Sermon 20 October 1661, Title page – Dedication
A SERMON AGAINST REBELLION: SHEWING Deceivers to be Deceived In Their WICKED MISTAKES.
PREACHED At St. PAƲL'S, October 20th 1661.
By SAM. STONE, M.A.
2 Tim. 3.13.
But evill men and ſeducers ſhall waxe worſe and worſe, deceiving and being deceived.
LONDON: Printed for Henry Brome at the Gun in Ivy-lane, M.DC.LXII. duplicate page
To the Right Honorable Sir Richard Browne Kt. and Baronet, Lord Maior of the City of London: with the Right Worſhipful the Aldermen his Brethren, Grace, Honour, and Peace, by multiplyed.
Right Honourable and Worſhipful,
THe nature of your Order for the publication in Print of this imperfect Piece following, puts your ſubſcribed in minde of a paſſage from Auguſtus to the Poet Auſonius, Scribere me Auguſtus jubet & mea carmina poſcit, Poenè rogans. Your Order might have been as well a Poſtulation or Demand, as a Deſire; but you ſeem therein like the moſt excellent Auguſtus, who expreſt, in a like caſe, more humanity and condeſcenſion, than Power towards his Poet, as you have done unto your ſmall Prophet or Preacher; he ſhall therefore humbly take leave to preſume (as the Emperor took the Poet and his Poem into Protection, it being a product of his own favour and importunity) that your Lordſhip and Brethren alſo will do the like unto your Preacher, and his Sermon, unto which your Honors have given this Publick-being. Eadem eſt cauſa producens & conſervans, is a true rule of the great Miſtreſs of Reaſon, Logick, That which gives Being, conſerves it; not but that the work of it ſelf, as the Author humbly conceives, is very much foreign, or ſelf-poteſtative, foreign, or ſelf-ſufficient to warrant its ſelf, in the whole import thereof; it aiming at the preſervation of our far more excellent Auguſtus, and this his Royal City, and your Honorable perſons, and his and your deareſt intereſts, Civil, Sacred, and Natural, together with the whole Church and Nation, as it layes open (how weakly ſoever) thoſe wicked deceits of ungodly Godly men, which have and may again, by the ſame ſlights and advantages of deluſion, ruine all: but for that there can be no ſuch natural reciprocation of intereſt, as when a grateful iſſue in its dependance of exiſtence throws it ſelf upon the principal Cauſe for patronage and countenance.
Your Preacher hath obſerv'd the Order of your Honorable Court punctually in the ſubſtance of the whole Diſcourſe, and every part thereof, though not in every word poſsibly, having not written it in order, form, or method; in which reſpect, as he was fain to vary expreſsion often in the delivery, ſo it muſt be excuſable in the Copy, but he is ſure nevertheleſs this draught in Print anſwers almoſt adequately the main exemplar in your memory, except, as afor ſaid, and a word or two ſometimes of Tranſition perhaps, or Apology, or the like; with an addition of one falſe Poſition, or deceitful Principle of ſin more, to compleat the number of ſeven, that he might give you a perfect number, at leaſt of Particulars, though a number of Imperfections; and an Appendix moreover unto the ſixth. Which as to him it was not grievous, as St. Paul's language is in another caſe, Phil. 3.1. ſo to You and the Reader, he hopes, it ſhall be both ſafe and profitable; the Deceit therein mentioned, communicating to the advantages of Sin in all the ſeven, and may be a furtherance to any fallacious imagination or deceitful practiſe proceeding from the corrupt heart of men, viz. Spiritual ſenſes and meanings of Scripture, contrary unto or divers from the Letter; whereby the Law of God it ſelf therein written, which is only tranſgreſt, is wreſted to juſtifie tranſgreſsion.
Both which Additionals had been ſpoken in the Solemn Audience, had not the Preachers civility to your Honorable ſelves, and pitty to the laborious crowd below, time being ſpent, prevented him, and therefore he doth not ſcruple your acceptance thereof now, it being frequently exemplated in impreſsions of other Sermons; Hanc veniam petimuſ que damuſ que viciſſim: and 'tis but like ſome after-birth or ſuperfoetation that intellective Nature would be diſcharge of.
