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A65301
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Light in darkness, or, Deliverance proclaimed unto the church in the midst of all her despondencies and discouragements in a sermon / preached by Thomas Watson.
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Watson, Thomas, d. 1686.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing W1132; ESTC R38516
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12,192
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38
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Light in Darkness OR DELIVERANCE Proclaimed unto the CHURCH IN THE Midst of all her Despondencies and Discouragements IN A SERMON Preached by THOMAS WATSON LONDON Printed for Hen. Bettenham at the Still-Yard in Thames-Street 1679. Light in Darkness c. Psal. 112. v. 4. Unto the Upright there ariseth Light in the Darkness THE Scripture as Chrysostome says is a Spiritual Paradise The Book of Psalms is placed in the midst of this Paradise The Psalms are not only for Delight but for Use like those Trees of the Sanctuary in Ezekiel which were both for Food and for Medicine The Psalms of David are commensurate and exactly fitted to every Christians condition If his Affections are frozen here he may fetch Fire if his Grace be weak here he may fetch Arniour If his Spirits are ready to faint here he may fetch Cordials for his Soul Amongst other Divine Consolations the Text is not the least Unto the Upright there ariseth Light in the Darkness Which words are calculated for the Comfort of the Godly in all Ages and Centuries of the Church This Text is like Israel's Pillar of Fire in the Wilderness or like the Mariners Lanthorn that gives Light in a Dark Night Unto the Upright there ariseth Light in the Darkness Let me Explain the Words e're I come to the Proposition 1. To the Upright Who are here meant by the Upright The Hebrew word for Upright signifies Plainness of Heart The Upright Man is without Collusion or Fraud In whose Spirit there is no Guile Psal. 32. 2. He that is Upright his Heart and his Tongue go together as a well-made Dial goes exactly by the Sun The Words following in the Text may serve for a short Paraphrase to shew us who this Upright Man is the Text sayes He is Gracious Full of Compassion Righteous First The Upright Man is Gracious That implies his Holiness Secondly He is Full of Compassion That implies his Charitableness And Thirdly He is Righteous That implies his Justness He is Gracious therefore he fears God He is Full of Compassion therefore he feeds the Poor He is Righteous therefore he does to others as he would have them do to him This is the Upright Man In short He is one that does act from a right Principle and that is Faith By a right Rule and that is Scripture To a right End and that is God's glory Here 's a man downright Upright 2. The second thing in the Text is There ariseth Light to the Upright What 's meant by Light here By Light metaphorically is meant Delight and Comfort or Joy That 's here meant by Light Esther 8. 16. The Jews had Light and Gladness and Joy Light when it springs in doth much revive Light is sweet Joy is to the Heart as Light is to the Eye Exhilarating and Refreshing That 's the second Word There ariseth Light that is Joy and Comfort 3. There ariseth Light in Darkness What 's meant here by Darkness By Darkness is meant Trouble and Sorrow Res adversae In Isa. 8. 22. They shall look unto the Earth and behold Trouble and Darkness By Darkness is meant Trouble Darkness is very Disconsolate and Afrighting It makes every thing like the Terrors of the Night Such is Trouble Such is Affliction 't is Affrighting It makes every thing like the Terrours of the Night So much for the Explaining of the Words To the Upright ariseth Light in the Darkness The Observation that results from the Words is this Pray observe it Doct. That when the Condition of God's People is Darkest God causes a Light to shine â—nto them To the Upright ariseth Light in Darkness This Proposition has two Branches I shall speak of them distinctly 1. That the Upright may have their Night it may be a Dark season 2. That a Morning-light arises to them in the midst of all their Darkness First That the Upright those whom God loves they may have their Night they may have a very Dark season They may have a two-fold Night They may have 1. A Night of Affliction 2. A Night of Desertion 1. They may have a Night of Affliction for Godliness does not exempt from Trouble A Dark Cloud may set upon their Name upon their Estate God may lay an Embargo upon all their Outward Comforts In Ruth 1. 20. Call me not Naomi that is Fair or Pleasant call me Mara For the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me 2. The Godly may have not only a Night of Affliction but they may have a Night of Desertion God may with-draw the smiling Beams of his Favour and then 't is Night with them indeed then nothing follows but Darkness In Job 6. 4. The Arrows of the Almighty are within me the poison whereof drinketh up my Spirit It alludes saies Drusius unto the Custom of the Persians who in their Warrs did dip their Arrows in Poison that they might shoot their Enemies with the more deadly Wound Thus the God of Heaven he may sometimes shoot the poisoned Arrow of Desertion and then the Soul is Benighted it is in the Dark Though God has the Heart of a Father yet he may sometimes have the Face of an Enemy And the Lord may cause a Cloud of Darkness upon the Soul and suspend the Beams of Spiritual Comfort for these two Reasons Reason 1. The Darkness of Desertion it is to quicken the exercise of Grace For Grace sometimes acts highest when Comfort is lowest In Jonah 2. 4. I said I am cast out of thy sight yet will I look again towards thy Holy Temple That is I will look to Christ of whom the Temple was but a Type Faith and Patience like two Stars shine brightest in a dark Night of Desertion We are taken with the Comforts but God is more taken with the Actings of our Grace Reason 2. The Lord may cause a Dark Cloud to be upon the Righteous a Cloud of Desertion That he may hereby awaken excite and stir up in them a Spirit of Prayer If ever the Soul will pray to purpose 't is now in an hour of Desertion Fathers may hide their Faces from their Children to make them cry after them the more God sometimes hides the light of his Face that we may cry after him the louder As David in Pfal 143. 7. Hear me speedily O Lord my Spirit faileth O! hide not tâ—y Face from me My Beloved â—esertion it is a short Hell Jonah called the Whales belly the belly of Hell Why so Because he was Deserted there And if ever Jonah would Pray to purpose it was now that he might get out of the belly of Hell Jonah 2. 2. Out of the belly of Hell I cryed unto thee and thou heardest my voice And that 's the first Branch of the Doctrine That God's People they may have a dark Night A Night of Affliction when God lays an Embargo upon all their Comforts And a Night of Desertion which is a short Hell Secondly The second Branch of the Proposition is this That
