and Spirit with him through true faith, is, because they have not known the Father nor Him. For he that knows Chrift in Chriftians, is not offended at them; and he that knows God in Chrift, is not offended at Him: But they that are offended at Chriftans, know not Chrift; and that they are offended at Chrift, know not God.

they are

2. When men are offended at Chrift and his 2. That things, it is a fing they are real Unbelievers, what- unbelie ever form of Godliness they may live under, and vers. though it may be they have been old Profeffors: for Peter faith, Chrift is precious to them that believe; wherefore they that are offended, are deftitute of Faith.

lofe all ad

3. They that are offended at Chrift, lofe all that 3. They Spiritual and eternal advantage that comes by vantage by Chrift to true believers, and fo fall fhort of the Chrift. Love of God in Chrift, of Reconciliation with { God in Chrift, of the Righteousness, Wifdom, and Power, and of all the fulness of God in Chrift, of eternal Redemption, from the Law, Sin, Death, and Hell by Chrift, and of all that great Salvation that is in and by Him; And Jefus Chrift is wholly in vain to them.

nifeft Re

4. When men are fully and irreconcileably offended 4 Are mar at Chrift and his things, it is a Sign they are of the probate.. wicked one, of the feed of the Serpent, and very Reprobates; as Chrift told fuch offended Jews; Te are of your Father the Devil; and my sheep hear my voice; but you hear it not (but are offended) and therefore you are none of my sheep, that is, none of the Elect: And again faith Chrift, all that my Father giveth me, fhall come to me; Wherefore they that come not to Chrift, but are offended at him, are not given to him of God, and confequently are Reprobates.

5. They that are offended at Chrift, are utterly 5. Are utterly ruined. ruined through fuch offence: Wherefore Chrift is called aftone of stumbling, and rock of offence to them

that

Ruin'd without remedy.

that are difobedient and stumble at the Word; And he is faid to be fet for the fall and ruine of many in Ifraeli and Mat. 21. 44. Chrift faith, Whosoever shall fall on this ftone, fhall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder.

For whoever ftumbles, or dafhes against this Stone, dashes against God himself in the nature of Man: He dashes against the Councel and Decree of God, against the Wisdom and Understanding of God, against the Love, Mercy, Righteousness, Truth, and Power of God, against the eternal Word and Spirit of God; and no man perishes like that man: For he incurrs all that Wrath, Vengeance, Deftruction, Damnation, which the Lord God himfelf in all his infinite Wisdom, Knowledge, Righteousness, Justice, and Power, can inflict on him to all eternity, and fo he is indeed ground to Pow

der.

Yea farther, that man that ftumbles against Chrift, is not only ruined by fuch offence, but ruined without all means or hope of Recovery: They that are broken against Him, and by him, are broken in Pieces like a potters veffel, which can never be made up again; They that fall against Him, never rife again; they that are ruined by him, are never repaired again. If a man were dashed in pieces by Mofes, he might be repaired again by Christ; but he that is deftroyed by the Saviour, by whom fhall he be faved? He that was condemned by the Justice of God for Sin, might recover again by the Love and Mercy of God in Chrift; But he that is destroyed by the Love and Mercy of God, is paft all Hope and Remedy.

Wherefore I intreat you to confider this thing with all your hearts; For nothing makes fuch ruines in the world as this Sin, Mens being offended against Chrift and his Gofpel. This is the fin that ruined Jerufalem of old, and Germany of late; and

if any thing undo this Commonwealth, this will undo it, the offence that is taken by mean men, and by men in Place and Authority against Christ and his Gospel.

