Fellowship with God, Sermon 10
SERMON X·
1 Joh. 1.5.
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, &c.
WHo is a fit messenger to declare this message? Can da…knesse comp…ehend the light, or apprehend it? O… can those that a…e blind, …orm any lively noti…n o… light, to the inst…uction and perswasion of othe…s? Truly, no more can we conceive or speak of God, who i… that pure light, then a blind man can discourse on colours, or a deaf man on sounds; Who is blind as the Lords servant? And therefore, who are more unmeet to declare this message of light? What reverence and godly fear ought this to be declared withal, when mortal man speaks of the eternal God unto mortal men? What composure of spirit should be in us? What trembling and adoration? For at our best we can but declare our own ignorance, and the furthest attainment in this knowledge, is but a further discovery of mans darknesse; we have three wayes of creeping towards that glorious light of God, fi…st, his own wo…ks are like some visible appearances of that invisible and incomprehensible God; and in these we know him, but not what he is in himself. Consider how dark …nd dull we are in piercing into the hidden natures of things, even below us, as Beasts and Plants: we behold some effects flow from them, but from wh…t principle these do flow, that we know not: How much lesse can we apprehend any thing suitable of the Divine M…jesty, that is i…finitly above us, from these won…e…ful and glorious wo…ks of his power and wisdom. Man is indowed with wisdom, to do some excellent works of A…t, as Planting, Gra…ing, Building, Painting, Weaving, and such like. But the Be…sts that a…e b…low …, cannot apprehend from these wo…ks what the nature of man is. Now is there not a more infinit distance, a greater disproportion between us and the Divine Nature, so that we cannot rise up to an understanding notion of it, in it self Nay, besides, one man will do many things which another cannot understand, he beholds th… Art of it, he sees the matter, but yet he canno… pierce into the mind o… the Work-man, and loo… upon that wisdom and idea of his mind: Therefore all that we can conclude from these wonderfull works of God, is some silent admiration of him. If these be such, th…n what must he be? How infinitly distant from th…m, and transcenden… over them? but what he is, these cannot declare, and we cannot apprehend. Then we use to climb up to the knowledge of God, by attributing to him all the perfections, excellencies, and eminencies of the creatures: whatsoever commends them, we apprehend that originally and infinitly in him; and thus we spell out that Name that is most simply one, in many Letters, and Characters, acco…ding to our mean capacity, as children when they begin to learn; so we ascribe to him wisdom, goodnesse, power, justice, holinesse, mercy, truth, &c. All which names being taken from the creatures, and so having significations suited to our imperfections, they must needs come infinitly short of him, and so our apprehensions of them: these are scattered among the creatures, therefore they cause diverse conceptions in us; but all these are united in him. He is a most simple, pure being, that eminently and virtually is all things; and properly is none of all.
Another way we have of apprehending him, by way of Negation, denying all the imperfections of the creatures, and removing them an infinit distance from him, and truly, though this be an imperfection in knowledge, yet it is the greatest knowledge we can attain to, to know rather what he is not, then what he is: He is not limited to any place, nor bounded with any measures and degre…s of perfection, as creatures are; therefore we call him Infinit: He is not comprehended within the limits of time, but comprehends all within himself; therefore he is Eternal: He is not subject to changes and alterations, therefore called Immutable: He is not compounded, as a result of diverse parts, therefore he is most purely Simple, and One: He is not like these things we see and hear, that fall under our senses; therefore we call him a Spirit, or a spiritual beeing. Now in all these weak endeavour… of man, to detain and fix his own spirit in the contemplation of God, if he cannot reach the understanding of what God is, yet certainly he will attain …his great point of wisdom, not to be ignorant of his own ignorance. And truly, my beloved, this is the thing that I would have us to learn to know, that the admiration of God in silence, is the best expression of him. We would not search into these mysteries, to satisfie our cu…iosity, but rather compose our hearts to a continu…l silent wondering before him▪ …or where our unde…standings are confounded, and ou… minds ove…whelmed with the infinitnesse of th…t glory, so that we can see nothing but our own ignorance of all; this should certainly compose all to quiet admiration; for silence and wonder is the proper and natural posture of a soul that is at a stand, and can neither win forward for inaccessible light, nor will retire backward for that it apprehends already.
