Communion with God in Two Sermons, Order to print – Dedication
Pack Maior, Thurſday the 27. of March, 1655.
ORdered that Dr. Anneſley be deſired from this Court to print his Sermon at Pauls, on the laſt Lords-day, together with his former Sermon there the laſt year.
SADLER.
Communion vvith God. IN TWO SERMONS Preach'd at PAULS: The firſt, Sept. 3. 1654.
The ſecond, March 25. 1655.
By SAMUEL ANNESLEY L. L. D. Miniſter of the Goſpel at JOHN Evangel. LONDON.
EPHES. 3.19. That you might be filled with all the fulneſſe of God.
London. Printed by Evan Tyler, and are to be ſold by Nathanael Web and William Grantham, at the ſigne of the Black Bear in Pauls Church-yard, 1655.
To the Right Honourable CHRISTOPHER PACK, LORD-MAYOR of LONDON, And the Right VVorſhipfull ALDERMEN of the ſame Famous City.
My Lord,
AS you had nothing beſides the naked amiablenes of the ſubject, to render theſe Sermons acceptable, ſo I have nothing but my Obedience to Magiſtracy to preface their publication. Muſt I not by your eies ſee, & by your faith believe, theſe truths thus clouded in their diſcovery, profitable? But ſeeing you Surpriſe me with an Order, Give me leave to follow your Order, further, then perhaps you thinke it leades me, and that is, to retort it back upon your own conſciences.
Your commands (for ſuch are your deſires) (all ſuperiours deſires being commands enamel'd with humility) give a Solemn avouchment of the Truths you heard, and therefore if you do henceforth in the leaſt depart from God, or preferre any thing, I ſpeak the word againe, Any thing, before him, you tranſgreſſe not onelyonly Gods laws, but your own, and ſuch kind of Sinning againſt your own conceſſions, is more haynous then barely to ſin againſt God.
Your order (Virtually) recommends theſe truths to others, I cannot ſufficently aſſert, and therefore intreat you to enquire what will be the aggravation of walking contrary to them.
Iehoſaphat ſent his Princes to teach (that is, to encourage the Miniſters to teach) in the Cities of Iudah, and by ſuch Orders as theſe, you preach to the world, what is preach'd to you at Pauls.
Let me crave leave to be plain. You may eaſily be enſnared by caſting your eye upon this ſubject; for, if you read no more, you have read too much: if you read on, expecting embroydery, you loſe your labour; if with neglect, your ſoules Either embrace ſuch truths heartily, or abjure them ſpeedily; be not deceived, God will not be mocked; the more gracious his condeſcenſion for acceptance, the more grievous his indignation for refuſall; and your refuſall of God can neither be more nor leſſe, then a [Choiſe rejection] I beſeeh you therefore, reſolve upon ſomething, and let not our reſolutions come to nothing. As you are Chriſtians, make Religion your buſineſse, that you may enjoy God; and as you are Magiſtrates, walk as becomes (if I may ſo ſpeak, Earthly deities, as) thoſe that are called Gods.
I do not charge you in the leaſt, but humbly prompt your conſciences to demand of you an Account: what have you done like Gods, and for God ſince you came into places of Authority? When you ſtood upon lower ground, did you not think magiſtrates might do more then they did? do you now do, what you then thought? If you ſay you have performed the commandment of the Lord; a by-ſtander wil perhaps reply, What mean then the Blaſphemous ſwearing, the roaring drunkenneſſe, the [common] whoredomes, the rambling Sabbath-breaking? &c. may theſe Sons of Belial plead liberty of conſcience? If you cannot reach thoſe that pull the crown from the head of Chriſt in way of Spirituall wickedneſſe: pray hold their hands, that would ſtab the heart of Chriſt by morall wickedneſse. If reaſon of ſtate leave God to vindicate his own glory in matters of religion, let not Laws of ſtate lye dormant at your doors for want of execution. If you cannot do what you would, do what you can: do ſomething, & ſomething which may proclame you [Deſervedly-renowned Chriſtian-Magiſtrates.]
No more words but wiſhes, that I could tempt you, or fright you into Communion with God. 'tis the very deſire of
MY LORD and Gentlemen, Your Soul-Servant, SAMUEL ANNESLEY. Apr. 11. 1655.