light doth illustrate it but yet this is not all for since this light we are speaking of is the way the only way to communion with God remission of sins and eternall life and besides since there are somethings which glitter and yet are not this light such are civâ—litie moralitie and pharisaicall sanctity so that it is not only possible but easy to mistake give me leave yet a little more distinguishingly to characterize this light to you To which end since God is compared by the Psalmist to the sun and Christ is called by the Prophet Malachy a sun of righteousnesse and this light is of the same qualitie with Gods nay is a ray and beame of his we may infer that the light to which holinesse is here resembled is sun-light and so the differences which are between the light of the sun and that of the moone and the stars will aptly seeme to difference holinesse from those other things that seeme to come neere to it To instance breefly in a few particulars 1 The light of the sun helpeth a man to see and finde out the filth in his house yea to search into the most secret corners of every roome whereas the moone and star-light only helpeth a man to see a little abroad in the open streets and feilds This is a singular difference betweene pharisaicall and reall sanctity that is curious to looke abroad but seeth nothing at home so that pharisee condemned the publican and saw nothing in himselfe worthy of blame but this is carefull to looke at home and searcheth into the secret corners the very spirit of the minde so did good David when he prayed Cleanse thou me from secret faults 2. The sun-light discovereth moats and pins and atom things of the least and smallest quantity whereas the moone and starlight onely manifests trees and houses and such things as are of a great magnitude This is the difference betweene sanctity and morality morality teacheth a man to avoyd grosse vices notorious offences scandalous enormities but it is only holinesse which causeth a man to make conscience of the least sins as well as the greatest 3. The sun-light representeth those things which may be seen by moone and star-light in another clearer fuller way hence it is we cannot give so true a judgement of the greatness or colour of any thing by moone star as by sun-light the paralel holds in this present matter Holinesse inlightens a man to looke on the same sins which morality and civility discovereth with another and a clearer aspect since whilest the civill person only abhorres them as enimies to his good name and the moralist as repugnant to reason the holy man loaths them as breaches of Gods law and offences to his majesty for so repenting David and the returning prodigall looked upon their sins as against and before God 4. The sun-light though gradually yet powerfully expelleth darknesse out of the aire so that the night becommeth day whereas the moone and star-light only mitigateth and lesseneth it and therefore the darknesse prevayling it is night still this is that which puts a difference between sanctity and civility civility restraineth sin but holiness conquereth it civility lesseneth the actings yet taketh not away the power whereas holiness though not all at once yet by degrees subdueth the power of corruption 5. Finally the sun-light is ever attended with heat driving away cold as well as darkness whereas the moone and star-light can only illuminate but not warme which appeareth in that the moone and stars shine brightest when the night is coldest this is the peculiar efficacy of true holinesse that it doth not only irradiate the understanding but inflame the will and affections with a love to God and zeale for his glory in which respect it is that they whom Christ purifieth to himselfe a peculiar people are said to be zealous of good workes By this time I hope beloved you are in some measure enlightened to understand the nature of this light wherein we are to walke it would not be passed by what this importeth that we are required to walke in this light since the emphasis of the phrase holdeth as well in regard of good as evill The better to cleare this be pleased to consider walking in a double opposition to bare stepping and to standing still 1. It is not taking a step or two in the light which denominateth a man a walker it is not a few good actions but a good conversation which speaketh a man a Christian St. Paul bids Timothy to excercise himselfe in godliness and the Prophets counsell is learne or as it may be rendred accustome your selves to do well It is the constant habituall practise and exercise of holinesse which may most justly be called a walking in the light indeed this walking is not opposed to stumbling no nor yet to falling there is a great deale of difference inter carrentis casum vitae â—ursum between the course of life in which a man runs the falls he may catch in running if not only in some particular acts but our generall course wee practise holinesse though we cannot but sometimes fall into sin we shall be found walking in the light 2. It is not to begin in the way of holinesse and then stand still but we must go forward to perfection St. Austin very aptly expounds ambulare by proficere walking is a proficiency in holinesse indeed both the metaphors in the Text presse this duty holiness is as light which shineth more and more to the perfect