Object. 5. Another objection is from experience ; a poor Christian complaineth, as Job xix. 8, ' He hath set darkness in my path that I cannot pass.' They would fain know the mind of God in some parti- cular cases, but they cannot see it.
Ans. I answer — This darkness of ours should not be urged to the disparagement of the word. We are under many doubts, we are divided between light and interest, we puzzle and grope, and would reconcile the light of the scriptures and our interests together, but this should not disparage the word. The scriptures complain of our dark- ness, not of its own, and the saints always say, Lord, do not make a plainer law ; but open our eyes, in the 18th verso of this psalm ; this is Chrysostom's gloss upon that place. When a man walketh in the "way of his own heart, his way may be darkness, and he may stumble, and know not whither he goeth. But you that give up yourselves sincerely to the directions of his word, he will make your path clear and plain before you ; that is, when you seek nothing but God's glory, and your own eternal salvation for your end, and come with a humble meek mind to seek God's counsel, being free from the preoccupations of self-conceits, being resolved to follow God's directions whatever they, be, and use that diligence which is necessary ; you will not be long kept in the dark.
78 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. CXIII.
Use 1. — [1.] To inform us liow to answer this question, how to know whether the scriptures be the word of God. It shows itself, and evidenceth itself to Ije so ; for it is a li^ht that discovers itself, and all things else, Avithout any other testimony. When the sun is up, there needs no witness and proof that it is light. Let the least cliild bring a candle into a room, and as it discovers other things, so it discovers itself. So the word of God is that which discovers itself to us, yea, it hath a self-evidencing light.
[2.] If the word be a light, it informs us, then, there is none that are al)ove the scrii)tures. Tliere is a fond conceit that men take up, that the scri])tures are for novices and young beginners, not for strong Christians. David was no novice, yet he saith, ' Thy -word is a light.' And Daniel was no novice, yet he got understanding by the prophecy of the prophet Jeremiah, Dan. ix. 2. Timothy was no novice, who was to ' give attendance to reading, and exhortation, and doctrine,' 1 Tim. iv. 13. Aye ! but what is meant by that place, 2 Peter i. 19 ? * We have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place.' From thence many gather that as soon as Christ is revealed in us, we should not look after the scriptures, for it is said, 'until the day dawn, and the daj^-star arise in your hearts.' Some understand this place of the light of glory, and others of the light of the gospel ; you do well to take heed to the Old Testament light, till you have the New Testa- ment light, which is most agreeable to the mind of God. For my part, I pitch upon the former, and shall understand it of the dawning of eternity, or Christ's second coming, which is called in scripture a day which shall then begin and never be ended, after which there is no night, nor any other day, but a blessed eternity ; and sometimes it is called ' the day,' 2 Tim. iv. 8, and 'that day,' 1 Thes. v.4 ; and Christ is called 'the bright morning star,' Kev. xxii. IG, and 'the glorious^ shall shine like the morning stars,' Dan. xii. 3, and Eev. ii. 28. Our happiness is expressed by a day-star ; so that the meaning is, take heed unto this word until the day of eternity dawn upon you, till you come to the light of glory, till you have a greater light than that of the gospel.
Now, I rather pitch upon this interpretation, because they to whom the apostle wrote were converted Jews, and did not only own the Old Testament, but had already received the gospel light, the day-star was risen upon tlieir hearts, so that he bids them take heed to the sure word of prophec}', till the light of glory was revealed to them. I know there are some divines understand it of a more clear and plentiful knowledge of the gospel, who take prophecy to be the scriptures of the Old Testanient that they were to take heed to, till the gospel light did arise upon them ; and the times of the Old Testament were called night, Rom. xiii. 12, but now the gospel time is called day. But if it be understood thus, then some say that the law must be cast off when the gospel appeared to them, because it is said, ' until the day.' Those divines exjjlain themselves safely enough herein, for, say they, until doth not always note terminum temporis, the end of time, but contimcationem actus, the continuation of the act, until the time, and