Seven Sermons, Sermon 6
SERMON VI.
This Sermon was Preached Novemb. 17. 1678.
Psalm 112.4.
Unto the upright there ariseth light in darkness.
CHrysostom calls the Scriptures a Spiritual Paradice. The Book of Psalms is placed in the midst of this Paradice. Davids Psalms are not only for delight, but for benefit. Like those Trees of the Sanctuary in Ezekiel, which were both for food and for medicine. The Psalms are commensurate and exactly fitted to every Christians condition. If his affections be frozen, here he may fetch fire: if he be weak in grace, here he may fetch Armour: if he be ready to faint, here he may fetch Cordials. Among other Divine consolations, this Text is none of the least; Unto the upright there ariseth light in darkness: which words are calculated for the comfort of Gods Church in all Ages. This Text is like Israels Pillar of Fire, which gave light in the Wilderness. Or this is like the Mariners Lanthorn to serve to give light in a dark night; To the upright there ariseth light in darkness. Give me leave a little to explain the words, then I shall come to the Proposition: To the upright. Who are meant here by the upright? Answer; The Hebrew word for upright, signifies plainness of heart: The upright man he is without blushing or fraud; he is one in whose spirit there is no guile, Psal. 32.2. He that is upright, his heart and his tongue go together; as a well made Dial goes exactly by the Sun. The words following here in the Text may serve for a short paraphrase, to shew us who this upright man is; he is gracious, full of compassion, and righteous.
1. He is gracious, that implies his holiness.
2. He is full of compassion, that implies his charitableness.
3. He is righteous, that implies his justness.
The upright man he is gracious, therefore he fears God; he is full of compassion, therefore he feeds the poor; he is righteous, therefore he doth to others as he would have them to do to him. The upright man is one that acts from a right principle, and that is faith; by a right rule, and that's the Word of God; to a right end, and that's the glory of God: this is the downright upright man.
The second thing in the Text is, There ariseth light to the upright man: by light is here meant metaphorically, viz. for comfort or joy, Esth. 8.16. The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy; but by light is meant gladness. The light, when it doth spring▪ it doth very much relieve. Joy is to the heart, as light is to the eye, very exhilarating and refreshing.
Thirdly, Light ariseth in darkness: By darkness is meant trouble; any thing that doth disquiet either the body or the mind. Trouble is darkness, Isa. 8.22. Look unto the earth, and behold trouble and darkness, Psa. 107.10. Such as sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death. As darkness is very disconsolate and affrighting; so trouble, where it comes, it makes every thing look like the terrours of the night.
The Observation is this;
Doct. That when the condition of Gods people is darkness, God causeth a light to shine unto them. To the upright there ariseth light in darkness.
Here are two branches of the Proposition.
First, That the upright, such whom God loves, they have their night.
Secondly, That a morning light ariseth to them in the midst of all their darkness.
First, The upright they have their night; it may be a very dark season. Godliness doth not exempt them from suffering; they may have a night of affliction; a cloud may set upon their Names and Estates. God may lay an Imbargo upon all their outward comforts, Ruth 1.20.
Secondly, The people of God, they may have a night of desertion: God may withdraw the smiling beams of his favour, and then it is night with them indeed, Iob 6.4. The Arrows of the Almighty are within me: the poison thereof drinks up my spirits. It alludes, saith Grotius, to the Persians, who in their War, do dip their Arrows in poison, to make their wounds more deadly. Thus God sometimes shoots the poisonous Arrows of desertion at the godly, then they are in the dark; they are benighted: tho' God hath the heart of a Father, yet sometimes he hath the look of an Enemy: he may cause darkness in the Soul, and shut up the beams of spiritual comfort.
First, He doth this, that he may the more quicken the exercise of grace for prayer may sometimes act highest in the hour of desertion, Ionah 2.4. I said I was cast out of thy sight; yet will I look towards thy holy Temple. Faith and Patience, like two Stars, shine most bright in the night of desertion. We are taken with the comfort, but God is more taken with the acting of our graces.
