Unity Restored to the Church of England, Title page 1 – Dedication
Unity Reſtor'd TO THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
By JOHN MAYER, D. D. Miniſter of the Church of Roydon in the County of Suffolk, and Author of the Expoſition of the Church Chatechiſm, and the Comentary on the Old and New Teſtament, contained in Six Volumes.
Matth. 5.9. Bleſsed are the Peace-makers, for they ſhall be called the Children of God.
Pſalm 122.6. Pray for the Peace of Jeruſalem, they ſhall proſper that love her.
LONDON, Printed for A. Rice, and are to be ſold by Book-ſellers. 1661.
Unity Reſtor'd TO THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
Matth. 5.9. Bleſsed are the Peace-makers, for they ſhall be called the Children of God.
Pſalm 122.6. Pray for the Peace of Jeruſalem, they ſhall proſper that love her.
LONDON, Printed for A. Rice, and are to be ſold by Book-ſellers. 1661.
To the KING's moſt Excellent Majeſty CHARLES the Second, of England, Scotland, France and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Grace and Peace in Jeſus Chriſt.
MOſt Gracious and dear Sovereign, ſo ſoon as I ſaw Your Majeſties Declaration of October 25. I could not but rejoice greatly for Your Care and holy Solicitude expreſſed therein, and wiſdome like the wiſdom of Solomon about ſetling unity and uniformity in the Church of England, and deviſing the means of effecting it. And whereas ſome have in writing caſt aſperſions upon Your Sacred perſon, I could not but be greatly grieved at it, and to ſee how that notwithſtanding this Your Majeſties moſt ſerious profeſſion to have inform'd your ſelf what you could by conſulting with many both grave and learned beyond Sea, and of your own Land, by what means moſt probably Ʋnity may be reſtored to the Churches under your Majeſties Dominion, yet may remain unſatisfied, who although they are not reverſe from Epiſcopal Government reformed, yet at hearing of Suffragens and rural Deans, they are much troubled as at Officers not formerly heard of either in the time of Queen Elizabeth, King James Your Grandfather, or of King Charles Your Father. And as for the book of Common Prayer, although the Prayers therein contained are moſt pithy and pious, yet the multitude of them, and often repetitions of ſome, &c. are offenſive, and above all, the Ceremonies therein preſcibed, which they will never abide to ſee uſed, although they be not urged upon them, and ſo the ſeeds of diſſention will ſtill continue in our Churches which will in time ſpring up again, the peace and unity deſired will never be ſetled: for to ſettle it muſt be as but on God, ſo but one way under one Vice-gerent of God upon earth, and that muſt be the beſt approved of by the word of God, which being ſo, and Your Majeſties gracious inclination ſuch, that you have condeſcended ſo far as to conſult with ſome of your own Subjects what way might be beſt to introduce Ʋnity about matters Eccleſiaſticall, which hath been ſo long wanting. My Humble Sute unto your Majeſty is, that You would vouchſafe to caſt Your favourable aſpect upon this little book, which I a Subject of yours, as loyally affected to your Majeſty as any other man, have written in concurrence with Your Majeſty in the earneſt deſire of Ʋnity to be reſtored to our divided Churches before the comming out of your Pious and Learned Declaration, having no opportunity hitherto to preſent it to your Royall view; being 78 years of age, and full of grievous Diſeaſes, ſo as that I cannot Travell.
And in this little Book I hope your Majeſty ſhall ſee good reaſon to be inclined to go the way therein pointed out to prevail for the reſtoring of Ʋnity ſo much deſired, and indeed ſo neceſſary to promote a ſetled and laſting peace, which God grant unto us under Your Majeſty Our Supream Head next unto Chriſt Jeſus. And to this end, that you may live Uſque ad miraculum, gloriouſly reigning upon earth, as you have been miraculouſly brought to this Throne of Your Fathers, continuing conſtantly zealous for the propagation of the true Religion to the end of your days, and finally be Crowned in Heaven with a never fading Crown of Glory.
Your Majeſties moſt Humble and Obedient Subject and dayly Orator before the Throne of Grace IOHN MAYER.