Biblical-Historical Light and Law

Although one can obtain all the volumes quite easily in this manner, some of the Inspectors and preachers testified that they wished for more. Since many preachers could not easily spare even a few Reichsthalers from their income, and the collective volumes would amount to 12 Reichsthalers or slightly more even at the cheapest price, they wished that His Royal Majesty might issue a most gracious decree for the benefit of the entire Ministerio ecclesiastico ecclesiastical ministry. This decree would allow the works to be purchased from the ærario treasury of the local churches according to subject matter and volume, and be placed in the inventory of the parishes for posterity. This was requested especially since such a practice was already held in some other lands of the Empire with certain biblical works, particularly those of the late Calovius and Olearius. Furthermore, in His Royal Majesty's own lands, a high decree had been issued for the acquisition of the well-known volume called Hilaria Evangelica Evangelical Joys, even though one cannot use that work for one's office in the same way as a biblical

commentary. I initially let the matter rest with the aforementioned wish, although His Royal Majesty had received the most humble dedication of the first volume with such high consideration that I could be well assured that He would most graciously deign to fulfill the said desire as soon as some report of it was made to Him. When I then most humbly sent the volume on the five books of Moses to His Royal Majesty in the year 1732, He most graciously deigned to charge me on April 21 to handle the doctrine of universal grace, which He Himself had seen in appropriate places therein, more extensively in a special treatise, and also to refer to His most gracious order. I subsequently sent the said treatise, printed, to His Royal Majesty on August 16. At that time, I revealed the previously mentioned wish of many preachers that it might be most graciously permitted for them to acquire the biblical works from the income of the churches. This report then had the most gracious success, so that His Royal Majesty immediately gave the most gracious order for it on August 24. This order is known to have been published in all Royal provinces. However, a double difficulty emerged during the compliance: namely, that many church patrons lay administrators or local nobility who oversaw church finances refused to release the church funds for it; and then also that the many preachers in the cities were not mentioned in the Royal decree. These city preachers, as well as those in the countryside, wished to enjoy this Royal grace. I received letters from several places asking if I could arrange for this in addition to resolving the first difficulty. I hesitated for some time to make a special report about it. However, since I was also advised by a distinguished hand not to omit it entirely, I did so most humbly on a special given occasion on March 31 of last year. Whereupon His Royal Majesty granted me the assurance of the most gracious resolution in response on April 12, and indeed with a most gracious communication...