nation to it, as in new born
babes to the breasts, so the children of God do desire the sincere milk of
the word, that they may grow thereby, as they were born of it, 1 Pet. ii.
2. In those scriptures which we read in your audience, you have something
of their excellency, and our duty. There is a rich jewel in them, a
precious pearl in that field, even Jesus Christ and in him eternal life;
and therefore we ought to search the scriptures for this jewel, to dig in
the field for this pearl, the doctrine of the prophets and apostles, as a
sure foundation whereupon souls may build their eternal felicity, and the
hope of it. Jesus Christ is the very chief stone in that foundation,
whereupon the weight of all the saints and all their hope hangs. And
therefore we ought to lean the weight of our souls only to this truth of
God, and build our faith only upon it, and square our practice only by it.

We shall speak something of the first, that it may be a spur to the
second. The Jews had some respective opinion of the word of God; they knew
that in them was eternal life; they thought it a doctrine of life and
happiness, and so cried up Moses' writings, but they would not believe
Christ's words. They erred, not understanding the scriptures, and so set
the writings of Moses' law at variance with the preaching of Christ's
gospel. What a pitiful mistake was this! They thought they had eternal
life in the scriptures, and yet they did not receive nor acknowledge him
whom to know was eternal life. Therefore our Lord Jesus sends them back
again to the scriptures:--"Go and search them; you think, and you think
well, that in them ye may find the way to eternal life; but while you seek
it in them you mistake it; these scriptures testify of me, the end of the
law, but you cannot behold the end of that ministry, because of the
blindness of your hearts, (Rom. x. 3; 2 Cor. iii. 13, 14.) Therefore
search again, unfold the ceremonies; I am wrapt in them, and life eternal
with me. Dig up the law till you find the bottom of God's purpose in
it,--till you find the end of the ministration,--and you shall find me, 'the
way, the truth, and life;' and so you shall have that eternal life which
now you do but think you have, and are beguiled. While you seek it out of
me, in vain you think you have it, for it is not in the scriptures, but
because they testify of me, the life and the light of men." May not this
now commend the word to us? eternal life is in it.