| Title: | Copy Letter In Hand ?, John Dury To Andrew Ramsay, Archibald Johnson And Alexander Henderson |
|---|---|
| Dating: | 19 October 1640 |
| Ref: | 6/4/85A-86B: 86B BLANK |
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[Dury's hand:]
The Coppie of a letter sent Into Scotland.
[scibal hand:]
Grace & peace be to you from God, the Father in Iesus
[Christ? MS torn] through the Holy Ghost. Amen!
Reuerend & Louing Brother in Christ,
I sent lately, to wit on the 30. of Sept. some Treaties & a Letter, from Bremen, by one Mr Anderson, unto you or to any of your Presbyterie to bee deliuered in your absence. The treaties are your own Parænesis Irenica, with the judgement of the Universitie of Aberdein, heretofore sent unto mee to further my worke, & the Coppies of some writes, whereby I haue endeavoured to dispose the Divines of Dennemarck towards this negotiation. The Letter did containe an Apologie against the Injurie which is done to mee & my worke, by a Booke which is written against the Archbishop of Canterbury & such as hee is pleased to tearme Canterburians. I hope these things are come safely by this tyme to your hands: But if the Letter should miscarie, I thought good by this bearer to lette you know the chiefe contents thereof, desiring you to lette the Authour, who rashly hath traduced mee in a publick write see the same. I could wish then that hee might knowe, that hee wrongeth mee in this, that hee saith that my Lord of Canterbury hath used great diligence underhand to promote my worke; as intimating that I haue bene sette a worke by him for those endes, which hee blameth him for. I say, & speake it in the presence of God, that I know no diligence hee euer used to promote my worke: that which hee hath done in it to my knowledge hath not bene done underhand, but publickly: neither haue I euer receiued or intended to receiue a reward (as hee saith I haue done) for my paines; all this is meere suspicion & too too sharpe jealousie. I declare then, to rectifie his judgement, that I haue neuer dealt otherwise with my Lord of Canterbury then I haue done with others, towards whom I haue sollicited the promotion of my worke. What I haue intreated him to doe, & hee in [catchword: reason]
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reason & Conscience could not refuse, that hee hath done: And I am as free from those endes, which hee doeth lay to my Lord of Canterbury charge, as hee himselfe is that accuseth mee, of that collusion with him, which I take as a publick calumnie cast upon my name. For it is not true that my aime is to extenuat Lutheran errours or to make by a full agreement with Lutheranes in tearmes Generall & ambigvous, a bridge unto Poperie to bee brought in amongst Protestants, as hee doeth beare the world in hand without all ground. It is the humour of these partiall tymes, to take euery thing in the worse sense, & to vent suspicions with no lesse confidence then euidently knowne truethes. Therefore I can the more easily beare with this wrong done unto mee: onely I must desire that in tyme to come, hee or any other, that will take upon him to censure mee, or my worke, would bee pleased to obserue the Commandement of Christ, giuen to us in this case of mutuall offence: namely that if hee hath any offence at mee, hee would speake to mee first in privat before hee condemne mee before the world. I desire then that hee might know, that I am readie to giue him satisfaction, unto any thing which hee can lay unto my charge. For this accusation which hee publisheth unto the world, is either a meere conjecture of his owne jealousie, or else an observation made upon some grounds. If it bee nothing but a conjecture, hee ought to confesse his uncharitable rashnesse in uttering it so publickly: But if hee thinketh hee hath any ground, to gather this judgement of mee, hee is bound to lette mee know the same, that hee & I may bee able to auoid occasions of scandale one towards another, & not bee transported with jealous passions, to multiplye scandales by publick condemnations & censures, one of another. This censorious Spirit which hath gotten the upperhand in these dayes I studie to conjure, with modestie & sinceritie of Godly conversation answerable to the trueth of the Gospell, wherein I hope to approoue myselfe unto the conscience of euery one, either by rectifying[altered] their judgements concerning the circumstances or my worke, or else by confessing that which is amisse, if they
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can shewe me a fault committed. This my Declaration I pray [any more? MS torn] impart unto him, whither the first bee come to your hands or [not.? MS torn] And lett us not labour to increase divisions amongst our selues by surmises taken up at randome upon bare hearesayes. The Lord in his Mercye direct us all in the way of Peace, of Charitie & mutuall edification, that wee may know how to heale the breaches which are made amongst Brethren, & stand in the gappe lest the rent become greater & greater, & none bee found at last able to helpe us. Now the Lord, euen the eternall God bee mercifull unto his people, euen unto the remnant of his inheritance, & passeby the sinnes which haue deserued this chastisment, which hee bringeth upon his Churches. Lette us pray earnestly that hee would bee graciously pleased to putte underneath his euerlasting armes, to uphold the poore that haue putte their confidence in him: that for their sakes & the glorious manifestation of his owne name in the Gospell, hee would thrust the ennemie from before his children, & say, destroy them: That mercy & trueth may meete together, & righteousnesse & Peace may kisse each other. Pray for mee, for I haue a good Conscience in that which I doe; & being free from privat & worldly endes, & all partialitie in respect of persons; I can forgiue by the Grace of God the injuries done unto mee, for the Loue of Christ, who hath forgiuen to us, & purchased to us the forgiuenesse of a greater debt then wee are able to remitte one another. Thus I rest, commending you to the loue & grace of our heauenly Father, as being
Your affectionat Brother
in Christ, & humble
Hamburg. this 19. of Octob. servant in the Gospell,
1640.<sub>/.</sub> Iohn Durie
[Dury's hand:]
The inscription of this letter was
to Mr Andrew Ramsay or in his absence
to Mr Archbald Ihonson or to Mr Alexander
Hinderson or to any of the Presbyterie of Edenburg.