A GLASS FOR Weak eyed Citizens:  
OR A Vindication of the Pious, Prudent and Peaceable PETITION (To the Honourable the Lord Mayor, aldermans and Commons in Common-Councel assembled) now in agitation, From the false Aspersions and Calumniations of a Seditious Pamphlet, Entitled, A Dialogue, etc.  
By one that hath taken, and desires to keep his Covenant.  
Very useful for all that have Subscribed the Petition.  
Published according to Order.  
London, Printed for Tho: Underhil, at the Bible in Woodstreet. June 19 1646.   

READER,  
IS not the very reading of this Petition more than sufficient to vindicate it from the Aspersions and Calnmniations of this Pamphleter I have to deal with? I prithee tell me, I am in earnest, Is it not a fair, sober, moderate, plain, and peaceable Petition? Can envy itself quarrel with it? Can malice pick any thing that is ill out of it? If not, let this man bear his own doom, I think in my conscience some men will find fault with any thing. But let us hear what the man saith of it in his useless Dialogue, it is a very dangerous Petition, and there is more mischief couched in it then you are ware of: A dangerous Petition, Reader, peruse it again, it is worth thy reading twice over: In the Preface it commends the Honourable Court of Common-Councel for promoting the cause of God, gives them hearty thanks for what they have done for the Public good, promising to adhere to them in all their just and legal proceed, mark that, Reader, this is according to our Covenant, thanking them for endeavouring to remove the heavy pressing grievances that lie upon us, in that free and necessary, yet humble and dutiful Remonstrance: There is no danger in all this, unless the man thinks it is dangerous to keep our Covenant, and all the danger is if we break our Covenant. Let's hear what the Petitionary part is, sure the dangerousness of it lies there, and the mischief is couched in that part; sure they Petition for persecution of the Saints, and for rigid and harsh usage of peaceable well minded men; not so, or else to desert the Parliament, and make a breach between them and the City, which God forbidden: Not so neither. What is it then, where is the danger? Thus, they pray that Honourable Court to persevere and go on; what, in any rude and propostrous or violent courses? No, but in all pious and prudent means, to settle Religion, the Peace of the Kingdom, the Union of both Nations; In a word, the keeping of the Covenant, in which we are engaged unto God, the Righteous judge of all the world. All this is in the Letter of our Covenant, and pray them still to go on in their humble Addresses to the Parliament for a gracious Answer to their Remonstrance, and for all other things that may put a happy period to our miserable Distractions; and that themselves would put in Execution what the Laws of the Kingdom enabled them to do for the safety of the City. Where the danger and mischief is, I profess Reader, I cannot tell: But let's hear what the man can say against this harmless Petition, and against the Subscribers of it: He confesseth, though honest and understanding men Subscribe it, and that with mature deliberation, yet he cannot, because he lacks reason to rule him in this action; and he is so Brutish to tell us, Honest men do Knaves Work, when they move regularly and honestly, and according to their Covenant, which binds them hearty, sincerely, and constantly to endeavour the Reformation of Religion, the total of this Petition. Knave's work, he means the honest man that wrote these Observations, whilst he was writing them, and busy in this work, was busy in Knaves work, dixit, out of his own mouth he is condemned: He than talks of cunning strains of desperate Malignancy, and here he would have spoken sense if his wit would have done it; but where is the Malignancy? Reader, it lies here, that whereas he was formerly a Malignant that would not take the Covenant, now time hath had such a turn, that to take the solemn League and Covenant, and to make conscience in keeping of it, is Malignancy either in the Root or Branches. The next charge of this innocent Petition, is Sedition in the abstract; But why Sedition? Let's hear his reason for it; for he saith of himself, he is reputed an understanding man, not rash, but rational.  
First, It may prove an utter breach betwixt the City and Parliament: But Reader, this may be doth not make it Sedition; it may be, yea, it is like to be the means to unite and cement the Parliament and City together; and this is the end of the honest hearted Petitioners, and cursed be such Designs that endeavour to divide them.  
