are just whatsoever are of good report and it is heartily to be wished that men would not pride themselves in the mistaken signs of Grace and think their condition good only because they have perswaded themselves to believe so but would endeavour to be true and real Christians that the Name of God and Religion be not evil spoken of for their miscarriages Lastly Men and Women offend one another by that wanton garb of Apparel they have taken up Light Weeds I know are accounted but a slender fault but why should not our Pulpits arraign that which Esaiahs did how doth that noble Prophet lift up his voice like a trumpet proclaiming an heavy woe to those that draw iniquity with cords of vanity To steal a silken string were no great Robbery but how if a rowe of Diamonds hung upon it how if on these things we count but light and vain toyes monstrous iniquities do depend Pride and haughtiness oppression and envy scandal and lust what goodly Patrimonies do they not exhaust what works of mercy do they not devour what honest eyes do they not offend what hearts do they not batter O God what do we mean to indanger one another why do we kindle the flame of Lust in anothers bosome should our own hearts be innocent yet we draw suspition and envy upon our selves Our blessed Saviour would have us wise as Serpents and 't is a piece of the Serpents wisdom that coming abroad to drink he leaves his poyson at home lest other Creatures perish by his infection that drink at the same Spring Let us my brethren be thus wise does any infectious evil reside in our Souls any poyson of Asps lurk under our tongues any foul enormity appear in our lives any unjust violence defile our hands any scandalous Weeds hang on our backs either spit your poyson out or so smother it that it hurt none but thy self Was not young Jacob saith St. Ambrose even then an happy man when he was turned out to the wide world when he was fain to forsake his Countrey and Friends and his Fathers house how happy a Voyage did that forlorn wanderer make that thus saved his own life and his Brothers innocency get thee gone O man get thee gone from thy brothers sight if there be ought in thee that offendeth his eye or woundeth his Soul and that for thy brothers sake for thy Saviours sake for thy own sake First for thy Brothers sake for by thine offensive carriage thy weak Brother perisheth 1 Cor. 8.10 Methinks every word is a new enforcement offend him not for he is thy Brother offend him not because he is weak offend him not because he perisheth by it The Jews that sought our Saviours life would be thought Abrahams Children but Christ fetcheth their Pedegree from Hell they are of their father the Devil who was a Murtherer from the begining Joh. 8.44 How was the Devil a Murtherer he came not with a Sword or Poniard at his side but whispered a wicked word and killed us all he killed our bodies he killed our Souls too when our fore-fathers were tempted to sin Now if those that sought the bodily death of our Saviour were in this the brats of that murderous Feind how can we think better of them that seek the destruction of Souls since it was of the Soul too that the Devil was a Murtherer from the beginning By killing a man thou dost but rob him of that Breath which is common to him with other Creatures but by leading him into a vicious course thou strippest his Soul of that life of Grace which the Angels of Heaven are more happy in than in their natural being murther the Body and thou takest but his Soul from it but mislead his Soul and thou takest away his God 2. As for thy brothers sake so for thy Saviours sake too take heed of offences lest thy weak Brother perish for whom Christ dyed Consider O Man saith holy Bernard if the Son of God gave up his pretious Blood to redeem the Souls of men do not they persecute him worse who rob him of his purchased Souls than the Jews did who shed his pretious Blood 't is one of the Laws of God that if a stack of Corn or Corn-field had been burnt up he that kindled the fire was to make amends for the loss For a whole year the poor Husbandman had took pains for that hopedâ—… crease but it was not one nor two nor three but thirty three years together that the Son of God laboured hard to get a crop of Souls into his Garner what fearful Agonies did he go through what a bloody sweat bedewed his face that these fruits might prosper and grow and rather than go without this fruit he would give his life for it every Christian Soul is as it were a sheaf of this harvest which after so many toylsome endeavours of that careful Husbandman to bring it to maturity if thou shalt now scorch and burn up by mis-leading a man first into the crooked paths of sin and at last plunge him into the unquenchable flames of Hell hath not the Lord of the Harvest Reason to look these consumed sheaves this spoyled crop this wastful detriment should be made good and how this