Five Sermons Preached Upon Special Occasions, To the reader
To the Reader.
I Neither affect those Rheumaticke Pennes, that are still dropping vponupon the Presse: nor those Phlegmaticke spirits, that will scarse bee coniur'd into the orbe of employment. But if modest forwardnesse be a fault, I cannot excuse my selfe.
It pleased God Almighty, to make a fearefull Comment on this his owne Text, the very same day it was preached by his vnworthiest seruant. The argument was but audible in the morning, before night it was visible. His holy Pen had long since written it with inke, now his hand of Iustice expounded it in the Characters of bloud, There, was onelyonly a conditionall menace, So it shall be: here a terrible remonstrance, So it is. Sure! He did not meane it for a nine daies wonder. Their sudden departure out of the World, must not so suddenly depart from the memorie of the World. Woe to that soule that shall take so slight a notice of so extraordinary a Iudgement. We doe not say, They perished: Charitie forbid it. But this wee say, It is a signe of Gods fauour, when hee giues a man Law. Wee passe no sentence vponupon them, yet let vsus take warning by them. The Remarkablenesse would not be neglected▪ for the Time, the Place, the Persons, the Number, the Maner. Yet still wee conclude not, This was for the transgression of the dead: but this we are sure of, It is meant for the admonition of the liuing.
Such is our Blessed Sauiours conclusion, vponupon a paralel instance: Except ye repent, YE shal all LIKEWISE perish. There is no place safe. e…ough for offenders: but when the Lord is once vp in armes, happy man that can make his owne peace! otherwise, in vaine we hope to runne from the Plague, while we carry the Sinne along with vsus. Yet will not our wilfull and bewitched Recusants, from these legible Characters, spell Gods plaine meaning. No impression can bee made in those hearts, that are ordained to perish. For their malicious, causelesse, and vnchristian censures of vsus, God forgiue them: our requitall be onelyonly pitie and prayers for them. Howsoeuer they giuegive out, (and I will not here examine) that their piety is more then ours: Impudence it selfe cannot denie, but our Charitie is greater then theirs. Now the holy feare of God keepe vsus in the wayes of Faith and Obedience; that the properation of Death may neuer preuent our preparation to die. And yet still, after our best endeauor; From sudden death good Lord deliuer vsus all. Amen.
T. A.