were made to him to " sin, that grace might abound," he would reply with indignation and abhorrence, " God forbid ! " To you, then, I say, be diligent in your inquiries, and candid in your judgment. Where, amongst the self-righteous moralists, did you ever find such attainments in holiness as in the Apostle Paul ? These attainments were the genuine fruit of his prin- ciples; as he himself has told us: "The love of Christ con- straineth us ; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead ; and that he died for all, that they who live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them, and rose again k." Only receive the Gospel as he preached it; and it shall operate in you as it did in the Churches which were planted by him.]
2. Is there any one here who, by his conduct, gives occasion for this objection ?
[That there is not any avowed Antinomian amongst us, I can easily believe : but are there not those who, by their un- governed tempers, or their covetous practices, or their unholy lives, "give occasion to the enemies of religion to blaspheme," and to " speak evil of the truths" which Paul preached ? Ah! brethren, if there be one such person in the midst of us, let him remember what our blessed Lord has said : " Woe unto the world because of offences ; for it must needs be that offences will come : but woe unto him by whom they come : for it were better that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were cast into the midst of the sea, than that he should offend one of God's little ones1." It is a lamentable fact, that one man who dishonours the Gospel by an unholy conversation, does more injury to the souls of men, than ten holy men can do them good. Every one, however blind to the excellencies of the godly, has his eyes open to behold the faults of those who profess godliness ; aye, and his mouth open too, to report and aggravate all the evil that he has either seen or heard : for it is by this that worldly men seek to justify themselves in their contempt of a religion which is so disgraced. I charge you then, my dear brethren, guard against every thing which can produce these fatal effects ; and beg of God rather to cut you oft' from the earth at once, than to suffer you to become a stumbling- block to the world, and a scandal to his Church.]
3. I trust there are those present who bear in mind
and exemplify their baptismal vows —
[Yes, I hope there are amongst us many who " walk worthy of their high calling," and " adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour" by a holy and heavenly conversation. To such
k 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. '■ Lukexvii. 1,2.
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