(John xiv. 15: 1 John v. 3). 4. We may confidently expect "all things necessary for life and godliness" (Rom. viii. 32, et seq.) 5. We should employ both our example and our influence to open the eyes of our fellow-men to behold God's light, and their hearts to receive His salvation (Isa. lx. 1, lxii. 1).-Zeta: Sketches of 400 Sermons, vol. ii. p. 84-88. CHRIST OUR Light. xlix. 6. I will also give Thee for a light to the Gentiles. Not here only, but elsewhere, in many places, our Lord Jesus is held forth under the notion of a light. Show I. WHAT KIND OF A LIGHT JESUS CHRIST IS. There are several kinds of light." There is glow-worm light, &c. But there is one light that is far beyond them all, and that is sun-light, between which and the former there is no comparison; and that light Jesus Christ is sun-light (Mal. iv. 2; Ps. lxxxiv. 11; Luke i. 78). Now sun light hath these properties; it is 1. Glorious light (1 Cor. xv. 41; Matt. xiii. 43, xvii. 2). And is not Jesus Christ of all others the most glorious (Cant. v. 10; Col. i. 8). Let this advance your esteem of Him more and more. 2. General light. It shines everywhere (Ps. xix. 6). One sun serves all the world, &c. There is but one Christ, but that one is a universal Saviour to all the world (1 John ii. 2; Luke xvi. 15; Rom. x. 18; John xii. 36). 3. Fountain-light. What light the moon and the planets have, they derive it all from the sun. So Jesus Christ is the spring-head and fountain from whence every good and perfect gift comes. Gifts of nature do all flow from Him (John i. 2). So also gifts of grace (John i. 16; Heb. xii. 2). And therefore, in all our wants we must have recourse to Him; and in all our receivings we must give Him the praise. 4. Free light. It costs us nothing. What is more free than the light, and what is more free than grace? (John iv. 10; Rom. v. 15; Isa. lv. 1, 2; Rev. xxii. 17). Therefore ye are inexcusable, if you go without it. 5. Enlightening light. The sun hath not its light for itself, but for the world, and it communicates it accordingly. It rises every morning, and dispels the darkness of the night, and shines all day; and very sweet and useful it is. So Christ (Luke ii. 32; Rev. iii. 1). He opens blind eyes (Isa. xlii. 6, 7; Mal. iv. 2; Rev. iii. 18). Pray as the blind man that came to Christ for eyesight. 6. Increasing light. By degrees, as the sun gets up, mists, &c. vanish, and noonday comes. So it is with the souls that Christ enlightens (Prov. iv. 18; Isa. xxx. 26). II. WHAT INFERENCES ARE TO BE DRAWN FROM THIS SUBJECT? 1. What a miserable condition is a sinful Christless condition! Those who are out of Christ are out of the light (2 Cor. iv. 6; John iii. 19, 20; Job xxiv. 13, and xxi. 14). But wherein lies the misery of a blind and dark condition? (1.) It is very uncomfortable (Ecc. xi. 7; Prov. ii. 10). (2.) It is very unsafe. Thou hast a journey to go, that will not be gone without light. There are many by-ways, &c. (John xii. 35.) Thou hast work to do that will not be done without light, nay, not without sun-light (Luke x. 42). (3.) It is miserable here (Eph. vi. 12; Isa. xlii. 7; Acts xxvi. 18). It will be miserable hereafter. Make the application to yourselves: Is not this my condition? (John ix. 25, 40). 2. What an unspeakable mercy then was the giving of Christ to save us from all this misery; to be a light to lighten the world! What a dungeon were the world without it! Therefore thank God for this unspeakable gift (Eph. v. 8; Col. i. 12, 13). 3. Of what concernment it is to come to Christ to be enlightened by Him! Only by coming can we have the true light (Rev. iii. 18). Delay no longer; away quickly to the throne of grace, and beg for this eye-salve ;to the means of grace, and seek it there. 4. What is to be done by those on whom this light is risen? As Christ is the light of the world, so ye also are the light of the world (Matt. v. 14). Then (1.) let your light shine before men (Eph. v. 8; Rom. xii. 13; 1 Thess. v. 5-8). (2.) Let your light be increasing more and more— -especially concerning the evil of sin, the weakness of self, the excellency of Christ, &c.-Philip Henry: Christ All in All, pp. 81–90. CHRIST'S FUTURE REIGN. xlix. 7. Thus saith the Lord, &c. In this and the subsequent verses we have a direct promise from Jehovah to the Messiah, of the ultimate success of His mediatorial work. Consider I. THE DESCRIPTION GIVEN OF THE MESSIAH. 