August 4

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.—Isaiah 60:1.

THE day of the gospel is too precious that any of it should be spent in sleep, or idleness, or worthless business. Worthless business detains many of us. Arise, immortal souls, from turmoil-ing in the dust, and working in the clay like Egyptian captives. There is a Redeemer come, who will pay your ransom, and rescue you from such vile service, for more excellent employment.

Arise, and satiate the eye of faith with the contemplation of Christ's beauty, and follow after him, till you attain the place of full enjoyment. And you who never yet saw him, arise, and admire his matchless excellencies. The things you esteem great, appear so but through ignorance of his greatness. His brightness, if you saw it, would obscure to you the greatest splendor of the world, as all those stars that go never down upon us, yet they are swallowed up in the surpassing light of the sun when he arises. Stand up from the dead, and he shall give you light. Arise and work while it is day, for the night shall come wherein none can work, says our Saviour himself. Happy are they who rise early in the morning of their youth; for the day of life is very short, and the art Christianity long and difficult. Is it not a grievous thing, that men never consider why they came into the world, till they be upon the point of going out again, nor think how to live, till they be summoned to die? But most of all unhappy, he who never wakens out of that pleasing dream of false happiness, till he falls into eternal misery. Arise, then, betines, and prevent that sad awakening.

And being risen, put on your beautiful garments. Draw towards you with the hand of faith the rich mantle of Christ's righteousness. It is time to awake, says the apostle, and presently after, Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is a wonder how a sinner can rest, while he is out of this garment; for there is no other in heaven nor on earth, can make him shine to God, and so shelter him from the stroke of justice. Put him on then, and so shine: being thus clothed, thou shalt shine in justification, and likewise in sanctity. What a privilege is it, to be like God! A sanctified conscience, what can be said against it? And first have an enlightened understanding, for that is the proper seat of light. That ignorant zeal which Rome commands, exposes religion to scorn and contempt. Heat without light, is the character of the fire of hell. I know, all are not tied to a like degree of knowledge, but certainly, all are obliged to have a competency, and diligence for increase. Aspire, then, to be intelligent Christians, and to know well what you believe. Let your minds be filled with knowledge, as the apostle speaks. But let it not stop there; it must have influence into the will. True light conveys heat. All the knowledge that the natural man hath of Christ, not warming his affection to Christ, is but ignis fatuus, a vain light: it shall never lead him to happiness. Saving light produces love, and by that acts. Faith works by love, says the apostle. That breaks forth and shines in the life, in godliness, righteousness, and sobriety. Shine, then, in all these; first in piety toward God, for this is the reflection of those rays of light back toward their source, and this will command the other two. And do it with these qualifications:—1. Constantly—in every state. Let not this Divine light go out, neither by day in prosperity, nor by night in adversity. In every place. Do not shine clear, and be dark in your chamber: they that do thus, have their reward. That is a sad word if rightly understood. Beware of hypocrisy. 2. Shine progressively, gaining still more and more victory over darkness, till you attain unmixed and perfect light. The way of the just, says Solomon, is like a shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 3. Shine humbly, to his glory whose light you borrow, not to show forth your own excellencies, but his, who hath called you from darkness to his marvellous light. If we be children of light, our brightness must praise the Father of lights. Let your light so shine before men, that they seeing your good works—not yourselves if you can be hid; as the sun affords his light, and will scarce suffer us to look upon himself—may glorify, not you, but your heavenly Father.