A Little Stone out of the Mountain, Title page – Dedication 1
A LITLE STONE, Out of the MOUNTAIN.
CHURCH-ORDER briefly opened, BY Nicholas Lockyer, Minister of the Gospel.
EZEK 47.3.
— the waters were to the ancles.
PSAL. 27.4.
One thing have I desired, &c.
Printed at Leith by Evan Tyler. Anno Dom. 1652.
To the LORDS afflicted People in SCOTLAND, Be tender mercy by JESUS CHRIST.
Dear Brethren,
WE have been in one furnace together, and under one cruell Tyrant and Task-master together, whose anger did tear perpetually, Amos 1.11and who kept his wrath for ever. How blessed a thing now would it be, if we could all refine together under the Lords hand, and so become one staff of beauty and bonds, for the great Works of these latter dayes. The procession of things to this end, hath not pleased you all, but not for want of will (I assure you) in the poor agents, but for want of skill to compass you and their great affairs. But what is the pleasure of the Lord in all this? And how may we understand and comport with it? Such beatings of heart, how sweet would they keep our souls, under very hard and bitter things? Bitter things alone, lean and shrivell such as will feed alone upon them; which is a disease (I doubt) amongst many of Gods dear ones at this day, which makes them like thin fleshed folks, so fretfull and angry at every thing. You are brought into the wildernesse, look to that high Hand which indeed hath done this, & here dwel▪ and you may have vineyards from hence; great gain from your great loss, your wildernesse turned into such pleasant vineyards for soul and body, as yet S…otland never saw: Such prospect is the daily entertainment, and heavenly vision, of an instructed soul under Gods hand.
Dear Brethren, I beseech you therefore in the bowels of Christ, receive instruction by your Correction; for the people which do nor understand, Hos. 4 14shall fall. Tis a fire of jealousie that burnes, it kindled in the Sanctuary, and there it yet flames, and I fear yet will, because it findes so much hay and stubble upon the foundation, and so litle care and life yet to remove it. The fire of jealousie is not a flash, quickly gone; tis a strange fire, tis the rage of God, and wil set his polluted Spouse as in the day she was born, Hos. 2.3. compare Ezek. 16 4:if she repent not: and then will Israel be Jesrael, a scattered forlorn State, for Tsiim and O him, for all howling creatures and complaints. God will recover his wooll, take from us his kindnesse, our enjoyments, oportunities, hearts, and in a monethmonth do this:Hos. 5.7. and then twill be worse then now when God shall say, afflict no more, let no man strive nor reprove one another, because twill make men worse, Hos. 4.4. This (I fear) God puts to his heart, that Scotland all this while is not guilty. Good people fret and rage, throw darts and javelins, to pin poor instruments nex them to the walls; which practice, whispers in the ears of God, we are not guilty: which may make Scotland abide many dayes, not only without a King, and without a Prince, but without a sacrifice, and without a Teraphim, without their best and highest mercies, as well as without c…mmon temporeall honors and enjoyments: Tis three transgressions to despise the Word and works of God; and tis so many more to despise transgression; for in this, blood toucheth bloods as the Prophet speaks,Amos 2.4. one sin becomes many.
Dear Brethren, stoop under Gods hand: God hath hedged up your way with thorns, and yet many of you seem by your carriage to say, we will go after our Lovers, our King, our Kirk, between which two milstones, you may be ground to dust, if the Lord give you not spiritual understanding. Fear the Lord and his goodnesse: your rod hath been goodnesse; every twig, gentlenesse and goodnesse; hear the voyce thereof, and return to your first husband Jesus Christ, in your worship, in your dependence in all things; and cease from man, from your own wisdome which hath undone you, and from prejudice which will seal this state upon you, and bow down your backs alwayes. Some of you (I fear) your doings will not suffer you to return, Hos. 5.4as the Prophet speaks: that is, you are so far engaged, that you think 'twill be your disgrace for ever, to retreat: but O Augustines retractations! What part of his Works, so sweet? And what a glory of a sudden would shine from Heaven upon Scotland, in the sight of all the Christian World, if the Ministers and Christians thereof, would publish their Retractations of those harsh things, of which their pens, pulpits, and papers are full.
We are a people, an Island, saved by the Lord, and can be destroyed by none, but our selves: but surely, he that hath begun a glorious work amidst us, wi…l perfect it, though many more of our carcases pay for it. I am as fearfull of our selves, who have now the ball before us, as of you who kick at us, whilst we are running after it; but the Lord will save us from you, and both of us from our selves, that he may exalt that free grace in which he began this Work, and bent both our hearts for himself unto it, and bring us to meet all at last, in some other land and work, wherein we shall more plainly see what we are about, and better agree; yea, and better understand then, what we are doing now. For this, for you, for us, night and day is he yet upon his knees, with prayers and tears, who is in all simplicity yours, in the service of the Gospel
NICHOLAS LOCKYER. From my Quarters in Edinburgh, April. 20. 1652.