Second, The end of this light is, not to shine in our hearts to no pm'pose, but to shine in our hearts that ive 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 glorj^ 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 gi'ace 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 soid. The rise whence he fetcheh this is from the creation : ' God commanded light to shine out of darkness.' You know * That is, ' the popish spirits.' — G.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. IV, VER. 6. 815
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 dark- ness, 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 hght 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 dark- ness hath sliined 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. i. 3.
1. The thing created was light; 2. The manner how, by the ivord; 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.
Beason 1 . Now, if you ask, Why God did create light in the first place ? I answer, It icas because he might distinguish his six dags' works. If there had not been [light] to distinguish day and night, where had that distinc- tion been ?
Reason 2. And then again, God had lost the glory of his uvrks if he had not created light. Light hath a heavenly quality, the principal of all quali- ties, the most excellent part of all.