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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49589	The wedding-supper as it was handled out of the fourteen first verses of the 22. chapter of Matthew, in sundry exercises in Tavistock in Devon. Wherein the offer of salvation, both to Jews and Gentiles, is noted: and divers plain and pithy doctrines observed, and applied. Being the effect of twelve sermons preached by Thomas Larkham, the oppressed pastor of the despised Church of Christ there.	Larkham, Thomas, 1602-1669.; Cross, Thomas, fl. 1632-1682, engraver.	1652 (1652)	Wing L442; ESTC R222016	113,881	272

through the deceitfullness of sin I do not teach you that you can avoid and escape the wrath of God by your doings but this I say the work is done to your hand accept of Gods love and Christs merits and all shall be well He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved Mark 16.16 What should keep from believing ye have a commandment to believe and ye have a promise That he that believeth shall be saved Object But may some say All shall not be saved all are not elected therefore some are commanded to believe a lye for if they be commanded to believe that Christ died for them and he did not as he did not if they belong not to Gods election then they are commanded to believe a lye Sol. For solution and satisfaction most certainly every one that believes in the Lord Jesus and takes Christ offered in the Gospel shall be saved by him He that believes Christ died for him believes no lye but a truth And it is a sin not to believe And John 5.40 Christ complains of the Jews that they would not come to him that they might have life They that do not believe shall be damned they have made God a lyer voluntas approbationis effectionis But yet as there is Gods will of Precept so there is his will of working and he will call in all his elect The Command of the word we ought to look after and so to do is a sign of salvation 2 Thes 1.10 When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe because our testimony was believed among you in that day Here we have to deal with two sorts of People First The prophane multitude these say they have had a strong faith from their childhood But let us talk with them a little What Demonstration can ye make of your faith Have ye a Mean or medium We will help you to one out of the 2 chap. of James and that is Works this will be a demonstration of the Cause by the Effects If thou have faith shew it make it out by thy works by thy carriage and conversation Love to the Saints will be another notable Mean or medium to make out a mans faith in Christ Therefore it is that they to wit the Cause and the Effect are joyned together often as Col. 1.4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ and of the love which ye have to all the Saints If good People be your delight and good men the men of your counsell if you can say with David Psal 26. that ye have not sate with vain persons c. If ye account religious persons as Christ did as your Brethren and Sisters and Mothers Why then hereby ye may demonstrate your passage from death to life and that ye are born of God and know God 1 John 3. ver 14. chap. 4. ver 7. And so these two Means or mediums will help ye well if ye wil be true to yourselves If ye have a respect to all the Commandments there 's one And if ye have love to all the Saints that 's the other And therefore Soul deceive not thy self any longer If thou have neither an obedient frame of Spirit to do Gods will nor love to the People of God thou hast no faith Shew me thy faith But you will say God knows my heart what care I for you I will not give an account to you Yea but I say thou are bound to give an account to me and to every man that asketh a reason of the hope that is in thee and that with meekness and reverence or fear 1 Pet. 3.15 But poor neighbours it is plain you have no faith in Christ for ye are rebellions against the Lord and despisers of his People The Lord pitty ye and soften your hearts that ye may escape the wrath to come The other sort I have to deal with all are such poor Souls as out of holy and blessed jealousie are ready to condemn themselves and to give sentence against themselves and indeed against the truth They know not whither ever they believed they are afraid they have not Never went a soul to hell that feared the want of faith and breathed after it Mat. 5.3 and 6. The poor in spirit and the hungerers and thirsters c. are pronounced blessed But you have said Faith must have its demonstrations I answer So they must and so they have in thee even in this thy emptiness and jealousie and groaning frame of spirit O these groaning Souls are blessed Souls Such a one was Paul Rom. 7. ver 14. to the end of the Chapter Have a care yeild not up your Castle however it be with you in your present apprehension Learn of Christ who though he cried why hast thou forsaken me Yet held fast his relation my God my God Never disown God that 's that the Divel would have There are but three things all that may seem to be just causes so to do as 1. Desertions 2. Great afflictions 3. Great sins Yet bear up against them all neither of them is a Medium sufficient to conclude thy damnation Neither of them are certain tokens of Gods being thine Enemy David is a famous example for all three God did hide his face from him And his afflictions were