But now above, all things are clear and serene, — all plain and evi- dent in our beholding the glory of Christ; — we shall be ever with him, and see him as he is. This is heaven, this is blessedness, this is eternal rest.
The person of Christ in all his glory shall be continually before us ; and the eyes of our understandings shall be so gloriously illumi- nated, as that we shall be able steadily to behold and comprehend that glory.
But, alas ! here at present our minds recoil, our meditations fail, our hearts are overcome, our thoughts confused, and our eyes turn aside from the lustre of this glory ; nor can we abide in the contemplation of it. But there, an immediate, constant view of it, will bring in everlasting refreshment and joy unto our whole souls.
This beholding of the glory of Christ given him by his Father, is, indeed, subordinate unto the ultimate vision of the essence of God. What that is we cannot well conceive ; only we know that the " pure in heart shall see God." But it hath such an immediate connection
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386 THE GLORY OF CHRIST.
witli it, and subordination unto it, as that witliout it we can never behold the face of God as the objective blessedness of our souls. For he is, and shall be to eternity, the only means of communication be- tween God and the church.
And we may take some direction in our looking into and longing after this perfect view of the glory of Christ, from the example of the saints under the Old Testament. The sight which they had of the glory of Christ — for they also saw his glory through the obscurity of its revelation, and its being veiled with types and shadows — was weak and imperfect in the most illuminated believers; much inferior unto what we now have by faith, through the Gospel. Yet such it was as encouraged them to inquire and search diligently into what was re- vealed, 1 Peter i. 10, 11. Howbeit, their discoveries were but dark and confused, such as men have of things at a great distance, or " in a land that is very far off," as the prophet speaks, Isa. xxxiii. 17. And the continuance of this veil on the revelation of the glory of Christ, whilst a veil of ignorance and blindness was upon their hearts and minds, proved the ruin of that church in its apostasy, as the apostle declares, 2 Cor. iii. 7, 13, 14. This double veil (the covering covered, the veil veiled) God promised to take away, Isa. xxv. 7 ; and then shall they turn to the Lord, when they shall be able clearly to behold the glory of Christ, 2 Cor. iii. 16.
But this caused them who were real believers among them to de- sire, long, and pray for, the removal of these veils, the departure of those shadows, which made it as night unto them in comparison of what they knew would appear, when " the Sun of Righteousness should arise with healing in his wings." They thought it long ere " the day did break, and the shadows flee away," Cant. ii. 1 7, iv. 6. There was an a'7ro%apabo%ia, as the apostle speaks, Rom. viii. 19, — a thrusting forth of the head with desire and expectation of the exhibi- tion of the Son of God in the flesh, and the accomplishment of all divine promises therein. Hence he was called the Lord whom they sought and delighted in, Mai. iii. 1.
And gTeat was the spiritual wisdom of believers in those days. They rejoiced and gloried in the ordinances of divine worship which they did enjoy. They looked on them as their chiefest privilege, and at- tended unto them with diligence, as an effect of divine wisdom and love, as also because they had a shadow of good things to come. But yet, at the same time, they longed and desired that the time of refor- mation were come, wherein they should all be removed ; that so they might behold and enjoy the good things signified by them. And those who did not so, but rested in and trusted unto their present institu- tions, were not accepted with God. Those who were really illumi- nated did not so, but lived in constant desires after the revelation of
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FAITH AND SIGHT OF IT. 387
the whole mystery of the wisdom of God in Christ; as did the angels themselves, 1 Peter i. 3; Eph. iii. 9, 10.
In this frame of heart and suitable actings of their souls, there was more of the power of true faith and love than is found among the most at this day. They saw the promises afar off, and were per- suaded of them, and embraced them, Heb. xi. 13. They reached out the arms of their most intent affections to embrace the things that Avere promised. We have an instance of this frame in old Simeon, who, so soon as he had taken the child Jesus in his arms, cried out, " Now, Lord, let me depart," now let me die ; this is that which my soul hath longed for, Luke ii. 28, 29.
Our present darkness and weakness in beholding the glory of Christ, is not like theirs. It is not occasioned by a veil of types and shadows, cast on it by the representative institutions of it, — it doth not arise from the want of a clear doctrinal revelation of the person and office of Christ ; but, as was before declared, it proceed eth from two other causes. First, From the nature of faith itself, in comparison with vision. It is not able to look directly into this excellent glory, nor fully to comprehend it. Secondly, From the way of its proposal, wluch is not substantial of the thing itself, but only of an image of it, as in a glass. But the sight, the view of the glory of Christ, which we shall have in heaven, is much more above that which we now enjoy by the Gospel, than what we do or may so enjoy is above what they have attained under their types and shadows. There is a far greater distance between the vision of heaven and the sight which we have now by faith, than is between the sight which we now have and what they had under the Old Testament. Heaven doth more excel the Gospel state than that state doth the Law. Wherefore, if they did so pray, so long for, so desire the removal of their shadows and veils, that they might see what we now see, that they might so be- hold the glory of Christ as we may behold it in the light of the Gospel ; how much more should we, if we have the same faith with them, the same love (which neither will nor can be satisfied without perfect fruition), long and pray for the removal of all weakness, of all darkness and interposition, that we may come unto that immediate beholding of his glory which he so earnestly prayed that we might be brought unto !