Secondly, The Lord may cause a dark cloud to be upon the righteous, a cloud of desertion, that he may hereby awaken, and stir up in his people a spirit of prayer, that now they may cry mightily to God; that now they may stir up themselves to take hold on God by prayer. Sometimes a Father hides his face, to make the Child cry after him the more: so God may hide his face in a cloud of desertion, that his Children may cry the more after him, Psal. 140.7. Oh hide not thy face from me! Desertion will make one pray, if any thing will. Desertion, it is a short Hell. Ionah calls the Whales belly, the belly of Hell, because he was deserted there; and if ever he would pray, sure it is now, that he might get out of that Hell, Ionah 2.2. Out of the belly of Hell I cryed unto thee, and thou heardest my voice. That's the first; The godly they may have their night.
The second part of the Proposition.
That a morning light doth arise in the righteous, in all their darkness.
To the upright there ariseth light in darkness, Psal. 18.28. The Lord will light my Candle; as if David had said, My comforts at present they seem to be blown out, and I am in the dark; but the Lord will light my Candle, and will cause light to arise. There is a twofold light that God causes to arise in his people in the dark.
First, An outward light.
Secondly, An inward light.
First, An outward light shines, that is, God doth oftentimes cause the light of prosperity to arise upon his people; that is, a light in darkness. When God causes peace and prosperity in the Tabernacles of the righteous, here is light riseth in darkness, Iob 29.3. When his Candle shineth upon my head; the Candle, that is, the Candle of prosperity; a Lamp, that is, outward blessings. God hath on a sudden altered the Scene of Providence; and on a sudden turned the shadows of death into the light of the morning.
Secondly, When Gods people are in the dark, God causes sometimes an inward light to arise in them.
First, The light of grace; he makes that shine. In the midst of darkness, a spark of faith in the Soul, it is a spark of light. When the Tree hath no blossoms or leaves to be seen, as in Autumn; yet there may be sap in the root of the Vine.
So my Brethren, when our outward comforts are as it were dead, it is Autumn; yet there may be the seed of God in the heart, and this spark of grace, it is a dawning light to the Soul.
Secondly, God sometimes causes a light of spiritual joy and consolation to arise in the dark and disconsolate Soul: And truly this light of spiritual joy, it is the very glimmering of the light of Heaven, Isa. 12.1. Thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me. This light of spiritual comfort, it is sweet and ravishing; it as far excels all other joys, as Heaven excels Earth. Thus you see in the midst of darkness or black clouds, God makes light to arise and shine unto the godly: It is only God himself that can make it lightsom, when the Soul is in a dark disconsolate condition. As when the Sun is set, none can make it rise but only God: So when it is Sun-set in the Soul, and the dew of tears drop, none can make day-light in that Soul, but God himself: others may preach comfort to us, while it is God that must make us feel comfort: others may bring a Cordial to us, and set it to us, and by us; but it is God that must pour in this Cordial, Psal. 4.7. Thou, Lord, hast put gladness in my heart.
Quest. Why doth God make light and joy to arise to the upright in their darkness?
Answ. For three Reasons.
First, That he may fulfil his promises. He hath said, He will give light to his people when they are in darkness, Isa. 42.16. I will make darkness light before them. Gods honour lies upon it to make good his promise; he causeth light to spring up in the disconsolate Soul: Gods promise it is his Bond. When a man hath given his Bond, he cannot well go back. Gods promises, they may be long in travail, yet at last they bring forth. There are two things in God that never fail.
First, His compassion fails not, Lam. 3.22.
Secondly, His faithfulness fails not, Psal. 89.33. God may sometimes delay a promise, yet he will never deny his promise: God may sometimes change his promise, turn a temporal promise into a spiritual promise, but he will never break his promise; he hath said, He will cause light to go before his people in all their darkness.
