Die Veneris, 23. Febr. 1643. It is this day ordered by the Commons assembled in Parliament, that Mr. Millington doe move the Assembly of Divines to appoint letters to be written to the Ministers of London, Westminster, and elsewhere; for the incouraging of subscriptions, for the raising and maintaining of Sir Thomas Middletons forces..

TO OVR REVEREND AND DEARE BRETHREN , THE Ministers of the Cities of London , Westminster , and elsewhere , our Follow-Labourers in the Lords Vineyard . Reverend and well-beloved Brethren :

WEE cannot but be very apprehensive , by the sad experience of the present distractions , both of the causes whence they proceed , and remedies whereby we hope they may be removed . Our sufferings , feares , and solemne Fasts ingage us to consider how God hath beene provoked by our sinnes , how his indignation is to be appeased , and how we may serve his providence by any of our indeavours to promote all warrantable meanes of safety from the imminent dangers , wherein the Malignant adversaries both of Religion and the State , continually labour to involve us : Which though they threaten us many wayes , yet no way more , than by pouring out the Irish Rebels into the Northerne parts , especially into North Wales , where they daily find a great party of ill-affected Gentry , Clergy , and people , whose grosse ignorance , and blinde zeale , against the Reformation of the Church and Kingdome , make them capable of any impression of hostility , which may be of pernicious operation against all the wayes of redresse intended and pursued by our godly Governours , and by all those who put themselves under their protection and service . There have the Armies of the adverse party ( when foiled elsewhere ) a place of retreat , and hence are they most readily recruted ; the windes serving more ordinarily for passage out of Ireland into England and Wales , then contrariwise , and locking up in their Harbours our greater ships ( not able to abide those narrow and shelvie Seas ) from intercepting the lesser vessels , wherein the Irish are wafted over . And while the Irish and Welsh have such opportunities of association , the Forces of the Parliament are made ineffectuall , either to succour the Religious and Loyall Subjects in those parts , or to recover the City of Chester , a place of very great importance to the service and safety of the whole Kingdome . Against these evils the most present and powerfull remedy ( as it is represented to us by the prudence of the Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled ) is , that a proportion of Horse and Foot , ( set downe in the Ordinance which herewith is sent unto you ) be with all expedition made up , under the conduct of Sir Thomas Middleton , with whose worth divers of us are very well acquainted , and whose wisedome , courage , and fidelity to the common cause of God and his Countrey , with much honour to him , is under the hands of faithfull witnesses ( well knowne to some of us ) very fully and lately attested , which makes us the more confident to propound the Propositions of supply by the loane of a considerable summe , to your pious indeavours , according to your interest with your Parishioners , and other friends . It is hard to say , whether the necessity of such an Army , or the advantage by it ( if there be not too much delay in the service ) bee a more urgent motive to set it forward . But this is evident , to all that know the state of those parts , that there is not so much Religion in many places among them as any way to civilize the people , and so much superstition ( where there is any ) that they have taken up armes to defend idolatrous pictures , against the execution of the Ordinance of Parliament , whereby they were doomed to be pulled downe . And how can it be otherwise ? while their Clergy are generally either very ignorant , or very prophane . Against whichevills there is nothing more cordially intended by that worthy Knight , nor whereto our zeale may be more serviceable , then the removall of such Ministers , and the planting of better in their places , ( no way so feasible as by this meanes , ) which as we shall lay to heart for our owne particulars , so we desire to commend it , ( with the whole designe ) to your religious and affectionate furtherance , resting

Your very loving Brethren , the Divines , now assembled by Ordinance of Parliament .