restitution should be made God Almighty hath directed in another case If a man dig or open a pit and an Ox or an Ass fall therein the owner of the pit shall restore the price of the beast Exod. 21.33 By drawing thy brother to sin thou hast opened a bottomless pit in which his Soul is everlastingly plunged and since thou canst not restore that perished Soul thou must be accountable to God for the price of it and what was the price of thy Brothers Soul but the pretious blood of the Son of God let me intreat you therefore to consider in time that it is no petty driblet no trifling arrearage thou runnest into but it is those invaluable drops of thy Saviours Blood thou art now guilty of and with what payment can'st thou wipe out such a score why if there be none else it must be such a recompence as the Mosaical Law exacted a life for a life an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth a burning for a burning a wound for a wound Hast thou been an helper of thy Brothers destruction a Soul must go for a Soul a burning for a burning thou that hast brought his Soul within the reach of those endless torments canst look for no less to be the portion of thine inheritance than to be cast irrecoverably into the merciless and devouring flames of Gods everlasting displeasure 3. For thy own sake give no offence for as Moses loads him with fearful curses that shall remove the bounds of his Neighbours land so the Law of God hath fenc'd in the Souls of men and he that makes them common which that Divine rule had inclosed stands liable to the seven curses of the Son of
sinning people as Foxes with their dangling singles do their filth that they may not be sented by their loud threatning enemies O Mercenary wretch saith St. Augustin thou sawest a Wolf endangering the Flock of Christ and rannest away How ran I away will some old Levite reply that sticks faithfully to his Glebe and vails why here I live here am I Canonically resident how do I run away That Father will tell you you are then fled when your lips are sinfully closed when either to keep a commodious friend or to shun a furious enemy some leud man shall be let alone in his impieties How many luxurious wantons might have been chast and regular How many in whom the sparkling Canary hath drowned Reason and Grace might have start up rigid Paterns of Temperance and Sobriety How many gripple Mammonists might have become renown'd Miracles of Bounty if some holy and wholsome tongue had given a timely assault and come in to the rescue of the precious Image of God so miserably defac'd by an unchristian connivance But on the contrary that which is our shame and should be our sorrow we suffer Gods Name to be dishonoured and blasphemed Christs body to be torn and mangled afresh with Oaths and his truth impaired with impious Absurdities yet never open our mouths in their vindication What preposterous madness is this should our friends Coat but sit disorderly on his back we would presently rectifie the immodish errour But his life is wretchedly debauch'd and dissolute and we never stop him in this dangerous Carreer Is not the Soul of more worth than the Rayment this at most but an unfashionable blemish but the other fearful and extreamly perilous Might not the Jew suffer the beast of his Neighbour to fall and perish and shall we suffer the Soul of our brother to be undone to all eternity God forbid let us rather by good advice snatch them as brands out of the fire And this is a duty not confin'd to those of the Ministerial Function onely who must needs want the frequent and requisite opportunities but indispensibly incumbent upon all men who fear God and wish the good of humane Souls Easie observation will make it apparent that the neglect of this Duty hath caused the greatest degeneracy in Christianity and made Religion esteemed the most inconsiderable part and end of our lives That general remisness visibly in Piety is chiefly if not wholly to be attributed to this sort of slavish Compliance which even Conscientious men are too apt to admit of in relation to other mens vices by which they receive a currant stamp and approbation whilest a prudent reproof would certainly work a Shame if not a Conviction in the sinner Now this unfriendly and unchristian Custom is usually warranted upon the pretended Civility of the Age and Freedom of conversation which allows every man an uncontroulable priviledge of living his own life And then it must be no less than rudeness and impertinence to introduce any religious Cautions Indifferency here makes the best company and any reluctant dislike of Sin spoils and disturbs it And so Christ himself must now be excluded as an unfit Companion for Publicans and Sinners All concern for his Honour must out of civility be disclaimed even by his own followers because to the Jew he is a stumbling blook and to the Greek Philosopher foolishness As the