`Chap. 3 6. an Expoftion open the Book of Jo . Vert'. 3 a. by a divine order and commiffaon. As God can forbid the Light by interpofing Clouds, fo he can forbid the Clouds to give us (bowers, andbind up all the fweet influences of heaven from de- upon the earth to make it fruitful. He can fpeak to our garments that they warm us not,to our food that it nourifh us not, to our phyfickthat it cure and heal us not,to all .our relations that they comfort us not, to all our poffeflìons and riches that they content us not. O let us remember that we depend upon God for Rain, for Light, for Sun -(line, for all it is at his word that they all put themfelves forth to do us good, and at his word they are all f}aid and flopt in their motion, from doing or bringing us anygood. Let us remember allo God can command another light not to fhine,; he can by a word flop the progrefs of the Word, and flay that bleffed and mòíí beautiful light, the light of the Gofpel, . from fhining to us, by forne Cloud or other coming between. To how many nations of people,whete that light fometimes (hin- ed, bath God long fence fent a command, and it Idlineth not ! It shined brightly in former Ages upon the 4frican Churches,but now, for a long time, God hath faid to the light of the Gofpel, thine not upon them ; there's fcarce any light at all, at midi but a glimmeringof Gofpel-Light in all that vali continent, a quarter- part of the world. What mighty Dominions arenow potfeft by the followers of Mahomet, both in Europe and Alin, where the light of the Gofpel did once fkine very b:ighily and glorioufy I How famous were thole feven Afan Churches, men ioned and writ toby the command of Chriii, and the miniíiry of his fervant and Secretary Sohn ( Rev, r. z, 3.) yet now darknefs poffef- feth all thole places, and the Alcoran hath thrufi out th; Gofpel and whence is all this ? Surely God commanded, and that light fhined not, nor bath it (pined with any brighrnefs for many hun- dred years. Jefus Chrili, who threatened Ephefits with the re- moval of her Candleflick, hath removed all thole Candlefticks, and put out their lights. The fame flop can God give to the Gòí4 pel-light which bath íhined amongus (bleffed be his Name) for many years together:Let ustake heed that we forfeit not that blei- fed light, that we pràvoke not the Lord by our abriTe cf it and unthankfulnefs for it, to fend out a command, that it fkine not a- mong us any more. We read in the Prophets how divine light 'was, 421
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