Lord, in their highe&s;t &s;plendour and puritie, held forth in the Word, again&s;t all contempt, pollution, and profana|tion
what&s;oever, by gro&s;&s;e ignorance or &s;candall, that &s;o the Lord may be fully for you, when you &s;hall be fully for him: The glorie of this may
&s;urpa&s;&s;e the glorie of all former reformations: All occa&s;ion of &s;chi&s;me and &s;eparation, by rea&s;on of impuritie, or imperfection of Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall ad|mini&s;trations,
may be removed: All &s;tumbling blocks to tender con&s;ciences may be &s;o taken out of the way, that all the Brethren (though now of
different opinions) may &s;weetly joyne together in the wor&s;hip of their God, with one heart and one &s;oule: All our precious Mini&s;ters may be en|couraged
to hold on in their &s;tations, without being enforced to de&s;ert them: And all gracious &s;pirits at home, together with all our godly friends
abroad, may heartily crie Grace, Grace.</P>
<P>And your Petitioners beholding the Lord Chri&s;t triumphing thus gloriou&s;ly in the utmo&s;t puritie of all his Ordinances, &s;hall never repent of what
they have already done or endured; nor repine at what they may hereafter po&s;&s;ibly do, or endure in reference to this &s;o glorious a work:
But &s;hall con&s;tantly triumph in the prai&s;es of our God, both for crowning our Church with &s;uch &s;pirituall glorie, and for lifting up your
hearts in the&s;e &s;acred things, to do &s;o worthily.</P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
