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A02032
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The light of the world A sermon preached at Botterwike in Holland, neere Boston, in Lincolnshire. By Thomas Granger, preacher of Gods word there.
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Granger, Thomas, b. 1578.
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1616
(1616)
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STC 12179; ESTC S103386
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23,817
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39
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be hid in darkenesse and inuisible and therefore could nothing mooue without stumbling and falling neither know whether to goe Ioh. 12. 35. And what could be looked for but sudaine death Againe without light we should haue no knowledge of any thing the firmament and elements with all their creatures should be inuisible to vs there should be nothing but blindnesse ignorance feare horror sorrow despaire we should be farre worse than the prisoner that lies in the bottome of a nastie dungeon Yea if the light of the Sunne were not the World should be a very picture and resemblance of Hell a confusion of beasts foules and men euery one treading other vnder foote yea all things should be mingled together into one Chaos or masse there should be nothing but hunger thirst cold nakednesse feares terrours mourning and wailing continuall dying one thing deuouring another Consider therefore what is the necessitie excellencie glory and felicitie of the light which is the life of the World Hence it is that light is vsed in the Scripture to signifie good and darkenesse euill Light signifieth the glory of Heauen the essence and holinesse of God the sonne of God the doctrine of the Gospell naturall vnderstanding knowledge and wisedome in the minde the knowledge of the glory and wisedome of God in the saluation of the elect holinesse of life Christians felicitie and prosperitie life Contrarily darkenesse signifieth Hell the paines and of Hell sinne and wickednesse the blindnesse and ignorance of man since the fall sinfull and lustfull liuing the Gentiles that know not God calamitie and miserie death These things are generally signified by Light and Darkenesse But for the clearing of this perticular place the light hath foure speciall significations First It signifieth God that is the Trinitie in the Vnitie Secondly It signifieth the Father Sonne and holy Ghost that is the Vnitie in the Trinitie Thirdly it signifieth the Doctrine of the Gospell Fourthly it signifieth Christians and Christian life Concerning the first signification It is sayd 1 Ioh. 1. 5. God is Light and in him is no darkenesse As if he should say God is holy This holinesse of the Diuine nature standeth First in the life and incomprehensible essence or being of God Secondly in his other essentiall properties as his power wisedome iustice mercy goodnesses Thirdly in his vnspeakeable complete celestiall ioy blessednesse and felicitie And as God is all light so there is no light without him for all that is without him is ignorance darkenesse and impuritie Concerning the second signification I. God the father is the light of the world but this light in him is inuisible to the world and to Angels 1 Tim. 6. 16. Who onely hath immortalitie and dwelleth in the Light which none can attaine vnto Ioh. 1. 18. No man hath seene God at any time Wis 9. 13. What man is he that can know the Counsell of God or who can thinke what the will of God is Also No man knoweth the father but the sonne c. Therefore this light of the world in the person of the father is hid inuisible II. God the Sonne is the light of the world by communication from the father and in him is the light and life of the world manifest and visible which was hid in God from euerlasting Ioh. 5. 36. As the father hath life in himselfe so hath he giuen to the Sonne to haue life in himselfe For this cause is he called the image of the inuisible God and brightnesse of his glory whose glorious nature wisedome and goodnesse shineth in the sonne who with the father is one and the same God Heb. 1. 3. Hence it is that he is called the wisdome of the father because he perfectly knoweth all secrets hidden in the father And he is in speciall manner called the Word because he reuealeth these secrets and this light to the World in mans nature and by mans voice Ioh. 1. 18. No man hath seene God at any time the sonne which is in the bosome of the father he hath declared him The Sonne therefore is the light and life of men in a double respect I. Christ is the light and life of man in the worke of creation for by participation of his life and light he receiued life motion sence and knowledge Ioh. 1. 4. In it was life and the life was the light of men II. He is the life and light of man in the worke of redemption in which respect here he calls himselfe the light of the World The former naturall life and light which we receiued from him in the creation is turned into darkenesse and death through the enuy of the Deuill and sinne So that naturally we are without God without light without life lying in the darkenesse of ignorance and the pollution of sinne Ezech. 16. 4. Rom. 1. 18. Now therefore seeing that we are darknesse and not light death and not life euen dead in trespasses and sinnes Ephes 2. 1. God out of the hidden treasures of his wisedome goodnesse and mercy hath quickned reuiued and begotten vs againe by application of his liuely light communicated from before the beginning of the world to the son participated to vs by through the son in the world The son therefore is the light and life of the world he is the wisedome and word of the father reuealing declaring and applying life and light to the world and for this purpose the word was made flesh and dwelt among vs 1 Ioh. 1. 1. That which was from the beginning euen Christ God eternall which we haue heard euen the same Christ made man which we haue seene with our eies which we haue looked vpon and our hands haue handled of the word of life declare wee vnto you The Sonne therefore iâ— our life light and felicitie he alone of God is made vnto vs wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. This place is a plaine exposition of these words I am the light of the World for heere the Apostle excludeth a man wholly from himselfe as nothing but darkenesse and death and setteth forth our spirituall and liuely being and manner of being in Christ I. Hee is our wisedome All sauing and true wisedome is in Christ for God hath fully reueiled himselfe in Christ and by him to vs and by no other meanes Colos 2. 3. In him are hid all the treasures of Wisedome and knowledge and if all be in him then without him is nothing II. He is made our righteousnesse that is to say by him and in him alone we are accepted and beloued of God For first he alone by himselfe hath purged our sinnes Secondly his obedience alone is imputed to vs for righteousnesse In which two things standeth the righteousnesse of faith by which God is our God and we are his people III. He is our sanctification By nature we are profane without God in the world a masse of filthinesse and
