attention. 1. How is the vision of God granted to us? 2. What influence does the vialou of God exert? I. H('lw rs THE VISION OF Goo GRANTED TO us? Man can never find rest for head or heart ~ave in God. . The deepest longing of every human soul is tha vision of God. Idolatry 1s the expression of the desire to find and see God. Humanity in all ages is knit together as one man in this cry for God. Illustrate by references to Enoch Abra- ham, Jaoeb, Moses, David, Job, Isaiah, Stephen, and the Apostle John, who say; "We know that, when he doth appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as'he is." These, indeed, are ~11 <:8568 _of good men, but the universal efforts to make a religion show that all men are alike 1n this, they would behold the glory of God. The vision is given us: 1. By the inner ministration of the Spirit. This is the meaning of the "open face unveiled." St. Paul had just said, " We use great plainness of speech; " that is, in ou; ministry "!I~ can ~peak with freedom an~ ~ldness, without any disguise or veil, because we are mm1sters m the power of the Spirit. So, he would say, we all need no veil we have openness, to behold the glory of the Lord in the leadings of the Spirit; for "where the spirit of the Lord is, there is [this] liberty;" veils are removed, hindrances are taken away, we can "behold as in a glass the ~lory of the Lord." 2. By the outward mirror of the Christ. "Beholding as in a glal!s.' God's actual glory can be seen by no created eye; it must be reflected-it can only be seen as mirrored. We cannot look on the snn; we can see its image in a pool, we can find its reflected glory in the tinted flowers, and in tbe glorified clouds of the sunset. So our pained, strained, spiritual eyes rest delightful½' upon the "Man Christ Jesus," who is the "Brightness of the Father's glory, and the express Image of the ltather's person." The infinite excellences of the Divine character are exhibited in Christ in a form comprehensible by men. What the virtues and moral excellences of God are we could never know, but Christ shows them to us as if they were the graces and virtues of a man. Illustrate thus God's holiness, justice, mercy, and love. lL \VHAT INFLUENCES DOES TBIB VISION OF Goo EXERT? "Changed into the same image." Moses could not see God and be the sam!l man that he was. It changed his soul somewhat into the Divine likeness, even as his face lost its natural expression and shone with the glory. 'fhe sight of God is ever a transforming sight. It is seen to be so in the case of the transfiguration. 'l'he disciples saw our Lord's very raiment white and glistering, and glory all overspreading his frame. When a man sees God there is an i □ ner change, of which that is the symbol. Illustrate by the way in which a close and trustful friendship makes the friends grow alike. As the Christian man maintains his daily relations with Christ the mirrored God, as he "dwells in the secret place of the Most High," he finds a transforming and transfiguriug work is being carried on: the mind of God is coming to be his mind; the work of God is coming to be his work; the very life of God is coming to be his life. And this further result cornea. 'J'hev who are chanuing 0 into the likeness of God are gradually reflecting the glory of God' out upon men. They are becoming themselves, in turn, mirrors of_ G~, glasses in which men may behold the glory of the Lord. We hardly know which 1s the m?re gracious an,l surprising-the change that is wrought in us by the constant commumon of God and our souls, or the infinite condescension which permits us, in our earthly lives to be \iuht-bearers for God, mirrors to r€flect the glory and attraction of his saving grac~, so that°men mar be w?n to him .. _Conc)ude by showi!l~ (1) that the heart must be a veiled heart which re81sts the m1mstrat1on of the Spmt; (2) that from such a veiled heart must evor be hiclden the glory of the redeeming God.-R. 'l'.
EXPOSITION. Ver. ].-Therefore. Deco.use or the free, OHAPTER IV. dom nnd opcu vision of the gospel. As we The glory of the gospel ministry (vers. have reoeivod meroy. Gratitude for o. meroy so undeserved (1 Tim. i. 13) mo.kes us fear- 1-6), which euet11ine the hearts of Christ's less nnd vigorous in a ministry so glorious ruiui.Bters among all wo11k11esses 11nd trials (Acls xx. 211, 24). We faint 11ot. The word (vere. 7-15), especially by the fo.ith in implies tho mninteno.nco of a holy courage tliiogs unseen (vcrs. 16-18). Cor. xvi. 18) onu porseverance (2 TheSB. CR. IV. 1-18.J THE SECOND EPIS'l'LE TO THE cotmrTHIAN'S. 89