very many And what sins in a Saint comparable to his And Peter denied and did aggravate it with Cursing and Swearing that he knew not Christ To despair after a fall is a greater fall then the fall The main push is that perhaps thou hast sinned after knowledge So did those two Worthies Calvin Perkins Capel of tentations p. 124. and yet they died in peace and honour We must fortifie our selves after Relapses especially yet a man may fall into the same gross sin after true repentance as Abraham twice laid his wife open to adultery But still hold fast by God thou must be bold The end of the 13. verse The Twlefth Sermon Mat. 22. ver the 14. For many are called but few are chosen NExt to the Commission for the execution of the unworthy Guest of whom ye have heard often formerly followeth the ground or reason of it viz that howsoever this condemned man came into the Church by reason of an outward call yet he was none of Gods chosen ones he was not of the number of Gods elect as neither are many others though called outwardly as he was to the profession of religion because many are called but few are chosen Object But some may Object and indeed I find such a question in Mr. Calvin upon this Parable If all be bid to come and yet when men come they shall be rejected and cast out for lack of a wedding garment then who shall be saved or is it in mans power to procure it himself Sol. To this I answer that the Holy Ghost intends not here to shew whence the garment is to be had for

The true Effigies of Thomas Larkham Minister of the Gospell at Tavistock in Devon L. Cross sculpsit THE Wedding-Supper AS It was handled out of the fourteen first verses of the 22. chapter of Matthew in sundry Exercises in Tavistock in Devon WHEREIN The Offer of Salvation both to Jews and Gentiles is Noted and divers plain and pithy Doctrines Observed and Applied BEING The effect of twelve SERMONS Preached by Thomas Larkham the oppressed Pastor of the despised Church of Christ there Isa 53.1 Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed London Printed and are to be sold by Giles Calvert at his shop at the black spread Eagle neer the West end of Pauls 1652. TO THE Supream Power next and immediatly under GOD and his Son Christ Jesus within the Dominions of England Ireland and Scotland and the adjacent Isles The PARLIAMENT of the Commonwealth of England Grave Senatours IT may seem not only an indiscreet but a presumptious yea unsufferable Act in one so mean as I am to press with so plain a piece into your most honourable presence And indeed it would be nothing less were it not that all other ways of finding relief for my self and a poor oppressed Congregation of professed Christians who have chosen me to be their Minister were hedged up I do not presume to come before you out of any absurd trust or vain confidence that I shall finde favour neither can fear of displeasing keep me off for that in either I should have dishonourable thoughts of that dreadfull Tribunal which all that are lovers of God their Country and true Religion will make a conscience of entertaining but in expectance and hope to finde Justice as it is meet I and every one else should at your hands so it is may it please your honours that for preaching of these Sermons which here I humbly present to your view I was judged unworthy to be continued in the employment of Gospel-preaching by such as are mine and the Truths yea most of them the States enemies And thereupon a great part of my livelyhood was and is yet detained though setled in a regular way upon certain Trustees to my use as being the Lawfull preaching Minister of Tavistock in Devon out of a Sheaf or Rectory neer adjoyning taken in 15 years value at 90. l. per annum 1350 l. being deducted in lieu of the said Parsonage out of the fine which the Gentleman was set at in his Composition for Delinquency who formerly was seized in Fee-simple therein Whereupon receiving as I apprehended it a Call from God to be employed in my Function elsewhere I obeyed it and departed from the aforesaid Town of Tavistock with a purpose to return thither no more to dwell among them But receiving Letters from the godly party from time to time in which there seemed to be a strong continued Call that I must return I began to consider what was best to be done whether to prefer my profit and ease before suffering affliction with the People of God as I had cause to fear I did or to trust God of whose owning of me with humility be it written I had so many so great experiences And at last I resolved to advise with Godly learned and judicious Ministers which thing I also did and found them all to agree upon view of the Letters sent me that I must return One said Mr. H.P. that I could not part with the Godly party at Tavistock and that he believed others would be of his minde when they did view the Call Another Mr. L.S. that I would go off lame and not recover while I did return And so a third likewise adding that my Case was his and he must return to whence for want of maintenance he had departed Here God enabled me to deny my self and I wrote from London news of my resolution to come among them Mr. I.B. But as soon as that news came to the ears of the adverse party it cannot be imagined with what wrath of pride they run together I will set down an extract of a Letter For since we heard that happy news of your comming the Enemies