Petition to the House of Commons
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A37080.0001.001
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
A PETITION TO THE HONORABLE HOUSE OF THE COMMONS IN ENGLAND NOW ASSEMBLED IN PARLIAMENT. Whereunto are added CERTAINE CONSIDERATIONS, SHEWING The necessity of a CORRESPONDENCIE in Spiritual matters betwixt all Protestant Churches. By John Dury.
LONDON, Printed for William-Hope, at the sign of the Unicorn in Cornhill, near the Royal-Exchange. Anno Domini, 1642.
TO THE Honorable the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses of the House of COMMONS in Parliament,
The humble Petition of John Dury, Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in the work of Peace Ecclesiastical amongst Protestants.
SEeing the motion of furthering Ecclesiastical Reconcilement amongst Protestants hath been hitherto very favourably entertained by foreign States and Churches, which your Petitioner hath dealt withal; so that Acts and Declarations have been made, and given to your Petitioner, wherein they manifest their resolutions to advance the Work, and maintain Correspondencie with others to that effect; which hath been done not only by those that are abroad in Germany, and elsewhere, but also here at home in the last general Assembly of the Church of Scotland, where it hath been enacted, that from henceforth they should lay this matter to heart, and contribute their assistance thereunto: and to this end they have appointed certain Divines to correspond with your Petitioner towards the promoting of his endeavors of Peace. And seeing moreover your Petitioner doth with all thankfulness unto Almighty God cheerfully observe, by the clause inserted into the public Remonstrance of the State of this Kingdom, that there is a most laudable purpose intended, and a good inclination expressed towards the furthering of the good of all Protestants, for the preservation of true Religion, and the Union of their Churches with ours in the same cause, against the common Enemies, which by our divisions are encouraged to intend, and enabled to work out our destruction; which they will certainly bring to pass, if the Fatherly Providence of our good GOD, whose councils are unsearchable, and his ways past finding out, doth not prevent their malice, by our loving concurrence in the ways of Brotherly Union, for the maintaining of his glorious Gospel. And seeing lastly, it is a public request in the late Petition of the Reverend Ministers, that a day of Fasting and Prayers, for the welfare and prosperity of this Church and State may be set apart every month, so long as your Honorable Assembly shall continue, wherein I heartily concur with them:
Therefore your Petitioner doth humbly request, that in the Order, which hopefully will be made for the observation of that day of Fasting and Praying, this purpose of Ecclesiastical Reconcilement of Protestants by the Union of their spirits in the Truth of GOD, and against the Adversaries of Christ's Gospel, may be expressly mentioned to be recommended unto GOD, by the prayers of that public meeting. And also, that some Divines may be thought upon, and nominated unto your Petitioner, to whom he should make his address to begin a spiritual correspondency, which in this purpose is necessary, for the preparing and ripening of such proposals, as by the Grace of GOD will be able to bring the wished for Union of Protestants in due time to some perfection.
And your Petitioner, as in duty bound, shall daily pray for his Majesty's long life, his peaceable and happy reign over us, and for the prosperous success of all your councils and undertakings towards the blessed and flourishing estate of this Church and Kingdom.