Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	majesty_n	parliament_n	session_n	4,493	5	10.3217	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53385	The opinion of the Parliament, about religion, twenty years ago being the votes, &c. of the Honourable House of Commons, Febr. 25 &c., 1662, upon reading His Majesties gracious declaration and speech, &c.	England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons.	1682 (1682)	Wing O353; ESTC R40498	2,716	4

THE OPINION OF THE PARLIAMENT About RELIGION Twenty Years ago BEING THE VOTES c. Of the Honourable House of Commons Febr. 25. c. 1662. Upon Reading His Majesties Gracious DECLARATION and SPEECH c. Die Mercurii 25. Feb. 15. Car. R. Resolved c. nomine contrudicente THAT the humble thanks of this House be returned to His Majesty for His Resolution to maintain the Act of Uniformity Resolved c. That it be presented to the Kings Majesty as the humble Advice of this House That no Judulgence be granted to the Dissenters from the Act of Uniformity Most Gracious Soveraign 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 26th 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 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 hash been pleased to publish Your Royal Intentions of adhereing to Your Act of Indemnity 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 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 acknowledg 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 Expences 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 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 unreasonanable Distempers of Mens spirits and the many Mutinies and Conspiracies which were carried on during the late Intervals of Parliament did reasonably inoline Your Majesty to endeavour by Your Declaration to give some small 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 Virtue 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 are 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 Majesty 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 dispenced 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 Majesty 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 Majesty 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 Wisdome 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 these Numbers which by being troublesom to the Government find they can arrive to an Indulgence will as their Numbers increase be yet more troublesome 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 President and will take away all means of convicting Recusants and be inconsistant 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 forever 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 FINIS London Printed for William Crook 1682.