Seeing Christ's Glory

He saw his glory, and spoke of him. John 12:41.

Ministers who do not preach Christ, sinners who do not speak of Christ, are objects of pity, not of our wrath. Their eyes are blind to his matchless glory. Their hearts do not understand his unparalleled love. But consider, (1st.) When once Christ’s glory is displayed, and his love believed in the heart, the tongue will speak of him. So Isaiah found it. So did that poor woman of Samaria, “she ran into the city,” she catched hold of one and another. She eagerly cried, “Come, see a man who told me all things that ever I did, is not this the Christ?” Surely it is, what think ye? (John 4:29.) She had sweet experience. Here was no self-exalting. No cry, see me, admire me. What fine experience I have got! One is sometimes grieved to read, or hear people tell of their experiences, when they tend only to make the poor sinner appear, as somewhat glorious in his own eyes, and to be admired by his fellow sinners. This is not right. If the sinner’s vileness is not fully explored, and the Saviour’s glory only exalted, such souls know not as they ought to know. Such experiences are not profitable, they are not worth attending to. (2d.) When sinners see Christ’s glory, they will speak to him of God the Father. They will come in his name. They will plead his blood only for the pardon of sin, his righteousness alone for the justification of their souls, his intercession for their obtaining every blessing in earth and heaven. Thus we can come boldly to a throne of grace. Thus we expect freely to obtain mercy to relieve us, and grace to comfort us. Thus we are sure, perfectly sure, we are welcome to God. For he hath told us so. It pleased the Father, that in Christ all fulness (of grace and glory) should dwell. (Colossians 1:19.) “That out of his fulness we should receive.” (John 1:16.) Having seen Christ’s glory, we come to him for this grace. For (3d.) The sight of Christ’s glory, eclipses our own fancied glory. The more we see of Jesus, the less we like ourselves. We grow out of conceit with ourselves. What glory is there in a filthy dunghill, a cage of unclean birds, a nest of serpents, toads, and adders? Worse, inexpressibly worse are we than all these. Our natures are half-beast, half-devil. Yet, astonishing love! Jesus displays the glory of his grace to us. Nothing but unbelief prevents our beholding it. “Said I not unto thee, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see my glory?” John 11:40.

When I my Saviour’s glory see
Revealed in the word to faith,
My soul is full of ecstasy,
I dwell with joy on what he saith.

My tongue is loos’d to speak his fame,
And tell poor sinners all around,
That they with me may know his name,
And say, I’ve precious Jesus found.

- William Mason, A Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God, Volume 2, September 14