To the Right Honourable, the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses, of the House of Commons assembled in Parliament, The humble Petition of many godly truehearted Protestants, whose names are hereafter mentioned,  
Humbly showeth,  
THat whereas your Petitioners acknowledging with all thankfulness how it hath pleased God to move your hearts to endeavour the expelling and destroying of sin, Satan, Antichrist and error, and instead of them to receive, embrace, retain and cherish knowledge, faith, love and obedience, that seeing every one ought to be fully persuaded in his own mind, without which he can do nothing of faith, and so lies under sin, do humbly entreat you, that seeing many are even almost unsettled, by reason that although indeed our faithful Ministers cry out daily against Brownists and Anabaptists for their judgement, yet will not dispute the case with them, pretending they are not worthy their dispute: To which they answer it is because they know they cannot make good their own praictce from the Word of God, nor can prove their Church, their Ministry, their Baptism nor their Sabbath to be instituted by God, or owned by Christ and his Apostles. Of which number if there were only a few ignorant profane persons, it would not much move us, but that which almost astonisheth us to think is, that some of them whom we looked on as the most eminent Protestants, most conscionable frequenters of our Churches, strictest keepers of the Sabbaths, and most strict in life and conversation, have very lately departed our Churches, and separated from us, who in former times in the want of such powerful preaching as we by the good hand of providence by order of this honourable Assembly have enjoyed now of late in season, and out of season, whereof they aforesaid being diligent frequenters, have now very lately departed from us, as though the faithful powerful manifestations of the truths of God were a special means to cause separation from our Churches, who upon our earnest desiring them to return to our Churches from their errors, have seemed to pity us, and praise God for giving them light into those truths, whereof they were very long ignorant, yet at last to see and understand his way, that they might practise the same, and walk therein, and tell us, that if the Lord love us, he will show us the same truth, whereof they being convinced, dare not but practice. Now seeing we dare not but think that many of them are very conscious people, although holding divers errors, as namely, they deny our Churches, our Ministers, our Baptism and our Sabbath to be of Christ, or to have any footing in his Word, as also to be unlawful to pay tithes to any Minister of the Gospel: and indeed we cannot deny but that they always show themselves very forward and desirous to prove the truth of what they hold against any Christian or Ministers, the which when some of us have assayed to bring to pass, in desire to bring their poor erring souls from their errors, the Ministers have all refused, whereby if not prevented by the power which the good hand of providence hath committed to this honourable Assembly the poor souls of those already gone astray, are not only like to perish, but many others are daily in danger to be led into the same error by them, inasmuch as they are weak, and cannot answer them, and the Ministers either for want of love will not, or because it is the truth they hold, they dare not oppose it.  
In consideration whereof your humble suppliants entreat this honourable Assembly, that forasmuch as they do acknowledge their willingness, and would rejoice at an opportunity to manifest the things which they hold before you, or your godly Committee, either here or at Guild-Hall in London, and are willing, as they say; through the strength of God, although they be no scholars, yet if any of the most grave Doctors of the Synod will oppose them before you or your Committee, they believe that God will enable them either to manifest what they hold to be the truth of God, or else to be willing thankfully to receive conviction, and thereupon to renounce any error or errors they hold, and embrace the truth, and practise the same with us. We therefore humbly entreat you to call them before you, and let them answer according to their desire, that so error may be abhorred, and truth embraced inasmuch as they have declared to us in print, that they abhor all errors which they have light to discover, as namely universal redemption, freewill, falling away, and all things contrary to wholesome doctrine, whereof you may further examine them. And further, forasmuch as they, although erring from us in judgement, yet are forward helpers of the cause of God, and have both in goods and persons helped forward your designs, and live peaceably with all men, and none of them chargeable, but generally helpful to the commonwealth, and seeing it is impossible for the rod to alter the judgement, but is only peculiar to the Word by the help of the Spirit to do that, and seeing God is a jealous God, and will not lose his prerogative, nor will have men presume to judge conscience, as he sets out almost through the whole Chapter, Rom. 14. although one Judge quite contrary to another, as he instanceth both in meats and days, and faith, that we shall all appear before the judgement-seat of Christ, and saith, He that doubteth is damned if he eat: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin: and seeing that they that stand so much to have all brought to one judgement, would be loath to be enforced to change their own judgements, nay they know they cannot do it, although they would, for man cannot change his own, and much less another's judgement, for that is only peculiar to God to do by his Word and Spirit. If they say, it is because theirs is the truth. Is not what every man judgeth truth, truth to him, as well as what they judge is to them? And is not what a man judgeth unclean, unclean to him? Rom. 14. 14. Then remember the counsel of Christ, namely, Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Then do as God's Law commands, and his Prophets taught. Then we beseech you be not partakers of others men's sins: for when any judge men for conscience by the power they had from you, God will look on you as the doers and maintainers of it. Consider also how the prayers of all conscious men will daily come up before God, and cry louder against them that take away his prerogative and their liberty which he hath given them, which is as dear to conscious men as their lives, than Abel's blood did against Cain. Again, what praise to God, and prayers, with true love to them which give to God his prerogative, and to them their due, which he hath given them, namely liberty of conscience. Then we beseech you consider, that whereas David saith, Psal. 19 The Law of God is perfect, converting the soul, seeing the Word, not the rod is able to convince the judgement, and alter the same, and seeing this honourable power hath put down some false power, we beseech you, let none rise against God and his royal prerogative: then will wrath and stripes flee away, and peace and plenty, with joy and gladness will come in the room thereof, For when our ways please the Lord, he maketh our enemies at peace with us. And seeing God hath put into your hearts for his glory, to cause that no wicked pamphlets or libellous books might be printed: we beseech you to grant, that no conscious book whereto the Authors will set their names and places of dwelling, may be refused to be printed, that so errors being found out and answered, the authors may be ashamed and, and reduced to the truth, and the truths the more cleared, for the glory of God, the increase of knowledge, without which the mind is not good. And whereas they are accused not to allow of the execution of justice by the sword of the Magistrate, they profess, it is their heart's grief, that the justice of their wholesome and good Laws are no more strictly executed. Your Petitioners humbly crave, that you would take the premises into your grave considerations, and grant them such a gracious answer as God shall persuade your hearts, for the filling the hearts of his people with praises, that they and their children's children may praise God for this Assembly till the day of Christ, and they shall be thankful, and pray for blessings upon you and your godly proceed.