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B06320 Two petitions to the honourable Court of Parliament in behalfe of episcopacy. One delivered by Sir Thomas Aston from the County Palatine of Chester. The other from the citties of L. and W. Aston, Thomas, Sir, 1600-1645.; England and Wales. Parliament.; City of London (England). Corporation. 1641 (1641) Wing T3524; ESTC R201124 3,920 16

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TVVO PETITIONS TO THE HONOVRABLE COVRT OF PARLIAMENT IN BEHALFE OF EPISCOPACY ONE DELIVERED BY Sr THOMAS ASTON from the County Palatine of Chester THE OTHER FROM THE Citties of L. and W. Printed in the yeare 1641. A PETITION DELIVERED INTO The Lords Spirituall and Temporall by Sir THOMAS ASTON Baronet from the County Palatine of CHESTER concerning EPISCOPACIE To the High and Honorable Court of PARLIAMENT The Nobility Knights Gentry Ministers Free-Holders and Inhabitants of the County Palatine of Chester whose names are subscribed in the severall Schedules hereunto annexed Humbly shew THat whereas divers Petitions have lately been carried about this County against the present forme of Church-Government and the hands of many persons of ordinary quality solicited to the same with pretence to be presented to this Honorable Assembly which we conceiving not so much to ayme at reformation as absolute innovation of Government such as must give a great advantage to the Adversaries of our Religion We held it our duty to disavow them all And humbly pray that We incurre no miscensure if any such clamours have without our privity assum'd the name of the County We as others are sensible of the common Grievances of the Kingdome have just cause to rejoyce at and acknowledge with thankfulnesse the pious care which is already taken for the suppressing of the growth of Popery the better supply of able Ministers and the removing of all Innovation and We doubt not but in your great Wisedomes you will regulate the rigour of Ecclesiasticall Courts to suit with the temper of our lawes and the nature of Freemen Yet when We consider that Bishops were instituted in the time of the Apostles That they were the great lights of the Church in all the first generall Councells That so many of them sowed the seeds of Religion in their bloods and rescued Christianity from utter extirpation in the Primitive Heathen persecutions That to them we owe the redemption of the purity of the Gospell We now professe from Romish corruption That many of them for the propagation of the truth became glorious Martyrs That divers of them lately and yet living with us have been so strong assertors of our Religion against its common enemy of Rome And that their Government hath beene so long approved so oft established by the Common and Statute-Lawes of this Kingdome And as yet nothing in their doctrine generally taught dissonant from the Word of God or the Articles ratified by Law In this case to call their Government a perpetuall vassalage an intollerable bondage And primâ facie inauditâ alterá parte to pray the present removall of them or as in some of their Petitions to seeke the utter dissolution and ruine of their Offices as Antichristian We cannot conceive to relish of justice or charity nor can We joyne with them But on the contrary when We consider the tenor of such Writings as in the name of Petitions are spread amongst the Common People the tenents preached publiquely in Pulpits and the contents of many printed Pamphlets swarming amongst us all of them dangerously exciting a disobedience to the established forme of Government and their severall intimations of the desire of the power of the Keyes and that their Congregations may execute Ecclesiasticall Censures within themselves We cannot but expresse our just feares that their desire is to introduce an absolute Innovation of Presbyterial Government whereby We who are now governed by the Canon and Civill Lawes dispensed by twenty-six Ordinaries easily responsall to Parliaments for any deviation from the rule of Law conceive We should become exposed to the meere arbitrary Government of a numerous Presbytery who together with their ruling Elders will arise to neere forty thousand Church-Governours and with their Adherents must needs beare so great a sway in the Common-wealth that if future inconvenience shall be found in that Government We humbly offer to consideration how these shall be reducible by Parliaments how consistent with a Monarchy and how dangerously conducible to an Anarchy which We have iust cause to pray against as fearing the consequences would prove the utter losse of Learning and Lawes which must necessarily produce an extermination of Nobility Gentry and Order if not of Religion With what vehemency of spirit these things are prosecuted and how plausibly such popular infusions spread as incline to a paritie We held it our duty to represent to this Honorable Assembly And humbly pray that some such present course be taken as in your Wisedomes shall be thought fit to suppresse the future dispersing of such dangerous discontents amongst the Common People We having great cause to feare that of all the distempers that at present threaten the wellfare of this State there is none more worthy the mature and grave consideration of this Honorable Assembly then to stop the Torrent of such Spirits before they swell beyond the bounds of Government Then We doubt not but his Maiestie persevering in his gracious inclination to heare the complaints and relieve the grievances of his Subiects in frequent Parliaments it will so unite the Head and the Body so indissolubly cement the affections of his people to our Royall Soveraigne that without any other change of Government He can never want revenue nor We iustice We have presumed to annex a Coppy of a Petition or Libell dispersed and certaine positions preacht in this County which We conceive imply matter of dangerous consequence to the peace both of Church and State All which We humbly submit to your great Iudgments praying they may be read And shall ever pray c. Subscribed to this Petition Foure Noblemen Knight Baronets Knights and Esquires fourescore and odde Divines threescore and ten Gentlemen three hundred and odde Freeholders and other Inhabitants above six thousand All of the same County The Anti-Petition or Answere to this is a base Libell and a forgerie TO THE HONORABLE THE Knights Cittizens c. The humble Petition of the Citties of L. and W. Humbly sheweth THAT whereas there hath of late a Petition subscribed by many who pretend to be Inhabitants of these Citties been delivered received and read in this HONORABLE House against the ancient present and by Law established Government of the Church and that not so much for the Reformation of Bishops as for the utter subversion and extirpation of Episcopacy it selfe Wee whose names are underwritten to shew there be many and those of the better sort of the Inhabitants of these Citties otherwise and better minded doe humbly represent unto this Honorable House these considerations following I. That Episcopacy is as ancient as Christianity it selfe in this Kingdome II. That Bishops were the chiefe instruments in the Reformation of this Church against Popery and afterwards the most eminent Martyrs for the Protestant Religion and since the best and ablest Champions for the defence of it III. That since the Reformation the times have been very peaceable happy and glorious notwithstanding Episcopall