Sermon 7 March 1632, Dedication
To the Right honourable Sir Thomas Richardſon Knight, Lord Chiefe Juſtice of the Kings Bench,
And Sir John Denham Knight, one of the Barons of the Court of the Exchequer,
And to the right Worſhipfull John Browne of Frampton Eſquire, high Sheriffe of the County of Dorcet, mercy and peace from God the Father through our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
RIght Honourable and Right Worſhipfull, howſoever your Command for the publiſhing of theſe Impoliſhed and ſcarce well-digeſted meditations, pleade my Apologie in this act, both to your ſelves and to the whole world, to your ſelves who cannot diſtike the fulfilling of your owne will, and to the world whe have nothing to blame in my expoſing theſe Imperfect notes to the publique view, but my obedience to your Command (which I was the rather Inforced to yield to in this action, by laying aſide and renouncing mine owne will, and Judgement, that I might ſubſcribe to the direction of ſo high authority, leſt I ſhould be produced as an Inſtance againſt mine owne doctrine) notwithſtanding it lyes upon me to preſent both unto you, and to all an account of my grounds and Intentions both in the choice and in the manner of proſecuting this ſubject concerning the dignity and power of men in authority. I confeſſe I might for my Juſtification here in have recourſe to the uſuall plea, of the Correſpondency of the argument to the auditory and occaſion, but I muſt freely acknowledge unto you, to whom I owe an account of all my action, that beſides this generall reſpect, other Incident occaſions have carried a great ſtroake in fixing my thoughts upon this Subject above any other.
You may be pleaſed therefore to underſtand that a good ſpare ſince, the obſervation of ſome paſſages, here at home among our neighbours, begot in me a reſolution in my ordinary courſe of Catechiſing, among my owne people, to handle and open at large this argument of the power and authority of Governours as to informe them more fully of that whereof too many of them ſeeme to be Ignorant, as alſo to put them in mind of that which was too often forgotten; while I expected to bring this reſolution into act, in my ordinary walke, which mine owne bodily Infirmites Interrupted, it fell not in ſo ſoone as I expected, I was not only requeſted, but in a ſort Importuned, to ſupply that roome in which I ſtood before your Lordſhips at the laſt aſſizes, and by that meanes as I conceived, haſtened by Gods hand, to the undertaking of this taske, which had bin too long deſerred; and becauſe withall ſome like occurrence in other parts diſcovered the errors of men in their Carriage towards Governours to be an Epid… micall diſeaſe, I conceived it needfull, not only for the inſtruction of my owne people, but for the removing of ſcandall, to proclaime unto the world, that groundles Jealouſies, uncharitable Conſtructions, harſh Cenſures, unchriſtian Imprecations, Inſolent behaviour, and uncivill Carriage towards ſuch as are in place of authority, are but the fruite of ſome diſtemperd paſſions, of ill governed minds, and not the effects or Iſsues of any godly diſpoſitions, which being governed by the Spirit, are taught to yield unto all men, the fruits of Love, Peace, long ſuffering gentlenes, goodnes, and meekenes; and much more towards ſuch as are in authority, honour, reverence, ſubjection, and fervent Prayers, for the proſperity of their perſons and eſtates It is eaſy to obſerve, that, that dangerous evill of ſwelling the heart againſt the higher powers (being the Iſſue of pride and Atheiſme) is nurſed up in our private families, wherein undutifull Children and Servants, being unacquainted with bearing the yoke of their owne Maſters and Parents, by uſe of Cuſtome eaſily take heart, to breake in ſunder the bonds of Subjection to publike Governours. Ignorance of God and his word, muſt needs be a great occaſion of this miſchiefe, and withall, neglect of that private Diſcipline which was exerciſed in former ages, of which we come ſo far ſhort in theſe times, that if the ſucceeding generation ſuffer a decay this way, proportionable to that which wee find already, it muſt needs be eſteemed a ſad preſage of a fearfull Confuſion to Inſue: as the Prophet gives it the ſymptoms of a ſtate paſt hope of recovery, that the Children ſhall preſume againſt the antient, and the vile againſt the honourable, Eſay 3.5.
