and in him is no Light. Now what Communion then can Light have with Darkness? Either the Light must be come Darkness, or the Darkness become Light; either the Light muft leave its glorious Purity, and forfake its Nature, which cannot be admitted, or else the Darkness of Mens Souls must be wiped off, and abolished by the Brightness of God's Light; and then there may be a Communion between the primitive Light, and the derivative Light, between the ori ginal Light, and that which flows out from the Original. But take Darkness, remain ing Darkness, and Light, remaining Light, and they cannot compone together; for the first great Separation that was made in the World, was between Light and Darknefs And God faw that Light was good, and God divided between the Light and the Darkness, Gen. i. 4. And fo it is impoffible for Men that live in the Darkness of their Minds, in Ignorance, and in the Darkness of finful Lufts, that they can have any Fellowship with God, who is a Fountain of pure Light, and undefiled Sanctity. What baft thou to do to take my Covenant in thy Mouth, &c. and this God faith to the Wicked. It is an incongruous and unfuitable Thing, for Men to pretend Nearness and Interest in this God, and yet be buried in Darkness and Hatred of the Light of perfonal Reformation, as a Gold Ring in a Swine's Nofe, that rather deforms the Jewel, than beautifies the Beaft: So are the Pretenfions of ignorant and wicked Men, to this divine Society, &c. 1 Joh. i. 5. This then is the Melage which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, &c. + W WHO is a fit Meffenger to declare this Meffage? Can Darkness comprehend the Light, or apprehend it? Or can thofe that are blind, form any lively Notion of Light, to the Instruction and Perfuafion of others? Truly, no more can we conceive or speak of God, who is that pure Light, than a blind Man can difcourfe on Colours, or a deaf Man on Sounds; Who is Blind as the Lord's Servant? And therefore, who are more unmieet to declare this Meffage of Light? learn; fo we afcribe to him Wisdom, Goodness, Power, Juftice, Holiness, Mercy, Truth, &c. All which Names being taken from the Creatures, and fo having Significations fuited to our Imperfections, they muft needs come infinitely short of him, and fo our Apprehenfions of them: These are scattered among the Creatures, therefore they caufe diverfe Conceptions in us; but all these are unit ed in him. He is a moft fimple, pure Being, that eminently and virtually is all Things; and properly is none of all. Another Way we have of apprehending him, by Way of Negation, denying all the Imperfections of the Creatures, and removing them at an infinite Distance from him; and truly, though this be an Imperfection in Knowledge, yet it is the greateft Knowledge we can attain to, to know rather what he is not, than what he is He is not limited to any Place, nor bounded with any Measures and Degrees of Perfection, as Creatures are; therefore we call him Infinite : He is not comprehend- / ed within the Limits of Time, but comprehends all within himself; therefore he pearances of that invifible and incomprehenfible God; and in thefe we know him, but not what he is in himself. Confider how dark and dull we are in piercing into the hidden Natures of Things, even below us, as Beafts and Plants: We behold fome Effects flow from them, but from what Principle thefe do flow, that we know not: How much less can we ap prehend any Thing fuitable of the divine Majefty, that is infinitely above us, from thefe wonderful and glorious Works of his Power and Wisdom? Man is indowed with Wifdom, to do fome excellent Works of Art, as Planting, Graffing, Building, Painting, Weaving, and fuch like. But the Beafts that are below us, cannot apprehend from thefe Works, what the Nature of Man is. Now is there not a more infinite Distance, a greater Dif proportion between us and the divine Nature, fo that we cannot rife up to an understanding Notion of it, in it felf? Nay, befides, one Man will do many Things which another cannot understand, he beholds the Art of it, he fees the Matter, but yet he cannot pierce into the Mind of the Work-man, and look upon that Wifis Eternal: He is not fubject to Changes) dom and Idea of his Mind. Therefore all that we can conclude from these wonderful Works of God, is fome filent Admiration of him. If these be fuch, then what must he be? How infinitely diftant from them, and tranfcendent over them? But what he is, thefe cannot declare, and we cannot apprehend. Then we use to climb up to the Knowledge of God, by attributing to him all the Perfections, Excellencies, and Eminencies of the Creatures: Whatsoever commends them, we apprehend that originally and infinitely in him; and thus we fpell out that Name that is moft fimply one, in many Letters, and Characters, according to our mean Capacity, as Children when they begin to and Alterations, therefore called immu table. He is not compounded, as a Refult of diverfe Parts, therefore he is moft purely Simple, and One: He is not like thefe Things we fee and hear, that fall under our Senses; therefore we call him a Spirit, or a fpiritual Being. Now in all these weak Endeavours of Man, to detain and fix his own Spirit in the Contem plation of God, if he cannot reach the Underftanding of what God is, yet certainly