The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 83

glory." Aod he had some vision of the Almighty, and heard Jehovah God proclaim hi11 Name as he pa.ssro by; but the God of Israel said, "Thou canst not see my face.'' Now t_his, which was imi:,ossiblo under tbe old covenan~ and ~hich was thought of by the faithful a.s the ble.ssmg of a future state (Ps. xvu. 16), 1s not only possible but actual under the new covenant. Christ is the Image of the invisible God. We see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He who of old surrounded himself with clouds or dwelt "in the thick darkness" :uow reveals himself brightly in his Beloved. 'l'he New Testament is, more fully than the Old, a revelation. God is revealed in a. manner surpassing all the partial disclosures among the Jews, and correctina all the O vain imaginations among the heathen. The holy Child was Immanuel, God with us. The Man who lived so purely, spcke ~o w!sely,_ and suffered so patiently, revealed the unseen G?<1; and God wa.s. glorified m him. So the apostle regarded Christianity as the breaking forth of new hght on the human race, and that the very radiance of God in Jesus Christ his Son. So let us regard it. Truly the light is good-the inner light of the New Testament-the glory of the Lord. IL Co~--n:MPLATION OF THAT GLORY. We behold it as one looks upon a mirror on which an object out of his reach is reflected. Our Lord has ascended to the Father and we do not see him face to face in the present life, but we look on the Divine testim'ony and, as we look, we gain "the excellency of the knowledge of Christ." In order to this: two things are necessary. 1. We must have our faces unveiled. The veil is preju- dice or unbelief. The ignorance of God, long spread over the earth, is described by a. prophet as " the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations." The removal of that covering or veil results in the turniog of nations to the Lord. Alas ! readers of the New Testament may be· as blind to its true meaoina and beauty as any Jews were in reading the Law. A vague light, perhaps, comes tb;ough the veil, but there is no clear discernment of that glory of the Lord which gives to the New Testament its surpassing power and value. St. Paul knew this well, and felt him- self unable to make all men see what he saw. From some who heard him his gospel was hid. It was and is the preacher's duty to manifest aod proclaim the truth; but blinded minds and veiled hearts could, and still can, defeat the testimony. St. Paul himself had once been very blind. When light shone in the face of the martyr Stephen as he stood before the council, " as it had been the face of an angel," Saul of 'farsus was only bewildered and irritated, and hi:i consented to Stephen's death. Soon after, on his way to Damascus, a strong light from heaven shone round about him, and the voice of the Lord reached his ear. Some holy light through the veil fell on his countcno.oce, but the veil was not yet removed, and the Pharisee was not yet a Christian. Illumination came to him when, at the word of the disciple Ananias, the eyes of his body, which hnd been blinded by the sudden effulgence on the way, were opened, and at the same timo the eyes of the inner man were freed from the scales of unbelief, and God shone into his heart. 2. We must form a habit of beholding that glory. We do not presume to say what amount of ble~sing may bo gained through even a rapid or occasional glance cast on the Lc-rd Jesus; but what 1he apostle intends is an habitual and daily contemplation of that "brightness of the Fat,hel"'s glory." No study of books, acquaintance with doctrines, or observance of rites can do for us what is done by the habit of "lookiog to Je~us." IIL 'l'HE TRANSFORMING POWER OF SUOH CON1'EMPLATION. "Changed ioto the same image." A moral metamorphosis is wrought, not magically as by a spell or chnrm, but in the manner proper to a moral nature, by the moulding influence of a now ha.bit ot thought and affectioo. This proceeds on the well-koown principle that, whatever we look upon with frequency and with coo genial feeling, stamps itself on our minds and characters. He who looks upon evil becomes evil. He who occupies himself with trifles grows trivial. He who associates with the wise growR wise. Ho who admires the good himself becomes ,::ood. So likewise ho who beholds the pure and gracious image of God in the face of Jesus Christ is changed insensibly into that image, learns to think the thoughts of God aod to exhibit the mind of Christ, 'l'wo important features of this great change arc ioclicated in the text. 1. It is a progressive one. "From glory to glory." No doubt, if we could abide continually under the radiance of Christ, his glory would transform us more rapidly and c1mpletely than is the experience of average Christians. And we lllllst nut dwell on lhc i(l,,a of gradualness so ns to· excuse a low level of Christian on. ru. 1-18.J THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE OORINTHIANS. 83