Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, Chapter 5 · Verse 14,15,16
Verse 14.
Yee are the light of the world: a Citie that is set on a hill cannot be hidde.
15. Neither doe men light a candle, and put it vnderunder a bushell, but on a candlesticke; and it giueth light to all that are in the house.
16. Let your light so shine before men, &c.
Here Christ laieth down the second reason, to induce his disciples, & in them all Ministers, to preach the word of God faithfully; as if he should say; By calling you are the light of the world, and your condition is such, that all your sayings and doings are open to the eies of men: therefore bee carefull that yee glorifie God therein. The first part of this reason, is in these words; yee are the light of the world: the second is expressed by two comparisons, in the wordes following; A citie that is set on a hill, &c. the conclusion in the sixeteenth verse.
For the first part: ye are the light of the world. If Ministers be lights, why saith the Scripture, that Iohn Baptist was not the light of the world? Ioh. 1. 8. Answ. There be two kindes of lights, Originall, and Deriued: Originall is that, which is the cause of all light; and so Christ alone is the light of the world: and in this sense doth the Scripture denie Iohn Baptist to be that light. Deriued light, is that which shineth forth, but yet is receiued from another; and so xIoh. 5. 35.Iohn Baptist was a burning and a shining lampe: so were the Apostles lights, y2. Cor. 4. 6.for God that caused the light to shine out of darkenesse, shined into their hearts, to inable them to giuegive the light of knowledge in the face of Iesus Christ. And so must these words be vnderstood, that whereas the world naturally sits in darkenes, and in the shadow of death, the Apostles by the light of their ministerie were to shine vntounto them.
The vse: First, this title of light giuen to Ministers, sheweth the right vse of the Ministerie of the word. The whole world lieth in darknesse, that is, in ignorance vnderunder sinne, and so subiect to damnation by nature; now God hath ordained the Ministerie of the word to bee a light, whereby this ignorance may bee expelled, and they brought to the knowledge of their sinnes, and of the way that leadeth vntounto life: Act. 26. 18. Paul must preach, that both Iewes and Gentiles may come from darkenes vntounto light.
Secondly, by this Title, Christ sheweth how his word is to be handled; namely, so as it may be a light vntounto mens minds and consciences, to make them see their sinnes, and their great miserie thereby; then, to let them see the remedie from that miserie, which is Iesus Christ: and lastly, to shewe them that straite way of obedience in all good duties to God and man, which God requireth in the life of a Christian. Men may make long discourses vponupon a text of Scripture; but that onelyonly is true preaching, which giues this light of knowledge to the minde and conscience, which leadeth men to God.
Againe, the hearers of the word must be admonished of their duties from this title; First, if Ministers be lights in regard of their Ministerie, then eueryevery hearer must so apply his heart vntounto the preaching of the word, that it may enlighten his conscience with the knowledge of his sinnes, and of his miserie by reason of them; as also, with the true knowledge of Christ, and of the will of God, which may guide him in obedience: otherwise, this holy ordinance, turneth to his deeper condemnation.
Secondly, eueryevery hearer must learne Pauls lesson, Ephes. 5. 8. Yee were once darkenesse, but now ye are light in the Lord, walke as children of the light: that is, looke what the word teacheth, which is this light, that doe: When the time is darke, wherein we walke, we vse torches and candles, that so we may see the right path; behold, the world is darkenesse, we therefore must labour to hauehave the word of God to be a light vntounto our feete, in all the steps of our callings wherein we liue; for hee that walketh in the darke, knoweth not whither hee goeth, Iohn, 12. 35.
Lastly, there be many that liue in ignorance, as blind, as though they had neuer heard of Christ; and though they heare the word preached, yet still they remaine in darkenesse: but they must knowe, that their case is fearefull, for the Ministerie of the word is light: they therefore, hauing the benefit thereof, ought to be children of the light: and because they are not enlightened, vndoubtedly a most fearefull iudgemēt of God is vponupon them; for marke what Paul saith, z2. Cor. …. 3. 4.If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to those that perish, in whom, the god of this world hath blinded the eies of their minde: and therefore, such persons must labour to knowe and practise the speciall grounds and duties of true religion, that so in conscience they may be truely assured, that the word of God is become their light.
