shed,
not by might, nor by strength of man, but by the Spirit of the Lord of
hosts."

There are three sorts looking to this work, and to the going up of it:
1. Evil-willers. 2. Well-wishers. 3. Neutrals. 1. The evil-willers are
Edom; and he was Jacob's brother; yet in Psalm cxxxvii. he cries, "raze,
raze this work to the foundation." There is a number that is crying,
raze, raze this work to the foundation. 2. There is a second sort that
are well-wishers, crying, grace, grace be unto it. In those former
years, the shout of raze, raze, hath been louder than grace, grace; but
now, God be praised, the shout of grace, grace, is louder than raze,
raze. 3. There is a third sort gazing upon this work, who dare not cry,
raze, raze, because they are borne down with grace, grace; they dare not
cry grace, grace, for fear of authority. What shall I say to these
neutrals? They are so incapable of admonition, that it will be a
spending of time to crave their concurrence to the work. To whom shall I
speak then? My text is an apostrophe, if I may use one; that which I
shall use first is God's own words from Isaiah, "Hear, O heavens,
hearken, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought
up children, and they have rebelled against Me."

I will next turn me to strangers and foreigners. All ye of reformed
kirks (What! have I said strangers? These men who are brought up in the
kirk, are strangers from the womb; but) ye are joined with us in a
corporation; come therefore with your fellow-feeling, let us hear your
shouts and cries of, grace, grace, be unto the Kirk of Scotland; and let
your wishes condemn these ungrateful neutrals, who profess themselves
children of this kirk, and yet will not rejoice with us for the good of
our mother.

Now, ye have heard this text in all these six steps. 1. A mountain
seen. 2. A mountain reproved and disdained. 3. A mountain to be removed.
4. A growing work. 5. To be finished. 6. With great applause of all
well-willers, wishing grace unto the work. And seeing I have ado with
this great mountain; both with mountains that impede this work, and all
ranks of persons, removers of the work, I will direct my speech to these
with the apostrophe in the text.

And first, To the mountains lying in the way of this reformation: I rank
them in two sorts, viz., prelates, and upholders of prelates. O
prelates, if I had hope to come speed with you, I would exhort you in
the name of Christ, to lay down