BY DR. JOHN LOVE, DATED LONDON, DEC. 7, 1789.
THE words principally in my view are these in the latter part of the verse, “I said, behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.”
The distressed circumstances of the Jewish Church previously to the Messiah’s coming are strongly marked in those prayers, which the prophet in the two foregoing chapters lays up in store for their use. He was far from flattering his countrymen with prospects of temporal prosperity, but warns them that their sins would be sharply chastised and their faith in God’s promises severely tried before they should see the expected Redeemer. It is God’s general plan to cast down and purify before he comforts and exalts.
Besides the fervent expostulations which the prophet puts in the mouths of the afflicted Jews, while they should hang in suspense between the desolations of the typical temple and the rearing up of that eternal fabric of which Jesus Christ is the foundation; besides these expostulations (with which the former chapter concludes) he bears up and animates their faith by holding forth to them the prospect of the future glorious enlargement of the Church by the admission of the heathen nations into it, which should attend the Mediator’s appearing and happy reign. For this purpose Jehovah himself is introduced as expressing his triumphant joy in this great event. This the apostle Paul points out as a very bold stroke on the part of the prophet, who herein spake directly in opposition to the selfish spirit and malignant prejudices of his countrymen. They, prompted by devilish pride and malice, then wished, as they do to this day, to monopolise the blessings of God’s favour and to exalt themselves at the expense of the damnation of all mankind. “But,” says the apostle, “Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not: I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, all day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.”
From this application of the words by an inspired man it appears that we sinners of the Gentiles are specially concerned in this sublime declaration of infinite grace. Our conversion, if indeed we are savingly converted, forms a part of that extensive work of mercy which God had in view when, by the mouth of Isaiah, he pronounced these words. If any of us are afraid that they still remain in the pit of an unconverted state, the cords of salvation are in this passage let down to them, that, taking hold thereof, they may, through the blood of the covenant, come up out of that pit in “which there is no water.”
I have fixed on the latter part of the verse as suited to furnish proper counsels and encouragements to those who desire, agreeably to the commandment of Christ, to sit at His holy table. We may consider these words as now in the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is “Jehovah our Righteousness,” the fountain of our salvation, the object, the author, and finisher of our faith. We may listen with faith, wonder, and gratitude to Him as now addressing us in such strains as these:—”Behold me, behold me;” yea, if we are already the subjects of His grace we may hear him triumphing over it as an event already past—a triumph in which, surely, it becomes us to hold communion with Him. “I said, behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.”
The full illustration of these words, I apprehend, requires that we should do the three following things:—
First—Consider the nature of that spiritual exercise which this Divine call and exhortation points forth: “I said, behold me.”
Second—Explain what is signified by the pressing, pathetic manner in which the call is issued out, “I said, behold me, behold me.”
Third—Show the beauty and force of that which is mentioned as on aggrandising circumstance of the call; it is addressed to those who were not called by God’s name.
I. The Nature of the Spiritual Exercise
Let us, my brethren, consider the nature of that spiritual exercise which this Divine call and exhortation points forth: “I said, behold me.”
It is because of our estrangement from the spiritual world that objects and duties, which in their own nature are very clear and plain, seem to us intricate and unintelligible. Language must be employed therefore for illustrating them, taken from sensible objects and the familiar actions of animal life. The gracious exercise of the soul towards God, as manifested by His Word, is, for this reason, here and in other places, expressed by the action of one of the bodily senses. We know what it is to fix our eyes steadily on any extraordinary or pleasing object which commands our attention and draws us off from regarding other surrounding objects. Like to this is that spiritual exercise of the soul in contemplating Jehovah, to which mankind are in the text solemnly invited. It contains in it the following things:—
i. That the understanding opens and closely applies itself to take in just, realising, and enlightened views of God, agreeably to Divine revelation. The exhortation is sometimes expressed in direct reference to this, as Ps. c. 3, “Know ye that the Lord he is God.” Job xxii. 21, “Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace.” The understanding is the leading faculty of the soul, as the eye directs the motion of the body. The other faculties cannot duly move towards God until He is presented to the view of the soul in a clear and affecting light. Conversion is therefore in Scripture expressed by “our being called out of darkness into God’s marvellous light.” And though in a certain sense it may be justly said that the soul is passive in receiving this illumination, yet there is room for the soul’s activity in searching for this light, in admitting, cherishing, and improving it, both before conversion, in the time of it, and afterwards. Hence men are, in general, commanded to seek the Lord. And the prophet Hosea introduces the Church, as speaking thus:—”Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord.” And in the verse where the text lies the seeking and the finding the Lord are joined together.
