Effect of Negotiation for Uniting Protestants, Summary of religious negotiations – Epigraph
The effect of Maſter Dury's Negotiation for the uniting of Proteſtants in a Goſpell Intereſt in brief is this
THe aim of Maſter Dury's Negotiations hath been.
Firſt, to remove miſtakes and ſcandalous debates from among Proteſtants, from whence their Diviſions did ariſe, and by which they have been hitherto fomented.
Then alſo to bring their minds and affections by the acknowledgment of the ſame fundamentalls of true faith, whereunto they are come; to the obſervation of the ſame Rules of obedience, by a peaceable walking in the duties of Chriſtian moderation, and Charitable forbearance of each other in the things extra-fundamentall, whereunto they are not come as yet.
To attain this aim he hath put himſelf upon the work of ſtudying the ways, and ſolliciting the Counſells of Chriſtian amitie and mutuall edification in Truth and Peace, and hath negotiated with all the Churches and the eminent men therein, to gain their aſſent to thoſe ways and counſels under the countenance and with the permiſſion of the civill authority. To which Negotiation he hath twice applied himſelf in two Periods of undertaking the work.
In the firſt Period, from the year 1628. till 1641 hee dealt with the chief leading men of both parties, and with ſone of their aſſemblies in theſe following places. viz.
In Pruſſia, at Dantzick and at Elbing; with the Miniſter and Profeſſors of the School.
In England with the godly learned Non-conformiſt Miniſters, ſuch as were Mr. Cotton, Mr. White, Mr. Davenport, Mr. Nye, and others; with the beſt of the Biſhops, ſuch as were Dr. Davenant, Dr. Hall, Dr. Morton, and others; with the beſt of the Prelaticall men, ſuch as were Mr. Mede, Dr. Fealtly, and others
In Scotland, with the Univerſity of Aberdene, with the Miniſtry of Edinburg, with the Scots Commiſſioners from time to time ſent into England, and with the generall Aſſembly held at Edinburg.
In Ireland, with the Biſhop of Armach, the Biſhop of Kilmore, and the Biſhop of Ardack.
In the Low-Countries, with the Synods of South and North-Holland, and their Deputies when the Synods were not met; with the Synod of Utrecht, with the Synod of the French Churches; with the Coetus and Claſſis of Zealand; and with the Univerſity of Leyden, and leading men of thoſe parts; ſuch as were Bogermannus, Feſtus Hommius, de Dieu, and others.
In Germany, with King Guſtavus of Sweden at Wirtzburg, and his Divines, who then were with him; with the Divines of Heſſen at Caſſell; with thoſe of Hannaw, of the Palatinat, of Deux-pont, of Anhalt, of the Wetteraw and of Herborn; with thoſe of the Aſſemby at Heilborn; with the Miniſters at Franck fort and at Mentz, (which then was under the Swediſh juriſdiction) with the Univerſities of Helmſtat, of Jena, of Leipſick and of Strasburg; with the Miniſters of Nuremburg, of Brunſwick of Hildeſheim, of Zell, of Hamburg, of Bremen, of Lunenburg, of Lubeck, of Stade, and other neighbouring parts, and with the Proteſtant States aſſembled at Franckfort.
In Switzerland, with the Antiſtes of Zurich, who in the name of all the other Churches, and with their foreknowledg gave advice.
In France with the Miniſtery of Paris, of Mets, of Sedan and of Geneva.
In Sweden, with the Miniſtrie of Stockholm, with the Diviny Profeſſors of the Academy of Upſall, with the Colledge of Weſteroſe, with the Colledge of Stregnes, and with the Synod held at Stockholm.
In Denmark, with the Divinity Profeſſors of Coppenhagen, and with the King of Denmark his Chaplain at Gluckſtadt.
In Poland, with the Miniſtry of Vilna in Lithuania, with the brethren of the unity of Bohemia at Leſna, with the Synod of the leſſer Polonia at Oxa, and with the Proteſtant Poliſh States at their Parlament.
In Tranſſylvania, with the generall Synod of thoſe parts, wherein all the caſes of conſcience incident to the whole work were largely reſolved.
From the year 1641. till 1654. the troubles of England obliged Maſter Dury to ſtudy for Peace and Unity at home.
In the ſecond Period of his Negotiation abroad, from the year 1654. till 1657. he dealt to gain concurrence and aſſent to his proceedings.
In England, with the chief Divines of both Univerſities, and with the leading Miniſters in and about London.
In Switſerland with all the Reformed Cantons, and their confederates, Zurick, Berne, Glaris, Baſell, Scaphuſen, Appenzel. Saint Gall, Biel, Neuſtat, Geneva, Lauſanna, Mulhuſen, Neuſchaſtel, and the Griſons.
In Germany, with the chief Counſellours of the Duke of Wirtemberg; with the Agent and chief Divines of the Elector Palatin, whom he appointed to entertain the Negotiation, with the Miniſtry of the County of Hannaw, with thoſe of Franckfort, with the Churches of Wetteraw in the Counties of Iſenburg and Budingen, of Solms and Witgenſtein; in the Principalities of Naſſaw at Herborn, at Dillenberg, at Sigen, and at Diets. With thoſe of the upper Heſſen at Marpurg; and with thoſe of the lower Heſſen at Caſſell. With thoſe of Anbalt at Deſſaw, at Koethen, at Berenburg and at Pletzkow. With thoſe of Saxonie, at Weimar, at Gotha and at Iſennack; with thoſe of Brunſwick at Minden, with thoſe of the County of Schaumburg at the Academy of Rintelen, with thoſe of the County of the Lippe at Detmold, with thoſe of the County of Benthem, at Teclenburg, at Benthem and at Steinfurt; with thoſe of Embden, with thoſe of Bremen; and with the generall Synod of the Dukedoms of Gulick, Cleve, Berg and the March held at Duysburg; and with the Councell of State of the Elector of Brandenburg ruling in Cleve.
