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whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged abont his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 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! Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell-fire.

Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever

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ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Thus happy are the meanest servants of Christ, in the care and favour of their heavenly Master, and in the angelic guard, which, by his high command, are continually attending even the lambs of his flock. So condescending are the blessed spirits above, that even the greatest of them do not disdain to minister unto the heirs of salvation! (Heb. i. 14.) Let not the wisest and greatest men despise those, whom angels honour with their guardianship and care; especially since the Son of man, that merciful Shepherd, has come forth into this wilderness to save that which was lost, and even to seek and recover us when we were gone astray, and should otherwise have wandered on to our eternal ruin.

What could have been more happy for the church of Christ than the observation of this plain and easy rule, which he has given for ending disputes among his followers! And yet who, that sees the conduct of the generality of Christians, would imagine they had ever heard of such a rule? Instead of this private expostulation, which might often bring a debate to a speedy and amicable conclusion, what public charges! what passionate complaints! what frequent and laboured attempts to take, if the least scandalous, yet not the least pernicious kind of revenge, by wounding the characters of those, whom we imagine to have injured us !

As for church-censures, how lamentable is it, that they have been so little conformable to this rule, and in many instances so contrary to it, in almost every Christian nation under heaven! Is this the form in which ecclesiastical judgments do appear in the Popish, or even in the Protestant world? Are these the maxims by which they have been, or by which they are determined, even by those who claim the largest share in the promises made to the apostles, and boast with the greatest confidence of the presence and authority of Christ with them, to confirm their sentences, and to sanctify perhaps rapine and murder? Vain wretched confidence! Let us earnestly pray that this dishonour to the Christian name may every where be wiped away; and that true religion, and even common humanity, may not with such solemn mockery be destroyed in the name of the Lord.

Let humble submission be always paid to apostolical decisions in every difficulty; and let the promises made to these

leaders in the Christian Church be some encouragement even to us, on whom the ends of the world are come. None but an Omnipresent, and consequently a Divine Person, could say, Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them. His power and his goodness can never be impaired; let it therefore be an encouragement to social prayer; and let the remembrance of our Redeemer's continued presence and inspection, engage us to behave ourselves agreeably to the relation that we claim to him, and to those expectations from him which we profess.

SECTION XIII.

MATT. XVIII. 21-35.

THEN came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which, owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him,

said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? and his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

How unreasonable and how odious does a severe and uncharitable temper appear, when we view it in the light of this parable! Yet what light can be more just than this? We are indebted to God more than ten thousand talents; from our infancy we begin to contract the debt, and are daily increasing it in our ripening years: justly, therefore, might he cast us into the prison of hell till we paid the uttermost farthing. And were we to fall at his feet, with a promise of paying him all on his patient forbearance, it must be the language of gross ignorance, or of presumptuous folly, when addressed to a Being who knows our poverty, and knows that, in consequence of it, we are utterly incapable of making him any amends. But he magnifies his grace in the kind offers of a free forgiveness; and shall we who receive it, and hold our lives and all our hope by it, take our brethren by the throat, because they owe us a few pence? or shall we carry along with us deep continued resentment, glowing like a hidden fire in our bosoms? God forbid! For surely if we do so, out of our own mouth shall we be condemned, while we acknowledge the justice of the sentence here passed against this cruel servant.

Christ himself has made the application: so shall my heavenly Father deal with you, if you do not forgive your brethren and he has instructed us elsewhere to ask forgiveness only as we grant it. (Matt. vi. 14, 15.) Let us then from this moment discharge our hearts of every sentiment of rancour and revenge, nor ever allow a word, or even a wish, that savours of it. And as ever we hope our addresses to the throne of Divine mercy should meet with a favourable audience, let us lift up holy hands, without wrath, as well as without doubting. (1 Tim. ii. 8.)

SECTION XIV.

JOHN VII. 1-13.

Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.-For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him. Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come; but your time is alway ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast, for my time is not yet fully come. When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee.

But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people. Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.

We see how little the greatest external advantages can do without the Divine blessing, when some of the nearest relations of Christ himself, by whom he had been most intimately known, were not prevailed upon to believe in him. Who then can wonder if some remain incorrigible in the most regular and pious families? How much more valuable is the union to him, which is founded on a cordial and obedient faith, than that which arose from the bands of nature? and how cautiously should we watch against those carnal prejudices, by which even the brethren of Christ were alienated from him?

Our Lord, we see, used a prudent care to avoid persecution and danger, till his time was fully come; and it is our duty to endeavour, by all wise and upright precautions, to secure and

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