Sermons of the Great Ejection

‘These sermons that Edmund Calamy put together, about the Great Ejection, 1662, are powerful sermons. These are pastors, choosing to be on the last day of their ministry, because they can’t in good conscience affirm everything in The Book of Common Prayer , who resign their jobs, lose their livings, generally had to move away from where they were to be faithful — these are their final sermons to their congregations — moving, moving sermons.’ — MARK DEVER

A fine introduction to Puritan preaching, this little book also recalls one of the great turning points in English Christianity—for these sermons were preached on ‘the Farewell Sunday’ in August, 1662, when two thousand ministers left the national Church for conscience’ sake. Much has been written on that Great Ejection, but nothing is more important than to hear the ejected speak for themselves. Their watchword was:

I preach as never sure to preach again, And as a dying man to dying men.

This new edition of Sermons of the Great Ejection not only commemorates the 350th anniversary of a noteworthy historical event but, more importantly, gives a real insight into the theology, godliness, and preaching of the Puritans. Why is this relevant? For two reasons: (i) as the blurb on the first edition said, ‘such preaching could set England alight again in our own times’; and (ii) the issues of 1662 are directly relevant to the present situation in the church when the emphasis is once again upon conformity and unity at the expense of truth and holiness. May this little book be an encouragement to men of gospel truth and integrity everywhere.