 Initially, it was discussed under the Blasphemy Ordinance of 1648 with the hope of imposing an authoritative Presbyterian religious settlement upon the Commonwealth, (the Presbyterians had also attempted to use the Ordinance against John Biddle in the previous parliament).But ultimately, the prosecution did not rely on any statute.Many of the speeches in the debates about Nayler centred on Biblical tradition regarding heresy (including calling for the death penalty) and generally urged MPs to quash vice and heresy.