But according to his exposition of this heavenly oracle,
what shall any one imagine to be the sense of the context, where “I,” and
“me,” spoken of Christ, do so often occur? Suppose that the words of that
whole verse, “I am the way, the truth, and
the life, no man comes to the Father but by me,” have this sense, — not
Christ himself is the way, the truth, and the life, but the gospel; “No man
comes to the Father but by me;” that is, not by me, but by “the gospel,” —
must not all the expressions of the same nature in the context have the
same exposition? as namely, verse
1, “Ye believe in God, believe also in me;” that is, not in me
but in “the gospel;” — “I go to prepare a place for you;” that is, not I do
so, but “the gospel;” verse
3, “I will come again and receive you to myself;” that is, not
I, but “the gospel” will do so; and so of all other things which Christ in
that place seems to speak of himself. If this be his way of interpreting
Scripture, I wonder not that he blames others for their defect and
miscarriages therein.