Fellowship with God, Sermon 11
SERMON XI·
1 Joh. 1.5.
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darknesse at all.
TRue Religion consists not only in the knowledge of God, but especially in conformity to him, and communion with him. Communion and fellowship with God is the great end and design of the Gospel, and it is the gre… resul… of all a Chri…ian… pain… and progresse; it i… not only the greatest part of Religion, b…t the ve…y …eward of Religion too; …or piety hath its reward of happine…s in the bosome o… it, without borrowing f…om exte…nal things. Now th…t which this sweet and fragrant f…uit whic… per…ume… all the soul with delight, and …ills it with joy, springs out o…, is, Conformity to G…d, a…imilation o… natu…e …nd dispo…ition, some likenesse to God imprinted on t…e soul again in holy affections and di…positions, a co-incidency o… our will with the will of God, a drow…ing of it in the sea of his good pleasu…e, his Law in the inwa…d pa…ts. Now what is the root of this co… …o…mity, but the knowledge of God? this is that which hath a ve…ue to tran…o…m the soul into his similitude: You see then whe…e t…ue Religion begins lowest, and by what means it grows up to the sweet fruit of that eternal joy that shall be pressed out of the G…apes of fellowship with God: …o then whatsoever is declared of God unto u… in hi… Wo…d, whatsoever is holden …orth of him, it is not only set forth to be the subject o… our knowledge, but especially to be a patte…n for imitation, and to be an inflaming motive to our affection; This is the very substance of the ver…e.
This then is the mess…ge, I declare that God is light, and this I hea…d not …rom Christ only for the …atisfaction of my curiosity, nor do I declare it to you only that you may know it, as if you had no more to do wit… it, but especi…lly that ye may know what ye ought to be in conformity to that light; the end o… your knowing God, i… to become liker God, if so be ye would have communion with him.
Let us take this rule then, to measure all our sea…chings a…ter God, and inquirings into him; ce…ainly there ought to be more meditation, and inquiry of heart upon this subject, because it is the …pring of all life to the soul; it is that which en…icheth it most, and fills it with peace, joy, and delight, and brings in a treasure into a man… hea…t, …uch a… Christ speaks of; A good man out of the good treasure of his heart, &c. Medication, much meditation on God, a stayednes… and fixedness of spi…it upon him, layes up a treasu…e in the heart; this is it that makes such a dif…e…ence between the heart and mouth of a righteou… man, and a wicked man; the heart of the wicked is little worth, for the total want of this; and there…ore their lips and tongues are void of edification, full of corruption. But where this spring floweth within, it maketh th… mouth of a man like a well of life; it maketh his lips li…e choise silv…r. O, the scantnesse and neglect of this amongst Christians, makes all to wither and decay: there is little searching after the Almighty, little imploying and intertaining our spirits about him; low, slender, and single thoughts and app…ehensions o… him, which c…nnot but cause a deliquium and dec…y in all the part… of Christianity, wh…n the v…ry Sun is …pled from us by our ign…ance, and inc…nsidera…ion of …im: and that so long, it must have dreadful eff…ct… upon us. Therefore let us be exhorted to this study, to give our spi…its to this imployment, to think mo…e on G…d. But as I was saying, there is need of … …ule to me…sure us in it, …nd of some caution about it, that i…, th…t we have our end …ightly established, wha… we …im at in enq…iring after, or meditating upon God. If it be only to give intertainment to the curiosity of our mind…, as in the c…ntemplation of natural things, if it be …nly to p…y into secrets and mysterie…, and to labour to comprehend th…t which is incomp…ehensible, then we lose our labour, and we a…e in danger to meet with … consuming fi…e, instead of instructing and re…reshing light. I would therefore have this g…arded against, the insatiable desire and greedine…e of our minds after the knowledge of secret mysteries. We must set bound… here, and not over-stretch or strain our und…standings, to compasse his infinit beeing, as it is in it self: let us rather take him up as he i… revealed in the Scripture…, and so meditate …n him …s manifested in hi… Word and W…rks, hi… G…ce, Mercy, Power, Wi…dom, &c. and read hi… name with delight in these la…ge volumes spread be…ore our eyes, &c.
Now the just measuring and regulating of all knowledge of God, is to direct it to a further end, to have nothing before us but this, that we may reve…ence, …, and …ove him so much the more: and t…s is the t…ing t…t make…h acc…s to him most easie and sweet, when …he design a soul h…t…, in a…l it… …e…chings about him, is for thi… purpose, …o the end it may love him, and wo…ship him mo…e …ui…bly, and be mor… c…n…o…med to him, when he is looked upon as … p…tte…n o… our con…o…mi…y, that is the …ight apprehension and up-taking of him, to know that God is light, and so to know i…, a… in it to behold the neces…ity of what qualification should be in us, that is indeed to know God. My beloved, let us co…der th…t so much we know of God, as we love him, and fe…r him, and are conformed unto him: f…r that knowledge which is not about this work and design; it is for no other purpose, but to be a wi…ness against a man, and the most hai…ous aggravation of his sins.
