What it is to Wait upon God (II)

II. For the second thing. Having shewed you what it is to wait on God, I come next to shew, that this we must do every day; and all the day long.

A. We must wait on our God every day. Omni die ([every day], so some. This is the work of every day, which is to be done in its day, for the duty of every day requires it. Servants come in the courts of princes have their weeks, or months of waiting appointed them, and are tied to attend only at certain times. But God's servants must never be out of waiting: all the days of our appointed time, the time of our work and warfare here on earth we must be waiting, Job 14:14, and not desire or expect to be discharged from this attendance, till we come to heaven, where we shall wait on God, as angels do, more nearly constantly.

We must wait on God every day.

1. Both on sabbath days and on week days. The Lord's day is instituted and appointed on purpose for our attendance on God in the courts of His house, there we must wait on Him, to give glory to Him, and to receive both commands,,, and favours from Him, ministers must then wait on their ministry, Romans 12:7 and people must wait on it too, saying as Cornelius for himself and his friends, now we are all here ready before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God, Acts 10:33. It is for the honour of God to help to fill up the assemblies of those that attend at the footstool of His throne, and to add to their number. The whole sabbath time except what is taken up in works of necessity and mercy, must be employed in waiting on our God. Christians are spiritual priests, and as such it is their business to wait in God's house at the time appointed. 

But it is not enough; we must wait upon our God on week days, too, for every day of the week we want mercy from Him, and have work to do for Him. Our waiting upon Him in public ordinances on the first day of the week, is designed to fix us to, and fit us for communion with Him all the week after; so that we answer not the intentions of the sabbath, unless the impressions of it abide upon us, and go with us into the business of the week, and be kept always in the imagination of the thoughts of our heart. Thus from one sabbath to another, and from one new moon to another, we must keep in a holy and gracious frame; must be so in the Spirit on the Lord's day, as to walk in the Spirit all the week.

2. Both on idle days, and busy days, we must be found waiting on God. Some days of our lives are days of labour and hurry, when our particular calling calls for our close and diligent application; but we must not think that will excuse us from our constant attendance on God. Even then when our hands are working about the world, our hearts may be waiting on our God, by an habitual regard to Him, to His providence as our guide, and His glory as our end, in our worldly business; and thus we must abide with Him in them. Those that rise up early, and sit up late, and eat the bread of carefulness in pursuit of the world, yet are concerned to wait on God, because otherwise all their care and pains will signify nothing; it is labour in vain, Psa. 127: 1, 2, no, it is labour in the fire.

Some days of our lives we relax from business, and take our ease. Many of you have your time for diversion, but then when you lay aside other business, this of waiting upon God must not be laid aside. When you prove yourselves with mirth, as Solomon did, and say, you will enjoy pleasure a little, yet let this wisdom remain with you, Eccl. 2:1, 3, let your eye be then up to God, and take heed of dropping your communion with Him, in that which you call an agreeable conversation with your friends. Whether it be a day of work, or a day of rest, we shall find nothing like waiting upon God both to enlighten the toil of our work, and to sweeten the comfort of our repose. So that whether we have much to do, or little to do in the world, still we must wait upon God, that we may be kept from the temptation that attends both the one and the other.

3. Both in days of prosperity, and in days of adversity, we must be found waiting upon God. Doth the world smile upon us, and court us? Yet let us not turn from attending on God, to make our court to it: If we have never so much of the wealth of the world, yet we cannot say we have no need of God, no further occasion to make use of Him, as David was ready to say, when in his prosperity he said he should never be moved; but soon saw his error, when God hid His face, and he was troubled. Psa. 30:6. When our affairs prosper, and into our hands God bringeth plentifully, we must wait upon God as our great landlord, and our own obligations to Him; must beg His blessing on what we have, and His favour with it, and depend upon Him both for the continuance, and for the comfort of it. We must wait upon God for wisdom and grace, to use what we have in the world for the ends for which we are intrusted with it, as those that must give account, and know not how soon. And how much soever we have of this world, and how richly soever it is given us to enjoy it, still we must wait upon God for better things, not only than the world gies, but than He Himself gives in this world. Lord put me not off with this for a portion.

And when the world frowns upon us, and things go very cross, we must not so fret ourselves as its frowns, or so frighten ourselves with them, as thereby to be driven off from waiting on God, but rather let us thereby be driven to it. Afflictions are sent for this end, to bring us to the throne of grace, to teach us to pray, and to make the word of God's grace precious to us. In the days of our sorrow, we must wait upon God for those comforts which are sufficient to balance our grief; Job, when in tears, fell down and worshipped God, taking away, as well as giving. In the day of our fear we must wait upon God for those encouragements that are sufficient to silence our fears; Jehoshaphat, in his distress waited on God, and was not in vain, his heart was established by it; and so was David's often, which brought him to this resolution, which was an anchor to his soul, what time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.

