the mysteries of the kingdom, than natural men can have. This is indeed the ground of all, the very thing that causes a man to rest upon Christ, when he hath a persuasion wrought in his heart by the Spirit of God, that Christ is an able Redeemer, a sufficient Saviour, able to save all that come to him. Then the heart resolves upon this courseSeeing I am persuaded of this, that whoso believes in hin shall not perish, but have everlasting life, I am to deliberate no longer; this is the thing I must do, I must lay my soul upon him, upon one who is an almighty Redeemer: and it does so. Now these first actings of faith have in themselves an evidence that distinguishes them from all that is counterfeit, a light of their own, by which the soul wherein they are may discern them, 'and say, This is the right work of faith; especially when God shines upon the soul, and clears it in the discovery of his own work within it.

And, further, they may find the influence of faith upon the affections, purifying them. Faith knits the heart to a holy Head, a pure Lord, the spring of purity; and therefore it cannot choose but make it pure. It is a beam from heaven, that raises the mind to a heavenly temper. Although there are remains of sin in a believing soul, yet it is a hated wearisome guest there. It exists there, not as its delight, but as its greatest grief and malady, which it is still lamenting and complaining of; it had rather be rid of it than gain a world.

So then, where these things are-a spiritual apprehension of the promises, a cleaving of the soul unto Christ, and such a delight in him as makes sin vile and distasteful, so that the heart is set against it, and, as the needle touched with the loadstone, is still turned towards Christ, and looks at him in all estates-the soul that is thus disposed hath certainly interest in him; and therefore ought not to affect a humor of doubting, but to conclude, that how unworthy soever in itself, yet, being in him, it shall not be ashamed; not only that it shall never have cause to think shame of him, but all its just cause of shame in itself shall be taken away; it shall be covered with his righteousness, and appear so before the Father. Who must not think, If my sins were to be set in order and

appear against me, how would my face be filled withi shame! Though there were no more, yet if some thoughts that I am guilty of were laid to my charge, I were utterly ashamed and undone. O there is nothing in myself but matter of shame !-but yet in Christ there is more matter of glorying, who endured shame, that we might not be ashamed. We cannot distrust ourselves enough, nor trust enough in him. Let it be right faith, and there can be no excess in believing. Though I have sinned against him and abused his goodness, yet I will not leave him; for whither should I go? He, and none but he, hath the words of eternal life. Yea, though he, being so often offended, should threaten to leave me to the shame of my own follies, yet I will stay by him, and wait for a better answer, and I know I shall obtain it; this assurance being given me for my comfort, that whosoever believeth on him shall not be confounded

Ver. 7. Unto you therefore which believe, he is precious; but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

8. And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

BESIDES all the opposition that meets faith within our hearts, it hath this without, that it rows against the great stream of the world's opinion; and therefore hath need, especially where it is very tender and weak, to be strengthened against that. The multitude of unbelievers and the considerable quality of many of them in the world, are continuing causes of that very multitude; and the fewness of them that truly believe, doth much to the keeping of them still few. And as this prejudice prevails with them that believe not, so it may sometimes assault the mind of a believer, when he thinks how many, and many of them wise men in the world, reject Christ.

Whence can this be? The believing Jews particularly, to whom this epistle is addressed, might think it strange, that not only the Gentiles who were strangers to true religion, but their own nation, that was the select people of God and had the light of his oracles kept in amongst them, should yet, so many of them, yea, and the chief of them, be despisers and haters of Jesus Christ; and that they who were best versed in the law, and so seemed best able to judge of the Messiah foretold, should have persecuted Christ all his life, and at last put him to a shameful death. That they may know that this makes nothing against him, and ought not to invalidate their faith at all, but that it rather indeed testifies with Christ, and so serves to confirm them in believing, the apostle makes use of those prophetical scriptures, which foretel the unbelief and contempt with which most men would entertain Christ. The passages the apostle here useth, suit with his present discourse, and with the words cited from Isaiah in the former verse, continuing the resemblance of a corner stone: they are taken partly from Psal. cxviii, and partly out of Isaiah viii.

We are here to consider, I. the opposition of the persons; and then, II. the opposition of the things spoken of them.

