which, Mofes, by Gods fpirit, is taught to speak after the manner of men, in our phrafe and dialect, that it might be to our capacity; for he cannot speak to us as to spirituall, but as to carnall men, for our fleshly understanding, I Cor. 3. 1. It is faid, that God fpake familiarly to Mofes, Exod. 33.11. that is plainly, both touching the matter, and allo for the phrafe and manner of his fpeech: My meaning is, that Mofes fc emeth to tell us, that God did, as men ule to doc; which, when they have done any worke, they will after return to it and take a view thereof, and look on it, that if any thing be amifs, he may mend it, and to the end he may allow and approve of it, if it be well and according to his minde. So God,after the fame manner, is faid to doe here: having made the light, he confidered of it; and feeing it according to his minde and liking, he expreffeth his love, liking, and allowing of it. Wherefore it is as much to fay, as pla cuit Deo for as his word fiat lux expreffed his Counfell and fecret purpose, which it pleased and liked him to determine to bring to país; fo now this approbation expreffeth his good pleasure, that it fhould continue and abide to ou: good ufe and benefit: So that God is not like the potter, which fometime having made a pot, doth not like it, but breaketh it again; but God will have his work continue, and therefore doth authorise it to be good, Gen. 1.4. We let our eyes upon things that are good and beautifull; fo when God is faid to like any thing, it is faid that he looked and beheld it, yea, and that he smelleth alfo to it, as a pleasant thing, Gen. 8.21. The ufe, fruit, and profit of this Doctrine is of two forts. The first is in refpe&t of our minds and affections. The fecond in refpe&t of our actions and practise. For our judgement,it teacheth us to know that Dess vidit, that is, we are the work of his hands, and he doth behold and confider us and our doings, whether they be good Gen. 16. 14. God is there called Deus vivens & videns, and Feb. 7. 18. nos indies vifitat, that is, he doth fee us often every morning, he doth visit us, for that is a frequentative of seeing; fo that he by his providence and care doth behold and visit us and our doings continually, not only when it is morning, and in the light, but alfo in fecret and in the dark and hidden places, Pfal. 139. 12. for the darkness is no darkness to him, the night and day light to him are both alike, yea, the 16. verf of that Pfalm, God faw David when he was fecretly in his mothers wombe; if we could dig down into hell he feeth us there, Amos 9. 2. if we fly to the uttermost parts and corners of the earth, there he is and feeth us, Pfal. 139. 8. 9. 10. five lucerna ardet,videt te; five extincta eft,videt te, faith one; there is nothing fo hid but that he knoweth it, and he will reward it openly, be it good, Matth. 6. 4. 6. 18, or bad, 2 Sam. 12. 12. Then this that God watcheth and feeth hath relation to these two ends; He looketh on it, that if it be good it may please and delight him, and fo he may be moved therewith to fave and preferve and commend us and our actions; but if he feeth it evill, it is his intent to condemn, diflike,and destroy it and us. Thus we fee Gods view is profitable for our thoughts and judgment to know his approbation or reproba tion. The fecond fort, is for our practise : for God is faid in the Scriptures, to doe many things, that we may doe like and resemble our Father: If God look on his, and our works, much more it is our duty and behoveth us to doe the like: If he be grieved, and forrowfull, and repent, when he feeth our works evill; how much more doth it concern us to doe the like? Examen in mente eft quod vifus in oculo. Therefore we must confider often of our doings, to fee whether they be good or bad, which thing is contrary and against a humor of ours; for when we have done any thing, we never confider whether it be good or bad, we have no regard of it afterwards. Therefore, the Prophets oftentimes beat upon this exhortation, Vadite in cor veftrum. Confider your own doing in your hearts, Efay 46.8. Preach. 2. 12. The wife man, often faith, that he returned to confider the fruit and labor of his hands, to fee the vanity or good of them: And if we thus confider our waies and works, whether they be good or evill, and repent, or rejoyce, approve or difprove them, then we doe, like Children, imitate our Father: If God return to behold his light, how much more should we return to see and confider of our works of darkneffe, and to acknowledge with repentance, how evill they are; It is our cuftome and fashion, if we doe any thing for our inferiors (as God doth here) not to regard it; wherefore feeing he doth carefully confider and regard the things he maketh for us, being fo bafe as worms, how much more doth it concern us,doing things for him that is our Creator,to doe the like? For if we doe any thing for a Prince or a Noble man, what great care and pains, and confideration doc we take in doing and viewing, that it may be well? wherefore much more muft we doe in our works, for him who is King of Kings. Laft of all, touching the ufe: If God were fo carefull to look to this work, which could bring no gain or profit to him at all, then how much more doth it concern us, to look to our works, which we doe to him, feeing to them is great reward promised Pfal. 19. 