Page:The Laws and Acts of Parliament of Scotland.djvu/592

a.2. The firji 'Parliament of Act i j. forfeiture of their polterity; and with their Army thus raifed, invaded His Majefiies Kingdom of ■Encland, -and joyned with Inch as were in Amies againfl His Majefiy there. And thus maintaining their ufurped power, and violently executing the lame againfl all Law, Confcicnce, Honour and Hu- manity, -have made themfelves inflrumentsofmuch lols, ihameand dishonour to their native Countrey, and have juflly forfeited any favour they might have pretended -to, konvHii-Majefites former con- cciiions. And forafmuch, as now it hath pleafed Almighty GOD, by the power of His own right hand, fo miraculoufly to reflore the Kings Majefiy to the Government of His Kingdoms, and to the exer- cife of His Royal Power and Soveraignty over the fame, The Eflates of Parliament do conceive them- felves oblieged, m difcharge of their duty and confeience to G O D and the Kings Majefiy, to em- ploy all their power and Intereft for vindicating His Majefiies Authority from all thefe violent inva- fions that have been made upon it, and fo far as is >pon , ible,to remove Out of the way, every thingthat may retain any rememberance of thefe things, which have been fo injurious to His Majefiy and His Authority, fo prejudicial and dilhonourable to the Kingdom, and deflructive to all juft and true in- terefls within the fame. And confidering, that befides the unlawfulnefle of the publick Actings du- ring thefe troubles, mod of the Acts in all and every of the Meetings of thefe pretended Parliaments, do highly incroach upon, and are deflructive of, that Soveraign Power, Authority, Prerogative and Ri^ht of Government, which by the" Law of G O D and the ancient Laws and Conftitutions of this Kingdom, doth reftde in, and belong unto, the Kings Majefiy, and dp -reflect much upon the honour, loyalty and reputation of this Kingdom, or are expired, and ferve only as teftimonies of difloyalty and reproach upon the Kingdom, and are unfit to be any longer upon Record. Therefore the Kings Majefiy and Elf ates of Parliament, do hereby Refcind and Annul! the pretended Parliaments, kept in the, years one thoufand fix hundred and fourty, one thoufand fix hundred and fourty one, one thoufand Tix hundred and fourty four, one thoufand fix hundred and fourty five, one thoufand fix hundred and fourty fix, one thoufand fix hundred and fourty feven, and one thoufand fix hundred and fourty eight, and all Acts and Deeds pail and done in them, and Declares the fame to be hence- forth void and null. And His Majefiy , being unwilling to take any advantage of the failings of His Subjects during thofe unhappy times, is refblved not to retain any rememberance thereof, but I that the fame fhall be held in everlaiting oblivion; and that alldifference and animofities being for.,, gotten, His good Subjects may in a happy union, under His Royal Government, enjoy that happi- nefs and peace, which His Maiefiy intends, and really wifheth unto them as unto Himfelf, Doth > therefore by advice and confent of His Eflates of Parliament, grant His full Afliiranceand Indemp. nity to all perfons that acted in, or by vertue of thefaid pretended Parliaments and other Meetings i flowing from the fame, to be unqueflioned in their Lives or Fortunes, for any Deed or Deeds dona by them in their faid ufurpation, or by vertue of any pretended Authority derived therefrom, ex- cepting alwayes, fuch as fhall be excepted in a general Act. of Indempruty, to be paft by His Meu jefiy in this Parliament. And it is hereby declared, That all Acts, Rights and Securities, paft im any of the pretended Meetings above-written , or by vertue thereof , in favours of any parti- cular perfons , for their civil and private interefls, fhall fland good and valid unto them, untill thfti fame be taken into further confideration, and be determined in this, or the next Seffion of this Par* liament. ,; xvi. I A£i concerning Religion and Church Government. • OUr Soveraign Lord, being truly fenfible of the mercies of Almighty GOD, towards Him In His prefcrvation , in times of greatefl trouble and danger, and in his miraculous Reftitution to His juft Right and Government of His Kingdoms. And being defirous to improve thefe Mercies, to the glory of GOD and honour of His great Name, Doth with advice and confent of His Eflates of Parliament Declare, That it is His full and firm refolution, to maintain the true reformed Pro- teftant Religion, in it's purity of Doctrine and Worfhip, as it was eflablifhed within this King- dom, during the Reigns of His Royal Father and Grand-father of blefied memory. And that Hk