Men free Agents, and given them fuch Natures as they may either do well or do ill, then it is but reasonable that he should suffer them to act according to those Natures; and if he do fo fuffer them, then all thofe Effects we have spoken of, will follow. God is no-ways the Author thofe Scandals, and therefore they are not in any-wife to be charged upon him: But Men, by abufing their Liberty, and yielding to the Temptations of the Devil, are the Caufes of them. Nor is it reasonable, that God should interpofe his Omnipotence for the putting a Stop to them, because that would be to deal with Mankind in a Way contrary to their own Natures, and to put a Force upon free Agents: But then here appears the Wisdom and Goodness of divine Providence; tho' God does not hinder these Things, yet he fo orders the Matter, that excellent Ends are ferved by them. He, who brings Light out of Darkness, can, and doth bring a great deal of Good to Mankind by thefe grievous Evils: For by these Scandals and Offences which happen in the World, 1. The Reality and Sincerity of Mens Pretenfions to Religion are effectually tried. 2. The Graces and Virtues of the Good are hereby extreamly improved. And laftly, the Confequence of that, is a vaft Increase of Glory to them, in the Day when our Lord Jefus fhall come to judge the World.

The Ufe I make of this Point is this. Since it must needs be that Offences come, fince, according to the Course of this World, there will be always fo many Temptations and Stumbling-blocks laid before Men in the Way of Virtue and Godliness, let no Man be furprized when he meets with them, or ftand amazed, as if fome ftrange and unusual Thing had happened unto him. There is nobody must think or expect to pass his Time in this World in fo profound an Ease and Undisturbednefs, but that his Virtue will be expofed to frequent, nay, and fometimes to difficult Trials. What therefore has every one to do, but to prepare himself for them; to put his Affairs in fuch a Pofture, as that he may be in a Readiness to encounter them. The Offences of this World do really make the Life of a Chriftian to be a conftant Warfare, and accordingly it is often so stiled in the New Teftament; and therefore, whofoever takes upon him that Life, it will concern him to have his Eyes open, and always to stand upon his Guard; to look every Day for Affaults of one Kind or other, and accordingly to be prepared for them: But how is that to be done? Why, by being watchful over our own Actions, and confidering well before-hand what Bufinefs, or what Company we engage in; by fortifying our Minds with good Refolutions, and calling in to our Affiftance all thofe Motives and Arguments to Virtue and Holiness, that the Religion of

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our Lord will furnish us with; and by frequently and heartily devoting ourselves to the Service of our Master Chrift, and carneftly imploring his continual Affiftance, and Direction, and Support in all our Undertakings. Now, if we do thus take Care to provide ourselves against the Offences that may happen, we need not be troubled or frightned when they come; for to a Man thus armed and fortified, they will do no Harm, but a great deal of Good, (as I faid before) of what Nature or Kind foever they be. If we do our Parts towards fecuring our Innocency, God undoubtedly will not fail to do his; and as terrible and dangerous a Place as the World is, upon Account of the Multitude of Scandals that are therein, we fhall have a safe and profperous, tho' not always an easy Paffage thro' it. Let us therefore be of good Comfort under whatever Trials and Temptations God in his Providence may think fit to expose us to. If we do not forfake ourselves, he will never forfake us; we have his Word for it, that he will never fuf- 1 Cor. 10. fer us to be tempted above what we are able; and, if ever he fuffers a great and an unusual Temptation to come upon us, why, in that Cafe, he will, with the Temptation, alfo make a Way to escape, that we may be able to bear

it.

13.

3. The last Thing obferveable in my Text, is, the heinous Guilt and Punishment of those who are the Authors of Scandals and Offences,

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Offences. Woe be to that Man, &c. What a terrible Woe this is, and what a dreadful Punishment it doth involve in it, appears from what our Lord had faid in the Verfe before. Verily I fay unto you, &c. it were better for that Man, than a Millftone were hanged about his Neck, and that he were drowned in the Depth of the Sea. The Meaning of which is, he who fhall, either by Word or Action, difcourage the very meaneft of Christ's Difciples from going on in the Christian Profeflion and Practice; fhall tempt him, or feduce him from his Duty, and draw him into Sin, it is better for that Man that he fhould be hurled to the Bottom of the Sea, never to rife again. What a lively emphatical Description have we here of the dismal Condition of all thofe, by whofe Means Scandals and Offences come! And it is obferveable, that this is declared concerning fuch a Man as fhall offend any one, even of the meanest and weakest of all those who profefs the Chriftian Religion; and if fo, how unexpreffibly great is their Guilt, and how fad fhall be their Punishment, who have not only offended one, but many hundreds, by debauching their Principles or Morals; by being Advisers, or Tempters, or Occafions to them of Sin, always fuppofing, unless they do timely repent of this their Wickednefs, and make it their Bufinefs from henceforward to live entirely to God, and to endeavour as much the promoting the Interests

of

of Virtue and Religion, as they did before of Sin and the Devil.

The Ufe that I make of this Point is, that all of us, as we love our Souls, would have a Care of being the Authors of Offences, or of fetting Temptations before others, of finning against God. Let us have a Care of having any Hand in the Sins of others, either by advising them, or encouraging them; let us have a Care in all our Converfation of tempting or enticing any one in any Way, to do that which he ought not to do, as, God knows, this is a Fault too common in most Companies, especially in the Business of drinking; and I might name other Inftances. Let us have a Care never to fay or do any thing, that may difcourage any Man in the Practice of that which is good; that we do not fet an ill Example before those we converse with, and by that Means lay a Stumbling-block in their Way, to make them go and do likewife. This Cafe doth highly concern all of us, in whatever Circumstances we are in; but it doth more especially concern thofe, who are placed in any publick Office or Station, fuch as Magiftrates; or in any Degree of Eminence above others, as the Nobility and Gentry among us. The Influence of the Lives and Actions of all these fort of Perfons do extend to a great many; and the Encouragement they give to Loofenefs and Immorality, either by their Countenance, or by their Example, H 4

is