VeR. 8.] SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. 249
[2.] There is downri'ojht and apparent wandering from God. The Greek scholiast isaith Panl calleth darkness rov iv irXavr) ^lov, a life spent in error ; for by their ignorance men run into all profaneness, and become very slaves of sin. To walk in darkness is often put in scripture for living in a course of sin : Prov. iv. 19, ' The way of the wicked is as darkness.' He compares the course of the godly to a growing light, ' that shines more and more unto the perfect day,' ver. 18 ; and the course of the wicked to a growing darkness, till it comes to the dead of the night.
[3.] Eternal misery is the issue and close of it, called * outer dark- ness,' Mat. XXV. 30 ; and 2 Peter ii. 17, ' To whom the mist of dark- ness is reserved for ever ; ' because the sunshine of God's presence never cometh there ; they are for ever separated from the face of God, and presence and communion with him. Well, then, you see one darkness maketh way for anotlier — the darkness of ignorance for the darkness of sin, and both for everlasting darkness.
2. The renewed estate is an estate of light. Light is a quality pure and unmixed, and implieth both knowledge, holiness, and happi- ness. Knowledge, as it discovereth all things ; holiness, as it is pure, and can shine on the filthiest dunghill without any stain ; felicity, a» it is the smile of heaven upon the earth. Light is pleasant. Surely this ought to be' the more prized by us, because originally man's life is light : John i. 4, ' And the life was the light of men.' Man had a reasonable soul, but it is in a great measure eclipsed by sin. Now, to restore us, Christ's doctrine, which bringeth life, is also light, and the new man begins in light : Col. iii. 10, * And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created liim.' When once we receive the saving knowledge of saving truth, then all other things follow which belong to the spiritual life; such truth for the object, such manner of apprehension for the kind as may be saving. This introduceth and leadeth on other things. Because I shall have occasion to speak of it afterwards, I shall say the less now ; only show you how great a l)lessing divine illumination is. Common knowledge of divine things is an excellent gift, though it be cold and weak, and doth not warm the heart with love to the tiling known ; but the grace of illumination is much more excellent to further the glory of God. The bare gift is used to the interest of the flesh, for fame and esteem in the world: 1 Cor. viii. 1, 'We know that we all have knowledge : knowledge pufifeth up, but charity edifieth.* The gift, if it be single and alone, puffeth us up with a lofty conceit and vain ostentation of ourselves and a disdain of others ; but the grace keepeth us humble, for the more we know affectively, the more we see our defects, not in knowledge only, but in holiness. And the grace is wrought in us by the special and sanctifying influence of the Holy Ghost, and is not only knowledge, but wisdom, and maketh us serious, operative, and full of good fruits : James iii. 17, ' But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated; full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and with- out hypocrisy ; ' begetting earnest desires and endeavours after the things known : John iv. 10, ' If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is tliat saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of
250 SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. [SeR. VIII.
him.' Now when our eyes are thus opened, and turned from darkness to hght, we begin to be serious christians : Acts xxvi. 18, ' To open their eyes, and turn them from darkness to liglit, and from the power •of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them wliich are sanctified by faith that is in me ; ' and carry ourselves as those that ai'e affected with their misery and remedy. They talked before of sin as a thing of course, and were wont to marvel why men kept such a deal of do about it ; but the case is altered. God hath opened their eyes, and therefore they complain of sin as the greatest bui'den, and would fain be rid of it at any rate. They also seek after Christ as the only remedy ; nothing will satisfy them but Christ : ' All things are dung and dross in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of him,' Phil. iii. 8. And they are resolved to venture all with him and for him : Mat. xiii. 45, 46, * The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant-man seeking goodly pearls ; and when he hath found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.' Certainly then a great privilege it is when God doth thus cure the blindness of our minds, and open and incline our hearts to spiritual and heavenly things ; whether you consider —