"THE TRUTH." SOME GENERALS PROPOSED.
That what we are to speak to for the clearing and improving 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 generals,
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 four general things here to be noticed.
1. This supposeth what our case by nature is, and what we are all
without Christ, who is the Truth: as,
_First._ It supposeth that without Christ we are in darkness, mistakes,
errors: yea, we are said to be darkness itself. Eph. v. 8, "Ye were
sometimes darkness," &c. John i. 5, and of darkness; 1 Thess. v. 5, yea,
under the "power of darkness;" Col. i. 13. John xii. 35. 1 John ii. 11,
"walking in darkness;" 1 John i. 6, and "abiding in darkness." 1 Pet.
ii. 9. 1 Thess. v. 4. John xii. 46, "We wander and go astray as soon as
we are born, speaking lies," Psal. lviii. 3. Yea, we "go astray in the
greatness of our folly," Prov. v. 22. We are "all gone astray," Isa.
liii. 6. Psal. cxix. 67-176; so far are we from any knowledge of, or
acquaintance with truth, or with the way of truth.
_Secondly._ It supposeth that we cannot turn into the right way. A
spirit of error 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 pains in vain. Being under the power of untruth and
error, we cannot walk one step right.
_Thirdly._ Though all other ways, beside him who only is the way and the
truth, be false ways and by-ways, leading us away from the true
resting-place, and from that way which is the truth; yet we are prone
and ready to cleave to those false and erroneous ways, and grip to
shadows, and to lean to them, as if they were the ways of truth: Such
as,
1. A good heart, which many may imagine they have, when they have
nothing less.
2. Good intentions and purposes for time to come, which such, as were
not under the power of error and untruth, would never deceive themselves
withal.
3. An harmless life, without scandalous out-breakings to the reproach of
Christianity, a foundation on which no wise man, led by truth, would
build his salvation, or hopes of eternal happiness.
4. An outward, moral, civil and discreet carriage, which no man can
blame, and wherein a heathen can outstrip many called Christians; so
that it must be a poor ground to found our hopes upon; and yet many are
so blinded, that they lean all their weight upon such a rotten staff.
5. Outward exercise of religious duties, wherein a Pharisee may outstrip
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 and applause of ministers and Christians, is that
which many rest upon, which is a sad proof of the blindness of their
hearts.
7. The way of good works and alms-deeds blindfoldeth many, and sheweth
that they were never led by truth, or taught of Christ, who is the
truth.
8. Some pinching grief and sorrow for sin, is another way which people,
strangers to the truth, deceive themselves withal.
9. A common sort of repentance, backed with some kind of amendment and
outward reformation, is a way that many rest secure in, though it lead
to destruction.
10. Freedom from challenges of conscience deceiveth many.
Though these and such like ways be dangerous, yea, deadly, yet how many
are 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 ways will in the end deceive them; so strong is their
inclination to the way of error, though not as the way of error.
_Fourthly._ It presupposeth also an inclinableness in us by nature to
wander out of the way; for being nothing but a mass of error, made up of
darkness, ignorance, and mistakes, we have a strong bias to error, which
agreeth best with our natural, corrupted temper. Hence it is, that we
have such a strong propension to errors and mistakes: Whether,
1. Concerning God, and his way of dealing with his church, or with
ourselves. 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 entertain wrong apprehensions of
all his ways and dealings with his church and people? And as for his
works in and about ourselves, O! what unsuitable, 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
errors 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. xiv. 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 merciful. 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 a
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 entertain erroneous and false thoughts of God.
2. Concerning ourselves. Supposing ourselves to be born again and
reconciled to God, when yet we are living in black nature: And who so
bold and confident that they are right, as they that are furthest out of
the way? Or, on the other hand, supposing ourselves to be in a bad
state, and in nature and darkness, when the day-star from on high hath
visited us, and brought our souls from death unto life. And who more
ready to complain than such as have least cause? Or supposing ourselves
in a good condition; lively, active, diligent, watchful, &c, when it is
just otherwise with us: Or, on the contrary, complaining of deadness,
formality, upsitting, fainting, heartlessness in the ways of God, when
it is not so. Or, in questioned matters, taking truth to be error, and
error to be truth.
3. Concerning others. How ready are we to run either to the one
extremity or the other in judging their persons and actions?
Oh! where is the faith of this natural condition? where is the real
conviction of it? Sure there is but little real believing 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
dream 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 complaining of a false, deceitful, and
desperately wicked heart.
(3.) And so few that are indeed humbled under the sense of this, and
made therefore to walk more watchfully and soberly with an eye always
upon their treacherous and deceiving hearts.
(4.) And so few, crying for help from God against this deceitful
adversary, through daily experience of the atheism, hypocrisy,
ignorance, misconceptions of God and of his ways, 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 itself, a mass of error, 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 acquaintance with truth, with Jesus Christ, who
is the truth, that we may be delivered from this woful and wretched
condition; for truth only can set us free therefrom.
II. The _second_ general thing to be noticed here is, that all other
ways and courses, which we can take or follow, that we may obtain life,
beside Christ, are but lies, false and deceitful ways,--there is no
truth in them: For he only is the truth; no other whatsoever can bear
this epithet: For,
1. He only can satisfy the soul in all points otherways; whatever we can
imagine and dream can yield no true satisfaction in this matter.
2. He only can secure the soul from destructive ruinous courses, which
will undo the soul. All other ways 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 safe through all opposition and
difficulties in the way. No other way can do this; but will leave us in
the mire, ere ever we come to the end of our journey.
4. He will not deceive nor disappoint the soul. All other ways in end
will prove treacherous, and give the traveller a doleful and sad
disappointment.
O what a warning should this be to us all, to take heed that we embrace
not a lie, instead of him who is the truth; and sit not down with a
shadow instead 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 itself, will prove a lie. Even, (1.) All our outward
holiness and duties. Yea, (2.) All our experiences and great
attainments. Yea, (3.) All our gifts and endowments. Aye, (4.) Our very
graces. None of these are Christ's; 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 labour to be, that we do not die with a lie in
our right hand. And how carefully should we guard 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; seeing this way is
only the truth, and no other way will be found so in end, though at
present we may find in it,
(1.) Some inward peace and quietness of heart, as if all were right.
(2.) Some satisfaction of mind, things being right, as we apprehend, but
falsely, through the deceitfulness of the heart.
(3.) Something like assurance and confidence, that all will be right
with us.
(4.) And hope founded thereupon, which may help to ride through some
storms, and yet fail us at length.
III. 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 equal with the Father, but also as Mediator, and our
Immanuel.
As God, he is, 1. Essentially truth, being God equal with the Father in
power and glory.
2. In respect of veracity, he is the God of truth, Deut. xxxii. 4;
faithful in all his sayings, Ps. xxxi. 5; keeping truth for ever, Ps.
cxlvi. 6.
3. He is the fountain 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,"
John i. 14; "he received not the Spirit in measure," John iii. 34; and
this Spirit is a Spirit of truth. But of this more, when we come to
shew more particularly, how and in what respects he is called the truth,
as Mediator.
IV. 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 saith,
1. That he is every way Truth, however we consider him, as God, or as
Mediator.
2. That all 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 error 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 completely fitted and furnished
for us! Oh! if our souls could love him, and close with him, and rest
upon him as all-sufficient!