In one vast blaze of unobscured
glory by John Macduff from The Promised Land, 1859. Your eyes shall see the king
in his beauty. Isaiah chapter 33 verse 17. To see the Saviour as He is,
in the splendours of His glorified humanity, is the highest and
most attractive view which is given of the heavenly world.
To see Him as He was, when He tabernacled here below, was a
high privilege, one which prophets and kings and righteous men of
old ardently desired. but to behold him clothed with
majesty divine, exalted above all blessing and praise, the
object of celestial adoration, with all the heavenly hosts prostrate
before his throne. That will be a blessed sight
indeed. Between the view that is enjoyed
of the Redeemer's glory on earth, and that which is realized by
the redeemed in heaven, there is a threefold distinction. In
the first place, His glory, as seen here, is dark and obscure. But in heaven it is clear and
unclouded. The Apostle speaks of our beholding
him now imperfectly, as in a cloudy mirror. It is by means of certain
indistinct mediums, such as the representations of his word and
ordinances. But he will be seen above, face
to face. In the second place, his glory
is beheld here, only in separate parts and portions. The things
recorded of him in the sacred writings are studied one by one,
and by comparing them together, we form a general estimate of
his character. In some passages we have an account
of his person, in others of his offices, in others of his love
or mercy, and it is by collecting these scattered fragments together
that our knowledge of him is now obtained. So it was with
the spouse in the Book of Canticles. She examined every part of his
person by itself. His head was as fine gold, his
cheeks were as a bed of spices, his lips were like lilies dropping
sweet-smelling myrrh, his countenance was as Lebanon, excellent as
the cedars. And after having glanced at these
several particulars, she comes to the conclusion that he is
the chief among ten thousand, and altogether lovely. It is thus that the Saviour is
seen here on earth, but how will it be in heaven? We shall see
him all at once, complete and entire, in one vast blaze of
unobscured glory. And, in the third place, the
view we have of Christ on earth is only in occasional glances. There are seasons in the experience
of every believer when he has to say with Job, Behold, I go
forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive
him. Or, in the language of the prophet,
Truly you are a God who hides yourself. but precious truth,
the vision in heaven will be perpetual, it will be altogether
unbroken and undisturbed. Your sun shall no more go down,
neither shall your moon withdraw itself, for the Lord shall be
your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be
ended. Blessed Jesus, reveal Yourself
even now according to Your promise to my waiting soul. Be it mine
to enter in some feeble measure into the feelings of Your disciples
of old when they said, We beheld His glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, and
refreshed, quickened, transformed by Thy and refreshed, quickened,
transformed by the sight, may I be daily looking for and hastening
unto the coming of that day when your own prayer, offered on the
night of your great agony, shall be fully answered. Father, I
want those you have given me to be with me where I am and
to see my glory. The glory you have given me because
you loved me before the creation of the world. Then shall I know
how great your beauty is and what it is to be eternally enraptured
with your charms. you