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B04185 Sermons on several subjects; shewing Gods love to mankind. Salvation is by grace. Wilderness-provision. God a strong hold in trouble. Light is to be improved. / By J. Lougher minister of the gospel. Lougher, John, d. 1686 1685 (1685) Wing L3093C; ESTC R180071 105,071 248

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16. ult In his presence is fulness of joy and at his right hand are pleasures for ever more But to pass these 4. God is Love declaratively All his works are a declaratton of his Love Some take the Text only in the first sense that he is Love essentially but others judge that the Apostle did not mean to puzzle us with abstruce and dark notions of God but to instruct and teach us to descend to our capacities and to speak of that Love of God which is operative and communicative and thus I take it here Qu. 2. You will then say How and wherein hath God declared himself to be Love that it may be clearly discerned Ans Whether we consider what God has done for Man 1. In his Constitution Or 2. In his Degeneracy Or 3. In his Recovery and effectual Restitution it will appear that God has made ample and large declarations of his Love 1. Let us take a brief view of God's Love to Man in his natural Make and Constitution and that both in his Body and Soul His Body is fearfully wonderfully made and curiously wrought in the lowest part of the Earth Psal 139. says the Psalmist It 's said of Galen that famous Physician and great Atheist that upon the serious consideration of the admirable composure of it he brake forth into the acknowledgment of a Deity and sung an Hymn to his Creator The Head and Eyes are the highest members to guide and govern the rest that are inferiour and the lowest to support the highest and in the midst the hands to defend and maintain them all But most eminently is God's Love seen in the faculties of man's Soul in which he hath set up his Image and Ingraven his own likeness How beautiful was man in the day of his Creation There are 3 noble faculties understanding will and conscience yet but one Soul which some judge to be a shadow of God where there is a Trinity of Persons in an unity of essence Others say the understanding represents God's Omniscience He knows all things And ye have an unction from the Holy One 1 Joh. 2.20 saith St. John and know all things In the will there is a shadow of God's Freedom and Soveraignty God is a free Agent so is man's will it hath a natural freedom to chuse and refuse Conscience say they represents God as he is the searcher of hearts and no respecter of persons Conscience also in a man is the Candle of the Lord Pro. 20.27 and searcheth the inward parts of the belly All both high and low rich and poor must hold up their hands at Consciences Bar. If no more be said these things declare God's Love to Man in his original frame and constitution Yet the provisions God has made both for Body and Soul speak this more fully for the Body he hath provided food raiment and rest The day for man to work in and the night to rest in For the Soul Arts and Sciences He hath given all men the Book of the Creatures to read and many good Lessons may be learned out of them Psal 19.1 For the Heavens declare the Glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy-work Man is Lord of all visible creatures as David shews largely in the 8th Psalm The Beasts are subject to man yea the very Angels themselves are ministring Spirits Heb. 1. ult and though by the sin of Adam man's dominion over the creatures was abated yet God renewed this Charter again unto Noah and to his posterity as is to be seen in the 9th of Genesis And though wicked men have no right as Sons yet as Servants they have and so have dominion over the creatures Add to all this God's great Love in giving speech to man and ability to use it a favour seldom taken notice of because common yet David call it his glory Psal 57.8 Awake O my glory says he meaning his Tongue it 's that which makes all our glory to appear Man does very little excel Beasts but in reason and in speech Beasts have voices but not speech Balaam's Ass speaking with man's voice was extraordinary and miraculous Some creatures by industry may be taught to utter words but though they have the materiality yet not the formality of speech wanting reason wherewith to utter their speech A man is known by his speech as a vessel when we knock it is known to be full or empty I have read of a Philosopher who at a Feast observing a young man not to utter a word said to him If thou beest a fool thou dost wisely but if thou beest a wise man thou dost foolishly By all these things God's Love is declared to Man in his Primitive Constitution 2. Let us consider Man in his Apostacy and Degeneration and we shall yet see greater declarations and manifestations of God's Love toward him God is not easily provoked though sin is the only thing that is the object of his utter detestation and so the only provocation of his displeasure yet he is slow to anger full of patience and forbearance yea Rom. 2.5 of great kindness to those who go on still in their trespasses He does good to them who are always doing evil against him He makes his Sun to shine Mat. 5.45 and his Rain to fall upon the bad and the unjust He daily loadeth men with his benefits And if he be provoked he is not willing to execute his wrath upon men He is loth to punish Lam 3.23 He doth not willing afflict nor grieve the Children of men Hence are those conflicts in himself How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel How shall I make thee as Admah Hos 11.8 How shall I set thee as Zeboim my bowels are turned within me my repentings are kindled together Here are strivings between mercy and justice till at last mercy gets the victory and rejoyceth against Judgment And if acts of justice at any time appear yet he allays and tempers them with mercy Heaven is all mercy and Hell is all misery but here in this world the most bitter Cup of Affliction hath some grains of mercy in it Hence the Church saith Lam. 3.22 It is of the Lords mercies we are not consumed yet then terrible Judgments of God were upon them His acts of justice are not so extensive as those of his mercy are as is evident by what he declares in the second Commandment where he saith He will visit the iniquity of the Parents upon the Children unto the third and fourth Generation of them that hate him but will shew mercy to thousands of them that love him and keep his Commandments Nor are they so pleasant to him for he delighteth to shew mercy Mich. 7.18 Isa 28.21 but judgment is his strange work with which he desires not to be so much acquainted Nor are they so permanent as the acts of his Love and Mercy are
