The messengers preparation for an addresse to the King for a well-grounded peace.: As it was delivered in a sermon, at Oxford, on Sunday, Novemb. 24. 1644. Before the commissioners of both kingdomes, the morning before their presenting the propositions to His Majestie. / By Samuel Kem, Batchelour in Divinity.

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE, BASILL Earl of DENBIGH, VVILLIAM Lord MAYNARD, THOMAS Lord Viscount WENMAN, William Pierpoint, Denzill Hollis, and Bulstrode Whitlock, Esquires; Commissioners of the Lords and Commons in the Parliament of ENGLAND, Assembled at Westminster: AND, JOHN Lord MAITLAND, Sir Charles Erskyne, and M. Robert Barcklay, Commissioners of the Parliament of Scotland; Sent with the Propositions to His MAJESTY, at Oxford.

Right Honourable Lords and Gentlemen;

I Speake my experience, that if a Souldier succeed well upon his first Charge, he is not to be with∣held from a second Adventure: You favoured this Sermon so much, when Preached; that I am confident you will not reject it Printed; nor this my Dedicatory, although I begin not after the common stamp of Dedication, with some hoary or gray-headed

Apophthegme, or some strained sentence out of Tully; I professe my selfe a Souldier, during this Cause, as well as a Schollar, and therefore must crave leave, to speake in such language as affectio∣nate duty can best expresse it self by the tongue. I confesse, when I meditate the height of your noble Spirits, and withall the flatnesse of my poore abilities, as I present this in love, so with much feare, lest my endeavours convert into a vapour ere they can reach the height of your merit: sloope but so low as to cherish them, and it shall ever adde to your Honour. The antient and moderne cu∣stome of Dedication of Bookes to the hands of Emminency, was, and is, either to have them powerfully protected, or in affection, as devoted; or to appeare gratefull for benefits received; all these moved me to hover under your wings; being confident, that you that under God protected me out of the jawes of the Lyons, and Beares, will also protect me from the greatest Philistims: And therefore have I presumed to prefix your names, it being none of the smallest hazards I have run, to oppose this Sermon to the worlds view, whereby I expect to be charged againe and againe; and it would conclude me guilty of Poultranisme, to feare the Sciopii and Pacientii heere, when not the Zosimi at Oxford: I well know carping curiosity will have its lash at me too. Aelian reports, when Diogenes saw certaine Rodian Gallants gorgeously attyred, he laughed, saying, Hic nihil est praeter Fastum: And after, seeing certaine Laconians in sordid apparell, Et hic alius Fastus est, said he. These poore-clad lines (I feare) will not passe without envy, and without the censure of pride and ambition; how ever, whilst you keep the Front, I fear no charge, neither Oxfords sword, nor any other two-edged sword of the tongue; and the lesse, because (I perceive) opinions and censures are as various as the Arguments on which they discourse: Calumny and squint-ey'd detraction violently charging against Christian charity and judg∣ment

in these times. And to save them a labour, I care not to let them know, although that many a storm and tempest hath beat a∣gainst me, yet God hath not suffered me to be cast down; And what∣ever they shall say, (with Apollonius) I resolve, they may trouble themselves, but I will not be troubled at whatsoever the one shall say, or the other do. I have long before this time Dedicated my life in this Cause to God, in the Parliaments Service; any thing lesse then the losse of it I can easily endure: It must be a long feast to find a dish for every appetite, and many in these times will find faults, that will not mend one: I never indeed intended the pub∣lishing this Sermon before the preaching of it, nor could ever gain time to refine it since; only importunity of some friends, and the mis-report that I heard it had to his Majesty, made me pre∣sume (with your Favour) to show the world the Truth, and im∣plore your Honours to be Judges of it.

My first thoughts, when I meditated this subject, were onely to breath into your unfurled sayles, such a blast as might give you the advantage to make a saving voyage to your selves, if not, a more prosperous voyage for the whole Church of God; importu∣nate prayer, being the fairest wind, can blow in the heavens to carry the Church of God to her safe Port. And as David, rescu∣ing his wives, and recovering his goods from the Enemy, was ne∣ver a whit the lesse honour to him, because a young man made way for the discovery; so it being your happinesse to be imploy'd in this service so becoming nobility, or any of the sonnes of men, to seeke peace for the Church of God, in which Gods blessing Mat. 5. attends you, is it any diminution to your honour, that I, the meanest of my brethren, pointed you the way to prosper: It being the constant prayer of my soule daily, that you may reape the fruits of those so brave and gallantly mannaged labours:

yea I hourely expect and look out for a return of those adventures from heaven; even when God shall speake by His Majesty (to his three Kingdomes) Peace, which is the hearty prayer, (as also for all your honours, that you may still do worthily in Ephrata, and be famous in Bethlehem) of him who is

Yours devoted, even by word and deed, to the losse of his utmost drop of bloud, To serve you, for JESUS CHRIST, Samuel Kem.