Church Postil (sermons on the Gospel & Epistle lessons)

JiBertliat you, are an heir, and regard 5^purself( a^a child of God, without any doubfe. If you^ doubt this, you a-re neither a child nor an heir; nor do: ypu- believe correctly.. This. you must not doubt either in life- or im death. But, what is a Christian- life but a commencement of eternal life? If, however^ you merely intimate that; you are a child of God, and acknowledge this faith, Caiaphas, as a gTeat, service to God, will rend his garments,, and exclaim over ypu; Blasphemavity, and all the rest with him will say". Reus est mortis y; "We have a law, and according to < this law- he shall die; for he has made himself a child, of God; 'crucify him^ crucify him,' he is a heretic and a deceiver,^ &c., Joh^ 19, 7, 15. Let this be said in regard to you, andiprejw^r^foje.it;. so it must be..

ARISE, shine; for thy light Is come^, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon tliee.

For, behold, the darkness shall cover (he earth, and gross darkness the.people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and hb t?lory shall be seen Hpon thee.

Ind tj:® Cientiles shall tome to thy light, apj! Ri«5?3 to the brightness of thy rising.

Wit fii} tiaine eyes round about, and m^ i.^.n tlis^y gather thcmse4¥es together, tl?.ey?«M<p to thee: tliy sons shall eome frcm f-M', a?ad thy daughters shall be nursed ai- Jhf side.

l^i—n V.imi feiialt?ee, and Hou- together, ar>d t'aise heart shall fear, and be enla fred*, because the abundance of the sea sh Ij be converted unto thee, the forces of the €entiles shall come unto thee.

The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and E*»^.ah; all they from Sheba shall come; Utey shall bring gold and incense; and tliey shall show fort|i;the praise^ of tlsi^

This Epistle or lesson is an admoni tion to faith, and a proclamation that: the Gospel is to be preached m all tlie world, and that Christians shall be gathered from all nations. The prophecy is clear and easy and, hence, it requires but littde*explanation.,

The fact that the Gospel is styled a > light, glory, brightness, and a rising, of the Lord, indicates that a distinction is to be made between the light of the Gospel and that of the law. ^is distinction should bfe careliiBif' marked,^ so as not to confound th^* Gospel and the law, calling that Gospel, v»^hich is law, and that law, wbicli is Gospel. IniAdvent, and in the preceding epistle^, we heard that the Gospel is a declaration of life, a doctrine of, grace, a light of joy, which promises, brings, and presents Christ, with all his blessings. But the law is a declaration of death, a doctrine of.wrath, a light of sadness, which reveals our sins and demands a righteousness^.,, which we cannot render;. and, hencej, our conscience perceives and feel»4 that it: deserves death and eternaK wrath, and consequently it beeomes'-v sad and restle&s. This prophecy or Isaiah falls upon a conscience in thig t. wretched condition, in a manner so joyful, as to reanimate it again, to lill it with joy, and liberate it from th(? law and from sin.

For this reason, we,ni,ay designate^- these two lights as follows: The oneas the light of the Lord, and the oth-^ er asthe, light of the servant, 2 Cor.. 3, 13^ The light of the Lord arose through Christ, and the light of i\v^ servant thiDugli Moses. Aaron and the Children /Of Israel could not en^ dure the ligbt and the briglitness in the face of Mosas 5 he had to hang a veil over it. But;. on Mount Tabor,. the face of Christ,, when lie Avas transhgiired, was not intolerable; no, it was so lovely and delightful, that St*, Peter, transported with joy, exclaimed: ^'Lord, it is good lor us to be liere: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles,; one for thee, and one for Moses, and, owe for Elias.^' Nor was the light of Moses intolerable, but lovely; the Gos^pel renders the la w,^ the tutor, which was before

Impulsive and intolerable to nature^ agreeaWe, as we have ali^ady. keard. Thus says Isaiah 1:

This risiugy no doiibtj has reference %6 one who has nofcyet risen, that is, to one who lies and sleeps, or is dead. This, it seems to me^ is the passage, to which St.. Paul refers, when he aays, Eph. 5, 14: '^Wherefore he aaith, Awake, thou. that sleepcst, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall j ^ve thee light." Doubtless, Christ is | this light, concerning which Isaiah.! here speaks, and which shines- througii! the Gospel in all the world, and en- j lightens all who rise and desire him.f j

Now, who are the sleepers and the I dead? Doubtless,. a/i who ars under the laic. These are all dead in consequence of sin. But especially^ are those dead, who disregard the law,- and live independent of all restraint. The self-righteous^ who do not feel their wants and defects, are the sleepers. Both these classes have very lii> tie regard for the Gospel; they sleep and die continually.. For. this reason the Spirit must wake them up, so that they may see and perceive this. But the third class, who feel the law, and whose conscience torments them, thirst after grace, and. sigh, for/ the Gospel; they rest not till it comes and is given to them; they proclaim it also. Isaiali is one of these. Thus these sleepers and dead awake and receive this light.

