Moses his choice with his eye fixed upon Heaven, discovering the happy condition of…

That Christ was appointed for the fall ⟨p. 44⟩of many, and for a rock of offence, that is, in regard of the sufferings that should follow upon the profession of the Gospel: and mark what God aims at in this, it is that the thoughts of mens hearts might be revealed; there are many secret thoughts, secret haunts of evil in mens hearts, secret windings and turnings of mens spirits, that are not revealed until then: when the cause of God, and our own ends come in competition, when they must part one from the other, then is the trial what we are: as when a serving-man follows two Gentlemen, you know not whose he is, until they part one from the other: as we read Ezek. 21. 21. the King of Babylon stood at the parting way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination; the best divining of men, is at the parting way: although the times of afflictions, in regard of the darkness of them, one way be called the night of afflictions, yet they have light in them, and may be called a day, in regard of the discovery they make of a man what he is. In prosperity a man is apt to judge amiss of himself, not only because ignorance deceiveth the mind; but because of the present contentment he hath, he is unwilling to be disquieted with any thoughts of disparagement: Adversity though it be a hard Tyrant, yet it is a true Judge; though it speaketh roughly, yet it speaketh truly.

That Christ was appointed for the fall ⟨p. 44⟩of many, and for a rock of offence, that is, in regard of the sufferings that should follow upon the profession of the Gospel: and mark what God ayms at in this, it is that the thoughts of mens hearts might be revealed; there are many secret thoughts, secret haunts of evil in mens hearts, secret windings and turnings of mens spirits, that are not revealed until then: when the cause of God, and our own ends come in competition, when they must part one from the other, then is the tryal what we are: as when a serving-man follows two Gentlemen, you know not whose he is, until they part one from the other: as we read Ezek. 21. 21. the King of Babylon stood at the parting way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination; the best divining of men, is at the parting way: although the times of afflictions, in regard of the darkness of them, one way be called the night of afflictions, yet they have light in them, and may be called a day, in regard of the discovery they make of a man what he is. In prosperity a man is apt to judge amiss of himself, not onely because ignorance deceiveth the minde; but because of the present contentment he hath, he is unwilling to be disquieted with any thoughts of disparagement: Adversity though it be a hard Tyrant, yet it is a true Judge; though it speaketh roughly, yet it speaketh truly.