Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A38292
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The votes and orders of the honourable House of Commons passed February 25 & 26, 1662 upon reading His Majesties gracious declaration & speech together with their reasons and address humbly presented to His Majesty (the whole House present) by their speaker ... on Saturday Feb. 28 ... : with his speech at the delivery thereof : and his report of the substance of His Majesties gracious answer thereunto.
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England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons.; England and Wales. Sovereign (1660-1685 : Charles II)
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1662
(1662)
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Wing E2758; ESTC R25077
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4,206
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12
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And though we do no way doubt but that the unreasonable Distempers of mens spirits and the many Mutinies and Conspiracies which were carried on during the late Intervals of Parliament did reasonably incline Your Majesty to endeavour by Your Declaration to give some allay to those ill humours till the Parliament Assembled and the hopes of Indulgence if the Parliament should consent to it especially seeing the pretenders to this Indulgence did seem to make some titles to it by vertue of Your Majesties Declaration from Breda Nevertheless we Your Majesties most Dutiful and Loyal Subjects who are now returned to serve in Parliament from those several parts and places of Your Kingdom for which we were chosen Do humbly offer to Your Majesties great Wisdom That it is in no sort advisable that there be any Indulgence to such persons who presume to dissent from the Act of Uniformity and the Religion established For these Reasons WE have considered the nature of Your Majesties Declaration from Breda and are humbly of opinion That Your Majesty ought not to be pressed with it any further Because it is not a Promise in it self but only a Gracious Declaration of Your Majesties Intentions to do what in You lay and what a Parliament should advise Your Majestie to do and no such Advice was ever given or thought fit to be offered nor could it be otherwise understood because there were Laws of Uniformity then in being which could not be dispensed with but by Act of Parliament They who do pretend a Right to that supposed Promise put the Right into the hands of their Representatives whom they chose to serve for them in this Parliament who have Passed and Your Majestie consented to the Act of Uniformity If any shall presume to say that a Right to the benefit of this Declaration doth still remain after this Act Passed It tends to dissolve the very Bonds of Government and to suppose a disability in Your Majesty and the Houses of Parliament to make a Law contrary to any part of Your Majesties Declaration though both Houses should advise Your Majestie to it We have also considered the nature of the Indulgence Proposed with reference to those Consequences which must necessarily attend it It will establish Schism by a Law and make the whole Government of the Church Precarious and the Censures of it of no Moment or Consideration at all It will no way become the Gravity or Wisdom of a Parliament to pass a Law at one Session for Uniformity and at the next Session the reasons of Uniformity continuing still the same to pass another Law to frustrate or weaken the execution of it It will expose Your Majesty to the restless Importunity of every Sect or Opinion and of every single person also who shall presume to dissent from the Church of England It will be a cause of increasing Sects and Sectaries whose numbers will weaken the true Protestant Profession so far that it will at least be difficult for it to defend it self against them And which is yet further considerable those Numbers which by being troublesom to the Government finde they can arrive to an Indulgence will as their numbers increase be yet more troublesom that so at length they may arrive to a general Toleration which Your Majesty hath declared against and in time some prevalent Sect will at last contend for an establishment which for ought can be foreseen may end in Popery It is a thing altogether without Precedent and will take away all means of convicting Recusants and be inconsistent with the method and proceedings of the Laws of England Lastly It is humbly conceived that the Indulgence proposed will be so far from tending to the Peace of the Kingdom that it is rather likely to occasion great disturbance And on the contrary That the asserting of the Laws and the Religion establisht according to the Act of Uniformity is the most probable means to produce a setled Peace and Obedience throughout Your Kingdom Because the variety of Professions in Religion when openly indulged doth directly distinguish men into parties and withal gives them opportunity to count their numbers which considering the animosities that out of a Religious Pride will be kept on foot by the several Factions doth tend directly and inevitably to open disturbance Nor can Your Majesty have any Security that the Doctrine or Worship of the several Factions which are all Governed by a several Rule shall be consistent with the Peace of Your Kingdom And if any persons shall presume to disturb the Peace of the Kingdom We do in all humility declare that we will for ever and in all Occasions be ready with our utmost endeavour and assistance to adhere to and serve your Majesty according to our bounden Duty and Allegiance The Speakers Report of the Substance of His Majesties Gracious Answer THat His Majesty gave them hearty Thanks for their many Thanks That never any King was so happy in a House of Commons as He in this That the Paper and Reasons were long and therefore He would take time to consider of them and send them a message That they could never differ but in Judgment and that must be when He did not rightly express Himself or they did not rightly understand Him but their Interest was so far linkt together that they could never disagree LONDON Printed by John Bill and Christopher Barker Printers to the Kings most Excellent MAJESTY 1662.