For this reason he says. Permit yourself to be enlightened, or to shine. "Penuit this light to; fall upon you. Orawi, thou dead, not int^o the grave of yourlilthy life; that is,, quit loving and following your evil course of Koiiduct, so that the liglit of the Gospel maj^ fall upon you and find- room in you. And thou sleeper, wake up, cjrawl not nuder tiie bed ol'your can> less and drowsy security and presumptuous leliance on your ovv^n seif-right-

* A. "For thy light is comn, and the glory «f tile Lord is risen upon thee."

^ t A. But that Jerusalem is mentioned here, and not in St. Paul, matters nothing. Jerusalem does not occur in the text of Isaiah. It t was introduced into the Epistle by some one

' •ke, because the prophet addresses Jerusalem

,1. •rthe children of IsraeL eousness, so that the trae light may have some claim upon you also. Thus^ it is necessaiTi^ friCqjiently to admonish* both these classes. A life nninflu-^ enced by proper restrain ts-is a great hindrance to the dead, and a secure self-righteousness ^nll scarcely allow the sleeper to perceive and accept this^ blissful light*

'* Thy light is- come." — ^Why does he say, TJit^.light^ when at the samo time it is God's light? — as will appear hereafter.. Answer: It is God's light and the light of all of us.* It is God's,. because he gives it; it is ours, because it enlightens us and we enjoy, its rays. In like manner, Christ says^. Matt. t5, 45, in regard to the sun, that it is the Father's: '^ He maketh hi;*^ sun to > rise on the evil and on tho^ goodt;"^ and still he says, John 11, 9: " If- any man walk in the day, ho^ stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this w^orld;'' of God enlightens the reference to himself. John 8j 12: ^' L am the light of the world.',' Beside*, all this, it is the special light of Jerusalem and the Children of Israel,! on account of tile promise; for promised^ only to Abi^aham seed, as? Mary sings in the Magnificat^- Luke 1, 55: '•'- As^ he spake to ourfathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.'' In this respect, it is not the light of the Heatiien, to whom i nothing was promised, and yet it issaid, they AvilL receive it; as thewords of the promise iD^^l}'? '<^^^ Isaiah here indicates.

There is no doubt that nearly alK the prophecies of Isaiah, and of alt: the i)rophets, concerning Christ, arise and are drawn from the promise of" God, made to Abraliam,- Gen. 22, 18: ''In thy seed shall all the nations off the earth be blessed."

From these words it is clear, that.

Christ, the seed of Abraham, was to- beniade knowu throughout the world.

This could not be accom])iislied in hiSv

I own person; and hence it had to be ac*

I complished by preaching.; and it was necessary, not only thus jo preach and

I proclaim, but also to show the char-

aeter of the preaching^ namely, that it is a proclamation of blessings and g^ice, by which all the world might bo blessed.

And hence, too, the conclusion, that tlto seed of Abraham is true man as well as God; that he must be born of a virgin; that his kingdom cannot be temporal and earthlj^, and that he must die and soon lise again from the dead, and be Lord o\ er all creatures.

All this seems to be included in this divine promise, in brief, but clear and explicit terms; and it wttc easy to show, if time would admit, in a manner that any one might see and comprehend, how these prophecies spring u}) and liow from this promise, as from 11 fountain. For this reason, too, Abraham laughed in his heart, Gen. 17, 17, when that promise whs made to him. For he understood it; as Christ himself indicates, where he says, concerning this langliing in his heart, John 8, 5G: "Your father Abraliam rejoic(Ml to see my day: and he saw it, and v/as glad."

"And the glory of tlie Lord is risen upon thee."

