Annotatio III §.VI Decretum: Dury’s union proposal heard; six Circles call the work grateful and necessary, yet many lack instructions — so they will report home
Decree of the Evangelical Estates made at Frankfurt.
John Dury again laid before the Evangelical Estates’ convention (Circles present, and absent princes’ legates) the business of union and fraternal reconciliation among Evangelicals inside and outside the Empire on the fundamental heads of Christian evangelical religion — a matter floated before — and in a notable deputies’ sitting he was heard by all confederated Estates, citing many leading theologians and academies of either party in Germany, France, England, and Transylvania on how that Christian unity-aim might be reached.
The six Circles unanimously judged the work grateful to the God of peace, praiseworthy, most necessary, and useful to evangelical churches — yet also a heavy business for which many deputies present had no instructions. So the present legates and deputies undertook to report home faithfully the proposal and the theologians’ opinions shared with them.
Latin
DECRETUM ORDINUM EVANGELICORUM Francofurti factum. Posteaquam in praesenti Evangelicorum, qui ex Imperii Circulis adsunt, Ordinum & Eorum, qui absunt, Legatorum & Deputatorum conventu, Johannes Duraeus, Evangelicus Theologus, Unionis fraternaeque Reconciliationis inter Evangelicos, tàm intra, quàm extra Imperium Ecclesias in Capitibus Christiana Evangelicaque Religionis nostra fundamentalibus stabiliendae negotium, aliquoties antehac propositum & considerationi objectum, iterum proposuisset, & in spectabili Deputatorum consessu, ab omnibus confæderatis Statibus auditus fuisset, ac multorum utriusque partis tàm in Germania, quàm Gallia, Anglia & Transylvania, praestantissimorum Theologorum & Academiarum protulisset sententias de viis, quibus Christianus iste atque in se laudabilis unitatis scopus obtineatur; cumque unanimi planè consensu Sex Imperii praenominati Circuli prolatas praedictorum Theologorum sententias perpendentes, hoc equidem opus Domino Deo, ut pacis Deo, gratum, laudabile, summeque necessarium & Evangelicis Ecclesiis omni modo utile & commodum judicassent, simul tamen estimassent, illud esse magni ponderis atque momenti negotium, de quo multi Legatorum ac Deputatorum, qui hac vice aderant, nullas haberent Instructiones: Ideo praesentes Statuum Legati atque Deputati receperunt, se rem recto Instituto propositam, & sententias Theologorum unà communicatas, fideliter relaturos.