6o8 The Ground of badMens Vol. IL SERMONCXCII. The Ground of bad Mens Enmity to the Truths St. JOHN IIi. 2o: For every one that doth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, left his deeds fbould be reproved. AMong all the advantages which God hath afforded mankind, to conduft them to eternal happinefs, the light of the Chriftian Religion is incomparably the greateft; which makes it the greater wonder, that at its firft appearing in the world, it fhould meet with fuch unkind entertainment, and fo tierce and violent an oppofrtion. Of all the blefíìngs of nature, light is the moft welcome and pleafant ; and furely to the mind of man, rightly difpofed, truth is as agreeable and delightful, as it is to the eye to behold the Sun ; and yet we find, that when the molt glorious light that ever the world faw vifited mankind, and Truth it felf was incarnate, and carne down from Heaven to dwell amongft us, it was fo far from being welcomed by the world, that it was treated with all imaginable rudenefs, and was oppofed by the Jews, with as much fiercenefs and rage, as if an Enemy had invaded their Country, with a defign to take away Their place andna- tion. No fooner did the Son ofGod appear, and begin to fend forth his light and truth among them by the publick preaching of his Doftrine, but the Teachers and Rulers among the Jews rofe up againft him as a common Enemy, and were never quiet till they had taken him out of the way, and by this means, as they thought, quite extinguilh'd that light. Now what can we imagine fhould be the reafon of all this, that a perfon who gave fuch clear Evidence that he came from God, that a Doftrine which car- ries fuch clear Evidence of its divine Original; fhould be rejefted with fo much indignation and fcorn? that light and truth, which are fo agreeable to mankind, and fo univerfally welcome, fhould be fo difdainfully repuls'd? What account can be given of it, but that which our Saviour here gives in the Text? Light was come into the world, but men loved darknefs rather than light; becaufe their deeds were evil. For every one that doth evil, hateth theflight, neither cometh to the light, left his deeds Jhould be reproved, (or difcovered; for fo the word likewife lignifies, and may very fitly be fo rendred in this place) but (as it follows) he that doth the truth, cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifefl, that they are wrought in God; that is, that they are of a divine Stamp and Original. In which words our Saviour reprefents to us, the different difpofrtion and carriage of good and bad men, as to the receiving or rejectingof Truth, when it is offer'd to them: They that are wicked and worldly are enemies to Truth, becaufe they have de- figns contrary to it, Every one that dotb evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, le/I his deeds fhould be reproved. And on the contrary a good man, he that doth the truth, and fincerelypraftifes what he knows, cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifefl. I fhall not need to handle thefe diftinedy, becaufe in fpeaking to one, the con- trarywill fufficiently appear. That therefore which I (hall fpeak to at this time, (hail be the former of thefe, viz. The enmity of bad men, and of thofe who car- ry on ill defigns to the Truth, together with the caufes and reafons of it, Eve- ry one that Both evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light , lerî his deeds fhouldbe difcovered. Here our Saviour's Doftrine (as I have fhewn in the three laft Difcourfes) is reprefented to us by the Metaphor of Light, becaufe it was fo clear a revelation of the Will of God, andour duty; and carried in it fo much evidence of its Divinity; it being the chief property of light to difcover it felf, 4 and
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