Christ: The Way, the Truth, and the LifeBrown, John
Religion
Christ: The Way, the Truth, and the Life
Brown, John
Bible. John XIV, 6 -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.; Jesus Christ; Justification (Christian theology); Sanctification
_Secondly._ Hence, we see the happy and blessed condition of believers,
who have embraced this truth, and gotten their souls opened to him who
is the truth; for,
1. They are in part delivered from that mass of lies, mistakes,
misapprehensions, errors, deceitfulness and ignorance under which they
lay formerly, and all the unregenerate do yet lie. And though they be
not fully delivered therefrom, yet the day is coming when that shall be,
and the begun work of grace and truth in them is a pledge thereof; and
at present they have ground to believe, that that evil shall not again
have dominion over them, they being now under grace, and under the
guidance of truth.
2. Howbeit they have many perplexing thoughts, doubts and fears of their
state and condition, and think many a time, that they shall one day or
other perish by the way; and all their hopes and confidence shall
evanish; yet having given up themselves to truth, and to the truth, they
shall not be disappointed in the end. The truth shall land them safe on
the other side. The truth shall prove no lie.
3. They have a fast and steadable friend to go to, in a day of darkness,
clouds, doubts, when falsehood and lies are like to prevail, even the
Truth, who alone can help them in that day.
4. Howbeit the knowledge they have of God, and of the mysteries of the
gospel, be but small; yet that small measure being taught by him, who is
the truth, and flowing from truth, shall prove sanctifying and saving.
9. They have ground to hope for more freedom from errors and deceitful
lies, than others; for they have chosen the way of truth, and given
themselves up to the leading of truth.
_Object._ But do not even such drink in and receive and plead for
errors, as well as others; and is it not sometime found, that they even
live and die in some mistakes and errors?
_Answ._ I grant the Lord may suffer even some of his own to fall into,
and to continue for some time in errors, yea, and it may be all their
days, as to some errors, that hereby, all may learn to tremble and fear,
and to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. (2.) Some may
be tried thereby, Dan. xi. 35. (3.) Others may break their neck
thereupon. (4.) To punish themselves, for not making that use of truth,
and of the truth, that they should have done; yet we would consider
these few things:
1. That there are many more unregenerate persons that fall into error.
2. If his people fall into error at any time, they do not always
continue therein to the end. God for his own glory maketh, sometime or
other, truth shine in upon their soul, which discovereth that mistake,
and presently, the grace of God in their soul maketh them to abhor the
same.
3. Or if some continue in it to their dying day, yet they repent of it,
by an implicit repentance, as they do of other unknown and unseen evils
that lie in their soul; so that that error doth not destroy their soul.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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