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demption by him in the gospel. He is the fun of righteousness, that arifes in the gospel upon the nations, Mal. iv. 1. he came in the flesh, then did "the day-spring from on high “visit us,” Luke i. 78. And the light may be faid to come two ways; either,

First, In the means by which it is conveyed to us; or, Secondly, in the efficacy of it upon our minds, when it actually fhines in our fouls. Light may come among a people in the means, and yet they actually remain in darkness all the while. As it is in nature; the fun may be up and a very glorious morning far advanced, whilst many thousands are drowzing upon their beds, with their curtains drawn about them. Light, in the means, we may call potential light. Light, in the mind, we may call actual light. It is but seldom that light comes in the means, and continues long among men, but fome light must needs actually thine into their fouls also; but this actual light is twofold.

1. Common, and intellectual only, to conviction; or,

2. Special, and efficacious light, bringing the foul to Christ, by real converfion, called in 1 Cor. iv. 6.——God “ shining in66 to the heart."

Wherever light comes, in this last sense, it is impossible that fuch men fhould prefer darkoefs before it: But it may come in the means, yea, it may actually thine into the confciences of men, by those means, and convince them of their fins, and yet men may hate it, and chuse darkness rather than light. And this is the fenfe of this place, light was come, in the gospel-difpenfation among them; yea, it had shined into many of their confciences, galled, and reproved them for fin; but they hated it, and had rather be without such a troublesome inmate. In a word, by the coming of light, we are here to understand a more clear, and open manifestation of Chrift by the gospel than ever was made to the world before: For we are not to think that there was no light in the world till Christ came, and the gofpel was published in the world by the apoftles miniftry. For Abraham faw Chrift's day, John viii. 56. and all the faithful, before Chrift, faw the promises (i. e.) their accomplishment in Chrift afar off, Heb. xi. 13. For it was with Chrift, the Sun of righteousness, as it is with the natural fun," which illuminates "the hemifphere before it actually rifes, or fhews its body above "the horizon;" but when it rifes and fhews itself, the light

* Sol nondum confpectus illuminat orbem« · VOL. III.

is much clearer; fo it was in this cafe. The greater, therefore, was their fin, that rebelled against it, and preferred darkness to light; this was their fin, with its fearful aggravation.

Secondly, In a molt juft proportion to this fia, we have here the aggravated condemnation of them who finned against fuch clear gofpel-light: "This is the condemnation," this is the judgment of all judgments, the greateft, and most intolerable judgment; a feverer fentence of condemnation than ever did pafs against any others that finned in the times of ignorance and darkness; they live and die impenitent, and unregenerate, how few foever the means of falvation have been which they have enjoyed, must be condemned; yea, the Pagan world, who have no more but natural light to help them, will be condemned by that light; but "this is the condemnation,” (i. e.) such sinning as this is the cause of the greatest condemnation, and foreft punishment, as it is called, Hcb. x. 19.

Thirdly, The caufe and occafion, drawing men into this fin, and mifery, "because their deeds are evil," (i. e.) the convin cing light of truth put a great deal of vigour, and activity into their confciences which they could not endure. The accufati ons, and condemnations of confcience are very irkfome, and troublesome things to men: To avoid this, they are willing to be ignorant. An enlightened confcience gives an interruption also unto men, in their finful courfes and pleafures; they cannot fin at so easy a rate in the light, as they did in darkness; and this made them hate the light, as a very troublesome thing to them. Thus you fee what was the fin, what the punishment, and what the cause of both.

Hence the obfervation is,

Doct. That the greater, and clearer the light is, under which the impenitent, and unregenerate, do live in this world; by fo much greater, and heavier, will their condemnation and mifery be in the world to come.

Mat. xi. 21, 22. "Wo unto thee Chorazin, wo unto thee "Bethfaida; for if the mighty works which were done in you; "had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented "long ago in fackcloth and afhes: But I fay unto you, it shall "be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, "than for you." Two things require explication, in the doctrinal part of this point, viz.

1. How light puts a deeper guilt, and aggravation, inte fin. 2. Why fin, fo aggravated, makes men liable to greater condemnation.

First, We will inquire into the grounds, and reasons, why

greater, and clearer light, greatens and aggravates, proportion-ably, the fins that are committed under it; and it will appear, that it doth fo, upon divers accounts.

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Firft, All light (efpecially evangelical light) is a great prefervative from fin, and an excellent means to prevent it: It is the property of light to inform the judgment, and rectify the miftakes and errors of it: and thereby to give check to the affections, in the pursuit of finful defigns and courfes: It is a plain cafe, that many men would never do as they do, if their underftandings were better informed. 1 Cor. ii. 8. "Which none of "the princes of the world knew; for had they known it, they "would not have crucified the Lord of glory:" It was want of light, and better information which drew them under that horrid, and unparallel'd guilt. Our Saviour alfo fupposes, in the place before cited, that if Tyre and Sidon had enjoyed the fame light, and means of grace that Chorazin, and Bethfaida did, they would never have been so finful as they were: light difcovers danger, and thereby overawes, and ftops men from proceeding farther in those paths, and courses, that will run them into it.

