Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	comprehend_v	light_n	shine_v	2,130	5	9.2464	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
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

ungodliness we lie and the truth is not in us 1 Joh. 1.6 And we are exhorted to put off the deeds of darkness Rom. 13.12 And to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness Eph. 5.11 Which works are set down in the third and fourth verses of the Chapter But fornication and uncleaness and covetousness let it not be once named among you as becometh Saints In opposition to this is the light of holiness and true conversion Hence when men are said to be turned from Satan to God it is set out by their being turned from darkness to light Acts 16.18 And by their being translated from the power of darkness Col. 1.13 14. And the Church is said to be clothed with the Sun Rev. 12.1 Thus is Christ the light 1. For his whiteness and this relates to the Righteousness of Justification Light is white Mat. 17.2 When Christ was transfigured his raiment was white as the light Christ is light he is clothed and clothes his Saints with white Garments Rev. 3. v. 4. They are said to walk with Christ in White and to have washed their Robs and made them white in the blood of the Lamb Rev. 7.14 In this sense are believers all fair and no spot in them Cant. 4.7 Light is of so undefileable a nature that nothing can pollute it It shines into the most nasty and filthy places and contracts no defilement And such are these garments of Justifying righteousness with which he investeth his Church and people 2. For direction Light directs us how to walk and keep our way and keeps from stumbling and falling into danger If any man walk in the day he stumbleth not because he seeth the light of this World John 11.9 But if a man walk in the night he stumbleth because there is no light in him This relates to the righteousness of sanctification Psal 43. v. 3. O send out thy light and thy truth let them lead me Light guides the traveller in his way Men in the dark lose their way and go they know not whither as the Text we are upon speaks Think they are going to heaven when indeed it is to Hell that they are going The way of the wicked is as darkness saith Solomon Prov. 4.19 They know not at what they stumble Those men stricken with blindness 2 Kings 6. thought they had been going to Dotham but when their eyes were opened behold they were in the midst of Samaria their enemies Country Thus men think of going to paradise because they are in the dark and if the Lord be not gracious to open their eyes in time they go into outer darkness Now Christ is the light to lead the blind in the way they know not and hath promised to do it Isa 42.16 I will bring the blind by away they know not and lead them in paths that they have not known I will make darkness light before them c. This is he that leads Souls in the way of righteousness in the midst of the paths of Judgment Prov. 8.20 And the Psalmist speaks the same Psal 23.3 He leadeth in the paths of Righteousness for his names sake When Israel followed the Pillar in the Wilderness they took no harm When Peter kept neer the light followed Christ close he stumbled not but leaving Christ he dashed himself against a stone and sadly bruised himself Good Josiah walked in the night in that rash expedition against Pharaoh-Necho He went up to the Battel not so much as asking counsel of God and lost his life Christ is the only light to guide our feet into the way of peace as he leads in the way of holiness in which way-faring men though fools err not 3. There is the darkness of Ignorance The light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not John 1.5 It is spoken of man in the State of nature A● first man was made full of light and knowledge but by the fall is full of darkness a●● ignorance Eph. 4.18 Alienated fr●● the life of God through their understanding being darkned and the ignorance that is in them Natural men may have a deep reach into the matters of this world but there is dreadful darkness upon the face of their Souls in the things of God and of his Spirit Though the light of the works and word of God shines upon them yet the darkness comprehendeth it not The natural man perceiveth not the things of God they are foolishness unto him neither can be know them because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 The natural light scattereth the darkness where it comes if the light comes darkness gives place to it and flees away but this spiritual darkness will resist and rebel against the light as some are charged Job 24.13 And men are said to love darkness more tha● light Joh. 3.19 And that Apostle saith 1 Joh. 2.8 11. The darkness is past and the true light now shineth but he that hateth his Brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and knoweth not whither he goeth because darkness hath blinded his eyes What profession of light so eve● such a one may make and whatever shines upon him outwardly yet he is in darkness and knoweth not his estate God-ward be knoweth not whither he goeth to heaven or to Hell nor what his end will be whither Joy or misery This was the vail drawn over the face of the Gentiles before the coming of Christ Hence the Prophet Isa 60.1 Upon a Prospect of Christs appearance cries out Arise ●●ine for thy light is come the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee Christ the true light the glory of the Father will ere long come and shew himself glorious in his Doctrine miracles and the work of Redemption for the salvation of his Church and people Hence when he comes he is said to give the knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins Luke 1.77 And the light of the knowledge of the glory of God is seen only in the face of Christ 2 Cor. 4.6 More particularly He sheweth two properties of light 1. As he makes things manifest The Apostle saith Eph. 5.13 All things that are reproved are made manifest by the light for whatsoever doth make manifest is light Thus doth Christ discover the glorious things of God His blessed attributes the freeness of his grace the riches of his mercy his infinite truth power wisdom Justice and goodness He discovers the depth of Satan the mysteries of iniquity by which he works the windings and turnings of this old crooked Serpent the wiles devices and methods of this subtil deceitful adversary We are not ignorant of his devices saith Paul 2 Cor. 2. v. 11. Thanks be to Christ the true light for the knowledge of them He also makes manifest the hidden Counsels of mens hearts He shews what our natures are and what our conditions are whether good or bad pleasing to God or no. 2. He enlightens the Soul to apprehend

