York  
Pack up and away from Oxford.   woodcut frontispiece   

A NEW PETITION: Earnestly entreating Subscription of Hands to back the late City Remonstrance.  
Unto which is annexed a useful Dialogue, betwixt a Churchwarden and a Parishioner, Declaring the danger of the said NEW PETITION.  
Serving as a Christian Caveat to the , to take heed of having their feet taken in the snare thereof.  
By a cordial Well-willer to the peace of this famous City.  
Licenced and Entered according to Order.  
LONDON, Printed by MATTH. SYMMONS. 1646.   

A New Petition, earnestly entreating Subscription of Hands.  

To the Right Honourable the Lord Major, the Aldermen and Commons of the City of London in Common Council Assembled.  
The humble Petition of divers well-affected Citizens and Freemen of London under the jurisdiction of the Lord Major.  
Shows,  
THat the great care and uncessant pains of this Honourable Court for the promoting of the cause of God, is so eminently known, that your Petitioners cunceive that they shall be too much wanting to their own duties 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 in what in them lies yet further 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, whilst you endeavour in your places the establishment of truth & peace, & the removing those pressing grievances, that lie upon us as you have lately done in that free & necessary, yet humble and dutiful Remonstrance & Petition unto the Honourable Houses of Parliament, and however there wants not those for the present, who out of self-respects calumniate your good intention 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 ordinary 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 would be pleased still to persevere and courageously go on, 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 the Covenant,, wherein we are Solemnly engaged unto God the righteous Judge of all the world: In reference unto all which good ends your Petitioners pray, that you would still continue your humble addresses unto the Parliament, not only for a gracious Answer of your said late Remonstrance, but for all such other things as shall necessary conduce to the putting a happy period to our present miserable distractions; and that the mean time you would put in execution amongst 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.   

