Sermon At a Public Fast, Title page – Dedication
A SERMON PREACHED (before God, and from him) To the Honourable Houſe of COMMONS.
At a publike Faſt, Novemb. 27. in the yeare
GoD Is oVr refVge, oVr ſtrength; a heLpe In troVbLes VerIe aboVnDant VVe fInDe.
By George Gipps Rector of Elſton in Leiceſter-ſhire, one of the ASSEMBLY of DIVINES.
Publiſhed by ORDER of the ſaid HOUSE.
LONDON, Printed for Chriſtopher Meredith at the Signe of the Crane in Pauls-Church-yard, 1645.
Die Mercurij, 27. Novembr. 1644.
ORdered by the Commons aſſembled in Parliament, That M. Salloway and M. Knightly, do from this Houſe give Thanks to M. Pickering and M. Gipps, for the great pains they took in the Sermons they preached this day, at the intreatie of this Houſe at S. Margarets Weſtminſter, it being a day of publike Humiliation, and to deſire them to print their Sermons. And it is ordered, That none ſhall preſume to print their or either of their Sermons without leave under their or either of their hand writing.
H. Elſynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I doe appoint Christopher Meredith to print this Sermon, GEORGE GIPPS.
TO THE HONOVRABLE Houſe of COMMONS Aſſembled in Parliament at Weſtminſter.
SEeing it is made a matter of courſe and order, that we ſpeake to you in print; and that you preſſe me to the print, which whilest I remained a Volunteere I have not hitherto been guilty of; Imprimatur, I ſay not, Cum Privilegio, that I am not ſo ambitious to challenge; nor ex mero permiſſu, this were more ambitious to affect: but my preſent ſcantling is, Juſſu Superiorum, which I cheerefully obey, the rather becauſe ſweetned alſo cum gratia. For ſo your Order phraſeth it, You are deſired to print, namely by them, who may Command: which is ſo farre from weakning, that it ſtrengthneth the Command by a double tye of Obedience.Qui impetrare vo u…t cum … perare poſſunt, ij obligant dum obſecrant. I hope therefore that this Sermon may croud through the preſſe, as many a meaner perſon doth with others of greater note. Gods Bleſsing go with it, ſo to imprint the truths thereof in the hearts of the Readers, that the uſe thereof may be read in the courſe of their lives.
I only adde in mine owne behalfe two things: First, I having nothing wherein to boast, but mine infirmities, both of minde and body, doe confeſſe that I ſhall not be able to preſent to your eyes in the ſame dreſſe of words that I did to your eares, thoſe ſelfe ſame notions; the notions were duly penned, the words not, my memory would not beare it; how ever the debt be not payed in the ſelfe ſame covne, which I did then tell forth unto you, yet I hope you ſhall have the just ſumme in value to your content, and my diſcharge, I having withall ſaved the burden of carrying in memory the words. Secondly, whereas to ſpare the wearying of you, as much as of my ſelfe, I did cut off the better part of the laſt point, I ſhall now pay down unto you the arrerages not formerly tender'a, with whatever was overſeene in the former telling; I returne (with Joſephs brethren) with double mony in this ſacks mouth. I deſire you to daigne me this favour, in lieu whereof for the preſent I ſhall only adde that I am
Your moſt humble Servant in the Cauſe of God and of Chriſt, GEORGE GIPPS.