visible Church, but the Church of the New Testament is a fpiritual Church, and not vifible) I fay, the Jewish Church, which had the Law of Mofes, the Prophets, and the Pfalms, and obferved all the outward Ordinances of God exactly, they were all offended at Chrift, and made an Order, that whofoever acknowledged him, fhould be excommunicated and caft out of the Synagogue.

And this Offence was foretold by Jaiab 8, 14. where he faith of Chrift, and he shall be for a stone of ftumbling and for a rock of offence to both Houfes of Ifrael, for a ginn, and for a fnave to the Inhabitants of Jerufalem. So that not Babylon only, but Jerufalem; and not the Heathen only, but both the Houfes of Ifrael were offended at Chrift; and this makes the evil yet more grievous.

And yet this is not all; but fecondly, and not only the carnal Christians, but the carnal Clergy are offended at Chrift; and not only the common People of the national Church, but the chief Rulers, the most eminent, and in appearance moft Godly and Holy and Orthodox of the Clergy, are above all others moft grievoutly offended at Chrift. This also we fee done in Chrift's time, when the Scribes, and Pharifees, and Rulers of the People, Men of great Reputation and Renown, for Religion, and Righteoufnefs, thefe were chiefly, and above the reft of the Church, offended at Chrift; and as Chrift every where was moft fharp against them, and did moft reprove them; fo they did most bitterly oppofe Chrift. And this alfo was foretold by the Spirit of Prophefie, Pf. 118, 22. The ftone which the Builders refufed, is become the Head of the corner; this rejected Stone, is Chrift himself, and thefe Builders were the chief Rulers and Governours of the Church, and accordingly both Christ and the Apostles applied this Scripture to them, as you may fee Mat. 21, 42. and Acts. 4, 11.

So

So that the Builders, that teach, and instruct, and govern the Church, and are reputed the best, and most profitable and neceffary men in it, yea the very Pillars of the Church, fo that all would come to naught, and to ruine without them, thefe are the men that are most offended at Chrift.

Thefe are the Husbandmen mentioned by Christ, Mat. 21. that confpired against the Son of the Lord of the Vineyard, and killed him; and these have been, and ftill are, the chief and great outward Antichrift in the World.

Now when the People fee the Rulers and Governors of the Church, who are thought to have more Knowledge, Learning, Light, and Religion than others, offended at Chrift, this exceedingly increases their Offence; and when they fee the Builders rejecting and throwing away this Stone, this caufes them to reject him alfo with the greater indignation.

And thus you fee that this offence at Chrift, is a great and a large evil, and is fpread over all the World and worldly Church, and very few there are who do escape it.

And this for the first thing.

2. Point.

At what things in Chrift they are offended, and why they are offended at them.

Now the World and worldly Church are offended. 1. At Chrift Himself.

2. At his true Word.
3. At his true Worship.
4. At his true Church.
5. At his true Ministry.
6. At his true Government.

Of these things I fhall fpeak in Order, according to the good Hand of God with me, and fhall defire to be fo faithful to Chrift, as not to depart one hairs

(I) 4

breadth

breadth from his truth, though it may be, it will come to pass that all or the greatest part of you, will be grievoufly offended at it.

I begin with the first, and will shew, that the World and worldly Church are offended.

1. At Chrift Himself.

And they are offended at him in many regards, of which, I fhall mention these five.

1. They are offended at the meannefs of his outward Condition in the World. For indeed he was in a very low, plain, fimple, and contemptible Condition, in the days of his Flefh, as any ordinary Tradefmen in this Town, and lived with Jofeph in his Trade of a Carpenter. Wherefore Paul faith of him, Phil. 2. That be made himself of no account, and took upon him the form of a Servant, and was made in outward appearance as any other Man. That is, he was in the outward Condition of any ordinary Man in the World.

