There can be little doubt of the importance of sermons to London life during the first sixty years of the eighteenth century. Preaching held a privileged position in the religious life of the many varied denominations in the community, including Anglicans, Dissenters, foreign Protestants and even Jews. The shared culture of preaching meant that the language and preoccupations of these various groups were strikingly similar. The capital offered a seemingly limitless supply of such discourses to the numerous sermon tasters, who frequented not only Sunday sermons but also weekly lectures. In fact, sermons were quite popular throughout the period, attracting the interest of the laity in the nature and quality of preaching, as well as their financial support for lectures and occasional sermons. Yet, sermons were not restricted to the religious sphere and were also central to many of the most important social occasions in London, such the spittal sermons and the meetings of the SPG, SRM, charity schools and the Sons of the Clergy, during which they were used as a form of entertainment, promotion and fundraising. Preaching was likewise showcased at significant civic occasions, such as the election of the Lord Mayor and the commemoration of important events in both the present and past of the capital, when ministers helped to define and reinforce the social order and reflected on life in the capital. Of course, national political occasions were also marked by sermons, as were moments of crisis, such as the Jacobite rebellions, foreign wars and natural disasters, and they served as an important forum for political debate and education throughout the period.