412 SERMON XI 1 John i. 5. This then is the Message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in him is no Darkness at all. RUE Religion confifts not only in | the Knowledge of God, but efpecially in Conformity to him, and Communion with him. Communion and Fel lowship with God is the great End and Defign of the Gofpel, and it is the great Relult of all a Chriftian's Pains and Progrefs; it is not only the greatest Part of Religion, but the very Reward of Re-ligion too; for Piety hath its Reward of Happiness in the Bofom of it, without borrowing from external Things. Now that which this sweet and fragrant Fruit, which perfumes all the Soul with Delight, and fills it with Joy, fprings out of, is, Conformity to God, Affimilation of Nature and Difpofition, fome Likeness to God imprinted on the Soul again in holy Affections and Difpofitions, a Co-incidency of our Will with the Will of God, Drowning of it in the Sea of his good Pleafure, his Law in the inward Parts. Now what is the Root of this Conformity, but the Knowledge of God? This is that which hath a Vertue to transform the Soul into his Similitude: You fee then where true Religion begins lowest, and by what Means it grows up to the fweet Fruit of that eternal Joy that shall be preffed out of the Grapes of Fellowship with God: So then whatofever is declared of God unto us in his Word, whatfoever is holden forth of him, it is not only fet forth to be th: Subject of our Knowledge, but efpecially to be a Pattern or Imitation, and to be, an inflaming Motive to our Affection; This is the very Subftance of the Verfe. This then is the Meffage, 1 declare that God is Light, and this I heard not from Chrift only for the Satisfaction of my Curiofity, nor do I declare it to you only that you may know it, as if you had no more to do with it, but efpecially that ye may know what ye ought to be in Con-formity to that Light; the End of your knowing God, is to become liker God, iffe be ye would have Communion with him. Let us take this Rule then, to`mea-fure all our Searchings after God, and Inquirings into him; certainly there ought to be more Meditation and Inquiry of Heart upon this Subject, because it is the Spring of all Life to the Soul; it is that which enricheth it moft, and fills it with Peace, Joy, and Delight, and brings in a. Treasure into a Man's Heart, fuch as Chrift fpeaks of; A good Man out of the nefs of our Minds after the Knowledge of fecret Myfteries. We muft fet Bounds here, and not over-ftretch or strain our Understandings, to compafs his infinite Being, as it is in, itfelf: Let us rather take him up as he is revealed in the Scriptures, and fo meditate on him as manifefted in his Word and Works, his Grace, Mercy, Power, Wisdom, &c. and read his Name with Delight in these large Volumes spread before our Eyes, &c. Now the just measuring and regulat the good Treafure of bis Heart, &c. Meditation, much Meditation on God, a Stayedness and Fixednefs of Spirit upon him, lays up a Treafure in the Heart; this is it that makes fuch a Difference between the Heart and Mouth of a righ tous Man, and a wicked Man; the Heart of the Wicked is little worth, for the total Want of this; and therefore their Lips and Tongues are void of Edification, full of Corruption. But where this Spring. floweth within, it maketh the Mouth of a Man like a Well of Life; it makething of all Knowledge of God, is to direct his Lips like choise Silver. O, the Scantinefs and Neglect of this amongst Chriftians, makes all to wither and decay: there is little Searching after the Almighty, little imploying and intertaining our Spi. rits about him; low, flender, and fingle Thoughts and Apprehenfions of him, which cannot but caule a deliquium and Decay in all the Parts of Chriftianity, when the very Sun is eclipfed from us by our Ignorance, and Inconfideration of him: And that fo long, it must have dreadful Effects upon us. Therefore let us be exhorted to this Study, to give our Spirits to this Imployment, to think more on God. But as I was faying, there is need of a Rule to measure us in it, and of fome Caution about it, that is, that we have our End rightly eftablished, what we aim at in enquiring after, or meditating upon God. If it be only to give Intertainment to the Curiofity of our Minds, as in the Contemplation of natural Things, if it be only to pry into Secrets and Myfteries, and to labour to comprehend that which is incomprehenfible, then we lose our Labour, and we are in Danger to meet with a confuming Fire, in ftead of inftructing and refreshing Light. I would therefore have this guarded