GOD IS INVITING US TO WALK IN HIS LIGHT.

A Sermon Delivered by SARAH LYNES GRUBB, time and place unknown.
Sermons Preached by Members of the Society of Friends. London: Hamilton, Adams, &. Co., 1832.

This is The Quaker Homiletics Online Anthology, Part 2: The 19th Century.

Since I have been here, I have felt renewedly persuaded that the mercy and love of God in Christ Jesus is extended unto us in our public capacity; it has bowed my spirit low before the Lord. How unmerited is his goodness, and how and how yet is he hovering over this people to gather and to save them, that we may be his People and that he be our God; that none of us may bow down to the lords many, or, to ally of them, to the gods many, in the world; but that we may know what it is to have God alone for our God--one God, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. How is the Most High waiting to give us this knowledge of his power and of his presence, and to enable us individually, and also in our assembly, to view our gracious and our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, and to put no confidence in the flesh. This appears to me renewedly to be the divine will concerning us. And, O, the travail of my soul, that it may not be frustrated further and further; that we may not, by loving and by going other things, and forsaking the things that Jesus Christ's, and appertain to our provoke God to anger: that we may not, by turning the back, and not the face, at his call, even cause that he in his judgment visit us with scattering and with division. For while I believe that this is a day of merciful visitation, in truth, I am persuaded, friends, that we come not nearer in spirit, are not more unto that purity which is uncreated, we shall become more polluted, and the Lord will scatter and divide among us; he will come down, as it were, in his wrath, and separate among this people, in his awful judgment, even the precious from the vile; so that he will then have but remnant of Jacob, a little few, who shall bear the testimonies of his everlasting and unchangable truth among men. But I feel that in this meeting, that earnestly desires, that indeed most fervently longs, that instead of there being but a remnant among us, who shall be acknowledged by him who sees not as man sees; that all of us who profess to be the Lord's people, may be so and indeed and truth; and in order hereunto, surely God is inviting us to walk in his light.

