Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of…

certainly the more glory there is in Christ, the more dreadful will the condemnation of wicked men be, This is (the) condemnation, that such glorious light is come into the world, and men chose darkness rather than light. How many hear of Christ, and mind little, but only have a noise, they hear some strange things of Christ, and let them pass by, and think there is little reality in what they hear, but the only real comfort is in satisfying of the flesh in the lusts of it. In Act. 13.41.¹ we have an excellent Scripture for the reproof of such that hear the Gospel, and mind it not; Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets, Behold ye despisers, and wonder, and perish, for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you: It is spoken concerning Christ, as appears in the verse before, And by him all that believe are justified from all things, by which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses: Now ⟨p. 153⟩then it follows, Beware therefore lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the Prophets, Behold ye despisers, and wonder, and perish; as if he should say, you hear the Gospel about the glorious way that God hath to reconcile sinners to himself, to justify sinners, but in the mean time your hearts do close with your own Conceits, and your own ways, with the Law of Moses, and think by your own good meanings, and your own good works, that you shall do well enough, and shall stand before God; but saith the Apostle, Beware lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets, Behold ye despisers, and wonder: you perhaps, when you hear such things declared unto you, you account it strange doctrine, and you stand and wonder what the meaning of those things should be; but as you wonder, so you do despise; you condemn it as a strange thing that you were not wont to hear heretofore, and as a thing you cannot understand the reason of; this is the usual guise of carnal hearts, when they hear any doctrine, though there be never so much of God in it, and of the Mystery of the Gospel that is revealed in it, yet if they understand not the reason of it, if it appear to them as a new thing, they wonder indeed, but they despise withal, and condemn it, and slight it, and pass it over, as they did St. Pauls Doctrine, What will this babbler say?