4. Both in the days of youth, and in the days of old age, we must be found waiting on God. Those that are young cannot begin their attendance on God too soon: The child Samuel ministered to the Lord, and the scripture story puts a particular mark of honour upon it; and Christ was wonderfully pleased with the hosannas of the children that waited on Him, when He rode in triumph into Jerusalem: when Solomon in his youth, upon his succession to the throne, waited upon God for wisdom, it is said, the saying pleased the Lord. I remember thee (saith God to Israel) even the kindness of thy youth, when thou wentest after Me, and didst wait upon Me in a wilderness, Jer. 2:2. To wait upon God, is to be mindful of our Creator, and the proper time for that is in the days of our youth, Eccl. 12:1. Those that would wait upon God aright, must learn betimes to do it; the most accomplished courtiers are those that are bred at court.

And may the old servants of Jesus be dismissed from waiting on Him? No, their attendance is still required, and shall be still accepted: they shall not be cast off by their Master in the time of old age, and therefore let not them then desert His service. When through the infirmities of age they can no longer be working servants in God's family, yet they may be waiting servants. Those that like Barzillai are unfit for the entertainments of the courts of earthly princes, yet may relish the pleasures of God's courts as well as ever. The Levites when they were past the age of fifty, and were discharged from the toilsome part of their ministration, yet still must wait on God, must be quietly waiting, to give honour to Him, and to receive comfort from Him. Those that have done the will of God, and their doing work is at an end, have need of patience to enable them to wait till they inherit the promise: and the nearer the happiness is which they are waiting for, the dearer should the God be they are waiting on, and hope shortly to be with, to be with eternally.

Matthew Henry 

A Method for Prayer, pp. 206-209

What it is to Wait upon God (1)

...To wait on God is to live a life of desire towards Him, delight in Him, dependence on Him, and devotedness to Him.

A. It is to live a life of desire towards God; to wait on Him, as the beggar waits on his benefactor, with earnest desire to receive supplies from him; as the sick and sore in Bethesda’s pool, waited for the stirring of the water, and attended in the porches with desire to be helped in and healed. When the prophet had said, Lord, in the way of Thy judgments we have waited for Thee, he explained himself thus in the next words, the desire of our soul is to Thy name, and to the remembrance of Thee; and with my soul have I desired Thee, Isa. 26:8, 9. Our desire must be not only towards the good things that God gives, but towards God Himself, His favour and love, the manifestation of His name to us, an the influences of His grace upon us. Then we wait on God, when our souls pant after Him, and His favour, when we thirst for God, for the living God: O that I may behold the beauty of the Lord! O that I may taste His goodness! O that I may bear His image, and be entirely conformed to His will! For there is none in heaven or earth, that I can desire in comparison of Him. O that I may know Him more, and love Him better, and be brought nearer to Him, and made fitter for Him. Thus upon the wings of holy desire should our souls be still soaring upwards towards God, still pressing forwards, forwards towards heaven.

We must not only pray solemnly in the morning, but that desire which is the life and soul of prayer, like the fire upon the altar, must be kept continually burning, ready for the sacrifices that are to be offered upon it. The bent and bias of the soul in all its motions must be towards God, the serving of Him in all we do, and the enjoying of Him in all we have. And this is principally intended in the commands given to us to pray always, to pray without ceasing, to continue in prayer. Even when we are not making actual addresses to God, yet we must have habitual inclinations towards Him; as a man in health, though He is not always eating, yet has always a disposition in him towards the nourishments and delights of the body. Thus we must be always waiting on God, as our chief good, and moving towards Him.

B. It is to live a life of delight in God, as the lover waits on his beloved. Desire is love in motion, as a bird upon the wing; delight is love at rest, as a bird upon the nest; now though our desire must still be towards God, as that we must be wishing for more of God, yet our delight must be so in God, as that we must never wish for more than God. Believing Him to be a God all-sufficient, in Him we must be entirely satisfied; let Him be mine, and I have enough. Do we love to love God? It is a pleasure to us to think that there is a God, that He is such a one as He has revealed Himself to be, that He is our God by creation to dispose of us as He pleaseth, our God in covenant to dispose of all for the best to us; this is waiting on our God, always looking up to Him with pleasure.

Something or other the soul has that it values itself by, something or other it reposes itself in, and what is it? God of the world? What is it that we pride ourselves in? Which we make the matter of our boasting? It is the character of worldly people, that they boast themselves in the multitude of their riches, Psa. 49:6 and of their own might, and the power of their own hands, which they think has gotten them this wealth; it is the character of godly people, that in God they boast all the day long, Psa. 44:8. That is waiting on God; having our eye always upon Him with a secret complacency, as men have upon that which is their glory, and which they glory in.

