stript of it, and exposed to the tempest of divine indignation. If you think to take refuge in any other hiding place, than in the rock of ages, "the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters shall overflow the hiding place;" where, then, will you flee for safety, and where will you hide your glory? As the gospel exhibits unto you Jesus, as an hiding place from the storm, and a covert from the tempest, flee to him, and you shall find safety in the evil day. DISCOURSE XIII. THE FULNESS OF CHRIST THE SOURCE OF ALL GRACIOUS SUPPLIES TO BELIEVERS. JOHN i. 16. -And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. IT is with great propriety that the long expected Saviour of mankind, is often represented by the emblem of a bright luminary, diffusing his light, and shedding his benign influences all around, dispelling darkness, and discovering to benighted sinners objects the most interesting. No sooner had sin enveloped the moral world with gross spiritual darkness, than the day spring from on high appeared; announced the approach of the Sun of righteousness. Though the light, at this early period, was small, and much darkness remained, yet it was genuine, opened a blessed prospect to sinners, and continued. This luminary shone forth with increasing splen dour as he approached his meridian. Every new promise, every new prediction, and every new type or fi gure, contained additional rays of light, and afforded more extensive discoveries to the church, in the antideluvian and patriarchal ages. Their light, however, was very obscure, on account of the distance of the luminary, they saw the day of his meridian splen dour only afar off, yet with such certainty as to fill them with joy. When the church assumed a more organized form, and was become more extensive, much additional light was given, and a new dispensa tion of things took place. This, however, was still, comparatively, very obscure and also limited, being confined to the natural seed of Abraham. The ceremonial system, though it pointed at something future. and glorious, was a group of mere shadows, through which the Sun was seen but darkly. The predictions and promises which followed, afforded the clearest discoveries of the Messiah, in his person, character and work. In them he was exhibited as "The sun of righteousness," "A light to illuminate the Gentiles, and the glory of Israel." When the fulness of time came, all these had their accomplishment in the appearance of thè the Messiah. Hence the words of Philip to Nathanael, after he had seen Jesus, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." John i. 45. It was the design of his appearing to remove the obscurity which formerly remained, and to communicate to the church, and to the world, much additional light. The Apostle, therefore, in the context, tells us that, "In him was life; and the life was the light of men." ver. 5. But though he thus shined as a bright luminary giving light from heaven, such was the darkness of men's minds, that they refused to walk in his light; for "he came to his own, and his own received him not." Some, however, gave him a very different reception, their views of him being very different from the views of others. They beheld in him, when incarnate, "The glory as of the only begotten of the Father, and a fulness of grace and truth; from which fulness the Evangelist says that, he and others received, and grace for grace. THE fulness in the text is evidently the same with that in ver. 14. Christ's tabernacling among men, and displaying his glory, are expressed in terms alluding to the Shekinah, where the divine Majesty manifested his glory in the tabernacle. Under the gospel the same glory is displayed, not by a bright shining light, as formerly; but by a very glorious manifestation of the divine perfections in the person and work of the Son of God incarnate. The two dispensations are evidently contrasted in this passage, and the superior excellence of the gospel pointed out. "Grace and truth," evidently mean that superior excellence. "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." ver. 17. The 15th verse is evidently a parenthesis, anticipating the testimony of John, and interrupting the subject of the discourse, to which the Evangelist returns. ver. 16. This fulness cannot comprehend less than all that perfection and excellence which belong to the Messiah, which is so fully exhibited in the gospel, and by which he is so completely qualified for his whole work. THIS fulness is expressed by two words, grace and truth. The legal dispensation was partly the ministration of condemnation written upon stones, and partly a collection of unsubstantial shadows. To these grace and truth are opposed. These were shadows of good things to come while the body or substance was of Christ. There was no truth, no reality of atonement in their sacrifices, and no moral purification in their numerous ablutions, but they prefigured these in Christ. The law given by Moses was a fiery law, delivered in circumstances awfully terrific, incapable of perfecting any thing in the salvation of sinners, and rather working wrath. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, by completely answering all its demands. In virtue of this all saving blessings are con ferred on sinners in the way of free grace. Grace is used, in the Scriptures to denote either the good will of God to sinners, or those favours which flow from it, and are bestowed upon sinners freely by him. The gospel itself is sometimes so denominated. The word is also used, though seldom, to express the operations of the Spirit on the souls of believers. In the text it implies all those saving blessings which are lodged in Christ the Mediator, to be communicated by him to his people for their salvation. Scarcely any passage of the Scripture has been more diversely understood than the expression, “grace for grace." I shall not at present wait to take any notice of these, as some few things may afterwards be noticed with respect to the expression. THOUGH what is here asserted may have a primary relation to the Apostles, yet the privilege is not to be restricted to those official endowments, which they received from Christ, in order to qualify them for their work. Grace and truth in him, were prefigured in a much more extensive sense by the law, than what related to official qualifications, as is evident from the epistle to the Hebrews; and therefore the privilege must be taken in such a latitude as to comprehend all believers. They all have access to the fulness of the Redeemer, and it ought to be much of their employment to receive plentiful supplies from him. In farther prosecuting the subject I shall tor. I. ENQUIRE a little into the fulness of the Media II. POINT out the excellence of this fulness. III. SHOW what may be implied in receiving from this fulness, " .. grace for grace." IV. DEDUCE some inferences. |
