WE are some of the Remains of the Clergy that have ventur'd to stay behind our Brethren in Perilous Times, and under great Discouragements, for the Discharge of our Duty to God and the People. Two of us are Bishops, who, together with five more in the Kingdom, thought our selves obliged to continue here, to preserve the Suc­cession of the Clergy, by the Ordination of Priests and Deacons, and the Seminary of the Church by Confirmation. The rest of our Members are the Clergy of this City, and the Rural Clergy. The former of these have staid upon their Charge, under great Wants and Discouragements, having not only been deprived of all their Maintainance, but ex­posed to daily Dangers, in, and for the Discharge of their Duties: And the latter are Persons driven from their Cures, and forced to seek Relief and Sanctuary in this City.

We may possibly be censured by those, who understand not the Grounds and Rea­sons of our continuance in this Kingdom, as Trimmers, or favourers of Popery: From the first we are able to acquit our selves, having been guilty of no Complyances, but such as were the effects of Prudence and Self-preservation, such as were at once both inno­cent and necessary, and fit to be observed to a Power, that was able to crush us far worse than it did: And we are so far from being guilty of the latter, that we humbly conceive, That we could not more effectually oppose the growth and inundation of Popery, than by keeping up the publick Assemblies, by sticking to our Flocks, and preventing their seduction by the Romish Emissaries.

We do not come to crave your Majesties Protection for our Persons, our Churches, our Religion, or our Properties, which have been all in some measure Invaded. Our Per­sons have been imprison'd, our Churches taken from us, our Properties destroyed by a late Act of Parliament, that took away our Tithes; and the free exercise of our Reli­gion for some time interrupted. A Request of this Nature might perhaps look like a distrust of Your Majesties Care of us, and seem to contradict the Glorious Design of Your coming into this Kingdom. We are sensible that the generous end of Your Ma­jesties Presence is to rescue us from the Oppressions and Tyranny of Popery; and are well assured, that the same Paternal Affection, that moved Your Majesty to pity our Distress, will still protect us now we are Deliver'd.

We come rather to bless God as the Author of our Deliverance, and Your Majesty as the Happy Instrument raised up by His Providence for the effecting it; to express our Gratitude and Duty to Your Majesty, who has a double Title to our Services, not on­ly as our King, but as our Gracious Benefactor and Deliverer: To pray for the Suc­cess of Your Majesties Forces, for the Consummation of that Good Work that you have with so much Personal Hazard undertaken: That you may carry your Victorious Arms into other Countreys, where the Crys and the Groans, and the Oppressions of the Af­flicted Protestants, are as great as they have been here; That God would be an Hel­met of Salvation to You in the Day of Battel, and deal with You as He did with Ne­buchadnezzar, when He promis'd him the Kingdom of Egypt, for his hard Service against Tyrus: May He likewise recompense Your hard Labour in this Kingdom, with the Addition of another that is far more valuable: And may You prove as Happy and Suc­cessful in the succouring of others, as You have been of the Poor Afflicted People of this Kingdom.