The Hartlib Papers

of this worke & more is done. For seeing they did agree to the making of a fundamentall Confession, I thought good to oblige them fully to some conclusions, or at least deliberations about it. Therefore I did conceiue a Theologicall consultation concerning this Subject uiz: what & how many pointes of faith are requisite to a fundamentall confession, or (which is the same) are necessarie to euery one to bee knowen to saluation. This Consultation is of three sheets of paper & is proposed problematically to giue them occasion to resolue all the matter & cleere doubts incident in this case. For I doe submitte all to their judgement. Neither doe I determine anything, but only by way of supposition, that the full resolution may come from them alone. Thus they are engaged to continue in the worke. And I hope (because I found them in priuate conference more moderate, then I thought they would bee) to bee most profitable instruments in it. At Westerose I found very kind entertainement at last, although at first I mette with a man wholy prepossessed against mee, partly by his owne apprehensions of the worke, partly by some report & letters, which hee had heard & gotten from others. Yet God did so direct mee in my conuersation with him, that in two or three dayes after ower first meeting, all his suspicions were cleered & wee became prettie intimate friends together, so that he did not only approoue of my worke: but oblige himselfe to giue all assistance that he could in it & communicated to me all his thoughts concerning the manner of appointing a meeting; which he wisely & prudently did describe. Yet in his declaration he was not so faire as those of Upsall, but did chose rather to make objections & shew the Difficulties, that these beeing taken away the worke might proceed the better. By this meanes he hath obliged me to resolue all his doubts & answer his objections, which hetherto I could not intend, but only by word of mouth when I was with him: because I gotte his declaration of the businesse

tending to this effect: only two or three houres, before I went away from him & since beeing busie with another Bishop & in my iourny to come hether againe I haue not hadde leisure to prepare an answer. The Bishop of Strengnesse is a godly planie dealing ould man & although at first he would hardly admitte me to any conference: yet at last wee became uery great, so that hee gaue<TRANS SWITCH="2"></TRANS> also<1> me in write his judgement concerning the worke, euen as the others had done before. Wherein he commandeth the worke more, then they doe: & after hee had proposed some difficulties he declareth that hee doth acquiesce in the judgement of these of Upsall both in the point of fundamentall confession & of the meeting to bee called to the effect. Now to this Bishop & the Professors of this Gymnasium I gaue another large consultation to ruminate upon, which is concerning the Theologicall way of preceeding to aduance the worke. Wherein I handle at large these four points 1. What must bee done in this worke for consciense sake. 2. What way bee done without difficultie 2. Who they are that most fitly may & ought to cooperate in it, & 4. What their way of proceeding ought to bee, that shall labour in the worke. Of these four questions I discourse problematically in nine sheetes of Paper to giue him & the rest of the Diuines, that are with him (:for he gaue mee the declaration of their Iudgement in his owne & all their names:) matter of further deliberation in the worke. This is the effect of my iourny, which I hope will breed further consultations & resolutions here. For if there bee a meeting this winter of the States of this kingdome, they haue all giuen mee notice thay they intend to propose the matter to the rest of their Brethren. All this I haue this Eiuening after supper when wee were risen from the table related to the Lord Chancellor who seemed uery reall pleased with my good successe amongst their Diuines & professed an willingnesse to further the worke so farre as he could. Hee said it would bee conuenient, that here some Synodicall resolution should bee taken in it in due time, & that I should also dispose

the Church of Denmark in like manner to concurre, & then with the Churches of great Britanne the Businesse might bee publickly undertaken. This is the effect of my negotiation at this time. Now two things remaine yet to bee done. First I must answer the Bishop of Westerose his difficulties. Secondly I must make a treatie Theologico-Politicall concerning the meanes & manner of proceeding to bee used by this State in furthering the worke. For I see that no State is so fitt to go about it, as this is, for many respects, which time will not permitte to insist upon. As for publick newes, it is certaine that the Saxon & Imperiall forces are quite defeated in Pommern by Bannier & Lesly. This Victory is counted as considerable as any, which hitherto they haue gotten. For it was a general battaile of all Forces on all sides[,?] & the defeat of the Enemies is totall of all the infanterie, & of so many of the horse as did not escape by flight. On Sonday next they will shoote all the Ordinance here about the Towne in signe of ioy. I understand that the Swedish armie will bee deuided in three partes. Bannier will fall into [Misnia?] Lesly will go backe againe to the Weser to ioyne with the Landgraue of Hessen. And I take it [Stall Hans?] will be commandeth an other way with a part of the armie uiz: up towards Silesia. Thus cases are altered. Now if you haue a mind to doe any thing, you haue the best opportunitie in the world, & if you ressent not the affront done to my Lord of Arundell against all Equitie: & to your selfe in the refusall of your demands, what will the world say of you hereafter? But it belongeth not to me to persuade to warre, who am a professed man of Peace. The Lord turne all to his glorie, & to the Comfort of his distressed Churches. & make you once a publick instrument in that, wherein I wish you were employed Thus I commend you to the Grace of God & rest.

