If the things of themselves be dark ; or if they be lightsome, and there be no sight within ; or if there be sight, and that sight be veiled ; there can be no seeing. But now to God's elect he takes away all these veils, he shines inwardly and gives outward light in the help of means ; and yet not- withstanding while we live here, there is always some obscurity and dark- ness, for the veil of the Scriptures is not quite took* away. There is some * That is, ' taken.'— G. ,
ABOVE THE LAW. 253
darkness of the Scriptures, and likewise the veil of ignorance and infidelity is not altogether taken away. There arc some remainders of ignorance, of infidelity, and hardness of heart ; but yet in a great measure it is taken away here, and shall by little and little [bej took away, till we come to see God face to face in heaven.
* With open face.'
Coverings had two uses in the Jewish state.
They had a use of suhjediun. Therefore the women had their veils in token of subjection.
And they had a use likewise of ohscuritij, to hinder the offensive* lustre of that that is glorious. Therefore Moses put a veil on his foce when he came down from the mount. Now in Christ Jesus in the gospel, both these veils are taken away in some respects. The veil of subjection and slavery, so far as it is a slavery, is taken away. The Spirit of Christ works liberty. As I said before, now we serve God as sons, and not as servants any longer. The veil of subjection is taken away, only there is a spouse-like filial sub- jection ; the servile subjection we are freed from.
And then the veil that hid the things is taken away too. So now ' with open face we behold the glory of the Lord.' Now the things themselves, Christ and the gracious promises of grace and glory and comfort, they are clearly laid open without any veil. How comes it then that we see them not '? There is a veil over our hearts. The more shame for us, that when the things are unveiled we should have a veil upon our hearts, of ignorance and unbelief. Therefore if any believe not, it is because * the God of this world hath blinded their eyes,' 2 Cor. iv. 4. Where the means of salva- tion ai'e, and Christ laid open in the means, if men do not believe, the fault is not in the things ; for they are unveiled, they are discovered and laid open. The fault is in us. There is a veil over the heart. There is a cloud of ignorance and unbelief, that keeps the heart from beholding the glory of the mercy of God in Christ.
* With open face.'
We see the glory of God with boldness in the gospel. We go boldly to God. Christ takes us by the hand and leads to his Father. We have boldness and access to God through Christ by the Spirit, as St Paul teacheth in divers places, f God is not terrible to us. Now in Christ, God's nature is fatherly and sweet to us. Christ in the gospel is our head. Therefore we go boldly to God in Christ ; and Christ by his Spirit brings us to his Father. We may boldly lay open our souls in prayer ; and all our complaints before him as to a Father. We come not as malefactors to a judge, as slaves to a lord, but as children to a father, as a wife to her spouse. ' With open face' in the gospel, we behold God, that is, with boldness we go to him. The gospel by shining upon us takes away a spirit of fear and bondage ; the more we see Christ the less fear ; the more love the less fear. The more we see the grace of God in Christ, it diminisheth a spirit of fear, and puts into us a spirit of love and boldness. For it presents to us in Christ, full satisfaction to divine justice, that when we offer Christ to the Father whom he hath sent and sealed for us, God can- not refuse a Saviour of his own sending and sealing, and appointing to satisfy his justice. Therefore we go boldly to the throne of grace. It is a marvellous privilege that we see God clearly in the gospel, with open face, with a spirit of boldness, the veil of ignorance being taken away. For the sight ^of God to a conscience that is natural, and is not convinced of the
* That 13, ' offending ' =-. injuring.- G. t Cf. Eph. iii. 12 ; Heb. x. 19.— G.
254 EXCELLENCY OF THE GOSPEL
mercy of God by the Spirit, it is a terrible sight. A guilty conscience can- not see a man but it trembles. It cannot see a judge without trembling. And will not the trembling conscience, the guilty soul, flee from the face of God apace, that trembles at the sight of a man ? What is so contrary as the nature of God to the nature of man out of Christ ? The unholy, impure, and unclean nature of man, to the pure, holy nature of God ? If Christ had not taken our nature and sanctified it in himself, and satisfied justice in it, what boldness could this unclean nature of ours have had to go to the holy God ? Let us, I beseech you, be wrapped up in admiration of the singular love of God to us, especially in the days of the gospel, that now we see in a glass, in a clear glass, the love of God in Christ, and with open face boldly we may go to God.