VERSE 6
VERSE 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.—2 COR. 4:6.
IN the last verse of the former chapter, the blessed apostle sets out the dignity of the gospel above the things of Moses and the things of the law. 'We all,' saith he, 'with open face, as in a glass, behold the glory of God, and are changed into the same image, from glory to glory,' &c. And hereupon, in the beginning of the next chapter, he sets out the excellency of the gospel ministry, being conversant about so excellent a mystery, and sheweth his fidelity in it. 'Therefore,' saith he, 'we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but, by manifestation of the truth, commend ourselves to the consciences of all men in the sight of God.' Here he sheweth his fidelity in the ministry, and his courage, 'he fainteth not;' and likewise his sincerity, he 'labours to approve himself to the consciences of them in the sight of God.' Perhaps he had not all their good words; but it is better to have the consciences of people to give testimony of us than their words, their hearts than their mouths.
Therefore the apostle knew not what they censured, but knew he had got some authority in their consciences; and therefore labours 'to approve himself to them in the sight of God,' which sheweth his sincerity. For this is the property of sincerity, to do all as 'in the sight of God;' to do good at all times, in all places, to all persons, in all actions. He that is sincere honours God in all.
Obj. Well, it might be objected, 'Many care not for the ministry nor the gospel, it is too obscure,' &c.; as it is the common course of the popish Jesuits to fall to accusation of Scripture as dark.
Ans. But, saith he, 'If the gospel be hid, it is hid to them whom the god of this world hath blinded.' And for further answer of the objection, 'If the gospel be hid from any, it is from them that perish.'
And what is the cause? It is in regard of their own hardness of heart, joined with the malice of Satan. The god of the world hath thrown dust in their eyes, otherwise the gospel is clear enough. The blessed apostle was so privy to his own fair, open, free-dealing, that he dares freely say, 'If the gospel be hid, it is to them that perish.' There is no unfaithfulness, no obscurity in me. Satan hath an hand in it: 'the god of this world hath blinded their eyes.'
The god of this world. What! doth he put God out of his place? No; but the world maketh him so, namely, a god, by doing that to Satan, partly in himself and partly to his instruments, that they should do to God. They are at his beck, and run at his command; he leadeth them by worldly profits and pleasures, as a sheep is led by a green pasture.
His influence acts. Wicked men are rightly styled 'men of the world,'
Ps. 17:14; and Satan is truly called, by our apostle, 'the god of the world,' for they make him so by yielding to him in his designs.
Satan hath ruled in the church for many hundred years, yet more formerly than he doth in these times; but he did it subtilly. Great persons ruled by their friends, their friends were ruled by popish spirits; they by Jesuits, and the Jesuits by the man of sin, and he by Satan. So you see all resolved to the first principle. Satan hath a great hand in the government of the world. Doubtless the frogs that came out of the mouth of the beast, Rev. 16:13, are Jesuits and irksome
devilish spirits. He lieth hid in a corner, and is not seen; but he is the god of the world, because by his subordination he ruleth as he list.
Use. Here you see the malice of man, justice of God, and usurpation of Satan. Man is the delinquent, God the judge, Satan the executioner. Man hath a hard and malicious heart against the light, he swelleth against it, and hateth nothing so much as the light. Take a worldly man that hath great parts, offer him the world,* contrary to his lusts and preferment, he will swell. Satan cavils against it.
Indeed, men hate nothing so deadly as light, and this is the procuring cause of all mischief. When the truth is forced on you, and you will have none, then God as a just judge saith, Take him, Satan; take him,
Jesuit; take him, this or that profane person or vice; and how can such persons escape the blackness of darkness for ever?
And, beloved, can a man receive this glorious light of the Lord Jesus, when men are so dull and ignorant in the great point of religion? not only because they hate the light, and put off God's just judgments, but also from Satan's temptations, either immediately from himself or his instruments. And lest this should seem to be spoken something too high, 'the gospel is hid to them that perish,' &c., therefore, saith he, 'we preach not ourselves, but Christ; and ourselves your servants for his sake.' He did not speak this arrogantly, for all his ministerial function. He aimeth not at himself, but 'I serve Christ; and am your servant for his sake.' Not the servant of your lusts, for had he been the servant of men he had not been the servant of the Lord Jesus Christ; but the servant of their souls, one that would have laid his hands at their feet to serve them, and would have been their servant indeed for their souls' good.
Now, the words that I have read to you shew the chief and principal cause of the glorious light of the gospel, and the means both to
remove the cause of obscurity from the Scripture, and from St Paul's ministry, and shew where it is indeed.
