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SERMON

PREACHED AT

The Parish Church of St. Anne, Blackfriars, London,

ON

TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 1810,

BEFORE

THE SOCIETY

FOR

MISSIONS TO AFRICA AND THE EAST,

INSTITUTED BY

MEMBERS OF THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH,

BEING THEIR

TENTH ANNIVERSARY.

BY THE

REV. CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN, D. D.

ATE VICE-PROVOST OF THE COLLEGE OF FORT-WILLIAM IN BENGAL.

ΠΑΤΕ

FIRST AMERICAN EDITION,

FROM THE SECOND ENGLISH EDITION REVISED.

SERMON III.

MATT. V, 14. Ye are the Light of the World.

"IN THE BEGINNING was the WORD, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," John i, 1. "And the Word was made FLESH, and dwelt among us; and we beheld his Glory, the glory as of the onlybegotten of the Father, full of grace and truth," John i, 14. And the Word, being "manifest in the flesh, was justified in the Spirit, seen of angels" in this humble state, "preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory,” 1 Tim. iii, 16.

This, my Brethren, is the sum of that Divine Record, which is to give light to the world.

CHRIST is the fountain of light. "I am the light of the world," saith the Eternal Word. When therefore he saith, "Ye are the light of the world," he means not that ye are that light, but are to "bear witness of that light," John i, 18. Ye are merely INSTRUMENTS of the light (like the greater and lesser lights in the firmament of heaven) to reflect and diffuse it throughout the world.

CHRIST is the Fountain of Light; that is, of spiritual light. For, as the light of REASON was conferred on the first man Adam, and is natural to all men; so the LIGHT of LIFE cometh by the Second Adam, who is "a quickening spirit, the Lord from heaven." "He

that followeth me," saith Christ, "shall have the light of LIFE;" John viii, 12.

That you may have clear conceptions on this subject, we shall, in our introduction, discuss this doctrine of our Savior concerning "the Light of LIFE," even that spiritual light by which, saith the Apostle, "the eyes of our understanding are enlightened," Eph. i, 18; for I fear that many discourses have been pronounced in this nation without any allusion to it. And, first, let us inquire who those persons were whom our Lord called "the light of the world." This appellation was not given to the Jewish nation in general, but to a few individuals, whom the great body of the Jews supposed to be in the darkness of error; but who, in reality, saw the true Light, while "the darkness comprehended it not."

As it was in the days of Christ, so it is in our time: the spiritual light is not poured upon a whole nation, or upon a whole community of men by any system of education, but it is given to individuals; even to such individuals as earnestly pray for it. "He, that followeth me," saith Christ, "shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life;" for "every one, that asketh, receiveth: he, that seeketh, findeth: and to him, that knocketh, it shall be opened," Matt. vii, 8. And this is expressly spoken in reference to the gift of the Holy Spirit. A whole nation may enjoy the external light, and may exhibit the civilizing power of Christianity, and yet be involved in spiritual darkness. And this is "the hard saying" which "the world cannot receive." "The words of scripture," say they, "are sufficient of themselves to illuminate the mind without the light from heaven." The dead letter hath light enough for them. Whereas the Apostle saith, "God hath made ús able ministers of the New Testament: not of the

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