Reason 8. And God created it first, that it might discover itself and all other things. It was j^rimum visihile, that made all others seen. What had the beauty of the creatures been if light had not been created ? They had all been covered in darkness. What end had there been of the eye and colours ? Indeed, there is no quality that so much resembles God and divine things as light. The Scripture is exceedingly delighted in the using of this term light : ' God is the light of the world,' John i. 4, seq. ' Christ is the light of the world, that lighteth every one that cometh into the world,' John i. 9. The Holy Ghost is light, the angels light, the saints are the children of light. So that God taketh from hence those terms by which he sets out the dignity and excellency of himself, his children, and servants ; and shews you the reasons of that hght ' that enlightens every one that cometh into the world.' * That is, 'separately.' — G.
316 COMMENTARY ON
Light sheweth and discovereth all the excellency of things, and dis- tinguishcth one thing from anothci*, and therefore Amhrose calleth it lux piima (jralia mundi (/'), the first grace of the world, and that ornament of the creature which sets out all other ornaments, that distinguisheth one from another.
Ueasoii 4. Again, it is that qnaUt)/ that doth quicken and enliven, and there- fore the thinr/s that do quicken and enliven are lif/htsome ; a lively quality that puts life and cheerfulness into things. Light is sweet, Eccles. xi. 7. And it hath a quality likewise that it is not alone, for it is rehicuhnn, a con- veyer of all influence from heaven. The virtue of conveying life into things on the earth is the light. Heat is hut a connection. Heat cometh with light ; and heat together with light, fosters and cherisheth all things in the world ; as in nature, if there were not fire and heat, what could be good in nature ? and if not heat and light, what would become of the world ? All progres- sions and motions come from hence ; and when light discovers good or ill, danger or commodity, this or that, thereupon the creatur(f moves or removes from things hurtful, by benefit of the light. To be in darkness is a most hideous and irksome condition. Darkness breeds nothing but fear and terror, which weakeneth the spirit, and doth whatsoever is contrary to light. Lux gloria creationis, tenebrcr. sunt opprohria.
I might be very large in setting out the excellency of it, and all to good purpose, that we might see the excellency of the benefit thereof.
O beloved, what were our lives without it ! We forget common benefits. How dark, disconsolate, fearful, terrible, and uncomfortable were our lives if they were without this quickening and solacing quality of light ! and there- fore we ought to take notice even of the rise of St Paul. I do but give a taste, ' For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.'
We see then that God by his authority commanded light to shine out of darkness. But what God ? God the Father or God the Son ? I answer, Elohim, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. All things were first from the Father, but the Son was Afr/og, and it was the Word that gave this com- mand, Heb. i. 3. But the w411 of God is his word. The will of Christ is Xo'705 ; for God created all things by the Son, who is the Wisdom of the Father. Therefore this word, ' Let there be light,' came from that Word, that A(jyoc, which is the cause of all things, as John i. 3, ' By him were all things made that were made.' And the Spirit was an immediate cause ; for the Spirit of God lay upon the waters. It lay upon the chaos. By it all things were made. It brooded as a hen upon the chickens, and as an eagle fluttereth upon her young ones.* The Holy Ghost did cherish and foster the primitive matter, on which all things were made. But they all agree in one.
You have the story in the first of Genesis. Elohim did it. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I would willingly come to some observation that may make it useful to us. Before I come to the main thing, this is worth our observing.
Ohs. 1. That God commanded light out of darkness, to shew that God is the Almighty God, gracious, ivise. We see that all things came from an almighty power. So the use of everything, the connection and subordina-
* The allusion is to Gen. i. 2 ; and all wishing to see Sibbes's paraphrase carried out with much quaint and not uuuseful fancy, will consult Trapp and Hughes in loc.—G.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. IV, VEK. 6. 317
tion of one thing to another, it sheweth that all things came from a wise and gracious beginning. For we see that in the earth there are many beautiful things. The heavens, how glorious are they ! and in the world how many excellent beauties ! What were these if there were no light ? and what were light if there were not an eye ? Now, where there is a reference of one thing to another, and a connection of things, and a use of one thing to serve another, it sheweth that he was a God, and a wise God, that made all. This principle cannot be too much stood upon, because the weight of Christianity lieth upon it. The order, and use, and goodness of things, and connection of things, shew there is a good and a wise God. Take that for granted.