he will attain this great Point of Wif dom, not to be ignorant of his own Ignorance. And truly, my Beloved, this is the Thing I would have us to learn to know, that the Admiration of God in Silence, is the the best Expression of him. We would not fearch into thefe Myfteries, to fatisfy our Curiosity, but rather compofe our Hearts to a continual filent Wondering before him; for where our Underftandings are confounded, and our Minds overwhelmed with the Infiniteness of that Glory; fo that we can fee nothing but our own Ignorance of all: This fhould certainly compofe all to quiet Admiration, for Silence and Wonder is the proper and natural Pofture of a Soul that is at a Stand, and can neither win forward for inacceffible Light, nor will retire backward, for that it apprehends already. This then is the Meffage, that God is Light, becaufe we cannot conceive in our poor narrow Minds, what God is in himself, therefore he expreffeth to us often in Similitudes to the Creatures, and condefcends to our Capacity. As he ftands in manifold Relations to us, fo he takes the moft familiar Names, that may hold out to our dull Senfes what we may expect of him: Therefore he calls himself a Father,a King,a Husband, a Rock, a Buckler, and frong Tower, a Mountain, and whatsoever elfe may reprefent to our Hearts, that which may ftrengthen them in believing.. But there is no Creature fo directly attributed to God, as Light: None used to exprefs his very Nature and Being, as abftracted from thefe Relations, but this, God is Light, and Chrift takes it to himself, the Light of the World, and the Life of Men. The Truth is, it hath fome Excellency in it above all other vifible Creatures, that it may fitly carry fome Refemblance to him. The Scripture calls Light bis Garment, Pfal. civ. 2. And truly it is a more glorious Rob of Majefty, than all the Royal and Imperial Robs and Garinents of State, that either Angels or Men could contrive The Light is, as it were, a vifible Ap. X pearance of the invisible God: He hath covered his invifible Nature with this glorious Garment, to make himself in a Manner vifible to Man. "Tis true, that Light is, but as it were, a Shadow of that inacceffible Light, umbra Dei. It is the dark Shadow of God, who is himself infinitely more beautiful and glorious: But yet, as to us, it hath greater Glory and Majesty in it, than any Creature befides. It is the chief of the Works of God, without which the World would be without Form, and Void: It is the very Beauty of the Creation, that which gives Luftre and Amiablenefs to all that is in it, without which the pleasantest Paradise would become a Wilderness, and this beautiful Structure, and adorned Palace of the the World, a loathfome Dungeon. Befides the admirable Beauty of it, it hath a wonderful fwift Conveyance, throughout. the whole World, the upper and lower, in a Moment, in the Twinkling of an Eye, it is carried from the one End of Heaven to the other in a Moment, and who can fay by what Way the Light is parted? Job xxxviii. 24. Moreover it carries alongft with it a beautiful Influence, and refreshing Heat and Warmness, which is the very Life and Subfiftance of all the Creatures below. And fo, as there is nothing fo beautiful, fo nothing fo univerfally and highly profitable; and to all this, add that fingular Property of it, that it is not capable of Infection, it is of fuch abfolute Purity, that it can communicate it felf to the Dung-hill, as well as to the Garden,... without receiving any Mixture from it : In all the Impurities it meets withal, it remains unmixed, and untainted, and preferves its own Nature intire. Now you may perceive that there is nothing visible that is fitter to refemble the invifible God, than than this glorious, beautiful, pure, and univerfally communicable Creature, Light. Hereby you may have fhadowed out unto you the Nature of God, that he is an all-knowing, intelligent Being, as Light is the first and principal visible Thing; yea, that which gives Vifibility to all Things And fo is in its own Nature a Manifef tation of all Things material and bodily; fo God is the first Object of the Underftanding; Primum intelligible, & primum intelligens. Nothing fo fit an Emblem of Knowledge, as Light, and truly in that respect God is the original Light, a pure intellectual Light, that hath in himfelf the perfect Idea and Comprehenfion of all Things; he hath anticipated in himfelf the Knowledge of all, because all Things were, formed in his infinite Understanding, and lay, as it were, first hid in the Bowels of his infinite Power. Therefore he is a Glob or Mafs of Light and Knowledge, like the Sun, from whom nothing is hid Hell and Destruction are not covered to him, there is no Opacity, no Darkness or Thickness in the Creation, that can terminate or bound this Light, or hinder his Understanding to pierce into it. Now as all Things by the Irradiation of the Light become vifible, fo the Participation of this glorious Sun of Righteousness, and the thining of his Beams into the Souls of Men, makes them to partake of that heavenly intellectual Nature, and reflects a wonderful Beauty upon them, which is not in the reft of the World. Befides, here is reprefented to us the abfolute Purity and Perfection of God's Nature, Godis Light, and in bim is no Darkness: Befides the Purity