behold I call vpon them in the presence of God to shew themselves to [scribal hand:] beare witnesse to trueth to giue their Theologicall aduice to auoid & preuent Error: to warne me wherein I faile to admonish me of my fault before they diffame me & prejudge my proceedinges towards others, But if they will doe none of these thinges, but [word deleted] <scatter> sinistrors & diffamatorie speeches of me behind my backe, let them [looke?] to it, they shall not only bee found idle talkers & calumniators, but also betrayers of the trueth: because they would not labour to stoppe the proceeding of errour by sound counsell & witnesse bearing to trueth. euen then when they themselues said that I went about to betray it, & when they were called upon to giue counsell for the preservation of the same. Therefore now I take God to witnesse that I am innocent & shall be innocent of the euill if it fall out. For if trueth bee not sufficiently maintained it is not my fault: because I intend an agreement only in trueth & labour for it in a good conscience: & to that effect seeke counsell of all such as are able to giue it & follow the best counsell that I can find in the word of God & consent of all the Churches. But if any say that I go astray from the way of trueth, & will not tell me wherein, nor shew me a better way: I say that he is a traytor to trueth & shall answer it before the judgement seat of Christ. And this much you may tell such as raise an euill report of my purpose in prosecuting this worke. It is not in pratling & talking, but in doing, that men should approoue themselues servants of Christ. Therefore intreat such in my name in the feare of God either to doe what is required of them, that is to giue reall counsell how this worke should bee prosecuted: or else to bee silent in censuring that which they reproue without ground. And if they feare that Satan might tempt me to euill, or I myself throug infirmitie might faile: their duetie is to labour the more earnestly in prayer for the good successe of Gods counsell & the disappointing of all human Sinister intentions & by respects: & to giue me warring of the dangers[altered] that I may take heed to the snare & this much concerning these men.

problemattically to giue them occasion to determine the heads & the qualitie of points fundamentall in Religion. It is a matter of three sheetes of paper: & in the treatie with these of Strengnesse I haue rambled out another consultation of nine sheetes of paper, concerning the way & meanes of prosecuting this worke to a full period. These problematticall consultations bindes them to an answer so that they can not goe backe againe from the worke. Yester night I supped with the Lord Chancellor & gaue him after wee were risen from table an account of those treaties: at which he was uery well pleased: we spake[altered from speake] long about the matter & he did intimate that after a while, when matters should bee more ripened betwixt me & the Diuines. That then a Synod might bee called of the chiefe of all parts in this Kingdome to settle a full resolution in the matter. To this I said, that this would bee uery requisite after that matters should bee fitly prepared. And to that effect I found two thinges yet requisite for me to doe. First to answer the Bishop of Westerose, who hath proposed all the Difficulties that are incident in the worke, that these beeing cleered no doubt nor objection may bee further made against it by any. Secondly to write a Theologico-Politicall consultation, wherein I would shew the whole manner & all the meanes to bee used in the public proceeding & furthering of the worke. This then, God willing, I intend to goe about with the first occasion. These thinges will bee too large to transcribe to send by Post. If God giueth Grace to accomplish them perhaps wee shall find a way to gette them printed & so dispersed to such as are fittest to take notice[altered] of the same.

attribute vnto me. If I haue but a sincere & faithfull heart to employ well to the publick good, the talent committed to my charge, that is all my felicitie: & I know that wether the worke take effect or not I shall not loose my reward. For the effect dependeth not either upon our abilities or endeauours: but upon the blessing of him that doth euery thing according to the purpose of his owne will. As for that which is aduanced, since I am come hither, I must confesse it is a great deale beyond my expectation. For I find that God hath extraordinarily prepared a way for me in the mindes of the Diuines & in the inclinations of the Administraters[altered from Administrators?] of the State, & chiefly in the Lord Chancellor his affection to the worke. For by his addresse hauing gotten audience at the Vniuersitie of Vpsall & at Westerose & at Strengnesse. Where two chief Bishops of this kingdome haue the direction of two illustrious Shooles, where Diuinitie & other sciences are taught[H? alters from thought]. Although at first (by reason of strong inveterate prejudices) there was some harshnesse in our meeting: yet at last it was so louing & faire & so reall that they became all effectually bound to cooperate in the worke; so that they haue not only imparted to me for a beginning their judgements of the worke: but haue obliged themselues to further consultations both with me & the rest of their clergie, in so much that I must acknowledge a speciall hand of God both ouer their hearts & my meditations, which I was stirred up to impart vnto them. For God did put a word in my mouth of consultation towards them such as I hope shall bee in due tyme (the rise beeing taken from hence) a meanes to waken all the Diuines of both Churches more then euer as yet they haue been to affect the worke. For with those of Vpsall I haue consulted about the Fundamentalls of Christian Religion how they may bee determined & distin-

guished from other not fundamentalls: & with the Bishops & Professors of Diuinitie of Strengnesse I haue consult about the way of proceeding in the worke: & now with the Bishop & Chapter of Westerose I am consulting about the impediments how they may bee taken away. The first consultation is of three: the second of 9 sheetes of paper: both problematically propose to giue them occasion to make the conclusion: & this last wherein my thoughts are now busie. I know not how large it will bee: it is alreddie come to the bulke of three sheetes & it will bee at last three or foure more. When this is done with the Diuines then I purpose, God willing, to present vnto the Lord Chancellor & State that which they haue in some sort desired a Theologico-Politicall consultation to let them see, what their part of the worke may bee. For seeing the Diuines are gained: & so gained by the grace of God, that they can not answer to my questions (which are nothing but cleere cases of conscience whereof the descision is intimated in the very ground whence the question is raised.) except they yeeld & come of fully to a round agreement, there will bee no difficultie in the States-men. Thus you see my hopes & a platforme of my proceedings, which, I beseech yow to helpe with your best affections towards God: & such other assistance as your worth & interest is able to procure amongst men of note. I make no doubt of your Zeale to the worke. Because I haue great Experience of the effects of the same in furthering it & in fauouring my person for it. Therefore I will referre both it & myselfe to your further care & Patronage & to bee promoted by such as you shall thinke fitte. I know not what I should desire or wish for in particular: because I will neither presume to determine your Prudencie, nor to incroach upon Gods Providence, which is all sufficient.