Heal as it can Save 'T is a Healing Mercy In Hosea 14. 4. I will heal their Backslidings Pray observe Mercy what can't it do it can reclaim the Stubborn it can soften the Impenitent it can bring back those that are gâ—ue astray from God God's Mercy it can as well give Repentance to a Nation as Deliverance Mercy can destroy the Sins of the Nation and yet save the Nation 'T is a Healing Mercy I will heal their Backslidings Why these are then some Dawnings some sparks of Light that God causes to arise in the midst of all our Darkness Quest. But here 's a Question and so I hasten to an end You will say unto me But things they still look very bad and dark and we would have more Light now what must we do how must we carry our selves till God makes Light to arise to us in our Darkness till Mercy comes riding to England in the Chariot of Salvation Answ. I answer in these two or three things 1. In this time of our Darkness and Cloudiness the first thing we do let us go into our Chambers In Isa. 26. 20. Come my People enter thou into thy Chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thy self There are two Chambers that we must now go into 1. The Chambers of our Hearts 2. The Chambers of the Promises First Let us go in this time of Darkness into the Chambers of our Hearts by serious Meditation and Self-examination Let us in the first place search our Evidences for Heaven cast up our Accounts see how the case stands between God and our Souls Let 's bring our Graces to the Touch-Stone What Faith have we are we hid by Faith in the bleeding Wounds of Christ What Love to God have we does Conscience witness that we not only serve him but love him Our Heart and Flesh cry out for the Living God Are we carried every day up to Heaven in a fiery Chariot of Love Is it thus with us O let us enter into these Chambers of our Hearts set our House in order our Souls that 's our great work now My Beloved when things are dark without we had need have all clear within to have Conscience smile Secondly Let us go into the Chambers of God's Promises and there let 's a while hide our selves during this black Cloud of Providence O the sweet Promises of God where our Souls may take Sanctuary God has promised Comfort to all his Mourners Matth. 5. 4. God has promised that he will strengthen the infirm Isa 40. 29. to them that have no might he increases strength God has promised a Crown of Glory to the Conqueror Rev. 2. 10. He has given it under Hand and Seal he will never leave us nor forsake us Heb. 13. 5. O my Brethren here 's our Wisdom let us now by Faith go and hide our selves in the Chambers of these Divine Promises And that 's the first thing we must do in this Dark Hour Go into our Chambers 2. Having done this if you ask me yet further what we must do in this time of Darkness till God makes Light spring up to us I answer having got into our Chambers let us Commit our selves and our Case to God that he would safe-guard and keep us And this I ground upon that Scripture in Psal. 37. 5. Commit thy way unto the Lord he will bring it to pass In the Hebrew it is Roll thy way upon the Lord. This is now our work Even as the Client commits himself and his Cause to his Counsel that he imploys to plead for him or as the Orphan commits himself unto the Care and Tutilage of his Guardian so should we commit our selves to God and devolve all our cares upon him Commit thy way unto the Lord. Let us do our Duty and trust God with our Safety Brethren it is our work to cast Care it is God's work to take Care 3. In this time of Darkness having got into our Chambers and committed our selves unto God let us now patiently wait God's time till he shall make a Light to arise in our Horizon wait on God till he turns our Darkness into the Light of the Morning God can on a sudden with a word of his Mouth scatter and disperse the blackest Clouds that do appear God can create Light God can strike a streight stroke with a crooked Instrument He can bring Good out of Evil. God can deliver his People by means unthought of nay he can deliver them that very way that they think he will destroy them in Who would ever have thought that God should have made a Causâ— way for his People to have marched through on in the midst of the Sea that God should have made Heaven a Grainary to drop down Manna for his People to feed on O wait till Light spring up God he can make use of the Enemy to do his Work he can play his Game by his Enemies hand In short God is able to remove the Mountains that lie in our way or else if he please he can leap over the Mountains In Cant. 2. 8. He cometh leaping upon the Mountains Therefore my Brethren till Light spring up let us wait with Patience Light will arise unto the Upright My Brethren I will say but this The Mercies we pray for and are in expectation of they are worth waiting for To see the Golden Fleet of Prayer come home laden with large and rich returns of Mercy to see the Lilly and the Rose united Truth and Peace To see Popery abandoned and not one Stone left upon another To see Prophaneness discountenanced and disgraced to see the Beauty of Holiness shine forth in our Hemisphere To see Jesus Christ ride in Triumph in the Chariot of his Gospel To see the Righteous had in Honour and Renown and be like the Wings of a Dove covered with Silver Surely these are Mercies so eminent that they are well worth waiting for And therefore let not Patience be out of breath Having got into your Chambers and committed your Cause to God now get into a waiting posture wait till some Light spring up to God's Church I will shut up all with one Scripture which may encourage humble waiting In Isa. 30. 18. The Lord is a God of Judgment Blessed are all they that wait for him FINIS A twofold Light arising to the Upright Reasons of the Point Grounds of Hope for England