do most furiously ●age and have acted together as we hear to send a Letter to the Earl of Bedford that at no hand he shall present you c. Now that I may sum up all in a few lines This is the case I was chosen by the Inhabitants of Tavistock My Lord of Bedford having promised to present and pay him whom they would chuse Their choice under many score hands accompanied with attestations of the neighbouring Ministers procured a legal presentation to the incumbency without my stirring at all in the business indeed to say truth I had not freedom of spirit to do I continued Preaching Minister quietly some time and might still had not my judgement concerning Discipline made me liable to dislike and Obloquy But now they that were otherwise judgemented and profane ones gnash their teeth to see Christs Ordinances on foot in publique and themselves laid by as Reprobate Silver and begin to quarrel at my preaching and to joyne shoulder to shoulder against the new Church as they were pleased to call us that laboured to serve God in the spirit according to his word and would have another to be their Minister that would according to Custome carry on as they call it Gods good service Hereupon the Rascal Multitude are encouraged to abuse the Godly Party Such as were Officers Troopers and Foot-Souldiers in the late Kings Army are thought fitter to be chosen Officers for the Parish then men that have lain in prison or by the hedges in cold nights and have been Plundered for their fidelity to the Parliament by their own wicked Neighbours while the ringleader of this present adverse Party was in the Kings Quarters in Cornwall Who now stands up like a Champion and with big words thinks to trample down Gods People whom he in a Letter written to one of them calld the Rigid Faction I Humbly crave leave in the heat of a Christian and fidelity of a Commoner of England to write and I will write no more then I can proove for I know whom I appeal unto that the differences at Tavistock are no other but between Christ and Belial The Common Wealth of England and Royalty worshipping of God according to rule and Superstitious customary formality whatever men pretend to the contrary Now because these ensuing Sermons are so cried down for unsufferable railing with which they are stufft by report of the Enemy I have faithfully transcribed them and with the help of such as wrote in short hand brought them to that pass that now they appear in Being verily perswaded that not one harsh expression which might be more excepted against then another is left out Neither would I be thought to print them out of opinion that in these glorious times of Gods giving gifts to men they

and scraping together the dung of the World You may peruse Luk. 19.41.42.43 and 44. ver The sin is they knew not their visitation they considered it not and this puts me upon a Rea●on of the point Reason to wit they know not the worth of it this is the reason they put such a low price upon the seasons of Grace Having the understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart Ephes 4.18 And they give themselves to other wayes ver 19. Men that have not learned Christ have no understanding no judgement they are bewitched And such as go about to hinder them from walking in their evil wayes they account them troublesome persons So Ahab accounted Eliah 1 Kings 18.17 Art thou he that troubleth Israel and his Enemy cap. 21.20 Hast thou found me O mine Enemy But they are their best friends if they could see it that tell them Gods truth Paul is become an Enemy to the Galatians for telling them the truth cap. 4.16 Alas What reason can People give why they will not love Gods People but only because their minds are worldly and because the light of God doth not shine in them The minds of Earthly People are so drawn after the World that they cannot see the excellency of the love of God nor the worth of his Salvation They cannot say with Simeon Luk. 2. their eyes have seen his Salvation A worldly man may abhorr some sin because of the baseness of it but a Saint doth eschew it with a spiritual heart which he that is a worldly man hath not And this is the cause that many sins which indeed have much sinfulness in them seem no sins or very little ones to People that are Worldly ones Covetous men are usually proud men they think themselves none of the worst and yet upon the matter they are grievous murderers as will be shewed hereafter God willing when we come to the 7. vers Pharaoh said who is the Lord c. These say in effect who is Christ what is Salvation ye talk so much of They are murderers of Christ upon the matter that do not receive him they are accursed and accursed 1 Cor. 16.22 They are self murtherers Soul murtherers They hale their neighbours to hell what in them lieth by refusing Christ and by their selling him with Judas for the pelf of the World But I forget where I am Let us make use of this point Vse 1 Great is their folly Great is their fault and Great will be the punishment of worldly minded men I shall referr you to some places Heb. 10.28.29 There the greatness of the sin is argued by a comparison between despising of Moses his Law and neglecting Christ And great language is used to set out the greatness of the latter sin Treading under foot the Son of God counting the blood of the sanctifying Covenant an unholy thing a doing despite unto the spirit of Grace