Observations upon the fore going Petition by way of Dialogue between a Churchwarden and a Parishioner.  Churchwarden. 
COme Neighbour, here is a very sober, moderate, and pious Petition, tending much for the glory of God, the peace of the kingdom, and the common good; will you subscribe it?  Parishioner. 
Sir, I desire to be excused: for my part I do not like it.  Ch. 
Not like it man? what honest man can dislike it?  Par. 
Sir, It is a very dangerous Petition, and there is more mischief couched in it then you are ware of.  Ch. 
I think in my conscience some men will find fault with any thing; why man it is as harmless a Petition as ever was subscribed unto; and many honest, and understanding men have subscribed it.  Par. 
I will not make other men's examples, but mine own Reason, the Rule of my actions: honest men may sometimes do knaves work, & the most cunning strains of destperate Malignancy; and dangerous consequence are always carried on by abused simplicity, but I look upon it as a very dangerous Petition  Chur. 
I know you are none of these Shimaticall Sectaries, which have ever been the unhappy disturbers of the public peace of Church and state; whose total suppression would be a happy thing to this land and nation, I pray you tell me the reason why you will not subscibe it, I'll assure you we are to return the names of those that deny subscription.  Par. 
Return the names, to whom? have you any authority that put you on work? for my part I was never known to contemn thority; tell me to whom must you return the names of the non-subscribers.  Chur. 
Excuse me there, I speak as your friend, and in my love to you, but I pray you take no notice of that, but tell me the reason why you will not subscribe it.  Par. 
Why I'll tell you, first I like not the thing in the general. 2. I like not some things more particular?  Ch: 
What do you dislike in it in the general.  Par: 
Why truly in the general I look upon it as mere seditition, and that which hath a very dangerous tendency in it, and may likely prove an utter breach between City and Pariiament, and confident I am (however you are abused) close malignancy lies at the root, and if my council be worthy to be taken, have no further hand in it.  Ch: 
Sedition man? how can that be, I am sure as honest men, and as good friends to the Parliament as any are in this City (none excepted) have their hands in it.  Par: 
It's no matter for that, honest men are not in all things the most politiek, I'll give you an account of my thoughts of it.  Ch: 
Truly I have always taken you for an understanding man, not rash, but rational, tell me why do you think it sedition?  Par. 
Why I'll tell you, the City hath petitioned and Remonstrated to the House, the House show no testimony of their acceptance (but rather their dislike) of it, if in such a Case a party shall join together, and subscribe a resolutution to stick unto those, and promise to backe them in any thing whereto the Parliament shows their dislike, it is absolute in my judgement sedition, and a direct faction, and that which tends to make a very heavy breach between the City and Parliament: for it is no less than to raise up a party against the Parliament.  Ch: 
I confess there may be more in it then I see before: but confident I am, that there are many honest men that would cut off their hands before they would subscribe it, if they thought so?  Par: 
I do believe so too; but I verily think the design is deeper than you are ware of, and I partly perceive whence it comes about, that there are such daily tamperings with Citizens in matters of this nature?  Ch. 
I pray you tell me your thoughts freely.  Par. 
Why, I'll tell you, many Malignants are come into the City, and have made their peace with the Parliament by their Compositions; though they are as directly Royalists as ever they were: moreover, many Malignant Episcopal Priests are likewise by Compositions admitted into the City, both the one and the other, having cunning heads, choice wits, deep reaches, and malignant hearts, having some hopes that the Scots and the King will join together against the Parliament: (though for my part I have strong confidence (what ever the King's design may be) the Scots will appear honest) these men well knowing that if they could but divide London from the Parliament, and get those men suppressed that have done them as much mischief as any in the Kingdom under the notion of Schismatics, Annabaptists, Independants and Sectaries, these men (I say may foment divisions between the well-affected, and the City and Parliament, not doubting but (if that was once irreconcilably done, what with the Scots, the King's Party in the Kingdom & City) the game would go on their sides, and so they have their desires; Again we have a great many Ministers here, in and about the City, some whereof doubtless in conscience to the glory of God, being much affected with the divisions and errors of the Times, others biased with base ends of honour, and profit, these by their invective preach, stirring up the Magistrates in their more popular Sermons at Westminster, Paul's, every morning exercise in the City: as also by their bitter writings against those that agree not with them in Church government? and their dispersions of their unchristian like books abroad, such as Master Edward's books are (enough to set a whole Kingdom on fire) as also by the methods that are contrived by some, sending abroad, and spreading their instructions, directions, & advice for the preaching on such subjects throughout the City and Kingdom as people are not able to bear; whereby divisions, wrath, discord, and general discontents are fomented throughout the Kingdom, setting Menister against people, and people against Minister, stirring up and provoking the City to be troublesome to the Parliament, to petition again and again, under a pretence of zeal for the house of God, the glory of God, the reformation of the Kingdom, the setting up (and that with a rigorous exaction of uniformity therein) of that government wherein indeed themselves do not agree, some holding it Jure Divino, others Jure Humano, and so they make a great bustling in the City and Kingdom about they know not what: hereupon it is very probable, for I speak my thoughts, they stir up the people to join with the Common Council, and to stick unto them, insinuating that the Parliament can do nothing without the City, and therefore petition: and if that will not do, petition, and if that will not do, petition again and again until they do answer you, and that to your content: for doubtless if they see you are many in number, and resolved in the thing, they must not deny you, etc. This is another cause of these kind of procceeding, I blunder out my own opinion, you know I am plain, these I profess are my very thoughts? and for my part I look upon this very Petition as widening the distance, and increasing the fire, and enlarging divisions, and therefore believe it I shall have no hand in it; it grieves me to see how simply men are hurried on to their own damage, let the Parliament alone and God bless them, and let the City act within its sphere, and every of us study more peace and love and Christian sweetness in our carriages one towards another than we do. This for the general:  Changed 
What are your particular exceptions against it?  Par: 
Truly I cannot stand now to examine all things in it, but I shall only for present upon a sudden let you know my exceptions against one thing you spoke of in the prayer, you petition the Lord Major and Common Council, as they make conscience of their solemn Leagus and Covenant, that they endeavour the settlement of Religion, I concceive you mean Presbiteriall Government, do you not?  Ch: 
Yes doubtless we mean nothing else, for that we suppose to be according to the Word of God, and the best Reformed Churches?  Par: 
Why then by this kind of interpretation every man is bound to strive to compel others to conformity unto that Government, which he supposeth to be according to the Word of God, and the example of the best Reformed Churches: so the Anabaptist he is bound to compel others to his judgement: Independants to do the like, seekers to do the like, and so this kind of exposition of the Covenant, puts a sword into the hands of all sorts of Sectaries, and people of different judgements to rend and tear and devour one another, and what a dividing and dangerous interpretation of the Covenant is this? to press men as they tender a good conscience to ruin one another. Sir, I am a little in haste, I have told you my present thoughts in short: I cannot subscribe the Petition.  Ch: 
I thank you for your freeness of discourse, I promise you I'll be better advised before I proceed any further therein.  
Farewell Sir.   
FINIS.