My friends, I have been made very sensible, by silent waiting at this time, that we are called of darkness into the marvelous light of Christ, while my mind hath been given to sympathize with many that are in darkness in no small degree. I have seen that he hath the power to lead out of that darkness; that power which is offered to every of us. Friends, we cannot be God's people, indeed and in truth, while we abide in darkness. Friends, not One individual among us can possibly be really and truly a member of the Church of Christ, while we are desiring to screen ourselves, if possible, from the discoveries of this divine light. O, vain is our profession, and the approbation of God's People, without we are willing to come away, as from Egyptian bondage, and from Egyptian darkness. Here is the hand reached that would redeem us all herefrom. Can we not see that it is our interest to accept it, O beloved my brothers and sisters, and to come away out of spiritual Egypt at the Lord's call; that so there may be the living, heartfelt experience, of what it is for all opposition to the mind of Heaven to give way, even as it was when the children of Israel were led out of Egypt, and Jacob from a people and language? The same all sufficient power is again and again offered unto those are in spiritual Egypt, that there may be a coming, a fleeing away, that so they may know even what it is for the Lord to cause the mountains to skip like rams and the little hills like lambs; that the same triumphant song may be ours, which was sung with respect to them, when the led them out of Egypt and from the land of bondage, and from a people of a strange language. How was his power and dominion declared to them; for then Judah was his sanctuary and Israel was his dominion, and the very sea saw it and fled; Jordan was driven back; the mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest; thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back; ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills like lambs? Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the mighty God of Jacob. Now, if the earthly heart will indeed yield to the power and tremble, then display of this living power will be known; and O, what contrition, and what consolation will be experienced. It will be experienced by individuals who have long been in a land of darkness and of bondage; and it will be known in our solemn assemblies, for the Lord is graciously pleased to give us the consolations of his love and of his light, when we are met together, only he requires that we should be redeemed. O house of Israel, come ye, and let us walk in the light Lord. What a people we should be, if we were found walking in the light of the Lord; our path would be seen among men very conspicuously to be that of the just, that "shineth more and more unto the perfect day:" and the Lord our God would, in the riches of his goodness, even cause that we should be like the light, of which Christ speak unto his disciples; "Ye are," said he, "the light of the world. A city set on a hill be hid:"--being thus raised above the level, and being, through that which can do it for mankind, made like a body of light, having no part dark. O, friends, what a loud call it would be to come and embrace the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. "Let your light," said Jesus Christ, "so shine before men, that they, seeing your good works, may glorify Your Father, who is in heaven." I believe that the same injunction is going forth to us; yea, the solemn command "let your light so shine before men." Now, Friends, you, some of you have been endeavouring to reconcile light and darkness, and my spirit is pressed with a sense of it. What is the language of holy writ? "Light hath no communion with darkness, nor Christ with Belial." In vain, therefore, do any of the children of men seek for peace, for true rest unto their souls, while they are endeavoring to make darkness and light agree; while there is a disposition even to content ourselves in some degree, with a conformity to nature which is not of God, and yet desire that we may be acknowledged eventually, by the light of the world, Jesus Christ. Come, O house of Israel, come ye, flee away from all darkness, from the corruptions of the world, from that that leads down unto the earth and unto darkness. Come away; the light will lead thee out of every thing of this kind, to come away to Christ, to be united unto him in the blessed covenant of his light, and of his love, and of his blood, that shall be perpetual, and shall not be forgotten. Will ye come? O, do come! O that all might come. O, house of Israel, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.--Let us mind this light, which hath enlightened every man that cometh into the world.--Let us obey it fully, and it will do great and glorious things for us all. The Lord will render us yet a holy nation unto God, a peculiar people, and a people zealous of those works which please Almighty God. It was this light of life which led our predecessors to be a people; which led them out from the love of world; which led them out under its spirit, which is enmity to God; which led them under its influence; and it is the same that it was: and it doth the same for all who receive it and embrace it. May we obey the light that enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world. It is not our interest, when it is lighted in our conscience, to place it under a bed of ease or under a bushel. O no, it is not the any of any of us, and it is, indeed, most absurd. "No man," saith our blessed Redeemer, "having lighted a candle, putteth it under a bed, or under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all in the house." May such among us who have hidden their light after this manner, as it were, bring it forth now, in the day of the Lord's mercy, and in the day of the Lord's power, bring forth your lights from under your beds of ease, and your couches of ivory; bring forth the light from under your bushel and the Lord will assuredly bless your labours, and prosper his own work in and through you; and the light being placed upon the candlestick it will enlighten all that are in the house; the great master of the house will be honored and will be magnified. O, we want those whose light shall thus appear amongst us in their different stations, in the church; in the house we want those who shall give light all around; we have some, blessed be the Lord: may such; as these be strengthened and encouraged to keep that which is committed unto them, so will it be increased, and will be strengthened unto tho glory of the Great Name, and unto their unspeakable peace and comfort. Thus, friends, it seems to me that the Lord is indeed waiting to do us good; that he is calling those who are afar off to come near; and those who are near, to acknowledge his might; he is disposed that our meeting should be owned and should be crowned by his light and his love, and by his power; how eminently, then, would this light appear among us; then how would the Most High have among us judges, as at the first, and counsellers, as at the beginning; then, all being in the harmony of his blessed mind, we should feel that we are each other's joy and rejoicing in him, and our meetings would then be owned by him, the great Head of the church, and blessed Legislator; and we should know the wholesomeness of our discipline, and we should find and acknowledge that it had its origin in the wisdom and in the power that is from above, and that it is still upheld thereby. May God Almighty visit and bless this people, saith my soul, for he is the same yesterday, today, and for ever; his hand is not shortened, nor his ear grown heavy; his power is not diminished, nor his love waxed cold; if we draw nigh to him, he will draw nigh unto us, and give us to sing together, even making melody in our hearts unto him: sometimes without a being uttered this would be the case: O, this solemn covering of the Lord's presence, wherein secret songs of praise would be raised to him.

Now my dear friends, before we separate at this time, let us all gather in spirit unto the Lord of life and glory, and to the light of Israel; let us see if he will not favor us in solemn silence, with a fresh sense of his goodness: if his Holy Spirit will not continue over us like a canopy; if he will not show us that he is willing to cover us with his feathers from all that can possibly hurt or ham the precious life; and let us see if we cannot united in ascribing unto him, in solemn stillness, might, majesty, and renown.