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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
impuritie Gen. 8. 21. Esay 64. 6. Iob. 14. 4. but by the spirit of Christ wee are mortified and renewed in affections will euen in the spirits of our mindes Rom. 8. 10. Ephes 4. 22. 23. 24. IIII. He is our redemption As if he should say by him alone wee are redeemed both from the bondage of sinne and miserie that commeth by sinne This redemption is begun in this life being deliuered from the bondage of corruption and accusation of an euill conscience and perfected in the end of this life when the soule is seperate from the burthen of the flesh but consumate and finished in the resurrection of the last day when body and soule being revnited and ioyned together shall remaine for euer with Christ in his kingdome of glory Now that which the Apostle saith there that Christ is our wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption is all one with that which Christ saith heere I am the light of the world Therefore if any man desire to know more wisdome or other wisedome more righteousnesse or other righteousnesse more redemption or other in whole or in the least part let him heare the Apostle Colos 2. 8 9. Beware least there be any man that spoile you through philosophies and vaine deceit through the traditions of men according to the rudiments of the world and not after Christ for in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the god-head bodily III. The holy Ghost is the light of the world Though God the Sonne be the wisedome and word of the father giuing light and life to the spirituall world that is the companie of the regenerate euen as the Sun giueth light and life to the materiall world yet the world that is the vnregenerate liuing in the darkenesse of ignorance and sinne doe not comprehend nor receiue this light of life no more then the dead eye or body is beautified by the light of the Sun to see and liue therewith Ioh. 1. 5. the light shineth in the darkenesse and the darkenesse comprehended it not 11. He came vnto his owne and his owne receiued him not Esay 53. 1. Who will beleeue our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord reueiled Ioh. 12. 37. Though he did many miracles before them yet they beleeued not in him So that the father is the fountaine of light the Sonne is light begotten of the Light and tooke flesh on him to manifest and participate this light to vs the holy Ghost is light proceeding from both being sent of the Father and the Sonne to enlighten vs. But the Son is the light of the World in a more peculiar maner because he is Emanuell and in and by him is the worke of our redemption wrought but yet with the cooperation of the father and the holy Ghost as if three men should weaue a coate and the third weare it So that the Trinitie in the Vnitie and the Vnitie in the Trinitie is the light of the World Concerning the third signification The Doctrine of the Gospell is the light of the World There be sundry Doctrines and arts in the World which are lights also but they are naturall lights not lights of life there is no vertue in these lights to quicken the mortall body or to reuiue the dead soule the Doctrine of the Gospell is only the light of life Ioh. 6. 63. The words that I speake to you are spirit and life Ioh. 17. 3. Psal 119. 105. Ioh. 24. 13. Concerning the fourth signification Christians and Christian life are the light of the World and especially the Ministers of the Word 2 Cor. 4. 6. God that commanded the light to shine out of darkenesse is hee which hath shined in our hearts to giue the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Iesus Math. 5. 14. Yee are the light of the World Ephes 5. 8. Yee were once darkenesse but now are yee light in the Lord that is you are now enlightened by the word of truth let your conuersation be according to the truth Phil. 2. 15. Be blamelesse and pure and the sonnes of God without reproofe in the middest of a naughtie and crooked nation among whom yee shine as lights in the world Prou. 4. 18. The way of the righteous shineth as the light more and more vnto the perfect day Hereupon the workes of the regenerate are called the workes of light Rom. 13. 12. Put on the armour of light i. honest behauiour Notwithstanding all that hath beene said we must know that although Christ the Gospell and Christian life be the light of the world yet the world namely the vnregenerate comprehend not nor see this light because they take darkenesse to be light and light to be darkenesse Know therefore that as Christ was reputed in the world so were the Prophets before him and the Apostles after him and in such sort are the true Ministers and true beleeuers esteemed in the world Marke what Esay saith of Christ chap. 8. 18. I and the children which thou hast giuen me are as signes and wonders in Israel i. as monsters As Dauid saith Behold I am become a monster vnto many And Iohn saith of him Ioh. 1. 10. He was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not Iohn 9. 29. Christ himselfe saith Mat. 11. 19. The sonne of man is counted a glutton a drinker of wine a companion of Publicans and sinners Mat. 27. 63. He is counted a deceiuer Mat. 9. 34. A sorcerer Ioh. 8. 48. A Samaritane and to haue the diuell Mark 3. 21. His kinsfolkes lay hold on him supposing him to be beside himselfe Ioh. 9. 24 The Pharisies know him to be a sinner If Christ was thus reputed of who neuer sinned and in whose person words and works the Maiesty power and glory of God appeared yea through which as through a chrystall his diuinity shined forth to the world how much more then the children of God that are clogged with infirmities No maruell is it though they be counted the vilest and most contemptible persons of all other See the cause hereof Wisd 2. 22 They doe not vnderstand the mysteries of God nor can discerne the honour of the soules that are faultlesse The cause of this ignorance and going astray is vers 21. Their owne wickednesse hath blinded them Ioh. 3. 19. This is the condemnation of the world that light is come into the world and men loued darknesse more then light because their deeds were euill The wicked hate the light because it discouers sinne which they loue againe the righteous loue the light because it discouers sinne which they hate and manifesteth the right way vnto them into which they desire to enter and wherein they delight to walke The world knew not the Prophets that were before Christ But what part or people of the world The Pharisies Amorites Ammonites Moabites Edomites No maruell if