Secondly, God will cause light to arise in his people in all their darkness, because they help to enlighten others, and therefore they shall not want light; when others are in the dark of ignorance, they enlighten them with knowledge; when others are in the dark of affliction, they relieve them; they are merciful to them in giving them Alms, which administers light and joy to their hearts. The Saints of God, they are lights to them that sit in darkness; when they are benighted with any sorrow, they shall not want comfort; the Lord causeth light to arise to them in darkness.
Thirdly, God will cause light to arise in his people in darkness; either he will support them in trouble, or deliver them out of trouble: He will cause light to arise, because he sees his people have need, great need of some dawnings of light; they would faint away and be discouraged, if there was nothing but darkness, and no glimmering of light. Should the sick Patient always have purging Physick, and no Cordials given him, he would faint away. God knows our frame, and he sees our spirits would fail before him, if he did always suffer a cloud to lie upon us; therefore in Judgment he remembers Mercy; he causeth the day-star of comfort to arise upon his people. God will not let it be always midnight, lest we should touch upon the Rock of Despair. The Musician will not stretch the strings of his Viol too far, lest they break asunder. Thus you see why the wise God sees it best to cause light to arise in the midst of darkness. So much for the doctrinal part.
USE.
First, Here are several Inferences from this Text; see the infinite goodness of God towards his people in all cases that fall out in this world, whether affliction or desertion. Oh the goodness of God! the Lord doth chequer his work; he intermixes some Stars to give light: As the Limner mingles bright colours with dark shadows. The condition of Gods people on Earth is never so dark, but they may see a Rain-bow in the cloud of Providence. Take that one Scripture to verifie this, Psal. 138.7. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me. Every step I take I tread upon thorns, I walk in the midst of trouble. Ioseph, he was in prison, there was darkness; but the Text saith, The Lord was with Ioseph; there was light did arise, Gen. 39.21. Iacob had the hollow of his thigh put out of joint, there was darkness; but at that very time he saw Gods face, a dark glimmering of God, and the Lord blest him; there was light risen in darkness, Gen. 32.25. Iob, that had lost all that ever he had, struck with boyls and soars, here was a dark providence; yea but hereby Iobs grace was perfected and improved, and God gave him an honourable testimony, that he was upright, and gave him double Estate to what he had before; here was light arisen to Iob in the clouds of darkness, Iob 42.10. Thus God doth mix light with his peoples darkness. As in the Ark, there was Manna laid up with the Rod: So it is in Gods providence towards his people; with the Rod of affliction, there's some Manna, some Light, some Comfort that God causes to spring up. Manna with the Rod, oh the goodness of God! in the darkest night that is, he keeps alive some spark of light amongst his people. That's the first.
Inference 2. If it be Gods work to cause light and comfort to the righteous; why then, how contrary do they act, who make it their work to cause darkness and sorrow to the righteous? Gods work is to cause light to spring in to the godly; their work is to cause darkness. You know there is a woe belongs to them that make the hearts of the righteous sad. God is creating light for his people, and his enemies are laying snares for them. God is pouring Wine and Oil into his peoples wounds, and his adversaries they are a pouring in Vinegar into those wounds. How contrary do these act? those that are of the Romish Whore, are at this day plotting to the ruine of Gods people, and would have the Church of God lie in a field of blood. The Lord, he makes light to arise to the godly; the wicked, they labour to make darkness and sorrow to arise to them. But such as lay snares for the righteous, God will rain fire upon them, Psa. 11.6. Upon the wicked God shall rain fire and brimstone. The wicked, they strike at Christ thorow his members sides; but let them know, if they kick against the Rock Christ, the Lord will be too hard for them at last. God ordains his Arrows against the Persecutors, Psal. 7. v. 13. and God never misses his mark; if he hath his Arrow upon the string, he will certainly shoot, and he never misses his mark. That's a second.
