THat your Petitioners or many of them have heretofore exhibited to both Houses of Parliament, a Petition concurring with those of the Renowned City of London, and other severall Counties of this Kingdome, expressing their zeale to true Religion and the pure worship of God, and their loyall af­fections to the Kings most Excellent Majesty, both Houses, and Kingdomes.

That your Petitioners doe with all humility, returne their utmost thanks unto this Honourable Assembly, for your favourable and gentle acceptance of their Petition, your great care, vigilancy and uncessant labours, for the advancement of the true Reformed Religion, the honour and welfare, of his Majesty and his Kingdome. For your continued endeavours for a right understanding between his Majesty and Parliament. For your instant addresses to his Majesty, to disswade him from his per­sonall expedition into Ireland, and especially for that to us so welcome a Declaration of the Lords and Commons Aprill 9. 1642. concerning your pious intentions for a necessary Reformation which revives our hopes, and will further your reckoning in the day of the Lord. And that your Petitioners doe most heartily rejoyce to behold the happy Union of both Houses of Parliament, and the mutuall concurrence of them and the whole Kingdome, wherein under his Ma­jesty, the safety of the three Kingdomes doth consist,

Yet your Petitioners cannot but plainly expresse with what sad hearts they thinke on the many evill occurrents which in­terrupt your unparalleld paines and intercept the fruit of your faithfull Councells from us, among which this is not the le [...]st viz. A Petition as wee humbly conceive of dangerous consequence, contrived by some and published the last Assizes, holden for this County at MAIDSTONE. And then, yet advanced for Subscribers and intended to be exhibited to this Honourable House the Petition of the whole bodie of the County, to cause the whole Kingdome to be­leeve that Petition to be the Act of the whole County of Kent or the major part thereof, whereby a great scandall is brought upon this loyall and peaceable County, the same Petition being stiled the Kentish Petition, which we know is not the Act of the County, as it seemes to speake, for as much as it was disavowed by many of the then Grand Jury and Justices of the Bench, and since by all us your Petioners whose names are under written.

Wherefore your Petitioners humble and earnest prayer is, that your Honours would be pleased to accept this our Vin­dication of our selves and County, who utterly disclaime the said Petition, humbly leaving it to the wisedome, justice and clemency of this Honourable Assembly, to difference betweene the active Contrivers and Promoters and unadvised subscri­bers of it.

To list up your hearts above all discouragements in the wayes of the Lord, according to that your so religious resolution of reformation in the Church, for a consultation with godly and learned Divines, and for the establishing of a Preaching Ministery throughout the whole Kingdome.

And we your Petitioners (being sensible, that to oppose or sleight his Majesties Parliament and the Orders thereof, were to hazard the safety of his Royall Person and all his Kingdomes, and to further the designes of our enemies, who hope by causing our division, to triumph in our confusion) are unanimously resolved to maintaine and defend as farre as lawfully wee may, with our lives; powers, and estates his Majesties Royall Person and dignity, as also the Power and Priviledges of his Parliments, according to our Protestation.

And shall daily pray, &c.