neglect of Christ and his righteousness Some will have both these taken in yet all this is but ignis culinaris kitchin fire the Sons of the coal a light and fire of our own setting up and kindling not the true light And what will be the fruit and ●ssue of all but that instead of the comfort and security we expect by them instead of lying down upon our Beds of rest ●nd ease we meet with nothing but trouble sorrow and vexation Many pre●end to be new lights but true lights they are not In the Apostles days some seem'd Angels of light would bring in a new way of life and salvation 2 Cor. 11.13 The Mosaical Rites and Justification in part at least by the works of the Law but these hindred the progress of the Gospel then and we have but too sad effects of such pretending to new light and new truths but are contrary to Christ in his Doctrine which is the only truth that is according to godliness 4. He is the light ratione intensionis In regard of eminency and perfection Hence he is said to be light and in him is no darkness at all 1 John 1.5 In the Angels that fell there is darkness and no good at all And in them that yet stand its evident that the light that is in them is not absolutely perfect His Angels he chargeth with folly Job 4.18 With possible folly but those that sinned are held in Chains of darkness In the best men that are there is imperfection There is smoke in our best elementary fire but none in the Sun The light of the saints hath much darkness in it and therefore the Church is resembled to the Moon Cant. 6.10 Fair as the Moon Now the Moon at the full hath dark Spots But as Christ is a Lamb so is he a light without the least spo●● or deficiency 5. He is the light ratione durationis In regard of continuance Even wh●● creature light shall be swallowed up as the light of the Stars is by the Sun then shall he be light Hence that promise Isa 60.19 The Sun shall be no more thy light by day neither for brightness shall the Moon give light to thee But the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light and thy God thy glory Rev. 21.23 It s said The City had no need of the Sun nor of the Moon to Shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof We cannot think the meaning to be as if the people of God should at any time here have no need of these celestial Bodies to give them light but that they shall have such a clear shining of the light of his truth favour and gracious fellowship that shall render these common and ordinary lights of little account Yet some refer that in Isaiah wholly to the heavenly state when these outward lights ceasing God shall be all in all And that in the Revelation many understand to be meant of the Church on Earth That they shall have so much comfortable converse with Christ here that they shall make light account of all worldly enjoyments But will more fully be compleated in heaven when these ordinary lights shall be useless and God in Christ shall be an everlasting light a light that hath no shadow of change as these bodily lights often have a light that Shines by night as well as by day a constant perpetual light that never sets or is eclipsed but shines to all eternity Hence he is said Heb. 13.8 To be the same yesterday to day and for ever Yesterday viz. To them under the Law To day viz. To us under the Gospel and for ever viz. To them in heaven and there without variation or shadow of change To open this yet further Qu. Ye will say in what sense or respect is Christ the light Ans As he is opposed to a threefold darkness so he is a light in three respects 1. There is a darkness of misery Isa 8.22 They shall look to the Earth and behold trouble and darkness dimness of anguish and they shall be driven to darkness It is spoken of the Idolatrous Israelites who finding no help from heaven turn their eyes downward looking hither and thither for comfort but in stead thereof meet with nothing but darkness are driven to darkness that is to variety extremity and continuance of misery Hell is called outer darkness because of the sorrow misery and discomfort to them there In opposition to this is the light of joy and gladness The Jews had light and gladness joy and honour Esth 8.16 Light is sowen for the Righteous and Gladness for the upright in heart Psal 97.11 Light and gladness here are the same the reason why light is put for gladness is because light is pleasant and disposeth a man to joy whereas darkness inclines a man to sadness Light is sweet saith Solomon Eccle. 11.7 And a pleasant thing it is to the eyes to behold the Sun Thus Christ is light for he gives the truest ground of Joy Isa 9.2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light they that dwell in the Land of the Shadow of death upon them hath the light shined This prophecy is applyed to the coming of Christ Mat. 4.16 and then said to be in part fulfilled The meaning is plain The people of God Israel and Judah walking in the darkness of misery and calamity shall see that light at the coming of the Messiah which will glad and rejoice their hearts Therefore we read that the news of his Incarnation is said to be tidings of great Joy Luke 2.10 And when Christ was preached by Philip in Samaria there was great Joy in that City Acts 8.5 8. Hence it is called the preaching of the acceptable year of the Lord Luke 4.19 Not as if Christ preached but one year as some think for he preached more than one or two years but it is an allusion to the year of Jubile which was a general release proclaimed by sound of Trumpet to them that would go free which could not but be matter of Joy to many So this is the happy time of Gods grace wherein the welcom news of the Gospel is proclaimed wherein men may be acceptable to Christ if they come in unto him They shall be set free by the Son and then they are free indeed free from the guilt of sin the curse of the Law and so from the fear of condemnation This is the good will of God in Christ to sinners and tidings of great Joy to all that truly receive Christ as he is offered in the Gospel Thus Christ is light in opposition to the darkness of trouble and misery 2. There is the darkness of sin and wickedness What communion hath light with darkness 2 Cor. 6.14 Gracious persons with wicked Idolaters in Marriage or other intimate fellowship If we say we have fellowship with God and walk in darkness that is in sin and