The Red Horse, Appendix
An Appendix holding forth the occaſion of Preaching, and the cauſe of publiſhing, this plaine Sermon.
Chriſtian Reader,
THou mayeſt underſtand that on Friday in the afternoone, Iuly 14. an earneſt ſuit was moved to me from Dr. Gouge, and Dr. Burgeſſe, to ſupply Dr. Burgeſſes place at Pauls the Lords day following, and withall an offer made of ſufficient ſupply for my charge that afternoone. This ſute being ſo preſt, & being ſo ſmall, for but the exchange of a Sermon, and by ſuch Perſons, I could not be ſo uncivill as to reject; Prov. 18.24. He that hath friends muſt ſhew himſelfe friendly. The next day when I was to make my preparation, I fell into a diſtemper with a cold affecting one ſide of my head and face, which unfitting me in a great degree for ſtudy, I was forced to make uſe of old ſtore; And caſting in my thoughts what ſubject to pitch upon, at length I determined on this Subject, Rev. 6.4. For though I have alwaies thought it baſeneſſe below a Chriſtian to ſerve the times, yet I have thought it wiſdome requiſite in a Miniſter to ſute the times with a fit Subject; yea, part of that prudence whereby he is to ſhew himſelfe a workman that needs not to be aſhamed, dividing the word of Truth aright. Now at that time the City was intent upon Peace to be procured by Treaty, which worke, though generally well accepted, yet finding ſome diſcouragement, I thought by the miſchiefe of War to take occaſion to incourage them in the purſute of Peace in that way that might ſooneſt end, and beſt prevent the ſad conſequences of our unnaturall war; being thus called to this Pulpit, and inclined to this Subject, I preacht this Sermon in a great and very attentive Auditory, and then thought that worke had been at an end. But contrary to mine expectation, not long after I heard of a rumour ſpread, not in the City only, but even in the Country, of a notorious malignant Sermon preacht by me at Pauls; And this brought to me by, and from, perſons not to be contemned. This, I confeſſe, moved me, for true Malignancy is of that nature, and even reputed Malignancy of that evill conſequence, that as Ierome ſaith of Hereſie, it is an accuſation that a man ſhould not be patient under; patient in regard of murmuring, fretting, revenging, we ſhould be under all croſſes: but patient in regard of neglecting juſt and vigorous vindication we ſhould not be in ſuch calumnies as this of Malignancy: For a Malignant notes out ſuch an one, as hath evill will at, and doth ſet himſelfe to hinder the publique weale of Church or State. I know the tearme is uſually caſt by men in all times of difference on thoſe that ſide not with any Party in thoſe waies that they deeme for publique weale, though in themſelves never ſo deſtructive. So Eliah was counted a Malignant by Ahab, 1 King. 18.17. And Ieremy too in his time for perſwading ſubmiſſion to the King of Babylon, as weakening the hands of the men of War, &c. Ier. 38.4. But true Malignity is enmity to weale publique, and by that imputation men intend to blaſt all thoſe that dance not after their Pipe. And he that is guilty of ſuch Malignity is a peſt or viper in that Church or State which he malignes. Yet a while I contented my ſelfe with that brazen wall of a good conſcience, Murus aheneus eſto, nil conſcire ſibi.as thinking it ſufficient defence againſt thoſe arrowes of the tongue; but they encreaſing, and conſidering that obſervation of the wiſe Hiſtorian, Periculoſum eſt ſolâ innocentiâ vivere, Livy.In diſtempered times eſpecially it is dangerous to have no other guard but innocency; I thought ſome neceſſity layd upon me to vindicate my reputatition from ſuch a crime: And reſolving upon defence, I knew no better, nor no other than a naked repreſentation of that Sermon to the eyes of all, that was ſo ſeverally reliſht by the eares in hearing. And to this I was the eaſilier induced, becauſe, at the earneſt deſires of ſome that approved it, I had engaged my ſelfe to draw out a faire copy of it. I remember a Story of Sophocles. Who being accuſed by his Sons for dotage, that by the opinion of the Iudges they might enter on his Eſtate; in this hazzard, having in his hands the Comedy Oedipus Colonaeus which he had laſt compoſed, is ſaid to have recited that to the Iudges, and demanded of them whether they thought that thoſe were the verſes of a doter; Whereupon Sententiis judicium liberatus