What is it that we please ourselves with, which we embrace with the greatest satisfaction, in the bosom of which we lay our heads, and in having which we hug ourselves, as having all we would have: the worldly man when his barns are full of corn, saith, soul, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry; the godly man can never say so till he finds his heart full of God, and Christ; and grace; and then, return unto thy rest, O my soul, here repose thyself; the gracious soul dwells in God, is at home in Him, and there dwells at ease, is in Him perpetually pleased; and whatever he meets with in the world to make him uneasy, he finds enough in God to balance.

C. It is to live a life of dependence on God, as the child waits on his father, whom he ha confidence in, and on whom he casts all his care. To wait on God is to expect all good to come to us from Him, as the worker of all good for us, and in us, the giver of all good to us, and the protector of us from all evil. Thus David explains himself, Psa. 62:5 My soul wait thou only upon God, and continue still to do so, for my expectation is from Him, I look not to any other for the good I need; for I know that every creature is that to me, and no more than He makes it to be, and from Him every man’s judgment proceeds. Shall we lift up our eyes to the hills? Doth our help come from thence? Doth the dew that waters the valleys come no further, than from the tops of the hills? Shall we go higher, and lift up our eyes to the heavens, to the clouds? Can they of themselves give rain? No, if God hear not the heavens, they hear not the earth; we must therefore look above the hills, above the heavens, for all our help cometh from the Lord; it was the acknowledgment of a king, and no good one neither, if the Lord do no help thee, whence shall I help thee out of the the barn-floor, or out of the wine-press?

And our expectations from God as far as they are guided by, and grounded upon the word which He hath spoken, ought to be humbly confident and with a full assurance of faith. We must know and be sure, that no word of God shall fall to the ground, that the expectation of the poor shall not perish. Worldly people say to their gold, thou are my hope; and to the fine gold, thou art my confidence, and the rich man’s wealth is his strong city; but God is the only refuge and portion of the godly man here in the land of the living; it is to him only that he saith, and he saith it with a holy boldness, thou art my hope, and my confidence. The eyes of all things wait on Him; for He is good to all; but the eyes of His saints especially, for He is in a peculiar manner good to Israel, good to them. They know His name and therefore will trust, and triumph in Him, as those that know they shall not be made ashamed of their hope.

D. It is to live a life of devotedness to God, as the servant waits on his master, ready to observe His will, and to do His work, and in everything to consult His honour and interest.To wait on God, is entirely and unreservedly to refer ourselves to His wise and holy directions, and disposals, and cheerfully to acquiesce in them, and comply with them. The servant that waits on his master, chooseth not his own way, but follows his master step by step: thus we must wait on God, as those that have no will of our own, but what is wholly reserved into his; and must therefore study to accommodate ourselves to His. It is the character of the redeemed of the Lord, that they follow the Lamb wheresoever He goes, with an implicit faith and obedience. As the eyes of a servant are to the hand of his master, and the eyes of a maiden to the and of her mistress, so must our eyes wait on the Lord, to do what He appoints us, to take what He allots us; Father, Thy will be done; Master, Thy will be done.

The servant waits on his master, not only to do him service, but to do him honour;  and thus must we wait on God that we may be to Him for a name, and for a praise. His glory must be our ultimate end, to which we, and all we are, have, and can do, must be dedicated; we must wear His livery, attend in His courts, and follow His motions as His servant, for this end, that He may in all things be glorified.

Matthew Henry

A Method for Prayer, pp. 201-203

Choice Quotes from John Owen's "The Glory of Christ"

Only a sight of His glory, and nothing else, will truly satisfy God’s people. The hearts of believers are like a magnetized needle which cannot rest until it is pointing north. So also, a believer, magnetized by the love of Christ, will always be restless until he or she comes to Christ and beholds His glory. The soul which can be satisfied without beholding the glory of Christ, is not a soul for whom Christ prays.

p. 2

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Scripture shows us two ways by which we may behold the glory of Christ. We may behold it by faith in this world, faith being ‘the evidence of things not seen’, and we may behold it by sight in the next (2 Cor. 5:7-8, 1 Cor. 13:12).

p. 4

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No man shall ever behold the glory of Christ by sight in heaven who does not, in some measure, behold it by faith in this world.  Grace is a necessary preparation for glory and faith for sight. The soul unprepared by grace and faith is not capable of seeing the glory of Christ in heaven. Many will say with confidence that they desire to be with Christ and to behold His glory. But when asked,they can give no reason for this desire, except that it would be better than going to hell. If a man claims to love and desire that which he never even saw, he is deceiving himself.