transcendent Graces and Gifts of Gods holy Spirit are almost levelled with moral Virtues so those Gospel-duties such as the fear of death could never yet dispence with must now be restrained and limited by the rules of a pretendedly civil i. e. a licentious Conversation Nay so far has this endearing and obliging humor prevail'd that men are afraid to stand up in the Cause of God lest they should affront his Enemies but must live in constant rebellion to their own Consciences on the petty obligation of Civility and Manners falsly so called Whereas according to the rule of good Manners that is certainly thâ— highest rudeness to dare to appeaâ— irreligiously in the sight of them thaâ— have by a solemn and sacred Voâ— engaged themselves in a contrary Profession For as in civil matters to conceal Treason includes an equal guilt and is obnoxious to the same punishment with the actual offence So in this case also he that does not reprehend a sinner is little less than a cringing assistant to anothers debauchery For shame therefore my brethren let it not be said of you that you love the Society of wicked Wretches better than the blessed Fellowship of Angels and that you had rather hear your God and Saviour abused than disturb your hellish company and will hazard the damnation of your souls out of Courtship to the Devil rather than be counted absurd among unreasonable men It was this filled the soul of Isaiah with amazement and horrour if the Fathers construe him right Woe unto me saith that generous Seer because I am a man of unclean lips Isai 6.5 He cannot praise God with the singing Seraphim saith Jerom because his lips are unclean and their foulness arose from hence that they had not faithfully reproved wicked Vzziah All Ely's personal holiness is eclipsed with the guilt of those hainous Transgressions he winked at The Prophet Hosea exhibits a complaint against a sort of Priests Cannibals rather that eat up the sins of the people Hos 4.8 for as the Viands we eat after a short digestion become our own flesh and blood so the Sins of the people which we smother and palliate being thus swallowed become our own The sacred Ministers of Justice in what Orb soever they shine will easily apprehend how much this Lesson concerns them especially in this dismal Juncture of publick affairs and permit me not as an imperious Dictator but as an humble Suppliant to â—ntreat you to remember that the sins of others which you labour not within your powers to prevent are yours in the guilt as well as those of your own personal commission and the exercise of Lenity in grand Enormities brings a woe upon your own heads For to justifie the Wicked and condemn the Righteous are both alike to God Have a care therefore you earthly gods that you give no Indulgence oâ— Countenance to that generation of Vipers that would be poysoning the Cups of sacred Monarchs and thrusting their stings into the innocent hearts of merciful Princes or sucking the Royal blood of their lawful Soveraigns And as you have any love or regard for that Religion which is pure and peaceable truly Antient Catholick and Apostolick or any abhorrency to that inchanting City fully of Idolatry Superstition and Blasphemy any concern for the safety of his Majesties Person Crown and Dignity and your own Freedom and Property that you would vex those Midianites that trouble you with their wiles and correct those Amalekites which conspire the ruine of our Israel and endeavour once more to make England Issachar like couch under the burden
God woe be to that man and thus we find it of old for as they that intend to destroy any devouring beasts of prey can do it no better way than by killing those that are great with young so Almighty God hath always took vengeance on the Parents and Authors of sin that he might root out the young cubs in their Dams belly When the Jews were consulting what to do with him that gathered sticks on their Sabbath-day Gods Oracle instructed them to stone him to death because as Theodoret states it though the fault in it self were a light one he was the first that offended in this kind the first man that violated that Sacred Law in his mis-leading act as in the Womb of a she-Wolf the future transgressions of others lay bleeding For this cause when that vile Traytor Judas had hang'd himself his bowels gush'd out on the ground because he was the first man that laid wicked hands on the body of Christ Now when that bloody Wolf had devoured the consecrated sop methinks all those indigested Gobbets unworthy receivers take in were now contained in his belly God therefore provides that belly should be presently ript up and those bowels gush out that these horrible profanations even in their Dams belly might receive their Deaths wound The Serpent saith Chrysostom was punish'd worse than the woman the woman worse than the man Isabel that devis'd the mischief worse than Ahab