The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. /…The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. /…

There is a woe to them that take scandals, all profane ones that will stumble at Religion, and reproach professors and profession because of scandals, there is a woe to them, and what woe? Even this, that those scandals are as so many stones tumbled in the way to make them break their necks in the pit of everlasting perdition. And, therefore thus you shall find, that usually where the ministry of the Gospel hath been any long time, and people have not been wrought ⟨p. 72⟩upon by the preaching of the Gospel, are not brought to a powerful profession of religion, you shall usually find it, that the Lord doth suffer some professors or other in these places to fall scandalously; Is it not so in many places in this City? And therefore I beseech (my brethren) think of it, as you are afraid to be hardened, and to have a blackness upon you of Gods wrath, take heed of making this use of the falls and scandals of any to harden your hearts against religion, or to tip your tongues with reproaches against the Gospel and professors, and so to grow to a hatred of the truth and power of godliness. But the use you are to make of it is this, Let him that standeth take heed least he fall: Is one fallen? take heed thou doest not fall also; and to the end thou doest not fall, have a care to try and examine thy self: Look to thy self, that thou have a sure standing. Therefore I beseech you make use of this Looking-glass, take this text of Scripture, and by it try your selves; if you be right, Christ is in you, if Christ be in you, there is a death or sin, and a life of righteousness. Thus much for the first Use.

There is a woe to them that take scandals, all profane ones that will stumble at Religion, and reproach professors and profession because of scandalls, there is a woe to them, and what woe? Even this, that those scandalls are as so many stones tumbled in the way to make them break their necks in the pit of everlasting perdition. And, therefore thus you shall finde, that usually where the ministry of the Gospell hath been any long time, and people have not been wrought ⟨p. 72⟩upon by the preaching of the Gospel, are not brought to a powerfull profession of religion, you shall usually finde it, that the Lord doth suffer some professors or other in these places to fall scandalously; Is it not so in many places in this City? And therefore I beseech (my brethren) think of it, as you are afraid to be hardened, and to have a blacknesse upon you of Gods wrath, take heed of making this use of the fals and scandals of any to harden your hearts against religion, or to tip your tongues with reproaches against the Gospel and professors, and so to grow to a hatred of the truth and power of godlinesse. But the use you are to make of it is this, Let him that standeth take heed least he fall: Is one fallen? take heed thou doest not fall also; and to the end thou doest not fall, have a care to trie and examine thy selfe: Looke to thy selfe, that thou have a sure standing. Therefore I beseech you make use of this Looking-glasse, take this text of Scripture, and by it try your selves; if you be right, Christ is in you, if Christ be in you, there is a death or sinne, and a life of righteousnesse. Thus much for the first Use.