1. As despised, rejected, and contemned by men. "Him whom man despiseth"-literally, whom the soul despiseth. It was a characteristic of Him that He was despised and rejected; and the prophet, in this verse, has given a summary of all that He has said respecting Him in chap. liii. (John i. 10, 11). "Despised by the mere animal passion of man, which judges according to the outward appearance; and is therefore carnal, and not spiritual."-Wordsworth. 2. As abhorred by the Jewish nation. "Him whom the nation abhorreth" (cf. chap. i. 4, x. 6). He was regarded as an abomination by the people (Luke xv. 2). "This man"this fellow-" receiveth sinners "-is in secret sympathy with them. In Matt. xxvi. 67; Luke xxiii. 18-26, ch. liii. 3, 4 is literally fulfilled. He is still abhorred by the Jews. His name excites the utmost contempt among them, and they turn from Him and His claims with the deepest abhorrence. They contemptuously call Jesus Tolvi, the crucified; and nothing excites deeper abhorrence and contempt than the doctrine of salvation by the merits of the crucified Nazarene (1 Cor. i. 23, and others). 3. As a servant of rulers." Though He was ruler of all worlds, He voluntarily submitted Himself to human power, and yielded obedience to human rulers-the constituted authorities of His day. He conformed to the institutions of His country (Matt. xvii. 27, xxvi. 52, 53). He submitted to an unjust trial and verdict. In the strictest sense He was "a servant of rulers," for "He was deprived of His liberty, comfort, and life at their caprice." II. THE PURPOSE OF GOD RESPECTING THE MESSIAH'S REIGN. 1. He is "chosen of God" to accomplish the world's salvation. "He shall choose thee." He was elected to diffuse light and truth among all nations (ver. 6; also chap. xlii. 1–10). 2. All shall bow to His sceptre. "Kings shall see," &c. That is, kings shall see the fulfilment of the Divine promise by which He is destined to be the light of the nations, and they shall rise up with demonstrations of respect and reverence; they shall render Him honour as their Teacher and Redeemer. They shall do homage to the great King-Saviour. "Kings, being usually seated in the presence of others, are described as rising from their thrones; while princes and nobles, who usually stand in the presence of their sovereigns, are described as falling prostrate" (Hitzig). The universality of His reign is distinctly foretold (Ps. ii. 6, 8; Isa. xlii. 1, 4; Zec. xiv. 19; Rev. xix. 6, 11-17; and others). The text has been fulfilled. Kings and princes have bowed before the Redeemer, and the time is hastening on when throughout the world they shall adore Him. 3. God in His faithfulness will accomplish His gracious purpose. "Because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel." His purpose shall assuredly be brought to pass. For this He pledges the veracity of His word. The universality of Christ's reign shall be traced entirely to the faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God. CONCLUSION.-1. What a glorious period is approaching! All the world shall see the salvation of God. He who is now despised and rejected by so many, shall be universally honoured, loved, adored. All shall bow to Him, as the ripe fields of autumn do to the winds of heaven. The day of His triumph draws nigh -all things betoken it! Glorious prospect! (H. E. I. 979, 1161, 1162; P. D. 475). 2. What encouragement have all Christian workers-Ministers, missionaries, &c. The success of our efforts is certain. What honour is conferred upon us as the instruments of diffusing light and truth! Christ deemed it the highest honour, so should we. Let us with all possible earnestness seek the advancement of His reign, and the increase of its glory. They who do most for the conversion of the world, are most like Christ, and will have the greatest reward in heaven. 3. What is your relation to this great King-Saviour? Is God's gracious purpose accomplished in your salvation? Does He reign in your heart? Do you despise and reject the crucified Jesus, or do you receive Him as your prophet, priest, and king? It is of infinite importance that you belong to His kingdom. Without this, there can be no real holiness, happiness, security. Hostility to Christ, the Divinely appointed Saviour-King is utterly useless. He must and will be victorious (Ps. ii 4 and 5, and others). How fearful will be the condition of all who refuse allegiance to Him! Let Him become without delay your Saviour and your King (Ps. ii. 11, 12). "O Thou Almighty Lord, My Conqueror and my King, -Alfred Tucker. THE SUFFERING REDEEMER THE SOURCE AND DISPENSER OF BLESSING TO HIS PEOPLE. xlix. 7-12. Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer, &c. I. THE HUMILIATION AND EXALTA- rulers, centurions came and kneeled TION OF THE MESSIAH (ver. 7). He who had always taken care of the Jewish church, and wrought out for it those deliverances that were typical of the great salvation, here speaks to Him who was the Undertaker of that salvation. 1. He takes notice of His humiliation (ver. 7). "Whom man despiseth," &c. ef. ch. liii. 3; Luke xxiii. 21). "A servant of rulers." Pilate boasted of his power over Him (John xix. 10). 2. He promises Him exaltation. Honour was done Him, even in the days of His humiliation. Noblemen, to Him; but this was more fully accomplished when kings received His Gospel, submitted to His yoke, joined in His worship, and called themselves His vassals. Not that Christ values the rich more than the poor (they stand on a level with Him), but it is for the honour of His kingdom among men, when the great ones of the earth appear for Him, and do homage to Him. II. THE SUCCOUR AND SUCCESS PROMISED HIM. 1. The succour. God will hear His cry for help (ver. 8; Heb. v. 7). In the days of His flesh Christ knew that His Father heard Him always (John xi. 42, xvii. 24). He will also help Him to go through with His undertaking. The Father was always at His right hand, and did not leave Him when His disciples did (John xvi. 32). 2. The success. He is assured (1.) that He should be the Guarantee of the treaty of peace between God and man: "I will give Thee for a covenant of the people" (see pp. 113-115). (2.) By Him the decays of the Church should be repaired, and the Church itself established on a "rock" (ver. 8). "Establish the earth," or rather, "the land," the land of Judah, a type of the Church. (3.) To Him should be gathered those who were farthest from God and the good land He had promised to His people (ver. 12). The Jews were dispersed into several parts of the country of Babylon, as enemies pleased, to prevent any combination among them. But when God's time is come to bring them home together, one spirit shall animate all them that lie at the greatest distance from each other; and those also that had taken shelter in other countries shall meet them in the land of Judah. This promise was to have a further accomplishment in the great confluence of converts to the Gospel-church, and its full accomplishment when God's chosen shall come from the east and the west, to sit down with the patriarchs in the kingdom of God (Matt. viii. 11). III. THE BLESSINGS IN STORE FOR ALL THOSE TO WHOM HE IS MADE SALVATION. It was by the foresight of these that He was encouraged to prosecute the great and costly work He had undertaken. He is assured 1. That by Him the souls of men should be freed from the bondage of guilt, and brought into the glorious liberty of God's children (ver. 9). 2. That He should be enabled to provide for the comfortable passage of those whom He set at liberty to the place of their rest and happy settlement (ver. 9-11). These verses refer to the provision made for the Jews' return out of their captivity, who were taken under the particular care of Divine providence; but it is applicable to that guidance of Divine Grace which all God's spiritual Israel are under, from their release out of bondage to their settlement in the heavenly Canaan. (1.) They shall have their charges borne and shall be fed at free cost with food convenient. "They shall feed," &c. Now, as formerly, God leads Joseph like a flock. When God pleases, even highway ground shall be good ground for His sheep to feed in. Their pastures shall be not only in the valleys, but "in all high places," which are commonly dry and barren. Wherever God brings His people, He will take care they shall want nothing that is good for them (Ps. xxxiv. 