branches growing in the tree but drawing no sucke or iuyce of life out of the tree Secondly if we be false and dead limbs then are we separate from the other members hauing no hearty fellowship with them I need not to amplifie this following whereby Gods children follow him by any more specialls for as they follow him in holinesse righteousnesse mercifulnesse loue truth vprightnesse so also in all other things 1 Pet. 1. 15. As he which hath called you is holy even so be ye holy in all manner of conuersation Mat. 5. 48. Be you perfect as your father which is in heauen is perfect 1 Pet. 2. 9. Ye are a chosen generation a royall Priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the vertues of him that hath called you out of darknesse into his maruellous light To this purpose also Christ saith Mat. 5. 16. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in heauen Yea this is the end of your election redemption and calling euen our sanctification 1 Pet. 2. 2. Now the cause why the children of God doe so resemble him in true wisedome righteousnesse and holinesse is because they haue receiued from him the spirit of regeneration Ioh. 3. 4. Except a man be borne of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of God that is neither into the kingdome of grace nor into the kingdome of glory He is called the spirit of adoption Rom. 8. 15. You haue not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare againe but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba or call God father Whatsoeuer we are how morally good soeuer we be we are but children of wrath quite cut off from God hauing no part at all in him wild Oliues Rom. 11. 24. Bastards and runnagates as Cain and Cham vntill God adopt vs into his family giuing vs the spirit of sonnes of his owne free mercy and grace Tit. 3. 5. 6 Ezech. 36. 26. 17. Because this politicall terme of adoption is vsed often in the Epistles I will briefly declare the meaning thereof Generation or begetting of children is naturall or legall legall generation is a politicall act maintaining nature ordained for their comfort which haue no chidren the law prouiding children for them whom nature hath failed And thus may a man be said to beget children legally Legall generation is also twofold Adrogation and adoption Adrogation is when he that is a free man and vnder no mans power authority or command viz. neither of father or master is receiued into the place of a sonne by an other which thus by law becommeth his father And if he that is thus adrogate haue children they are also vnder his power as Nephewes that is his sons children Adoption is when he that is vnder the power of an other whether father or master is taken by another man to be his sonne and heire And if he haue sonnes that is thus adopted they are the nephewes of the adoptour And although the adoptour cannot giue the spirit of a sonne vnto him which only the naturall father can do yet is the adopted so obliged bound to him for those so great benefits both of freedome and inheritance as that he cannot but for euer be most thankfull to him yea alwayes ready and desirous to testifie the same by his loue dutifulnesse obedience and all meanes towards his adoptour euen as he were his owne sonne and he his naturall father To apply this We euen the best that euer was were vnder the power of others to wit in the bondage and vnder the tyranny of the diuell and sinne who had absolute power and command ouer vs and we miserable wretches yeelded our selues willingly yea with delight into subiection and homage vnto them being destitute of the knowledge of God and godlines Now God of his owne free loue mercy and grace redeemed vs out of the thraldome of those tyrants with the bloodshed and death of his owne sonne which willingly submitted himself in obedience to his father herein for by no other price nor other meanes could this purchase be made Who because he was not only perfect man but perfect God also did by the spirit of sanctification free himselfe from the graue the punishment and imputation of our sinnes and by the power of the same raised himselfe from death vnto life corruption and death hauing no power ouer him This sanctifying spirit of the sonne hath the Father giuen vs that by the power thereof our bond-mens minds wills affections might be mortified and crucified and that sonne-like and spirituall minds wills affections might be put into vs daily renuing vs into the nature of ingenuous and freeborne sonnes This is more then the legall father or adoptour can doe For he can doe no more but binde his adopted sonne to thankfulnesse for his benefits of bodily freedome and earthly inheritance but God hath giuen vs the spirit of his sonne whereby we are made and transformed into naturall sonnes and therefore affectioned towards him as the child is towards his naturall fathel Much more thankfull therefore louing dutifull and obedient ought we to be if we be true sonnes to God our father and Christ our redeemer that hath so dearely bought vs out of the power of sinne death and damnation and brought vs into the glorious liberty of sonnes and hope of euerlasting inheritance together with his owne sonne Therefore it is apparant that it is the spirit which quickneth begetteth fashioneth and conformeth the children of God into the similitude and likenes of God their father wherein at the first they were created and into which they are renewed by the holy Ghost by the Gospell of faith This begetting and quickning spirit is called immortall seede 1. Pet. 1. 23. Being borne a new not of mortall seede but of immortall by the word of God c. 1 Ioh. 3. 9. Whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not because his seede remaineth in him c. This seede is not the essence of the holy Ghost but the power thereof begetting faith of the Gospell in vs crucifying the body of sinne in vs and renuing vs into the image of God Rom. 1. 13. 14. If ye mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the spirit ye shall liue for as many as are led by the spirit of God are the sonnes of God Tit. 3 4. We are saued by the washing of the new birth and renuing of the holy Ghost To conclude this point then As the child doth imitate the father by the vnion and identity of the spirit communicated vnto him from the father euen so the child of God doth imitate and follow Christ by the vnion of the spirit of God and Christ which the Apostle calls participation of the diuine nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. Wherby most great and pretious promises are giuen vnto vs that by them ye should be partakers