If any man ſhall ſcruple peradventure, that ſome paſſages of the Diſcourſe were too ſmart, he may remember that St. Paul was once upon the queſtion, Whether to come with a rod or no, 1 Cor. 4. v. laſt; and St. Jude adviſeth a way of ſaving ſome men by pulling them out of the ſire, ver. 23. with terrors or denunciations, or otherwiſe, as you may conceive, exprobations. And I know not what ſons of thunder ſhould ſerve for in the Church, but to ſhoot thunderbolts: and 'tis the barking dog, and that ſometimes pincheth a little, which drives ſtraying ſheep into their fold, and worries the Dogs of the conciſion, i. e. evil workers of Schiſms and Diviſions.
Neither is any part of the ſtyle ſo ſevere and pungent, except againſt the moſt monſtrous and prodigious abominations and ſuch actors thereof as we have, to the affrightment of our memories, ſo deeply ſmarted by; or, ſuch who are ſtill obdurate and impenitent in their diſobedience, whom the Indemnity it ſelf favours not, and one paſſage of the Sermon hath diſtinctly marked out, making a difference of others according to St. Jude's counſel loco dicto. And of the former ſort, either there remain ſome, or not; if not, Who ſhould complain? if ſo, Who ſhall be diſpleaſed at the Authority of the Miniſtry, which is, to rebuke ſin before all, that others may fear, 1 Tim. 5.20?
The drift of he whole endevor in ſhort was only this, Whereas many Deceivers are entred into the World, 2 Joh. 7. and many Deluſions and Deceptions with them, to the experimental wo of this Church and Nation, King and People; and the ſame perilous principles of Deceivings, are by ſtrong obſervation diſcovered or much ſuſpected amongſt perſons ſtill diſaffected, ſo as abundant caution ſcarce ſufficeth againſt them; but, according to the Drammatiſt in Aulularia, Qui cavet ne decipiatur, vix cavet cum etiam cavet, He that takes heed that he be not deceived, ſcarce takes heed enough when he takes the moſt; That therefore, by a loyal Subject, and dutiful Son of the Church, the fallacies might be retexed, and the people undeceived, the guilt of their former horrible commiſsons lying ſtill upon their ſouls before God without Repentance, and by freſh actings will be more aggravate and accumulate even to the endangering of their ſalvation which no temporal pardon or oblivion can help them in.
'Tis confeſt much hath been ſpoken by many worthy Pens and Prechers, to this purpoſe before; but interſperſly only and occaſionally from mixtures of other diſcourſes, not in one method together as this, and therefore, you Right Honorable eſpecially have the greateſt challenge of this Dedication for your unceſſant diligence and pains to your great peril alſo often, in diſcovering and ſuppreſsing the practiſes and actors of theſe pernicious Deceits, as your Epiſtler hath done them in their Principles, who therefore makes bold to conjecture that your Lordſhip had a Noble and Honorable ambition of enmity againſt ſuch deceitful wickedneſs, in taking an advantage even at the expiration of your Government to check it for future, by making publick to poſterity this draught of Arguments againſt it; as if you had a mind to combate it by any kind of oppoſition though ne' re ſo weak (as doubtles this little Pamphlet muſt needs prove) when you can no longer rebuke it with the ſword of your Office which you now lay down.
Ever Honorable, to ceaſe your further trouble by prolixity, as your Lordſhip is remarkable by your unwearyed vigilance and proſpection acted for the ſafety of our King & Laws, Church and Nation, your humbly oblig'd ſhall leave you and your Honorable Brethren with this only paſſage of Miltiades and Themiſtocles in Plutarch: Miltiades had done excellenly for the good of his City and Common-weath, for which he was rewarded with ſo many trophies of Honor, as Themiſtocles afterwards his ſucceſſor could not ſleep or reſt perfectly for dreaming, and continual incumbency of his thoughts and phanſie, upon the glorious Atchievements of Miltiades, which at laſt he matcht with his own. May it ſo fall out 'twixt your Honorable ſelf and Brethren, both your preſent and your future ſucceſſors, that they may never reſt without thoughts, and noble emulations of your famous acting for our King and Nation, and at laſt add another parallel to Plutarchs, in becomming every one of them ſucceſsively as glorious in the peoples obſervation as your Noble ſelf. And ſo may Wiſdoms bleſsing, Prov. 3.16, 17. reſt upon you all, Length of dayes be on your right hands, and on your left hands Riches and Honor; your wayes be wayes of Pleaſantneſs, and all your paths be Peace. Which is the prayer of
Your Lordſhips and Honorable Aſſiſtants humble Servant in Jeſus Chriſt, Sam, Stone.