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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
followers but these are secular followers and not pertinent to this place When Christ the light and life of the world preached the Gospell of saluation to the world in the outward forme and appearance of the Prophets that were before him and of his Apostles and ministers after him confirming his doctrine with miracles he had diuers followers I. Some followed him to be cured of their diseases and infirmities Mat. 15. 30. Great multitudes came hauing with them the halt blind dumbe maimed c. Thus the ten leapers followed him and especially the nine that returned not to giue God praise Luke 17. 17. II. Some followed him to gaze on him and his miracles and for this purpose Herod was glad when Pilate had sent him to him hauing been desirous of a long season to see him because he had heard many things of him trusted to see some signe done by him Luk. 23. 8. III. Some followed him for their bellies sake as many doe in these dayes Thus Iudas followed him not because he loued him and embraced his doctrine in sincerity but because he was a theefe and had the bag and bare that which was giuen Iohn 12. 6. Thus the Scribe followed him Mat. 8. 19. Master I will follow thee whither soeuer thou goest He imagined in his earthly heart as did Iudas and the people of the Iewes that Christ should in the end be crowned King of the Iewes and that he would prefer and aduance his followers as earthly Princes vse to doe Therefore Christ shapes him an answer accordingly verse 20. The foxes haue holes and the birds of the heauen haue nests but the Sonne of Man hath not where to rest his head consequently he hath nothing at all wherewith to gratifie his followers and welwillers Thus also a great multitude followed him ouer the sea of Tiberias and from thence backe to Capernaum Iohn 6. 26. Verily verily I say vnto you you seeke me not because of the miracles but because of the loaues that ye ate and were filled Fourthly some followed him of enuy to entangle him in his speechs as did the Pharisies Scribes Sadduces Lawyers and the Herodians which thought that Herod was the Christ These are carnall and hypocriticall followers which neither are meant of here in this place The true following of Christ which here he speaketh of is expressed by diuers similitudes in the Scripture Iohn 10. 21. My sheepe here my voice and I know them and they follow me c. where hearing signifieth Faith and following Obedience In other countries the shepheards driue not their sheepe but they call them and they follow them Euery flocke knoweth the voice of their owne shepheard by often hearing him they follow him but after a strange voice they will not follow Euen so Christs sheep the elect heare his word they know it and acknowledge it and are obedient to it that is they suffer themselues to be ruled and gouerned by their chiefe shepheard Iesus Christ speaking to them and calling them to him in his word yea clocking them together as the hen doth her chickens Mat. 23. 31. But mark the cause why they heare obey him in these words And I know them This knowing is not onely vnderstood of Gods foreknowledge whereby he knew who were his from before all times but of his knowing of them effectually in time I call it effectuall knowledge when the elect are possessed of this knowing or acknowledging them by the inward calling of his spirit And this assurance of Gods knowing them acknowledging and owning them is the cause why they know and acknowledge him and are delighted with his word Againe this true following of Christ is farther expressed in Ephes 5. 1. Therefore be ye followers of God as deare children This verse is a conclusion of an exhortation of the last end of the verse afore going forgiue ye one another euen as God for Christs sake hath forgiuen you Therefore be ye followers c. Children wee know doe imitate their parents not onely in deeds and words but euen in the affections of their hearts and imaginations of their minds resembling them inwardly as they doe outwardly so that a man may say this is right the fathers child or the father will neuer be dead whiles the child liueth Now the reason hereof is because he hath receiued the spirit of generation from the father which frameth fashioneth and worketh him into the image similitude identity or selfenesse as I may say of his father And this is a deare childe because the father doth not onely loue his child but himselfe also in the child and the child not onely loueth his father but himselfe in the father so that the one cannot hate the other vnlesse he hate himselfe and neuer man hated his owne flesh Therfore this vnion is most firme and perpetuall euen so the children of God doe carry the resemblance and likenesse of God in the inner man in holinesse by obedience to the first Table and righteousnesse by obedience to the second Table of the Commandments which both proceed from Loue and Loue from Faith Therefore as God is holy so are his children holy Leu. 11. 44. I am the Lord your God be sanctified and be holy for I the Lord your God am holy As God is righteous so are they righteous 1 Ioh. 3. 7. He that doth righteousnesse is righteous euen as he is righteous As God is mercifull euen so are they mercifull Luke 6. 36. As God is loue so walke they in loue Ephes 5. 2. Walke in loue euen as Christ hath loued vs. 1 Ioh. 3. 14. We know we are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren As God is true and iust in all his words and works so are they without hypocrisie and doubting both in respect of God their father and in respect of their brethren For the first it is commanded Ios 24. 14. Feare the Lord and serue him in vprightnesse and truth 1 Sam. 12. 24. Feare the Lord and serue him in truth with all thy heart For the second it is commanded Ephes 4. 25. Cast away lying and speake euery one truth to his neighbour The reason of the commandement is in the words following drawne from the coniunction of our members for we are one anothers members but whose members are we that the 15. verse declareth of Christ our head into whom we grow and by whose spirit we are knit together Therefore if we be the true members we follow Christ our head Contrarily if we be not true members but false counterfeit and dead limmes we are cut off from him separate to the world and bodily lusts or at least if we be not apparantly separate from him but doe still outwardly professe him yet doe we draw no vertue from him leauing no feeling thereof in vs either mortifying sinne in vs or quickning vs to newnesse of life but are as the dead