pp. 4-5

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In this way Roman Catholics are deceived. They delight outwardly in images of Christ depicting His sufferings, resurrection and glory. By these images they think their love for Him and delight in Him grows more and more strong. But no man-made image can truly represent the person of Christ and His glory. Only the gospel can do that.

p.5

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So, let no one deceive himself. He that has no sight of Christ’s glory here shall never see it hereafter. The beholding of Christ in glory is too high, glorious and marvellous for us in our present condition. The splendour of Christ’s glory is too much for our physical eyes just as is the sun shining in all its strength. So while we are here on earth we can behold His glory only by faith.

p. 6

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No man ought to look for anything in heaven if he has not by faith convinced of this, they would spend more time in the exercise of faith and love about heavenly things than they usually do. At present they do not know what they enjoy, so they do not know what to expect. This is why men who are complete strangers to seeing the person and glory of Christ by faith have turned to images, pictures and music to help them in their worship.

So it is only as we behold the glory of Christ by faith here in this world that our hearts will be drawn more and more to Christ and to the full enjoyment of the sight of His glory hereafter.

pp. 6-7

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It is by beholding the glory of Christ by faith that we are spiritually edified and built up in this world, for as we behold His glory, the life and power of faith grow stronger and stronger. It is by faith that we grow to love Christ. So if we desire strong faith and powerful love, which give us rest, peace and satisfaction, we must seek them by diligently beholding the glory of Christ by faith. In this duty I desire to live and to die. On Christ’s glory I would fix all my thoughts and desires, and the more I see of the glory of Christ, the more the painted beauties of this world will wither in my eyes and I will be more and more crucified to this world. It will become to me like something dead and putrid, impossible for me to enjoy.

p. 7

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Men shall not be clothed with glory, as it were, whether they want to be or not. It is to be received only by faith. But fallen man is incapable of believing. Music cannot please a deaf man, nor can beautiful colours impress a blind man. A fish would not thank you for taking it out of the sea and putting it on dry land under the blazing sun! Neither would an unregenerate sinner welcome the thought of living for ever in the blazing glory of Christ.

p. 8

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By beholding the glory of Christ by faith we shall find rest to our souls. Our minds are apt to be filled with troubles, fears, cares, dangers, distresses, ungoverned passions and lusts. By these our thoughts are filled with chaos, darkness and confusion. But where the soul is fixed on the glory of Christ then the mind finds rest and peace for ‘to be spiritually minded is peace’ (Rom. 8:6).

pp. 8-9

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The first glorious thing we learn about the person of Christ is that He is the perfect revelation of the Father. This revelation of the Father is for the benefit of the church, for we behold ‘the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’ (2 Cor. 4:6).

p. 11

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Without Christ we would have known nothing truly about God for He would have been eternally invisible to us. We would never have seen God at any time, either in this life or the next (John 1:18).

p. 11

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The foundation of our religion, the rock on which the church is built, the ground of all our hopes of salvation, of life and immortality, is the revelation that is made of God’s nature and will by Jesus Christ. So if Christ fails, if He, the Light of the world becomes darkness, then we are for ever lost. But if this Rock stands firm, the church is save and shall be triumphant for ever.

p. 12

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Those who cannot see His glory by faith do not know Him. When they worship Him, they worship an image of their own devising. Not to see that Christ is the only true representative of the glory of God to the souls of men, is to be an unbeliever. This was the sad state of the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles of old. They did not, they would not, they could not, behold the glory of God in Him and that was why they did not believe in Him (1 Cor. 1:21-25). The one who does not see the wisdom and power of God and all the other holy properties of the divine nature in Christ as well as seeing in Him the only way of salvation is, to put it bluntly, an unbeliever.

pp. 12-13

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The unbelieving world of Jews and Gentiles perished under this darkness; so do all present day unbelievers who deny that Jesus is truly God as well as being truly man. But if Christ were only a man He could never have truly represented God to us for no mere creature can ever truly represent the divine nature.

p. 13

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Concerning this worldwide darkness, that is, the ignorance of God in men’s minds, Christ is called, and indeed is, the ‘Light of men’, the ‘Light of the world’, because in Him and by Him alone this darkness is dispelled. He is the ‘Sun of Righteousness’.

p.14

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Moses also desired to see the glory of God (Exod. 33:18). He knew that the ultimate rest, blessedness and satisfaction of the soul does not come from seeing the works of God, but from seeing the glorious God Himself.

p. 17

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Many people look on Christ merely as a teacher come from God to reveal His will and to teach us how to worship Him, and so indeed He was. But they say that this was the only reason why He came. This is the teaching of Islam. They do not see that He is the great and only representative of the glory of the divine nature. This glory of Christ they despise and reject, because in their ignorance they do not believe that He is truly God as well as being truly man.