O consider this ye worldlings ye Gadarens that preferr Hoggs to which ye are fitly compared in Scripture before Christ When a great man hath made a feast and hath sent out for his poor Tenants and poor Kindred to come to him promising them great Legacies when he dieth and great gifts in the mean time and they shall scorn to come or for a penny matter stay away would he not be angry and be ready to vow that they shall never come within his door more and bid his Servants go out and fetch in the beggars to eat up that meat so prepared This doth a little set forth the greatness of their sin that do refuse to come to Christ to partake of Gospel-Ordinances to believe in the Lord Jesus which he that doth not shall be damned Mark 16.16 And as the folly and sin is great so will the punishment be great also of all such as neglect so great Salvation Because I have called and ye refused I have streched out my hand and no man regarded but ye have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof I will also laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear commeth c. O what a wosull condition will that man be in to whom God will be as a hard-hearted man to his Enemy whose utter ruine he takes pleasure to hear of whose dolorous groanes he laughs to hear without the lest pitty in the World Not that God is properly harsh or milde angry or pleased Note these are attributed to God that we might a little behold him who is invisible and know him who passeth knowledge They are effects not affects as the Schoolmen distinguish But lastly Last use The example of worldly minded men is not to be followed unless you think it be a sport to be damned And let me say this word by the way of the Torments of Hell that in comparison of them the cruellest Torments that ever were invented are but as flea bitings If God will then act as God in execution of justice upon ungodly men judge what they shall undergo on whom the full vialls of his wrath shall be poured out The drowning of the old world the burning of Sodom and Gomorra the swallowing up of Korah and his company the Soul-melting miseries of Jerusalem at its last destruction Eating of children of a span long to be flead alive to be gang'd to death and the like these are sad stories But O when Gods righteous judgement shall be revealed Rom. 2.5 which till then is as it were covered tremble ye souls and shake even into shivers at the thoughts thereof what Torments even as long as God shall be shall be endured Walk not therefore with Gospel-despisers Mot. 1 Their practice is hatefull to Allmighty God Hurtfull to thine own soul How wouldst thou look upon that man that seeks thy life And wilt thou not with indignation behold them which go about to damn thy Soul Who so despiseth the word shall be destroyed Prov. 13.13 Take heed therefore of following their Example Quest Quest But how shall I know whither I make light account of the season of Grace or no Answ I answer By thy labouring or not labouring to take the benefit offered thereby If a man want a commodity when the Market or Fair comes he will come to seek for it he will buy it If it be dear yet if it be of absolute necessity as corn to make bread or the like he will say It is no matter I must have it whatever it cost If Christ were here in person he would heartily chide many a Martha who are as bold to plead as she was and to blame those bookish Sermon gadding Maries that seem to be more precise then wise c. But yet it will remain for a truth that they have chosen that good part which shall not be taken from them Luk. 10. They which neglect not the seasons of Grace but improve them

best spent time When once you come to know the terrors of the Lord you will not think any labour too great to get news of a crucified Christ Galeacius nor all the wealth in the world to be compared to one Minutes Society with Jesus Christ O my mouth is opened my heart is enlarged O what would a damned Soul in Hell give to come out of his condition I am the more earnest upon mine indignation at the abominable boldness of earthly-minded People T is well t was Christ himself spake and that it was to Martha If we should say but half so much to Christs pretended Disciples now we should hear of it again hot and wholy as our country folks phrase it and they would tell us that if all should be of our minde we should all quickly go a begging and our hair would grow through our hood We should have as good as we bring Such is the boldness of covetous persons Such is the conceit that People have of the harmlesness yea or rather of the commendableness of worldliness whereas indeed it is a vice full of deadly poyson full of ignorance of God of Atheisme of Idolatry Injustjce Oppression and indeed of all iniquity as will be more at large shewed in the uses of the Point which now I come unto Vse 1 And first It serveth for information that there is great danger in affecting worldly things It is saith the Doctine a great occasion to make People set light by the means of Grace holy religious employments and therefore it must needs be a very dangerous thing for a man or woman to let his or her affections to run out after the world 1 Tim. 6.9.10 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition For the love of money is the root of all evil which while some coveted after they have erred from the faith and peirced themselves thorrow with many sorows