Secondly, it is Sedition, because the City hath Petitioned and Remonstrated to the House, the House shown no testimony of their acceptance, but rather disliked it: What means the man by the House? This House he calls the Parliament afterwards: Now if the Parliament doth dislike the Petition, it must be the Houses of Lords and Commons; but if neither of these have given testimony of dislike, than the man speaks falsely. The man cannot be ignorant of the kind acceptance and gracious Answer the Remonstrance had from the House of Peers; but by this man's Observation they be not the House, nor no part of the Parliament: See, here is Sedition indeed, to divide betwixt the House of Lords and Commons, sure this man is one of Mr. lilburn's Disciples; and as for the House of Commons, they have not declared their dislike to i●: An did not this a high breach of their Privilege, to anticipate their sense, their weighty occasions permit them no● leisure to consider of it, they say they will in due time, and ●he City hopes to have a gracious and real Answer from them also: For though this man can speak of nothing else but Malignancy in the Root, and Sedition, the City is no● conscious to itself, but that in making the Remonstrance the● discharged their duties, and merited blood for the Parliament: And thus this Famous City will do again, whilst Sectaries desert them, and endeavour to al●er the Foundation and constitution of the Government of this Kingdom, and no longer will cry up Parliaments, than they judge them savouring of them; and when they appear otherwise, than they can talk and write of calling ●he Parliament to an Account, and they that gave them the Power can take it from them: is not this Sedition, Friend? But the man would know, Why the Names of those that Subscribe not the Petition must be taken, and from what Authority? If any did do so, it was not Authority that commanded it, but it was their own discretion that put them on it, for these Reasons:  
1. That we might know who they were that Subscribed the last Independent Petition, because we would fain know their Names, and can prove forgery, pro confesso, out of their own mouths, that men's Names were to it, that never saw, nor at that time heard of their Petition.  
2. That we might make it appear that the Sectaries are not so numerous, so formicable as they would be esteemed, they are very inconsiderable comparatively; and for all your witless Observations upon this Petition, in many Parishes the resusers are so few, that we can write their Number with one Figure, without the help of a cipher: Nay, the more hands will be got to it, because they see Envy itself cannot charge the Petition with any crime; but let the man make up a probable Tale if he can: He tells us, Malignant Ministers come in and compound, and these may join with the Remonstrants; so he meaneth, and these with the Scots may make a party, etc. The man talks of Sedition, but no such Sedition as this, to divide betwixt the City and the City, the City and the Parliament, England with Scotland, one House of Parliament with the other, and join these with Malignant Ministers and Popish Priests: But take this Observation by the way, though all the Sects in the Kingdom shelter themselves under the wings of Independents, yet the plain hearted Petitioners seek not Malignants to make up their number; but though the Dissenting party will not join with them in Petitioning what their own principles lead them to, yet we shall be willing to join with them for the removing of these or any other Grievances, which our Covenant obligeth us to. Then the man finds fault with our godly Ministers that Exercise every morning, Some out of conscience, others byased with base ends have done, What? stirring up the Magistrate in their popular Sermons at Westminister and Paul's, (to what man) to keep their Covenant, to be zealous for God and for the Public good? Let all that love God and the Peace of the Kingdoms, say, God's blessing to their hearts. But in your next take this Observation, That there are no Ministers in the City pray more hearaily for the Parliament and the Armies than they do, (and that all our Victories since our New Model hath been, and then begun when this Lecture was set up) I thought good to give him this hint, lest his impudence leads him at last to blaspheme an Ordinance of God, which God hath honoured with incredible success. (To speak a word to the particular charge) harken Reader, the great charge that is laid upon this honest Petition, what is it? they Petition for setlement of Religion, the letter of the Covenant; well, if this be Malignancy and Sedition, we will account it our honour to be so, and till we can be disengaged from our Covenant, we will Petition, and Petition, and Petition again for the settling of Religion: This doubtless is our duty, and cannot be any breach of Privilege. Reader, take notice, no Word in the Petition can be excepted against but Religion, but this he faith is meant Presbyterial Government; but who told him so? how came he to know the sense of our Petition? we did not make any Malignants or Sectaries of our counsel (the man in stead of aspersing hath vindicated the Petition) Religion is the worst word in it: well then, to conclude, they that would have Religion (a word in our Covenant) settled and reform they that would have a happy period put to all our pressing grievances, Ireland (poor bleeding dying Ireland) that lately hath received a mortal blow (if God prevent not) relieved, recovered; that would have Peace settled upon the Foundation of truth, and a firm Union betwixt us and our aspersed Brethren of Scotland, & an end of this uncivil Civil wars, come and subscribe to this pious, prudent and peaceable Petition, and echo back, We will all subscribe.   


