The Seven Days, Meditation 1
A MEDITATION VPONUPON THE LORDS firſt dayes vvorke.
THE firſt Creature which GOD made out of the Chaos and Maſſe, was the Light,Light admirable. which is admirable in two reſpects: Firſt,1. Out of darkneſſe. becauſe it proceeded out of Darkneſſe: as hee doth produce one Contrare out of another;2. Without & before the Organes: letting vsus ſee, how GOD bindeth not his works to inſtruments Life out of Death, Honour out of Infamie, &c. whereby his owne Glorie may appeare the greater. Next, the Light was made without anie Organe where from it ſhould proceede. For the Sunne and Moone were made vponupon the fourth day: by which God would teach vsus, that we ſhould not binde his operation to anie inſtruments: for hee can worke by them, and without them, & againſt them. Therefore, it is naturall Idolatrie, to binde the actions to the creatures, and to ſpoyle the Creator of his due honour.
Light excellent for fiue reſpectsNow the Light is moſt excellent in fiue reſpects: Firſt, becauſe it is neceſſarie for the direction of our actions: for he that walketh in darkneſſe,1. Neceſſarie. Iohn 8.12 knoweth not whither hee goeth.
Secondlie, the Light is moſte pleaſant, for it addeth beautie vntounto all inferiour creatures;2. Beautifull. who if they had no light ſhining vponupon them, they vvould bee vnderunder diſgrace.
Thirdlie, the Light is moſte comfortable: for Darkneſſe is the Image of Hell:3. Comfortable. and a little light vvill greatlie comfort thoſe that are in darkneſſe.
Fourthlie, the Light is moſt pure & ſimple,4. Pure, and ſimple. and can admit no corruption: for albeit it ſhine vponupon filthie places, yet it neither receiueth, nor admitteth, anie infection therefrom; but it illuminateth them, that they ſeeme to bee purged.
And fiftlie, the Light is moſt coeleſtiall,5. Coelestiall. becauſe it proceedeth not from the Earth, but from the Heauens.
Our Sauiour CHRIST is compared to the Light,Christ the true Light in all reſpects. for all theſe fiue reaſons following: Firſt, Without him vvee muſt vvalke in darkneſſe. Secondlie, He is moſt pleaſant, and beautifieth vsus. Thirdlie, He onlie comforteth vsus. Fourthlie, Hee receiueth no corruption of our fleſh. And fiftlie, He came from aboue.
Chriſt exceedeth the Light in four things:But there are other foure thinges, vvherein our Sauiour exceedeth this materiall Light: Firſt, The Light is created; and he is an vncreated Light. Next, The Light cannot pierce thorow all things: for there are ſecret places in the Earth, to the vvhichwhich it can neuer attaine. But there is no darkneſſe, if it were as palpable as the darkneſſe of Egypt,Ex. 10.20. to which Chriſt cannot ſhine. Thirdlie, The Light can ſhine to a ſeeing eye, but it cannot giuegive light to a blinde eye; and it offendeth a ſoare eye: But Chriſt is the Light of our minde, and giueth vsus light to ſee. And laſt, the materiall Light altereth and changeth vntounto darkneſſe; but Chriſt is vnalterable; when hee is become the Light of the ſoule, he cannot depart finallie and totallie, vntill the time he bring thee to that Light where thou ſhalt be with him for euer.
A PRAYER, VponUpon the Lordes firſt Dayes Worke.
