TO THE HONOURABLE THE KNIGHTS, CITIZENS AND BURGESSES OF THE COMMONS HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT: The humble Petition of sundry Ministers entrusted to solicit the Petition and Remonstrance formerly exhibited to this Honourable House, and of many of their Brethren, most humbly showeth,  
THat the Petitioners do most thankfully value and hearty acknowledge the indefatigable pains and Piety of this Honourable Assembly, manifested in very many things of high concernment for the glory of God, the honour of the King, the purging of the Church, and the safety and prosperity of this and the rest of his Majesty's Kingdoms; but more especially, in procuring that public Fast at your first Sitting, which hath prevented many mischiefs, and drawn down many blessings upon the Kingdom ever since: In your zeal and courage for the true Religion professed among us against all Popish Idolatry and Superstitious Innovations expressed by your noble and Religious Protestation and Vow: In countenancing the Sacred Ordinance of Preaching after long and deep contempt cast upon it by too many who had almost exiled it from divers parts of this Kingdom: In encouraging painful and godly Ministers formerly set aside, and now again profitably employed in many Congregations greatly needing them: In discountenancing bold and unmeete men, that without sufficient Calling have presumptuously intruded into that holy Office,, as also of all unworthy and scandalous Ministers that have been convented before you: In accepting a former Petition and Remonstrance from the Petitioners, taking the same into your grave Consideration, and vigorously prosecuting some part thereof: In freeing divers godly Ministers out of P●ison, and exile, and many others from heavy Censures unjustly inflicted: In preventing the utter ruin of the Petitioners, and of many more, by breaking that wicked Yoke or the late pernicious Oath and Canons justly branded by both Houses of Parliament, and by taking away the late dreadful tyranny of the High Commission Court, and other illegal and heavy pressures of the rest of the Courts Ecclesiastical: In your worthy Orders for removing of all illegal Rites and Ceremonies, superstitious and scandalous Images and Pictures, and other Innovations out of all Churches and Chapels: In your prudent, happy, and timely reuniting (without spilling of Christian blood) of the two Kingdoms of England and Scotland in a firm and religious Peace unhappily disturbed to the apparent endangering of both: In your honourable endeavours to relieve and rescue our distressed brethren in Ireland from the barbarous outrages and butcheries of the Popish Rebels there: In your constant vigilancy to discover and defeat the many desperate and devilish Conspiracies and Treasons against the King, Parliament, and the Kingdom, plotted by Papists and their malignant Adherents, implacable Enemies to our Religion and Peace. Together with all other your excellent labours for reforming and settling the Affairs of the Commonwealth, whereof the Petitioners do also with others enjoy the comfort: and the large and blessed hopes given to the Petitioners of your further endeavours for perfecting the Reformation of Religion and the Church according to the necessity thereof, in a way best becoming the Honour of such a Grave and Religious Body. All of which do much encourage them to pour out their souls in all possible thankfulness unto God for you, and to put up more fervent prayers, publicly, and privately, upon all occasions, on your behalf, at the Throne of Grace.  
But so it is, that whereas the Petitioners did, in their former Petition represent unto you divers unsufferable grievances arising from sundry Invasions made upon the public Doctrine of this Church, from some mixtures and blemishes in the public Worship of God by Law established, as well as from sundry gross Innovations & Superstitions in Rites and Ceremonies without Law introduced, from many Exorbitances and unsupportable Usurpations in Ecclesiastical Government, and from the scandalous defect of Minister's Maintenance in too many places: All, or most of which do yet remain in greatest part unremoved, by reason of your many necessitated diversions from this great Work, for the preservation of the very Being of this Kingdom. And, by means hereof, many distractions and disorders about matters of Religion and the Church have, to the great scandal and grief of the Petitioners, happened, and are still continued; which puts them upon a necessity of renewing their former suit for redress of the aforesaid evils, and for removing what ever shall appear to your Wisdom to be the root and cause of them.  
