The Light of the World, Title page – Dedication
THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A Sermon preached at Botterwike in Holland, neere Boſton, in Lincolnſhire. By THOMAS GRANGER, Preacher of Gods word there.
IOHN 95.
As long as I am in the World, I am the light of the World.
LONDON: Printed by T. S. for Thomas Pauier, and are to be ſold at his ſhop in Yuie lane. 1616.
TO THE RIGHT VVorſhipfull Mr. THOMAS LEVENTHORPE Eſquire, Sonne and heyre to the renowned Knight, Sir IOHN LEVENTHORPE, T. G. wiſheth all happineſſe, and eternall bleſſedneſſe.
RIGHT Worſhipfull. The ſpeciall affection that I beare to that louely Oliue, wherof you are a ſpecial branch, and the duty, wherein I euer remaine obliged vntounto it, hauing heretofore receiued pleaſant nutriture from thence, and delightfull refreſhing in the ſhade thereof, hauehave often ſolicited me by one meanes or other, to ſhew and teſtifie my thankefull minde to the ſame, and to your ſelfe in particuler. Siluer and gold hauehave I none, nor any coſtly preſent, but ſuch as I hauehave freely receiued, I freely offer vntounto you. The water is a common element; yet when one Synaeta hauing nothing to offer to Artaxerxes paſsing by, he tooke water out of the riuer Cyrus, with both his hands, and offered it to the king, who accepted it as a ſpeciall gift, (as Aelianus recordeth) firſt, becauſe water is the beſt element. Secondly, becauſe it was taken out of Cyrus. So the Ayre & the Light are common, and I not hauing any gift to preſent you withall, am glad to offer the Light vntounto you, which I hope ſhal finde ſpecial acceptance with you. Firſt, becauſe that of many lights this is the beſt light, giuing light to all other lights of the naturall ſoule, without which they are vtter darkeneſſe, euen as the leſſer lights of the firmament are but darke and dead bodies without the light, and vitall influence of the Sun. Secondly, becauſe this light ariſeth, and ſhineth out of another world then is either the Macrocoſme or Microcoſme, to wit, the ſpirituall world, which is the word and Church of God: But though this light be common, becauſe it is offered to all, and ſhineth vntounto all, yet it is receiued of few, becauſe darke earthy bodies cannot receiue the light: in which reſpect it becommeth a proper and ſpeciall light, and I make no doubt, but that you are one of thoſe few, who delight in this light: and therefore I truſt will alſo accept this as a ſpeciall gift, which is pretious and ſpeciall in it ſelfe, though it be not ſpecially, but vulgarly ſet forth by me, to whom the exhibiting, and ſhewing thereof to the world is alſo committed. The Lord protect and conduct you in the way euerlaſting.
From Botterwike in Holland, neere Boſton, in Lincon. 1616. Your worſhips to command euer in the Lord THOMAS GRANGER.
THE LIGHT OF THE VVORLD.
IOHN 8. 12.
Then ſpake IESVS againe to them, ſaying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me, ſhall not walke in darkneſſe, but ſhall hauehave the light of life.
THESE words containe a Sermon of our Sauiour Chriſt, preached to the Iewes in the Temple: Wherein two things are principally to be conſidered, the Preface and the principall Scope. The Preface is in the former words [Then ſpake Ieſus to them &c.] Wherein conſider theſe circumſtances: Firſt, The perſon ſpeaking [Ieſus ſpake:] his ſpeaking is amplified by a note of ſedulitie and oftenneſſe in ſpeaking [Spake againe.] Secondly, The perſons to whom he ſpake, [to them] viz. the people of the Iewes, flocking together about him, not to the Phariſies. Thirdly, The time when, [then] that is, either after this time when the Phariſes had tempted him, vponupon occaſion of a woman taken in adulterie, or elſe in the great and laſt day of the feaſt of Tabernacles, as ſome thinke; but whether, it mattereth not much.
Whereas it is ſaid, that he ſpake to them againe, hence we obſerue, and learne that Chriſt was moſt diligent, laborious, and painefull in his calling, being in all things anſwerable to the commandement and will of his father. He was often weary, hungry, thirſtie with trauailing, and preaching; neither fainting, nor failing therein through want of earthly reward (as the maner of earthly men is) nor diſcouraged therefrom with the feare of his enemies In the Chapter aforegoing the Iewes ſeeking to kill him, he trauailed into Galilee, and from thence about the middle of the Feaſt to Ieruſalem againe, where he taught continually in the Temple till the end of the laſt day of the Feaſt, then he went into the mount Oliuet to reſt and refreſh himſelfe, and earely in the morning he came againe into the Temple to preach. By which Hiſtory, and many other places, it is apparent, that Chriſt was continually employed in the actions of his calling. Hereupon it is that Iohn ſaith, Cap. 21. 25. If all Iohn 21. 25.things were written that Ieſus ſpake, and did, I ſuppoſe the world could hardly containe the bookes, that ſhould be written of him: which words he vttered out of the conſideration, and reuiew of Chriſts great and daylie pains in teaching, preaching, & working miracles, which he thought could not more fitly be expreſſed than by ſuch an hyperbolicall kinde of ſpeaking. Likewiſe, Ioh. 4 34. Chriſt was wearied with trauaile, and thirſtie, hauing neither drunke, nor eaten any thing ſince the morning, it being now mid-day, therefore his Diſciples Iohn 4. 3 4.prayed him to eate; but he anſwered, I hauehave meate to eate that yee know not of: My meate is, that I may doe the will of him that ſent mee, and finiſh his worke. As if he had ſaid, though meate be now neceſſarie for me, I hauing faſted thus long, yet is the doing of my fathers wil, and finiſhing of his worke more neceſſarie; therefore occaſion of preaching, by the comming of the Samaritans, at this inſtant, being offered, I muſt forget bodily hunger, I muſt not now regard bodily meate, but I muſt redeeme the preſent occaſion, with neglect of my body and bodily ſuſtenance. Likewiſe, Math. 26. 55. I ſate dayly Math. 26. 55.teaching in the Temple among you, &c.