againft, the infatiable Defire and Greedi it to a further End, to have nothing before us but this, that we may reverence, adore, fear, and love him fo much the more: And this is the Thing that maketh Accefs to him moft eafy and fweet, when the Design a Soul hath, in all its Searchings about him, is for this Purpose, to the End it may love him, and worfhip him more fuitably, and be more conformed to him, when he is looked upon as a Pattern of our Conformity, that is the right Apprehenfion and Up-taking of him, to know that God is Light, and fo to know it, as in it to behold the Ne ceffity of what Qualification should be in us, that is indeed to know God. My Beloved, let us confider that fo much we know of God, as we love him, and fear him, and are conformed unto him: For that Knowledge, which is not about this Work and Defign; it is for no other Purpofe, but to be a Witness against a Man, and the most hainous Aggravation of his Sins. To come then to the Particular in Hand, God is Light, and that is holden out and declared for this End, that there may be Pattern of the Qualification of all that intend to enter into that Society; if ye would have Fellowship with God,then confider what you ingage into, what manner, Fff 2 of of Perfon he is, for the intimate Knowledge of one another is prefuppofed to all conftant Friendship: You must know then what God is, if ye would have Communion with him, because there is no Communion without fome Conformity, and no Conformity without Knowledge of him. Therefore, as he is Light, fo the Soul must be made Light in him, and enlightned by him, that would have his Society: We must be transformed into that Nature, and made Children of Light, who were Children of Darkness. Now as there is a Light of Understanding, and Wisdom in God, and a Light of Holinefs and Purity, fo there is in our Souls oppofite to thefe, a Darkness of Ignorance and Unbelief, and a Darkness of Sin, and Impurity of Affections. Now what Communion can Light bave with Darkness? Let every Man ask this at his own Heart, if there be no Happiness without this Society, and no PoffibiJity of this Society, while I remain in Darkness; then is it not high Time to come to the Light? This then is the first Change that is made in a Soul, the Darkness of Ignorance and Unbelief is driven out, by the Approach of that glorious Light of the Gofpel into the Heart; then is difcovered into the Soul that Deformity of Sin, that Lothfomnefs in it felf, that it never apprehended; Then there is a Manifeftation of the hidden Works of Darkness, of the defperate Wickedness of the Heart, which lay un obferved, and un-fufpected all the while, and now a Man cannot in that View but abhor himself, for that which none elfe can fee in him. And there is withal manifefted that glorious Holiness and Purity in God, that inviolable Righteoufnefs, that omnipotent Power, which formerly were never seriously thought upon; now these are reprefented to the Life be.. fore a Sinner: And to close up all, there is a Manifeftation of the Grace and Goodnefs of God in Chrift, which difcovers a Way of Salvation, and Delivery from Sin and Wrath; and this perfumeth and refresheth all the Faculties of the Soul. Thus the Soul is in a Part conformed to that original Light, when a Beam is fent from it, and hath pierced into the Heart,. and scattered the Darkness, that did alienate the Minds of Men from God. But it is not only an Illumination of the Fore face, and Outer-fide of the Soul, not only a Conviction of the Judgment in these Things, but by Vertue of that divine Heat that is tranfmitted with the Light of the Gofpel, the Soul is purified and cleanfed from its groffer Nature, and fo is made tranfparent, that the Light may fhine into the very Inwards of the Heart; and this is the special Point of Conformi ty to God, to have our Souls purged from the Darknefs of finful, earthly, and muddy Affections, to have them purified by the Light of God, from all the Works and Lufts of Darkness, and the fhining Beauty of holy Affections and Inclinations, to fucceed and fill up the vacant Room. If Knowledge only refide in our Brains, and fend not down warm Beams. to quicken and inflame the Heart, then it is barren and unfruitful, it is cold and unprofitable. If it hover only alone in our Heads, and keep a Motion there, but fends down no refreshing Showers to the Affections, which may make us abound in good Fruits, then it is like the windy Clouds, Clouds without Rain, that pass away without any Benefit to the thirsty Ground. Let us then take this alongs with us, let the Impreffion of this Description of the