day living holily is as walking wherein we go on step by step till we come to the journeys end True it is we do not cannot alwayes walke with even pace sometimes all we can do is to creep and then again our hearts are so enlarged that we can run but however the good Christian will still be going never accounting himself to have attained Indeed so long as we are in this world our holinesse is rather in fieri then in facto perfecting then perfect When we come to be comprehensores we shall sit down but whilest we are viatores we must walk on in the light What now remaineth but that every one of us reflect upon himself and ask his soul this question do I walk in the light to which by a faithful inquiry into our conversation according to the preceding characters we may be able to teturn an answer only for our further quickening in this work I shall briefly mind you of these following considerations 1 There is a great deal of difference between talking of and walking in the light our lips may drop as the honey comb whilest we are in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity many have golden tongues and leaden feet it is not Scripture discourse but a religious course which denominateth a man a Christian. 2. It is one thing to have the light of knowledge and
give us grace for that little inch of our candle which is yet to burn so to let our light shine before men that they seeing our good works may glorify thee our Father which art in heaven To this end we pray thee enlighten our blind minds incline our crooked wills soften our hard hearts compose our distempered passions mortify our earthly members sanctify our whole man Spirit Soul and Body and preserve us blamelesse to the coming of our Lord Jesus Implant oh God and increase all the graces of thy holy Spirit in us confirm our faith stablish our hope strengthen our patience enlarge our love enflame our zeale quicken our obedience put thy fear into our hearts that we may never depart from thee and do thou never leave nor forsake us but be our God our Guard our Guide even to the death and after death receive us to thy self in that glory which is everlasting Not to us oh Lord not to us alone but to thy holy Catholick Church be thou propitious she is the Vine which thine own right hand hath planted let her be for ever preserved and suffer not Good God suffer not either the wild Boar out of the Forrest to pluck up her root or the many pestilent Foxes that are within her to pluck off her grapes Plant thy Gospel where yet it is not restore it where it is lost continue and enlarge it where it is especially in these Realmes Remit our crying sins Remove thy heavy judgements Restore our wonted blessings Settle all things once again amongst us upon their right and ancient Foundations that Glory may dwell in our Land Let the cry of the Fatherlesse and the Widow ascend into the eares of the Lord God of Hosts that he may give them beauty for ashes and the oyle of gladnesse for the spirit of heavinesse Blesse all sorts and degrees of men among us Let the Gold of our Nobility excell in Grace as they do in Honour purify the Silver of our Gentry from the drosse of vice Engrave upon the brasse of our Commonalty the fear of thy holy Name and preserve thine earthen vessels in whom is laid up and by whom is dispensed thy heavenly Treasure the Pastors and Ministers of thy Church Comfort all the sonnes and daughters of sorrow poure oyle into wounded consciences succour tempted souls settle distracted minds heale diseased bodies releeve impoverished families release imprisoned persons those especially who suffer for the Testimony of a good conscience Oh thou that hast a Salve for every sore a Cure for every crosse a Remedy for every malady apply thy self suitably to all the necessities of thy children And now in Blessing Blesse that Word of all thy Grace which goeth forth throughout all Congregations lawfully and duly assembled in thy fear this day this in particular Oh thou that standest at the door and knockest be pleased to open Open the Preachers lips that his mouth may shew forth thy praise and declare thy message with power and plainnesse open the peoples ears that they may hear thy Word with reverence and diligence open all our hearts that with faith and love we may receive with care and conscience we may obey thy sacred truth so as it may become the power of thee our God to the illumination of our judgements the renovation of our natures the reformation of our lives and the salvation of our soules through Jesus Christ our only Mediator and Redeemer for whom we bless thee To whom with thy self and blessed Spirit of Grace we give all praise and glory and in whose most absolute Form of Prayer we further call upon thee saying Our Father which in Heaven c. THE FIRST Epistle General OF St. IOHN HISTORY PROPHECY and DOCTRINE are the three Channels in which run the Streames of Sacred Writ from whence ariseth the division of its BOOKES into Historical Prophetical and Doctrinal Not but that all the Bookes of Scripture are Doctrinal in which respect the Apostle saith it is profitable for Doctrine but because some Books are chiefly concerned in narrations of things past others in the predictions of things to come and some are chiefly if not only conversant about Dogmatical Truths and Practical Precepts they are not unfitly