be no more defirous of worldly Honours than this Infant, you fhall not partake of the Happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven, much lefs fhall you have the first place in it. Whofo fhall behave himfelf with that moderation, as to be as unconcern'd for terreftrial Honours as this little Child, that perfon fhall obtain the highest Dignity in the Kingdom of Heaven. Whofoever thall kindly entertain any one upon the account of his being my Difciple, fhall be look'd upon as if he had entertain'd me; and whoever does me a Benefit, fhall be judg'd to have done it to God himself. Take notice, that 'tis the moderate perfon, who curbs his Defires fo as to be indifferent to all worldly Honours, that fhall be rewarded with the greatest Digni ties in Heaven, provided he difcharges as he ought all the other Duties of Religion. I know very well that these men are frequently the fcorn of Mankind, and that their conftancy is not able to bear up against that fhock; but affure your felves that whoever thus perverts another from his Obedience to my Gofpel, is guilty of fo great a Crime, that it would have been a happiness for him to have been thrown into. the Sea with a Milftone faften'd to his Neck before he had been guilty of it. Innu MATTHEW. CHA P. XVIII. 7 Wo unto the world because of offences: for it must needs be that offences come : but wo to that man by whom the offence cometh. 8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and caft 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 caft into everlasting fire. MARK. CHAP. IX. 43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands, to go into hell, into the fire that never fhall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet, to be caft into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Innumerable Calamities fhall infeft Mankind, becaufe fome by their Impiety will draw off others from their Obedience to my Laws; for, as the world goes, 'tis impoffible but occafions and opportunities will happen to alienate mens Minds from a virtuous and religious Courfe of Life; nor has God thought fit to obviate this Evil by any other means than the promulgation of his Laws. But, as I faid, great fhall be their punishment who thus pervert men from their religious Duties. If any thing therefore which you efteem as ufeful to you as your right Hand, interrupt you in your Courfe of Piety, it behoves you to part with it contentedly. For it is most certainly your advantage to forgo all the darling conveniences of this Life, that you may partake of eternal Happiness in the Life to come, rather than after having indulg'd your felves in all worldly Bleffings, be precipitated into the place of Torment, a place in which, as the Prophet fpeaks, the Worm of thofe miferable Wretches that fuffer, never dies, nor is their Fire at any time extinguish'd. If any thing no less dear to you than your Limbs fhould incline you to defert my Doctrine, you ought not to be griev'd at the parting with it, fince it is certainly much more eligible to part with it that you may enjoy neverfailing Blifs when this Life's ended, rather than be thrown into that place of Punishment where the Wicked are gnawed with a never-dying Worm, and tormented in everlasting Flames. · If If any thing that you value equally with your Eyes, draw you from your Allegiance to me, you ought to caft it from you, and not to hanker after it in this Life; for it is more profitable to be without this Pleasure, than by indulging your felves in it to incur the juft Judgment of God when this Life's ended, and fo be condemn'd to the place of Torment, where the Worm dies not, and the Fire is not quenched. Like as every. Meal-Oblation is fprinkled with Salt, and laid upon the never-failing Fire of the Altar; fo whoever thall defert my Doctrine, fhall be as it were falted in the everlafting Flames of the Place of Torment, and fuffer as a Victim to the Wrath of God. Having made mention of Salt, I now put you in mind of that Similitude I us'd to you once before, when I told you that if Salt Afhes (hould lofe their Saltness, they would become wholly ufelefs; fo you who are my Difciples, whom alone I have felected out of all this People, who have bin taught by me, and inftructed in my Doctrin, that you might be commiffion'd to declare the neceffity of a Reformation throughout the World; if you, I fay, should neglect my Precepts, there is no Mortal can reclaim you, and direct you into the right path, having once wander'd out of it. Make it your bufinefs therefore to exercife your Office couragiously, and with a firm trust in God; and take fpecial heed not to quarrel among your felves : for who can you expect to mediate for you, if you chance to fall out one among another? MATTHEW. CHA P. XVIII. 10 Take heed that ye defpife not one of these little ones; for I fay unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. II For the Son of man is come to fave that which was loft. 12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone aftray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and feeketh that which is gone aftray? 13 And if fo be that he find it, verily I fay unto you, he rejoiceth more of that Sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not aftray. 14 Even fo it is not the will of your Father which is -in heaven, that one of these little ones fhould perish. 15 Moreover, if thy brother fhall trefpafs against thee, go and tell him his fault Do not defpife thofe of the meaneft Rank, and the most abject Spirit, as if God only took care of the rich and wife: I tell you, that God has given his Angels charge of them, thofe very Angels whom he favours with his moft glorious Prefence. Neither imagin that they are unworthy of our Converfation, because many of them are fometimes found to be loofe Livers, and of deprav'd Morals; for we are come into the world on purpofe to reclaim fuch as have deviated from the ways of Virtue. Hearken to a Parable upon this occafion: Suppofe a man has a Flock of a hundred Sheep, and that one of the number ftrays, and is loft among the Mountains; will not that Shepherd leave his 99 Sheep, and feek for that which is loft, that he may bring it back to the Flock? Nay, he will be more pleas'd with the recovery of that fingle Sheep than in the fecure poffeffion of the reft which went not aftray. In like manner is God affected with the Reformation of one Sinner. Let it never enter into your thoughts therefore that he is pleas'd with the deftruction of any man, even the vileft upon Earth. Neither let any one fay, he has receiv'd an injury from fuch a one, and therefore he may juftly neglect and fcorn him; rather expoftulate the matter in private MATTHEW. CHAP. XVIII. MARK. LUKE. Јони. between thee and him alone. If he fhall hear thee, thou haft gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witneffes every word may be eftablished. 17 And if he fhall 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. 18 Verily I fay unto you, Whatsoever ye fhall bind on earth, fhall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye fhall loofe on earth, fhall be loofed in heaven. 19 Again I fay unto you, that if two of you fhall agree on earth as touching any thing private with him: If he hearkens to you, and is convinc'd of his having done amifs, and teftifies his forrow for it with a defign never to do fo for the future, you will have abundant reafon to be pleas'd in thus reclaiming a Brother from the error of his ways. But if he makes no account of this private admonition, let the injur'd party meet him before two or three Witneffes, that it may appear he has tried all private ways to obtain fatisfaction before he publicly charges him with the Injury. If he relents not, and makes as little account of the prefence of these Witneffes, then at last declare the Injury to the Church, that all may condemn him for it, in hopes that a fenfe of this public Shame may make fome impreffion upon him, and fo he return to his Duty, convinc'd by his own Confcience, and the unanimous consent of all good men. But if he ftill continues obftinate, give him over for one utterly loft, like thofe Publicans and Idolaters, who can dare to own that they do not regulate their Actions by a principle of Equity and Moderation. Believe me, whoever by fuch an action, and neglecting thefe repeated Admonitions, fhall incur the blame of Men, will be most certainly punish'd for it by God himself. On the contrary, whoever, making a right ufe of thefe Admonitions, fhall reform his Manners, and is therefore abfolv'd by you, God himself will ratify that Abfolution. Moreover," be affured, that if two of you here on Earth agree to the pardon of any Crime, Nn 2 the |