p. 20

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We believe in God only in and through Christ. This is the life of our souls. God Himself, whose nature is infinitely perfect, is the highest object of our faith. But we cannot come directly to God by faith. We must come by the way and by the helps He has appointed for us. This is the way by which He has revealed His infinite perfections to us, which is Jesus Christ Who said, ‘I am the way... No one comes to the Father except through me.’ By our faith in Christ we come to put our faith in God Himself. And we cannot do this in any other way but by beholding the glory of God in Christ, as we have seen.

pp. 25-26

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It was made clear to all the world that the ‘wise’ and the ‘scholar’ were, in the purpose of God, left to their own wisdom, to their natural light and reason. But in spite of all their efforts they did not, could not,, come to the knowledge of God or His salvation. Then, in their pride and arrogance, they treated with contempt the only way by which God did reveal Himself. They considered it weak and foolish. So having shown all their wisdom to be foolishness, it pleased God to establish the only way by which He and His salvation may be truly known, that is, by and in Christ Jesus.

pp. 26-27

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This is a glory whose beams are so wonderful that the blind world cannot see their light and beauty and so many deny the incarnation of God. Nevertheless, this is the glory of our religion, the glory of the church, the only rock on which it was built, the only source of present grace and future glory.

p.28

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Let us diligently study the Bible and the revelations of the glory of Christ revealed there. This is what Christ Himself tells us to do (see John 5:39) and the prophets in the Old Testament show us how to do it (see 1 Pet. 1:11-13).

When we read Scripture we must always bear in mind that the revelation  and doctrine of the person of Christ and His office are the foundation of all that we learn from the prophets and apostles (Eph. 2:20-22, Luke 24: 26-27, 45-46). Deny this and the Scriptures no longer become to us a revelation of the glory of God in the salvation of the church.

pp. 31-32

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It is the neglect of meditation that keeps so many Christians in a feeble state, regardless of their privileges. They hear of these things and assent to the truth of them or at least they do not question them. But they never solemnly meditate on them. They think that meditation is above their capabilities, or they are totally ignorant of how to go about it, or they are not too concerned about it, or they treat it as fanaticism. Many cannot meditate because their minds are so cluttered up with earthly things. The mind must be spiritual and holy, freed from all earthly clutter. It must be raised above things here below if we wish to meditate on the glory of Christ. So many are strangers to this duty because they do not mortify their earthly desires and concerns.

p. 34

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It is impossible that someone who never meditates with delight on the glory of Christ here in this world, who does not make every effort to behold it by faith as it is revealed in Scripture, should ever have any real gracious desire to behold it in heaven. It is sad, therefore, that many can find time to think much on earthly, foolish things, but have no heart, no desire to meditate on this glorious object. What is this faith and love they claim to have?

p. 34

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Let your thoughts of Christ be many, increasing more and more each day. He is never far from us as Paul tells us (Rom. 10:6-8). The things Christ did were done many years ago and they are long since past. ‘But’, says Paul, ‘the word of the gospel where these things are revealed, and by which they are brought home to our souls is near us, even in our hearts, that is , if we are true believers and have received the word of faith.’

p. 35

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God is infinitely self-sufficient both in Himself and in all that He does. Man is continually seeking for self-satisfaction. But no creature can find eternal blessedness or satisfaction itself, for no creature is self-sufficient.

p. 40

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God alone lacks nothing and stands in need of nothing. Nothing can be added to Him to increase His blessedness, seeing ‘He gives to all life, breath and all things’ (Acts 17:25). No creature can contribute one mite to God’s eternal blessedness. He is infinitely perfect in His own nature (Job 35:6-7).

p.40

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He who is God, can never not be God, just as he who is not God can never be God. The difference between us and the Socinians is this, that we believe that Christ, being God, was made man for our sakes, whereas they teach that Christ, being only a man, was made a god for his own sake.

This, then, is the glory of Christ’s willingness to humble Himself. This is the life and soul of all heavenly truth and all heavenly mysteries, namely, that the Son of God, becoming in time what He was not, that is, Son of man, did not cease thereby to be what He was, even the eternal Son of God.

p. 42

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To the eternal glory of God, He took our nature and was made man. Those who cannot see a divine glory in His doing this neither know Him, nor love Him, nor believe Him, nor in any way belong to Him.