10). So well shall they be provided for, that "they shall not hunger nor thirst;" for what they need they shall have seasonably, before their need of it comes to any extremity. (2.) They shall be sheltered and protected from everything that would incommode them. "Neither shall the heat nor sun smite them," for God causes "His flock to rest at noon" (Cant. i. 7). No evil thing shall befall those who put themselves under Divine protection; they shall be enabled to bear "the burden and heat of the day." (3.) They shall be under God's gracious guidance (ver. 10). He will lead them, as He did His people in the old time through the wilderness. The world leads its followers by broken cisterns, or brooks that fail in summer; but God leads those that are His "by the springs of water." He will furnish them with suitable and seasonable comforts. (4.) Those whom God guides shall find a ready road and all obstacles removed (ver. 11). He that in times past made the sea a way, now with as much ease will make the mountains a way, though they seem impassable. The causeway shall be raised, to make it both the plainer and the fairer. The ways in which God leads His people, He Himself will be the overseer of, and will take care that they be kept in good repair, as of old the ways that led to the cities of refuge. Though there be difficulties in the way to heaven, which we cannot by our own strength get over, yet the grace of God will be sufficient to help us over them, and to make even the "mountains a way."-Matthew Henry: Commentary, in loco. CHRIST DESPISED AND HONOURED. xlix. 7. Thus saith the LORD, This verse has been called " a prelude of chap. liii." It anticipates that minute and graphic exhibition of the Messiah's sufferings and glories, which we have so often pondered, and prize so highly. In brief compass it states the leading points presented in that chapter. This is the twig which is there expanded into a magnificent tree. Here, as there, the prophet transports himself into the time when our Lord lived and suffered on earth, and stands at the point of transition between the humiliation and the exaltation. The shame, the indignities, the rejection, the cruel sufferings are stated as present facts: the glory, the honour, the worship, the world-wide influence are viewed as future. When Jesus died upon the cross, and His body was consigned to Joseph's tomb, His degradation seemed complete, His cause hopeless. His persecutors never dreamt that He would ever be heard of again, and even the faith of His disciples was shaken (Luke xxiv. 21). Never were surmises more signally falsified; never were fears and doubts more effectually relieved than when the Redeemer rose on the third day, and, after showing Himself to His disciples, ascended to the seat of honour and power. From this time onward His career is an entire reversal of the circumstances connected with His previous earthly course. I. View the prophecy in its historical fulfilment. "The sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow" form the great theme of Old Testament prediction, and in this one verse, which contains the substance of chap. liii., both the sufferings and the subsequent glory are clearly foretold. to him whom man despiseth, &c. 1. Look at the features of His humiliation. The Messiah is spoken of as one "whom man despiseth (or of contemptible soul), whom the nation abhorreth, a servant of rulers." In these successive clauses the number of Christ's enemies is narrowed from men to the Jewish people, and from the Jews to their rulers; but the feelings of hostility and the active opposition became more intense, passing from contempt to abhorrence, and from abhorrence to the infliction of cruel sufferings and abject degradation, culminating in the death of a slave. In Him men saw nothing to attract their admiration,— none of that earthly greatness and outward display which captivate the mob. His meekness and holiness repelled them, and His lowly station rendered Him an object of contempt (liii. 2, 3). By the Jews he was regarded with abhorrence. He did not answer to their carnal notions, He shocked their prejudices: they reasoned from His sufferings and mean condition to His character, inferring that for some sin He was the object of the Divine displeasure, not knowing that the sin was their own. In fanatical zeal their rulers condemned Him to die a shameful death. Thus was He rejected by all classes. His cross was an offence. His mission, character, and work were strangely misunderstood. The ignorance and blindness of His adversaries explain their treatment of Him (Acts iii. 17; 1 Cor. ii. 8). The power and passions of the world were arrayed against Him. 2. His subsequent honours and influence. Behold how changed is the estimate formed of Him! Even kings rise from their thrones to pay Him |