Englands Looking Glass, Dedication
ENGLANDS Looking-Glasse, PRESENTED IN A Sermon, Preached before the Honorable House of COMMONS, At their late solemne FAST, December 22. 1641.
By Edmund Calamy, B.D. And Preacher at Aldermanbury, LONDON.
EZEK. 18.31.
Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby ye have transgressed, and make you a new heart and a new Spirit, Why will yee die, O house of Israel.
Published by Order of the House.
LONDON, Printed by I. Raworth, for Chr. Meredith, and are to be sold at the Crane in Pauls Churchyard, 1642.
To the Honourable House of COMMONS Assembled in PARLIAMENT.
OBedience is a virtue of such great worth, that Luther did rather desire to have grace to be obedient, than power to work miracles. Out of this very Principle it was, that I first adventured to preach before such a grave and judicious Senate, Mallem obedire quam miracula facere. Luther.coram tam multis viris & tam paucis hominibus. And from the same Principle it is, that I now present the Sermon to a more publike view. The time allotted for the making of it, was so short (by reason of your more serious affairs) that it might have been a sufficient Apology, to excuse both the preaching and printing of it, had not pure Obedience justly silenced all such Apologies. And now it is printed, the Sermon it self is so poor and mean, that it may fitly be answered to me, what Apelles once did to a Painter, who having drawn many Lines in a little space of time, and boasting to Apelles that he had done so much in so short a time; it was replyed, That he wondered that he had drawn no more. But yet howsoever, my humble request is, That you would accept of this poor Mite, this little Goats-haire, which your commands (like a Mid-wife) have brought into the world. And indeed the kinde entertainment it found in the hearing, and the great acknowledgement of your Thanks (farre above all expectation or desert) afterwards, is an abundantly sufficient incitement against all discouragement whatsoever. The subject of the Sermon is of great concernment. It is about the ruine and repair of Kingdoms and Nations; a matter sutable for you that are the representative Body of the Kingdom. Sin ruines Kingdoms. When Nicephorus Phocas had built a mighty Wall about his Palace for his defense, he heard a voyce in the night, crying foreign. Though thou build'st thy walls as high as Heaven, sin is within, and this will easily batter down thy walls. Sin is like a Traytor in our own bosomes, that will open the gates to the enimy. Sin weakens our hands, and makes them unapt to fight. Sin taketh away the courage of our hearts. It was not the strength of Ai that overcame the Israelites, but Achans sin. Sinne causeth a great Army to be overcome by a little one.2 Chron. 24.24. The Army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the Lord delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their Fathers. The sins of England, are the enimies of England. These beleaguer our Walls, and are as so many Canaanites alwayes rising up in rebellion against us. But now on the contrary, Repentance and Reformation repairs and upholds Kingdoms and Nations: this is their Fortresse and Tower of defense; their Munition, Armour, and Wall of Brasse to defend them. Righteousnesse exalteth a Nation, but sinne is a reproach to any People. Prov. 14 34.The Lord in mercy ruinate our sinnes, and not the Nation! the same Lord worke a Nationall Reformation, and make you his Instruments in this great work! Much hath been done by you this way already (which is acknowledged in this ensuing discourse, with great thankfulnesse) The Lord enable you to perfect what you have begun. He that is the Finisher of our faith, finish this much-desired Reformation! It is very observable, that when God raised up Magistrates, such as Nehemiah, Zerubbabel, and others, to pity Sion that lay in the dust, and to repair her breaches: at the same time he raised up Prophets also, such as Haggai, Zechariah, and others, to strengthen the hands of the Magistrates, and to encourage them in so noble a service: and therefore it is expresly said.Then the Prophets, Ezra 5.1.Haggai and Zechariah prophesied unto the Iews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the Name of the God of Israel, even unto them. Then (and not before) rose up Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the Prophets of God helping them. And Ezra 6.14. The Elders of the Iews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the Prophet, and Zechariah the sonne of Iddo; and they builded and finished it, according to the Commandment of the God of Israel, &c. By both these Texts it appears, that the Magistrates began and finished the reparations of Gods House, by the help of the Prophets of God. Suffer me, therefore (as divers others have done before) the unworthiest of all Gods Ministers, according to my duty and place, to beseech and exhort you to the consummation of those blessed good things which you have begun to do for the Church of God in England. And the God of all blessings, blesse you and yours.
So prayeth Your much obliged Spirituall Servant, EDMVND CALAMY.