14. he did his gratis, without any hope of reward, but we have promife and hope of reward for our well doing; and therefore it behoveth us to behold and fee that our works be good; which we shall the rather doe, if we confider the feldomneffe of our attempting any good, and the fillyneffe of our well doings, when they are at the best; for God every day doth many good things perfectly for us, but we scarce doe any good once in a week, yea, not one good thing, though never fo unperfect, to a thousand finnes, which therefore must humble us, and make us look to our works. Now we are to confider the goodneffe of this creature Light. Luz erat bona. Touching which, this is the generall regard and rule of Divinity. Nemo bonus eft nifi Deus, Mark 10. 18. therefore if any man, or any thing created, be good,or have any goodneffe ascribed to it, we must C3 know know that it was derived from God, which is the fountain of all goodneffe, Pfal. 104. 2. for goodneffe is his garment, and we are naked and deftitute of it, untill he doth caft the lap of his own garment over us. Light is good, because God made it, and partaketh the quality from God. For it is impious to think that any thing in the World should be evill, defective or imperfect, (and therefore not commendable) and the cause and fault of it not to be in the matter of which it was made, but of the efficient which made it; But if any thing be good, perfect and commendable, the cause of it is the goodneffe of the maker, not of the matter for the matter of all things is nothing, or a thing rude and unperfect, and therefore of it can proceed nothing of worth. In mens works, if the matter whereof we make things, were as permanent and durable as the form, which the work-man fetteth to it, our works would be long and very lasting; for we fee, that if the matter of a houfe or garment would contintie, and were perfe&, the form and fashion of it would continue, and not decay; but because the matter is ruinous and subject, the one to be rotten, and the other to be thread-bare. Therefore our works cannot last, so all the defects and imperfections, both of Body and Soul, doc come from the defects of the matter, of which we were made, not of the form in which God made us : from thence therefore had Adam and his pofterity, an ability and poffibility, to be subject to return to emptineffe, to darkneffe, and to deformity, to be without goodneffe and full of evill, because he was made of the rude matter, which was fo: But if any good thing remain in us, it is because of the relicks of that form in which God made us. Thus much of goodneffe in generall: now for a more particular confideration of the goodneffe of light: We fee that God firft praiseth that, which indeed caufeth all other things to be praised, and therefore it must needs be good and moft commendable. Secondly, God is the teftis and witneffe, which affirmeth it to be fo: Who dare deny it? Thirdly, yea who can deny it, for our own eyes being judg and witneffe, we muft needs alfo, with God fay, it is good, for it hath afpeEtabilem in fe bonitatem ; yea it is a means by which we fee how good God is, Pfal. 34. 8. Behold and fee how good God is. Goodneffe hath two refpects, the one is in regard of it felf, the fecond in refpect of others; when it is good to other things, and in afmuch as it doth good, and delighteth others befides it felf, by communication of his quality to others; And hereunto arifeth the threefold diftinction of bonum, which all Philofophers gaze at, and speak of so much. The firft, is, bonum honeftum. Second, bonum jucundum. Third, bonum utile, all which doe much differ. Pfal. 133.1. unity and amity of brethren, is bonum atque jucandum. Titus 3.8. many things may be bonum, utile & jucundum, but this light is good in all refpects, Efay 47.3. verfe. For the firft, That is good, which is defired in, and for it felf, as Eve therefore defired the Apple, Gen. 3.6. but we defire to see the light only for it felf, propter videre lumen and therefore having no pleasant object at all: Yet we ftill love to have our eyes open, because it is good to fee and behold the light of the Sunne. Alfo all good things and vertues are in a league of great affinity, friendship, and amity with the light, which argueth that it is fomewhat like it in goodness, Ezek. 13. 9. 17. 22. veritas non quærit angu» los, for truth feareth and hateth nothing more then to be kept and imprisoned in darkness; and all evill things cannot abide the light, but hate it as deadly, because light is contrarie to their evill nature; but honeft and good things delight in the light. Secondly, It is delightfull for others to behold, as the apple, Gen. 3. 6. afwell as Bonum in fe; for we count it a miferable thing to cate our meat in darkness though our meat be good, Preach. 11. 7. and 5.6. It is a pleasant thing to fee the Sunne, Preach. 11. 