O Pure and Euerlaſting Light! vvho dwelleſt in a light vnacceſſable, I beſeech thee to looke & blink into my darkened minde, with the gracious beames of thy countenance;Pſal. 36.9. that I may looke vp, and ſee light in thy light. O Lord, I reuerence and worſhip thee, for all thy workes of wonder, which thou haſt made for the profite and pleaſure of man.Gods works a cleare myrrour, wherein to behold himſelfe. Geneſ. 1.3. There is not one of thy works which is not a liuelie myrrour, to repreſent thy glorie, thy wiſedome, thy power and thy goodneſſe: But my minde is blinde, and cānot ſee thee in them. Thou createdſt the Light, on the firſt day, by the word of thy mouth, and it ſprang out of darknes. That ſenſeles creature obeyed the voyce of thy mouth: but alace, thou haſt manie times cried vntounto me, Ariſe from the workes of darkneſſe; and I did not obey thee. I am not woorthie that the light ſhoulde ſhine vponupon mee, which will bee a witneſſe againſt mee. When I beholde the Light, how pleaſant and beautifull it is, and that it giueth an ornament to all other creatures: who,If light bee beautifull, farre much more the Father of Lights. if they were wrapped vp in darkneſſe, were vtterlie diſgraced. But, O Lord, how much more art thou beautifull in thine holie Temple, when thou haſt put onelie a little ſparke of thy glorie into this creature. Our Sauiour ſaieth, Bleſſed are thoſe who hauehave cleane heartes, Matt. 5.8.for they ſhall ſee GOD. As thou haſt giuen mee the benefite of this preſent light, ſo let mee ſee thy ſelfe, with a pure heart. Thine enemies, yea, the Beaſtes, ſee this light: but, Lord, let mee ſee thy ſelfe, the Father of Lightes. As this Light is glorious, ſo it is verie comfortable vntounto mee, O my God: for this night I was couered with darkeneſſe: I turned to and froe, and mine heart was ſore perplexed, and my …ones ſore vexed: but when thou didſt blinke in, earlie in the morning, then I reuiued, mine heart was comforted, and I ſaide vntounto thee,If the light be comfortable, much more is God. Ex. 15.23. O Lord, is there ſuch great comfort to mee in this little light? abſtract not thy preſence from my ſoule. All the comfortes of thy creatures will bee like to the waters of Mara, which were bitter, if thou ſeaſon them not with thy preſence, and make them ſweete, by the Croſſe of Chriſt. Breake open the doores of my ſoule, that thou mayeſt enter in: and lighten the eye of mine vnderſtanding, that I may ſee thy will, thy glorie, and the excellencie of thine Houſe.
But, Lord, bee mercifull vntounto mee, that I hauehave enjoyed ſo manie lightes, and hauehave abuſed them vntounto ſinne:Misſpent time repented. I ſpent them ydlie, profanelie, and wickedlie. Thou mayeſt juſtlie cloſe mine eyes, that I ſhould neuer ſee anie newe light, who hauehave thus miſpent ſo many. Thou mayeſt caſt mee into the bedde of Sickneſſe, or into a Priſon, where I ſhould ſee no light. But, O Lord, I was blinded by ignorance: mine affections did blinde-folde mee. HaueHave merciemercy vponupon mee, that I hauehave ſpent ſo long a light, in the workes of ſinne.1. Theſ. 5.5 Epheſ. 5.8. Let mee walke as the Childe of light: and let mee put on the workes of light, that I bee like thee, and ſhine here, and walke in light; that from light, I may goe to light for euer.
Oh, let thy word, and thy law, bee a light to my feete,Pſal. 119.105. that I may ſee to doe thy will, and to keepe thine holie Commaundementes. Let mee bee a Lampe of light, and not a lumpe of darkneſſe. O God, I hauehave this one cōfort,God, an vnchangeable Light. that albeit this preſent light be alterable, yet Thou art an vnalterable GOD, and thy preſence ſhineth at all times. Therefore, I beſeech thee, let not the light goe out of the Tabernacle;Ex. 30.25. but nouriſh it continuallie, by the freſh and new Oyle of thy Spirite; that thou mayeſt dwell in mee, and mayeſt delight to abide in thine owne Building; and keepe in thine owne light, which thou haſt brought in, and nouriſh it within thy Sanctuarie; that I (beeing brought through this ſhaddowe of the darke worlde, by thine externall and internall light) may come to that place where there ſhall bee no night, and where there needeth no Candle,Rev. 21.23 neither the Sunne, nor the Moone, to giuegive light: euen where thy glorie ſhineth, and where the Lambe himſelfe giueth light: To whome, with thee, O Father, and the holie Spirit, bee all honour, praiſe, power, and dominion, now, and euermore. So bee it.