Thomas Goodwin · 3 of 23
Chapter 1
The main Proposition and Subject of this Discourse deduced, That a Child of God may walk in Darkness: that thereby Distress of Conscience and Desertion in the Want of of , is meant and proved.
That this is the meaning of the words, will more fully appear in opening the several propositions to be delivered out of them, whereof the first and principally intended is this, That one who truly fears God, and is obedient to him, may be in a condition of darkness, and have no light; and he may walk many days and years in that condition.
And herein, further to explain the text, and bottom, this great point well upon it, and more particularly to discover what the condition of a child of God thus in darkness is, we will first inquire. What is meant by walking in darkness?
First, Walking in darkness is taken, in I John i. 6, for living in sin and ungodliness, — in the commission of known sins, or omission of known duties, going on in the works of darkness: but so it is not to be taken here; for Christ would not have encouraged such to trust in God, who is light; and there can be no fellowship between him and such darkness, as the apostle tells us. Nay, the reproves such as do lean on the Lord, and yet ; and besides, the text speaks of such who, for their present condition, fear God, and are obedient to him, which if they thus walked in darkness, they could not be said to do.
Neither, secondly, is it to be meant of walking in ignorance, as in John xii. 36, it is taken; for one that hath no light in that sense, can never truly fear God, nor obey him. The heart that wanteth knowledge is not good, says Solomon, and so to walk in darkness is accompanied with walking in of mind, Ephes. iv. 17.
But, thirdly, He means it of discomfiture and sorrow: as often we find in Scripture darkness to be taken; as in Eccles. v. 17. As, on the contrary, light, because it is so pleasant a thing to behold, is put for comfort; and that so it is taken here, is evident by that which is opposed in the next verse: — Walk ye in your light, yet ye shall lie down in sorrow.
But, fourthly, Of what kind of sorrow? — and for what? Whether from outward afflictions, or inward distress of mind and conscience? or (to use Solomon’s distinction) whether by reason of man’s ordinary infirmities, or of a wounded spirit? — that is yet in question.
And, first, It is not to be restrained to outward afflictions only, which are called Man’s Infirmities, as being common to man, which arise from things of this world, or from the men of the world, though to walk in darkness is so taken (Isaiah lix. 9.) and I will not exclude it here; for in them also a man’s best support is to trust in God; and it is the safest way to interpret Scriptures in the largest sense which the words and coherence will bear: but yet that cannot be the only or principal meaning of it; for besides what is further to be said to the contrary, he adds, And hath no light; that is, no comfort. Now, as philosophers say, non dantur puræ tenebræ, ‘There is no pure darkness without some mixture of light,’ so we may say, There is not mere or utter darkness caused by outward afflictions, — no outward affliction can so universally environ the mind as to shut up all the entrances to it, so that a man should have no light; and besides, God’s people, when they walk in the greatest outward darkness, may have, yea, often use to have most light in their spirits; but here is such an estate spoken of, — such a darkness as hath no light in it.
Therefore, secondly, It is principally to be understood of the want of inward comfort in their spirits, from something that is between God and them: and so meant of that darkness and terrors which accompany the want of the sense of God’s favour; and so darkness is elsewhere taken for inward affliction of spirit and mind, and want of light in point of assurance, that God is a man's God, and of the pardon of a man’s sins. Heman useth this word to express his distress (Ps. lxxxviii. 6.); and the reasons why it is thus to be understood here, are,
1st. Because the remedy here prescribed is faith; to stay himself upon God, and that as upon his God: he puts in his God emphatically, because that is the point he is troubled about, and concerning which he is in darkness, and of which he would have such an one to be persuaded; and that is it which faith, which is propounded here as the remedy, doth in the first place and principally look unto, as its primary aim and object.
2dly. In the foregoing verses he had spoken of justification, whereby God pardons our sins and accepts our persons. The prophet, or Christ in the person of his , having expressed his assurance of this: God is near that justifies me, — who shall condemn? Which words the apostle (Rom. viii. 32, 33.) doth allege in point of justification, and to express the triumphing assurance of it; and applies them in the name and persons of true believers too: but because there might be some poor souls who, though truly fearing God, yet might want this assurance, and upon the hearing of this might be the more troubled, because not able to express that confidence which he did, therefore he adds. Who is among you that feareth the Lord, and walketh in darkness? &c. — as if he should have said to such, Though you want the comfortable sense and assurance of this, yet be not discouraged; but do you exercise faith, go out of your selves, rely upon Christ, and that mercy which is to be found in God; — you may fear God and want it, and you are to trust in God in the want of it.
Thirdly, These words have a relation also to the fourth verse; where he says (as that God had given him this assurance of his own justification, for his own particular comfort in those immediately foregoing verses to the text) That God had also given him the tongue of the learned, to minister a word of comfort in season to him that is weary and heavy laden; and thereupon in this verse, he accordingly shews the blessed condition of such persons as are most weary through long walking in darkness; and he discovereth to them the way of getting out of this darkness, and recovering comfort again; and in all the word of God there is not a more comfortable and seasonable word to one in such a condition to be found. All which argues that it is spoken of inward darkness and trouble of spirit, and that in point of applying justification and God to be a man’s God.