Divine Majefty abide on our Hearts. God is Light, and if we often ruminate and Aim at this, to have Fellowship with God, know both for your Direction, and your Incouragement, that God is Light: For your Direction, becaufe that muft be your Pattero, and if you have no Study that Way, to be like him in Holiness, you shall not fee him. But take it likewife for an Incouragement, for that Stile carries not only the Neceffity of what he must be, but it holds out likewife the Fountain and Store-houfe of all our Qua and ponder on this, I think it will make us often to reflect upon our selves, how we are Darkness, and this will breed fome Carefulness and Defire in the Soul, how to have this Darkness removed, that there may be a Soul capable of divine Illuftration. This is it that advanceth the Soul to the nearest Conformity with God, the looking often upon God, till our Souls be inlightned, and our Hearts purified, and this again puts the Soul in the nearest Capacity for that bleffed Com-lifications, for God is Light, the origi munion with God. Blessed are the pure in Heart, for they fball fee God, Mat. v. 8. Truly, it is not Profoundnefs of Ingine, it is not Acuteness and Sharpness of Wit, it is not Pregnancy in Understanding, or Eminency in Parts, that will difpofe the Soul to this bleffed Vision of God, and frame it to.a. Capacity of Fellowship with him; no, there needs no extraordinary Parts for this, nothing but that the Heart be purified from Corruptions, thofe inward earthly Qualities, that are like fo many vitious and grofs Humours, filling the Organ of the Sight, thefe, Pride, Conceit, Self-love, Paffion, Anger, Malice, Envy, Strife Covetousness, Love of Pleafures, Ambition; the fe, I fay, that poffefs the Hearts of the most excellent natural Spirits, cafts a Mift upon their Eyes, and hinders them to fee God, or enjoy that Delight in him, that some poor, weak, and Ig. norant Creatures, whofe Hearts the Lord hath purged from Sin, do find in God. Therefore, if any of you have an nal, primitive Light, all muft borrow of SER 1 John i. 6. If we say that we have Fellowship with him, and walk in Darkness, we lie, &c. ΤΗ HERE is nothing in which Men | imagined, it makes them, as the Apostle fuffer themselves to be fo eafilyfpeaks, Ephef. v. 6. vix's Táneideas, deceived, as in this higheft Concernment Children of Imperfuafion, it is rendred of Religion, in which the eternal Intereft commonly Children of Difobedience, of their Souls lies: There is no Delufion and indeed they are joined together, they either fo grofs, or fo univerfal in any are Children of Difobedience, carrying other Thing, as in this Thing, in regard the manifeft Characters of Wrath upon of which, all other Things are nothing. them; yet they are withal, Children of This hath overfpread the World, (to Imperfwafion, uncapable of any Perfwaspeak only of that Part which pretends to fion contrary to thefe deluding Infinuations Christianity) a ftrong, pertinacious, and of their own Minds, though they be mablind Fancy of being in Jefus Chrift, and nifeft to all Men to be Sons of Difebehaving Interest in Salvation. I call it a dience, living in Rebellion against God, blind and ignorant Fancy, for truly Igno- yet it is not poffible to perfuade them of rance and Darkness is the strongest Foun- it they are as far from Conviction of dation of fuch Conceits: Papifts call it the what they are, as Reformation to what Mother of Devotion; it is true, in this they fhould be. Notwithstanding if Men Senfe it is the Mother of a Man's ground- would but give an impartial and attentive lefs Devotion towards himself, that is, Ear to what the Apoftle fays here, I of Delution: This, together with Self- fuppofe the very Fraine of his Argument love, which always hood-winks the Mind, is fo convincing, that he could not but and will not fuffer a ferious impartial leave fome Impreffion: If any Thing Examination of a Man's felf; thefe I fay, will convince a Child of Imperfwafion, are the Bottom of this vain Perfwafion, the Terms here propounded are fitteft, that poffeffeth the generality of Men. God is Light, and in him is no DarkNow what it wants of Knowledge, it nefs. Hence it follows by inavoidable hath of Wilfulness; it is a Conceit altoge- Confequence, as clear as the Light, that ther void of Reason, but it is fo wilful, and no Man can have Fellowship with God, pertinacious, that it is almoft utterly in that walks in Darkness. convincible, and fo it puts Souls in the moft defperate forlorn Eftate that can be Those that delude themselves in this Matter, are of two Kinds, the Generality pretend |