The principal cause of all light is God: 'God, that hath commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts,' not only outwardly in his word, but in our hearts. And to that end he gave the word, &c. So here is the chief cause of the chief end.
First, The chief cause of all saving light that we have in the ministry of the word is God, that shineth in our hearts by the ministry of the gospel. And, Secondly, The chief end is to give the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; not obscurely, like popish spirits, to impose darkness upon the Scriptures. Darkness is not from them; for the subject of the Scriptures declareth the image of God, not the accidental, but the real image of God the Father, who is light; and then they* oppose God, who is light in himself. But the end of the gospel is to give light, and 'the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus
Christ.' If therefore the cause and matter and end be light, where is the cause of obscurity?
To come to the words:
First, You see the cause of light, of inward light in the heart. There is a double light—a light in the air and a light in the eye. So there is a light in the heart and a light in the truths themselves. Now, God is the cause of that inward light: 'God hath shined in our hearts;' not only to us, but in our hearts, by his Holy Spirit.
Second, The end of this light is, not to shine in our hearts to no purpose, but to shine in our hearts that we may shine to others; that we may prove the light we have, that shineth to us in darkness, to
convey the knowledge of God to all. What knowledge? The knowledge of Christ, and saving knowledge 'in the face of Christ.'
And why doth God enlighten the ministers that they may convey light to others? That God's glory may be manifested. All is for his glory. The glory of his goodness, and justice, and his sweet attributes are manifested in Christ, which I shall speak of when I come to them.
Here he sets out God shining in the hearts of his ministers and children, by comparing of the light shining in darkness and God's commanding of light to shine out of darkness in the creation together. He ariseth from works of nature to works of grace, and from earthly things leads the Corinthians to spiritual things, in shewing an exact proportion between the things of nature and the things of grace; and therefore so should we in the matter of grace and glory.
This he doth to help our apprehensions of heavenly things, by these kind of glasses.
Therefore look how he takes things of nature to this end, and mark what he saith. He saith not Almighty God hath shined in our hearts, but he sets down that glorious attribute of God's almightiness by a word more familiar to our understandings: 'He that hath commanded light to shine out of darkness.' And thereupon sheweth the almighty power, wisdom, and goodness, that God graciously hath shined in our hearts. It is a wonderful comfort to the soul to single out of God what is fittest, either out of his attributes, his word, his works, or his creation.
But here we will speak first of that whence he raiseth his proportion, of God's commanding light to shine out of darkness; secondly, and then will shew the proportion between outward and spiritual light.
1. The proportion of God's commanding light to shine out of darkness, and of light to shine in the soul. The rise whence he fetcheh this is from the creation: 'God commanded light to shine out of darkness.' You know there was a primitive light; lux primogenita, as Basil calls it (e); the first light, which was before the body of the sun, and after was put into the body of the sun, at the fourth day. He created the light first. God 'commanded that light to shine out of darkness.' Now, there is much ado, to no great purpose, what that light was that was created out of darkness, before the sun was made the receptacle of light. The time is short, and to spend it in unnecessary speculations is curious to search, and too rash to determine what that light was, whence it was taken, whether out of the confused mass or the purest part of it, and so lifted up to shine in the world; or whether he did create light out of darkness, taking darkness for the terminus, and not for the matter, to create light out of darkness, because there was nothing but darkness before; or whether God created this primitive light out of any body in the mass, or it was created Out of darkness as out of a mass. But the Scripture determines it not, and therefore we will not meddle with anything in these matters without light of Scripture. Certain it is, that this light did distinguish day and night, and afterward was carried to the body of the sun. And it was created by God's commandment; for it is said,
'He that commanded light out of darkness hath shined in our hearts.'
Now, it is said here that light is God's creature. It is out of darkness, and it is by God's command. It was but his word fiat et fuit, a word and a world; as it was spoken it was made, Gen. 1:3.
1. The thing created was light; 2. The manner how, by the word; 3.
Out of what? From darkness. I will not speak distinctly* of them—it were to little purpose—but altogether: 'God hath commanded light to shine out of darkness.'
This command shews that God did it quickly and easily. It was but a word, a command; and he did it without any influence at all, by a mere word.
It was independently done of God. There was no matter to make it of, at least as good as nothing; for it was made of the mass. The mass was made of nothing.
Reason 1. Now, if you ask, Why God did create light in the first place?
I answer, It was because he might distinguish his six days' works. If there had not been [light] to distinguish day and night, where had that distinction been?
