The Still-Destroyer, Title page – Dedication
The Stil-Destroyer OR, Self-ſeeking Diſcovered.
Together With the Curſe it brings, and The Cure it requires.
A SERMON Preached BEFORE THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE THE LORD MAIOR and Court of Aldermen of the City of LONDON, upon occaſion of a ſolemne Anniverſary meeting, April 9th, 1645.
By WILLIAM IENKYN Maſter of Arts, and Miniſter of Gods Word at Chriſt-Church LONDON.
Serpit putrida tabes hypocrifis per omne corpus Eccleſiae, et quo lativs co deſperatius, eo que periculofius quo interius. Omnes ſunt amici et omnes inimici, omnes neceſſarii, et omnes adverſarii, omnes domeſtici et nulli pacifici, omnes proximi et omnes ferc quae ſua ſunt quaerunt, non quae Jeſu Chriſti.
Iſa. 38.17.
*Sic Ʋulg. Ecce in pace amaritudo mea. Amara pri… in nece martyrion, amarior poſt in conflictu haereticorum, amariſſima nunc in moribus domeſticorion.
Bern. Serm. 33. in Cantic.
foreign.
Iſid. Peluſ. Lib. 5. Ep. 498.
LONDON, Printed for Chriſtopher Meredith at the Crane in Pauls Church-yard. 1645.
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE the Lord MAYOR, and Court of ALDERMEN, of the famous Citie of LONDON.
THe occaſion was ſolemne upon which this Sermon was preach…t, the age is cenſorious in which 'tis printed; that did not make me forward to be in the Pulpit; this made me backward to be in the Preſſe: But the concealing of my Sermon would have been the diſcovering of my diſobedience, and I rather chuſe to be in Print then in ſuch an oppoſition.
The ſeaſon is ſtormie wherein my name puts forth, and who obſerves not Shipwracks in the Seas of this my paſſage, enough to make the ſufferers pitied, and the ſpectators warned? For my ſelfe, the wiſdome of your Commands is embarqued in the ſame bottom with my name; you make by far the greater adventure, and ſhould there prove a miſcarriage, your loſſe cannot be inferiour: But why ſpeak I of ſtorms or loſſes? may my veſſell but ſet Chriſt on ſhore, upon any ſoul, it matters not afterward what becomes of it or me. My aime was ſervice, not ſafetie, I went not out upon pleaſure, but employment: Sermons are but Machinae, ſcaffolds to ſet up Chriſt in the heart; they obtaine their end in the furtherance of his work, not in the firmneſs of their owne ſtanding. Our continuing longer then'till Chriſt be erected, is upon favour, not neceſsitie.
The way whereby I deſire in this Sermon the advancing of Chriſt, is principally I confeſſe by deſtroying of that enemy which both hinders the ſetting of Chriſt up, and if let alone, will alſo cauſe our downefall; for the ſin I here ſtrike at, is very improperly called ſelf-ſeeking, he who is uſually termed a ſelf-ſeeker, neither attending upon that which is truely ſelf, nor upon the right ſeeking of it. That cannot be ſaid to be done for ſelf, which is not done for the ſoule, whatſoever is otherwiſe done being for luſts, or at the beſt for the moth, the theefe, the carkaſſe, rather then for ones ſelf. The ſoule-ſeeker is the true ſelf-ſeeker. Nor can this attending upon ſelf be called a ſeeking, unles by it we underſtand a laborious painful toyling, and in that ſenſe every ſinner is a true ſeeker, but in reſpect of any wiſe diſpoſall, or right ordering of endeavours toward the thing principally deſired, which is good & happines, it may more properly be termed a loſing then a ſeeking; rather a going from, then toward the thing after which there is made a ſeeming enquirie. To ſeeke our ſelves by ſinning, by diſtruſting Gods providence, by exceſsivenes in earthly induſtries, by deſerting the Cauſe of Chriſt, eſpecially by driving our owne unworthy deſignes under pretence of friendſhip to the Church, this kind of ſelf-ſeeking is in Scripture politiks no better then ſelfe-loſing. This is the enemy againſt whom I bend the force of this enſuing Sermon; wherein if I ſee me to charge him with too much adventurouſneſs, let the hurtfulnes both of his nature and practiſe be my excuſe; for though it would be moſt happy living when ſelf-ſeeking were dead, ye who would not with Sampſon even willingly die, ſo as but this one Philiſtine might bee killed alſo? God hath followed this Sermon with two others Preach'd of late by the mouth of the ſword, in the very bowels of this Kingdome; The one was a puniſhment upon ſelf-ſeeking by our loſſe of a*L…iceſter. Towne, the other a bleſſing upon ſeeking him by our winning the*In that glorious victor…e at Naſiby. Field; In the firſt hee taught us this leſſon, ſeeking our ſelves and not God ruines us. In the ſecond, this; Seeking God and not our ſelves revives us; Oh that hee would pleaſe to Preach once more, and that by the Sword of his mouth, the power of his owne Spirit; for otherwiſe, 'tis poſsible indeed to ſcatter Armies and overcome Cities,Pro. 16.32. but never will this Spirituall and Beloved enemy ſelf be vanquiſhed; However, I have laboured to diſcharge my truſt, and thereby to quice my Conſcience in diſcovering the Deſtroyer. The Lord grant that England may voyce him, and think him to bee as that people did Sampſon, when hee was brought before them, the Enemy and Deſtroyer of their Countrey and Kingdome.Iudg. 16.24.
In particular, I knew not better how to expreſſe my deareſt reſpects to this famous City, whoſe Lord Mayor, with ſundry of her Aldermen and Commons, have been formerly pleaſed to aſsiſt my now dear charge, in calling mee to the place of my preſent Miniſtery: Beſides this former love to my ſelf, that of late to my plaine dealing, (more then which, I know nothing, that procured your approbation to this Sermon) deſerves a larger expreſsion in this kind, of my gratefull reſenting your religious favours; However, this teſtimony, ſuch as it is, of my deſires to ſerve your ſouls, I humbly preſent to your Honourable acceptance, beſeeching God that Chriſt-ſeeking, and not Self-ſeeking, may ever be your Honor, and Londons happineſſe, as a Miniſter wherein I am even to humbleſt acknowledgements
Your ſervant for Ieſus ſake, William Ienkyn. Chriſt-Church, London.