Inference 3. See here the difference betwixt the wicked and the godly; in all their darkness they have some light, some comfort arises to them. The wicked in all their outward comforts, they have some darkness arises up to them; conscience chides them, and troubles threaten them. It is like the hand-writing upon the wall, Psa. 68.31. God shall wound the heads of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses. The sinner in his light time condition, in all his outward mirth, he may see some clouds of darkness: Gods threatning Arrows are against him, and Gods Curse is against him; and Gods Curse it blasts where-ever it comes. An impenitent sinner, he lives every day under the sentence of death, and there remains for him, saith the Apostle, a fiery indignation, Heb. 10.27. When the hardened sinner dies, he will be but in a bad case; he drops into the Grave and into Hell both at once. God hath brewed for the impenitent sinner a deadly Cup, Psal. 75.8. Observe that Scripture; In the hand of the Lord there is a Cup, the Wine is red, it is full of mixture, and the dregs thereof the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them. This red Wine it is the wrath of God, and this Wine is full of mixture; what's that? that's the worm of Conscience, and the fire of Hell: Here is a mixed Cup, and the wicked shall be ever drinking this Cup. God will never say, Let this Cup pass away. No, they must be for ever drinking the dregs of this Cup of wrath. My thinks this Scripture should be a damp to all their joy and mirth; darkness is coming upon them, 1 Sam. 28.19. It was sad news to Saul that the Devil brought; saith he, Tomorrow thou shalt be with me; dreadful news! Now men are sporting with their lusts and pleasures; now they think they are in their gallantry; and to morrow may be with the Devil.
A fourth branch of Inference. Doth God cause light to spring up in his peoples darkness? then see here the difference betwixt Earth and Heaven. Here in this world there is a mixture of darkness with the Saints light; in Heaven there shall be nothing but pure light; no darkness there: It is called an Inheritance of light, Col. 1.12. As the Philosophers say, Light is the very glory of the Creation; it is the beauty of the world. What was all the world without light, but a dark prison? Here's the beauty of Heaven, it is a place of light; there is no eclipse nor dark shadows to be seen there. Heaven is a bright body all over, all over embroidered with light: there is the Sun of Righteousness shining with the bright Orient beams of glory, Rev. 21.23. the Lamb is the light thereof; oh how should we long for that place of Paradice!
Use 2. is of Consolation, For the Church and People of God.
This Text is a pillar of light, a breast of consolation: To the upright ariseth light in darkness. Doth God make light, and joy, and peace, to arise to the righteous? why then should we despair? why should we despond, when it is Gods great design to lighten his peoples darkness? I confess things have but a bad aspect. England is like the Ship in the Gospel, almost covered with waves. This may humble us, and set our Eyes abroach with tears: Yet let us not mourn as without hope.
This Text methinks lets in some branches of light; it gives some spark of comfort in our darkness. Let me come as the Dove, with an Olive branch of peace: That it is some spark of light, that there are many upright ones in the Land; and the Text saith, Light ariseth to the upright. Indeed, were the godly quite removed, as it is the desire of some to destroy them, God would soon make quick work with the Nation; he would soon break up house here, Gen. 19.22. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. The upright that my Text speaks of, God will do much for their sakes: The upright, they are the excellent of the Earth; they are the Chariots and Horse-men of Israel; they are the very flower and cream of the Creation; they are the glory of Christ, 2 Cor. 8.23. and for their sakes God may yet cause light to arise, and his Arm may bring salvation.
Secondly, Another spark of light in our darkness, that yet God is pleased to stir up in his people, is a spirit of mighty prayer; they cry mightily. Certainly God will not say to this City and Nation, Seek ye my face in vain. Prayer is the Wall and Bulwarks of the Land. It is observable, when the Lord intends to pour out the Vials of his Indignation, he stops the sluces of prayer, shuts up the spirit of prayer, Ier. 7.16. Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me; for I will not hear: God hath not yet said so to us.
The Key of Prayer, oiled with tears, and turned with the hand of faith, unlocks Gods bowels. Prayer, when it is important, staves off wrath from the Nation, Exod. 32.10. Saith God to Moses, Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them. And what did Moses do? he only prayed. Fervent prayer overcomes the Almighty. Prayer finds God free, but it leaves him bound; it is as it was. This his hand staves off Judgment; this lets in some dawning light to this Land, that God don't wholly leave us, especially remembring this, that Christ Jesus praying over our prayers again, presents them to his Father, and perfumes them with his sweet odour▪ which makes them go up as Incense, Rev. 8.3.
