A20920:140
Certain letters, translated into English, being first written in Latin. Two, by the reverend…Certayne letters, translated into English, being first written in Latine. Two, by the reverend…
Certain letters, translated into English, being first written in Latin. Two, by the reverend and learned Mr. Francis Junius, divinity reader at Leiden in Holland. The other, by the exiled English Church, abiding for the present at Amsterdam in Holland. Together with the confession of faith prefixed: where upon the said letters were first writtenCertayne letters, translated into English, being first written in Latine. Two, by the reverend and learned Mr. Francis Iunius, divinitie reader at Leyden in Holland. The other, by the exiled English Church, abiding for the present at Amsterdam in Holland. Together with the confession of faith prefixed: where vpon the said letters were first written
Amsterdam : Printed, in the year. 1602Amsterdam : Printed, in the yeare. 1602
Letter 2: Mr. Junius his second Epistle.Letter 2: Mr. Iunius his second Epistle.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
To his beloved brethren the English people at Amsterdam. Grace and peace from the Lord.
Your Letters (loving Brethren) I received yesterday and read. If your messenger had showed me before, to whom, or whither I should have written, the matter had been other wise carried: but I sought and waited a whole month, being uncertain to whom I might send. If any thing were done otherwise then we would, it was your own fault. That ye give no place to false suspicion, I did nothing without the knowledge of my brethren and Colleagues. To you I gave counsel: if it please you not, you may let it alone for me: it becometh not us to be contentious: for it is not our custom, nor the custom of the Churches of God. Now that Messenger of yours spake only to me, without letters, and called not on any of my Colleagues: What then is the blame you lay upon me? *none forbade me to give counsel alone. You asked indeed about a matter of faith, but we thought good rather to deal about giving you counsel. What? if a man answer not according to your prescript, is it by and by an injury? Give us leave, brethren, I pray you, to use our own judgement: we thought it fitter to give you counsel, then to make an answer to your demands, and that this we might do unto you in brotherly duty. If we might not, ″yet will we be more indifferent towards you: you may for us abstain, you may rent the Letters, and we also will conceal it. I wrote as touching counsel, because I thought there was need of it. I wrote not of the question, because I thought the time was not for it. Otherwise I had never thought of you, or your matters, no not so much as in my dream: so greatly do I shun to be a meddler in other mens matters. You will say, why w•s not the time for it? Surely because the matter was not clear to me, to have been handled in order, and good manner: Whereunto by giving you counsel, I called you back. For if you kept good manner and order, you might have showed it: if you kept it not, you might have returned unto it and observe it. I knew nothing at all, either by you, or by any other, which I speak, to the end that you suspect none that is innocent. Our manner is to make answer in order, to them that ask according unto order: if any ask not in order, our manner is to call them back to order, as is meet: yea if any urge us a hundred times besides order: we will call him back an hundred times unto order;