It is the ready way to restrain and keep back our affections from God and good excercises and a sign that men do not savor of religion to let them runn out after the things of the World Now the things of the World are as John saith 1 John 2.16 the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life that is Voluptuousness Covetousness Ambition Let me single out this Goliah to encounter it and draw out the sword of the spirit out of that sheath Prov. 11.4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath And Ezekiel 7.19 They shall cast their silver in the streets and their gold shall be removed their Silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the Lords wrath they shall not satisfie their Souls neither fill their bowels because it is the stumbling block of their iniquity And so we might say of all the pomp of this World Psal 49 6.17 When men die they shall carry nothing away their glory shall not descend after them And the forenamed Ezekiel 7. ver 10.11 Behold the day behold it is come the morning is gone forth the rod hath blossomed Pride hath budded Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness none of them shall remain nor of their multitude nor of any of theirs neither shall there be wailing for them You have seen the danger both of Soul and body too Vse 2 Come we to a second information of the sinfullness of their sin the greatness of their abomination that let their spirits run out after the world They go quite contrary to God that neglect his Sabbaths and Sanctuary Exod. 31 15. Six dayes may work be done but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest holy to the Lord whosoever doth any work in the Sabbath day he shall surely be put to death And so Jer. 17.27 But God threatens to kindle a fire not to be quenched to devour the places of such as will not hearken to hallow the Sabbath day If men will not hallow Gods Sabbaths nor reverence his Sanctuaries but will be cross to God God will be cross to them They that cannot allow him his own day because they are so drownd in the world that they cannot remember it before it comes much less observ it when it is come God will lay great sin to their charge because it proceeds from undervaluing of him through ignorance this hath much sinfullness in it Therefore Mat. 6.33 Christ wils to seek first the kingdom of God because it is a very sinfull thing to prefer the world before God the things of his Kingdom God and the very quintessence of the world stand in opposition ex diametro The very wisdom of the flesh is enmity to God Rom. 8.7 And thence is it that there is so much sinfulness in the love of the World because the spirit and the soul do runn out excessively after the World and do take great delight in these carnal things And when the Soul and affection runs out to take pleasure and delight in any thing more then in God there is there much sinfullness There is in sin three thing considerable The baseness of it the viciousness of it and the sinfullness of it Now t is true there is not so much baseness in this sin as there is in some others As to instance in Adultery it is a sin that hath much baseness in it it carrieth with it a stain and a blot that shal never be blotted out Yet this sin of worldliness is a far greater sin though it be not majoris infamiae of greater infamie yet it is Majoris culpae of greater fault there is far more irregularity in it Quest Why then is it not so esteemed among men Answ I answer Men do not use to judge of sin according to the rules of the Word but according to the customes of men And among men it is meet that sometimes sins though of lesser fault in themselves yet of more mischievous consequence and more destructive to the peace and comfort of humane society should be more severely punished and so consequently the committers of it more hooted at and had in dishonour And this is the cause that Covetousness passeth so orderly and quietly through the judgements of men untill it come to break out into Robberies and violencies which are prejudicial to the peace of men living together in humane Society Secondly There is in some sins more vitiousness then in othersome Sins that are against Moral Vertues and Natural Conscience do stare more Gastly someties then greater sins against God do Because a man that hath no Grace hath yet a Conscience which is a true rule according to its proportion but is too short to measure sins by that are more immediately committed against God So Paul when he was Saul lived in all good Conscience Acts 23.1 He saw not the greatness of the sin of persecuting the Saints He thought

thee from being King Mens unworthiness is the common cause of all calamities Health wealth the Gospel it is unworthiness of them deprives you robs you of them all Vse 1 If this Doctrine be true if not any defect in God or want in the merits of Christ but unworthiness be the cause of rejection if our sins be the cause of all our sorrows we lie under then God is not to be blamed when we are deprived of his benefits men may thank themselves for misery in any kinde Friends you should never live one sad hour more if you would accept of Christ if you would be ruled by God T is true Joseph was in prison yea but God was with him What care I may a Saint say where I am whither in a Palace or a Prison if God be with me Reason Surely this use may be made good upon this Reason God is rich in mercy and of a liberal disposition to bestow his grace and good things therefore saith Isaiah cap. 59.1 2 3. Behold the Lords hand is not shortned that it cannot save neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear But your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear c. It shews also the greatness of mans sin that will not open his mouth to be filled though God bid him to open it wide and hath promised to fill it Vnto us a child is born and unto us a son is given Here is a Christ offered to you all to save you from your sins O what a sin is this men will not thankfully accept of Gods offers Consid 1 Consider 1. This provokes the Lord wonderfully it moves him to take away his offers 2. It is a greater sin to refuse Christ then to break all the ten Commandments He that believeth not shall be damned Mar. 16.16 If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be Anathema Maranatha 1 Cor. 16.22 Let him be cursed and cursed over and above This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather then light Joh. 3.19 3. Men sin against themselves they rob themselves undo themselves cast themselves away this is a sin of a high nature it is a sin against nature Men bring misery upon themselves through their foolishness Beasts that we are to deprive our selves of the means of grace of the fruit and benefit of them of health friends wealth every thing Christ hath provided all things O what pitty t is so much good chear should be lost Surely it is a very sinfull sin so to forsake our own mercies and to be guilty of our own misery Next for Counsell Seeing there is no defect in God or Christ seeing mans own unworthiness deprives him of good are you loth to be deprived of Gods benefits be carefull to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitfull in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God Col. 1.10 Otherwise we may be justly deprived of good Q. But what is it to walk worthy of the Lord It is for a man to improve to Gods glory and to the good of his own soul all those vouchsafements and enjoyments which the Lord hath bestowed upon him Say thus God hath given me wealth I will use my wealth to his glory the Lord hath given me opportunities of grace I will improve them to the utmost The talents which God hath given us we must imploy them trade upon them we must not wrap them in a napkin Have we riches honours children lands large possessions any thing Let us improve all to Gods glory let God be first in our thoughts let us exalt him in all things Servants Children Housholders Parents Constables Magistrates use your Talents your Relations improve your Interests to the glory of God this is to walk worthy of the Lord. And this is the way or rather a sign that God hath been will be and continue to be your God unto death We come to the matter of the Commission Ver. 9 Go ye therefore into the high ways and as many as ye shall finde bid to the Marriage In which words we may observe 1. The ground and occasion hinted Therefore 2. The word of command go ye 3. The place whither they must go viz. into the high ways 4. The work to be done As many as ye find bid to the Marriage From the first besides what hath been said already we may learn this Lesson Doct. The refusal of some is an occasion of the offer of grace to other some So Acts 13.46 47. The refusal of the Gospel by the Jews is an occasion of the offer of it to the Gentiles So Rom 11.11 Through the fall of the Jews Salvation is come to the Gentiles if one will not another shall Reason For God will have his full number whom he hath chosen to life to be called in spight of all opposition Yea to see a People given up to obstinacy and hardness of heart is but to see Gods punishment on such to make way for the calling of others The Lord will not have his Gospel to be preached in vain if the Jews reject it the Lord will incline the hearts of the Gentiles thankfully to embrace it Acts 13.48 And when the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed And so also Rom. 11.25 Blindness is hapned to Israel untill the fulness of the Gentiles be come in Therefore go ye out c. Vse 1 Then we may learn for our instruction That the coming and going of the offers of grace is not limited or disposed according to mens wills but according to the minde of the Lord. If men seek never so much to stop the current they labour in vain God alone doth all in this as in other things If Gods elect be but few or none in one place they be the more in another If the word want good success in this town it will find better in the next And yet let such places take heed as will not receive the Gospel as will not hear our words It shall be more tolerable for such as never enjoyed the word It shall be easier for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement then for those places Read Mat. 10.14 15. It is a monstrous absurdity to think that the removal of Ministers is in the power of two or three addle-headed fools Surely it is a business of a higher concernment then so Davids times were in Gods hands and so are the times of all and therefore no question Gospel preachers go and come by Gods special will Vse 2 Next we may learn that the Lord is able to bring good out of evil which may comfort Gods servants They that profit not by the means offered shall smart for it as the Jews do even to this very day But yet God will