Englands Antidote Against the Plague of Civil War, Declaration – Dedication
Die Mercurii 22 Octob. 1644.
IT is this day Ordered by the Commons assembled in Parliament: That M. Ashurst and M. Gowrdon do from this House give thanks to M. Calamy, for the great pains he took in the Sermon he preached this day at the entreaty of the Commons at S. Margarets Westminster: It being a day especially set apart for a Publike Humiliation, and to desire him to print his Sermon▪ And it is Ordered that none shall presume to Print his Sermon without being authorised under the Hand-writing of the said M. Calamy.
H. Elsyng Cler. Parl. D. Com.
I Authorize CHRISTOPHER MEREDITH, or his Assigns to print my Sermon above-named, and no man else.
EDMUND CALAMY.
Englands Antidote, AGAINST The Plague of Civill Warre. Presented in A SERMON BEFORE THE HONOUrable House of COMMONS, on their late extraordinary Solemn Fast, October 22. 1644.
By EDMUND CALAMY, B. D. and Preacher at Aldermanbury, LONDON.
LUKE 13. 4, 5.
—Or those eighteen upon whom the Tower of Siloe fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Ierusalem?
I tell you Nay: but except ye Repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
LONDON, Printed by A. Miller for Christopher Meredith, at the Sign of the Crane in Pauls Church-yard, MDCLII.
TO THE HONOURABLE the House of COMMONS, now assembled in PARLIAMENT.
THe subject matter presented unto you in this Sermon, is Repentance: A Theam that concerns you not only as you are Parliament men, betrusted by the people with the happinesse of the Kingdom, but as you are Gentlemen betrusted by God with immortall souls. It is a question with some (though with me it is no question) Whether a wicked man can be a good Parliament man? But I suppose it is a question with none, That if the man go to hell for want of repentance, what shall then become of the Parliament man? For this grace is absolutely necessary for your own salvations; so necessary as that there is not the least crevise for an impenitent sinner to get into heaven at. And it is necessary also for the preservation of the Kingdom. For it is The only way, and an infallible way to deliver us from this man-devouring, and land-devouring Iudgement that is now upon us, as is proved at large in the ensuing Discourse. And therefore I could heartily wish that one of the Sermons preached before you every Fasting day, might be a Sermon of Repentance, And that all our Pulpits might sound forth nothing but the the Doctrine of Repentance; and that this might be the Language of every godly Minister, Repent O England, Repent, Repent. It was once said, and that very truly, Inter altercandum veritas amittitur. I am sure it may be more truly said of our times, Inter disputandum paenitentia amittitur, The people of the City of London have almost disputed away their Repentance. I have read of one that by long studying of School-Divinity was so besotted that he quite forgot the Lords Prayer. And I fear that in our dayes through the heat of disputation about matters of Discipline, Faith, and Repentance is much forgotten both by Minister and People. And therefore as it was the excellency of our first Reformers (for which they are eternally to be praised) to bring the Divinitie of former times (which was much perplexed, and almost lost amongst the multitude of unnecessary School-utrum's) unto a plain positive Scripture-Divinitie: So it will be the excellency of all the godly Ministers in England (for which Posterity will blesse them) to bring all the multitude of the unnecessary Questions that are amongst us, to this Unum necessarium of Repentance.
But then our care must be, that this Repentance be a right Repentance. For most people deceive themselves into hell by a false Repentance. The nature of man is wonderfull prone, First, To think it an easie thing to Repent, Secondly, To think that Repentance is an ordinary common Theam, and that it is an easie matter to make a Sermon of Repentance. Thirdly, To think that it is in his power to Repent when he will. Fourthly, To think that God will be contented with any slight Repentance. Fifthly, To think that little sinnes need no great Repentance. Sixthly, To think that he repenteth when he doth not. Seventhly, To deferre his Repentance till he come to be old or sick, Eighthly, To trust to his Repentance, and to think to make God amends by his repentance.
All these are common and dangerous errours. The Lord deliver you from them. Remedies against most of them are discovered in the following Sermon, which though I suppose your multitude of businesses will not suffer you to reade over; yet your multitude of businesses must not hinder you from the present practice of it. For he that excuseth himself from present Repentance by the multitude of his imployments, what doth he else, but excuse himself out of heaven, as they did, Luke 14. 18, 19. that brought Apostles why they could not goe to heaven?
Your affairs are many and weighty, yet I beseech you alwaies remember Christs speech, Luke 10. 41, 42. Martha, Martha, thou art carefull about many things, but one thing is needfull. The Lord make you Students of such things, which, when well studied, will study you into Christ and into Heaven. Most men study things that study them into envy, and into contentions, and into things to be repented of. The Lord make you to study that Repentance which is a repentance never to be repented of.
So prayeth, Your much obliged spirituall servant, EDMUND CALAMY.