thus distinguished Of this latter sort are the Epistolary Writings and therefore in this regard the fittest to be discussed among the people The Prophetical Books are most congruous to the Schooles but the Doctrinal most suitable to the Pulpit those for exercising the Learned these for feeding the Vulgar Upon this account I have made choice of an Epistle and in particular not without serious and mature deliberation nor yet I hope without the blessed Spirits instigation of this First Epistle General of S. JOHN to be the subject of my Postmeridian discourses If any shall be inquisitive to know why among all the Epistles of the Holy Apostles I have pitched my thoughts upon this I shall returne this threefold answer which as a threefold cord and that saith Solomon is not easily broken enduced me to this Work One though indeed the least is that I finde not any English Expositor upon it nor yet many among the Latine except those who have undertaken Comments upon all the Epistles whereas either in Latine or English or both I finde several excellent Interpreters upon each of the rest and truly I shall esteem it an high honour conferred upon me by my God if through his gracious enablement by a though imperfect dilucidation of this Epistle I may cast a Mite into the Churches-Treasury A second and more perswading reason is the congruency of it to the age wherein we now live since there is the same occasion as to general if not particular considerations now given to Ministers of handling which St. John had then of writing this Epistle To clear this you may be pleased to know that there were two sorts of men in St. Johns dayes to wit Antichristian-Hereticks and Carnal-Gospellers those expressely denied the fundamentalls of Christian Religion these whilest they had Divine phrases seraphical expressions flowing from their lips were sensual and diabolical in their lives talking of Communion with God dwelling in God knowing the truth and what not and yet practising envy malice hatred and all uncharitablenesse in their actions against both these this Boanerges for so he with his brother James are called by Christ thundereth and accordingly as appeareth by the several Chapters his Scope is double in this Epistle 1. To warne the Orthodox that they were not withdrawn from their Christian profession by the wiles of Hereticks this our Apostle himself expresseth to be one special end of his writing where he saith These things have I written unto you concerning them which seduce you Indeed wherein can the shepherd more expresse the care of his flock then in keeping off the wolves a Minister of his charge then in arming them against Hereticks And is there not as great
signifying either communio or communicatio communion and fellowship or communication and partnership and though in some places onely one of those can well be admitted yet here I conceive both may very well consist and the Apostle may be probably thought to intend that intimate communion which believers have with and by vertue hereof the liberall communication they receive from the Father and his Son Iesus Christ. To unlock this Cabinet and shew you the rich pearl contained in it give me leave to consider it both generally and particularly in generall what maketh up this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fellowship here mentioned and in particular as this fellowship is expressed to be with two of the persons in the sacred Trinity the Father and his Son Iesus Christ. 1. The substance of the benefit will be discovered in the general dicussion and that you may the more distinctly understand it proceed with me by â—hese four steps which are as so many degrees of this fellowship namely amicable reconciliation effectuall regeneration comfortable association and compleat glorification 1. The rice and inchoation of this fellowship is reconciliation whereby God of an enemy becomes a friend and receiveth us into favour to this purpose is Ferus his paraphrase to have fellowship saith he is to be in Covenant with God to be one of the number of those to whom he vouchsafeth his special love accordingly this phrase may be interpreted by that of St. Paul where he saith we have peace with God and he hath made us accepted The truth is we all by nature are not onely strangers but enemies and where there is hostility there can be no society so that we begin not to have fellowship with till we are reconciled to God This reconciliation of God to penitent believing sinners is most elegantly and sweetly shadowed forth under the Fathers gracious behaviour towards the returning prodigal no sooner doth his Son set foot forward to come home but his Father saw him there were eyes of love had compassion on him there were bowels of love and ran to him with feet of love and fell on his neck there were armes of love and kissed him with lips of love by all which expressions we may gather what a tender dear affection of amity there is in God towards penitents which is the foundation of this fellowship 2. The concomitant of this reconciliation is regeneration since whosoever is accepted by God hath stamped upon him the image of God and so doth after a sort partake with God To clear this you must know that there can be no fellowship where there is not some similitude in which respect saith one upon my Text This fellowship with