on of Faith to
be agreed upon between his Highness and the Parliament, was to be the
professed public Religion, and to be universally respected as such;
but all believers in the Trinity and in the divine authority of the
Scriptures, though they might dissent otherwise in doctrine, worship,
or discipline from the Established Church, were to be protected in
the exercise of their own religion and worship,--this liberty not to
extend to Popery, Prelacy, or the countenancing of blasphemous
publications. Ministers and Preachers agreeing in "matters of faith"
with "the public profession," though differing in "matters of worship
and discipline," were not to be excluded from the Established Church
by that difference, but might have "the public maintenance appointed
for the ministry" and promotion and employment in the Church
according to their abilities. None but those whose difference
extended to matters of faith need remain outside the Established
Church. Dissenters from the Established Church, if sufficiently right
in the faith, were to have equal admission with others to all civil
trusts and appointments, subject only to any disqualification for
civil office attached to the ministerial profession. His Highness was
requested to agree to the repeal of all laws inconsistent with these
provisions.--Article XII. required that all past Acts for
disestablishing or disendowing the old Prelatic Church, and
appropriating the revenues of the same, should hold good.--Article
XIII. required that Old Malignants, and other such classes of persons
as those disqualified for Parliament in Article IV., should be
excluded also from other public trusts.--Article XIV. stipulated that
nothing in the _Petition and Advice_ should be construed as
implying the dissolution of the present Parliament before such time
as his Highness should independently think fit.--Article XV. provided
that the _Petition and Advice_ should not be construed as
repealing or annulling any Laws or Ordinances already in force, not
distinctly incompatible with itself.--Article XVI. protected in a
similar way all writs, commissions, grants, law-processes, &c.,
issued and in operation already, even though the wording should seem
a little past date.--Article XVII. and Last requested his Highness to
be pleased to take an oath of office. A form of such oath appeared in
the _Additional Petition and Advice_, with another form of oath
for his Highness's Councillors in England, Scotlan