ey shall also take a special care that, by such
augmentations as be or shall hereafter be appointed by the Senate, every
benefice in this nation be improved at least to the value of L100 a
year. And to the end that there be no interest at all, whereby the
divines or teachers of the national religion may be corrupted, or
corrupt religion, they shall be capable of no other kind of employment
or preferment in this commonwealth. And whereas a directory for the
administration of the national religion is to be prepared by this
council, they shall in this and other debates of this nature proceed in
manner following: a question arising in matter of religion shall be put
and stated by the council in writing, which writing the censors shall
send by their beadles (being proctors chosen to attend them) each to the
university whereof he is chancellor, and the vice-chancellor of the same
receiving the writing, shall call a convocation of all the divines of
that university being above forty years of age. And the universities,
upon a point so proposed, shall have no manner of intelligence or
correspondence one with another, till their debates be ended, and they
have made return of their answers to the Council of Religion by two
or three of their own members, that they may clear their sense, if any
doubt should arise, to the council, which done, they shall return, and
the council, having received such information, shall proceed according
to their own judgments, in the preparation of the whole matter for the
Senate: that so the interest of the learned being removed, there may be
a right application of reason to Scripture, which is the foundation of
the national religion.

"Secondly, this council, as to the protection of the liberty of
conscience, shall suffer no coercive power in the matter of religion to
be exercised in this nation; the teachers of the natural religion being
no other than such as voluntarily undertake that calling, and their
auditors or hearers no other than are also voluntary. Nor shall any
gathered congregation be molested or interrupted in their way of worship
(being neither Jewish nor idolatrous), but vigilantly and vigorously
protected and defended in the enjoyment, practice, and profession of
the same. And if there be officers or auditors appointed by any
such congregation for the introduction of causes into the Council of
Religion, all such causes so introduced shall be received, heard, and
determined by the same