We have frequently spoken of the little word Gloria. It means honor, brightness, splendor. It is nothing else but a great, a splendid report or (Ty, arising fronj a glorious reality, not from a mere empty riroclamation. A glorious i^erson nuist be regarded liivc a sun or a light, so that, lu-eciselj' as the sun is a fountain full of light, and its lustre is the glory of its light, its diffusion and honor; (lustre is like a natural report of the sun, by which it is known and recognized in all the world, and is in no other way ditt'nsed and revealed,) the glory of an iiulividual is the fountain, sun, and tV)uudati()n of his glorious re])ort, and this report is the lustre of this glory, by vdiicli he is luoclaimed, extolled, r(M'X)giiized, and regarded as glorious. This, you will observe, is jvroperly implied by Gloria^ honor, renovvji, brilliancy.

Thus, the Gospel is God^n glory ami our light. It is our light, because through it We ourselves see and know God and all things; it is God^s glory, because through it his work and all

JJut to speak more particularly in regard to this matter, it might be necessary to say that the Gospel m not the brightness itself, nor is it tlnV light itself; but it is the rimng of f hat hrightness and the approach of that light; it is nothing else but a manifestation of that light and brightness j for the light and the br-ghtness ex-. isted from eternity, as it is said, John 1,4,5: ''In him was liie; and tlie^ life was the light of men;" but it nei ther arose, nor was openly manifested, except through the Gospel aluiu*/ Hence, the Gospel is also a report, a cry, of Divine brightness and glory/ so that the Scriptures call it the voice* of God in Ps. 21), 3, Ps. 08, 31, and in many other places.

For this reason it is also called Gospel, that is, "a good message," because it reveals and proclaims divinti blessings, divine glory, and di\ine honor or brightness, as it is said, i\s. 19, 1: " The heavens declare the glory of God; and the tii'mament showeth his handiwork." What else U proclaiming and revealing, but tins l)reaching and proclaiming of the. Gospel tlirough the heavens, that is,' the A])0stles? What is the bright.-.; ness and work of God, but the great, the glorious riches of his goodness iiud grace, poured out u])on us f

Thus says St. Paul, Tit. 2, 11:— "Tlie grace of God that biingeth salvatii n hath appeared to all nun.*- How did it appear? Through thffi preachhie- of the Gospel. Tlds seem?^; to be the import of the words of Isaiah^ where he says: "Thy light is come,, and the glory of the Lord is risen u]>- on thee." That is, the light and glory of God are ])reached and revealed to you. And that Christ himself i.<< the light and tlui glory, appears from the following: " And the glory of th(i Lord is risen upon thee;" that is, is revealed. Again, it is said in this chapter, verse 20, "The Lord shaU bo thine everlasting light."

Now, the liglit and the glory ar<^ God himself, as Christ, John 8, 12, saysf "I am the liglit.^' We hav«

already heard in the Ei|)istle ^r

^.'hiij^tuias, tliat Christ is the brightness of divine glory. Hence, it is clear that Isaiah does not si)eak here of the coaling or rising of Christ's birtii, but the rising of the Gospel after the ascension of Christ, through which Christ is* spiritually and hap- ])ily risen, and gloritied in the hearts of all believers in the world. The Scriptures speak more fre(piently concerning this rising, than they do conc'crniug the birth of Christ. There lies the iiuportauce; on account of it lie was born; upon it St. l*aul bases liimself, and says: God promised the Gospel "afore by his projdiets in the holy scriptures, concerning his Son," ike.

From this we may also learn what the Gospel is, and of what it si)eaks. It is a coming of light and a rising of glory. It speaks only of di\ine glory, honor, and lame; that is, extols nothing but the work, the grace, the goodness of God towards us; it shows that we should and must have his wink, grace, and goodness, and God liiniselt^ if we wish to secure salvati<m. In ih\& way it produces a twofold effect in us.

In the first place, it rejects our natural reason and light; it shows conclusively that they are nothing but darkness. Were there hght instead of darkness in us, it would be unnecessary for God to let this light \ rise upon us. Light enlightens nothing but darkness. Hence this epistle or lesson severely censures and condemns all natural wisdom, all human reason, all heathen aits, all human doctrines and laws; it is conclusive that all these are sheer darkness, since the rising of this light is necessary. For this reason, we should guard against all human doctrines, and all the conceits of reason, as against <larkness rejected and condenmed by God, and only wake up and rise to behold this light and to follow it alone.

