(4.) The mysteriousness of it above all natural reason. The devil
86 ' NOT TO BE OFFENDED IN CnniST [MaT. XL 6.
playcth on all hands ; pometimes the doctrine of the gospel is too plain, sometimes too mystical. It cannot enter into their hearts to conceive how God should be distinguished into three persons, how God should become man, and the like; and therefore scoffing atheists, such as are rite in the latter days, question all ; and having lost the light of their reason, yet retain the ])ride of their reason, and are objecting all the difficulties they can think of against the truth of the word of God, and are apt to say, as Nicodemus, John iii. 9, ' How can these things Le ? ' Till they see a reason for everything they will not own it. Indeed, we must see a reason why we believe everything, and that is, divine revelation contained in the word of God ; but we cannot always see a reason of everything which we do believe, for many things are mysteries, and we receive them as we do pills, not chew, but swallow them ; we take them upon the credit of the revealer : to chew pro- duceth a loathsome ejection ; to swallow, a wholesome remedy. Be- lieving in the common notion of it is a receiving a truth upon the trust of another ; so it differeth from knowing, for then we reason of ourselves ; and divine faith is a receiving such things as God hath revealed, because he hath revealed them. Then our first inquiry is. Whether these things be so or so ? not how they can be so ? There- fore we begin at the wrong end if we inquire first, How can this be ? In many cases, constat de re, the thing is evident in scripture ; but, lion constat de modo, how it can be is Ijcyond our reach. Now, when we should believe, we dispute and cavil, rather than inquire. If any- thing be not plainly revealed by God, you may reject it without sin ; but if it be, you must not contradict all that you cannot comprehend — the Trinity of the persons in the unity of the divine essence, or how a virgin should conceive, or how a God can become man. It is suffi- cient that all this is revealed in scripture, which carrieth its own evidence in its forehead, and shineth by its own light, and hath the seal and stamp of God upon it. In short, to believe is not to receive a thing in its own evidence, but upon the credit of the testifier. If you will not credit it unless the thing be evident in itself, you do not believe Christ, but your own reason ; and instead of being thankful for the revelation, you quarrel with his truth, because it is somewhat above your capacity. You should captivate your understandings to the obedience of Christ, 2 Cor. x. 5.
I now come to show you : —
Fonrtldij, The kinds of this sin of being offended in Christ. Three distinctions I shall give you : —
1. There is au offence with contempt, and an offence with dis- couragement.
[1.] The offence with contempt is when we arc prejudiced against, or turn from the faith ; either never eml)race it, or quite forsake it. Contempt produceth unbelief and disobedience. They are so given over to their sinful courses that they cannot be persuaded to relinquish them : John iii. 19, ' This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and that men love darkness ratlicr than light, because their deeds are evil.' Nothing will gain them to submit to Christ's healing methods ; they think he seeketh their loss and hurt rather than their benefit, because he would reclaim them from their lusts. These
I\IaT. XI. G.] THE KEADY WAY TO BLESSEDNESS. 87
reject all admonitions, and remain obstinate and impenitent in their sins.
[2.] The offence with discouragement : when men are staggered in their hope and obedience. Troubles are distasteful to the flesh, which seeketh its own ease. Some are discouraged in a greater, some in a lesser degree : Heb. xii. 3, ' Lest ye wax weary, and faint in your minds.' Weariness is a lesser degree of deficiency, faintness a greater. These terms are translated from the body to the mind.
2. There is an ofience of ignorance and an offence of malice and opposition.
[1.] The offence of ignorance and weakness : when men are carried with a blind zeal. ' I verily thought that I ought to do many things against Jesus of Nazareth/ saith Paul, Acts xxvi. 9. Men of a super- stitious conscience are like a blind horse, full of mettle, but ever and anon stumbling. But this is more pardonable : 1 Tim. i. 13, ' Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious ; but I ob- tained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.'
[2.] There is the offence of malice and opposition, when men err, not only in their minds, but in their hearts ; do not know, and do not desire to know ; they would not know what they know, and are will- ingly ignorant ; nolentes auclire, quod auditum damnare non possunt, &c. (Tertul. in Apol.) They have not a mind to know that which they have not a mind to do. They would not know the truth because they have a mind to hate it. This is spoken of. Acts xiii. 45, * They were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.' This is malice ; men first hate, then persecute and oppose the truth. Conviction choked with prejudices breaketh out into rage against that way they were con- vinced of, or the light of which they cannot rationally withstand. Herod taketh ofience against John the Baptist, whom he formerly liked, and then beheadeth him. Light resisted, or not kindly used, maketh a man turn devil, that he may the more deface all feelings of conscience. This is the malignity of revolters, Hosea v. 5 ; they will hear nothing to the contrary.