And whereas further the Petitioners and very many others (in whose name and behalf they now humbly supplicate) desirous in all things to submit to the Laws so far as possibly they may, yet, merely out of tenderness and scruple of conscience, dare not continue (as formerly they did) the use and exercise of some things, as now they stand enjoined, not only because they have more seriously weighed the nature and scandal of them, and that sundry Bishops, and other grave Divines, called to their assistance, by Order of the House of Peers, have (as they are informed) discovered divers particulars needing alteration in the Liturgy, and the use thereof; and that there is not, as they humbly conceive, at this day commonly extant any Book of Common-Prayer, without so many variations, alterations, and additions, as render it in many parts another thing from that which was by Law established; but chiefly because you also have vouchsafed to be so far sensible of the defects thereof, and of the just scruples of the Petitioners thereabout, as to take the reformation thereof under consideration, which they hoped would be some shelter against the strict pressing the use of it, till your pleasure, upon the full debate thereof, had been declared in a Parliamentary way; for that it seems most equal that the Consciences of men should not beforced upon that which a Parliament itself holds needful to consider the Reformation of, and to give Order in, till the same be accordingly done. And the Petitioners having been comfortably assured of some ease therein, do now, to their great sorrow, apprehend that the same things are a new reinforced, which (contrary to the blessed inclination and intention of his most Gracious Majesty) may occasion much trouble and vexation to sundry worthy and peaceable Ministers: which the Petitioners have more cause to fear, because sundry of their Brethren, have, since the beginning of this Parliament, been indicted upon the Stat. of 1. Eliz. 2. and others threatened for bare omissions of somethings complained of to this high Court, and still depending before you; whiles, in divers places, your Religious Orders necessarily made and published for removing of things illegal, are not observed; and, in other places, where some superstitious rites and practices had by virtue thereof, been laid aside, the same are again called bacl and repractised, without any check or animadversion.  
And because the premises are of extraordinary consequence, and cannot receive a perfect Cure but by authority of Parliament: and that a free Synod of this Nation, differing in the whole Constitution from the present Convocations of the Clergy now in use among us, might be (as the Petitioners apprehend) of great use for that purpose; and, that not only this, but all other your great Consultations might be much furthered by a more earnest and assiduous seeking of God by the joint and public Fasting and Prayers of the whole Kingdom in these sad times so full of distractions and hellish Conspiracies at home, and bloody cruelties of those Popish Rebels against our own flesh and our bones in Ireland.  
The Petitioners humbly pray that you would vouchsafe to lay hold upon the first opportunity, that your important affairs will permit, of reassuming in●● your further consideration their former Petition, and to proceed thereupon as you shall find cause, either by committing the same to the debate and disquisition of a free Synod, or otherwise; And in the mean time to become Mediators to his gracious Majesty (who could not take notice of their former Petition to this honourable House) for some relaxation in matters of Ceremonies, and of reading of the whole Liturgy, which, as the Petitioners verily believe and hope to prove, have been of late times urged further than ever the Law intended: and that a free Synod of Grave, Learned, and Judicious Divines of this Kingdom, the Dominion of Wales, and the Islands adjacent, may be by authority of Parliement indicted, for the more through and fruitful debate of the premises, to expedite a full Reformation by the high Court of Parliament, for the settling of a godly and religious Order and Government in this Church, as your Wisdom shall find convenient: And that a public Fast may be commanded and religiously observed throughout the Kingdom, once in every month, during your sitting in Parliament, for the more effectual procuring of God's protection of your persons, and of his blessing upon your proceed; and till the miseries of our brethren in Ireland be happily put to an end.  
And the Petitioners shall be ready further to attend the pleasure of this House with their reasons of their present suit for a free Synod of this Nation, and of a new Constitution thereof differing from those now in being, when they shall be required; and, to pray without ceasing, etc.   

This Petition was presented by the Ministers themselves, and afterwards read, and well accepted in the House, Decemb. 20. 1641.   

LONDON, Printed for john Bellamy and Ralph Smith. 1641.