Christ the Way and the Truth and the Life, Chapter 10
CAP. X. The Truth. Some generalls proposed.
THat what we are to speak for the clearing and improving of this noble piece of truth. That Christ is the Truth, may be the more clearly understood and edifying, we shall first take notice of some generalls, and then show particularly how, or in what respects, Christ is called the Truth, and finally speak to some cases, wherein we are to make use of Christ, as the Truth.
As to the first. There are foure generall things here to be noticed.
First This supposeth what our case by nature is, and what we are all without Christ, who is the Truth: as,
Frst. It supposeth that without Christ, we are in darkness, mistakes, errors: yea we are said to be darkness it self Ephes. 5. 8. yea were sometimes darknesse &c. Iohn. 1: 5. and of darknesse. 1 Thes. 5: 5. yea, under the …ower of darknesse Col. 1: 13 Iohn 12: 35. 1 Iohn. 2: vers. 11. walking in darknesse 1 Iohn. 1: vers. 6. and abideing in darknesse 1 Pet. 2: 9. 1 Thes. 5: 4. Iohn. 12: 46. we wander and go astray, as soon as we are borne speaking lies Psal. 58: 3. yea we go astray in the greatnesse of our folly Prov. 5. last. we are all gone astray Esai. 53: 6. See also Psal. 119: 67, 176. So far are we from any knowledge of, or acquantance with Truth, or with the way of truth.
Secondly it supposeth, that we cannot turne-in to the right way: a Spirit of errour and untruth leadeth us continually wrong: like the sheep we wander still▪ and we weary ourselves in our wandering; and so spend all our labour and paines in vaine. Being under the power of untruth and errour, we cannot walk one step right.
Thridly. Though all other wayes, beside Him who only is the Way, and the Truth, be false wayes, and by-wayes, leading us away from the true testing place, and from that Way, which is the Truth; yet we are prone, and ready to cleave to those false and erroneous wayes, to grippe to shadowes▪ andto leane to them, as if they were the wayes of truth: Such as
1. A good heart, which many imagine they have, when they have nothing lesse.
2. Good intentions and purposes for time to come, which such, as were not under the power of errour and untruth, would never deceive themselves withall.
3. An harmelesse life without scandalous outbreakings to the reproach of christianity: a foundation▪ on which … wise man, led by truth, would build his salvation, or hopes of eternal happinesse.
4, An outward morall, civil and discreet carriage, which no man can blame, and wherein a heathen can outstripe many, called christians, so that it must be a poor ground to found our hopes upon, and yet many are so blinded, that they leane all their weight upon such a rotten staff.
5. Outward exercise of religious dutyes, wherein a Pharisee may outstripe many: and yet O! how many build all their hopes of heaven upon this sandy foundation, which none but blinded persons would do.
6. The commendation & applause of ministers & christians, is that which many rest upon: which is a sad proof of the blindnesse of their hearts.
7. The way of good works and almes deeds, blindfoldeth many, and sheweth that they were never led by truth, or taught of Christ, who is the Truth.
8. Some pinching greif and sorrow for sin, i… another way, which people, strangers to the truth, deceive themselves withall.
9. A common sort of repentance, backed with some kinde of amendement and outward reformation, is away that many rest secure in, though it lead to destruction.
10. Freedom from challenges of conscience, deceiveth many.
Though these and such like wayes be dangerous, yea deadly, yet how many is there to be found among christians, that have no better ground of their hope of salvation, and will cleave to them so fast, as no preaching will make them so much as once question the matter, or suspect that these wayes will in end deceive them; so strong is their inclination to the way of errour, though not as the way of errour.
Fourthly. It presupposeth also an inclineableness in us by nature to wander out of the way: for being nothing but a mass of errour, made up of darkness, ignorance and mistakes, we have a strong byas to errour, which agreeth best, with our naturall corrupted temper. Hence is it, that we have such a strong propension to errour and mistakes: Whether
1. Concearning God, and his way of dealing with his Church or with our selves. O how ready are our hearts by nature, to hatch and foment wrong, unseemly, untrue, yea unchristian, if not blasphemous thoughts and conceptions of his Nature, Attributes, Word, and Works? And how ready and prone are we, to receive and intertaine wrong apprehensions of all his wayes and dealings with his Church and people? And as for his works in and about ourselves▪ O what unsuteable, erroneous, false, ungodly, absurd and abominable opinions do we with greediness drink-in, and foster; yea feed upon with delight? Who is able to recount all the errours and mistakes, which our heart by nature is ready to admit, and foster with complacency? Are we not by nature ready to say, that there is not a God, as the fool Psal. 14: 1. Or That He is not such a God, as his word and works declare Him to be; a Holy, Just, Righteous, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient God &c▪ Or that He is a changeable God, and actually changed, not being the same now, which sometime he was. That He hath forgotten to be gracious, and remembereth not his people in adversity; and so is not Tender and Mercifull. That He hath forgotten his promises, and so is not Faithful and True. That he approveth of sin, because he suffereth the way of the wicked to prosper, and so is not an Holy God &c. Yea do not ofttimes such thoughts as these lodge within the heart of the truly Godly? All which sheweth, how prone we are to receive and intertaine erroneous and false thoughts of God.
