TO THE KINGS Most Excellent MAJESTY.

May it please Your Majesty, WHen the distempered Nation wearied with
its own Contentions and Divisions, did groan
for Unity and Peace, and wounderful Providence
of the most Righteous God appearing
for the removal of Impediments; their eyes
were upon your Majesty, as the person born to be under God
the Center of their Concord, and taught by Afflictions to break
the bonds of the Afflicted, and by experience of the sad effects
of mens uncharitableness, and passions, to restrain all from violence
and extremity, and kept up moderation and mediocrity,
the Oil of Charity and Peace, and when your subjects desires
were accomplished in your Majesties peaceable possession of
the Throne, it was the joy and encouragement of the Sober and
Religious, that you began the exercise of your Government,
with a Proclamation full of Christian Zeal against Debauchery
and Prophaneness, declaring also your dislike of those
who under pretence of Affection to your Majesty, and your
Service, assume to themselves the liberty of reviling, threatning,

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and reproaching others, to prevent the Reconciliation
and Union of hearts and affections, which can only with
Gods blessing make us rejoyce in each other Our comforts
also were carried on by your Majesties early, and ready entertainment
of Motions for accommodation in those points of
Discipline and Worship, in which wee disagreed, and your
professed Resolutions to draw us together by mutual approaches,
and publishing your healing Declaration, which
was received with thanks of your House of Commons, and
the applause of the people, and the special joy of those that
longed for Concord and Tranquillity in the Church; in which
your Majesty declared so much satisfaction in the foundations
of Agreement already laid for that you should think your self
very unfortunate, and suspect / that you are defective in
the Administration of Government; If any superstructures
should slack those foundations, and contract or lessen the blessed
gift of Charity, which is a vital part of Christian Religion.
And as in the said gracious Declaration your Majesty resolved
to appoint an equal number of Learned Divines of both
Perswasions, to review the Liturgy, and make such Alterations
as shall be thought most necessary, and some Additional
Forms of Scripture phrase, as neer as may be, suited unto the
nature of several parts of Worship, and that it be left to the
Ministers choice to use one, or other, at his discretion, so in
accomplishment thereof your Majesty among others, directed
your Commission to bee for the review of the several Directions,
Rules, and Forms of Prayer, and things in the said
Book of Common-Prayer contained And if occasion be to
make such seasonable and necessary Alterations, Corrections,
and Amendments thereof, as by and between us shall bee agreed
upon to bee needful, or expedient for the giving a satisfaction
to tender consciences, and restoring and continuance
of Peace and Unity in the Church under your Protection and
Government; and what wee agree upon as needful or expedient
to be done for the Altering, Diminishing, or Enlarging
the said Book of Common-Prayer, forthwith to certifie and
present it in writing to your Majesty.
In obedience to this your Majesties Commission, wee did
with the Right Reverend Bishops, who required of us that
before any personal debate, wee should bring in writing all
our Exceptions against the Book of Common-Prayer, and all
the Additional Forms which wee desired; Both which wee
performed, and received from them an Answer to the first,
and returned them our full Reply; The last week of our time
being designed to personal conference, was at the will of the
Right Reverend Bishops spent in a particular dispute with
three of each part, about the sinfulness of one of the Injunctions,
from which wee desired to bee free, and in some other
Conference on the Bye. And though the Account which wee
are forced to give to your Majesty of the issue of our Consultations,
is, that no Agreements are subscribed by us to bee offered
to your Majesty according to your expectation; and
though it bee none of our intent to cast the least unmeet reflection
upon the Right Reverend Bishops, and Learned Brethren,
who think not meet to yeeld to any considerable Alterations,
to the ends expressed in your Majesties Commission, yet
wee must say, that it is some quiet to our minds, that we have
not been guilty of your Majesties, and your Subjects disappointments,
and that wee account not your Majesties Gracious
Commission, and our labour lost, having peace of conscience
in the discharge of our duty to God and you, that we have
been the seekers and followers of Peace, and have earnestly
Pleaded, and humbly Petitioned for it. And wee humbly
beseech your Majesty, to beleeve that wee own no Principles
of Faction or Disobedience, nor Patronize the Errours or
Obstinacy, if any.
It’s granted us by all, that nothing should bee commanded
us by man, which is contrary to the Word of God; that
if it bee, and wee know it, wee are bound not to perform it,
God being the absolute universal Soveraign; That wee must
use all just means to discern the will of God, and whether
the commands of men be contrary to it; that if the command
bee sinfull, and any through the neglect of sufficient search,
shall judge it lawful; his culpable errour excuseth not his doing
it, from being sin; and therefore as a reasonable creature
must needs have a judgement of discerning, that he may