p. 44

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To the world, our Lord Jesus Christ is a ‘stumbling-block and a rock of offence.’ If we should say He was only a prophet, no more than a man sent from God, there would be no opposition from the world. The Moslems and the Jews both say He was only a man, a prophet sent from God. The hatred of the Jews for Christ was because He professed Himself to be God, and as such was believed on in the world. And today, there are many who are willing to say He was a prophet sent from God, who do not, who will not, who cannot, believe the mystery of His willingness to humble Himself to take our nature into union with His divine nature, nor see the glory of it. But take this away, and all our religion is taken away with it. Farewell to the mystery, the glory, the truth and the power of Christianity! Let a refined heathenism be set up in its place. But this is the rock on which the church is built, and against this rock the gates of hell shall not prevail.

p. 45

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And no man denies himself rightly, who does not consider the self-denial of the Son of God. For what are the things of which we are to deny ourselves? Is it not our goods, our rights and freedoms, our relations and our lives? They are perishing things from which, whether we like it or not, death will separate us. But the glory of Christ is for ever. Believers will never be separated from it. So if you find yourself at any time unwilling to part with this world, then lift up your eyes and by faith behold the glory of Christ who ‘made Himself of no reputation.’

p. 49

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It was because Christ loved us that He became our mediator. And it was because the Father loved us that He appointed His Son to be the mediator between God and man for the redemption and salvation of the church. And this love of the Father for us was ‘before the foundation of the world’ (Eph. 1:4). The Father’s love is seen in is eternal election of a part of mankind to be brought into the eternal enjoyment of Himself, through the mystery of the blood of Christ, and the sanctification of the Spirit (2 Thess. 2:13-16, Eph. 1:4-9, 1 Pet. 1:2).

p. 50

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Election reveals the glory of God’s nature which is love, for ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:8-9). The love of God is the foundation of our redemption and salvation. So election, being an eternal act of the will of God, cannot be based on anything but that which is in God Himself, and if we could look into all the treasures hidden in God’s wonderful nature, we would find none to which election could be truly attributed but love.

p. 50

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Election is founded on divine love because it is free and undeserved. We did nothing to persuade God to choose us rather than others. Any good done to us which is altogether undeserved and which is done to promote our good, is an act of love and cannot be anything else. Any good there is in God’s people is the result of election and not the reason why God chose us. The only thing that moved God to choose us was His undeserved love.

pp. 50-51

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The whole number or society of the elect were creatures made in the image of God, and were therefore loved by God. All that they were, had, or hoped for, came from God’s goodness and love. The very life of their soul depended on their love of God shown by perpetual obedience to His will. And what a happy state this was – preparing themselves for the eternal life of love in heaven!

p. 51

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The wisdom of the world despised the sufferings of Christ. But it is precisely because of His sufferings that He is glorious and precious in the sight of believers (1 Pet. 2:6-7). For in these sufferings Christ was ‘the power of God and the wisdom of God’ (1 Cor. 1:24). It is only because the god of this world has blinded their eyes that men fail to see the meaning of the cross of Christ (2 Cor. 4:3-6). But it is in these sufferings that we behold the glory of Christ’s work as mediator.

pp. 61-62

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Proud and foolish men, who have vague ideas of the glory of Christ but know nothing of the real nature of that glory, have tried to present it in images and pictures. This is how the Roman Catholic Church presents the glory of Christ to the imaginations and unspiritual hearts of superstitious people. But they err, not knowing the Scripture, nor the eternal glory of the Son of God.

p. 67

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The glory of Christ’s exaltation cannot be seen or understood in this world except by faith fixing itself on divine revelation. We cannot behold the glory of Christ by conjuring up pictures of Him in the mind and by trying to form the shape of a person in heaven in our imaginations. The way to behold the glory of Christ is by the steady exercise of faith on the revelation of this glory of Christ given to us in Scripture. It is our duty, therefore, constantly to meditate on the glory of Christ. This will fill us with a joy which will, in turn, move us to meditate on His glory more and more.

p. 67

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We are so selfish that we tend to look any further than our own concerns and interests. So long as we are pardoned and saved we care little about Christ’s interests and concerns. But this attitude is not born of a true faith in and love for God. The chief duty of faith and love is to lead us to prefer Christ above ourselves, and His concerns above our own.

pp. 67-68

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Moses and the prophets and all the Scriptures testify to Christ and His glory (Luke 24:27). Not to see Christ and His glory in all the Scriptures is to be like the Jews. They had a veil on their minds. Faith alone can remove that veil of darkness which prevents the minds of men from beholding the glory of Christ in the Old Testament (2 Cor. 3:14-16).

p. 69

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If we do not see the glory of Christ in the Scriptures it is because a veil of blindness is over our minds. Nor can we read, study or become spiritually strong by meditating on the writings of the Old Testament unless we commit ourselves to considering the glory of Christ displayed in them. So to many the Bible is a sealed book.