2.6 A shewing forth the vertues of him who is the light and hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light 1 Pet. 2.9 And once again It is called walking as Children of light Eph. 5.8 〈◊〉 are all the Children of the light saies 〈◊〉 Apostle in another place 1 Thes 5.6 Therefore let us not sleep as do others 〈◊〉 let us watch and be sober O let us ●our thus to carry it Then we walk 〈◊〉 and up to the light indeed when 〈◊〉 have nothing to do with the ●●●ks of darkness which become 〈◊〉 Children of light but Children 〈◊〉 darkness rather It is now broad 〈◊〉 light the light of the Gospel ●●●es full in our faces every one ●●ll now condemn those that pra●se deeds of darkness To speak more ●●●ticularly yet very briefly To walk up 〈◊〉 Gospel-light it lies in these fol●●wing things 1. It is to walk openly with all ●●gleness of heart as we read the ●●mitive Christians did Acts 2.46 ●●me walk so intricately with such ●●●ings and Windings are so full 〈◊〉 darkness as we know not what to ●●ke of them But to be of plain ●●arts as Jacob was that the honesty 〈◊〉 our hearts and designs may be seen 〈◊〉 all our words and dealings this is becoming such as are Children 〈◊〉 the light and of the day 2. It is to walk exemplarily 〈◊〉 shine as lights in a dark World 〈◊〉 Beacons set upon a hill which give lig●● round about Phil. 2.15 To ha●● our light so shine before men as the●● seeing our good works may glori●●● God Mat. 5.16 God hung 〈◊〉 those lights at the first Creatio● Gen. 1. That they should give lig●● upon the earth Thus we should poi●● out to others the way to Heaven 〈◊〉 the light of our examples and ca●● a Torch before them that will e●●● go into the kennel and walk in 〈◊〉 mire and dirt of wicked waies T●● evil deeds of men are made manife●● and reproved also by such a carriag● and if by this we turn others from 〈◊〉 waies of sin to righteous paths 〈◊〉 will brighten our own Crown 〈◊〉 we shall shine as Stars for ever a●● ever Light propagates it self 〈◊〉 so should all enlightened Christians 〈◊〉 deavour to communicate their light 〈◊〉 the good of others 3. It is to walk purely in holiness of life A spot is easily seen in a Sun beam we should walk without rebuke blamless harmless without spots as much as may be spot not our consciences nor our conversations but be undefiled in the way and keep our selves unspotted from the World To abstain from not only apparent evil but the very appearance of evil Quicquid male coloratum est All that hath the shew and colour of evil As ●e that hath called us is holy so let us be holy in all manner of conversation 4. It is to walk knowingly in the light of Spiritual Judgment and understanding The Apostle requires Husbands to dwell with their Wives as men of knowledge 1 Pet. 3.7 So ought all Christians to walk as those that know the evil of sin to hate and avoid it As those that know Satans wiles and devices to shun and flee from them As those that know the vanity of the World to be dead and crucified to it by the death of Christ as Paul was Gal. 6.14 As those that have seen the beauty of Christ and tasted of his love to be enamoured with him and to cleave in love to him who loved them first In a word if they know any thing of his will to be found doing it that they may be blessed in their deed 5. It is to walk cheerfully in the light of Joy Those Christians that spend their daies in sadness bring an evil report upon Gods good waies and dishearten and discourage many who who will look upon Gods waies as things that tend to destroy the comfort of their lives God loves a cheerful giver and a holy cheerful liver Avoid sinful frothy mirth the Joy of the Lord is your strength Sometimes indeed sin is as a Thief in the Candle that does wast a Christians Joy and dim his comfort which yet if truly repented of may be recovered and made to shine more bright But let a believer keep off from avoidable sins and live in the exercise of faith and he may rejoyce with Joy unspeakable and full of glory and strangers intermeddle not with this Joy This is to walk in the light when we walk unto the light into the light and up to the light Vse Let me urge this exhortion of Christ upon you all and upon my self Let us walk while we have the light Some sit still idle all the day of the Gospel Others walk in contrary waies but whatever others do let us be found in obedience to this command of Christ Consider to help us herein 1. It is the end why we have the light We give our servants light to work by not to play by No more does God give the glorious light of the Gospel to men to dally and trifle with but to work out their own salvation by 2. If we thus walk as hath been shewn we shall have cause to rejoyce that ever we had this blessed light The Psalmist praises God for the great lights set up in the visible Heavens Psal 136.7 8 9. The Sun to Rule by day and the Moon and Stars by night But what praise shall we be bound to give unto God for Christ and the Gospel of Christ if while it shineth among us we do as men do when the Sun ariseth What is that The Psalmist tells us Psal 104.22 23. Man goeth forth to his work and to his labour until the evening This Sun of Gospel light is given us not that we should play away our Souls into destruction by carnal security but to get evidences of our Salvation with fear and trembling 3. The light will not alwaies shine but darkness will come upon us Hence the Lord in the Text useth this Argument Yet a little while the light is with you walk while ye have the light lest darkness come upon you 1. The darkness of Gospel-removal The longest day hath a night following it We have injoyed the Gospel-light many years and the brighter the day hath been and yet abused it may end in dreadful darkness Christ threatned Ephesus for the loss of her first love and works to come to her quickly and remove her Candlestick the Candle consequently except she repented Rev. 2.4 5. And doth not he seem to speak the same to England and to his Churches here at this day O let us yet in this our day know the things that belong unto our peace before they be hidden from our eyes 2. The darkness of death Eccel 12.2 While the Sun or the light or the Moon or the Stars be not darkned c. Then shall the dust return to the Earth as it was c. that is Before the outward parts of the body or the inward