24. Hindrances to our beholding Christ

Hindrances to our beholding Christ

(2.) Outward hindrances of sight, as dust in the eyes, and clouds, &c., they hinder sight. Satan labours to hinder the sight of the soul from beholding the glory of God shining in the gospel, with the dust of the world, as the apostle saith in the next chapter, ’The god of this world blinds the eyes of men,’ 2 Corinthians 4:4, that they behold not the glory of God shining in the gospel. Therefore, if the gospel be hid, it is hid to them that perish, that are lost, in whom the god of this world hath blinded their minds, that they believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine upon them, 2 Corinthians 4:4. Therefore, take heed of too much worldly things, of fixing our souls upon the dust of the world, upon things here below. The sight of Christ, and of God in Christ, it is not gotten by looking below, by fixing the soul upon base things below. Let us look, therefore, that our souls be inwardly cleansed, and fixed upon spiritual things; and then we shall the better behold the glory of God shining in the gospel. And we should preserve this sight of faith by hearing. Hearing begets seeing in religion. Death came in by the ear at the first. Adam hearing the serpent, that he should not have heard, death came in by the ear. So life comes in by the ear. We hear, and then we see: ’As we have heard, so have we seen,’ say they in the psalm, Psalms 48:8. It is true in religion, most of our sight comes by hearing, which is the sense of learning. God will have it so. Therefore we should maintain all we can this beholding of the glory of the Lord in the glass of the word; and for that end hear much.

You will ask me, What is the best glass of all to see and know Christ in?

If you ask a papist, he will shew you crucifixes, and such kind of things. Oh but to behold Christ in the glass of the word, with a spirit of faith, that is the best picture and representation that can be! It is scarce worth spending so much time, as to confute that foolery, to have any grace wrought in the heart by such abominable means as that is, as they use it. Take it at the best, it is but a bastardly help, and bastardly means breed a bastardly devotion. For will God work grace in the heart by means of man’s devising? If pictures be any teachers, they are ’teachers of lies,’ saith the prophet, Isaiah 9:15; and in the church of God, till pastors and teachers became idols, idols never became teachers. Then came the doctrine of idols teaching of simple people, when idols became teachers a thousand years after Christ. So that the best picture to see Christ in, is the word and sacraments; and the best eye to see him with, is the eye of faith in the word and sacraments. Keep that clear, and we need no crucifixes, no such bastardly helps of bastardly devotion, devised by proud men that would not be beholden to God for his ordinances. But a touch is almost too much for such things, that are so clear to men that have spiritual eyes. In Galatians 3:1, see what St Paul saith his judgment was: ’Oh foolish Galatians, before whom Christ hath been painted and crucified!’ (h) How was he painted? Nothing but by the preaching of Christ crucified in the gospel, and the riches of Christ in the gospel; and in the sacraments laid open. Do you think there were any other crucifixes in the world then?

’With open face.’ The manner of this beholding is ’with open face.’ There must be a double veil taken away before we can behold the glory of God: the veil of obscurity, and the veil of slavery; the veil of ignorance and infidelity within, and the veil of the things themselves. These two veils are both taken away before we can with open face behold the glory of the Lord. The inward veil is taken away by the Spirit of God illuminating our understandings, and giving us a spirit of faith. The outward veil of the obscurity of the things is taken away by the teaching and ministry of the gospel, having that help to know the meaning of the Scriptures; so that now in these glorious times of the gospel, both the veils are taken away, that we may behold without hindrance the glory of God shining in the gospel. For now we enjoy the ministry of the Spirit. The Spirit is effectual to shine in our hearts. And then we have the gifts of men, outward gifts, whereby the veil of ignorance is taken away in regard of the things themselves, the things are unfolded.

If the things of themselves be dark; or if they be lightsome, and there be no sight within; or if there be sight, and that sight be veiled; there can be no seeing. But now to God’s elect he takes away all these veils, he shines inwardly and gives outward light in the help of means; and yet notwithstanding while we live here, there is always some obscurity and darkness, for the veil of the Scriptures is not quite took* away. There is some darkness of the Scriptures, and likewise the veil of ignorance and infidelity is not altogether taken away. There are some remainders of ignorance, of infidelity, and hardness of heart; but yet in a great measure it is taken away here, and shall by little and little [be] took away, till we come to see God face to face in heaven.

’With open face.’

Coverings had two uses in the Jewish state.

They had a use of subjection. Therefore the women had their veils in token of subjection. And they had a use likewise of obscurity, to hinder the offensive* lustre of that that is glorious. Therefore Moses put a veil on his face when he came down from the mount. Now in Christ Jesus in the gospel, both these veils are taken away in some respects. The veil of subjection and slavery, so far as it is a slavery, is taken away. The Spirit of Christ works liberty. As I said before, now we serve God as sons, and not as servants any longer. The veil of subjection is taken away, only there is a spouse-like filial subjection; the servile subjection we are freed from. And then the veil that hid the things is taken away too. So now ’with open face we behold the glory of the Lord.’ Now the things themselves, Christ and the gracious promises of grace and glory and comfort, they are clearly laid open without any veil. How comes it then that we see them not? There is a veil over our hearts. The more shame for us, that when the things are unveiled we should have a veil upon our hearts, of ignorance and unbelief. Therefore if any believe not, it is because ’the God of this world hath blinded their eyes,’ 2 Corinthians 4:4. Where the means of salvation are, and Christ laid open in the means, if men do not believe, the fault is not in the things; for they are unveiled, they are discovered and laid open. The fault is in us. There is a veil over the heart. There is a cloud of ignorance and unbelief, that keeps the heart from beholding the glory of the mercy of God in Christ.

’With open face.’