The New Query and Determination Upon It, Section 21
SECT. XXI. The occaſion of the petitions of the Common Councell and Miniſters of London, and the preſenting of them to the Honourable Houſes of Parliament.
THe Occaſion is contained in this Declaration following, made by the Miniſters of London, and by them preſented to the Honourable Court of Common Councell of the City in this Tenour.
Wee the Miniſters of London, having heretofore received from the Right Honourable the late Lord Major, A Reſolve of the Honourable Houſe of Commons, of September 23. 1645. for chooſing Elders forthwith in the Province of London, with their Order annexed of October 8. 1645. for communicating the ſame to our reſpective Congregations, did thereupon chooſe a Committee in our names, both to acquaint the Lord Major how we had obeyed the ſaid Order, and further to ſignifie unto him ſome doubts, and difficulties, for preſent obſtructing our further progreſſe therein.
Whereupon his Lordſhip was pleaſed to impart the ſame to the Honourable Court of Common Councell, which the Honourable Court ſo farre reſented, as to appoint a Committee of their owne members to conferre further with the Miniſters about the Premiſſes, October 20. In which conference we declared to the ſaid Committee that ſome of the former doubts were removed by the Directions of the Lords and Commons of Auguſt 19. and the Ordinance of October 20. 1645. but that ſome were continued, and other new difficulties did riſe, by occaſion of the Directions and Ordinance. The reſult of which Conference was repreſented to this Honourable Court, atteſted by their owne Committee.
Ʋpon which an Order of Court was ſent unto us, Dat. Octob. 27. 1645. intreating the Miniſters to preſent their deſires and reaſons thereof to this Court in writing under their hands. In reference unto which Order, wee the Miniſters of London (thankfully acknowledging our ſelves much obliged both to the Right Honourable the ſaid Lord Maior, and this Honourable Court, for all their loving reſpects unto us in this matter, ſo much laid to heart by them) did humbly preſent both our deſires, and the reaſons thereof: Their deſires are the ſame which are compriſed in their Petition, which in its proper place will offer it ſelfe to the Reader. The Reaſons I thinke it fit to forbeare, for divers reaſons, whereof that which I ſhall mention in the third particular may be ſufficient.
The ſecond thing is the Contents, which conſiſted chiefly of requeſts, and reaſons for the eſtabliſhment of the Presbyteriall Government; wherein, though the penning of each Petition was divers in ſtyle, and forme of words, yet as I know for the one, which I ſaw, ſo I beleeve of the other, which I ſaw not, that there was nothing in it, which they thought would be offenſive to either Houſe of Parliament.
This traducing Intelligencer ſaith, the Citie Petition ſeemed to complaine, and take ill the proceedings of the Parliament with the Aſſembly, in the late buſineſſe paſt concerning the election of Elders. But they did but ſeeme ſo, and to ſuch perhaps onelyonly, as were not acquainted how carefull they were (who were compoſers or peruſers of the Petition) to ſhunne any expreſſion, that might be juſtly lyable to the exception of the chiefe Sages of the Kingdome.
For the third particular, they conſented to exhibite the ſame Schedule of Reaſons, (being in number twelve) that were tendered by the Miniſters to the Honourable Court of Common Councell; which, becauſe they were pleaſed to owne, I will not preſume to make publique, without their conſent; yet their conſent I may note (to their great commendation, and for their juſt vindication from the imputation of Schiſme, which hath beene reproachfully charged upon the Citizens of London) which was ſuch, that, as I have heard from ſuch as I dare beleeve, the Petition being read in the Common Councell, paſſed with a nemine contradicente, not one man giving a negative vote againſt it; which is an aſſured argument of the ſoundneſſe of the Aldermen, and Common Councell, (the moſt Honourable, and conſiderable part of the Citizens) and of their clearneſſe from the taint of hereticall, and ſchiſmaticall Tenets; and this union was well obſerved as a confutation of their reports, who had gloried in a pretended generall oppoſition to the Presbyteriall Government in this Citie.
The ſecond thing is the preſenting of theſe Petitions, which was done at the Houſe of Commons, (upon Wedneſday the nineteenth of November) to whom the Citie Petition was firſt preſented by a competent number of Aldermen, and of the Common Councell, and afterwards the Petition of the Miniſters by many of them; and on the twentieth day was each Petition preſented to the Houſe of Peeres, in like manner as the day before to the Houſe of Commons.