eſt, Cicero de ſenectute.The Iudges freed him from the accuſation: In like manner my Sermon being accuſed for Malignancy, I knew no better way of defence than a publication of it as neere as I could verbatim (eſpecially in Points whereat exceptions were taken) with this appeale to the conſcience of the Reader, Num verba haec maligni videantur, whether theſe ſeem to be the words of a Malignant. Is it Malignancy to charge ſin as the greateſt breaker of our peace, and ſinners as the greateſt troublers of Iſrael? To preſſe them by repentance to deliver England out of the hand of the Lord? Is it Malignancy to ſet out the ſin and danger of Warre, to incline the hearts of men to embrace, and to quicken the endeavours of men to purſue, Peace? Is it Malignancy, when God hath put into the hands of each ſide a great Sword, and the Land is dayly wounding, diſmembring, and ſo diſgracing, weakening, indangering it ſelfe, to perſwade to ſeeke peace by Treaty, and that ſpeedily, ſeeing we periſh dayly? If this be Malignancy, I confeſſe there was ſtore in the Sermon; but Scriptures muſt be made Apocrypha, and the nature of things inverted, before ſuch leſſons as theſe can be noxious to Church or State. All pretend to Peace, nor will many be ſeene to be againſt the way of Peace by Treaty. I have read an Expreſſion in an Anſwer to a Petition of the Seamen, wherein the Houſe of Commons is ſaid to take notice of their approbation of the Votes touching a Treaty, for the matter being for Peace, no good man but deſires it. If peace be the deſire of all good men, and a Treaty be the readieſt way to effect it, It is the moſt irrationall thing in the world to traduce a Sermon for Malignancy, wherein that is chiefly aymed at that all good men deſire. But when men are earneſt for Peace, thoſe whoſe guilt or intereſt drawes them another way, to burthen them with prejudice, cry out, they would have Peace on any termes; They would have Peace without Truth: But how untruly and irrationally is this objected againſt them that now plead for Peace by Treaty? Being ſo many and great things have been often offered by the King to draw on Treaty in other things, which the preſſers for Peace do generally take for granted, that the King will ſtill make good, if Treaty on thoſe Offers be granted, but if it ſtill be denyed, and inconveniences follow, I am ſure the preſſers for Treaty would be moſt innocent of thoſe evill conſequences that the Land is like to be endangered with for want of it: And for truth or purity, I know not what cauſe any man hath to ſuſpect the ſincerity or meaſure of my reſpect to either; it being no great ſecret that I have for reſpect to them neglected my owne private intereſt above this 20. yeares, being continually if not under a ſtorme, yet under a cloud, for adherency to truth and purity. And (me thinkes) any man may very well perceive now, that without Peace we are like to have neither truth, nor holineſſe; Nothing being a greater blaſting to either than a continued Civill War. Who knowes not that Religion hath ever gained by ſuffering, Sanguis Martyrum, ſemen Eccleſiae, Martyrs Bloud, was the Churches Seed: But who can tell where it gained by warring? Our experience tells us that when Miniſters in England were bound, the Word of God was not bound; never were more converted from nature to Grace, nor was there ever a more ſenſible encreaſe of the power of Godlineſſe, but ſince the Miniſters have been at large, hath not the Word of God been bound? The complaint being generally of the barrenneſſe of the Miniſtry, and but few converted in compariſon of thoſe who are ſcandalized & perverted? And therfore I ſpeak the truth in Chriſt; The main groūd that hath moved me to that earneſtneſſe for Accommodation, which I have expreſſed formerly, as well as of late, hath been my tender reſpect to the honour, power and truth of Religion which never ſuffered more by any accident than by this unnaturall War: And if there be not the ſooner an honourable Peace, I am affraid Conclamatum eſt, we may hang up our harpes for the exile of Piety, and ſit downe and weepe bitterly when we remember our Sion. Therfore if purſute of Peace be deemed Malignancy, I ſhall not only dye in it, but if need be (I hope) dye for it: but other Malignancy (that is truly ſuch) I renownce. Farewell.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Geree, The Red Horse (1648)