VVouchsafe (most gracious Soueraigne) a fauourable and pitifull eare, vnto the humble petition, of many your distressed subiects. Preachers of the gospell, now called vpon in your Maiesties name, to approue by subscription and practise, fiue seuerall bookes, with certayne Ceremonies therein prescribed. If any thinge were commaunded vs by your Maiestie, which we might doe, without offence to the highest Maiestie, there is not a man amonge vs, that would not willingly obey the same, though it were to the losse of all he hath, yea, of his very life. But being perswaded▪ that the saide ceremonies, and many thinges else in those bookes, are repugnant to the word of God, we most humbly beseech your Highnes: to spare our consciences in the same, especially se­ing hetherto, neither our exceptions (a view wherof we haue to shew) haue bin answered, nor any one suffi­cient reason giuen, according to your Maiesties proclamation, to proue the lawfulnes of the thinges imposed, we haue heard and doe beleeue, that your Maiestie hath often saide, that if any can shew the things required to be vnlawfull, your Highnes will not haue them vrged. And except we be able, by the evidence of holy scripture, to proue the same, we will presently yeld to conformitie requyred. In the meane tyme, it might please your Maiestie in your princly wisdome to consider, that howsoeuer these thinges haue not heeretofore, bin by au­thoritye remooued, yet haue they neuer had quyet possession in this Church vnder the gospell, since the first abolishyng of popery, that our late gracious Queene of famous memory, at the humble suite of the Commōs in Parliament, sygnified her expresse will and pleasure, yet vpon record. That no preacher or Minister, should be impeached, or otherwise molested or troubled, for the rites and Ceremonies in question, that the common Iudgment, of almost all the painfull & resiant ministers of the land, is against them: that they haue bin long disvsed in many places, & generally distasted, with the people of better [...]cate, as hath appeared in many parliaments of former tymes, and also in this last. In regard whereof, we humbly beseech your Highnes, to take this burthen from our consciences, and to vouchsaue the continuance of our ministry, at the least, vntill the ignorant and scando­lous Ministers be remoued, non-residentes reformed, and all the Churches of this kingdome, be prouided of able, godly, and resident preachers, that popery and Atheisme gett not the head amonge vs, to the ruyne of this famous Church and common wealth. And this we verily hope, your Maiestie will not deny vs, the ra­ther for that we are the seruantes of your God, Preachers of that faith, whereof your Highnes is both profes­sor, and defendor: we haue alwayes syncerely, fauoured and to our power furthered, your iust and lawfull clayme vnto this kingdome: we are aduersaryes to them, that are aduersaryes to your soule and body, supre­macie, Crowne, and Kingdomes. We haue bin brought vp, and taken degrees in the vniuersities: we are many of vs become greay headed in the seruice of God, and of his Church, hauyng preached the gospell, some of vs ten yeares, some twenty, some thyrty, and some more, and diuers of vs in this Cittye adventured our lyues by preachinge, in the tyme of the late infection: neither are we so fewe, as is pretended: to say nothing of our brethren, which yeeld with much greife and sorrow of harte: we haue wyues and children, kinsfolkes & frend depending on vs, who are all vndone, if we be displaced. God forbid, that euer it should be sayd or written, in succeeding ages▪ that in the dayes of so religyous, and learned a Kinge, so many learned and paynfull pastors and preachers, were cast out, as vnsauery salt: and that for refusynge such a subscription, as in no age of the Church, was euer vrged, and is more then the law of the land requireth, and for not vsinge such ceremonies, as are prof [...] ­table to none, Prince or subiect, and (to speake the least) haue bin and continue, to be polluted with Idolatry: and in the meane tyme, so many dumbe Ministers, so many scandolous Ministers and non-resydents (the shame and bane of the Church of God) keept in, and that so many learned, godly, and (many of them) aged men, were exposed to such reproach and misery, as nether the dumbe and scandolous ministers with theirs of late, nor Monkes, Fryers and Nunnes, in former tymes haue bine. Oh that your Maiestie did knowe, the reproach that is already fallen vppon vs, yea vpon the gospell which we haue preached, the insulting of Papistes and pro­phane persons, the discouraging of younge students, the pitifull cryes of many thowsandes most faithfull sub­iects throughout the land, and cheifely in your Highnes chamber, and famous Citie of London. If your Ma­iestie did but heare and see, these wofull effectes, your royall and compassionate harte (we are perswaded) would not be able to indure the same. But your Maiestie is, as an Angell of God, to discerne more than is meete for vs to speake. And therfore forbeareyng to proceed further heerein, we humbly cast our selues, at your Maiesties feete, for the continuance of our ministrye, to the glory of God: and saluation of his people, thorough Iesus Christ, whom we dayly beseech to blesse your Maiestie, and posteritie foreuer.