In the Low-Countries with the Synod of South-holland held at Dort, with the Synod of Gelderland held at Harderwick; with the Synod of North-holland held at Alckmaer: with the Synod of the Province of Utrecht held at Utrecht; with the Synod of the French Churches held at Middelburg; with the Claſſis of Walcheren, and the other Claſſes of Zealand: with the Divinitie Profeſſors of the Academies of Leyden Utrecht, Franeker, Groning & Duysburg, with the general States of the united Provinces; with the States of Zealand at their Provinciall meeting, with the Deputies of the States of Utrecht: with the States of Holland at their Provinciall meeting, wth the Deputies of States of Frieſland, with the Deputies of the States of Groning; with the Deputies of the Cities of Overyſſell, Deventer, Campen, Swoll. With the Senate of the Court of Gelderland: with the Miniſtry of Amſterdam; and with Prince Adolf the King of Swedens brother, being at Amſterdam, with all theſe except onelyonly the two Synods of Holland, (whereof the one had no time to conſider the buſineſſe, and by the other it was referred to the civill Magiſtrates directory) there are correſpondents appointed to entertain with Maſter Dury the proſecution of the work upon the grounds laid in this laſt Period of the Negotiation, So that from hence forth it wil lye upon us to ſee that theſe proceedings bee not interrupted, if we will anſwer our publick profeſſions and ſolemn engagements, for the advancement of the Proteſtant Religious intereſt againſt the adverſaries thereof.
Which the Repreſentatives of this Nation, and the godly party therein by Pole hath obliged it ſelf unto, before God and the whole Chriſtian world; in three ſeverall Declarations.
Firſt in the Remonſtrance of the State of the Kingdom, publiſhed by the Parlament in the year 1641. where the words in the cloſe thereof are theſe:
Wee will labour by all offices of friendſhip, to unite the forreign Churches with us in the ſame cauſe: and to ſeek their liberty, ſafety, and proſperity, as bound thereunto by charity unto them and by wifedom for our own good: for by this means our ſtrength ſhall bee increaſed; and by a mutuall concurrence to the ſame common end we ſhall bee able to procure the good of the whole body of the Proteſtant profeſſion.
Secondly, in the Nationall League and Covenant, the Godly party which hath entred thereinto, doth in a moſt ſolemn manner declare, that our affectionate deſire is:
That the ſucceſs of our proceedings may bee deliverance and ſafetie to all Gods people, and encouragement to other Chriſtian Churches, groaning under and in danger of the yoak of Antichriſtian Tyranny, to join with us in the ſame or like aſſociation and covenant, to the glory of God, the enlargement of the Kingdom of Chriſt, and the Peace and tranquility of Chriſtian Kingdoms and Common-wealths.
Thirdly, in the Parlament held in the year 1653. the Declaration publiſhed the 12 of July is full of this deſign:
For being addreſſed
To all Gods people, aſwell in neighbour Nations, as in this.
And expreſſing, A great expectation of the breaking forth of the Kingdom of Christ in all the Earth.
They manifeſt their faith and hope concerning this buſineſſe by theſe words:
That God will not ſuffer his people here to deal faſly with him in his cauſe, till hee hath accomplſhed his great work, and brought about his great ends
Whereupon their earneſt praier is put up unto him:
That God would unite their hearts unto himſelf, that they may bee one among themſelvs, and with all the people of God who are members of the body of Chriſt; and that they may bee fitted and uſed as Inſtruments in the hand of God; for a more full and clear revealing of the Lord Jeſus, and a right promulgation of the bleſſed Goſpell, and the true intereſt of his Kingdom, and the advance thereof, that oppreſſing yoaks may bee broken, and all burthens removed: that his Tabernacle may be fully raiſed up; and his Temple built by his Spirit, that all his people may have one lip, one heart, one conſent, one ſhoulder to bow down & worſhip him; that the envie of Judah and Ephraim may bee taken away; that they may be one, in one fold, with one ſhepherd; that the ſwords and ſpears may be turned into plough-ſhares and pruning hooks, and the Earth filled with the knowledg of the Lord, as the waters cover the Sea
Now where ſo many ſolemn Engagements and Reſolutions are taken up and made known; as matters of conſcience to be proſecuted in the cauſe of God, there certainly God will expect ſome reall endeavours for a performance, chiefly then when the opportunity is ſo fairly offered as now it is, and not onelyonly ſo, but when wee are called upon to imbrace it as now wee are.
Sir Edwin Sands in his Book called Europae Speculum, or a view of the State of Religion in the Weſtern parts of the World. Pag. 183.
THe end (of theſe unhappy differences in Religion, between the Reformed, and Lutheran Proteſtants) will be, that their enemies ſhall laugh, when themſelves ſhall have cauſe to weep, unleſs the graciouſneſs of God, ſtir up ſom worthy Princes of renown, and reputation with both the ſides, to enterpoſe their wifedom, induſtry and authority, for the uniting theſe factions, or at leaſtwiſe for reconciling, and compoſing thoſe differences in ſome tolerable ſort: a work of immortall fame, and deſert, and worthy of none other, but of them, of whom this wicked baſe World is not worthy.
End of the text · John Dury, Effect of Negotiation for Uniting Protestants (1657)