Hereby the Miniſters of Chriſt, are taught by his example to be laborious and painfull in the faithfull diſcharge of their office, in the diſtruction of the kingdome of ſinne and Satan, and in gathering and building vp the Church and kingdome of Chriſt, ſeeing that he hath ſent them in like manner as his father ſent him, as himſelfe ſaith. In Ioh. 4. 35. Chriſt exhorteth his Diſciples to performe the duties of faithfull labourers in the Lords harueſt, to be carefull in reaping his fruits; his argument is drawn from the compariſon of earthly harueſt-labour. Say yee not, there are yet foure months, and Ioh. 4. 35.then commeth the harueſt? &c. As if he ſhould ſay, you are ſo carefull for this earthly harueſt, that you count the moneths, the weekes, and dayes till harueſt come, ſo hungarly doe you looke for it, and painefully labour in it; but the Lords harueſt, for which you ought to be as careful, is euen now at hand, for yee may ſee the regions already white to the harueſt, therefore you muſt not now be ſo carefull for bodily meate, as to labour in the Lords harueſt, and to delight your ſoules in his worke doing, euen in reaping and gathering ſoules into his barne, redeeming all times and occaſions with loſſe of your meate, drinke, reſt, ſleepe, pleaſures, &c. euen as earthly men do in the reaping and ining of their fruits. Furthermore he inforceth this exhortation by an argument drawne from the effect; namely, the reward of the harueſt-labour, verſe 36. He that reapeth receiueth wages, and gathereth fruit to eternall life. The wages is eternall Dan. 12. 3.life, and the beleeuing ſoules are eternall, Dan. 12. 3. They that turne many to righteouſneſſe, ſhall ſhine as the Iohn 15. 16.ſtarres, for euer and euer. Ioh. 15. 16. I hauehave choſen you, and ordained you, that ye goe and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit remaine, i. to eternall life. Hence it is, that Paul ſaith, 1. Theſ 2. 19.1 Theſ. 2. 19. What is our hope, or ioy, or crowne of reioycing, are not you euen it, in the preſence of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt at his comming? yes, you are our glory and ioy. The Lord inioyneth Ieremie this duty, with denunciation of vengeance Ier. 1. 17.annexed, if he fayled therein. Ier. 1. 17. Truſſe vp thy loyns, & ariſe and ſpeake vntounto them all that I command thee, be not afraid of their faces, leaſt I deſtroy thee before them. 1. Cor. 9. 16.The conſideration hereof is a ſpur to Paul, exciting him to the ſerious performance of this dutie. 1 Cor. 9. 16. Neceſſitie is layd vponupon me, and woe is vntounto me, if I preach not the Goſpell: And heereupon is it, that he ſo ſtraightly 2. Tim. 4. 1. 2.chargeth Timothie, 2 Tim. 4. 1. 2. I charge thee before God, and before the Lord Ieſus Chriſt, which ſhall iudge the quick and the dead at his appearing, and in his Kingdome: Preach the word, be inſtant, in ſeaſon and out of ſeaſon, &c. Theſe conſiderations of the reward on the one ſide, and of the puniſhment on the other, ſtirred vp the Apoſtles to preach the Goſpell with all boldneſſe and conſtancie. Act. 3. 14. 15. Act 4 13. 19. 20. Act. 5. 29. 30. Act▪ 7. 51. 52. Yea, ioyfully to ſuffer afflictions, Act. 5 41. They reioyced that they were counted worthy to ſuffer rebuke for the name of Chriſt. 2 Cor. 11. 23. to 29.
Secondly, this teacheth eueryevery man to labour in his calling carefully and conſcionably, approuing himſelfe in all things to God, to a good conſcience▪ and to good men, Rom. 12. 6. 7. 8. Epheſ. 4. 28. 2 Theſſ. 3. 10. Gen. 3. 19. Gen. 31. 6.
Furthermore, whereas it is ſaid that he ſpake to them, it is to be vnderſtood of the multitude, though the Phariſes in the next verſe make replie. For Chriſt preached not to the Phariſees, but by accident, ſome of them euer being amongſt the people that came to heare him, as ſpies, to watch him, and to catch ſome thing from his mouth, that they might hauehave whereof to accuſe him, Luc. 11 54. Therefore, becauſe they were but dogs, and Luc. 11. 54.ſwine, i. contemners, and perſecuters of the Word, vtterly forſaken of God, and left to themſelues, he caſts not the holy things of God, the pearles of the Goſpell, before them, Math. 7. 6. but in all places where he hath Math. 7. 6▪to deale with them, he either conuinceth them, or confuteth them, or reprooueth them, or curſeth them, neither inſtructing, exhorting, nor dehorting them, which had beene in vaine, and to no purpoſe. Thus much of the Preface.
Concerning the Scope, It is an exhortation, which is not ſimply propounded, but implyed in the reaſon thereof. The exhortation is [follow me:] It is enforced by two reaſons, the firſt negatiue, [He that followeth mee ſhall not walke in darkeneſſe.] The ſecond affirmatiue [but ſhall hauehave the light of life:] Theſe reaſons are confirmed by their principle or ground, [I am the Light of the World.] Of theſe foure things in order as they lie in the text.