2. The grace received by it. Now the children of light are those who are enlightened by the Holy Spirit, have a new nature, and a sense of the other world. Luke xvi, 8, the 'lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely ; for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.' Surely they should watch and be sober, and plainly distinguish themselves from the carnal world.
[1.] To show their thankfulness for the grace received : Luke i. 74, 75, ' That he would grant unto us that we, being delivered out of the bands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.'
[2.] That they may not obstruct the new natiu'e put into them, and liinder its operations, and so grieve the Spirit of God, who would work in them all righteonsncss, godliness, and holiness : ver. 9, ' For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth.'
[3.] That they may obey the light, and comply with the sense of their duty written on their hearts ; otherwise they offer violence, not
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only to their duty, but to their nature ; not only to their rule without, but their conscience within, or the law written upon their hearts: Heb. viii. 10, ' I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.'
[4.] They have tasted of all waters, the bitterness of sin and the sweetness of grace, the terrors of the Lord, and the sweetness of the mercy of God and the grace of Christ ; atid shall they give way to sin and folly ?
[5.] They are posting to a better estate, and preparing for it : Col. i. 12, 'Who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.' Therefore for them to walk in works of dark- ness is more blameworthy, as if the way to hell would bring them to lieaven.
Use. Eemember it often to your humiliation, lest God permit you to remember it to your confusion. Tliose whose sins are pardoned may to their sense have their guilt raked out of its grave. It is pos- sible the wounds of an healed conscience may bleed afresh, when wo walk not humbly and cautiously. Though God doth not recant his sentence of pardon, yet the sin may occur to us, and ghosts haunt us of those who were long since buried.
SERMON IX.
For tlie fruit of the Spirit is in all r/oodness, and righteousness, and truth. — Eph. v. 9.
These words do show both how and why we must walk as children of the light ; and so are both an explication and confirmation of the former exhortation. An explication, wdiat it is to walk, or how we must walk,
* in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.' A confirmation, or new reason, as tlie causal particle, 'for,' showeth. The apostle had argued from tlieir profession of being christians. Now from the grace by which they were made christians ; they were regenerated by the Holy Ghost. To be light in the Lord and to be renewed by the Spirit is all one thing ; and if you be enlightened and regenerated, the fruit of this must be
* All goodness, and righteousness, and truth.'
In the words we have —
1. The author, the Holy Spirit.
2. The fruits of his sanctifying operations enumerated, ' All good- ness, and righteousness, and truth.' This is the conversation that may be called ' Walking as children of the light.'
The three words may be taken in a more general sense, or in a more limited and restrained sense. In a general sense: Rom. xv. 14, ' And I myself also am ])ersuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness.' So goodness is taken for all saving graces ; and righteous- ness for a preparedness to discharge our duty to God and man. As Zacharias and Elizabeth were both righteous, ' Walking in all the com-
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258 SEllMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. [SeR. IX,
mandments and ordinances of tlie Ivord, blameless,' Luke i. 6. And truth for sincerity, called elsewhere ' The girdle of truth,' Eph. vi. 14. Or in a more limited sense, so goodness is that grace wherel)y we are inclined to do good to otliers to the uttermost of our power : Gal. vi. 10^ ' Let us do good to all men, especially to them that are of the household of faith.' This goodness is reckoned among the fruits of the Spirit : Gal. V. 22, ' Gentleness, goodness, faith.' Righteousness implieth justice in our dealing, which giveth every one his due: 1 Tim. vi. 11, 'Follow after righteousness.' Truth signifieth fidelity in our speech and actions, when we live free from lying and dissimulation. Now which sense shall we prefer, the general or more limited ? It mattereth not much which of them we prefer, for they are not contrary, but subordinate. But that you may conceive aright of the words, let me give you these expository observations —
1. The apostle, for example's sake, mentioneth some parts of the holy life, not to exclude, but imply the rest ; for there is a secret ' and such like ' understood. When he saith, ' This is the fruit of the Spirit,' you must not think it is all When we bring a sample of a commodity, we bring a little to show the quality of the rest, not as if that were all we had to sell ; so these graces are mentioned, but not to exclude the rest.