A Child of Light Walking in Darkness, Part 1 · Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
The maine propoſition, and ſubject of this diſcourſe, thence deduced; That a childe of God may walke in darkneſſe. That thereby diſtreſſe of conſcience, and deſertion in the want of aſſurance of juſtification, is meant, proved.
THis to be the meaning of the words, will more fully appeare in opening the ſeverall propoſitions to be delivered out of them; The firſt and maine obſervation: That a childe of God may walke in darkneſſe.whereof the firſt and principally intended is this: That one who truly feares God, and is obedient to him, may be in a condition of darkneſſe, and have no light, and he may walke many dayes and yeares in that condition.
And herein,§. 1. further to explaine the Text, and bottome this great point well upon it;1. What it is To walke in darkneſſe. and more particularly to diſcover, what the condition of a childe of God, thus in darkneſſe is, we will firſt inquire what is meant by walking in darkneſſe here in this place.
Firſt,What is not meant here; walking in darkneſſe is taken in the 1 Iohn 1. 6. for living in ſinne and ungodlineſſe: 1. Not in ſin.in the commiſſion of knowen ſinnes, or omiſſion of knowen duties, going on in the workes of darkneſſe. But ſo it duplicate page duplicate page is not, to be taken here. For Chriſt would not have encouraged ſuch, to truſt in God, who is light, and there can be no fellowſhip betweene him and ſuch darkneſſe; as the Apoſtle tels us: Nay, the Holy Ghoſt reproves ſuch, as doe leane on the Lord, and yet tranſgreſſe; Micah 3. 11.and beſides, the Text ſpeakes of ſuch, who for their preſent condition, feare God, and are obedient to him, which if they thus walkt in darkneſſe, they could not be ſaid to doe.
Neither ſecondly, is it to be meant of walking in ignorance, 2. Not in ignorance.as Iohn 12. 36. it is taken. For, one that hath no light in that ſenſe, can never truely feare God,Prov. 19. 2. nor obey him; the heart that wanteth knowledge is not good, ſayes Salomon; and ſo to walke in darkneſſe, is accompanied with walking in vanity of mind Epheſ. 4. 18.
But thirdly, he meanes it of diſcomfiture and ſorrow. 3. But in ſorow and diſcomfort.As often, we finde in Scripture, darkneſſe to be taken: as Eccleſ. 5. 17. As on the contrary, Light, Eccleſ. 11. 7.becauſe it is ſo pleaſant a thing to behold, is put for comfort. And, that ſo it is taken here, is evident, by that which is oppoſed in the next verſe, walke ye in your light, yet, ye ſhall lye downe in ſorow.
But fourthly, of what kinde of ſorow, and for what? Whether from outward afflictions, or inward diſtreſſe of minde and conſcience; or (to uſe Salomons diſtinction) whether by reaſon of mans ordinary infirmities, or of a wounded ſpirit? that is yet in queſtion.
And firſt, it is not to be reſtrained to outward afflictions onelyonly,And that not of outward afflictions only. which are called mans infirmities, as being common to man; which ariſe from the things of this world, or from the men of the world; though to walke in darkneſſe is ſo taken, Eſai. 59. 9. and I will not exclude it here. For, in them alſo, a mans beſt ſupport, is to truſt in God; and it is the ſafeſt way to interpret Scriptures in the largeſt ſenſe which the words and coherence will beare. But yet that cannot be the onelyonly, or principall meaning of it: for beſides what is further to be ſaid to the contrary, he addes withall, and hath no light, that is, no comfort: Now as Philoſophers ſay, non dantur purae tenebrae, there is no pure darkneſſe without ſome mixture of light: ſo wee may ſay, there is not meere or utter darkneſſe cauſed by outward afflictions, no outward affliction can ſo univerſally environ the minde, as to ſhut up all the crannies of it, ſo that a man ſhould have no light. And beſides, Gods people when they walke in the greateſt outward darkneſſe, may have, yea, often uſe to have moſt light in their ſpirits. But here is ſuch an eſtate ſpoken of, ſuch a darkneſſe as hath no light in it.
Therefore ſecondly, it is principally to be underſtood, of the want of inward comfort in their ſpirits; But chiefely inward from the want of the ſenſe of Gods favour.from ſomething that is betweene God and them; and ſo meant of that darkneſſe and terrours, which accompany the want, and the ſenſe of Gods favour. And ſo darkneſſe is elſewhere taken, for inward affliction of ſpirit, and minde, and want of ſight, in point of aſſurance, that God is a mans God, and of the pardon of a mans ſinnes; ſo Pſal. 88. 6. Heman uſeth this word to expreſſe his diſtreſſe; and the reaſons why it is thus to be underſtood, here, are;
Firſt,Proved by 3. reaſons. The firſt. becauſe the remedy here preſcribed is faith; to ſtay himſelfe upon God, and that as upon His God; he puts in His God, emphatically; becauſe that is the point he is troubled about, and concerning which he is in darkneſſe; and that is it, which faith, which is propounded here as the remedy, doth in the firſt place and principally looke unto, as its primary aime, and object.
Secondly,The ſecond. in the foregoing verſes he had ſpoken of Iuſtification, whereby God pardons our ſinnes, and accepts our perſons: The Prophet, or Chriſt in the perſon of his elect, (as ſome) having expreſſed his aſſurance of this: God is neare that juſtifies me, who ſhall condemne? (Which words the Apoſtle Rom. 8. 32, 33. doth alleadge in the point of juſtification, and to expreſſe the triumphing aſſurance of it; and applies them in the name and perſons of true beleevers) now becauſe there might be ſome poore ſoules, who though truely fearing God, yet might want this aſſurance; and upon the hearing of this might be the more troubled, becauſe not able to expreſſe that confidence which he did: therefore he addes, who is among you that feareth the Lord, &c. as if he ſhould have ſaid, though you want the comfortable ſenſe and aſſurance of this, be not diſcouraged, but doe you exerciſe faith, goe out of your ſelves, rely upon Chriſt and that mercy which is to be found in God: you may feare God and want it; and you are to truſt in God in the want of it.
Thirdly,The third. theſe words have a relation alſo to the fourth verſe, where he ſayes, (as that God had given him this aſſurance of his owne juſtification, for his owne particular comfort in the foregoing verſes ſo) that God had alſo given him the tongue of the learned to miniſter a word of comfort in ſeaſon, to him that is weary and heavy laden: and thereupon in this verſe, he accordingly ſhewes the bleſſed condition of ſuch perſons as are moſt weary through long walking in darkneſſe; and withall hee diſcovereth to them, the way of getting out of this darkneſſe, and recovering comfort againe: And in all the word of God, there is not a more comfortable and ſeaſonable word to one in ſuch a condition to bee found. All which argues, it is ſpoken of inward darkneſſe, and trouble of ſpirit, and that in point of applying juſtification, and God to be a mans God.