Reason 2. And then again, God had lost the glory of his works if he had not created light. Light hath a heavenly quality, the principal of all qualities, the most excellent part of all.
Reason 3. And God created it first, that it might discover itself and all other things. It was primum visibile, that made all others seen. What had the beauty of the creatures been if light had not been created?
They had all been covered in darkness. What end had there been of the eye and colours? Indeed, there is no quality that so much resembles God and divine things as light. The Scripture is exceedingly delighted in the using of this term light: 'God is the light of the world,' John 1:4, seq. 'Christ is the light of the world, that lighteth every one that cometh into the world,' John 1:9. The Holy
Ghost is light, the angels light, the saints are the children of light. So that God taketh from hence those terms by which he sets out the dignity and excellency of himself, his children, and servants; and shews you the reasons of that light 'that enlightens every one that cometh into the world.'
Light sheweth and discovereth all the excellency of things, and distinguished one thing from another, and therefore Ambrose calleth it lux prima gratia mundi (f), the first grace of the world, and that ornament of the creature which sets out all other ornaments, that distinguisheth one from another.
Reason 4. Again, it is that quality that doth quicken and enliven, and therefore the things that do quicken and enliven are lightsome; a lively quality that puts life and cheerfulness into things. Light is sweet, Eccles. 11:7. And it hath a quality likewise that it is not alone, for it is vehiculum, a conveyer of all influence from heaven. The virtue of conveying life into things on the earth is the light. Heat is but a connection. Heat cometh with light; and heat together with light, fosters and cherisheth all things in the world; as in nature, if there were not fire and heat, what could be good in nature? and if not heat and light, what would become of the world? All progressions and motions come from hence; and when light discovers good or ill, danger or commodity, this or that, thereupon the creature moves or removes from things hurtful, by benefit of the light. To be in darkness is a most hideous and irksome condition. Darkness breeds nothing but fear and terror, which weakeneth the spirit, and doth whatsoever is contrary to light. Lux gloria creationis, tenebræ sunt opprobria.
I might be very large in setting out the excellency of it, and all to good purpose, that we might see the excellency of the benefit thereof.
O beloved, what were our lives without it! We forget common benefits. How dark, disconsolate, fearful, terrible, and uncomfortable were our lives if they were without this quickening and solacing quality of light! and therefore we ought to take notice even of the rise of St Paul. I do but give a taste, 'For God who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.'
We see then that God by his authority commanded light to shine out of darkness. But what God? God the Father or God the Son? I answer, Elohim, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. All things were first from the Father, but the Son was Λόγος, and it was the Word that gave this command, Heb. 1:3. But the will of God is his word.
The will of Christ is λόγος; for God created all things by the Son, who is the Wisdom of the Father. Therefore this word, 'Let there be light,' came from that Word, that Λόγος, which is the cause of all things, as John 1:3, 'By him were all things made that were made.' And the Spirit was an immediate cause; for the Spirit of God lay upon the waters. It lay upon the chaos. By it all things were made. It brooded as a hen upon the chickens, and as an eagle fluttereth upon her young ones.* The Holy Ghost did cherish and foster the primitive matter, on which all things were made. But they all agree in one.
You have the story in the first of Genesis. Elohim did it, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I would willingly come to some observation that may make it useful to us. Before I come to the main thing, this is worth our observing.
Obs. 1. That God commanded light out of darkness, to shew that God is the Almighty God, gracious, wise. We see that all things came from an almighty power. So the use of everything, the connection and subordination of one thing to another, it sheweth that all things came from a wise and gracious beginning. For we see that in the earth there are many beautiful things. The heavens, how glorious are they! and in the world how many excellent beauties! What were these if there were no light? and what were light if there were not an eye?
Now, where there is a reference of one thing to another, and a
connection of things, and a use of one thing to serve another, it sheweth that he was a God, and a wise God, that made all. This principle cannot be too much stood upon, because the weight of Christianity lieth upon it. The order, and use, and goodness of things, and connection of things, shew there is a good and a wise God. Take that for granted.
So you see what manner of worker God is in the creation, although independent, that can do all things at a word, with ease, without influence, without help. He dependeth not on matter as we do, that can do nothing without matter and subject to work upon, but he can work his own matter, can raise things out of nothing.