In the second place, it casts down nil the glory and i)ride of our own works, our efforts, and free-will, so that we cannot draw consolation, or derive ]|pn<H' fi-onj \\ny of these; they tion-^ tribwtG rather to our shi^me aud scau- d»l in the sight of God. For if Xhoim I is anything in us worthy of honor and I glory, this divine honor and glory I would rise upon us in vain. But, as they rise ui)on us, it is clear tha?t I there is nothing in us, which does nc^. contribute to oiu- shame and scandaL Concerning this St. l^aul, Eom. 3, 23, says: " All have sinned, and como short of the glory of God." As if ho should say: They may, it is true, have nature and the self-righteousnesB of men, and derive from these honor, praise, and glory temi)orally before men on earth, like those who are not sinners; but before God they are sinners, destitute of his glory, and unable to boast of him and his blessings.

[N^ow, no one can be saved, unless the glory of God be in him, so that he njay console himself with God along and his blessings, and glory in thesc^ as it is said, Jer. 9, 24 and 2 Cor. 10, 17: ^^But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." This is the rising of divine glory. The Gospel in like manner condemns all our efforts, and extols only the goodness and grace of God, that is, God himself, so that wi^ may console ourselves with him alone and glory in him only, as it is said, Ps. 144, 15: "' Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord," and no one else. For this reason, it also follows in IsaiaJi;

'• For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee."

Here the prophet clearly indicate* that wherever Christ is not, there darJi- 7iess exists, no matter how brilliant it may appear; nor does he allow the medium devised by the high schools, when thev sav: Between darkness and Christ, the light of nature and human I'cason exists. They attribute darkness only to gross, wicked persons and fools. This middle light they regard as excellent, saying it may readily adapt itself to the light of Christ, and although it may be darkness when compared to the light of Christ, yet in itself it is a light* They do not perceive how highly enlightened they imagine tliemselvcM, sinc>e usually the very worst are the most rational: '* The children of tJtj*

vworld are in their igeiiGratioii wiser than the children of light7^:as Christ "Bays, Luke 16, 8; and -^et the.3^ are mot better adapted, ibut much less;Mapted, to4he true light, tlian others. IChis could mot be the case, if such flight were any advantage in securing tlie true light.

Devils,.too, are wiser, more artful,;and crafty than men, and still they are not the better for that. JS^o, that *kind of light -is always at enmity with the true light, a« Paul, IRom. 8, 7, i«ays: '^(The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it tis -not sulyect to the law of God,.neither indeed can be." Therefore, God knewm© bettex way to deal witli the pernicious li^ht, 'than to condemn and obscure it entirely; as St. Paul says: i Gt)r. 1, 19,.20: '^ For jt.is written, I will ^destroy cthe wisdom of the wise,.'iind will bring.? to nothing the understanding ^f the iprudent. * * * sHath^not God made ifoolish the wisdom of this world 'F

It is also said in this "same ^ehapfter ^of Isaiah, verse 19: '* The snn ShalHbe mo more thy light by day; neitherr ifor brightness shall the moon.give;jijght unto thee: but Uie iLoM -shall Ibe unto thee an everlasting light,.aBd ithy God thy glory." What else 4s tthis, but a rejection of all temporal wisdom? Away, therefore, with this ^babbling about natural light j adhere ►closely to the words of Isaiah and the Scriptures, which teach us to flee from ►«uch light as from darkness, and an •enemy ofithe true light. For that is 4:he light, ^which teaches the Jews and.all tyrants to persecute and torture 'Christ and all his saints, and which ^cannot even to this day endure the Jtrue light; it always claims to be in ithe right' and to be light, when at the;same time it is darkness, and con- •^demned by the true light; and hence •at rages and instigates all kinds of ■^.vil.

Here, however, a simpleton may 4isk, How cafi all that natural reason teaches us,;be darkness? Is it not clear enough that three and two are ifive? Again, if any one wishes to make a coat, is he not wise if he take« -cloth lor it, and foolish, if he takes paper ^ Is not a manw^ho mamea a pious woman, wise, and one that ma3»- ' ries an iiinj>ious one, ifoolish! Ar?» there not ^innumerable instances in tlm affairs of ilium an life, similar to these f You cannot, %y any means, persuade us, that all this is darkness. Even Christ himself. Matt. J, 24, 26, indi^ cates that ^his is light, where he says:: '^^ Whosoever heareth these saying* of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house -upon a rock. * * * And every one that lieareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand." Now^ if the man who built his house upon a rock, m in darkness, who then builds wisely? Again, Luke 16, 8, Christ, speaking of the unjust steward, who had wasted Ms lord^s goods, says* that he liad acted wisely in pursuing the course which he took in regard to liis lord^s debtors. And St. Paul also says to the Oerinthians, 1 Cor. 11, 5^ 14: IS^ature itself teaches that a woman should not pray in the church, with her head uncovered.

