A Motion Tending to the Public Good of this Age and Posterity, Letter 2 – Letter 3
Sir C.
BY your laſt of the ninth of this MonethMonth I am glad to underſtand that the motions which have beene made unto you, have given ſome content. The chiefe thing which I aymed at, was to give you ſome reall ſatisfaction to ſo equitable a demand, & ſo anſwerable to the ay me of my ſtudies. I muſt confeſſe that the univerſality of that good which is to bee ſought for, in the Kingdome of God, whereof I labour to approve my ſelfe a true member; is ſo diſproportionate to the capacity & affections of moſt men, that I have hitherto dealt withall (who are ordinarily bent to a particular of their owne, more then to a reall publike good) that I could never yet meete with any affectionate Patron, who was willing and ready to undertake the advancement of ſuch matters for themſelves, and to the ends for which God doth put them in our hearts, who in the midſt of ſtraights and infirmities cannot leave the proſecuting thereof, although for love to ſuch objects through neglect of our ſelves we are put to a non-ſubſiſtance, I meane Maſter Comenius▪ Mr. Har…lib, and my ſelfe: For though our taskes be different, yet we are all three in a knot ſharers of one anothers labours, and can hardly bee without one anothers helpe and aſſiſtance. But it is no new thing to ſuch as ſerve God without reſpect to private ends, to ſpend and be ſpent and receive no incouragement from the world. Therefore alſo we can have patience, and waite upon Gods providence till hee ſhew what uſe he will make of our talents, which we have dedicated unto his ſervice, to be i mployed and ſet a worke in any place where wee ſhall perceive the overture to be made by him, onelyonly our end muſt alwaies be anſwerable unto the guift beſtowed upon us, viz. publique and univerſall, becauſe we know that Gods intention is, that his goodneſſe and glory ſhould not be concealed nor ingroſſed by any, but made common to all that can partake thereof, who are not doggs and ſwine, whoſe cuſtome is to teare and trample good things under their feete. Now the overture which you have made, if it be from him, I make no doubt but hee will make it apparent to us, & then you may be ſure, that on our part nothing ſhall be wanting wherewith God hath inabled us, to further the publique good. For as we profeſſe not to ſeeke our ſelves in any thing, & diſwade others from ſuch an ayme, ſo we ſhal be found no waies difficill to comply to others in any reaſonable motions which ſhall not prejudg the liberty of publique communication of the beſt things, which in the kingdome of God muſt alwaies bee inviolably obſerved. But how theſe things wherein we think we could bee ſerviceable unto the publique might be made uſe of, is not yet apparent unto you partly becauſe you have not as it ſeemes to me fully conceived the meanes of propagating the good which we aime at, partly becauſe you are not aſſined of the inclination of thoſe that would contribute their aſſiſtance unto the furthering of the ſame. I then muſt tell you that which you ſeeme not rightly to apprehend, concerning the Meanes, which is, that beſides the elaborating of certeine Teatiſes (which indeed is but a tranſent action, & if that were all to be done, then a tranſient contribution for the elaborating of theſe Treatiſes might ſuffice the exercitation of the minds of thoſe that are to make uſe of the treaties, & the breeding of Schollers in our way of knowiedge is no leſſe, if not more effectuall for the ſcope intended, then the elaborating and penning of the Treaties. The Treaties containe but the material part of the worke, but the excerciſes of the minds of Schollers and the framing of Schooles in humane learning, & the actuall introduction & manuduction of the Spirits of Chriſtians, to ſcripturall wiſedom & meditation is the forme & principall part of the buſineſſe to be intended. Bookes though never ſo well penned are but dead inſtruments by themſelves (witneſſe the holy Scriptures, whichfew make good uſe of now adaies) but if thoſe inſtruments be in the hand of an underſtanding workeman, and applye to a fit ſubject, then ſome good effect may be wrought by them. Therefore if a ſetled foundation would be had for the one and the other worke, both to elaborate the Treaties, and to apply them to uſe, by training up Schollers by them, then the meanes would be fully anſwerable to the attainement of the ends, which you allow and we have propoſed. From whence you may gather an anſwer to that which you propoſe