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Whereupon the Lord Baltemore presents
a Paper setting forth the Present
State of Religion in Maryland, viz.
That for the encouragement of all such persons as were
desirous and willing to adventure and transport themselves &
families into the Province of Maryland a law there made by the
advice and consent of the Delegates of the Freemen concerning
Religion, wherein a toleration is given to all persons beleeving
in Jesus Christ freely to exercise their Religion & that no
person of what judgement soever, beleeving as aforesaid should
at any time be molested or discountenanced for or in respect
of his Religion or in the free exercise thereof and that noe one
should be compelled to the beliefe or exercise of any other
against his consent. Upon this Act the greatest part of the
people and Inhabitants now in Maryland have setled themselves
& families there & for these many years this toleration &
liberty has been known & continued in the Government of that
Province.
That those Persons of the Church of England there who at
any time have encouraged any Ministers to come over into
that Province have had several sent unto them as at this time
there are residing there foure that the Ld Baltemore knows of
who have Plantations & settled beings of their owne and those
that have not any such beings are maintained by a voluntary
contribution of those of their own persuasion, as others of the
Presbiterians, Independents, Anabaptists, Quakers & Romish
Church are.
That in every Country in the Province of Maryland there
are a sufficient number of Churches and Houses called Meeting
Houses for the people there and these have been built and are
still kept in good repaire by a free and voluntary contribution
of all such as frequent the said Churches and Meeting
Houses.
That the Laws of that Province have been ever made by the
advice and consent of the Freemen by their Delegates assembled
as well as by the Proprietor and his Council and without the
consent of all these no Law there has been made.
The greatest part of the Inhabitants of that Province (three
of four at least) doe consist of Prsesbiterians, Independents
Anabaptists and Quakers, those of the Church of England as
well as those of the Romish being the fewest, so that it will be
a most difficult task to draw such persons to consent unto a
Law, which shall compel them to maintain Ministers of a con-
trary persuasion to themselves, they having already an assur-
ance by that Act for Religion that they have all freedom in
point of Religion and Divine Worship and noe penalties or
payments imposed upon them in that particular. That in
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P. R. O.
Colonial
Entry Book,
Vol. 52.
p.31I
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