ON THE GLORY OF CHRIST. actings of those means and instruments whereby we ap- prehend this glory of Christ, namely, faith and vision. And, (2.) Those that arise from the different effects produced by them. Instances in each kind shall be given. First. The viewwhich we have of the glory of Christ by faith in this world, is obscure, dark, inevident, re- flexive. So the apostle declares, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. Now we see through aglass darkly: through or bya glass, in a riddle, a parable, a dark saying. There is a double figurative limitation put upon our view of the glory of Christ, taken from the two ways of our perception of what we apprehend, namely, the sight of things, and the hearing of words. The first is, that wehave this view not directly, but reflexively, and by a way of representation, as in a glass. For I take the glass here, not to be optical, or a perspective, which helps the sight, but a speculum, or a glass which reflects an image of what we do behold. It is a sight like that which wehave of a man in a glass, when we see not his person or substance, but an image or representationof them only, which is imperfect. The shadow or image of this glory of Christ is drawn in the gospel, and therein we behold it as the likeness of a man represented unto us in a glass; and al- though it be obsure and imperfect in comparison of his own real, substantial glory, which is the object of vi- sion in heaven: yet is it the only image and representa- tion of himself, which he bath left, and given unto us in this world. That woful cursed invention of framing images of him outof stocks and stones however adorned, or representations of him by the art ofpainting, are so far from presenting unto the minds of men any thing of hisreal glory, that nothing can be more effectual to divert their thoughts and apprehensions from it. But by this figurative expression of seeing in a glass, the apostle declares the comparative imperfection of our present view ofthe glory of Christ. But the allusion may be taken from an optic glass or tube also, whereby the sight of the eye is helped in beholding things at a great distance. By the aid of such glasses men will discover stars, or heavenly lights, which by reasonof their distance from us, the eye of itself is no way able to discern. And thosa which we do see, are more fully represented though remote enough from being so perfectly. Such a glass is the 87 gospel, without which we can make no discovery of Christ at all; but in the use of it, we are far enough from beholding him in the just dimensions of his glory, And he adds another intimation ofthis imperfection, in an allusion unto the way whereby things are propo- sed 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 pa- rabolical: and this latter way makes the conception of things to be difficult and imperfect; and by reason of the imperfectionof our view of the glory of Christ by faith in this world, the apostle saith, it is in a riddle. These the Psalmist calls dark sayings, Psalm lxxviii. 2. But here it must be ukserved, that the description and representation 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, glorified. But the apostle doth not herediscourse con- cerning the ways or means of the revelation of it unto us, but of the means or instrument whereby we corn prebend that revelation. This is ourfaith, which as it is in us, being weak and imperfect, we comprehend the representation that is made unto us of the gloryof Christ, as men do the sense of a dark saying, a riddle, a parable; that is imperfectly, and with difficulty. On the account hereofwe may say at present, How little aportion is it that we know of him? as Job speaks of God, chap. xxvi. 18. How imperfect are our con- ceptions of him? How weakare our mindsin their man- agement? There is nopart of his glory that we can fully comprehend. And what we do comprehend (as' there is a comprehension in faith, Ephes. iii. 18.) we cannot abide in the steady contemplation of. Forever blessed be that sovereign grace, whence it is that he who "commanded the light to shine out of darkness, bath shined into our hearts, togive us the light.of the knowledge of his own glory in the face of Jesus' Christ," and therein of the glory of Christ himself; that he hath so revealed him unto us, as that we may love him, admire him, andobey him: but constantly, steadily, and clearly to behold his glory in this life we are not able, for we walk, byfaith, 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 lookethforth at the win- 12
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=