The heads of some sermons preached at Finnick, the 17 of August. 1662 By…

A bony pretence ye have of it forsooth! I never read it in all the Scriptures where ever God made a mans fore-sight ⟨p. 41⟩of events the measure of his actions in duty. I never heard that a man was to shift his duty upon that account, because he thought his duty would not have good consequences. I never understood that before, that issues and events belonged to us. I weened ay known duty had belonged to us, but issues and events had belonged to God. Indeed the Prophets, that the Lord sent forth long since to speak in his Name, had a little more ground to shift their duty, when God told them the issue and event would not prove good, yet they durst not for their life shift their duty even in that case: Go, saith he, speak to this People, but they are a stiff-necked and rebellious people, they will not hear. Will they not hear, might they say, then we will never speak to them, it is but folly to cast our selves into hazard, when it needs not. We may as well gang and speak to stocks and stones, and they will not persecute us, since the thing we speak will have alike effect upon both. Whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, speak ye my word to them, or their blood will I require at your hand: speak, when God bids you speak, whether there come evil or good of it; if ye will not, God will make your tongues to fry and flutter upon the hot coals of Hell, he will garr it blutter and blaze upon the burning coals of hell. Speak, Sir, when God bids you speak, or he will garr that tongue that he hath put into your mouth, people and play in the power pot of hell. Ye have a bony pretence of it, Man, your bare testimony will not turn the chase. Sir, did those two Witnesses in the Revelation, that prophesied in sackcloth, by their testimony turn the chase? yet they were to witness against the abominations of the time, till they were slain for all that. Folk have gotten a brave gate of it now forsooth, rhat they will speak nothing for the Cause of Christ now, because that will not turn the chase. Speak, when God calls you to speak, or he will garr you do worse in a worse time.

A bony pretence ye have of it forsooth! I never read it in all the Scripturs where ever God made a mans fore-sight ⟨p. 41⟩of events the measur of his actions in duty. I never heard that a man was to shift his duty upon that account, because he thought his duty would not have good consequences. I never understood that before, that issues and events belonged to us. I weend ay known duty had belonged to us, but issues and events had belonged to God. Indeed the Prophets, that the Lord sent forth long since to speak in his Name, had a little more ground to shift their duty, when God told them the issue and event would not prove good, yet they durst not for their life shift their duty even in that case: Go, saith he, speak to this People, but they are a stiff-necked and rebellious people, they will not hear. Will they not hear, might they say, then we will never speak to them, it is but folly to cast our selves into hazard, when it needs not. We may as wel gang and speak to stocks and stones, and they will not persecut us, since the thing we speak will have alike effect upon both. Whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, speak ye my word to them, or their blood will I require at your hand: speak, when God bids you speak, whether there come evil or good of it; if ye will not, God will make your tongues to fry and flutter upon the hot coals of Hell, he will garr it blutter and blyze upon the burning coals of hell. Speak, Sir, when God bids you speak, or he will garr that tongue that he hath put into your mouth, pople and play in the pow pot of hell. Ye have a bony pretence of it, Man, your bare testimony will not turn the chase. Sir, did those two Witnesses in the Revelation, that prophesied in saccloath, by their testimony turn the chase? yet they were to witness against the abominations of the time, till they were slain for all that. Folk have gotten a brave gate of it now forsooth, rhat they will speak nothing for the Cause of Christ now, because that will not turn the chase. Speak, when God calls you to speak, or he will garr you do worse in a worse time.