Letter to a Member of the Westminster Divines
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A91435.0001.001
Project Note
This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.
This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.
Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.
However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.
This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.
Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org
THE TRVE COPY OF A LETTER: Written By Mr. Thomas Parker, a learned and godly Minister, in New-England, unto a Member of the Assembly of Divines now at Westminster.
Declaring his judgment touching the Government practiced in the Churches of NEW-ENGLAND.
Imprimatur.
Ja. Cranford
feb: 19 LONDON, Printed by Richard Cotes, for Ralph Smith, and are to be sold at his shop, at the sign of the Bible in Cornhill, near the Royal Exchange. 1644. 1643
THE COPY OF A LETTER.
Loving Brother,
M Y eyes do yet serve me, though with much difficulty; and therefore I will spend some part of their last strength in writing a word or two unto you. I desire to mourn with you, for the sore afflictions of the Church, and for those in particular which you have suffered, and my poor Sister, and Mother, with you. I hope the Lord doth bear up your hearts by Faith and Patience, and that you do rejoice under hope of the glory that shall follow He that shall come will come, according to promise.
I presume you are in the number of those, which are gathered into a Synod now at London; and therefore I write unto you as being there.
I suppose you are so prepared and qualified by these present afflictions, beside all your learning and sufficiency of parts, that God will discover great things by you.
I assure you we have great need of help in the way of discipline, and we hope that we shall receive much light from you. My cousin Noyse and myself, have seen such confusion of necessity depending on the government which hath been practiced by us here, that we have been forced much to search into it within these two or three years.
And although we hold a fundamental power of government in the people, in respect of election of Ministers, and of some acts in cases extraordinary, as in the want of Ministers; yet we judge, upon mature deliberation, that the ordinary exercise of government must be so in the Presbyters, as not to depend upon the express votes and suffrages of the people. There hath been a Convent, or meeting, of the Ministers of these parts, about this question, at Cambridge, in the Bay; and there we have proposed our arguments, and answered theirs; and they proposed theirs, and answered ours: and so the point is left to consideration. Also concerning admission of Members, we hold, the rule must be so large, that the weakest Christians may be received; and there was, according to appearance, much conjunction in this particular: Pray for us, as we do for you.
From Newbury in New-England, Decem. 17. 1643.
Your Brother, true and faithful in the Lord, THOMAS PARKER.