Heads of a Body of Practical Divinity, Title page – Letter
A SUMMARIE PLATFORM OF The heads of a Body of Practicall DIVINITY, Which the Miniſters of the Proteſtant Churches abroad have ſued for, and which is farther enlarged in a Treatiſe intituled, An earneſt Plea for Goſpel-Communion, &c.
LONDON, Printed for Richard Wodenothe in Leaden hall-ſtreet, 1654.
The Copie of a Letter written by Doctor Ʋſher, the Primate of Armach, to Maſter Dury, concerning the Publiſhing of this Body of Practical Divinitie: according to the premiſed Model.
Maſter Dury,
I Am glad that you are ſtill willing to take ſome pains about the procuring of a body of practical Divinity, a work which I have long wiſhed for, and which formerly my heart was in, and my hand would have been in, if God had been pleaſed to continue our Peace; for when you brought over the Letters from the Forreign Churches, wherein they made it their Requeſt unto us, to Gratifie their Churches with ſome Endeavours about the Compilement of this Work, which were ſeconded by a Letter from the Miniſters in and about London unto me, when I was in Ireland, many yeers ago, I was very glad of the motion, and laid it ſeriouſly to heart, and conferred with ſome of my Brethren about it; that we might bring the work to ſome Perfection. Doctor Downam the then Biſhop of London-Derry, was a man whoſe ſtudies were much bent that way, for which cauſe it was referred to him, and he readily did undertake the task, to draw up a Model or Platform according to which that Syſteme or Body might be Compiled, that the Miniſters who had written to me, might be able to chuſe their tasks, and ſet themſelves awork about it; this Model he promiſed to ſend unto me to reviſe it, before it ſhould be imparted to the foreſaid Miniſters, that in our joint name it might be ſent unto them. But he either for want of health, or ſome other impediments did not expedite the Work before his death, & when the troubles of Scotland did begin, which had ſome Reflexion upon us in Ireland: & I being come over hither, he the Biſhop of Derry being dead the troubles of Ireland taking fire at the Proceedings of the then Parliament here, and the great Distractions of this and the other two Nations increaſing ever ſince; I could not do what was deſired of me, & what I heartily deſired might have been done, and wiſh yet may be done: for it will never be too late or unſeaſonable to ſet upon ſuch an enterprize; if therefore by your ſolicitation and pains you can oblige thoſe that in the Ʋniverſities, or in and about this City, are able and willing to undertake it, I think you will do a work very acceptable to all that are Godly, and Profitable to all the Churches at home and abroad. Let me therefore intreat you to proceed, that whiles there is any appearance of doing good to our Generation; we may not neglect the opportunity. As for the Modell of the Heads which you have ſhewed unto me, I ſhall adviſe this, that the Precognitions may not be inſiſted upon largely; but as briefly and ſubſtantially as may be; and if ſome References be made unto ſuch Authours, as handle the heads of the Precognitions more at large, it may give ſatisfaction to ſuch as will be more curious and deſirous to ſee things amply handled. Secondly, my adviſe is; that the work may be contracted to as few hands as may be: who may meet and confer together about it, when they are perfecting their tasks. Thirdly, I would not have the Work too large and voluminous, for ſeveral reaſons, yet as full of matter as can be; and where enlargements may be thought uſeful, references may be made to ſuch Authours as uſe them moſt effectually. Laſtly, concerning the Caſes of Conſcience which ſhould be handled in this Body, I think they may be brought in and inſerted under every head of matter whereunto they belong. This is for the Preſent that which I would ſuggeſt. I pray God direct and aſſist you and all thoſe that go about it; and what I ſhall be able to do towards the Encouragement of able Workmen therein; you may be confident ſhall not be wanting from
Your loving Friend, Ja. Armachanus. From my Study, the 14th. of Decemb. 1653. The Direction, To my loving Friend, Maſter John Dury, theſe.