God is by likeness to him for this reason at first it was that Almighâ—â— God intending man a creature to have fellowship with â—â—mself made him after his own image nor can we be admitted into this fellowship unless this image be renewed in and restored to us now this image of God is nothing else but the communication of such qualities as resemble those which for this very reason the Schools call the communicable attributes of God such are his holiness goodness mercy justice truth and the like and because holiness is the chief yea after a sort comprehensive of the rest therefore especially in this is the image of God placed and so this fellowship with God is a participation with him in purity and sanctity and may therefore fitly be explained by St. Peters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 partaking of the divine nature or St. Pauls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 partaking of his holiness 3. The progress of this fellowship is in that sweet communion which believers being thus reconciled and regenerated have with God so that there is though not an aequality far be it from us to make such a blasphemous construction of this phrase yet a neer and intimate familiarity in which respect God and a Christian may be said to walk to talk to feast nay to lodge and dwell together Believers walk with God in a holy Subjection God walketh with believers in affording them gratious protection Believers speak to God in devout supplications God speaketh to believers in spiritual consolations Believers feast God with their graces God feasteth Believers with his joyes Finally Believers inhabit in the secret of the most high and God reposeth himself in the bosome of believers hence occurre those phrases of Gods being with us and our walking with God of our having access to God and his coming down to us of our supping with him and his supping with us of our dwelling in God and God in us we being to speak it with holy reverence as it were convivae his fellow commoners conviatores fellow travellers yea contubernales chamber fellows Adde to this 4. The consummation of this fellowship is in the other world where there shall be a full communication of the image of God to us whereby we shall partake of purity life and immortality of unspotetd holinesse and indeficient happinesse when we shall have the clear vision of God face to face and by vertue of that a full fruition of him so farre as a created nature is capable of and all this without the least interruption intermission cessation This fellowship is that which for the present we have though not re in actual possession yet spe in certain expectation that participation and communion which we have here by grace being an earnest and pledge asring us of that we shall have hereafter by glory and this shall suffice to be spoken in generall of the nature of this fellowship 2. The further amplification of this fellowship is in that here are two persons specified and though it be one and the same fellowship which we have with all the persons yet inasmuch as two of them are severally mentioned it may well admit of a distinct consideration 1. This fellowship is said to be with the Father It is very observable to the understanding of this that the Father being the first person in the Deity is the primary original and fountain of all communication to the creature whence it is that those Acts which the Deity is pleased to exercise towards the creature are though not exclusively yet for the most part expresly assigned in Scripture to the Father thus the Father is said to come and dwell with us the Father is he that hath begotten us agaâ—n to a lively hope finally the Father is said to blesse us with all spirituall blessings No wonder if this fellowship is here said to be with the Father The neerness of this fellowship which we have with the Father is represented by a gradation of allusions in Scripture all which do excellently illustrate this truth There is some kind of participation that a servant hath with his Master yet greater is that which one friend hath with another yet greatest is that which a son hath with his Father
it is that his person being infinite the worth of his blood is infinite and so it became commensurate and adaequate both to the infinite demerit of the sin committed by us and the eternity of the punishment which was to have been inflicted upon us and by the same reason that mans sin being a finite act yet deserveth an infinite punishment because perpetrated against an infinite majesty Christs death though a temporary passion cannot but be infinitely satisfactory because it is the death of an infinite person Christ Iesus the son of God blessed for ever And now what other use should we make of this but as both a looking-glasse and an antidote 1. In this truth as in a looking-glasse let us see these two things the haynous nature of our sins and the unparaleld measure of Christs love 1. View oh sinner the hainous nature of thy sins from which nothing but Christs blood can cleanse thâ—e sin if looked upon in the glasse of the law cannot but appeare sinfull but when beheld in the blood of Christ it must needs appeare beyond measure sinfull ex consideratione remedii periculi aestimo quantitatem saith St. Bernard excellently take notice of the greatnes of thy disease and danger in