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living." "The natural man discerneth not the things of the Spirit of God, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." He knows nothing but what he knows naturally, and in these things he corrupts himself. He would fain be wise, though he be born like a wild ass's colt. But this way is above him; it is far above out of his sight and out of his reach. of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath." But this is God's way; and God's ways are not man's ways. As high as heaven is above the earth, so high are God's ways above man's ways, and God's thoughts above man's thoughts.

"The

way

Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. He is God's way upon earth, and his saving health among all nations. Wherever he is revealed, he is revealed as the only way to the Father. He is the way, by the sacrifice that he offered, and by the satisfaction that he made, by the path that he trod as our forerunner, by the door of hope that he opened, by the way of life that he cast up and consecrated through the vail of his flesh, by the doctrine that he taught, by the faith that he hath finished, by the example that he hath set, and by the promise of life and gift of peace that he hath left as invaluable legacies behind him. "This is the way, walk ye in it."

The saints' path is the way of truth, the way of life, of peace, of wisdom, of understanding, of holiness, and of charity; and Christ is all these.

I am the truth, I am the life. He is our peace. I am wisdom, I am understanding. "I am the Lord your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your king," Isaiah xliii. 15. "This is the true God, and eternal life." And to walk by faith in him, and in the faith of interest in the favour of him, is to walk in all these. "This is the way, walk ye in it."

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"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your ownselves."

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THIS text, as well as many more, has had the misfortune to fall into the hands of thieves; thieves and robbers, who have stripped it of its meaning, and left it half dead to its owners. mean such thieves and robbers as are aiming at heaven; not by the door of mercy opened by the blood and righteousness of Christ; but who are climbing up another way, a way not cast up, a way that is right in their own eyes, but in the judgment of God it is the way of death: this thievery is robbing Christ of his honour, as the only way to the Father; and God of his glory, who, in his pity and compassion to ruined man, contrived this way. But will a man rob God? Yes, he will. No wonder then that he says by the law of retaliation, "Behold, I come as a thief."

This text is applied, by the blind leaders of the blind, to all that make a fair shew in the flesh, to such as appear in a voluntary humility,

and to those who in a blind zeal compass sea and land to make proselytes to themselves, yea, and to all such who appear outwardly righteous before men. But, if these be the heirs of this text, then the papists, especially the nuns among them; yea, and the Jewish scribes and pharisees, and our British advocates for free-will, with every other branch of the bond family, may claim it, for these all work; but does God work in them? The poor and simple among the Jews assigned the kingdom of heaven to the scribes and pharisees before all others; but then these poor things judged according to appearance, and not righteous judgment; for Christ assigned the scribes and pharisees to the greatest damnation, and adopted publicans and harlots in their room, and said, These shall enter into the kingdom of God before them.

Before we give up this text let us inquire, 1. What this word is, and how received. 2. What is meant by doing the word. And, 3. He that does not the word is one that deceives himself.

James, this great apostle, will tell us himself what he means by the word. "Of his own will

begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." This word is the word of life, sent home to the heart by God, and applied by the Holy Spirit. Here is the sovereign and good will of God set forth to his people, which implies that this be

getting is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth. The begetting of us is wholly owing to God's own free will and good pleasure, and so is our new birth also. It is not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, nor of blood, but of God. And he begets us from a death in sin, from a death to all the real service of God; and to a life of faith, a life in the Spirit, and to a lively hope, by the resurrection of Christ from the dead. "He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death."

death in law, and from a

Those that God begets are called the firstfruits of his creatures. But was all the harvest, all the crops of the holy land, carried into God's sanctuary? No; only the firstfruits. Was all that the fig tree or the pomegranate tree bore offered to God? No; only the fruit that was first ripe, And does God beget all his creatures to life by the word of truth? No; only the firstfruits of his creatures. These fruits are gathered from among the rest, which are called creatures, which bear untimely fruits, wild grapes, &c. and are called corrupt trees, with corrupt fruit; and are distinguished from God's fruit by being called the vintage and harvest of the wicked. But do those legal workers submit to the sovereign and good will of God? No; they blaspheme the counsel of his will. Are they begotten from death? No; they are under the ministration of it, and stick

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