none other besides him, lest we be taken away hence, and the opportunity lost. Remembering, however, always, that the greatest of all heresies is a wicked life, and vicious affections, in the professors of the Gospel, and that which brings the greatest discredit upon it.

PRAYER.

O God, blessed for ever! who searchest the hearts of men, and hast placed us in this thy world as upon a theatre, that therein we may have opportunity of improving ourselves, and of manifesting what we are, whether we will be reformed here or not, that we may take our place and lot accordingly in thy future world:

Make us deeply sensible of the necessity of attending to our respective circumstances and situations in this important light, that we may profit by the various trials which thou bringest upon us, and the holy discipline with which thou, our Father, exercisest thy children, for their good always, that they may be brought safe to thee at the last.

For this end, destroy in us, O Lord, whatever sinful defilement we have contracted by living in this world and consenting to its evil ways; and bestow upon us an earnest and ar

dent

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 suppress 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 earth, 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