concerning the uſe of the meanes by publique authority, upon all foundations already made. Firſt, the foundations already made, have their owne orders and conſtitutions, which are not well alterable. Secondly, men that are habituated to a cuſtome of their owne, and thinke themſelves to be Doctors and Maſters of Sciences, are not eaſily brought by the ſight of any booke, though never ſo well penned, to alter their courſe of teaching. And laſtly, Chriſts rule is alſo obſervable, that new wine ſhould be put into new bottels. And therefore if a new foundation could bee had, it would bee a great deale more anſwerable to the ſcope and when the frame of that foundation ſhould appeare, and the uſefulneſſe of that way of educating Schollers, and training up of Chriſtians unto heavenly wiſedome ſhould be approved; then other foundations might be induced to follow, and King and State moved to introduce the ſame in other places. Or if upon this motion which you have received the Parliament at this time ſhould be moved to apply a foundation which hath no cure, and when it falles voide unto themaintenance of theſe endeavours: This would bee all one as if a new foundation were raiſed, and perhaps this might bee done with no great difficulty at this ſeaſon, if thoſe that have power with Parliament men would ſhew their zeale for the publique good in this kinde, to further the maintenance of ſuch undertakings by allowances from foundations formerly made for the publique good, and now perverted to private ends.
From all which you may ſee that an anſwer to your doubt concerning actions tranſient, and of their owne nature not reiterable ſhould be this, that indeede there is ſomething in this worke tranſient which needeth not to be reiterated, but that is not the principall by which the ſcope is attained. But ſome other thing alſo there is which is not tranſient, and muſt be reiterated continually, which is the chiefe part of the worke, and therefore requireth ſome congant foundation, that the Agents of the worke may ſet themſelves apart to attend it without diſtraction, unto which now for want of ſetlement they are continually ſubject, which is a hindrance to both parts of the worke at once. As for him that is to part with the money, I conceive that he ſhould judge with himſelfe, what he is able to doe, and whether he thinketh a preſent helpe or a foundation of perpetuity to bee things of an equall indifferency. As for me I thinke them not of an equall in differency, for the reaſons now alleadged; yet if he that will part with the money, ſhould be more willing to give a preſent helpe, or more able to doe it then to ſettle a perpetuall foundation: And if that helpe would reach ſo farre as to maintaine the Agents till they can elaborate the Treaties and make all things fully ready for to be applyed to uſe, I conceive that this might bee well done, and I will propoſe the matter to Maſter Comenius and Maſter Hartlib, to whom I have not as yet ſpoken of this particular: For wee are bound to doe things with mutuall advice. As for that which in the latter end of the letter you ſay of foundations, that in them there is a temptation of the Authors living in them, I doe not well know what you meane thereby, nor doe I conceive any inconvenience in the living of any man with us, if wee bee but ſet a-part and upheld to intend our buſineſſe cherefully without diſtraction. Thus you ſee what I thought good to impart further towards your information in this buſineſſe. I beſeech the Lord to direct both you and us in all our deliberations and intentions, to advance the ſervice which we owe unto him and his Church in Jeſus Chriſt, for whoſe ſake I am
Sir, Your aſſured friend and faithfull ſervant, JOHN DURY. London, this 13. Jan. 1641.
The Coppy of a Letter to S. H.
Loving friend,
HEre you have the Appendix of that Analyſis of the Epiſtle to the Galathians, which once at Elbing I put to paper: I pray you let Sir C. ſee it upon occaſion, or others alſo, that they may judge what the uſefulneſſe of this kind of Study may be, and why that I have affected and loved ſo much the Scripturall Meditation and Preaching of this nature, which taketh hold of large Texts, as whole or halfe Chapters at a time. I hope if he or others will try the way which I have followed, that they will finde the ſame benefit, whereunto I could wiſh to be an inſtrument to bring all men aſwell as any one or two. The Lord enlighten all our eyes in his knowledge, and direct us in the right uſe thereof. I reſt
Your affectionate friend, I. DURYE.