Thirdly, Another spark arising is this, when we consider Gods compassion and bowels of mercy. Mercy, it is Gods darling Attribute, that he loves most of all to magnifie, Micah 7.18. Mercy pleaseth him. Justice is Gods strange work, as if he was not used to it; but mercy is his proper work; it is as natural for him to shew mercy, as for the Bee to give Honey. Why may not mercy give the casting voice for this Nation? according to that Scripture, In his love and in his pity he redeemed them. Love and pity will do great things. Gods mercy, it is not only free, sending out pardons where he pleases; but, which is more, Gods mercy can as well heal, as it can save; it is a healing mercy, Hosea 14.4. I will heal their backslidings. Observe, Gods mercy it can reclaim the Persecutor, it can soften the Impenitent, it can bring back some that are gone astray. Mercy can destroy the sins of the Nation, and yet save the Nation: it is a healing mercy; I will heal their backslidings. These are the sparks of light that God causes to arise.
Obj. But you will say, Still things look and seem as in the dark, and we would have more light; What must we do? how must we carry our selves till God makes light to arise to us in darkness?
Ans. 1. Let us in all dark Providences go into our chambers, Isa. 26.20. Come my people, enter thou into thy chamber, and hide thy self: Enter thou into thy chamber, that is, we must go and search our hearts by serious meditation, and self-examination; go into this chamber of your hearts. Let us in the first place search our Evidences for Heaven, bring our graces to the Touchstone; let us see what faith we have, and what love to God we have: Doth Conscience witness, we not only serve God, but love him? Can we cry out for God, for the living God? Are we carried up to Heaven in a fiery Chariot of love? Is it thus with us? Oh let us search into the chambers of our hearts, and see how all things stand betwixt God and our Souls!
My Brethren, when things are dark without, we had need to have all clear within.
Secondly, Let us go, not only into the chambers of our hearts, but let us go into the chamber of Divine Promises, and there let us a while judge our selves. Oh! these sweet Promises of God, which our Souls may take comfort in: God hath promised comfort to all his mourners: God hath promised that he will strengthen the infirm, Isa. 40.29▪ God hath promised a Crown of Glory, Rev. 2.10. He hath said, He will never leave us nor forsake us. Let us now by faith hide our selves in these chambers. That's the first thing we are to do.
Secondly, Having done this, let us under all clouds of darkness, in the next place, commit our selves to God, that he would safeguard and keep us. This I ground upon that Scripture, Psal. 37.5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; in the Hebrew it is, roll thy way upon the Lord: Commit thy self and thy cause to God by prayer; as an Orphan commits himself under the care of his Guardian, so should we give all our care to God: Commit thy ways unto the Lord. Let us do our duty, and trust God with our safety. It is our work to cast care; it is Gods work to take care.
Thirdly, Having gone into these chambers, the chambers of our hearts, and the chambers of Divine Promises; so in the third place, let us now wait Gods time, till he shall make light to arise in our Horrison, until God turns our darkness into the light of the morning. God can of a sudden disperse the black clouds: God can create light: God can strike a straight stroke by a crooked stick: God can remove the Mountains that lie in our way, till light arises. Let us patiently wait, light will spring up; the blessings that we are in expectation of, are worth waiting for. To see the golden Fleet of Prayer come laden home with rich returns of mercy: To see Peace and Truth united: To see Popery and Prophaneness abominated: To see the beauty of Holiness shining forth, like a Lamp that burneth: To see Christ ride in triumph in the Chariot of his Gospel: To see the Righteous honoured and renowned, and be like the wings of a Dove, covered with yellow gold: These certainly are mercies worth waiting for; therefore let us wait patiently: And to encourage holy waiting, I will shut up all with that Scripture, Isa. 30.18. And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you; and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you; for the Lord is a God of Iudgment; blessed are all they that wait for him.