The Glory of Christ

Consider the glory of the Person for whom I plead for your love. What can you love beside Him? Where can you find any like unto Him? I know the glory of the Lord is not revealed, because the grass withers not, the flower fades not, the creature appears not in his withering vanity (Isaiah 40). But if the Lord would but open your eyes to see Him, this would win your hearts alone to Him.

Now I shall single out only these five things, to give you a glimpse of His glory. Lift up your heart and say, “Lord, hide not now Thy face from me.”

1. He is the Prince of the kings of the earth (Revelation 1:5). The glory of the world is a kingdom; the glorious diamond of that kingdom is a prince in his glory. Now, for a poor beggar to have an offer of love from the greatest prince in the world, would it not tempt her? Would she not forsake her lovers and set her heart on him? Why, look what a distance there is between the poorest peasant and the highest prince! So base, and a thousand times, are all the princes of the world to Christ, whose dominion is from sea to sea, from sun to sun, who sets up and pulls down kings like counters, who rules their courts, their kingdoms, their hearts, and they do not do, they cannot do, but what He will. Other kings are princes, are rulers of men; Christ is Prince of kings.

Now, who would not be glad of His love, who, having tasted death, is set down on the right hand of God on high, clothed with endless glory, who has kings in His chains, whose breath is not in His nostrils, whose favor is not for a day, but He lives and reigns forever? Now, does Christ reign? Is He a Lord, and in glory upon His throne? Methinks I see Jesus at the right hand of God. Your foolish affections have undone you, if you love Him not.

2. He is appointed by the Father to be Judge of the quick and the dead at the last day (John 5:22-23), as well as to rule all now. So if you do maintain enmity against Him, He may let you alone; you may live in health and die in peace, in the eye of man, and in your own eyes, too. Yet there is a day coming He will break out of heaven with a shout, and appear in the clouds in the amazing glory of His Father, “with His mighty angels” (2 Thessalonians 1:7), “and every eye shall see Him” (Revelation 1:7). And you shall appear before Him with this body, when the heavens shall burn round about Him, and the earth shall tremble under Him, and all guilty eyes mourning and wailing because of Him.

Then you shall know what it is to despise Him and shall wish, “Oh, that I had loved Him.” You that say you love Him, yet by an impenitent heart pierce Him, you “shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen” (Revelation 1:7). Men do not see an end of these things, nor the glory of the Lord another day. Hence creatures are loved and the Lord of glory is loathed. A great prince may not be so highly esteemed until he appears in his state. Prisoners would give any money (much more, love) for the judge’s favor.

3. He only is the procurer and author of all the good that ever you did draw out here, though you have neither known Him nor been thankful to Him. For look, as it was with the angels, so it should have been with man. The wrath of God should have been poured out upon him and on all the world, and creatures should have been tormentors of him, but that the Lord Jesus begged and bought the world. And hence He is called “the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe” (1 Timothy 4:10).

In His days “they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree” (Micah 4:4). So that if ever any creature ever did you good, it was Jesus who put that sweetness in it, out of His fullness, and set it to work, sent it to you, gave it you to do you good. You should never have had a wink of sleep, never been restrained from one sin, but lived in blaspheming God, never have heard of a gospel, but for Christ. And will you not love Him? O ungrateful world! Unnatural generation of men! Why do you love any creature? It is for the beauty of it and good in it. If there be so much in it, what is there in Christ who gave it, who dropped it into it? Never love Him if there be any thing good that is not by Him. “He hath heard my voice and my supplications... therefore will I call upon Him as long as I five” (Psalm 116:1-2). Much more so when the Lord has delivered, and you did never seek to Him.

4. He is the everlasting wonderment of saints in heaven. The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon, which made her come to see him. She saw with her own eyes what she before imagined, and that rapt her out of herself. Here we hear of the Lord Jesus, of His beauty and glory, and this draws saints to Him. And when come, they see that which they never saw before, especially when in heaven. They fall down in everlasting admiration at this mystery, for the blessedness of saints is to see Christ in His glory (John 17:24).

Now this lies in an infinite good; this cannot be seen in a finite time. Hence saints shall be piercing their eyes deeper and deeper into this mystery, and shall ever see more and more, but never see all. And this is their joy and glory in heaven. Is it so? What think you, is Christ worthy of your love, or not? Looking upon all the glory of the field of this world, you may see an end of all perfection, but never here.

5. He is the delight and bosom love of God Himself (Proverbs 8:30). Hence John, when he came to set Christ out, wrote: “The Father loveth the Son” (John 3:35). Now is it so? Surely though you see not, taste not this good, yet there it is. Now, tell me, if this Person do not challenge love, would you not be glad to have Him?

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen