what God saith unto these prodigious wickednesses, and judgments, this coldness that is upon professors, and their mixtures with, and learning the manners of the world. You will never have your hearts affected with it, till you come and speak with God about it, and then you will find them represented in a glass that will make your hearts ache and tremble. And then,

(2.) If you would be sensible of present perilous times, take heed of centring in self. While your greatest concern is self, or the world, all the angels in heaven cannot make you sensible of the peril of the days wherein you live. Whether you pursue riches, or honours, while you centre there, nothing can make you sensible of the perils of the day. Therefore do not centre in self.

(3.) Pray that God would give us grace to be sensible of the perils of the day wherein we live. It may be we have had confidence, that though thousands fall at our right hand, and at our left, yet we shall be able to carry it through. Believe me, it is great grace. Point your private, closet prayers, and your family prayers this way; and the Lord help us to point our public prayers to this thing, that God would make our hearts sensible of the perils of the time whereinto we are fallen in these last days.

Use 2. The next thing is this, that there are two things in a perilous season: The sin of it, and the misery of it. Labour to be sensible of the former, or you will never be sensible of the latter. Though judgments lie at the door, though the heavens be dark over us, and the earth shake under us at this day, and no wise man can see where he can build himself an abiding habitation; we can talk of these things, and hear of other nations soaking in blood, and have tokens of God's displeasure, warnings from heaven above, and the earth beneath, and no man sensible of them. Why? Because they are not sensible of sin, nor ever will be, unless God make them so.

I shall range the sins that we should be sensible of, under three heads: The sins of the poor, wretched, perishing world in the first place; the sins of professors in general in the second place; and our own particular sins and decays in the third place. And let us labour to have our hearts affected with these. It is to no purpose to tell you this and

that judgment is approaching; for your leaders, and those that are upon the watch-tower, to cry, 'A lion, my Lord,' we see a lion. Unless God make our hearts sensible of sin, shall not be sensible of judgments.

we

Use 3. Remember there is a special frame of spirit required in us all in such perilous seasons as these are. And what is that? It is a mourning frame of spirit. O, that frame, that jolly frame of spirit that is upon us! The Lord forgive it, the Lord pardon it unto us, and keep us in a humble, broken, mournful frame of spirit: for it is a peculiar grace God looks for at such a time as this is. When he will 'pour out his Spirit,' there will be great mourning together and apart; but now we may say there is no mourning. The Lord help us, we have hard hearts, and dry eyes under the consideration of all these perils that lie before us.

Use 4. Keep up church watch with diligence, and by the rule. When I say rule, I mean the life of it. I have no greater jealousy upon my heart, than that God should withdraw himself from his own institutions, because of the sins of the people, and leave us only the carcase of outward rule and order. What doth God give them for? for their own sakes? No; but that they may be clothing for faith and love, meekness of spirit, and bowels of compassion, watchfulness, and diligence. Take away these, and farewell to all outward rule and order, whatever they are. Keep up a spirit that may live affected with it; get a spirit of church watch, which is not to lie at catch for faults, but diligently, out of pure love and compassion to the souls of men, to watch over them, to wait to do them good all we can. As it was with a poor man, who took a dead body and set it up, and it fell; and he set it up again, and it fell; upon which he cried out, 'Oportet esse aliquid intus,' there wants something within' to enliven and quicken it: so is it with church order and rule; set them up as often as you will, they will all fall, if there be not a love to one another, a delighting in the good of one another, 'exhorting one another while it is called to-day, lest any be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.'

Use 5. Reckon upon it, that in such times as these are, all of us will not go free. You find no mention of a perilous

season in Scripture, but it follows, some shall have their faith overthrown, others shall follow pernicious ways, and others shall turn aside. Brethren and sisters, how do you know but you or I may fall? Let us double our watch every one, for the season is come upon us, wherein some of us may fall, and fall so as to smart for it. I do not say we shall perish eternally; God deliver us from going into the pit; but some of us may so fall as to lose a limb, some member or other, and our works will be committed to the fire, that shall burn them all. God hath kindled a fire in Zion that will try all our works; and we shall see in a short time what will become of us.

Use 6. Lastly, take that great rule, which the apostle gives in such times as those wherewith we are concerned: 'Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure.' O, blessed be God for it! God knows who are his.'

What then is required on our part? Let him that nameth the name of God depart from evil. Your profession, your privileges, your light will not secure you; you are gone unless every one that nameth the name of Christ departs from all iniquity. What multitudes perish under a profession every day? O, that our hearts could bleed to see poor souls in danger of perishing under the greatest profession!

Will you hear the sum of all? Perilous times and seasons are come upon us, many are wounded already, many have failed, the Lord help us, the crown is fallen from our head, the glory of our profession is gone, the time is short, the judge stands before the door. Take but this one word of counsel, my brethren; Watch therefore, that none of these things may come upon you, but that you may escape, and be accounted worthy to stand before the Son of God.'

SERMON XXXIV.*

THE EVIL AND DANGER OF OFFENCES.

Woe unto the world because of offences: for it must needs be that offences come: but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh.-Matt. xviii. 7. It is very evident that our Lord Jesus Christ lays very great weight upon this matter of offences. He represents them like a two-edged sword, that cuts both ways: Woe unto the world because of offences: woe to them by whom offences come:' he knits these two things together. It must needs be that there must be offences; God hath appointed it, and it must be so. He doth not merely tell us, it will be; but, it must be;' God hath ordered that so it shall be

I will speak a few things in reference to offences that may be of use unto us; without looking into the depth of this great matter of offence and scandal; than which, I must needs say, I never yet saw any thing less inquired into, though there is no subject more written upon, and spoken

to.

We should consider for ourselves the time wherein we may be sure offences will abound. It is necessary from this wonderful caution of Christ here given, Woe, woe, it must be,' that we should consider the times wherein it is likely offences will abound. And if all those times should prove to be upon us, certainly it is our duty to be wary.

First, The first is a time of persecution. Offences will abound in a time of persecution to the ruin of many professors. So our Saviour tells us, Matt. xiii. One received the seed of the word, and it sprang up; but when persecution for the word arose, immediately he was offended.' Woe unto him, he is gone.

Secondly, A time of the abounding of great sins is a time of giving and taking great offence. This the Holy Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter days there shall be perilous times.' All perils arise from offences. And why?

* This sermon was preached Sept. 30, 1681,

Men's lusts shall abound. When there is an abounding of lusts, there will be an abounding of offences, that make the times perilous.

Thirdly, When there is a decay of churches, when they grow cold, and are under decays, it is a time of the abounding of offences: Iniquity shall abound, and the love of many shall wax cold.' That is a time when offences will abound; such as all the churches of Christ seem to be under at this day. All the virgins, wise and foolish, are asleep. It is what I have told you often, and I wish I could say I have told you without weeping, that we are under woful decays, falling from our first faith, love, and works.

Now if all these times should be upon us: a time of persecution, as it is now throughout the world; saith the apostle, 'Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, for all that befalls you, brethren, in the world:' a time of the abounding of great sin in men; I need not enlarge upon this: and a time of great decays in all churches: if it be thus with us, certainly it is very proper for us to look upon this warning of our Saviour: Take heed of offences.'

Offences are of two sorts.

I. Such as are taken only, and not given.
II. Such as are given, and taken also.

I. Such as are taken only, and not given. The great offence taken was at Jesus Christ himself. God appointed Christ to be the greatest offence in the world; Isa. viii. He had designed him to be a stumbling-block, and a rock of offence, an insuperable offence. The poverty of Christ in the world, and his cross were the rock of offence, whereat both Jews and Gentiles stumbled and fell, and ruined themselves unto eternity. Now the apostle disputes, 1 Cor. i. that this was an offence taken, and not given. How does he prove it? Why that wherein God puts forth his wisdom and his power is no offence given, but merely taken. But in Christ crucified God put forth his power. Let him be as poor in the world as he will, let him be crucified, there is the wisdom and the power of God in it, and therefore there can be no just offence.

This offence taken, and not given, is increased by the poverty of the church. You see your calling, brethren; 'not many great, not many wise, not many noble.' In plain