*

Ariftotelem

And this is the fin alfo that is like to undo and The Uuiversity ad ruine the University, and to race it down to the monished. very ground, even your horrible Envy, Enmity, and Oppofition to the truth of the Gospel: When Chrifts word, or the Truth as it is in Jefus, is bated, oppofed, derided and fcoffed at in your Colledges, in your Schools, in your Meetings, yea fometimes in your Pulpits, this fin will dafh you in pieces, that you fhall find none to recover you. This fin will engage against you the Son of the living God; and when his wrath is kindled against you not a little, but to the very utmoft, for fo great wickedness, fhall then your Maßters, Pla-* Certum ef to, Ariftotle, Pythagoras, &c. Wretched Heathens, mortuum & who with all their wisdom knew not Chrift, but damnatum, effe Do&o are dead and damned, many hundred years ago rem be able to deliver you? Or fhall Thomas, and Sco-omnium tus, and other Schoolmen with their cold, vain, tum magis and Antichriftian Divinity help you? Or fhall the quam chriSecular Arm, and worldly Power (whom you have fum, Luth Refponf. ad feduced for many Ages) be able to fhelter you in Libr. Ambr. fuch an hour? No certainly; but if you continue Cathar. in your bitter Enmity against the true and fpiritual Word and Gofpel of Chrift, Chrift lives and reigns to bring you down wonderfully, and to make your Name a shame and a Curfe to the whole true Church of God.

And this poor contemptible Doctrine of the Gofpel which you hear to day, and (it may be) most of you defpife and esteem of no more than a ftraw for ftrength, this very Word fhall prevail against you, and triumph over you: And the poor People of God, that small handful of believers that are amongst you, whom you defpife in your hearts,

and

Viverfita

The Conclufion to

and reckon but as the filth and off-fcouring of the place, even they shall fee your downfall, and shall fay, Thou art righteous O Lord, who haft judged thus, and fhall fay again, Even fo Lord God almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

And this now have I fpoken in faithfulness to the Univer- Jefus Chrift, and in faithfulness to his true Church, fity. and in faithfulness alfo to the University, that they might hear and avoid that Ruine which will otherwise inevitably befall them for their offence at Christ and his Gofpel. And now let them that can receive it, receive it, and let them that cannot, deride and reject it. But whether you receive it, or whether you reject it, fore I am I have spoken the Truth, which God himself in his due time will witness to; and fo much alfo for this Point.

General.

The Blef

The Fourth Point, is, The bleffedness of them that are not offended at Chrift, thefe who according to Chrifts word here,

fednefs of

are not offended.

1. Such are taught of God.

me.

Bleffed is be whosoever shall not be offended in

Now thofe very few that are not offended at Chrift and his things, when the whole World and worldly Church are offended, their Blessedness appears in many particulars.

1. As first, in that its evident that they all are taught of God, and have heard and learned from the Father himself touching the Son. And they that fee Chrift by the Revelation of the Father, are not at all offended at him, when all other Men are. For fuch do clearly see Christs Power in his weakness; his Glory in his Reproach; his Exaltation in his Abafement; his Divine Nature in his Humane; they fee his Sufferings were for our Sins, his Stripes to heal us, his Death, to deliver us from Death; and all this they know not only by the Letter of the Word, but also by the Reve

lation of the Father in their hearts, and fo they cannot be offended at Chrift, who fee him thus. "Wherefore when the World and worldly Church I had many feveral Opinions of Chrift, and Peter notwithstanding acknowledged him to be the Son of the living God, Chrift replied, blessed art thon Simon, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this to thee, but my Father which is in Heaven: And this is thy bleffedness, that thou knoweft me by the Revelation of the Father, and fo knoweft me aright, and art not offended.

He then that is not offended at Chrift when all other men are, hath for certain the Fathers Teaching, and fees Chrift far otherwise than the World and worldly Church do; He fees Chrift in all his Mystery, and in all his Glory; and when we fsee him thus, we value him never the worfe for the form of a Servant, nor for all his Reproaches and Sufferings from the World, but we rather behold these things with the greater wonder and comfort; feeing for our fakes he humbled himself from the form of God, to the form of a Servant,. and in that form to the death of the Crofs.

this Revela

2. They are bleffed, because through this Re- 2. Through velation of the Father, they have true Faith in tion have Christ wrought in them. For true Faith in Chrift true Faith doth neceffarily follow the Fathers Revelation; and when God teaches us Chrift, we muft needs believe in him; and through this Faith we know him by Experience: and he that knows Chrift through the Experience of Faith, finds and feels Christ to be all that to him, which the Scripture fpeaks of him: He through this faith feels Chrift to be made unto him of God Wifdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption, and all things; and Chrift being through Faith made all that to him, which he is in Himself, it is not poffible he should be offended at him. Farther,

Dd