And he adds another intimation of this imperfection, in an allusion unto the way whereby things are proposed and conveyed unto the minds and apprehensions of men. Now this is by words. And these are either plain, proper, and direct, or dark, figurative, and paraboli- cal. And this latter way makes the conception of things to be diffi- cult and imperfect ; and by reason of the imperfection of our view of the glory of Christ by faith in this world, the apostle saith it is in cthiyiMaTi, in "a riddle." These alviyiMara the Psalmist calls niT'n, " dark sayings," Ps. Ixxviii. 2.
But here it must be observed, that the description and representa- tion of the Lord Christ and his glory in the Gospel is not absolutely or in itself either dark or obscure ; yea, it is perspicuous, plain, and direct. Christ is therein evidently set forth crucified, exalted, glori- fied. But the apostle doth not here discourse concerning the way or
' See note, p. 222 of this volume. Telescopes were not invented till the close of the sixteenth century. — Ed.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FAITH AND SIGHT OF IT. 377
means of the revelation of it unto us, but of the means or instrument whereby we comprehend that revelation. This is our faith, which, as it is in us, being weak and imperfect, we comprehend the representa- tion that is made unto us of the glory of Christ as men do the sense of a dark sajdng, a riddle, a parable ; that is, imperfectly, and with difficulty.
On the account hereof we may say at present, How little a portion is it that we know of him! as Job speaks of God, chap. xxvi. 14. How imperfect are our conceptions of him ! How weak are our minds in their management ! There is no part of his glory that we can fully comprehend. And what we do comprehend, — as there is a compre- hension in faith, Eph. iii. 18, — we cannot abide in the steady con- templation of For ever blessed be that sovereign grace, whence it is that He who "commanded lio'ht to shine out of darkness hath shined into our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of his own glory in the face of Jesus Christ," and therein of the glory of Christ him- self;— that he hath so revealed him unto us, as that we may love him, admire him, and obey him : but constantly, steadily, and clearly to behold his glory in this hfe we are not able ; "for we walk by faith, and not by sight."
Hence our sight of him here is as it were by glances, — liable to be clouded by many interpositions. " Behold, he standeth behind the wall, he looketh forth at the windows, showing" ()^''VP, flourishing) " himself through the lattice," Cant. ii. 9. There is a great interposi- tion between him and us, as a wall; and the means of the discovery of himself unto us, as through a window and lattice, include a great instability and imperfection in our view and apprehension of him. There is a wall between him and us, which yet he standeth behind. Our present mortal state is this wall, which must be demolished before we can see 1dm as he is. In the meantime he looketh through the windoivs of the ordinances of the Gospel. He gives us sometimes, when he is pleased to stand in those windows, a view of himself ; but it is imperfect, as is our sight of a man through a window. The ap- pearances of him at these windows are full of refreshment unto the souls of them that do believe. But our view of them is imperfect, transient, and doth not abide ; — we are for the most part quickly left to bemoan what we have lost. And then our best is but to cry, " As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soid after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God : when shall I come and appear before thee?" When wilt thou again give me to see thee, though but as through the windows? Alas ! what distress do we ofttimes sit down in, after these views of Christ and his glory! But he proceeds farther yet ; and flourishes himself through the lattices, Tliis displaying of the glory of Christ, called the flourishing of himself,
878 THE GLORY OF CHRIST.
is by the promises of the Gospel, as they axe explained in the ministry of the Word. In them are represented unto us the desirable beauties and glories of Christ. How precious, how amiable is he, as rej)resented in them ! How are the souls of believers ravished with the -views of them ! Yet is this discovery of him also but as through a lattice. We see him but by parts, — unsteadily and unevenly.
Such, I say, is the sight of the glory of Christ which we have in this world by faith. It is dark, — it is but in part. It is but weak, transient, imperfect, partial. It is but little that we can at any time discover of it ; it is but a little while that we can abide in the contem- plation of what we do discover. " Rara hora, brevis mora." Some- times it is unto us as the sun when it is under a cloud, — we cannot perceive it. When he hideth his face, who then can behold him? As Job speaks, so may we, " Behold, I go forward, but he is not there ; and backward, but I cannot perceive him ; on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him," chap, xxiii 8, 9. W^hich way soever we turn ourselves, and what duties soever we apply ourselves unto, we can obtain no distinct view of his glory. Yet, on the other hand, it is sometimes as the sun when it shines in its brightness, and we cannot bear the rays of it. In infinite condescension he says unto his church, " Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me," Cant. vi. 5,— as if he could not bear that overcomuig affectionate love, which looks through the eyes of the church in its acting of faith on him. Ah ! how much more do we find our souls overcome with his love, when at any time he is pleased to make any clear discoveries of his glory unto us!