p. 73

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One view of Christ’s glory by faith will scatter all the fears, answer all the objections and disperse all the depressions of poor, tempted, doubting souls. To all believers it is an anchor which they may cast within the veil, to hold them firm and steadfast in all trials, storms and temptations, both in life and in death.

p. 81

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All existing things add nothing to God, nor do they change Him. His blessedness, happiness and self-satisfaction as well as all His other infinite perfections were absolutely the same before as well as after the creation of all things. Nothing that He called into existence added one tiny bit to His infinite blessedness and happiness.

p. 92

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Scripture does not support the idea that there are other intelligent creatures besides angels and men. That idea disturbs the whole representation of the glory of God and the whole purpose of His wisdom and grace declared in Scripture. The existence of other intellectual creatures besides angels and men is the creation of the fanciful imaginations of sinful men who have lost all semblance of wisdom.

p. 93

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Now if Old Testament saints prayed and desired the removal of the divine ordinances of worship so that they could see the reality of what they symbolized, how much more should we pray and desire the removal of all weakness, all darkness and of everything that prevents us now from seeing Christ is reality.
p. 107

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Men may still hold a right doctrine of Christ; but beholding the glory of Christ does not lie in remembering doctrine. Men may have the outward form of godliness but no longer have the encouragement of Christ's presence and glory.
p. 109

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Many people have tried to recover a sight of Christ's glory by making images, crucifixes and pictures of Him. By these outward senses may be stirred but their hearts remain untouched; they become as wooden as their images. They substitute the outward forms and observances which they diligently perform but all the while they deny the inward power of godliness.
p. 111

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The church of Rome says it can be done by beholding crucifixes, images and pictures of Him with our physical eyes, whereas they say that we can behold the glory of Christ only by faith as He is revealed in the gospel and in no other way. Images may only serve to turn the minds of men away from Christ. They can never satisfy a truly spiritual man. Images are pleasing only to the spiritually dead and to the superstitious.
p. 111

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When we fall in love with someones we often think about them. So, when we fall in love with Christ we will be constantly thinking about Him. And where a person is not filled with thoughts of Christ, that person only deceives himself if he claims to have received Him as Saviour.
p. 117

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However glorious is the light of the gospel by the preaching of the Word, by various means and subtle tricks Satan blinds the minds of most who hear it so that they cannot behold the glory of Christ in it. In this way, He continues to rule the children of disobedience. But God overpowers Satan so that he cannot continue to blind His elect. He shines into their hearts to give them the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ.Yet Satan will never give up. He will always try to darken the minds even of believers so that they find it difficult to maintain their clear sight of the glory of Christ. 
p. 118

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Satan deceives others into a false assurance by which they promise peace to themselves, and so live in a vague presumption that they will be saved by Christ even though they have no idea how. This is why Paul presses on Christians the duty of self-examination (2 Cor. 13:15). We must ask ourselves whether Christ is in us or not. And He cannot be in us unless He has been received by that faith with which we behold His glory. For by faith we receive Him and by faith He dwells in our hearts (John 1:12, Eph. 3:17). By deceiving people in this way, Satan prevails in the world.
p. 118

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Eternity makes the elect absolutely good and the reprobate absolutely evil. To be in hell under the wrath of God is in itself the greatest punishment, but to be there for ever with no relief from present misery and no hope of ever being freed from eternal misery makes it even more terrible. So is the joy and blessedness of eternal life in heaven beholding the glory of Christ. 'We shall always be with the Lord', not limited by time and with no interruption of our enjoyment of God in Christ.
p. 120

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No doubts or fears or disturbing thoughts will have any place in heaven, but only that which will strengthen us and lead us to behold the glory of Christ.
So the sight of Christ's glory in heaven will always be the same, always new, never growing old and out of date. The mind will never be disturbed by, or diverted from, or bored with the sight. All the faculties of our souls will be fixed on Christ's glory for ever.
pp. 120-121

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Scripture is our only blueprint of the glory of Christ. Only in Scripture and only by faith can we behold the glory of Christ.
p. 122

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As one star differs from another in glory, so God revealed the glory of Christ under the Old Testament types and shadows, and more fully under the New Testament. Glorious testimonies to these things are planted in all parts of Scripture which we might gather as Eve might have gathered flowers in the paradise of God.
p. 123

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Those who make gilded images of Christ only 'feed on ashes', and hold ' a lie in their right hand'. In Scripture, Jesus Christ is clearly set before us as crucified (Gal. 3:1). So also by Scripture we see Him exalted and glorified. And it is the wisdom of faith to gather together all the descriptions of Christ's glory in Scripture so that faith may more clearly behold Him.
p. 123

