THat as we cannot but acknowledge and adore the holy and righteous Dispensati­on of the Lord, in all the great and long continued afflictions, wherewith he hath afflicted us for our sins; So we are not a little filled with admiration at the great and wonderful Providence of our most gracious God, who alone doth great wonders, for his mercy endureth for ever; That at such a time, when our strength was gone, and there was none to deliver, He mercifully stirred up that Pious and Magnanimous Prince Wil­liam, then Prince of Orange, now, by the good Hand of God, our Gracious Soveraign, to Espouse the Interest of the Protestant Religion, and of the afflicted Ministers and Pro­fessors thereof in these Kingdoms, and hath blessed him in so Heroick and Noble an un­dertaking with agreeable success: As also, hath raised up your Lordships, our most Noble and Honourable Patriots, to joyn heartily with His Majesty, in appearing zea­lously for securing of the Protestant Religion in this Kingdom, and for what may tend to the better establishment thereof in all its concerns; And in evidencing your just Indig­nation against the corruptions of Church and State in your Lordships Claim of Right: And particularly, by freeing us of the Yoke of Prelacy, and of the undue Power, and [...]lesiastical Supremacy in Church-matters, formerly established in the Supreme Magistrat. [...]d as these your Lordships zealous beginnings of appearing for the interest of the Pro­ [...]ant Religion, & Professors thereof, have been, and are great matter of joy to our Hearts, and of blessing and magnifying our Lord and Master in your Lordships behalf; So they are a Door of Hope to us, and to all that love the true reformed Protestant Religion in this Land; That His Grace, His Majesties High Commissioner, and this Honourable Court of Parliament, will in your Station, go on zealously in your begun Work of purg­ing this poor oppressed Church, from all Corruptions brought into it, by Ambitious and Covetous Church-men, who sought their own things, but not the things of Jesus Christ; And from all the sad Consequences, which have followed upon the Erecting of Prelacy; Such as were, the driving several hundreds of Ministers, all at one time, out of their Churches, without either Accusation or Citation, and the filling of their places with Ignorant and Scandalous Persons (which His Majesty is graciously pleased to notice in His Declaration for Scotland, as an occasion of all this poor Churches miseries, and from which insupportable Sufferings, He declared His resolution to relieve and rescue us): And we may add, with many also Erroneous, and unsound in the Faith, enemies to the Reformation, and who have now appeared disaffected to the present Civil Government; As also the framing of a numerous Train of severe Laws, severely executed both on Mi­nisters and People of all Degrees, so far, that even while we were counted and treated as sheep for the slaughter, we might not Petition nor Complain, without rendering our selves highly Criminal by the Laws and Acts then made. All which, we hope, The Commis­sioner His Grace, and your Lordships in this present Parliament, will take to your seri­ous Consideration, and will free this poor Oppressed Church from such Oppressors and Oppressions, and settle it again upon the right Foundations of Government and Disci­pline, agreeable to the Word of God, and established in this Church by Law, near an hundred years ago. Which settlement, we are confident, will prove the best Remedy of all our otherways incurable Distractions, and the mean of quieting and uniting the whole Countrey, in a joynt and firm opposition against all His Majesties, and your Lordships Enemies.

[Page 2]We, therefore His Majesties most-Loyal Subjects, and your Lordships most humble [...]d dutiful Servants in Christ, Humbly beseech, The Commissioner his Grace, and the [...]onourable Estates of Parliament, Seing The King's Majesty hath Declared, and your [...]ordships with him, have Zealously Appeared for the Protestant Religion, You [...]ould be Graciously pleased, by your Civil Sanction, to Establish and Ratifie the late [...]onfession of Faith, with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms (which contain the [...]mm and Substance of the Doctrine of the Reformed Churches) The Directory of Worship, and Presbyterial Church-Government and Discipline, all agreeable to the Word of GOD, and formerly Received by the General Consent of this Nation. And [...]ing Prelacy, and all who have entered under Prelacy, have been Imposed upon the [...]hurch, without her Consent, in any of her Free General Assemblies, and that Pres­ [...]yterian Government, cannot be Secure in the Hands of them, who are of Contrary [...]rinciples; Therefore we humbly Petition, That the Church-Government may be [...]stablished in the Hands of such only, who, by their former Carriage, and Sufferings, [...]ave evidenced, that they are known sound Presbyterians, and well affected to His Ma­ [...]esties Government; or who, hereafter shall be found to be such, (which we are hope­ [...]ull, by the Grace of God, shall be managed with such Christian Prudence, Modera­tion and Tenderness, (as shall leave no Just Matter of Complaint to any) And that not only these Ministers yet alive, who were Unjustly thrust from their Churches, may be Restored thereto, and these Parishes, and Flocks, at that time, no less violently Im­ [...]osed upon, may be freed from Intruders; But also, all other Presbyterian Ministers, who either are already, or may be, by respective Flocks orderly called hereafter, day have access to be settled in Churches, after the Presbyterian way, as they shall be Ecclesiastically approved and Appointed, And may have your Lordships Civil Sanction added thereunto.

And we also Request, that the Church thus Established, may be allowed by your Lordships Civil Sanction, to Appoint Visitations for Purging out Insufficient, Negli­gent, Scandalous, and Erroneous Ministers. And seing Patronages, which had their Rise in the most Corrupt and Latter Times of Antichristianism, have always been a great Grievance to this Church, as the Source and Fountain of a Corrupt Ministry, That these may be Abolished; And that the Church may be Established upon its form­er Good Foundations, Confirmed by many Acts of Parliaments, since the year one thousand five hundred and sixty. And that all Acts contrair to this Government, that Ratifie Ceremonies, and Impose Punishments on Presbyterians, for Non-conformity, and for Worshipping GOD according to their Principles, may be Abrogat. And as a good and necessary Mean, for preserving the Purity of the Church, your Lordships take Care, that Learned, Sound, and Godly Men be put in Universities, and Semi­naries of Learning (humbly submitting to your Lordships Wisdom, the Method of Considering, and Effectuating these our desires) Thus all things being done for the House of the God of Heaven, according to the Commandment of the God of Heaven, by your Lordships pious and wise managing these Affairs of the Church of Christ, This Poor long oppressed and tossed Church, may at length, through Gods Blessing, Arrive at a safe and quiet Harbour, And the True Honour and Happiness of His Ma­jesty, and your Lordships, as the signal Nursing Fathers of the Church of Christ in this Land, may be advanced, and continued to future Generations; And so the Bles­sing of the Church that was ready to perish, may remain still upon His Majesty, and your Lordships.

And your Lordships Petitioners shall ever pray, that God may bless and pro­tect the Persons of their Majesties KING WILLIAM, and QUEEN MARY, long to Rule, and Govern this Nation, and your LORDSHIPS under them.