that took away the vineyard so thou that art the moving cause of anothers destruction must look for an heavier torment than those thou hast seduced the people of God were plagued for sinning with the Daughters of Midian but the Midianite was worse plagued for laying those stumbling-blocks before the people of God What a spotted Chronicle attends that Son of Nebat Jeroboam he that set up his glittering Calves to keep the people from the Temple of God! this scandalous affront was so taken to heart that almost in every page it is complain'd of whensoever the slips of other Princes fall into mention Jeroboam is cry'd out of as the ring-leader Jeroboam the Son of Nebat that made Israel sin So hateful to God was the offensive Idolatry of this man that even long before he rejected the Tribe Jeroboam came of he chose not the Tribe of Ephraim as the Psalm speaks Psal 76.67 and Theodoret venters to tell you why Because it was of this Tribe Jeroboam descended who pluck'd away Ten Tribes from the Worship of God Even in this life the plagues of God meet with scandalous sins a blemish'd name outward mishaps and the fierce sting of an accusing Conscience But our Saviours woe implies more the lasting torments of another world and therefore he says 't were better a milstone was hanged about thy neck and thou cast into the Sea than these offences were given for that Massy piece could only sink thy body to the Seas bottom but leud and offensive courses will at last drown both Body and Soul too in the Sulphurous lake of Hell-fire Now to keep off the blurs of following offences or the woes of offences already come I advise men to three things Restitution Circumspection Mortification 1. First in case of offences already given I advise Restitution For can we think Almighty God takes more care of our Silver than of our Souls no! one Soul is of more value with him than the wealth of the whole world if then he will have Zacheus restore that base Metal that was unjustly taken away how much more doth he look some amends should be made for a pretious for an immortal Soul have thy publick aberrations given the world an offence let thy publick amendment proclaim thee to be a new man As those Eastern Sages while they stay'd with Herod lost the sight of the Star but when they left Herod met with it again so if thou hast lost the splendor of thy good name by wallowing in a known sin recover it again by forsaking thy vitious courses Hast thou drawn men by thy leud suggestions draw them to God by thy good Counsels if that fail by thy fervent prayer if the same parties thou canst not recover bring in others instead of them as if thou hast borrowed so many Crowns and couldst not repay the very pieces it is enough if thou return an equivalent sum But thou wilt say It lies not in my power to do this I shall but get mocks and do no good Let not that obstruct thy holy endeavours for whether they turn or no thou shalt be no looser the God of Heaven is a gratious pay-master and as the hired labourer that hath digged in the garden or held the plow hath not his payment deferred till the flowers blowe or harvest appear but is immediately discharged though those prosper not so if thou work in the vineyard of God by thy good Counsels and holy examples whether the fruit be answerable to thy pains or not thou shalt be sure of thy reward in heaven 2. Since these things are thus since every stumbling-block we lay in our brothers way doth but kindle our flame higher in the next world what manner of persons ought we to be how holy and spotless in our converse how strict and cautelous in our lives like those nimble Creatures in Ezekiel Ezek. 1. what a sort of Eyes had we need have on all sides how importunately should we invoke God to order our steps aright that we hurt not our feet against the stones to keep the dore of our mouth that we offend not with our tongues and the windows of our eyes that they gaze not on forbidden objects to manacle our hands from violence and oppression and restrain our feet from revenge how diligently should we all watch lest we enter our selves and draw others with us into temptation 3. But if offences will come in spight of our circumspection our Saviours Counsel may help all do but cut off these offending parts with the keen razor of a sober mortification and thou art safe whether it be a wanton eye or a griping fist or a foot too swift in the pursuit of a bloody revenge whether it be a licentious tongue or a quaffing Weazand or the lap of a scandalous weed whatsoever irregular lust it be that laieth a stumbling block an occasion to fall in thy brothers way do but pare them away with the dreadful remembrance of their imminent woe lest the offending part being now spar'd thy whole body be afterward cast into Hell Now to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost be ascribed all honour and glory world without end Amen FINIS