A sermon preached September 9th, 1683 being the day of thanksgiving for God's wonderful providence and mercy in discovering and defeating the late treasonable conspiracy against His Sacred Majesty's person and government / by John Chapman.

TO THE READER.

THE Author's great distance from the Press, and his no less Averseness to appear in publick, tho at last over∣come by the Importunity of Friends, have occa∣sion'd the Delay in publishing the ensuing Dis∣course: and yet perhaps it will be thought, that, in regard to his Years, to the Treatise it self, and to its small importance to the Publick, he ought rather to apologize for his Forwardness now in exposing it. But however this his Un∣dertaking may be censur'd by some, on the former Account, as late and unseasonable, or by others on the latter, as vain and inconsiderate; he hopes, betwixt them he may find those who will put a more favourable Construction both upon the Discourse it self, and the Inducements to print it.

As for those who may account him too severe in it, if their own Consciousness make them think so, either they are duely sensible of their own Guilt and its Demerits, or they are not; if they are, they can't but at the same time be also sen∣sible that their Crimes have deserv'd Severity; but if they are not yet sensible, they deserve it for not being so: and there is no other way but that left (since gentler means toward them have prov'd ineffectual) to convince them. And as for those, who tho they may not find themselves so concern'd in it, yet wish the Author had been more sparing; he hopes, when they consider the Occasion, and the Seasonableness, or rather, Ne∣cessity of such Discourses thereon, they may in a great measure excuse him; however, that they will forbear to censure him for that which he has not us'd toward them.