To come then to the pa…ticular in hand, God is light, and that is holden out and declared for this end, that there may be a pattern of the qualification of all that intend to enter into that society; if ye would have fellowship with God, then consider what you ingage into, what manner of person he is, for …he inti…at knowledge of one another, is presupposed to all constant friendship: You must know then what God is, if ye would have communion with him, because there is no communion without some conformi…y, …nd no conformity without knowledge of him. Therefore as he is ligh…, so the soul must be made …ig…t in …im, and enlightned by him, that would have hi… …ociety: w… must b… transformed into that natur…, and made children of light, who were child…en of da…knesse. Now as there is a light of understanding, and wisdome in God, and a light of …olinesse and purity, so there is in our souls opposite to these▪ a da…knesse of ignorance and unbelief, and a da…kne… of sin, and impurity of affections. Now what communion can light have with darknesse? Let every man ask this at his own heart, i… there be no happinesse without this society, and no possibility of this society, while I remain in da…kness▪ then is it not high time to come to the light? This then is the fi…st change that is made in a soul, the da…knesse of ignorance and unbelief is driven out, by the approach of that gloriou… light of the Gospel into the heart, then is discovered unto the soul that defo…mity of sin, that loathsomnesse in it self, that it never apprehended: then there is a manifestation of the hidden works of darknesse, of the desperat wickednesse of the heart, which lay un-observed, and unsuspected all the while, and now a man cannot in th…t view but abhor himself, for that which none else can see in him. And there is withal manifested that glorious holinesse and purity in God, that inviolable righteousnesse, that omnipotent power, which formerly were never seriously thought upon; now these are represented to the life before a sinner… and to close up all, there is a manifestation of the grace and goodnesse of God in Ch…ist, which di…covers a way o… salvation, and delivery …rom …in and wrath; and this perfumeth …nd ref…esheth all the faculties of the soul. Thu… the soul is in a part conformed to that original light, when a beam is sent from it, and hath pie…ced into the heart, and scattered the darknesse, that did alienat the minds of men f…om God. But it i… not only an illumination of th… fore-face, …nd outer-side of the soul, not only a conviction of the judgment in these things, but by vertue of that divine heat that is transmitted with the light of the Gospel, the soul is purified and cleansed from it… g…osser nature, and so i… made transparent, that the light may shine into the very inwards of the hea…t; and this is th… special point of c…nformity to God, to have our souls purged from the da…kness of sinful, earthly, and muddy …ffections, to have them purified by the light of God, from all the works and lust… of da…knesse, and the shining beauty of holy …ffections and inclinations, to succeed and fill up the vacant room. If knowledge only reside in our brains, …nd send not down warm beam… to quicken and inflame the heart, then it is bar…en and unfruitful, it is cold and unprofitable. If it hover only alone in our heads, and keep a motion there, but send down no refreshing showre… to the affections, which may make us abound in good fruits, then it is like the windy clouds, …louds without rain, th…t p…sse away without any benefit to the thi…sty ground. Let us then take thi… alongs with u…, let the impression of this description of the Divine Majesty abide on our he…rts. God is light, and if we often ruminat, and ponder on this, I think i… will make us often to …efl…ct upon our selves, how we are darkness…, and this will bre…d some care…ulnesse and de…ire in the soul, how to have this da…kness removed, that there may be a soul capa…le of divine illust…ation This is it that advanceth the soul to the n…est conformity with God, the looking often upon God, till our souls be inlightned, and our hearts purified, and this …g…in puts the soul in the nearest cap…city for t…t blessed co…un…on with God. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God ▪ Mat. 5.8. T…uly▪ it i… not p…ofoundness of ingine, it is not …cuten…sse and sharpnesse of wit, it is not pregnancy in unde…standing, or emin…ncy in parts, that will dispose the soul to this blessed vision of God, and f…ame it to a capacity of fellowship with him; no, there need… no extraordina…y part… for this, nothing but that the heart be purified from corruptions, those inward earthly qualities, that are like so many vitious and grosse humou…, filling the organ of the sight, these, pride, conceit, self-love, p…ssi…n, anger, mali…e, …nvy, s…ife, covetousnesse, love of pleasures, ambition, these, I say, that possesse the hearts of the most excellent natural spirits, casts a mist upon …ir eyes, and … them to see G…d, or enjoy that delig… in …m, that …ome poor, weak, and igno…an… cr…ature…, who…e hearts the Lo…d hath pu…g…d …om sin, do find in God. The…efo…e, i… any o… …ou ha…e an aim at this, to have fellowship with God, know both …or your di…ection, and you… incou…agement, that God is l ght: for your di…ection, because that must be your pattern, and if you have no study that way, to be like him in holin sse, you shall not see him. But▪ take it likewise for an incouragement, for that stile carrie… not only the necessity of what he must be, but it holds out likewise the foun…ain and store-house of all our qualifications, for God is light, the original, primitive light, all must borrow of him, and that light is f…eely and impa…tially communicable to poor sinners: With thee is the fountain of life, and in thy light shall we s…e light. Let a soul that app…ehends its own da…knesse and distance from him, thus incourage it self, my light is but a beam derived f…om his light, and there is no want in him: He is a Sun of …ighteousnesse, if I shut …ot up my hea…t th…ough unwillingnesse and unbelief, if I desi…e not to keep my sin…, but would be pu…ged from them, then that glorious light may shin… without stop and impediment in to my hea…t: He is not only light in his own nature, but he is a light to us, and if he please to remove that which is interposed between him and us, it shall be day-light in our hearts again. Thus a …oul may strengthen it self to w…it on him, and by looking thus up to him, and fixing on him, we shall be enlightned, and our faces not be ashamed.