These views of God which are to be sought for and entertained are of a large extent. What is the sum and centre of them may be learned from the following passages:—Jer ix. 24—”Let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.” John xvii. 3—”This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” 1 Cor. ii. 2—”I determined to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Agreeably to the tenour of these and similar expressions, we may observe that this knowledge hath respect to the essential perfections of the Infinite Godhead; the relative characters of God as the Creator, Lord, Lawgiver, and Judge of all; the distinction of Persons in the Godhead; and the distinct offices sustained by the three Divine Persons in accomplishing the salvation of lost men. But though this knowledge takes so wide a range and reaches to every revealed truth concerning God in its proper place and order, yet it peculiarly fixes itself on the justice and mercy of God as displaying their mingled glories in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Such, my brethren, is the extent and subject of this sacred knowledge which the text calls us to pursue after. But there are two things further respecting this knowledge of God which must be attended to with peculiar care, otherwise our knowledge will only serve the purpose of a dark lantern to light us down into the very depths of hell. What are these things so very important? They are these two. The kind or quality of our knowledge and its strength or influence. I mention them distinctly, though they are inseparable from each other, and go always together. It is not merely knowledge, but knowledge of a particular kind that will save us. It must be not only a strong persuasion or conviction of the truth concerning God, but it must be a spiritual insight into the glory of the truth. In other words, he who savingly beholds or contemplates God has a perception in God which no human language can fully express—something which makes the whole nature and perfections of God appear infinitely excellent. He sees a holy beauty, an amiable sweetness, a boundless glory, universally, as it were, diffused over the perfections and nature of Jehovah, but especially shining forth from the cross of Jesus Christ. And this kind of knowledge has a proper kind of strength and influence. For it so fills the soul as to take the command of all its active powers and to set them effectually in motion towards God. This is that teaching which draws the soul to God through the Mediator. When such knowledge of God is attained by us we have such expressions as the following fulfilled in our experience:—”He endured as seeing Him who is invisible;” “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Such knowledge will not be asleep in the soul, but will rouse every principle of action into proper exertion. I have nothing farther to do on this part of the subject but briefly to point out the effect and influence of this genuine and saving light.
Effect and Influence of Genuine and Saving Light
- To behold God in the sense of the text is to fix the whole confidence of the soul upon him so as thoroughly to renounce and forsake every other confidence. “They, that know thy name,” says David, “will put their trust in thee.” As soon as God shines upon the soul in His true splendour the glory of all idols is eclipsed and extinguished. The concerns of the soul and of eternity appear too vast to be rested safely anywhere else. A happy proportion is perceived between the boundless perfections of God displayed in Christ on the one hand and the vast capacities, wants, and miseries of the fallen creature on the other. There then appears no room for a choice between God and idols. One Infinite good is sufficient to swallow up the whole soul and to sink into contempt millions of imaginary gods.
The soul, therefore, in drawing near to this glorious object of trust, brings with it many idols, but it brings them to be sacrificed, to be disclaimed, and trampled under foot. The soul loathes its former idols and itself for its vain dependence on them. This renunciation of other confidences stands connected with sincere trust in God in the following words:—Isa. xvii, 7-8—”At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel: And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made;” Isa. xxx. 22—”Ye shall defile also the covern of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold; thou shall cast they away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, get thee hence.” Then it appears to the soul an intolerable insult to reserve any idol to share with God the confidence of the heart. The soul echoes amen to that curse, “Cursed be the men that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, whose heart departeth from the Lord.”—Jer. xvii. 5. But the kind of false confidence which sticks closest and is renounced with the greatest difficulty is that which rests on an imaginary righteousness of our own, which the heart secretly wishes at least, as it were, to establish. I consider the expressions of the text and of similar passages as being in this view peculiarly emphatical. For when salvation is held forth to be obtained by looking to God, our desperate situation and the entire exclusion of the works of the law, in the sense of the covenant of works, are intimated in the strongest manner. It is not said, “Do this and live.” But the way of salvation is, in such expressions, thus stated, “Despair of help by your own efforts: look away from everything in yourselves, excepting your guilt and vileness. Stand still like men desperate in yourselves, and cast a greedy look to me, the only Deliverer, and ye shall be saved: it shall be counted to you for righteousness.” “To him,” says the apostle, “who worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”—Rom iv. 5.
To be continued.