the remedy prepared for the cure of the one and prevention of the other Oh how great is that wound which nothing could heal but the Physitians death The truth is Christs blood in respect of sin is both aggravating and diminishing look upon sin in Christs blood one way it appeareth not so terrible because this blood cleanseth from it look upon it another way it appeareth abhominable because it could not be cleansed but by this blood Tell me oh sinner why dost thou make nothing to defile thy self with that which cost thy Saviour so dear to cleanse thee from how much rather should thy sins wring tears from thee since they drew blood from Christ 2. Behold oh Sinner the exceeding love of thy Saviour who that he might cleanse thee when polluted in thy blood was pleased to shed his owne bloud Indeed the powring out of Christs blood was eximium charitatis opus a superexcellent worke of charity hence it is that these two are joyned together and when the scripture speaketh of his love it presently annexeth his sufferings so St. Paul who loved me and gave himselfe for me so St. Iohn who loved us and washed us from our sins in his owne blood We read that when Christ wept for Lazarus the standers by said see how he loved him surely if his tears much more his bloud proclaimeth his affection towards us thus may we see the bowels of his compassion through the wounds of his passion The Iewes were the scribes the nayles were the pens his body the white paper and his bloud the red inke and the characters were love exceeding love and these so fairely written that he which runs may read them I shut up this with that of devout Bernard Behold and look upon the rose of his bloudy passion how his redness bespeaketh his flaming love there being as it were a contention betwixt his passion and affection this that it might be hotter that that it might be redder nor had his sufferings been so red with bloud had not his heart been enflamed with love Oh let us beholding magnify magnifying admire and admiring praise him for his inestimable goodness saying with the holy Apostle unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his bloud be honour and glory for ever 2. Make use of this truth as a cordiall to revive thy drooping soul in a time of inward affliction it is the note of Oecumenius upon the text Is any one affrighted with the light and sense of sin Let this cleansing by the bloud of Christ make him confident and to the like purpose St. Austin the devil hath put in a caveat an hand-writing against us but let us be secure the blood of Christ hath blotted it out Me thinks I hear some wounded broken sinner crying out in dispaire Woe is me that ever I was born my sins are for number innumerable for measure unmeasurable and I am not able to cleanse my selfe from any no not the least of them Oh what mountaines of grievous sins lye upon my back that I am not able to look up oh what scarlet crimson bloudy sins continually sly in my face that I am not able to behold without desperation oh that I had never been oh that I might be no more whether shall I sly who carry my guilt still along with me What shall I do to be eased of this oppressing burden Ah my sinfull soule what will become of thee Vile wretch that I am where shall I appear But stay thou despaâ—ring sinner with poore Hagar in the wildernesse thou art crying weeping dying when as behold a well of water is by thee a fountaine of bloud is opened for sin and for uncleanness thou dost well to bewayle thy own sin but thou dost ill to forget thy Saviours bloud Thou sayst thou art a great sinner true else Christ needed not have shed his bloud thou sayst thou art a great sinner be it so yet Christs bloud cleanseth from all sin And therefore is Christs bloud sayd to cleanse from all sin because there is no sin so great from which it cannot cleanse what if thy sins be clouds thick clouds yet the beames of this sun of righteousnesse can dissipate them what though they be mountaines yet this red sea can swallow them what though they be scarlet sins yet this scarlet bloud can make them white as snow View the catalogue of those sinners whom this bloud hath cleansed and thou shalt find fornicatours idolaters adulterers effae'minate abusers of themselves with mankind theeves covetous drunkards revilers extorâ—tioners have been washed by it for such saith St. Paul to the Corinthians were some of ye but ye are washed look once again and thou shalt find a blasphemer a persecuter for such was Paul himselfe nay murderers even those who had a hand in the murder of Christ himselfe for such were those converts at St. Peters sermon cleansed mercyfully by this very bloud which they shed so cruelly Sinners this bloud still as it were runs afresh and the efficacy of it is as full now as it was at first onely remember that this bloud which was shed cleanseth not unlesse it be sprinkled so much David intimateth in that prayer purge me with hisope hysope being that by which the bloud of sacrifice was sprinkled to which answereth faith wereby our souls are sprinkled with this bloud of Christ. The brazen Serpent cured those who were stung with the fiery Serpent but not without their looking on it The bloud of Christ can cleanse us from all our sins but not without our applying it Go then oh sinner in a sence of thy own filthiness to thy blessed Saviour