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God in Christ constantly works in glorified souls and communicates His grace to them. All creatures must eternally live, even in heaven, in dependence on Him who is the eternal fountain of being, life, goodness and blessedness to all. As we cannot keep ourselves alive for one moment without divine power in us, so in the glorified state we shall depend eternally on divine power and goodness being communicated to us for our eternal blessedness, We have no idea how this is done in heaven even as we have no idea how God communicates His grace to us here on earth. His ways are shrouded in mystery (John 3:8).
p. 126

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While we are still on earth, faith, beholding the glory of Christ, will give us a foretaste of future glory. There is no glory, no peace, no joy, no satisfaction to be found in this world compared to what we get from that weak and imperfect view which we have of the glory of Christ by faith. Thus while we are still in this world, faith gives us such a foretaste of future blessedness in the enjoyment of Christ as may continually stir us up to say with the psalmist, 'I shall be satisfied when I awake in your likeness.'
p. 126

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Consider your present relationship to God and to eternity. This is what Moses wished the Israelites would do (Deut. 32:39). It is the height of folly to leave these things to chance. Remember, 'many are called, but few are chosen'. To be called is to enjoy all the outward privileges of the gospel. To be chosen is to belong to those who will actually be saved. In the parable of the sower, Christ shows that only one of four sorts of hearers was actually saved. So, many deceive themselves, thinking they are saved, but will suddenly be awakened to a sad surprise.
p. 127

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Beware of being deceived. Without any real evidence, many assume they are Christians, that they are on the right way to heaven, that they are partakers of the outward privileges of the gospel such as hearing the Word, and participating in the sacraments. They have light and convictions, so that they abstain from sin, and they perform duties that others neglect. They compare themselves with others and judge themselves to be much better. This is not the place to preach a sermon on the foolishness of assumptions. But it is important to give this warning: do not trust these assumptions, for they will eternally deceive your soul. This was the warning John the Baptist gave to the Jews. 'Do not think to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father."' They false assumed that because they were the physical descendants of Abraham, they were safe. This false assumption led finally to their ruin. Knowing this, John the Baptist tried to bring them to their senses.
pp. 127-128

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The first work necessary for true religion is to be convinced of our dreadful state without Christ. And the great abuse of religion in the world is to pretend one has a true faith when one has not. To think that because one is practising member of a church, that is sufficient to keep us eternally safe, is a sad delusion. That is a sign we have never been convinced of our lost condition by nature.
p. 129

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For it is the nature of grace to grow and increase to the end. Like rivers, the nearer they come to the ocean, the more is their water content increased, and they flow more swiftly. So will grace flow more freely and fully the nearer it approaches the ocean of eternal glory. Where there is not so, there is no saving grace.
p.141

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The promises of the new covenant made to the elect, concerning the first work of grace, are absolute free and unconditional. The first work of regeneration enabling the elect sinner to repent and believe is effected freely by grace alone and not because the elect have done anything to deserve it. The glory of the covenant promises is that they infallibly assure the elect that God will carry out His immutable purposes and decrees. To the elect these promises infallibly bring about conversion and sanctification and are bestowed on them absolutely freely and unconditionally.
p.148

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Not making Christ and His service the main business of our lives is another evidence of spiritual decay in the soul. Where grace is flourishing in the soul then all other things will be secondary to the duties of Christ's religion. Everything else must take second place. If men devote themselves to the affairs of the world, being ruled and controlled by worldly concerns, only occasionally patronizing Christ's service, it is foolish to say that following Him is their chief business. But the greatest evidence of spiritual decay in the soul is when serving Christ is no longer the chief business in life. Examine your spiritual state in the light of this. What place does Christ's service play in your life? Is it your chief joy? Or do you only patronize it occasionally?
pp. 158-159

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A low spiritual state shows itself in a lack of love to the saints, barrenness in good works and an unreadiness an unwillingness to respond to the calls of God to repent and reform. These are undeniable evidences that those in whom they are found either have no true grace at all, or have fallen into serious spiritual decay in their souls. But thank God that one can recover from such a spiritual decay.
p. 159

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If every time we slip back on our climb to the heights of heaven, we cannot be recovered, then we would all perish. If salvation were only for those who never slipped back then none would be in heaven. If the Lord should mark iniquities, who could stand? (Ps. 130:3).
p. 160

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When a tree grows old, or is decaying, it helps to loosen the soil around its base and then to manure it. This may revive it and cause it flourish again. But if you uproot it and plant it somewhere else - which may appear to be a good thing to do - it will probably wither and die. This is exactly what some spiritual backsliders have done. Finding themselves growing more and more unspiritual, they leave their own church and go over to Rome or to some other denomination, thinking that the fault lies with the teaching of the church they are in, when in reality the fault lies in themselves. Such people have visibly withered and died spiritually. 
p. 160

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