‘The wall and glory of Jerusalem’: the sermons preached before the Lord Mayor and City of London during in the Commonwealth, Protectorate and early Restoration (1649-1662)

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper examines the sermons preached before the Lord Mayor and leadership of the City of London during the Commonwealth, Protectorate and early Restoration. It explores the locations and administration of the sermon series and how the City leadership financed the preaching and printing of the sermons that were selected to be printed. The paper also analyses the themes of the 77 printed sermons, looking at the various messages of sermons for state endeavours and sermons ostensibly preached for the care of the poor. The paper focuses on the main bulk of the sermons that concentrated on the need for the familiar puritan alliance of ministry and magistracy in the care of the Church and Reformed orthodoxy. The paper concludes by looking at the message of the sermons preached during the early years of the Restoration, which stressed loyalty and obedience to the newly restored King and episcopal hierarchy.