2. Concearning Ourselves, Supposeing ourselves to be borne againe and reconciled to God, when yet we are living in black nature: and who so …old and confident that they are right, as such as are …thest out of the way? Or, on the other hand, sup…osing ourselves to be in a bad state and in nature, … darknesse, when the day starre from on high hath visited us, and brought our souls from death unto life. And who more ready to compleane, then such as have least cause? Or supposeing ourselves in a good condition, lively, active, diligent, watchfull, &c. when it is just other wayes with us: or on the contrary, compleaning of deadnesse, formality, upsitting, fainting, heartlesnesse in the wayes of God, when it is not so. Or, in questioned matters, taking truth to be errour, and errour to be truth.
3. Concearning Others. How ready are we to run either to the one extremity, or the other, in judging their persons, and actions?
O! where is the faith of this natural condition? Where is the reall conviction of it? Sure there is but little real beleeving of this, when
1. There are so many, that never so much as suspect themselves, or question either their state or condition, at one time or other; never once imagine that their blinded hearts may deceive them; never once dreame of a possibility of mistaking, and of dying with a lie in their right hand.
2. And so many, that are not lamenting and bewailing this their condition, nor crying out and compleaning of a false deceitful and desperatly wicked heart.
3. And so few, that are indeed humbled unde… the sence of this, and made therefore to walk mor… watchfully and soberly with an eye alwayes upo… their treacherous and deceiving hearts.
4. And so few, crying for help from God, against this deceitful adversary, through dayly experience of the atheisme, hypocrisie, ignoranc… misconceptions of God and of his wayes, and deceitfulness of our hearts, might sufficiently put it out of doubt with us.
Next. How miserable must their condition be, who are yet strangers to Christ; for they are living in darkness, lying in darkness, walking in darkness, yea very darkness it self, a mass of errour, mistakes, ignorance, and misconceptions of all things, that are good; and still wandering out of the way.
Finally should not this preach out to, and convince us all of a necessity of having more acquantance with Truth, with Jesus Christ, who is the Truth, that we may be delivered from this wofull and wreatched condition: for Truth only can set us free therefrom.
The Second general thing to be noticed here is. That all other wayes and courses, which we can take or follow, that we may obtaine life, beside Christ, are but lies, false and deceitful wayes, there is no truth in them: for He only is the Truth, No other whatsoever can beare this epithete: for
1. He only can satisfie the soul in all points: other wayes, whatever we may imagine and dreame, can yeeld no true satisfaction in this matter.
2. He only can secure the soul from destructive ruinous courses, which will undoe the soul: all other wayes will fail here; none of them can give the least security to the soul, that they shall not bring him, in end, to destruction and everlasting perdition.
3. He only can bring the soul saife through all opposition, and difficulties in the way: no other way can do this; but will leave us in the myre, ere ever we come to the end of our journay.
4. He will not deceive nor disappoint the soul: all other wayes, in end will prove treacherous, and give the travailer a doo…ul and sad disappointment.
O what a warning should this be to us all, to take heed, that we imbrace not a lie, in stead of Him, who is the Truth: and sit not downe with a shadow in stead of the substance. How ready are we to put other things in his place? But whatever it be, that gets his room in the soul, though good and worthy in it self, will prove a lie, Even. 1. All our outward holinesse and duties: yea. 2. All our experiences and great attainments. Yea. 3. All our gifts and enduements. Ay. 4. Our very graces: none of these are Christ; and if we place that hope and confidence in them, which we should place on Him, they will not prove the Truth to us. He alone is the Truth.
How sure then should we laboure to be, that we do not die with a lie in our right hand: and how carefully should we guaird against the trusting in, or leaning to any thing that is not Christ, and whole Christ, and only Christ, and Christ as offered in the gospel: seing this way is only the Truth. And no other way will be found so in end, though at present we may finde in it.
1. Some inward peace and quietnesse of heart, as if all were right.
2. Some satisfaction of minde, things being right as we apprehend, butfalsly, through the deceitfulnesse of the heart.
3. Something like assurance and confidence, tha… all will be right with us.
4. And hope founded thereupon, which may helpe to ride thorow some stormes, and yet fail us atlength.
The third general is this, Christ Jesus is not only the Truth in himself, but also in reference to us. The scope of the place cleareth this, as he is the Way and the Life, for our use; so he is the Truth. Not only as God equall with the Father, but also as Mediator, and our immanuel.
As God, He is 1. Essentially Truth, being God equall with the Father, in power and glory.
2. In respect of veracity, he is the God of truth Deut. 32: 4. faithfull in all his sayings Psal. 31… vers. 5. keeping truth for ever Psal. 146: 6.
3. He is the fountaine and spring head of all created truth, for he is the first truth.
As Mediator, and in reference to us. He is full of grace and truth Iohn. 1: 14. He received not the Spirit in measure Iohn. 3: 34. and this Spirit is a Spirit of truth. But of this more, when we come to show more particularly, how and in what respects, he is called the Truth, as mediator.
The fourth general, which is here observable▪ is, That he is not only called Truth, but the Truth, as he is the Way, and the Life: and not only true▪ but Truth, in the abstract: which sayeth.
1. That He is every way Truth. how ever we consider him, as God, or as Mediator.
2. That …ll Truth is in Him: all truth of salvation for us is to be found in Him.
3. That all that is in him is truth, his Natures, Offices, Performances, Words, Works &c. all are true.
4. That He is pure and unmixed Truth: no lie in Him, no errour or mistake there.
5. That truth in Him is in its perfection, and excellency: In the truest of men, it is very imperfect.
O what an excellent one must He be? How compleatly fitted and furnished for us! Oh if our souls could love him, and close with him, and rest upon him as alsufficient!