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rationally obey it; so is hee with the greatest care and diligence
to exercise it in the greatest things, even in the obeying
of God, and saving of his Soul; and that where a strong probability
of great sin and danger lyeth before us, wee must not
rashly run on without search, and that to go on against Conscience,
even where it is mistaken, is sin and danger to him
that erreth. And on the other side, wee are remembred, that
in things no way against the Laws of God; the Commands
of our Governours must bee obeyed; but if they command
what God forbids, wee must patiently submit to suffering,
and every soul must bee subject to the higher Powers, for conscience
sake, and not resist: The publick Judgement, civil,
or ecclesiastical, belongeth only to publick persons, and not
to any private man; that no man must bee causelesly, and
pragmatically inquisitive into the Reasons of his Superiours
commands; nor by pride and self-conceitedness, exalt his
own understanding above it’s worth and office, but all to bee
modestly, and humbly self-suspitious; that none must erroniously
pretend to Gods law, against the just command of his
Superiours, nor pretend the doing of his duty to bee sin; that
hee who suspecteth his Superiours commands to bee against
Gods Laws, must use all means for full Information, before
hee settle in a course of disobeying them; and that hee who
indeed discovereth any thing commanded to bee sin, though
hee must not do it, must manage his opinion with very great
tenderness and care, of the publick Peace, and the honours
of his Governours, these are our Principles: If wee are otherwise
represented to your Majesty, wee are mis-represented;
If wee are accused of contradicting them, wee humbly crave
that wee may not bee condemned, till wee bee heard.
It is the desire of our Souls to contribute our parts and interests
to the utmost, for the promoting of holiness, charity,
unity, and obedience to Rulers in all lawful things: But if
wee should sin against God, because wee are commanded,
who shall answer for us, or save us from his Justice? And
wee humbly crave, that it may bee no just Gravamen of our
dissent, that thereby wee suppose Superiours may erre, seeing
it is but supposing them to bee men not yet in Heaven; and
this may bee reputed to every one that differeth in opinion
from another. And wee beseech your Majesty to beleeve,
that as wee seek no greater matters in the World than daily
Bread, with liberty to Preach the Gospel, and Worship God
according to his Word, and the practise of the Primitive
Churches; so wee hope it is not through Pusillanimity, and
over much tendernesse of suffering, that wee have pleased so
much for the avoiding of suffering, to our selves or others.
May none of our sufferings hinder the prosperity of the Church,
and the good of Souls, and wee have enough. And wee suppose
those that think the persons inconsiderable in Number
and Quality for whom wee plead, will not themselves beleeve
that wee have done this for popular applause: this were
not so much to seek the reward of Hypocrites, as to play the
game of Fools; seeing the applause of inconsiderable men
can bee but inconsiderable, and wee know our selves that
we are like thus to offend those that are not inconsiderable; the
Lord that searcheth hearts, doth know that it is not so much the
avoiding of suffering to our selves, or any particular person,
that is the end of our endeavours though this were no Ambitious
end for the peace and welfare of the Church and Kingdome,
under your Majesties Government. Wee know
that supposing them who are for the Ceremonies, to bee as Pious
and Charitable as the rest, it cannot so much offend them that
another may forbear them, as it must offend another to be forced
to use them; and wee know that conscientious men will
not consent to the practising of things in their judgement unlawful,
when those may yeild that count the matter indifferent.
And for the management of this Treaty, it being agreed
at our first meeting that nothing be reported as the words or
sense of either part, but what is delivered by them in writing;
Wee humbly crave that your Majesty receive no more as ours,
and that what is charged on any particular person, hee may be
answerable for himself; and though the Reverend Bishops have
not had time to consider our Additions to the Liturgy, and of
our Reply, that yet it may be considered before a Determination
be made. And though we seem to have laboured in vain,
we shall yet lay this work of Reconciliation and Peace at your
Majesties feet, beseeching you to prosper such a blessed Resolution,
till it attain success: We must needs beleeve that when
your Majesty took our Consent to a Liturgy to be a foundation
that would infer our Concord, you meant not that wee should
have no Concord, but by consenting to this Liturgy, without
any considerable Alterations.
And when you comforted us with your Resolutions to draw
us together, by yeelding on both sides in what wee could, you
meant not that wee should bee the boat to lay the banks that
should not stir, and when your Majesty commanded us by
Letters Pattents to meet about such Alterations as are needful
or expedient for giving satisfaction to render Consciences,
and the restoring and continuing of Peace and Unity, wee
rest assured, that it was not your sense that those tender consciences
were to be forced to practise all which they judged
unlawful, and not so much as a Ceremony abated them, or
that our Treaty was only to convert either party to the Opinion
of another, and that all our hopes of Concord and Liberty
consisted only in disputing the Bishops into Non-conformity,
or coming in every Ceremony to their minds.
Finally, for your Majesty, under God is the protection whereto
your people flye, and as the same necessity still remains
which drew forth your Gracious Declaration, wee most
Humbly and Earnestly beseech your Majesty, that the benefit
of the said Declaration may bee continued to the people, and
in particular, that none be punished or troubled for not using
the Common-Prayer, till it bee effectually reformed, and the
Addition made, as there exprest. Wee crave your Majesties
Pardon, for the tediousness of this Address, and shall wait in
hope, that so great a Calamity of your people as will follow
the loss of so many able, faithful Ministers, as the rigorous Imposition
would cast out, shall never be recorded in the History
of your Reign, but that these impediments of Concord being
forborn, your Kingdome may flourish in Piety and Peace, that
this may be the signal honour of your happy Reign, and your
joy in the day of your account, which is the prayer of

Your Majesties Faithful and Obedient Subjects.
FINIS.