Secondly, Sinning under, and against the light, fuppofes and involves in it a greater contempt and defpite of God's authority, than finning in ignorance and darkness doth: Every man that breaks the law of God, doth not, in the fame degree, defpife and flight the authority of the law-maker: But when a man hath light to discover the evil, and the danger of what he doth and yet will dare to do it, what is this, but the treading of God's authority under foot? The cafting of his word behind our backs? Wilful finning is a defpiteful finning against God, Heb. x. 26. it argues a low, and vile esteem of the law of God, which is reverent, and holy; and by fo much the more it mak eth fin to be exceeding finful.

Thirdly, Sinning under, and against the light, admits not of those excufes and pleas, to extenuate the offence, which fins of pure ignorance do. Those that live without the found of the golpel, may fay, Lord, we never heard of Chrift, and the great redemption wrought by him; if we had, we would never have lived, and acted as we did: and therefore Chrift faith, John xv. 22. "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not “had fin, but now they have no cloak for their fin."

The meaning is, that if the gofpel-light had not fhined among them, their fin had not been of that deep guilt that now it is: For now it is fo foul and heinous, by reafon of the light under,

SERM. XXXIII. and against which it is committed, that they have no pretence, or excufe to extenuate, or mitigate it.

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Fourthly, Evangelical light is a very rich favour and mercy of God to men; one of the choiceft gifts bestowed upon the nations of the world; and therefore it is faid, Pfal. cxlvii. 19, 20. He fheweth his word unto Jacob, and his ftatutes and his Judgments unto ifrael: He hath not dealt fo with any nati> on; and as for his judgments they have not known them.” Other nations have corn, and wine, gold, and filver, abundance of earthly delights, and pleafures: But they have not a beam of heavenly light shining upon them. We may account this mercy fmall; but God who is beft able to value the worth of it,' accounts it great. Hof. viii. 12. "I have written unto them the great things of my law." Chrift reckoned Capernaum to be exalted unto heaven by the miniftry of the gospel in that place, Now, the greater the mercy is which the light of truth brings with it, by fo much the more horrid and hainous muft the abufing and defpifing of it be.

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Fifthly, Sinning against the light, argues a love to fin, as fin; to naked fin, without any difguife or covert. It is nothing near fo bad for a man through a miftake of judgment, when he thinks that to be lawful, which is indeed finful; he doth not now ciofe with fin, as fin; but he either closes with it as his duty, or, at leaft, his liberty: 'Tis hard for Satan to perfuade many men to embrace a naked fin; and therefore he cloaths it in the habit of a duty, or liberty, and thereby deceives, and draws men to the commiffion of it. But if a man have light fhining into his confcience, and convincing him that the way, he is in, is the way of fin, quite contrary to the revealed will of God, ftripping the fin naked, before the eye of his confcience; fo that he hath no covert, or excufe, and yet will persist in it; this, I fay, argues a foul to be in love with fin, as fin. Now as for a man to love grace, as grace, is a folid argument to prove the truth of his grace; fo, on the contrary, for a man to love fin, as fin, doth not only argue him to be in the state of fin, but to be in the fore front, and amongst the highest rank of fioners.

Sixthly, The greater, and clearer the light is, under and against which men continue in fia, the more muft the confciences of fuch finners be fuppofed to be wafted, and violated by fuch way of finning: For this is a fure rule +, that the greatest violation of confcience, is the greatest fin." Confci

+ Maxima violatio confcientia eft maximum peccatum.

ence is a noble, and tender part of the foul of man; it is in the foul, as the eye in the body, very fenfible of the leaft injury; and a wound in the confcience, is like a blow in the eye But nothing gives a greater blow to confcience, nothing fo much waftes it, and deftroys it, as fins against the light do. This puts a plain force upon the confcience, and gives a dreadful stab to that noble power, God's vicegerent in the foul. And thus you fee the first thing made good, that light puts deep guilt, and aggravation into fin.

Secondly, In the next place, let us examine why fin, fo aggravated by the light, makes men liable to the greater condemnation: For that it doth fo, is beyond all debate, or question; elle the apostle Peter would not have faid of thofe finners against light, as he doth, 2 Pet. ii. 21. "that it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness." Nor would Chrift bave told the inhabitants of Chorazin, or Bethfaida, that it fhould be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judg ment, than for them. There is a twofold reafon of this.

1. Ex parte Dei, on God's part.

2. Ex parte peccatoris,on the finner's part.

Firft, Ex parte Dei, on God's part, who is the righteous Judge of the whole earth; and will therefore render unto every man according as his work fhall be: For fhall not the Judge of the whole earth do right? He will judge the world in righteoufnefs, and righteousness requires that difference be made in the punishment of finners, according to the different degrees of their fins. Now that there are different degrees of fin, is abundantly clear, from what we have lately difcourfed, under the former head; where we have fhewed, that the light under which men fin, puts extraordinary aggravations upon their fins, anfwerable whereunto, will the degrees of punishment be awarded, by the righteous Judge of heaven and earth. The Gentiles, who had no other light but that dim light of nature, will be condem. ued, for difobeying the law of God written upon their hearts; but yet, the greater wrath is referved for them who fin, both againft the light of nature, and the light of the gofpel alio: And therefore it is faid, Rom. ii. 9. "Tribulation and anguish upon every foul of man that doth evil; of the Jew first, and alfo of "the Gentile." Impenitent Jews and Gentiles, will all be condemned, at the bar of God; but with this différence, to the Jew first, (i. e.) principally, and especially, because the light, and mercies which he abufed, and violated, were får greater than thofe bestowed upon the Gentiles," becaufe unto them. were committed the oracles of God:" And God had not

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