THe Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses of the Commons House of Parliament, did with great joy receive Your Majesties most Gra­cious Speech, at the opening this Session of Par­liament: And being thereby invited to consider of Your Declaration of the Twenty sixth of De­cember last; they have with all Sobriety, Duty, and Affection, examined the grounds thereof; and do by me present unto Your Majesty, their most hearty Thanks for the same, and humble Ad­vice thereupon; both which, I do beseech Your Majesty that You will vouchsafe me to deliver in their own words.

May it please Your most Excellent Majesty,
WE your Majesties most Duti­ful and Loyal Subjects, the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses of the House of Commons in Parliament Assembled, having with all Fidelity and Obedience considered of the several Matters comprised in Your Majesties late Gracious Declaration of the 26^th of December last, and Your most Gracious Speech at the beginning of this present Session:

Do, in the first place for our selves, and in [Page 7] the names of all the Commons of England, render to Your Sacred Majesty, the Tribute of our most hearty Thanks, for that infinite Grace and Goodness, wherewith Your Ma­jesty hath been pleased to Publish Your Royal Intentions of adhering to Your Act of Indempnity and Oblivion, by a Constant and Religious Observance of it. And our hearts are further enlarged in these returns of Thanksgivings, when we consider Your Ma­jesties most Princely and Heroick Professions of relying upon the Affections of Your Peo­ple, and abhorring all sort of Military and Arbitrary Rule. But above all, We can never enough remember, to the Honour of Your Majesties Piety, and our own unspeak­able Comfort, those solemn and most endear­ing Invitations of us Your Majesties Subjects, to prepare Laws to be presented to Your Majesty, against the growth and increase of Popery; and withal, to provide more Laws against Licentiousness and Impiety; at the same time Declaring Your own Resolutions for maintaining the Act of Uniformity. And it becomes us always to acknowledge and ad­mire Your Majesties Wisdom in this Your Declaration, whereby Your Majesty is pleased to resolve, not only by Sumptuary Laws, but by Your own Royal Example of Frugality, to restrain that excess in mens Ex­penses, [Page 8] which is grown so general and so ex­orbitant; and to direct our Endeavours to find out fit and proper Laws for Advancement of Trade and Commerce.

After all this we most humbly beseech Your Majesty to believe, That it is with ex­tream unwillingness and reluctancy of heart, that we are brought to differ from any thing which Your Majesty hath thought fit to pro­pose; 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,

[Page 9] 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 [Page 10] 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 [Page 11] 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.