OBSERVATIONS Upon the useful Dialogue, etc.  
1. SEe the wicked policy of Sectaries, because they fall from their own principles, and to show their opposition to them that endeavour so keep the Covenant, they charge the Presbyterian party with Sedition and compliancy with Malignants and Cavaliers, when as the truth of the charge lies at their own doors; guilty persons accuse first.  
2. Look upon their impudence, condemning that as seditious, dangerous, destructive to the Parliament, etc. which is the declared judgement (upon serious and mature consideration) of a godly, grave, wise and sober Court, the Representative of this Famous C●ty, without giving any pretence or show of Reason for their graceless, groundless censures.  
3. Observe their Sedition, in hatching jealousies betwixt the Parliament and Kingdom, presenting this City (whose fame for their zeal to the Cause of God is gone through the Christian world) as Seditous, as joining with Malignants, as deserting the Parliament, and presenting the Parliament as not regarding the City, nor minding their grievances, nor their own Engagements, in leaving takens of honour upon this faithful City. The Lord rebuke this lying Spirit.  
4. Behold them condemning the course of Petitioning, the way themselves take, the only way left to the Subject to have their grievances removed; and that which is the indubitable right of the meanest Subject must be denied to the Common-Councel of London, humbly to Petition: Astonishing impudence, unparallelled Malignancy, prefound ignorance.  
5. Reader, see sconce again, for there is no end of baseness) they pretend love, Christian sweetness, charitable opinions one towards another (take heed  Christians, here is a snare for you) when they talk and write of nothing that the Presbyterians do, but what is dangerous, mischievons, seditious, increasing the fire whilst they call for water: I must leave them, they be too subtle for any  man to deal with.    

To the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, The Right Worshipful the Aldermen and Commons of the City of London in Common-Councel assembled.  
The Humble PETITION of divers well-affected Citizens and Freemen of London, under the Jurisdiction of the Lord MAYOR.  
Sheweth:  
THat the great care and uncessant pains of this Honourable Court, for promoting the Cause of God is so eminently known, that your Petitioners conceive they shall be too much wanting to their own duty and safety, if they should be backward in the thankful acknowledgement thereof; Wherefore, as they give you many humble and hearty thanks for what you have already done in reference to the Public good, so being desirous, what in them lies, yet farther to strengthen your hands to so glorious a work, they cannot but let you know their Resolutions to adhere unto you in all your just and legal proceed: Not doubting but the same good hand of God that hath hitherto been with you, will still be upon you for good, while you endeavour in your places the establishment of Truth and Peace, and the removal of those pressing Grievances that lie upon us, as you have lately done in that free and necessary, yet Humble and Dutiful Remonstrance and Petition to the Honourable Houses of Parliament. And however there want not those for the present, who out of self-respects calumniate your good Intentions therein, yet being persuaded that in very faithfulness to the Public you have done it, your Petitioners not only approve of it, but rejoice in it, the rather, since they know no other orderly way for obtaining remedy for their common Grievances, then by your Addresses to the Parliament in their behalf.  
Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray, That this Honourable Court will be pleased still to persevere, and courageously to go on in and by all pious and prudent means, endeavouring the speedy settlement of Religion, the Peace of the Kingdom, the Union of both Nations, the safety and welfare of this City, and in a word, the performance of that Covenant wherein we are solemnly engaged to God the Righteous Judge of all the wo●ld. In reference to all which good ends, your Petitioners further pray, That you would still continue your humble Addresses to the Parliament, not only for a gracious Answer to your said late Remonstrance, but for all such other things as shall necessarily conduce to putting a happy period to our present miserable distractions; And that in the mean time you would put in execution, among yourselves, so many branches thereof as the Power wherewith (by the Laws of this Kingdom) you are already invested, will extend unto.  
And your Petitioners shall ever Pray, etc.  
FINIS.