dent desire after truth and holiness, that we may not sit down contented with mean attainments, and barely abstaining from doing harm to others, but may devote ourselves to do all good to the bodies of others, and to bring them to saving knowledge of thee, and to purify ourselves as Christ our Lord was pure; that through thy merciful acceptance we may stand sincere and approved in thy sight. Suffer us not at any time meanly to sup-. press our testimony to the truth of thy Gospel, or to be intimidated in our progressive inquiries into it, and open profession of whatever thou shalt therein discover to us, by the fear of men, or their opinions good or bad concerning us but to fear thee, and have a regard to thee alone, who judgest not as man judgeth, and to whom the hypocrite and he that maketh a lie shall not gain admittance. But let not, in this our weak and dark estate, our often unavoidable difference of sentiment concerning thee, O thou Most High! and thy will revealed to us, extinguish in us that love and kindness towards others, which is the surest mark and token of our belonging to thee, and being the true disciples of thy son. But let the errors of others, but chiefly their deviations from thy holy laws, which can alone affect their happiness with thee, excite our compassion, and most fervent endeavours to win them to thy truth and to the love of it, that they may be saved. Finally, O Lord, help us always to bear true and faithful allegiance to thee, and to the laws of thy holy Gospel; that having confessed Christ upon carth, he may confess us at the last day before thee, our Father in heaven! Unto Thee, who art the only living and true God, &c. January 30, 1780. SERMON SERMON XXI. MATTH. xviii. 7. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe unto that man by whom the offence cometh! OUR Saviour Christ is here warning his first disciples, and all others in after times, against the heavy crime of doing any thing to hinder the divine truth of the Gospel from being propagated and received among mankind. It was the repeated discovery of worldly ambitious views lurking in the hearts of these his few chosen followers, that excited him to speak in such severe terms; because a temper of that kind would utterly defeat their usefulness in the honourable office intended for them as teachers of the Gospel after he had left the world, and would incline them to preach it only so far, and in such a way, as might serve their interests and promotion in this world, -whereas they were to look for their reward from God only. He therefore sets himself first, in his wonted beautiful manner, to impress better principles upon their minds, by taking a little child that happened to be near them, and placing it before them; and thence taking occasion to inculcate that innocent simplicity and disregard of the great things of the world, which they were to endeavour to attain; and at the same time assured them of the especial blessing from the heavenly Father that would attend all those who in the least degree favoured the Gospel, and encouraged those who promoted what was so essential to men's present and future happiness. But, on the contrary, whoever hurt or discouraged any mind that was in the least degree well-disposed, and turned them away from embracing the Gospel,-happy would it have been for that man, that he had been taken out of the world by a violent untimely death, rather than to have lived to commit so great wickedness. "Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged |