Petition to the House of Commons, Petition
A PETITION TO THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF THE COMMONS IN ENGLAND NOW ASSEMBLED IN PARLIAMENT. Whereunto are added CERTAINE CONSIDERATIONS, SHEWING The neceſsity of a CORRESPONDENCIE in Spirituall matters betwixt all Proteſtant Churches. By John Dury.
LONDON, Printed for William-Hope, at the ſigne of the Unicorn in Cornhill, neere the Royall-Exchange. Anno Domini, 1642.
TO THE Honourable the Knights, Citizens, and Burgeſſes of the Houſe of COMMONS in Parliament,
The humble Petition of John Dury, Miniſter of the Goſpel of Jeſus Chriſt, in the worke of Peace Eccleſiaſticall amongſt Proteſtants.
SEeing the motion of furthering Eccleſiaſticall Reconcilement amongst Proteſtants hath been hitherto very favourably entertained by forraine States and Churches, which your Petitioner hath dealt withall; ſo that Acts and Declarations have bin made, and given to your Petitioner, wherein they manifeſt their reſolutions to advance the Worke, and maintaine Correſpondencie with others to that effect; which hath been done not onelyonly by thoſe that are abroad in Germany, and elſewhere, but alſo here at home in the laſt generall Aſſembly of the Church of Scotland, where it hath been enacted, that from henceforth they ſhould lay this matter to heart, and contribute their aſsistance thereunto: and to this end they have appointed certaine Divines to correſpond with your Petitioner towards the promoting of his endeavours of Peace. And ſeeing moreover your Petitioner doth with all thankfulneſſe unto Almighty God cheerfully obſerve, by the clauſe inſerted into the publike Remonſtrance of the State of this Kingdome, that there is a moſt laudable purpoſe intended, and a good inclination expreſſed towards the furthering of the good of all Proteſtants, for the preſervation of true Religion, and the Union of their Churches with ours in the ſame cauſe, againſt the common Enemies, which by our diviſions are encouraged to intend, and enabled to worke out our deſtruction; which they will certainly bring to paſſe, if the Fatherly Providence of our good GOD, whoſe councells are unſearchable, and his waies past finding out, doth not prevent their malice, by our loving concurrence in the waies of Brotherly Union, for the maintaining of his glorious Goſpel. And ſeeing laſtly, it is a publike requeſt in the late Petition of the Reverend Miniſters, that a day of Fasting and Prayers, for the welfare and proſperity of this Church and State may be ſet apart every monethmonth, ſo long as your Honourable Aſſembly ſhall continue, wherein I heartily concurre with them:
Therefore your Petitioner doth humbly requeſt, that in the Order, which hopefully will be made for the obſervation of that day of Fasting and Praying, this purpoſe of Eccleſiaſticall Reconcilement of Protestants by the Union of their ſpirits in the Truth of GOD, and againſt the Adverſaries of Chriſts Goſpell, may be expreſly mentioned to be recommended unto GOD, by the prayers of that publike meeting. And alſo, that ſome Divines may be thought upon, and nominated unto your Petitioner, to whom he ſhould make his addreſſe to begin a ſpirituall correſpondencie, which in this purpoſe is neceſſary, for the preparing and ripening of ſuch propoſals, as by the Grace of GOD will be able to bring the wiſhed for Union of Protestants in due time to ſome perfection.
And your Petitioner, as in duty bound, ſhall daily pray for his Majeſties long life, his peaceable and happy raigne over us, and for the prosperous ſucceſſe of all your councells and undertakings towards the bleſſed and flouriſhing eſtate of this Church and Kingdome.
End of the text · John Dury, Petition to the House of Commons (1642)