THE HUMBLE PETITION OF THE Lord Major, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of LONDON, IN Common-council ASSEMBLED, Presented to the Right Honourable THE LORDS and COMMONS in Parliament Assembled: WITH The Answers of both Houses to the said PETITION.  
Printed by RICHARD COTES, Printer to the honourable City of London, October 17. 1648.   


TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE Lords and Commons In Parliament Assembled; The humble Petition of the Lord Major, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of London in Common-council assembled.  
SHOWETHS,  
THat the Petitioners with all thankfulness do acknowledge, that by the blessing of God upon the great and pious endeavours of the Honourable Houses, much good hath been obtained; as unto the Kingdom in general, so particularly unto this City, in the removal of many scandalous and illaffected Ministers, and giving opportunity thereby for the placing godly, learned, and painful and orthodoxal in their rooms; who by their constant preaching and endeavours, have laboured against the errors, heresies, schisms, superstition, profaneness, and malignity of the times, and have been (under God) very instrumentally serviceable, since the beginning of these troubles, to raise and stir up the hearts and affections of the people of this City, to join with, and effectually to assist bo●h with their Lives and Estates, the Honourable Houses of Parliament, in their undertake, for the suppressing of the adverse power raised against them; that so Religion, Liberties, and the work of Reformation might be carried on to a happy settlement in Church and Commonwealth: But your Petitioners have for a long time (to the great grief of their souls) foreseen and bewailed the sad condition this City was then coming into, and which since is come upon it, by reason of the want of competent maintenance, to uphold and cherish therein, their said godly and painful Ministers, and have by many endeavours for divers years past, been considering, how a comfortable livelihood for the said Ministers might be obtained, but could by no means of themselves effect so great a work, without the help and assistance of this Honourable House; unto whom therefore your Petitioners thought fit to have made their addresses, and humbly prayed your help and assistance therein: But finding then the other great and weighty affairs of the Kingdom so pressing, we did forbear until some seasonable time might be found for this so pious a work. But in the mean while the thing we feared is come to pass. Our Ministers for want are necessitated to leave this City, and many have already removed themselves and families into other parts of the Kingdom, and divers others likewise going; whereby the City is like to be rendered in a very sad condition for their souls; finding by a representation lately presented to the Common-council, from the Provincial Assembly of London, that there are at present about 40. parish Churches in the said Province, that have not allowed or settled Minister belonging to them; and your Petitioners to their grief do see divers Churches shut up, and have none to officiate in them, giving thereby opportunity to scandalous and ill-affected Ministers to creep in, and seduce the people, and many more will be in short time, if not timely prevented; and how great dishonour that will be to God and misery to this City, we need not express to this Honourable House, whose religious constant care and endeavours is and hath been to nourish and support a godly and faithful Ministry in the whole Kingdom, and are confidently assured, will not be wanting to do the like for this great and populous City, and the rest of the Province (the affections and service whereof, this Honourable house hath been pleased so oft to signify their good acceptance of) there being above one third part of the Parishes within the Province where the maintenance for the Ministers are not more than from 16 l. to 60. l. per annum, many others little more, and thereof a great part cannot be received, partly through the disaffection of many to the Reformation and Government now established; and partly through the poverty of others in these hard times.  
Your Petitioners therefore for preventing of the said miseries, and for the future encouragement, and settling of a godly, painful and Orthodoxal Ministry within the said Province, to the glory of God, the honour of the Parliament, good of this Province, and gaining many souls unto God, Do humbly pray,  
That this Honourable House will be pleased to take the premises into your most pious and serious consideration, And to grant that the Impropriations of the late Archbishops and Bishops, the Houses and Lands now or late belonging to Deans, Chapiters', and prebend's, within the said Province, and the Rents and Revenues thereof, may be settled for an augmentation of maintenance of the Ministry of the said Province, with such further addition as the greatness of the Petitioners necessity do require, and the Honourable Houses in their Wisdoms shall see meet.  
And the Petitioners shall pray, etc.   

Die Lunae, 16. Octobr. 1648.  
AFter the Petition of the Lord Major, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of London, was this day read in the House, The Petitioners being called in again, they were answered as followeth;  
That the House gives them thanks for the care they have for a faithful Ministry within the Diocese of London, And that the Lords will do what lieth in them, for the furthering of their good desires therein according to their Petition.  
Jo. Brown, Cler. Parliamentorum.   

Die Lunae, 16. Octob. 1648.  
THe House being informed that the Sheriffs and Aldermen of London were at door, they were called in, and after a short preamble made by Sheriff Viner, he delivered his message: That the Lord Major, Aldermen, and Common-council of the City of London commanded him to deliver this their humble Petition, which he did humbly present, and desired the same might be read, which after the Petitioners were withdrawn was read.  
Ordered by the House of Commons that the said Petition be committed to 

Mr. Knightley  
Mr. Bowes  
Mr. Trenchard  
Col. Copley  
Sir Martin Lumbley  
Mr. Gourden  
The Citizens and Burgesses of the City of London,  
Mr. Gesson  
Mr. Wheeler  
Mr. vassal  
Mr. Solwey  
Mr. Preistley  
Mr. Sheriff Brown  
Sir Robert Harley  
Alder. Hoyle  
Mr. God  
Mr. Whitaker  
Col. Stroud  
Col. Rigby  
Mr. Tate  
Sir Thomas Dacre  
Sir Will. Lister  
Col. Brich  
Mr. Edward Stephen's  
Sir John Boucher,   Or any five of them, and all that will come are to have voices.  
The said Committee to have power to confer with the Common-council of the City of London, or such as they shall appoint, how an expedient may be found out for settling maintenance upon a Preaching Ministry within the said City, and are to consider the Ordinance touching the late Dean, and Chapter of Paul's, and how the same hath been discharged and to find out the cause why the said Churches stand empty and unserved; with power also to consider of an expedient how a Preaching Ministry may be maintained in all other Cities within this Kingdom. The said Committee is to fit at two a clock this afternoon in the Exchequer Chamber, and so the die in diem, and for what concerns the City of London, to make report to the House thereof forthwith.  
The Petitioners being again called in, Mr. Speaker by command of the House gave them this answer; Gentlemen, The House hath considered of your Petition, and finds it a thing of very great consequence, and have referred the same to a Committee who are to sit this afternoon, and are to confer with you how an expedient may be found out for maintenance of a Preaching Ministry within the City, and to report the same forthwith.  
H. Elsing, Cler. Parl. D. Com.