Aimwer: This is all true; but her« dt is necessary to make a distinction between God and men, or between spiritual and temporal things. In temporal things and things which pertain to »men, man is sufficiently rati^jnaL For these he needs no othe? light, tet reason. Therefore, God doesaiot teach ius in the Scriptures how to build houses, to make clothing, to mar]np;, to wage wars, to sail upon the seas, &c. For these, our natural light is suflftcient. But in divine things, that is, things which pertaiii to God, and which.must be so performed as to be;acceptable to him, afed secure happiness for us, our nature is so entirely blind, as to be unable to recognize them in the slightest degree.

It is so presumptuous as to plunge into these things, like a blind horse.; but aU its determinations and conclwisions are, as certainly as God li?e&, ftilse and erroneous. Here at act® like a man who builds on sand, like one who takes cobwebs for a gairmenit, iug Isaiah says,jPsaiah 59,.6,.-..Here; it i^tekes sand in the place of meal, &o mvake bread. Here it sows wiinci, and reaps the whirlwind, as Plosea 8, 7, says. Here it measures the air with a spoon, carries light into the cellar ill a tray, and weighs flames in a bal-

•ance, performing all kinds of nonsense,

■that ever happened, or that can ever

^be devised. For all Its efforts or lie-

' signs are intended as services to Ood, when at the same time they are not.

But if you inquire of nature, whiit must be done to please God and to be saved, it replies: Ay, you must build 'Churches, cast bells, institute masses, 'Observe vigils, make chalices, pyxes, images, and ornamehts, burn candles, pray a certain length of tiu»e, fast in honor of St. Cathaiiue, become a priest or a monk, go to Rome and to St. Jacob, wear shirts made odt of ^lairs, torture yourself, ~&c. These are.good works, and proper ways to salvation. But if you a^k how it knows that these things are acceptable to ^od, it is unable to ^ive any '<rther answer, but that it thinks they are. This is sheer imagination; yes, it "is gloom and darkness besides, '^is is what Isaiah calls darkness and gross 'darkness, into which all who do ^ot i accept that divine light, must fall, and -it i^ impossible for them to doaifything that is right in the siglit of God. Nothing is more offensive to God, 'than to regard such gross darkness as light, instead of darkness, to reject ^the true Ught, and to persecute or put "to death all who d^fisnd ihe truth in regard to this important ma'tter. Trom that source arises all idolatry. 'The Jews had their Baal, Moloch, Ashtaroth, Camon PeoE, and similar idols without ntiniber.; so that Jeremiah, 2, 28, says: ^-According to the number of thy cities, are thy gods;" and Hosea, 10, 1: '' Acc^lKliug to the 'the multitude 'of his iimit he hath in- 'Creased the altars;^' and. again, Isaiah ^, 8: " Their land is also full of idols.'' Xow, all this was nothing but din'ine ser\ ice, by which tkey presumed tto serve the true ^od. (For this rea-.*son, • the Prophets, who censured ithese things, were slain thy them, as ^destroyers of the divine service and Jas blasphemers against God. But it >waf a^ervice of God, ^instituted according to the dictates of nature, and not according to the commandment of God. In the service of God, he is the light himself, and will accept nothing ^Ise biit that which he has commanded and instituted. We read, Lev. 10, 2, that Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, "were consumed before the altar by fire, when at the same time they were jlriests' called of God, and had done nothing more than put -strange, unconsecrated fire into the censer,—a thing which was not in accordance with the commandment of Gotl; so little ^ill he tolerate us ^to recognize and style that divtue •ser%nee, v/hich he has not so styled. What else does an individual do, who.'pre&times to do this, biit make an idol out of God? He imagines that God entertains the same opinion tha^ ^he does, and forms, at will, in his own mind, a God for himself, presuming itha't God must and will be delighted with anything which he may devise.

