Sermon before Shorter, Title page – Dedication
A SERMON Preached before the RIGHT HONOURABLE Sir IOHN SHORTER, Knight, Lord Mayor OF THE CITY of LONDON AT GROCERS-HALL.
By Samuel Slater Minister of the Gospel.
Published by his Lordships Command.
LONDON: Printed for Thomas Cockerill at the Three Legs in the Poultrey. 1688.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE Sir IOHN SHORTER, Knight, Lord Mayor OF THE CITY of LONDON.
My Lord,
THIS Sermon was not preached, nor is it published undesir'd: Your Honour hath had a very great stroke as to both. Tho many others did come with their auxiliary hands to help the Midwifeing of it into the World. It hath stuck long in the birth, because I cared not to expose it and my self, now that the comfortable ease, which God and his Majesty have graciously granted us, (who were before unmercifully run down) doth make too many very uneasie and wickedly angry, as if to shew kindness to the Oppressed, were not becoming of a great King, nor to accept of it fit for a groaning Subject. But, my Lord, contrary to mine own Inclinations, I am constrained to yield at last to Importunity. What entertainment it will find with many, I neither know, nor am sollicitous. Probably they will slight and laugh at it, and so let them till they are weary; methinks, however, they may please to let this, and some other Works of my Reverend Brethren pass as tolerable, since done by the clumsy Fists of Pedlars and Tinkers, &c. as some out of their abundant civility and good manners have been pleas'd to call us. But we can laugh as heartily at their Abuses, as they can at our Discourses; so long as there are no Fists about our Ears, we shall be contented. You are not, My Lord, without Reproaches, which for the sake of Righteousness, are more Your Honour than Your Chair or Chain: these things are frankly given out by men ready at any thing but what is good. Let us, My Lord, give them to understand, if they have leisure enough to throw dirt, we have none to be concerned at it. No, let us mind the duty of our several Places, and be the more industrious in the doing of it, as the Moon holds on her journey notwithstanding the bawling of Dogs.
En peragit cursus surda Diana suos.
That God would direct, succeed and strengthen the heart and hands of Your Lordship and worthy Brethren; that God would make Your City a City of Righteousness, accompany this Sermon with a blessing, that it may reach its wished-for end, Private and Publick good: That Truth and Peace may be in our days, and descend as a blessing upon the head of all following Generations, is the hearty Prayer of,
My Lord, Your Honour's most Humble Servant in our Dearest Jesus, Samuel Slater. March 30.88.