The second part of this reason, is this; Your condition is such, in regard of your calling, that all your sayings and doings are seene of men: & it is expressed by two similitudes: First, of a citie set on a hill, which cannot be hid: Secondly, of a candle put on a candlesticke, ver. 15. And thus it dependeth on the former part: Whereas Christ had called his Disciples the light of the world, they might take it for a matter of some outward renowne: Christ therefore tels them, that his intent herein, is not to giuegive them titles of praise, but to make them acquainted with their hard condition, in which they were like to bee, by reason of their great and waightie calling; wherein they should become spectacles to all the world: for thus he saith, A Citie that is set on a hill, cannot be hid, but all that passe by may see it: and a Candle lighted and set on a candlesticke▪ giueth light to all that are in the house; euen so, you mine Apostles, by reason of your publike calling, shall hauehave all your sayings and doings manifest to the eies of the whole world.
Because both these similitudes serue to expresse the same thing, therefore the points of instruction, which specially concerne Gods ministers, shall bee propounded from the ioynt scope of them both. First,1 whereas the conditiō of Gods ministers is such, to hauehave their whole cō uersation open & manifest to the eies of the world; therfore they especially, aboue all others, (though it concerne eueryevery man in his place) must hauehave care that their liues & conuersatiōs, both for sayings & doings, be holy & blameles: for their place is such, that by their well doing, they win many vntounto the Lord; but by their bad conuersation, they carry many a soule with them to destruction. 2. Hereby they must learne, not to2 thinke it strange, if they lie open to manifold reproaches, and abuses, more then any other sort of men: for they, of all other, lie most open to the world; & if their conuersation bee godly, it is the more distastfull to the world: as Cain hated Abel for his good works, 1. Ioh. 3. 12. 3. Hence3 it appeareth, that men in this calling, cannot without great sinne, hide the gifts and talents which God hath giuen them; for they are as lighted candles, which must not be put vnderunder a bushell. Sundrie men hauehave heretofore offended this way, as those in the Primitiue Church, who beeing godly men, and well qualified for the Ministerie, did yet withdraw themselues from publike societies, to liue in solitary places; for by their gifts they were excellent lights, and therefore they ought to hauehave shined forth to others. And at this day, they offend this way, that will not abase themselues in their Ministerie, to speake plainely, to the meancapacitie of the simple: yea, they also put the light vnderunder a bushell, who beeing fit for this Ministerie, doe spend their daies wholly in the Vniuersities, except it bee that they want a calling into the Church, and hauehave a lawefull calling for their staie in the Vniuersities: and though men hauehave not such meanes of calling forth, as were to be wished, yet they that liue in Schooles of Learning, ought to shew themselues willing to become lights abroad in the Church; saying with the Prophet Isaie, when his lippes were touched with a cole from the Altar, aIsay, 6. 8.Here am I, Lord send me. In a word, all persons in this calling, that any way hide their gifts, are here blamed; for they are lights which should not be hidde.
From these comparisons, wherein Christ sets out the open state of his Apostles to the viewe of the world, the Papists do gather, that the Rhem…sts on this place.Church of God cannot be hid, and therefore visibilitie must needs be the note of a true Church. But we must knowe, that Gods Church may sometime lie hid, in regard of the word▪ and the Ministerie thereof; as it did in the daies of b1. Kin. 9, 10Elias, and in the time when Poperie spread it selfe ouer these Westerne parts. Neither doth this place make ought against vsus, for Christ here speakes of his Apostles, and of their ministerie properly, which could not be hid; and not of eueryevery ordinarie Minister, who are not lights of all the world, as the Apostles were, but onelyonly in their particular standing. Secondly, the Ministerie is a light, yet not alwaies shining to the whole world; and therefore it is added in the second similitude, that it giueth light to them that are in the house: that is, in the Church of God. And so in the darkenesse of Poperie, the Ministerie of the Gospel was hidde from the world, and yet it gaue some light to the hidden Church, the house of God, to shew them their calling, and the meanes of saluation.
Now, as these similitudes concerne the Ministers, so they may well be enlarged to eueryevery Christian in his place: for in this regard the Minister is a patterne to his people, and many times in Scripture others besides the Ministers are called lights, 2. Sam. 21. 17. Dauid is called the light of Israel; not onelyonly for the comfort of his Regiment, but also as he was a King, by his vpright life he gaue light to the people, wherof he was gouernour: And so answerably, all Superiours in their places must be lights; the publike magistrate, to the common wealth; the master, to his seruants; parents, to their children; and eueryevery Christian, to his brother: Philip. 2. 5. Shine as lights in the world, in the middest of a naughtie and crooked nation. This therefore is our dutie, if we be Christians; as we must labour to get the knowledge of Gods will into our hearts, so must we cause the power thereof to shine forth in the example of a good life, whereby others may be directed in the darkenesse of this world. But alas, here in the case of many is lamentable, who thorough ignorance and disobedience, be yet in darkenesse; these must bee taken out of their places, as darke candles, and troden vnderunder foote, and so cast into eternall darkenesse; where they shall flame in woe for euermore.