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.