The Hartlib Papers

Title:Letter, John Dury To [Hartlib]
Dating:14 April 1646
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Deare freind
yowrs of the 10th. of this acknowledging the receipt of my former to yow, I haue receiued, & would haue yow if yow cannot meet with the Sollicitor doe as yow saye: & keeping the Copye of the letter, with the Concealement of my name, & omitting the mention of Lincolns inne with the inscription to whom it is directed: yow may impart it as a motion unto the other leading men of both sides, to see how it may take. as for my engagement here, I am not foreward to settle it otherwise then needs must for edification, & because it will not bee a pastorall Charge falling upon me alone but upon three of us iointly, if I bee at all ingaged in it, it will bee only as conioint with the others who haue beene here first in place & so may the easier bee taken of if need require; & as I shall not hasten or labour to bring that relation suddenly upon my self so I shall not dare to refuse it if I bee effectually called therunto: for whateuer the parliament may doe with the Commissioners I shall not regard; that shall neither waye hasten nor retard my pace, but I shall looke upon God & doe what hee shall cleerly direct me; & if I become a pastor I shall not much contend nor make a noise to crye out against the Commissioners but shall act with all the strenth I haue in mine owne waye which I hope shall bee warranted by God. as for the other obiects yow propose to yowr self for my employment I shall leaue them to Gods Prouidence; & doe in the meane tyme what I am able as I haue occasion. I am gladde to see the Constancy of yowr resolution in the waye wherin yow are sette, surely the Lord will not leaue yow nor forsake yow, & I know that the expectation of the righteous in ende will not bee frustrate: but wee haue all need of patience to bee made perfect by it & then hee that shall come will come, & will not tarry when wee are fitted for his seruice & for our owne deliuerance. I haue written to Sir W. W. concerning the resolution of the Committee here, upon the receipt of his letter, (which was not deliuered till wednesday last to the Committee) they determined that a house should bee prouided for me more Convenient then that which was at first assigned; & [catchword: since]
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since at a second meeting; they haue made a further order for my accommodation; & the reparation of the house in which I am to bee.
Concerning the public; that letter which yow haue inserted (written to yow) to giue me <a> Character of the state of affaires; I guesse it is from Sir Ch. C. for methinkes I see his stile & spirit in it; & it is all Truth to which euery man that can discerne the Mysterie of iniquitie must needs subscribe. for all supreme gouvernment in this world beeing setled upon worldly Principles; cannot intend any thing else besides its owne eminency to gouverne all after its owne will; & therefore that the statists affect an ecclesiasticall Tyranny is no wonder, for it is impossible to them to deny themselues, to giue Christ his right in his owne house, & ouer themselues in spirituall matters, & so become his subiects? for then they must cease to Rule according to the Reason of state, & in effect become no states men; that is wise for their owne endes; but fooles, to serue others in their places through loue without plottes & parties, to maintaine which all the wisdome of the world is sette. nor can a states man, affect any ecclesiasticall man, or Societie or frame of gouvernment further, then hee <& it> serues for his ende, to helpe[altered] to bring his poeple in subiection to him & when hee perceiues that it will exempt them from his power, hee cannot but fight against it, as a meanes to ouerthrow his eminency: therefore so long as the party which stands for an absolut liberty of Conscience to all; doth uphold the interest of state eminency & power aboue the Presbytery, it shall bee Cherished by the Counsells of states men; but suppose the Presbytery wholly put downe; & that euery one of those that haue exalted the worldly power aboue the spirituall; should intend to enioye their owne independent liberty without all subordination to the state; doe yow think that they will euer obtaine it so long as the state remaines an united body & able to Rule all? doe yow not think that they will haue the same pretence of power ouer other Congregations aswell as against the Presbyterians? the subiects of other Congregations are they not under the state aswell as the presbyterians? why then shall they not bee protected from an [catchword: arbitrary]
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arbitrary gouvernment in the Case of grieuance aswell as others? or if it bee not so much, to protect others from Censures which are not setled by law; as to ex exempt themselues from the awband of spirituall Iudicatures; which in a Classicall Presbyterie, & synodicall Concurrence, is a great deale more formidable & authoritatiue, then in a pettie Congregation; from which euery one is free to make a separation at his pleasure: if I saye this bee the matter, & the aime which the Law-makers of this tyme haue in their eye; as no doubt it is a great part of it; then yow may perceiue what the issue will bee; namely a totall dissolution of all Church Communion & gouvernment. as for Sir Iohns Ius Divinum (as yowr freind calls it); if hee doth pretend it in any thing which is not meerly spirituall; & use it to any ende that doth not concerne the Relation which Conscience hath to the word of God, to keep that entire; hee is an usurper & deserues[altered] to bee opposed; but if his presbyteriall iudicature meddles with nothing but that which is within his owne sphere; & to the ende for which Christ hath appointed it; & by the Rules of holy communion which uphold the Royall law of liberty, then let the states of the world looke to it, they will not fight against man, but against Christ; & if either they fall upon him in respect of his eminency, or they <hee> fall upon them in respect of theirs, wo bee to them, for they shall bee utterly broken. if the Aristocraticall interests of the two nations (as it is not unlikely) iustle together to make a second warre under the pretence of Church gouvernment; wee may inferre two thinges first that they shall bee both broken one upon another; because they falsly seeke to set up a waye of Religious profession which is most sutable to their owne endes, & not truly patronize that which is most sutable to Christs ende; which is Peace, Loue, holines, faith, self denyall & Godlines. secondly we [catchword: may gather? MS torn]
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may gather, that that waye of Aristocracy which doth unite most the Body, & is strongest to uphold state Authority, will bee more preualent then that which hath no such tye of union, & is not able to uphold state authority further then the voluntary consent of a multitude will giue waye. the Aristocracy must bee setled either by a right from aboue; which nature doth giue, in the Priority & superiority of Iurisdiction by power & gifts: or else by a right from below which the multitude doth conferre by the Choise which they make of some to bee ouer them to manage their affaires in common for them: this Aristocracy nothing doth produce but meer necessity & the apprehension of common danger, & can last no longer then the safetie of all lyes at the stake; for as soone as the danger is past euery one is at his liberty; & may cast of, his or will cast of, him whom hee hath set up only for his preseruation: the multitude cares no longer for a man then they need him: therefore if the Aristocracy which is grounded upon a Democracy should stand; the statists that manage it, will (if they bee true statists, that is worldlings) embroile all & neuer make an ende of feares & iealousies. but the other Aristocracy which hath its foundation upon a priority & superiority, not deriued from the multitude, but setled in the families, is fit to stand aswell & perhaps better in tyme of Peace then of warre, & so is fitter to make a poeple happy, then the other. I haue enlarged my self upon these notions of state beyond my purpose till my paper is spent as yow see; make use of this (suppresso nomine) as yow think good. I beseech the Lord to perserue us from utter confusion. pray for
                              Yowr faithfull freind &
   Wint: 14. April.                 seruant in Christ
               1646                             Iohn Dury
[left margin:]
I find that when I read my small Bible at night or when I write long by Candle light my eye sight doth wearye: if therefore yow would procure me some spectacles one <pair> of the Age of Fiftie, & another paire somewhat older that I might trye which would ease me best, & send them up by the Carier I would thank yow. there bee also some broad glasses which a man can hold [in? MS torn] his hand & with both his eyes looke upon a booke to read through them: I [pray? MS torn] write what one of them doth cost beeing put in a frame with a handle.