Use. And it is very observable, for to help us in the dealings of our lives, to have such a conceit* of God that we should not limit God in our thoughts; when we are in any extremity to tie him to this thing or to that thing. He can make matter out of nothing. Why should we limit the unlimited God, and so hinder our own comfort? Therefore we should infer hence, that God commandeth light to shine out of darkness. Observe that, when we be in dark conditions, and dark in sin, whatsoever sin and dark conditions we are in, as Isa. 45:7, 'I the Lord create light out of darkness,' that is, out of a darksome condition. Now light is taken for a comfortable condition, Esther
8:16. When we be in any dark condition, limit not God. He is an independent worker. Question not how this may be and that may be.
We must not bring God within the compass of our conceits and reasons. God is not as man; and therefore whatsoever our condition be, let us never limit God. God's people should never be better, the times were never worse. Where we be bad, God is good. Times are bad, God is good. He can alter all. When there is no hope of escaping, no likely issue, God can make it good. In the hardships, the exigencies of the soul, God takes occasion to shew the glory of his
power, as Isa. 4:5, God, saith he, 'created a pillar of fire, to go before the Israelites out of Egypt into Canaan.' If we want any comfort in any condition, being in covenant with such a God, if we be his children, he can create light, and can make a pillar of fire to go before his people to bring them to Canaan. See what the apostle saith, 2 Cor.
1:3, 'He is the God of all consolations;' not of this or that consolation, but the God of all consolations; that if we want he can work good out of the contrary, light out of darkness; he can draw matter of comfort out of discomfort; he can make every condition serve to his own ends; he can make 'all things work together for the good of his children,' Rom. 8:28. The greater the power of this great God is, the greater is our comfort. We serve a God that can 'command light to shine out of darkness,' and shall we despair in any condition whatsoever? He can give rest without sleep, and strength without meat. He cannot be limited. Therefore let us not limit him.
Use 2. So again, for the state of the church, whatsoever condition it is in, consider the creation. 'God commands light to shine out of darkness.' The church being in darkness, God can command the light presently to shine out of darkness, as in Esther's time, Esther 6:3, seq. What terrible darkness was the church in, when Haman was commanded to destroy all the Jews! and what a terrible case was the church in in Egypt and Babylon! In a most darksome condition; and yet God brought light out of darkness, as in Esther's time.
And so of latter times; a little before Luther's time, was not the church brought low, so that darkness overspread the world? and cannot God raise up the blessed light of the truth? And also of latter times, look but the last year,* in what a dark condition the church was. But God begins to do for his church again. Who would have thought this the other year, when the enemy began to be so insolent?
But God can fetch Cyrus from the east and from the north to help his
people, Isa. 44:28; 45:1. God can fetch a man from the north, from this place and that place, to help his church. Therefore in no condition of the church despair; for we are in covenant with God, that can 'command light out of darkness.' 'He that is in darkness, and hath no light,' let him trust in the name of his God, Isa. 50:10. We must cast anchor at midnight, and trust in the midst of darkness. We see darkness is hideous, yet a little spark of light doth banish it, and overcome it, as a little rotten wood expelleth it in some measure, that hath shining in it. Now, beloved, is this darkness in the world, this lower darkness, driven away by a spark of light in some proportion? and shall not we think that great Light, the Father of lights, God, when he shines on the soul, will quickly banish away all darkness? It must needs be so.
Use 3. This may help us likewise for time to come. Great things are promised for time to come. We must help ourselves by this former work of creation. God that 'commanded light to shine out of darkness' will restore the Jews his ancient people again. St Paul calleth it the resurrection from the dead, Rom. 11:15. It shall be a raising from the dead, as it were. He that 'commanded light to shine out of darkness' can do it, and will do it. He that did make all things out of nothing, can cause that that which is less, a resurrection. And so the fulness of the Gentiles, they be now in darkness, and in the shadow of death. What pitiful darkness are the East and West Indies in, and many of the southern countries, that serve the devil, not God?
Better times are coming. The converting of the Gentiles will come, and in due time we may expect that the 'man of sin' shall be laid flat in the dust. Babylon shall fall. It is fallen exceedingly much, specially in the hearts of the people, which is the way to the last fall; but antichrist must fall together, and then the church will be glorious,
Rev. 14:8. He that made all things out of nothing, can make great things out of nothing. He that made of nothing glorious things, can
make glorious things nothing. It is the same power to annihilate that it is to create. God, that made all things out of nothing, can bring all things to nothing. God will consume, and blast, and blow upon that 'man of sin.' Jehovah is mighty, and doth mightily. Therefore the vast world shall be consumed ere long. Comfort yourselves therefore with these things from hence, that God that made all things of nothing, can turn those things that are into nothing again.
