Englands antidote against the plague of civill warre presented in a sermon before the Honourable House of Commons on their late extraordinary solemn fast, October 22, 1644 / by Edmund Calamy ...

TO THE HONOURABLE the House of COMMONS, now assembled in PARLIAMENT.

THe subject matter presented unto you in this Sermon, is Repentance: A Theam that concerns you not only as you are Parliament men, betrusted by the people with the happinesse of the Kingdom, but as you are Gen∣tlemen betrusted by God with im∣mortall souls. It is a question with some (though with me it is no question) Whether a wicked man can be a good Parliament man? But I suppose it is a question with none, That if the man go to hell for want of repentance, what shall then become of the Parliament man? For this grace is absolutely necessary for your own salvati∣ons; so necessary as that there is not the least crevise

for an impenitent sinner to get into heaven at. And it is necessary also for the preservation of the Kingdom. For it is The only way, and an infallible way to deliver us from this man-devouring, and land-de∣vouring Iudgement that is now upon us, as is pro∣ved at large in the ensuing Discourse. And there∣fore I could heartily wish that one of the Sermons preach∣ed before you every Fasting day, might be a Sermon of Repentance, And that all our Pulpits might sound forth nothing but the the Doctrine of Repentance; and that this might be the Language of every godly Mi∣nister, Repent O England, Repent, Repent. It was once said, and that very truly, Inter altercandum ve∣ritas amittitur. I am sure it may be more truly said of our times, Inter disputandum paenitentia amittitur, The people of the City of London have almost dispu∣ted away their Repentance. I have read of one that by long studying of School-Divinity was so besot∣ted that he quite forgot the Lords Prayer. And I fear that in our dayes through the heat of disputati∣on about matters of Discipline, Faith, and Repen∣tance is much forgotten both by Minister and Peo∣ple. And therefore as it was the excellency of our first Reformers (for which they are eternally to be praised) to bring the Divinitie of former times (which was much perplexed, and almost lost a∣mongst the multitude of unnecessary School-utrum's) unto a plain positive Scripture-Divinitie: So it will be the excellency of all the godly Ministers in Eng∣land (for which Posterity will blesse them) to bring all the multitude of the unnecessary Questions that are amongst us, to this Unum necessarium of Repen∣tance.

But then our care must be, that this Repentance be a right Repentance. For most people deceive them∣selves into hell by a false Repentance. The nature of man is wonderfull prone, First, To think it an easie thing to Repent, Secondly, To think that Repen∣tance is an ordinary common Theam, and that it is an easie matter to make a Sermon of Repentance. Thirdly, To think that it is in his power to Re∣pent when he will. Fourthly, To think that God will be contented with any slight Repentance. Fifth∣ly, To think that little sinnes need no great Repen∣tance. Sixthly, To think that he repenteth when he doth not. Seventhly, To deferre his Repen∣tance till he come to be old or sick, Eighthly, To trust to his Repentance, and to think to make God a∣mends by his repentance.

All these are common and dangerous errours. The Lord deliver you from them. Remedies against most of them are discovered in the following Sermon, which though I suppose your multitude of businesses will not suf∣fer you to reade over; yet your multitude of businesses must not hinder you from the present practice of it. For he that excuseth himself from present Repentance by the multitude of his imployments, what doth he else, but ex∣cuse himself out of heaven, as they did, Luke 14. 18, 19. that brought Apostles why they could not goe to heaven?

Your affairs are many and weighty, yet I beseech you alwaies remember Christs speech, Luke 10. 41, 42. Martha, Martha, thou art carefull about many things, but one thing is needfull. The Lord make you Stu∣dents of such things, which, when well studied, will study you into Christ and into Heaven. Most men study

things that study them into envy, and into contentions, and into things to be repented of. The Lord make you to study that Repentance which is a repentance never to be repented of.

So prayeth, Your much obliged spirituall servant, EDMUND CALAMY.