ught forth one child. The Lord forbid
that ye our people break your ministers' hearts. And as for you,
brethren, be more watchful over your flocks, be more busy in catechising
and exhorting them. And urge the duty of the covenant upon them, and
when they are on foot, hold them going; lead them to the fountain and
cock-eye. Lead them to the well-spring; and make meikle of them; feed
the Lord's lambs, as Christ said to Peter, "If thou lovest Me, feed My
sheep; lovest thou Me? I say, feed My sheep." Minister, lovest thou me?
feed my bais'd sheep: lovest thou me? feed my lambs. You must be
feeders, and not fleecers; pastors, but not wolves; builders, but not
destroyers; and come away, and help up the broken-down wall of
Jerusalem. For if one of you can bring timber here, another bring
mortar, a third bring stones, and make up a slap in Zion; and I hope we
that came here shall go home with blyth news to our congregations, that
we cannot say we have got a cold welcome; so I hope ye will think it
your greatest comfort, and your greatest credit also. Venture in
covenant with God, and whosoever thou be, that wilt not enter in
covenant, we will have thy name, and we will pour out our complaints
before God for thee; for we that are ministers must be faithful to our
Master; and I take you all to witness, that we have discharged our
commission faithfully; and I hope the blessing of the Lord shall be upon
them that have given us an invitation of this kind: and it may be your
greatest comfort, that now ye may go homely unto the Lord, being
formerly in covenant with Him; and your greatest credit also, for ye
never got such a credit, as to lend your Master's honour a lift. We come
to the excuses.

"But they went their way, one to his farm, and another to his
merchandise." Luke is more large in this, and saith, "I have bought a
piece of ground, and must needs go see it;" another said, "I have bought
five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them;" and the third said, "I have
married a wife and therefore I cannot come." 1. We learn here, that
never a man refuses Christ but from some by-respects, such as a farm,
oxen, and marriage. I never saw a man staying back from the covenant,
but from some by-respects; either some respect to the world, or to men,
or to the court, or such bastard by-respects to some statesmen, or to a
prelate, or to the King himself, who, we trust, ere it be long, shall
think them the honestest men that came in soonest; the