Now this mean Condition of Chrift, did much offend them; for thought they, is this the Chrift, of whom all the Prophets have spoken fuch glorious things? whom all the Jews expect, and who is the defire of all Nations? Is this He whofe Name is monderful, Councellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, of the increafe of whofe Government and Peace there should be no end, upon the Throne of David, and upon his Kingdom, to order it, and to ftablish it with Justice and Judgment from henceforth and for ever? Is this plain ordinary Man the Meffias? How can this thing be? For they thought that the true Chrift, of whom fuch excellent things were fpoken, fhould be fome great Prince, or learned Prieft; and that, that form of a Servant, and mean Condition in which he was, could in no measure agree or be fuitable to the true Chrift; And for this Cause, they were greatly offended at him, and thought him not worthy to be inany Place of reckoning

2. They

2. They were offended that he being in fo mean an outward Condition, John baptist should yet fpeak fuch high things of Him, and He of himfelf. John Baptift teftified of him, that he was the only begotten Son in the bofom of the Father; the Lamb of God that takes away the fins of the World; the fountain of the fulness of all the Saints; the beloved Son unto whofe hands the Father had given all things; and that he that did believe in him, had everlasting life; and be that did not, Should not feelife, but the wrath of God should abide on him, c. And these all were wonderful things, to be spoken of one whose outward Condition in the World was fo plain and contemptible.

And as John had spoken these things of Chrift, fo Chrift everywhere gives forth himself as the Son of God, and faid, He and his Father were one. And this exceedingly offended the Jews, as you may fee John. 5, 18. The Jews fought to kill him, not only becaufe be bad broken the Sabbath, but also because he had faid, God was his Father, making himself equal with God. And John. 10, 31. The Jews took up Stones to ftone him, and faid, we ftone thee not for a good Work, but for blafphemy, and becaufe thou being a Man makeft thy felf God. And fo they were all offended at this Mystery, God manifeft in the Flesh, in the Flesh of fo mean and despicable Perfon in the eye of the World.

3. They were offended at Chrift, because in him was no humane or wordly thing, which any Natural or carnal Man could poffibly like of, or delight in; He exercised no worldly wit, Wifdom, Reafon, Learning, parts, nor any thing that might commend him to the World; neither did he live in any outward forms of Religion or Worship which might commend him to the carnal Church. There was nothing in him_but the prefence and manifeftation of God, the Word of God, the Righteoufnefs of God, the Nature of God,

the Spirit of God, the Works of God, and God was all in all in Chrift; and God is wholly contrary to the World, and the World to God; And fo the World and worldly Church were wholly offended at Christ, he being altogether in the Father, and the Father in him, in fuch fort that the Father in him fpake all the words, and did all the works, and he could neither do nor fpeak any thing of himself, he was taken up, unto fo near Union and Communion with God.

4. They were offended at the reproaches and mifreports that went commonly abroad touching Chrift, raised for the moft part by the Scribes, and Pharifees, and Rulers of the Church, because they knew and were affured that Chrift's prevailing would be their undoing; Therefore they gave out that he was a Sabbathbreaker, a Blafphemer, an unlearned and ignorant man, and that made him err, a Vicious Man, a Glutton and Wine-bibber, a Friend of Publicans and Sinners, and that he had a Devil, and was mad; thefe were the common reports that were commonly divulged abroad touching Chrift, and that by the Teachers of the best repute in the Church; and the common-people reckoned them to be very true, and thereupon were horribly offended both at Chrift's Doctrine and Works.

And thus was Chrift a very fign to be spoken against, which faiah forefeeing in the Spirit, fpeaks thus in the Perfon of the offended Jewith Church, Ifai. 63, 3. He is defpifed and rejected of Men, a Man of forrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid (as it were) our faces from bim; he was defpifed and we efteemed him not. Christ himself by the Prophet complains of this ufage, faying, they laid to my charge the things that I knew not; But yet thefe falfe reports fo far prevailed, that he became a Stranger to his Brethren, and an Alien to his Mothers own Children.

And

5. They