This then is the m…ssage, that God is light. B… cause we cannot conceive in our poor narrow mind…, what God is in himself, therefore he expresseth to us often in sim…litudes to the creatures, and condescends to our capacity. As he stands in manifold relations to us, so he takes the most familiar Names, that may hold out to our dull senses what we may expect of him: therefore he calleth himself a Father, a King, a Husband, a Rock, a Bu…kler, and strong …ower, a Mountain, and wha…soeve… else may …epresent to our hea…ts that which may strengthen them in b… lieving. But there is no creature …o directly att…ibuted to God, as light: none used to express his very nature and being, a… a…stracted from these relations, but this, God is light, and Christ take… it to him…elf, the light of the world, and the life of men. The truth is, it hath some excellency in it above all other visible creature…, that it may fitly carry some resemblance to him. The Scripture calls light his garment, Psal. 104.2. and truly it is a more glo…io… Rob of Majesty, then all the royall and Imperial Robs and Ga…ments of State, that either Angels or men could contrive. The light is, as it were, a visible appearance of the invisible God: He hath cove…ed his invisible nature with thi… glo…iou… Garment, to make himsel… in a manner visible to man. Its true, that light is, but a… it were, a shadow of that inaccessible light, umbra Dei. It is the dark shadow of God, who is himself infinitly more beautiful and glorious▪ But yet, as to us, it hath greater Glory and Majesty in it, then any creature besides. It is the chief of the works of God, without which the world would be without form, and void: it is the very beauty of the Creation, that which gives a lustre and amiablenesse to all that is in it, without which the pleasantest Paradise would become a Wildernesse, and this beautiful structure, and ado…ned P…lace of the World, … loathsome dun…eon. … the admirable beauty of it, it hath a wond…ull swi… convey…nce, throughout the whole wo…ld, the upper, and lower, in a moment, in the twinckling of an eye, it i… caried f…om the one end of heaven to the other in a mom…nt, and …ho c…n say by wh…t way the light is p…rt…l, Iob, 8 24. M…eover it car…ies alongst with it … beautiful influence, and refreshing heat and warmnes…, which i… t…e very life and sub…istence of …ll the creatu…es below. And so, as there …s nothing so beautiful, so nothing so unive…sally and hig…ly p…ofitable; and to all this, add that …ingular …operty of it, that it is n…t capable o… in…ection, it i… of such absolute pu…ity, th… it can c…mmu…icat it self to the dung-hill, as we…l as to the Garden, without receiving any mixtu…e from it: In all the impu…ities it m…ets withall, it …emains unmixed, and un…ain…ed, and p…eserves its own nature intire. Now you may perceive that there is nothing visible that is fitter to resemble the invisi…le God, then this glor… ou…, be…utiful, pure, and unive…sally communi…able c…eature, Light.
Hereby you may have shadowed out unto you the nature of God, that he is an all-knowing, intelligent beeing, as light is the first and p…incipal visible thing; yea, that which gives visibility to all things: and so is in its own nature a manifestation of all things material and bodily, so God is the fi…st object of the understanding: primum intelligib…le, & primum intelligens. Nothing …o fit …n embleme of knowledge, as light, and truly in that respect God is the original light, a pure intellectual light, that hat… in himsel… the perfect idea and comprehension of …ll things; he hath …nticipated in himself the knowledge of all, because all things were formed in his infinit understanding, and lay, as it were, first hid in the bowels of his infinit power. Therefore he is a Glob or Mass of light and knowledge, like the Sun, from whom nothing is hid; He… and destruction are not covered to him, the…e i… no opacity, no darknesse or thicknesse in the creation, that can terminat or bound this light, or hinder his understanding to pierce into it. Now all things by the irradiation of the light become visible, so the participation of this gloriou… Sun of Righteousnesse, …nd the shining of his be…ms into the souls of men, makes them to partake of that heavenly intellectual nature, and …eflects a wonderful be…uty upon them, which i… not in the …est of the world.
Besides, here is represented to us the absolut… purity and perfection of Gods Nature, God i… light, and in him is no darknesse; Besides the purity of the light of knowledge, there is … purity of the beauty of holinesse, the glorious light of God his vertue, and power, and wisdom, is communicated to …ll the creatures, there is an universal extent of hi… influence towards the good …nd bad, as the Sun shine… on both, and yet there is n… spot or stain upon his holinesse or righteousnesse, from all his intermingling with the creatures, the wo…st and b…est c…eatures. All his works are holy and righteous, even his wo…ks in unholy and unrighteous men; he draws no defilement from the basest of the creatures, nor yet from the sinfulnesse of it: He can be intimatly present, and conjoyned in working, in vertu… and power, in care and providence, with the dirt and mi…e of the streets, with the beasts of the field, and yet that is no stain upon his honour or credit, as men would suppose it to be; no more then it is a dishonour to the Sun to shine on the dung-hill; in a word, there is no mixture of ignorance, darknesse, impurity, or iniquity in him, not the least shadow of ch…nge, or turning, not the le…st seed of imperfection; in regard of him the Moon is not clean, and the Sun i… spotted; in respect of his holiness, Angel… may be charged with folly.
