To the Right Honorable the Lords, Knights, Citizens and Burgesses in Parliament assembled

Right Honorable and most Noble Patriots,

In as much as there hath been a¹ Book lately presented unto you, in whose Dedicatory Epistle there are many hainous accusations unjustly and falsly laid against us, we conceived it necessary to make some declaration of our innocency, and (to that end) humbly to present unto your view this our Confession of Faith: Here wee unfainedly declare, what in our hearts wee judge, and what wee teach, and according to this Rule wee desire and endevour, through the grace of God, to lead our lives. This Confession of our Faith we send forth to speak the truth for us, and so to make our innocency to appeare; desiring that the same light may guide others also to the same way of truth and of obedience both to God and to the Magistrate, who is the Minister of God to us for good. We hope your Honours will permit us to speak with modesty in our just defence. And when any shal provoke you to lift up a hand against us, wee desire you may seriously consider Gamaliels counsel in Acts 5. We take no thought for our selves, for the Lord our God is al-sufficient; but wee desire and pray that you may doe nothing against Christ, neither in his members, nor in his ordinances, that there may be no wrath upon you from the Lord, but that you knowing the innocent and protecting them according to the wil of God, may for the same be famous unto all generations, and the memoriall of your names may be pretious among the Saints till the coming of King Iesus.

Footnotes

1. Doctor Featleys Book dedicated to the Parliament. ↩