7. Blindness is an uncomfortable thing, as Tobie confeffeth, yea fuch things as have not fufficient light, are lefs comfortable and delightfull, for the house which hath little ftore of light, we finde fault withall as melancholy and uncomfortable : Therefore it hath a nature to be comely also and amiable or beautifull,Pfal.147.1.Lux habet venustatem, it is fightly for the pleasure of the eye, and therefore is called mater pulchritudinis, the colours that have moft brightness and light in them, are best liked, and fo are the filks which have the greateft and faireft glofs. But without light there is no beauty, the eye is without pleasure or delight in any object; for in the dark a ruffet coat and a scarlet robe is all one; no difference between a ruinous Dun geon and a princely Pallace: Therefore in this degree of good,light is very good. A Thirdly, touching the profit of it, Which stile alfo caused the defire of the Apple, Gen.6.3. light is very profitable and commodious, both in matters of expediencie, and alfo in things of neceffity, for all our knowledge cometh of light, and is compared to light, Ephef. 5.8.9. In Fob. 37.22. it is compared to gold, both propter venuftatum, utilitatem, & neceßitatum; and if you will know through. ly the price, value, and estimation of it, then fee the value and cstimate of the eye; for one would rather lofe all his gold and treasure for a ranfome, than depart from one eye, for that did grieve Ifrael moft, 1 Sam. 11. 2. and why fhould one make any reckoning of his eyes, if it were not for the light? for without it, our eye and our nofe can fee both alike: yea, we have no ufe, but trouble of it, without light; we may know and confider the price of light by this, that in the night, which is a naturall abfence of light, rather than we will fit in the dark and want the benefit of light, we will redeem and buy it with money, and fome know what coft fome are at in buying of light. Out of this confideration arifeth matter of meditation, both for our profit and amendment of life. And firft it fheweth the condemnation and rebuke of three faults, in three forts of men: For we say that the action which croffeth Gods action, is very ill; but the judgment and opinion which crofleth, contradið, and denieth Gods judg ment ment and approbation of a thing, is farre worse. God, when he faw the light, faid it is good: How dare any perfon be fo ill, as when he feeth the light, to lay it is evill? Yet there are three forts of men which doe thus. It is a ufuall thing, in the fale of fuch Wares and Merchandise which are adulterate, evill, and corrupt, men will fay this light is evill, it is not good for us whatfoever God faith; and therefore they doe frame and make false and deceiveable lights. But feeing the light, the brighter it is, the be ter it is, they which will fell good and lawfull Merchandise,muft not make to themselves dimme and deceiveable lights; for seeing this vifible light is good, we must not call light darkness, nor good evill, Efay 5. 16. Secondly, In regard of the light of grace we fee, as Fob faith that there are fome which are Lucifuga, which fly and hate the light, fuch Creatures are unclean, Levit. 11. 19. 30. as Batts and Owles among birds, Moules and Rats among Beasts, they are odious to all men, fo among places, Dungeons and darkfome Roomes are odious allo. And as this is fo, in things natural; fo, in things fpiritual, lucifuga actiones, are of the like evill nature and odious to God and good men, because both such men,and their doings,have an oppofition to light, and the author of light. They come from darkness of the minde, that is, ignorance and unbelief,and they are begotten by the Prince of darkness the Divell, Ephef. 6. 12. and in the end they goe to utter darkness, and therefore they are called the works of darkness, Rom. 13.12. And so no marveil though they love darkness and hate light, if any cannot abide the light of Gods word to be reproved by it, as Heretiques and Hypocrites, fuch dig deep pits to hide their Counsells, Efay 29, 15. because they see the light is to them evill, and as the shadow of death, Feb. 24. 17. The emprinefs of good things, and the bottomlefneffe of ill things, and the deformity of both, proceedeth and commeth from darkneffe, and was inclosed in it, as we have feen in it: And fo fpiritually is all' found in the ignorance of the truth, Ephef. 4. 18, 19. either the blindness of mens mindes, which is natural, or elfe that which is wilfull, when men doe wittingly winke and will not fee the light. Wherefore we see God made light firft, before any other good: And fo our felves muft receive fpiritual light of knowledge before he will give us any better grace. The third fort of men are catchers and fault finders with Gods Creatures; fuch which think to know how Gods works, which now are good, might have been farre better, as if God might have done well to have craved their counfell and help, but Gods works both in particular and general, are fo good and perfect, that they could not be mended. Wherefore, if the light feem ill for us, we muft confeffe and acknowledge, that the fault is not in Gods work, but in the illneffe and infirmity of our eyes and understanding : If the Word feem evil to us, know that it seemeth so to us,because we and our works are evil, and therefore cannot abide the light, Fohn 3. 20. Wherefore |
