Concerning Gods Judgments, Title page – To the reader
A DISCOURSE Concerning God's Judgments; Reſolving many weighty QƲESTIONS and CASES Relating to them. Preached (for the ſubſtance of it) at OLD SWINFORD IN WORCESTER-SHIRE: And now publiſh'd to accompany The annexed NARRATIVE, Concerning the Man whoſe Hands and Legs lately rotted off: In the neighbouring Pariſh of KINGS-SWINFORD, IN STAFFORD-SHIRE; Penned by another Author.
By SIMON FORD, D. D. and Rector of the ſaid Pariſh.
LONDON: Printed by A. C. for Henry Brome, at the Gun at the Weſt-end of St. Pauls, 1678.
Imprimatur.
Sept. 25. T. Turner.
To his Honoured Friends, THOMAS TOLEY OF KEDERMINSTER; AND PHILIP TOLEY OF PRESTWOOD-HALL, Eſquires.
Honoured Sirs,
THat I joyn both your Names in one Dedication, is not barely becauſe you are Brethren, both in Nature, and endeared affection each to other: but alſo, becauſe you have been, and ſtill are ſo, in the particular kindneſſes you have for me, and my labours. For I gratefully acknowledge, that from the free and unexpected donation of the elder of you, I am fixed in this Sphere wherein I now move: and from the others near neighbourhood I receive conſtant expreſſions of a more than ordinary value for my Miniſtry. And withal, knowing the great Influence both your Names have on thoſe parts, to the benefit of which eſpecially the following Papers are deſigned; I thought it neceſſary in the publication of them to deſire your joint-countenance in the recommendation of them to your many Tenants and Dependants. A requeſt, which I doubt not to obtain from you, becauſe I know both your hearts are already poſſeſſed with a juſt veneration of that great Providence which occaſioned them, and an hearty deſire that all thoſe who any way relate to you may be bettered thereby.
Which Providence, as it filled all theſe parts, and thence the whole Nation, for ſome months, with diſcourſe and wonder; and exerciſed the curioſity of all inquiſitive Perſons, whoſe occaſions brought them near the place where it was acted; and I hope hath contributed towards the edification of many of them. So the conſideration thereof excited me to attempt to render it more ſerviceable to that great End. This I endeavoured lately, by preaching ſeveral Sermons relating to that occaſion, to my own Congregation, who had generally been led either by their Curioſity, or better Motives (as it is to be hoped of divers of them) to the ſight of that ſad ſpectacle, expoſed by the Divine Majeſty to publick view ſo near their own habitations: and afterwards upon the declared opinion of divers Judicious Auditors, that they might be more publickly uſeful, reviewed them, and fitted them, as well as ſuch plain Country Diſcourſes could be, without wholly altering the frame of them, for the Preſs.
And this I did, the rather becauſe they were thought fit by the Reverend Author of the annexed Narrative in particular, to accompany it into the world; which he therefore ſent to me, that I might ſo annex it; and withal, might farther aſſiſt it to the obtaining its honeſt end, by my atteſtation and recommendation.
And the former of theſe (though he needs it not) I do hereby readily give him, as being aſſured by unqueſtionable Teſtimony, (though I my ſelf was out of the Country, during the greateſt part of the time wherein that ſad Providence was acting) that the ſubſtance of what he relates is exactly True, and concerning the Particulars, (ſeeing they are averred upon his own Perſonal knowledge, who by occaſion of the nearneſs of his reſidence, being within the bounds of the ſame Pariſh, was the moſt frequent Viſitor of the Party whoſe condition he relates) no man can rationally doubt, who knows him, (as you both have for many years) or will but ask a character of him from you.
The latter, becauſe I need not give it as to you, to whom the knowledge of the Author himſelf ſufficiently recommends it; and yet I deſire to give it to others by you; and beg the ſame again my ſelf from you on the behalf of the diſcourſe prefixed, which (as being more properly mine own) I hereby conſign, with my ſelf, to your ſervice, as being,
Honoured Sirs, Your moſt affectionate and obliged Servant in the work of the Lord Jeſus, SIMON FORD. Old Swinford, Sept. 20. 1677.
To the Chriſtian Readers of this Diſcourſe, and the annexed Narrative: Eſpecially the Inhabitants of Old Swinford and Kings-Swinford, with the Town of Sturbridge, and the adjacent Pariſhes and Hamlets.
Chriſtian Readers, and eſpecially you of this Neighbourhood,
I Suppoſe many (if not moſt) of you are already acquainted with the Providence which occaſioned theſe Papers I now preſent you with: or, if any be ſtrangers thereto, they may be informed thereof from the Narrative annexed. The Reverend Author whereof (ſufficiently known to divers of you both for his ability and integrity) hath thought fit to honour me ſo far, as to recommend the publication of it to me, together with this Diſcourſe, the ſubſtance whereof, on the ſame occaſion, was lately preached in the hearing of a conſiderable number of you.
That I direct them to you eſpecially of this Neighbourhood, will be a ſufficient Teſtimony to After-times, that the matter of Fact to which they relate, is an undoubted Truth, ſeeing it dares in this manner to appear ſo open-faced before the whole Country where the Scene of it lay: and alſo a convictive Teſtimony againſt all thoſe of you (if any ſuch there ſhall be) who after ſo loud a call to repentance and amendment of life, ſhall continue in the practice of thoſe ſins for which the deceaſed young man (once your Neighbour) acknowledged to ſo many of his Viſitants, that the Divine Majeſty made him a ſpectacle to ſo many hundreds (I might ſay thouſands) for ſo many Months together.
Wherefore my earneſt requeſt to you, is, that you will often recall to your memories that ſad ſtroke, which whilſt it was freſh News, ſo affected all the Spectators and Auditors thereof; that you may not loſe the good Impreſſions then wrought in any of you. And to help you therein, when you find them wearing off, let this Book be your Monitor to renew and govern them; which was the end why it was publiſhed and directed to you eſpecially, by your Servant in the Goſpel,
S. F.