A78979:65
An indictment against England because of her self-murdering divisionsAn indictment against England because of her selfe-murdering divisions
An indictment against England because of her self-murdering divisions: together with an exhortation to an England-preserving unity and concord. Presented in a sermon preached before the Right Honourable House of Lords in the Abby church at Westminster; at the late solemn fast, December 25. 1644. By Edmund Calamy, B.D. and pastor of Aldermanbury in London.An indictment against England because of her selfe-murdering divisions: together vvith an exhortation to an England-preserving vnity and concord. Presented in a sermon preached before the Right Honourable House of Lords in the Abby church at Westminster; at the late solemne fast, December 25. 1644. By Edmund Calamy, B.D. and pastour of Aldermanbury in London.
London: printed by I. L. for Christopher Meredith, 1645
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Fourthly, Hereby the enemy is much encouraged. His hope of conquering is built upon our Divisions. And therefore he doth as Medea did, who when she fled a way with Jason, and was pursued by her father, took her brother Absyrtus, and cut him in pieces, and scattered him in the way that she fled in, that so her father might be busied in taking up the scattered pieces of his son, and she in the mean time fly securely a way. Even so do our enemies labour to cut us in pieces by our divisions, (for the enemy hath a chief stroke in our divisions) that they in the mean time may securely study our ruin, while we are gathering up our divided parties.
Fourthly, Hereby the enemie is much encouraged. His hope of conquering is built upon our Divisions. And therefore he doth as Medea did, who when she fled a way with Iason, and was pursued by her father, tooke her brother Absyrtus, and cut him in pieces, and scattered him in the way that she fled in, that so her father might be busied in taking up the scattered pieces of his sonne, and she in the meane time flie securely a way. Even so doe our enemies labour to cut us in pieces by our divisions, (for the enemie hath a chiefe stroke in our divisions) that they in the meane time may securely study our ruine, while we are gathering up our divided parties.
Fifthly, Hereby the hearts of people are mightily distracted, many are hindered from conversion, and even the godly themselves have lost much of the power of godliness in their lives. I say, The hearts of people mightily disturbed, while one Minister preacheth one thing as a truth of the Gospel, and another Minister preacheth the quite contrary with as much confidence as the former. And thus, as Optatus saith, Inter licet tuum & non licet meum nutant & remigant animae Christianorum. While one Minister saith I, and another saith No, the common peoples minds are mightily distracted. And many also are hindered from conversion. For who will venture into a ship that is tossed with contrary waves, and ready to sink? And even the godly themselves are much decayed in the study and practise of faith and repentance, and of the power of godliness. For all their time is so much taken up with unnecessary disputations, as that they have little leisure to repent, ⟨p. 16⟩