With respect unto this universal darkness, — that is, ignorance of God, with horrid confusion accompanying it- in the minds of men, — Christ is called, and is, the " light of men," the " light of the world ;" be- cause in and by him alone this darkness is dispelled, as he is the " Sun of Righteousness."
II. This darkness in the minds of men, this ignorance of God, his nature and his will, was the original of all evil unto the world, and yet continues so to be. For, — -
1. Hereon did Satan erect his kingdom and throne, obtaining in his design until he bare himself as " the god of this world," and was so esteemed by the most. He exalted himself by virtue of this dark- ness (as he is the "prince of darkness") into the place and room of God, as the object of the religious Vv^orship of men. For the things which the Gentiles sacrificed they sacrificed unto devils, and not to God, 1 Cor. X. 20; Lev. xvii. 7; Deut. xxxii. 17; Ps. cvi. 37; Gal. iv. 8. This is the territory of Satan ; yea, the power and sceptre of his king- dom in the minds of the " children of disobedience." Hereby he maintains his dominion unto this day in many and great nations, and with individual persons innumerable.
2. This is the spring of all wickedness and confusion among men themselves. Hence arose that flood of abominations in the old luorld, which God took away with a flood of desolation: hence were the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, which he revenged with " fire from heaven." In brief; all the rage, blood, confusion, desolations, cruelties, oppressions, villanies, which the world hath been and is filled withal, whereby the souls of men have been and are flooded into eternal de- struction, have all arisen from this corrupt fountain of the ignorance of God.
3. Of such as those described we are the posterity and offspring. Our forefathers in this nation were given up unto as brutish a service of the devil as any nation under the sun. It is therefore an effect of infinite mercy, that the day hath dawned on us, poor Gentiles, and that the " day-spring from on high hath visited us." See the glory of this grace expressed, Eph. iii. 5-10. God might have left us to perish in the blindness and ignorance of our forefathers ; but of his own accord, and by his own powerful grace alone, he hath " trans- lated us out of darkness into his marvellous light." But, alas ! the horrible ingratitude of men for the glorious light of the Gospel, and the abuse of it, will issue in a sore revenge.
298 THE GLORY OF CHRIST
God was kno^vn under the Old Testament by the revelation of his Word, and the institution of his worship. This was the glory and privilege of Israel, as the Psalmist declares, Ps. cxlvii. 19, 20, "He showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation." The church then knew him; yet so as that they had an apprehension that he dwelt in " thick darkness," where they could not have any clear views of him, Exod. XX. 21 ; Deut. v. 22; 1 Kings viii. 12; 2 Chron. vi. 1. And the rea- son why God so represented himself in darkness unto them, was, to instruct them in their imperfect state, wherein they could not com- prehend that glory which should afterward be revealed. For as he is now made known in Christ, we see that " he is light, and in him there is no darkness at all."
4. Hitherto darkness in general covered the earth, and gToss dark- ness the people, as unto the knowledge of God ; only there was a twi- light in the church. The day did not yet dawn, the " shadows did not flee away," nor the " day-star shine" in the hearts of men. But when the " Sun of Righteousness" did arise in his strength and beauty, when the Son of God " appeared in the flesh," and in the discharge of his office, — God himself, as unto his being, and manner of exist- ence in three distinct persons, with all the glorious properties of the divine nature, was illustriously manifested unto them that did believe; and the light of the knowledge of them dispelled all the shadows that were in the church, and shone into the darkness which was in the world, so as that none continued ignorant of God but those who would not see. See John i. 5, 14, 17, 18; 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4.
Herein is the Lord Christ glorious. And this is that which I shall now speak unto, — namely, how we may behold the glory of Christ in the representation and revelation that is made of God and his glory, in his person and office, unto all that do believe. For it is not so much the declaration of the nature of the things themselves, wherein the glory of Christ doth consist, as our way and duty in the behold- ing of them, which at present is designed.
He calls unto us, saying, "Behold me, — look unto me, — and be saved," Isa. xlv. 22. What is it that we see in Christ ? what do we behold in him ? He asketh that question concerning his church, " What will ye see in the Shulamite ?" Whereto he answers, "As it were the company of two armies," Cant. vi. 13 ; or the two churches of the Old and New Testament, in order and beauty. We may inquire, AVhat shall we, what do we see in him ? Do we see him as " the image of the invisible God," representing him, his nature, proper- ties, and will unto us ? Do we see him as the " character," the " ex- press image of the person of the Father," so that we have no need