I. The persons are opposed under the names of believers and disobedient, or unbelievers; for the word is so near, that it may be taken for unbelief. Unbelief is itself the grand disobedience; for this is the work of God, that which the gospel mainly commands, that ye believe, John vi, 29; therefore the apostle calls it the obedience of faith, Rom. 1, 5. And there is nothing indeed more worthy of the name of obedience, than the subjection of the mind to receive and to believe those supernatural truths which the gospel teaches concerning Jesus Christ; to obey, so as to have, as the apostle speaks, the impression of that divine pattern stamped upon the heart; to have the heart delivered up, as the word there is, and laid under it to receive it, Rom. vi, 17. Unbelief is radically all other disobedience; for all flows from unbelief. This we least of all are ready to suspect, but it is the bitter root of all that ungodliness that abounds amongst us.

A right and lively persuasion of the heart concerning Jesus Christ, alters the whole frame of it, casts down its imaginations, and brings, not only the outward actions, but the very thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

II. As for the things spoken concerning these disobedient unbelievers, these two testimonies taken together have in them these three things-1. their rejection of Christ; 2. their folly; 3. their misery in so doing.

1. Their rejection of Christ. They did not receive him as the Father appointed and designed him, as the foundation and chief corner stone, but slighted him, and threw him by, as unfit for the building; and this did not only the ignorant multitude, but the builders, they that professed to have the skill and the office or power of building, the doctors of the law, the scribes, and pharisees, and chief priests, who thought to carry the matter by the weight of their authority, as overbalancing the belief of those that followed Christ. Have any of the rulers believed in him? But this people who know not the law, are cursed. We need not wonder then, that not only the powers of the world are usually enemies to Christ, and leave out Christ in their building, but that the pretended builders of the church of God, though they use the name of Christ and serve their turn with it, yet reject himself, and oppose the power of his spiritual kingdom. There may be wit, and learning, and much knowledge of the scriptures, amongst those that are haters of the Lord Christ and of the power of godliness, and corrupters of the worship of God. It is the spirit of humility, and obedience, and saving faith, that teaches men to esteem Christ and build upon him.

2. But the vanity and folly of these Builders' opinion appear in this, that they are overpowered by the great Architect of the church. His purpose stands. Notwithstanding their rejection of Christ, he is still made the head corner-stone. They cast him away by their censures and reproaches put upon him, and by giving him up to be crucified and then cast into the grave, causing a stone to be rolled upon this Stone which they had so rejected, that it might appear no more, and so thought Div. No. VI.

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themselves sure. But even from thence did he arise, and become the head of the corner. The disciples themselves spake very doubtfully of their former hopes; We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel; but he corrected their mistake, first by his word, showing them the true method of that great work, Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? and then really, by making himself known to them as risen from the dead. When he was by these rejected, and lay lowest, then was he nearest his exaltation ; as Joseph in the prison was nearest his preferment. And thus is it with the church of Christ; when it is brought to the lowest and most desperate condition, then is deliverance at hand; it prospers and gains in the event, by all the practices of men against it. And as this corner-stone was fitted to be such by the very rejection of it, even so is it with the whole building; it rises the higher, the more men seek to demolish it.

3. The unhappiness of them that believe not is expressed in the other word, He is to them a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence. Because they will not be saved by him, they shall stumble and fall, and be broken to pieces on him. But how is this? Is he who came to save, become a destroyer of men? He whose name is Salvation, proves he destruction to any? Not he in himself; his primary and proper use is the former, to be a foundation for souls to build and rest upon; but they who, instead of building upon him, will stumble and fall on him, what wonder, being so firm a stone, though they be broken by their fall! Thus we see the mischief of unbelief, that as other sins disable the law, this disables the very gospel, to save us, and turns life itself into death to us. this is the misery, not of a few, but of many in Israel. Many that hear of Christ by the preaching of the gospel shall lament that ever they heard that sound, and shall wish to have lived and died without it, finding so great an accession to their misery, by the neglect of so great salvation. They are said to stumble at the word, because the things that are therein testified concerning Christ, they labor not to understand and prize aright; but

And