stumbling? This is
it: when we preach Christ, and say, See why this stone is laid for a
foundation, that you, wholly desponding and despairing in yourself,
might hold your works and your own righteousness as a merely
condemned thing, and might place your confidence upon Him alone, and
believe, that Christ's righteousness may become your righteousness;
when those men hear this, they revolt at it, stumble and vex
themselves, and say, "How? do you mean to say that virginity, and
masses, and the like good works, amount to nothing? It is the devil
that bids you say that!" For they cannot understand, in this matter,
that their claims are not good; they think they have done well in the
sight of God; quote passages to prove it from the Scriptures, and
say, God has commanded that we should perform good works. If we
dispute this, they begin and cry out, "Heretic! Heretic!" "Fire!
Fire!" So that they cannot endure this stone, and they stumble
against it. So inconsistent are they one with another, that upon this
stone they must stumble; as Christ says, Matt. xxi., "Have ye not
read in Scripture,--the stone which the builders rejected is become
the corner stone? (and it follows) and whosoever shall fall upon this
stone shall be dashed in pieces, and on whom it shall fall, it shall
grind him to powder." Therefore, do as ye will, ye cannot dishonor
the stone; it is laid, and it will continue to lie. Whoever, then,
will run upon it and dash himself thereon, must necessarily be
broken.

That is the stumbling and the vexation whereof Scripture has much to
say. Thus the Jews stumble to this day against this stone,--and this
will not cease until the last day shall come; then shall this stone
fall upon all the unbelieving and grind them to powder. Wherefore,
although Christ is such an elect, precious stone, He must yet be
called a stone of offence and stumbling, by no fault of His. And just
as the Jews did, we continue to do at the present day; for as they
gloried in the name of God, that they were God's people, so it is the
case now, that men, under the name of Christ and the christian
church, deny Christ, and reject the precious stone. He has come that
they might reject their works; but this is a thing they cannot
suffer, and they reject Him. Therefore it follows:

_Who stumble at the word and believe not thereon, whereunto they were
appointed._ If they are told that their works are not good and are of
no avail before God, they cann