II. The Neceffity and Unavoidableness of them. It must needs be that Offences come.

III. The heinous Guilt and Punishment of those who are the Authors of them. But Woe unto that Man by whom the Offence cometh.

Of these three Points very briefly.

1. We have here fet forth the Danger and fad Confequences that Offences bring upon Mankind; Woe, &c. And indeed this Woe that our Lord pronounced hath been too fadly made good in all Ages from his Time to this. Mankind has ever been, and are still in a woful deplorable Condition, thro' the manifold Offences and Scandals that have been thrown in their Way. To pass by former Times, and only to speak of our own. If any Man looks abroad into the World, he cannot but be fenfible, that the Dangers to which Men are expofed upon this Account are infinite, and the Confequences of them

very fatal to abundance of People. What thro' the Atheism, and the Infidelity, and the No-Religion of Men on one Hand, and thro' the Scepticism, and Herefies, and falfe Religion of many on the other; what thro' the Multitude of ill Examples that are every Day given, and the manifold Enticements to Vice and Debauchery that all Places do abound with; what thro' the Perfuafions

and

and Allurements of infinuating Companions, and the Frowns and Difcouragements of another Sort, who think it ftrange, as the Apostle Pet.4.4. fpeaks, if we run not with them into the fame Excess of Riot: I fay, what thro' these, and other Scandals (for all these are moft properly Scandals and Stumbling-blocks) which Perfons of all Ages, and Sexes, and Ranks, do meet with, the World is at that Pass, that really it is a moft hazardous Thing to live in it: Nor is there any Condition or State of Life fo fafe, but that one is in Danger of making Shipwreck of his Virtue; and how well foever one is inclined, he no fooner comes abroad into the World, but he runs a great Risk of being corrupted either in his Principles or his Morals, either of becoming a Misbeliever or an Unbeliever, or a vicious Liver. And indeed we cannot wonder at it, when we confider how natural a Thing it is for a Man to get the fame Opinions and Sentiments of Things which they have with whom he converseth, and how hard to refist the Importunity of Friends, or to ftand out against the Violence of great Temptations; how difficult not to be obliged by Kindness, or frightened with Difcouragements; what Charms there are in agreeable Conversation, and how uneafy a Life it is to be always wrestling against a Torrent of Examples, especially when Pleasure, or Intereft, or the Favour of great Men do plead on their Side: These Things being confidered, it is no

Wonder

Wonder that the Temptations and Stumbling-blocks, which are daily thrown before Men in the Way of Religion and Virtue, fhould have fuch a direful Influence and Succefs upon their Minds and Manners as they have, and that upon the Account thereof fo many are perverted from the good Way they were in, and fo many hardened in falfe Principles and vicious Courses.

The Ufe I would make of this Point at prefent (tho' a great many others might be made) is this: Since the Offences that happen in the World render it so dangerous a Place, it will highly concern all those, who have the Charge of others committed to them, to be wonderfully careful, both to keep them from these Offences, and to arm and fortify their Minds against them. Tho' there be no certain infallible Fence against the Mischiefs of the Scandals of this World, yet the best and fureft Fence there is, is a good Education, and being feafoned with virtuous Principles in our tender Years. It behoves therefore all Parents, and others who have young People in their Care, to look diligently to this, to fee that they be trained up in the Fear of God, to fet good. Examples before them of Sobriety, and Honefty, and good Nature, and a religious Converfation; to poffefs their Minds with a hearty and deep Senfe of the Difference between Good and Evil, the Ways of God and the Ways of Sin, and the indifpenfible Obligation

ligation that is upon them both, in order to their living happily here and hereafter; to purfue the one, and avoid the other; to inftruct them in the Principles of the true Religion, and to furnish them with Arguments both against Error and Vice: And lastly, when there is a Neceffity of fending them abroad from under their own Wing, to make fuch Provifions for them, and to difpofe them into fuch Circumftances of living, as that they may both know how to fpend their Time innocently and ufefully, and withal be obnoxious to as few Dangers and Temptations. as their Condition will admit. Thefe Endeavours, together with our hearty Prayers to God for his Bleffing upon them, are the moft certain Expedients to fecure our Children from the horrible Mifchiefs and Inconveniencies that the Multitude of Scandals bring upon the World. And indeed I might appeal to Experience for the Truth of this. Perfons, who have this Care taken of their Education, do not often miscarry; and tho' it may now and then happen to be the Misfortune of some of them to be over-born by Temptations, nay, and perhaps for fome Time of their Lives, to give themselves a Loose to a Courfe of Vice and Immorality, yet generally the good Principles wherewith their Minds were feafoned in their Youth, do, thro' God's Grace, fome Time or other, operate, and have their due Effect at laft. VOL. VI. H

2. The

2. The fecond Thing that our Saviour here declares to us, is the Unavoidableness of thofe Scandals among Mankind. It must needs be, &c. The Greek Word is váyun yap Luke 17.15, there is a Neceffity for it. St. Luke exξενεύει τον prefes it by αδύνατον ἐςι, it is impoffible but Offences will come.

ἔστι.

And indeed the Reason is very plain why they must come; for fo long as there is a Multitude of evil Angels about us, who malign the Welfare of Mankind, and make it their Business to fow Tares where Chrift has fown his good Seed; and fo long as there are Men in the World, who do carry on the Interests of that Kingdom of Darkness, either by teaching Doctrines which are contrary to Christian Truth, or by promoting Practices contrary to Chriftian Holinefs: In a Word, fo long as God is pleased to permit in the World, either the Temptations of the Devil, or the Follies and Sins of Mankind, fo long it must needs be that Offences will come.

But fome may fay, is it not a great Flaw in the divine Providence, that he fuffers thefe Things? Doth it not feem very incongruous and unbecoming that Care which we all believe God takes of Mankind, to expose them thus to Scandals and Stumbling-blocks, which he knows to be fo dangerous, and of fuch fatal Confequence to many of them? I answer, No, it doth not: There is nothing in this Proceeding, but what suits very well with all God's Attributes. If he has made

Men