all
freely, for the glory of his grace? Let believers and others speak here,
out of their own experience, in truth and in uprightness; and it shall
be found, that he was and is the truth.

_Twelfthly._ He is the Truth, in that, in all his dispensations in the
gospel, and in all his works and actions in and about his own people, he
is true and upright. All his offers, all his promises, all his
dispensations, are done in truth and uprightness; yea, all are done out
of truth and uprightness of love, true tenderness and affection to them,
whatever the corruption of jealousy and misbelief think and say to the
contrary. He is the truth; and so always the same, unchangeable in his
love, whatever his dispensations seem to say; and the believer may rest
assured hereof, that he being the truth, shall be to him whatever his
word holdeth him forth to be, and that constantly and unchangeably.

CHAPTER XII.

SOME GENERAL USES FROM THIS USEFUL TRUTH, THAT CHRIST IS THE TRUTH.

Having thus cleared up this truth, we should come to speak of the way of
believers making use of him as the truth, in several cases wherein they
will stand in need of him as the truth. But ere we come to the
particulars, we shall first propose some general uses of this useful
point.

_First._ This point of truth serveth to discover unto us, the woful
condition of such as are strangers to Christ the truth; and oh, if it
were believed! For,

1. They are not yet delivered from that dreadful plague of blindness,
error, ignorance, mistakes under which all are by nature; a condition,
that if rightly seen, would cause the soul lie low in the dust.

2. Whatever course they take, till they come to Christ, and while they
remain in that condition, is a lie, and a false, erroneous, and
deceitful way. For still they are turning aside to lies, Psalm xl. 4;
and seeking after them, Psalm iv. 2.

3. Whatever hopes and confidence they may have, that their way shall
carry them through, yet in end they will be found to inherit lies, Jer.
xvi. 19; and meet with the saddest disappointment that can be. For
instead of the fellowship of God, Christ, angels, and glorified spirits,
they shall take up their lodging with devils and damned souls; and that
because they have made no acquaintance with the way of truth; and the
way wherein they are, is but a lie and a falsehood; and so of necessity
must deceive them.

4. All their literal and speculative knowledge shall not a