Constitutional history -- Great Britain; Great Britain -- History -- 1689-1714 -- Sources; Great Britain -- History -- Restoration, 1660-1688 -- Sources
But to prevent such disorders and inconveniences as may happen by this
our indulgence, if not duly regulated, and that they may be better
protected by the civil magistrate, our express will and pleasure is that
none of our subjects do presume to meet in any place, until such place
be allowed, and the teacher of that congregation be approved by us. And
lest any should apprehend that this our restriction should make our said
allowance and approbation difficult to be obtained, we do further
declare, that this our indulgence as to the allowance of public places
of worship and approbation of teachers shall extend to all sorts of
nonconformists and recusants, except the recusants of the Roman Catholic
religion, to whom we shall no ways allow public places of worship, but
only indulge them in their share in the common exemption from the
executing the penal laws and the exercise of their worship in their
private houses only. And if after this our clemency and indulgence any
of our subjects shall presume to abuse this liberty and shall preach
seditiously, or to the derogation of the doctrine, discipline or
government of the established church, or shall meet in places not
allowed by us, we do hereby give them warning and declare we will let
them see we can be as severe to punish such offenders, when so justly
provoked, as we are indulgent to truly tender consciences.
PROTEST OF THE COMMONS AGAINST THE INDULGENCE.
We your Majesty's most loyal and faithful subjects, the Commons
assembled in Parliament do, in the first place, as in all duty bound,
return your Majesty our most humble and hearty thanks for the many
gracious promises and assurances which Your Majesty hath several times,
during this present Parliament, given to us, that Your Majesty would
secure and maintain unto us the true Reformed Protestant Religion, our
Liberties, and Properties: Which most gracious assurances Your Majesty
hath, out of your great Goodness, been pleased to renew unto us more
particularly at the opening of this present session of Parliament.
And further we crave leave humbly to represent: That we have, with all
duty and expedition, taken into our consideration several parts of your
Your Majesty's last speech to us, and withal the Declaration therein
mentioned, for Indulgence to Dissenters, dated the Fifteenth of March
last, and we find ourselves bound in duty to inform Your Majesty that
penal statutes in matters ecclesiastical cannot be suspended but by Act
of Parliament.
We therefore, the ... House of Commons do most humbly beseech your
Majesty that the said laws may have their free course until it shall be
otherwise provided for by Act of Parliament.
THE TEST ACT (1673).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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