We see then that our life is hid in Christ ; and what kind of life this is.
It is a secret, sure, peculiar, glorious life. Alas ! we are ready to judge of ourselves by the present, and not to think it a glorious life. But he saith, it is hidden for us. ' Light is sown for the righteous,' Ps. xcvii. 11. It doth not appear for the present. A garden hath seeds sown and herbs, but in the wduter there is no difference between it and a common field ; but when the sun shines and appears, then the herbs appear in their lustre. So it is with a Christian. There is light and immortality and happiness sown for him. "When Christ, the ' Sun of righteousness' shall appear, 'then we shall appear with him in glory,' 1 John iii. 2.
As we may say of all things below, they have a hidden life : the plants and the flowers in the winter, they live by the root ; and when the sun appears, then they also appear with the sun in glory. So it is with the righteous : they have a hidden life. It is hid now in the root, in their head, in this life. When Christ the Sun of righteousness shall appear ; when the spring comes ; when the resurrection comes : then we shall ap- pear with him in glory. And so I come to speak of that verse.
' When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye appear also with him in glory.'
Our life is now hid. Our happiness is veiled over. There are many things between us and our life. But shall it always be so ? Oh no ! 'When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, we shall appear also with him in glory.' He meets with a secret objection. The parts here to be stood on are these.
1. First, Christ he is our life. He shall appear in glory as our life. This is taken for granted, it is a supposed truth, ' when Christ, who is our life, shall appear.' It is taken for granted that he shall appear in
2. The next thing is, that ice shall appear likeivise with Christ. Christ shall appear, and we.
3. And then the consequence : how these depend upon one another. Because Christ appears in glory, therefore we, ' when Christ, who is our life, shall appear.'
The apostle cannot mention Christ, without an addition of comfort ; and
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tho Christian soul loves Christ. It sees such matter of comfort, and such righteousness in him, that it cannot think of Christ without a comfortable addition of Lord, Saviour, life, hope, glory, &c. Christ carries with him all comforts. He is food, the bread of life, the water of life, all that is good to the soul. Therefore the apostle gives this sweet addition ' Christ our life.'
How is Christ our life?
He is every way the cause of the life of grace and of glory. And not only so, the cause, but the root and spring in whom it is. We have it from Christ and in Christ. We have it in Christ as a root, and from Christ as a working cause, and by Christ as a mediator. For Christ procured life at God's hands, by his sacrifice and death. We have it in Christ as a head, from him as a cause, together with both the other persons ; and through him as mediator, who by his death made way to life, appeasing the wrath of God, So we are reconciled and pardoned by the death of Christ.
Christ is not only our life so, but as the matter of our life that we feed on. AVhen he hath wrought spiritual life in us, then the soul lives by faith in Christ still, and feeds upon him. He is our life because we feed on him. For as food nourisheth the body, so the soul, being every day set on by fresh temptations, and afHictions, and troubles, and fresh discomforts, the Boul of necessity is forced to look to Christ every day ; and to feed upon Christ ; to feed upon his blood afresh, which runs continually. For he is a mediator for ever ; and he is in heaven to make good that he hath done by his death ; and we look upon him every day and feed on him ; and so he maintains the life he hath begun. Christ is our life thus.
More particularly — for memory's sake — Christ, when by faith we have union with him once — as we can have no communion without union with him — when we are one with him once by faith, we have life from Christ, the life of reconciliation i)i law, opposite to our death in law and in sentence. For by nature we are all dead and damned as soon as we are born, for our own sins and the sins of our first parents. We are dead in sentence. Now by Christ there is a reversion* of this sentence. Christ by his obedience and suffering hath satisfied his Father. So by our union with Christ we are alive in sentence. We are absolved in God's court of justice ; for he will not punish sin twice.