of the Light of Knowledge, there is a Perity of the Beauty of Holiness, the glorious Light of God his Vertue, and Power, and Wif dom, is communicated to all the Creatures; there is an univerfal Extent of his Influence towards the good and bad, as the Sun fhines on both, and yet there is no Spot or Stain upon his Holinefs or Righteousness, from all his intermingling with the Creatures, the worst and bafelt Creatures. All his Works are holy and righteous, even his Works in unholy and unrighteous Men; he draws no Defilement from the bafeft of the Creatures, nor yet from the Sinfulness of it: He can be intimately prefent and conjoined in working, in Vertue and Power, in Care and Providence, with the Dirt and Mire of the Streets, with the Beafts of the Field, and yet that is no Stain upon his Honour or Credit, as Men would fuppofe it to be; no more than it is a Dishonour to the Sun to fhine on the Dung-hill; in a Word, there is no Mixture of Ignorance, Darknefs, Impurity, or Iniquity in him, not the leaft Shadow of Change or Turning, not the leaft Seed of Imperfection; in regard of him the Moon is not clean, and the Sun is spotted; in respect of his Holiness, Angels may be charged with Folly. Then add unto this, to make up the Refemblance fuller, the Bounty and Benignity of his Influence upon the World, the Flowings forth of his infinite Goodnefs, that inric heth the whole Earth. Look as the Sun is the greatest and most univerfal Benefactor, his Influence and Heat is the very Renovation of the World, it makes all new, and green and flourishing; it puts a Youth upon the World, and fo is the very Spring and Fountain of Life to all fublunary Things. How much is that true of the true Light, of the Subftantial, of whom this Sun is but a Shadow. He is the Life of the World, and the Light of Men. Every good not fee that which is manifeft of God, even in his Works. O that Cloud of Un belief that is spread over our Souls, which hinders the glorious Rays of that Divine Light to fhine into them. This Darknefs Satan contributes much to, who is the Prince of Darkness, 2 Cor. iv. 4. This makes the moft Part of Souls like Dunge Gift, and every perfect Donation defcends from him, Jam. i. 17. his Influence is more univerfal to the being, to the moving, to the living of all Things. And then Jefus Chrift the Sun of Righteousness is carried about in the Orb of the Gofpel, and in his Beams there is a healing Vertue; these are the Refreshments of poor wearied Souls, that are fcorchons within, when the glorious Light of ed with the Anger of God. There is an the Gofpel furrounds them without: This admirable Heat and Warmness of Love Earthlinefs and Carnality of our Hearts, and Affection, that this glorious Light makes them like the Earth, receive only carries imbofomed in it, and that is it the Light in the upper and outward Superthat pierces into Souls, and warms Hearts, fice, and not fuffer it to be tranfmitted into and quickens dead Spirits, and puts a our Hearts, to change them. But when it new Face upon all again. This is the pleaseth him, who at the first, by a Word Spring of all the Life that is truly Spiritu- of Power, commanded Light to fbine out al, and it hath as fweet and comfortable of Darkness, he can scatter that Cloud of Effects upon the Souls of Men, who re- Ignorance, and draw away the Vail of ceive the Truth in Love, the Light in Unbelief, and can by his Power and Art, Love, that is, the Light with Heat, as fo transform the Soul, as to remove its ever the Sun approaching near the Earth earthly Quality, and make it transparent hath had upon Plants and living Creatures. and pure, and then the Light will shine inAnd to complete the Refemblance to the Heart, and get free Access into the more, there may be fomething of the Soul. But though this Darknefs were Infallibility and Incomprehenfibility of wholly removed, there is another Darkthe Divine Majefty here reprefented; for nefs, that arifeth not from the Want of tho' nothing be clearer than the Light, Light, but from the exceffive Super-abunyet there is nothing in its own Nature dance of Light; Caligo lucis nimia, darker than Light: That which is fo ma that is, a divine Darkness, a Darkness of 'nifeft to the Eyes, how obfcure is it to Glory, fuch an infinite Excefs and Superthe Understanding? Many Debates and plus of Light and Glory, above all creInquiries have been about it, but yet it is ated Capacities, that it dazles and connot known what that is, by which we founds all mortal or created Understandknow all Things. Certainly, fuch is the ings. We fee fome Shadows of this,, if Divine Light: It is inconceivable and we look up to the clear Sun; we are able inexpreffible, therefore he is faid to dwell to fee nothing for too much Light, there in Light inacceffible, and full of Glory, is fuch an infinite Difproportion here be1 Tim. vi. 16. There is a twofold Dark- tween the Eye of our Mind, and this diness that hinders us to fee God, a Dark-vine Light of Glory, that if we curiously nefs of Ignorance in us, and a Darkness of pry into it, it is rather confounding and ainacceffible Light in him: The one is a tonifhing; and therefore it fills the Souls Vail upon our Hearts, which blinds and of Saints with continual filem Admiration darkens the Souls of Men, that they do and Adoration. Fff SER |