As for my manner of handling ſo weighty an argument if it be performed Craſsa Minerva, men may be pleaſed to conſider that it was intended for a Sermon, not for a Treatiſe, a Sermon to be heard, not one (as Liſias ſaid of his oration) not to be paſſed over often with a curious eye, a Sermon Confin'd in the limit of an hower, in which when many things were to be delivered, it cannot be wondred if that fell out, which is obſerved to happen in the reedifying of Rome after the Gaules had burnt it, feſtinatio ademit Curam viros dirigendi, haſte occaſioned the neglect of art in ordering of the worke: which alſo inforced the breaking off the very body of the worke it ſelfe in the middeſt, as all that heard me know; ſo that what is now preſented to your view may be termed rather mince murorum, as the Poet calls them, then a compleate building, wherein yet if the foundation be firmly laid, I ſhall have no cauſe to repent my labour, hoping that ſome skilfull Architect may be moved by this occaſion to take in hand ſo weighty a worke, and to raiſe it up to ſome larger proportion, and to bring it on to perfection; the ſame ſcantnes of time which hindred me both in digeſting, and delivering, theſe abortive meditations, a conſideration which might have ſufficiently warranted the carrying of them from their birth to the grave of oblivion, will I truſt pleade my excuſe before all equall minds, againſt ſuch as may perhaps blame my large unfolding of the duties of obedience, when I throng up the Correlative duties of Governours into a more narrow Roome, ſeeing they falling into the laſt place, muſt of neceſſity be handled, not as was intended, but as the time permitted. If it be replyed, that men uſually take Impreſſion of things as they are preſented unto them, and conſequently that ſuch a manner of preſſing the duties of Subjects at large and of Rulers more ſlightly, may probably breede in Governours minds a large expectation of reverence and obedience from Subjects, and a ſlight reguard of their owne Correſpondent obligations to them againe; Let me crave leave to be ſo Charitable as to hope better things of them, that great Law giver would not beleive that any would be ſo wicked, as to Commit paracide, and therefore thought it needleſſe to make a Law againſt it. God forbid that any mans eye ſhould be evill becauſe other mens are good; and that good deſerts ſhould breed thoughts and purpoſes of evill in any heart, much more in ſuch excellent and divine Spirits. It is the honour of Princes to reſemble God, that they hold all men obliged unto them, and yet themſelves lie in no mans debt. If it be Regium benefacere & male audire, to doe good when they receive evill, how much more doth it become Princes when they are provoked by Love, obſervance and patience, to cry out with David, quid Retribuam: or with God, who hath given firſt and it ſhall be recompenced? Rom. 11.30. to receive all and pay nothing backe againe (which is the manner of Cheaters and banckrouts, It is a thought that can as little enter into Princes hearts, as it beſeemes their perſon and places.
I have thus far indeavoured to ſatisfy your Lordſhips concerning the occaeſion of the choice of the argument handled in this Sermon, and the manner of my proſecution thereof, wherein if any man obſerving that by-poſſage, Concerning ſome abuſe in point of Cuſtomes, and wonder that I take occaſion by way of digreſſion, to diſcover my Judgement concerning that evill; he may be pleaſed to underſtand, that the groundleſſe and foule ſlanders of ſhameleſſe men who amongſt others have charged my ſelfe in particular, not only with ſecret incouragements, but with open Juſtifications, of all the fraudulent and Indirect courſes that are uſed in thoſe affaires, Inforced me to a neceſſary clearcing of mine owne Innocency, which I conceived might to beſt advantage be performed publikely, and that in the preſents of a thouſand witneſſes of my owne people, who may teſtifie the Conſonancy of my Apology to that which at other times they had heard more then once out of my owne mouth; of the various Cenſures that may paſſe ſome on the ſubſtance of the doctrine, others on the forme of delivery, the ſtile and phraſe of ſpeech, and manner of application, a third ſore on mine owne perſon, and the moſt on my ſcope and Intention, in undertaking this taske, I am neither altogether regardleſſe, nor too much ſollicitous. If I ſay not with the Apoſtle, 1 Cor. 4.3. I eſteeme not to be Judged of mans Judgement, yet I may truly ſay, that as no humane reſpect guided mee in the choice of the argument, the deductions of the Concluſions, the formes of expreſſions, or manner of application, ſo I ſee no reaſon why I ſhould Judge of mine owne worke, altogether according to the Cenſures and opinions of men, whom if I ſhould ſtudy to pleaſe, then can I not account my ſelfe the Servant of Chriſt, before whom in the ſing lereſſe of my heart having powred out the thoughts of my ſoule, I leave him to pleade my Apologie before all mens Conſciences, in the faithfull performance of this ſervice in this worke: wherein how farre I have trode under foote all ſelfe reſpects, other then ſuch as concerne me as a Miniſter of the Goſpell, I appeale to his Judgement, who knows the ſecrets of all hearts. There remaines no more but my hearty prayers for you all, and for all in authority, for the multiplying of all thoſe graces abundantly on you which may adorne both your perſons and places; and make you accepted of God and honoured of men, that when you have in the feare of God ruled over men on earth, you may receive Crownes and Scepters and Kingdomes that cannot bee ſhaken hereafter in the higheſt Heavens.
Your humble Servant in the Lord Chriſt, John White.