The Earnest Breathings of Foreign Protestants, Part 3
Of the Third.
How the Work may be effected and imparted unto thoſe that have ſued for it.
TO procure the compilement of this Body of Practical Divinity, the way is already chalked out unto us, and was agreed upon by ſome of our moſt able and godly Miniſters, who before theſe Troubles, did offer themſelves unto the Work, and engaged to take their Taks to be elaborated under the direction of Doctor Uſher, the Primate of Armach, who then was in a powerful and plentiful condition, and likely to have undertaken the direction of the buſineſs. As for the way, how the matter was deſerred unto him, it may be ſeen by the adjoyned Letter, which in the year 1633. was ſent him: nor did any thing ſtop the proceeding of the Work, before our late troubles began in Ireland and England, but the want of a compleat Plat-form, and ſome other contrivances which were referred to the Primat to effect: but ſince the troubles both here and in Ireland have unſetled all men ſo, that although there had been a Plat-form drawn up, yet few or none could have performed any thing in the Tasks which they might have taken; therefore the Work hath been hitherto interrupted. But ſeeing now we are in ſome hope that the Lord will be merciful to us, and remove the cauſes of future Diſtractions, we may alſo expect that there will be faithful and able Agents found to undertake this Work, which will be ſo uſeful for all the Churches; and to bring it about, the way may be this.
Firſt, Let either this, or ſome other Plat-form be held forth, that ſuch as will chuſe Tasks, may know what to pitch upon.
Then let two hands be choſen as Directors, to whom all the Tasks when they ſhall be perfected may be brought in; that they may according to the Plat-form which they ſhall think fitteſt to be followed, ſet every piece in its own place, and joyn every limme of the Body to its Neighbour, till it be compleated and fitted for the Preſſe.
When the Directors of the Work are choſen, let everyone who doth chooſe a Task, be obliged to notifie his Undertaking to one of them, that they may know what the Tasks are which are in hand, and by whom undertaken, that if all which is to be perfected hath not found a peculiar Workman, ſome body may be ſought out and engaged to become the Undertaker for that which ſhall be wanting; and in caſe two ſhould take the ſame Work in hand unknown to one another, the Directors may give them notice thereof, and move them to divide their Work between them, that it may be done with more expedition, or incline one of them to take ſome other Task in hand, which perhaps hath no Undertaker.
An Agent alſo might be thought upon the reſiding in London, to whom from all Parts, and by whom to all Parts, the Letters ſhould be addreſſed, which muſt be written to or from the Undertakers, or to and from the Directors; and his charges ſhould be born, and by him the Tasks when they are compleated, ſhould be firſt ſent, and then conveyed unto the Directors carefully that they may not miſcarry.
The Work being effected, the way to impart it unto Forrain Churches, is no more but to get it Tranſlated into Latine, and Printed, after that it is Printed in Engliſh, which the Company of Stationers will greedily take in hand. as a Book which will yield great and ready profit: and if there ſhould be any difficulty in the printing of the Latine Copy in theſe Parts, becauſe our Stationers perhaps will not readily venture upon a Book which will have no great vent here (as it it not likely the Latine Copy will have, when the Engliſh is already extant) then meanes may be uſed towards ſome Forraine Stationer at Geneva, or elſewhere, who will not only Print it, but be induced to contract with the Tranſlators, to buy the Copy from them, becauſe the Book will ſell no leſſe abroad in Latine, then it will do at home in Engliſh; that is, exceedingly.