Then add unto this, to make up the resemblance fuller, the bounty and benignity of his influence upon the world, the flowings forth of his in…nit goodnesse, that inricheth the whole earth: look as the Sun is the greatest and most universal benefactor, his influence and heat is th… very renovation of the world, it makes …ll new, and green, and flourishing; it puts a youth upon the world, and so is the very spring and fountain of life to …ll sub…nary things. How much is that true of the true light, of the substantial, of whom this Sun is but a shadow, He is the life of the world, and the light of men. Every good gift and every perfect donation descends from him, Jam. 1.17. …is influence is more universal to the beeing, to the moving, to the living of all things. And then Iesus Christ the Sun of Righteousnesse is ca…ried a…o…t in the Orb of the Go… spel, and in his beams there is a healing vertue; t…e…e are the refreshment o… poor wea…ied soul… that a…e scorched with the anger of God. There i… an admirable heat and wa…mnesse of love and affection, that this glorious light carries embosomed in it, and that is it that pierces into souls, and warms hearts, and quickens dead spirits, and puts a new face upon all again. This is the spring of all the life that is truly spiritual; and it hath as sweet and comfo…tabl… effects upon the souls of men, who receive the truth in love, the light in love, that is, the light with heat, as ever-the Sun approaching …ear the earth, hath had upon plants …nd living creatures.
And to compleat the resemblance more, there may be something of the infallibility, and incomprehensibili…y of the Divine M…jesty here represented; for though nothing be …learer then the light, yet there is nothing in it… own natu…e darke… then light: That which is so manifest to the eyes, How obs…ure is it to the understanding▪ M…ny debates an… inqui…ies have been abou… it, but yet it is n…t known wh…t t…at is, by which we know all things. Cer…ainly, such i… the Divine Light: It i… inconceivable, and inexpressible, there…ore he is …aid to dwell in light inac…essible, and full of glory, 1 …im. 6.16. There is a two-…o…d da…knesse that hinder… u… to see God, a da…knesse of igno…ance in u…, and a da…kne… of inaccessible light in him: the one is a vail upon our hearts, w…ich blinds and darkens the souls of men, that they do not see that which is manifest of God, even in hi… works. O that cloud of unbelief that is spread over o…r soul…, which hinder… the glorious …ayes of that Divine Light to shine into them. Thi… darknesse S…tan contribute… much to, who is the Prince of darkn…sse, 2 Cor. 4.4. this makes the most part of souls like dungeons within, when the glorious light of the Gospel surrounds them without: this earthlinesse and carnality of our hearts, makes them like the earth, receive only the light in the upper and outward supe…fice, and not suffer it to be …ransmitted into our h…arts, to change them. But when it pleaseth him, who at the fi…st, by a word of power, commanded light to shine out of d…rknesse, he can scatter that cloud of ignorance, …nd draw away …he vail of unbelief, and can by hi… power …nd art so transform the soul, a… to …mo…e its earthly quality, and make it transpa…t and pure, and then the light will s…ine in to … heart, … get free accesse into the soul. But …ough this da…kn…s…e we…e wholly removed, …ere is anothe… da…knesse, that ariseth not f…om …he wan… o… light, but …om the exc…ssive supe…-…bundance o… light; Caligo … nimiae, that is, a divine da…kness…, a da…knesse o… glory, such an infini… exc…sse and superplus …f light …nd glory, above all created capaci…ies, that it daz…es and c…nfound… all …tal or created unde…standing…. We … s…me shad…ws o… …his, if we look up to t…e clear Sun; we are able to see nothing …or too much light, there is such an infinit disproportion he…e between the eye of our mind, and this di…ine light of glory, that if we cu…iously p…y …nto it, it is ra…her c…nfounding and astonishing; and therefore it fills the souls of Saints with continual silent admi…ation and adoration.