Would you know how? 'Strong is the Lord that judgeth his,' Rev.
18:8. He answereth an objection. Oh, but she flourisheth, and hath many princes, emperors, potentates, and strong arms of flesh to support her. 'But strong is the Lord that hath spoken it,' and can do it. If God will consume her, who can support her? Thus we see what use to make of the foundation of St Paul: he fetcheth it from God's commanding light out of darkness.
It is a very sweet use to search the former works of God, to look back and consider what God hath done in former times. You may see in Isa. 27:3, and Ps. 74:16, 'The day is thine, the night is thine.' Thou hast made distinctions between day and night: thou canst deliver thy church. It is a singular grace to make use of common things, even of the works of creation; for herein a child of God differs from another.
Another takes God's common mercies, and sees the works of God, and goeth on brutishly. A fool considers not these things. Oh, but the intelligent Christian considers the great work of creation, of his commanding of all things out of nothing, and he can make no common use of things. And that is the excellency of a Christian; to support his faith, he can make use of sacraments, and word, and creation. Therefore, let us know we be God's children, by gaining glory to God by our gracious spirits, by shewing our skill by the Spirit, to let nothing pass without observing, which may support our faith and encourage our souls, as the apostle fetcheth comfort from
the work of creation. Let us make use of this so great a God, who can do great things, and you can do great things with him. If a company would join in an army of prayers, it were worth all the armies in the world; it would set the great God on work. He that can raise light out of darkness, what cannot he do to his poor church, if they had a spirit of prayer to set him on work! Let us pray for the things we have promises for with much confidence: for the conversion of the Jews, and confusion of the 'man of sin.' We have the word for it. God goeth before it. The enemies begin to fall before the church. Follow God wheresoever he goeth. There is something for faith to lay hold upon, and encouragement, that he is mighty; and whatsoever he can do, he will do for the good of the church; and you see how he can do it. He doth but command, and it is done. God with his beck commands all.
He can hiss for an enemy from the farthest part of the world, and have them come presently, Isa. 5:26. His finger will do great matters: what will his arm do then? When our blessed Saviour was in the days of his flesh, and said, 'Avoid, Satan,'* he must be gone presently. He commanded away the devil at a word; he rebuked fevers, sicknesses, waves, tempests: he spake but the word, and all was quiet and still; the devil and all, at his command. And is not he as strong in heaven as on earth? It is but a word, out of doubt, to deliver his church, and restore lightsome times again.
'What aileth thee, O thou Jordan, that thou gatherest thyself on heaps? The sea fell back at thy rebuke, O Lord,' Ps. 114:5. He hath all things at command. A whale is commanded to receive Jonah, 1:17; a fish was at his command to bring tribute, Mat. 17:27; and all things in heaven and earth. Oh what a God we serve, who as he can bring out of darkness, so he can do it by his word.
Use 4. Therefore, labour from hence for perfect resignation of our souls, and bodies, and conditions, into the hands of this God that can
do all with his word, as those three men did in Dan. 8:16, 'God can deliver us if he will,' but we will resign ourselves into his hands. What lost they by that? And the poor man in the gospel: 'Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean,' Mat. 8:2. Presently, 'I will, be thou clean.'
If we can, in any disconsolate condition, say, If thou wilt, Lord, thou canst, we shall, in God's blessed time, have an answer, I will; therefore thou shalt be in a better condition. Leave it to him that knoweth better what is for the good of us, than ourselves do.
And therefore, I beseech you, make this use of it. Give up yourselves to God, and serve him exactly and perfectly. Will you have a rule and a ground to serve God exactly at every beck and command?
Remember you have such a God as commands light out of darkness, and shall not we serve him? Shall we be slack in obedience to him that can create comforts when we want? that can bring us out of any condition, or at least, can make any condition comfortable? He can enter into dungeons, prisons, and make prisons paradises; he can by his Spirit do immediately what the creature doth; for what command is in the creature but it is in him? And he can speak that comfort to the soul that the creature can;* and therefore, shall we not walk perfectly with him that is an independent worker, that can work above means, against means, that can do all he hath done, and more than he hath done, can do all that he will do, and will do more than we can conceive he can? And shall not we resign ourselves to him, and walk perfectly with him? shall we displease him, to please men? shall we leave his subjects and children, for this and that fear? Let our condition be never so uncomfortable, he can make it comfortable, and he can make the greatest and most glorious condition in the world a hell; and therefore, let us make use of these in all the extremities of the church.