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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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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
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