THE humble PETITION OF THE SCOTTISH, And many others the Inhabitants of the Province of Ulster, in the kingdom of Ireland. To the Right Reverend and Right honourable the Moderator, and remnant Members of the general Assembly of SCOTLAND, convened at S. Andrews in July. 1642.  
 printer's device or ornament (cf. McKerrow 379)  
LONDON, Aug. 17. Printed for John Bartlet. 1642.   

To the Right Reverend & Right honourable the Moderator and remnant Members of the general Assembly of Scotland, convened at S. Andrews, in July, 1642.  
The humble Petition, &c.  
Humbly sheweth,  
THat whereas your Petitioners by the great blessings of the Lord enjoyed for a little while a fruitful and peaceable ministry of the Gospel, yet through our own abuse of so rich a mercy, and through the tyranny of the Prelates, we have been for a long time spoiled of our Ministers( a yoke to many of us heavier then death) who being chased into Scotland, were not altogether unuseful in the day of need; and we having been since oppressed and scattered as sheep, who have no Shepherd, now at last the wise and righteous hand of the Lord, by the sword of the Rebels, hath bearest us of our friends, spoiled us of our goods, and left us but a few, and that a poor handful of many, and hath chased from us even the rest that were called our Ministers, the greatest part whereof we could scarce esteem such, as being rather Officers to put the Prelates injunctions in execution, then feeders of our souls: So that now being already visited with sword and sickness, and under some apprehension of famine, if withall we shall taste of the sorest of all plagues, to be altogether deprived of the ministry of the Word, we shall become in so much a worse condition then any Pagans, as that once we enjoyed a better. Neither know we what hand to turn to for help, but to the Land, so far obliged by the Lords late rare mercies, and so far enriched to furn sh help of that kind; a land whence many of us draw our blood and breath, and where( pardon the necessary boldness to say our own Ministers now are, who were so violently plucked from us, so sore against their own and our wills; yea the Land that so tenderly in their bosoms received our, poor out casts, and that hath already sent us so rich a supply of able and prosperous ●… iers to revenge our wrongs.  
THerefore although we know that your zeal and brotherly affection would urge you to take notice of our condition without our advertisement; yet give us leave in the bowels of Jesus Christ, to entreat, if there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels of mercy, that now in the neck of time, when the sword of the enemy making way for a more profitable entertaining the Gospel, having also banished the Prelates and their followers, when our extremity of our distress, and the faire hopes of a speedy settling of Peace, hath opened so faire a door to the Gospel, you would take the cause of your younger sister( that hath no breasts) to your serious consideration, and pity poor Macedonians crying to you, that you would come over and help us, being the servants of the God of your Fathers, and claiming interest with you in a common Covenant, that according the good hand of God upon us, you may sand us Ministers for the house of our God. We do not take upon us to prescribe the way or the number, but in the view of all, the singer of the Lord points at these: who though the persecution of the Prelates drove from us, yet our interest in them could not bee taken away, wherein we trust, in regard of several of them called home by death, your bounty will super-adde some of your own that are able men, that may help to lay the foundation of Gods house according to the pattern. But for these so unjustly reft from us, not onely our necessity, but equity pleads, that either you would presently sand them all over, which were a work to be paralleled to the glories of the Primitive times, or at least that you would declare them transportable, that when invitations shall be sent unto any of them, wherein they may discern a calling from God, there may be no difficulty in their losing from thence, but they may come back to perfect what they begun, and may get praise and same in the land where they were put to shane. Neither are you to question your power over us so to do, or crave a presidence of your own practise in that kind, for our extraordinary need calling on you, furnishes you with power to make this a president for the like cases thereafter. Herein if you shall lay aside the particular concernment of some few places, which you may easily out of your rich nurseries plant again, and make use of your public spirits, which are not spent, but increased by your so many former noble designs, you shall leave upon us and our posterity the stamp of an obligation that cannot be deleate, that cannot be expressed. You shall sand to all the neighbouring Churches a pattern, and erect for after-ages a monument of selfe-denying, tender zeal, that shall disburden that land of the many out-casts who will follow over their Ministers, and you shall make it appear that the churlish bounty of the Prelates, which at first cast some of these over unto us, is not comparable with the cheerful liberality of a rightly constitute general Assembly, to whom we are persuaded the Lord will give seed for the loan which you bestow on the Lord: Yea the day may come when a general Assembly in this Land may return to you the first fruits of thanks for the plants of your free gift.  
And although you were scant of furniture of this kind yourselves, or might apprehended more need then formerly, yet doubtless your bowels of compassion would make your deep poverty, even as in a great trial of affliction, abound to the riches of your Liberality. But now seeing you abound in all things, and have formerly given so 〈◇〉 a proof of your large bestowing on 〈…〉 abroad in Germany, and France, know●… 〈◇〉 you are not weary in well-doing, we con●… promise to ourselves, in your names, that 〈…〉 ●bound in this grace also; following the 〈…〉 of our Lord and the Primitive Churches, 〈…〉 sent out Disciples in payrs; but if here●… 〈…〉 shall fail us, we shall not know whe●… 〈…〉 that we had dyed with our brethren by 〈◇〉 ●… ies hand, for we shall bee as if it were said unto us, Go serve other Gods; yet looking for another kind of Answer at your hands, for in this you are to us as an angel of God, who have sent these be●rers our brethren, who may more particularly inform you of our cause and desires, that at their return they may refresh the bowels of  
Your most instant and earnest Supplicants.  
FINIS.