TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE THE Lords and Commons In Parliament Aſſembled; The humble Petition of the Lord Major, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of London in Common-Councell aſſembled.
THat the Petitioners with all thankfulneſſe do acknowledg, that by the bleſſing of God upon the great and pious endeavours of the Honorable Houſes, much good hath been obtained; as unto the Kingdome in generall, ſo particularly unto this City, in the removal of many ſcandalous and ill-affected Miniſters, and giving2 opportunity thereby for the placing godly, learned, and painfull and orthodoxall in their roomes; who by their conſtant preaching and endeavours, have laboured againſt the errors, hereſies, ſchiſms, ſuperſtition, profaneneſſe, and malignity of the times, and have been (under God) very inſtrumentally ſerviceable, ſince the beginning of theſe troubles, to raiſe and ſtirre up the hearts and affections of the people of this City, to join with, and effectually to aſſiſt bo•h with their Lives and Eſtates, the Honorable Houſes of Parliament, in their undertakings, for the ſuppreſſing of the adverſe power raiſed againſt them; that ſo Religion, Liberties, and the work of Reformation might be carryed on to a happy ſettlement in Church and Common-wealth: But your Petitioners have for a long time (to the great grief of their ſouls) foreſeen and bewailed the ſad condition this City was then comming into, and which ſince is come upon it, by reaſon of the want of competent maintenance, to uphold and cheriſh therein, their ſaid godly and painfull Miniſters, and have by many indeavours for divers yeares paſt, been conſidering, how a comfortable livelihood for the ſaid Miniſters might be obtained, but could by no means of themſelves effect ſo great a worke, without the help and aſſiſtance of this Honorable Houſe; unto whom therefore your Petitioners thought fit to have made their addreſſes, and humbly prayed your help and aſſiſtance therein: But finding then the other great and weighty affairs of the Kingdome ſo preſſing, wee did forbear untill ſome ſeaſonable time might be found for this ſo pious a work. But in the mean while the thing we feared is come to paſs. Our Miniſters for want are neceſſitated to leave this City, and many have already removed themſelves and families into other parts of the Kingdome, and divers others likewiſe going;3 whereby the City is like to bee rendred in a very ſad condition for their ſoules; finding by a repreſentation lately preſented to the Common-councell, from the Provinciall Aſſembly of London, that there are at preſent about 40. pariſh Churches in the ſaid Province, that have no allowed or ſetled Miniſter belonging to them; and your Petitioners to their grief do ſee divers Churches ſhut up, and have none to officiate in them, giving thereby opportunity to ſcandalous and il-affected Miniſters to creep in, and ſeduce the people, and many more will be in ſhort time, if not timely prevented; and how great diſhonour that will be to God and miſery to this City, we need not expreſſe to this Honorable Houſe, whoſe religious conſtant care and endeavours is and hath been to nouriſh and ſupport a godly and faithfull Miniſtery in the whole Kingdome, and are confidently aſſured, will not be wanting to doe the like for this great and populous City, and the reſt of the Province (the affections and ſervice whereof, this Honorable houſe hath been pleaſed ſo oft to ſignifie their good acceptance of) there being above one third part of the Pariſhes within the Province where the maintenance for the Miniſters are not more then from 16 l. to 60. l. per annum, many others little more, and thereof a great part cannot bee received, partly through the diſaffection of many to the Reformation and Government now eſtabliſhed; and partly through the poverty of others in theſe hard times.
Your Petitioners therefore for preventing of the ſaid miſeries, and for the future incouragement, and ſetling of a godly, painfull and Orthodoxall Miniſtery within the ſaid Province, to the glory of God, the honour of the Parliament, good of this Province, and gayning many ſouls unto God, Doe humbly pray,
4That this Honorable Houſe will bee pleaſed to take the premiſes into your moſt pious and ſerious conſideration, And to grant that the Impropriations of the late Archbiſhops and Biſhops, the Houſes and Lands now or late belonging to Deans, Chapiters, and Prebends, within the ſaid Province, and the Rents and Revenues thereof, may be ſetled for an augmentation of maintenance of the Miniſtery of the ſaid Province, with ſuch further addition as the greatneſſe of the Petitioners neceſsity doe require, and the Honorable Houſes in their Wiſdomes ſhall ſee meet.
And the Petitioners ſhall pray, &c.
Die Lunae, 16. Octobr. 1648.
AFter the Petition of the Lord Major, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of London, was this day read in the Houſe, The Petitioners being called in again, they were anſwered as followeth;
That the Houſe gives them thankes for the care they have for a faithfull Miniſtery within the Dioceſſe of London, And that the Lords will doe what lyeth in them, for the furthering of their good deſires therein according to their Petition.
Die Lunae, 16. Octob. 1648.
THe Houſe being informed that the Sheriffs and Aldermen of London were at door, they were called in, and after a ſhort preamble made by Sheriffe Viner, he delivered his meſſage: That the Lord Major, Aldermen, and Common-councell of the City of London commanded him to deliver this their humble Petition, which he did humbly preſent, and deſired the ſame might be read, which after the Petitioners were withdrawn was read.
Ordered by the Houſe of Commons that the ſaid Petition be committed to
- Mr. Knightley
- Mr. Bows
- Mr. Trenchard
- Col. Copley
- Sir Martin Lumbley
- Mr. Gourden
- The Citizens and Burgeſſes of the City of London,
- Mr. Geſſon
- Mr. Wheeler
- Mr. Vaſſall
- Mr. Solwey
- Mr. Preistley
- Mr. Sheriffe Brown
- Sir Robert Harley
- Alder. Hoyle
- Mr. Got
- Mr. Whitaker
- Col. Stroud
- Col. Rigby
- Mr. Tate
- Sir Thomas Dacre
- Sir Will. Lister
- Col. Brich
- Mr. Edward Stephens
- Sir John Boucher,
Or any five of them, and all that will come are to have voices.
The ſaid Committee to have power to confer with the Common-councel of the City of London, or ſuch as they ſhall appoint, how an expedient may be found out for ſetling maintenance upon a Preaching Miniſtery within the ſaid City, and are to conſider the Ordinance touching the late Dean, and Chapiter of Pauls, and how the ſame hath been diſcharged and to find out the cauſe why the ſaid Churches ſtand empty and unſerved; with power alſo to conſider of an expedient how a Preaching Miniſtery may be maintained in al other Cities within this Kingdom. The ſaid Committee is to fit at two a clock this afternoon in the Exchequer Chamber, and ſo de die in diem, and for what concerns the City of London, to make report to the Houſe thereof forthwith.
The Petitioners being again called in, Mr. Speaker by command of the Houſe gave them this anſwer; Gentlemen, The Houſe hath conſidered of your Petition, and findes it a thing of very great conſequence, and have referred the ſame to a Committee who are to ſit this afternoon, and are to confer with you how an expedient may be found out for maintenance of a Preaching Miniſtery within the City, and to report the ſame forthwith.