race, or want of understanding and right uptaking of grace in its
various outgoings and actings under various notions, and the like.

Whereupon Christ, after his usual manner, taketh occasion to clear up
that ground of consolation further unto them; and to let them see the
true way of coming to the Father, that thereby they might be helped to
see that they were not such strangers unto the way as they supposed; and
withal, he amplifieth and layeth out the properties and excellencies of
this way, as being the only true and living way; and that in such a
manner, as they might both see the way to be perfect, full, safe,
saving, and satisfying; and also learn their duty of improving this way
always, and in all things, until they come home at length to the Father,
saying, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto
the Father but by me."

Christ then saying, that he not only is the way to the Father, even the
true way, but that he is so the true way, as that he is also truth
itself in the abstract, and so the living way, that he is life itself in
the abstract, giveth us ground to consider, after what manner it is that
he is the Truth and the Life, as well as the Way; and that for clearing
up and discovering of his being an absolutely perfect, transcendently
excellent, incomparably preferable and fully satisfying way, useful to
believers in all cases, all exigents, all distresses, all difficulties,
all trials, all temptations, all doubts, all perplexities, and in all
causes or occasions of distempers, fears, faintings, discouragements,
&c. which they may meet with in their way to heaven. And this will lead
us to clear up the duty of believers, on the other hand, and to show how
they should, in all their various cases and difficulties, make use of
Christ as the only all-sufficient way to the Father, and as truth and
life in the way, and so we will be led to speak of Christ's being to
his people all that is requisite for them here in the way, whether for
justification or sanctification; and how people are to make use of him
as being all, or, as being made of "God to us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption," 1 Cor. i. 30.

Ere we come to the words in particular, we would look upon them as
having relation to Thomas his words in the preceding verse, wherein he
did little less than contradict what Christ had said in the 4th verse,
and learn several very comfortable points of doctrine, as,

I. T