IN IN him was Life, and the Life was the Light of Men, John i. 4. The Holy Ghoft declares to us the Glory of the Word, with refpect to living, fpiritual, and intelligent Creatures. He is not only a living Being which has light; but he is both Life and Light itself by his eternal Generation, the Principle of all created Life, and the Fountain of all the Light. Happy and bleffed Life! and even Happiness and Bleffednefs itself! Without Thee, there is nothing but Folly and Falfhood, Darkness and Sin, Death and Mifery Open and inlighten my Understanding, penetrate and inflame my Heart, fince my whole Felicity confifts in knowing and loving Thee. Fountain of Life to all that live, The Light was Life and Happiness, And Wisdom pure, with Thee beftow'd, In all thy Works they faw thy Face, While all thy Works were fill'd with God HE fame was in the Beginning with God, John i. 2. THE The eternal Word, fole Offspring of the divine Understanding, and only Son of the Father, is from all Eternity in the Bofom of Him who produced Him by an eternal Generation; neither was the Father ever without the Son. O eternal Word! infeparable from the eternal Principle; adorable Son, who never leaveft thy Father's Bofom, let me be never separated from Thee, and unite me in Thee to thy Father. The WORD, the uncreated Son, There, in thy Father's Bofom laid, E'er the blue Heav'ns were ftretch'd abroad, TE HAT was the true Light, which lighteth every Man that cometh into the World, John i. 9. Let us adore the Son of GOD as the true Light, and the fupream Original, and fubftantial Reason, which lighteth every Man that cometh into the World, fince the Soul cannot either think, or argue, or difcern Truth from Falfhood, or Good from Evil, of itself, but only by that Light which is communicated to it from this eternal Reason. How many other Ways, O true Light, doft Thou inlighten Man by being incarnate! What Darkness doft Thou not difperfe by thy Coming into the World! Vouchfafe to fhine ftill more and more in my Soul, fo as to drive out thence all the Remains of false Light and real Darkness. Grant that I may follow and prefer Thee to every other Light. True Light of the World appear, Thou uncreated Sun : Light of my Soul, I follow Thee, A glorious Day of Love, Which makes their Heav'n above. WHICH were born, not of Blood, nor of the Will of the Flesh, nor of the Will of Man, but of God, John. i. 13. The true Nobility, and that which alone ought to be esteemed and valued by a Chriftian, confifts in being a Child of GOD. This Quality comprehends every Thing; but alas! few underftand it, few preferve it, few live like Children of GOD. A Gentleman of the loweft Rank values himself upon his not degenerating from his Birth; and yet a Chriftian, by leading a carnal Life, degenerates from a Birth which is altogether fpiritual and divine. It is by the Choice of the Will of God, and by His Love, that we are made Partakers of His divine Nature, and appointed to enjoy His heavenly Inheritance. It is this Will therefore, and this Love, which we must take for the Rule of our Life, and not the Will of the Flesh nor the Will of Man. I use the Power by Thee beftow'd, Not differing from a Servant, now August 24. (237) St. Barth. or Nathanael. Nathanael anfwered and faid unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Ifrael, John i. 49. A Beginning of Grace, which, perhaps, appears very fmall and inconfiderable in the Eyes of Men, is capable of bringing us intirely unto God, when he sheds abroad his Light and Love in our Hearts. This Faith of Nathanael is much to be admired, and yet it is but a fmall Specimen, as it were, of that which the Son of God was to produce in the Hearts of fo many Jews and Gentiles. Let us fhew towards this divine Mafter, the Humility proper to Difciples; towards this only Son of God, the Refpect and Reverence of true Chriftians; and towards this King, the Obedience and Submiflion of faithful Subjects; That JESUS may fay of every one of us, as he did when he faw (Bartholomew) Nathanael coming to him, Behold, an Ifraelite indeed, in whom is no Guile. Take my Nature's Strength away, Fain I would be truly ftill, |