This is nothing else but changinig and perverting the will and intention *of God to suit our will and intention. This is mocking God, and regarding liim as a spectre, a wooden image, which we may change and fashion at pleasure; a thingwhich he will not allow by any means. For he will not permit us to make an image of him, or an idol, as is evident from the first commandment; nor will he allow us to misuse his name, as is clear from the second commandment. Both of these commandments are just and rights Hence it isampossible for the dictateis of nature to please God ia that way, Xo, it is the highest presumption on earth, and of all tliings the most offensiv^e to him.

In ^iew of this distinction between God and man, there ^an be no diflSculty in distinguishiijg the true light from the false. Whatever is not commanded o'f '"God, ^oiild be avoided in the most careful mariner, although angels or saints order and institute it. The greater portion of all the laws of the Pope and the orders of the ecclesiaStiGS inust be false. For the gi'eater paTt of them are nothing* but human de\ice8, in regard to extepaal wser?ks, which G(M has not €o«l^-

23jaiided f and idolatry i^ievails more ifiiiiie world liow tliau it did in the <lay^ of the Jews; and yet persons ji»;t'esume to serve God in tins Avay, Wheii at the same tiine it is wrong in 0Y61^y respect.

*'l)iviiie' light teaches us to trust and believe in God, to leave all things to him, freely to submit to his workings itiid operations, to accept, i)erforni, a|id beai^ all that may present itself, ija'liis providence, and to serve our lieighbor during the whole course of oVir lives. In such fiiith there is no tliiference in works; all are alike. In this state of mind we may well serv e (x6dj by erecting buildings, by plantingi, threshing, and performing all inannidr of external Avorks. For all theSse i>roceed properly in divine light, iti. faith. This, God himself regards a^ his service and as a divine course of bonduct.

^ In regard to this, however, nature imd reason know so little, that thev proceed to condemn such faith as error and heresy, accepting the Avorks wiiicli they discover in the beloved H|iihts and their orders, unwilling and uiiable to perceive that the saints did these works under the influence of (iiViiie light and faith Vvhich they confleitin. Thus they make for themselves an idol out of the examples of tfie sailits, persisting continually and irrevocably in their blindness and idolatry.

In their commencenient, the pa])al laws also inculcate this principle, but for the purpose of terrify hi g all the Av'orld by the.«e declarations of the ScWptitres, so that no one may reject lii^ foolish laws, in eonsefpu^ice of this doctrine,— a thing which Avouhl to this doctrine of Solomon and St. Panl. He ibrbids every one to think for himself; and yet he enforces in ail abominable manner his own opinions throughout the woild. But Solomon does not intend that Ave should be taught by ourselves, or by any human reason and devicc^s, but of God alone, our Lord. Whatever is not taught (^r inculcated by him, wo should avoid as darkness. For he neither can nor Avill allow in diving things an assistant master or teacher'; he himself intends to be the light and teacher, so that our faith may be pure and clear in diAine matters.

In temi)oral things, however, in Avhich you may learn from a carpenter to construct a building, you may act otherAvise: You may leaiii to i>aint from a i)ainter, from a shoemaker, to make shoes; from a scribe, to Avrite; but to serve God and to knoAv how this and all other works become good, you learn not from man, but from God alone; for God teaches you to belieA'e in him and to love your neighbor in all your Avorks. JMen teach you to Avork Avithout faith, and to loA'e yourself only, so as to forget God and your neighbor.

This, you Avill perceive, is tho meaning of Isaiah, where he says: " Behold, the darkness sliaU cover the earth, and gross darkness tho people." He cannot be understood as speaking of literal darkness, — tho sun Avith its light continued as it Avas, — but of darkness Avhich is o])- posed to the light, in regard to Avhich he says: "Thy light is come," and * * * "the Lord shall arise upon thee." KoAv those upon Avhom the Lord does tiot rise and shine, are in darkness; so thiit darkness liere is nothing else but unbeliei" and natural reason;

li^ just and necessary. His object tB captivate all persons, so that they Jiiiiy ri^giird him alone as Avise, and f0Mo\^ Irilii, re'^aMl6Ss of the Avisdoin as tlie light is Christ, or faith in (JhrisI, thnmgh which Christ dwells in the l»eart; as St. Paul says, Fph.;5, 17. Tliuy, loo, earth here does not mean the natural earth, — this did not be<'ome darker through Christ, — but earthly \neii Avho neith( r believe, nor acceiit Christ through the Gospel, but ratlier coiitinuo in tlieir earthly iiiiaginatioiiH

/dmself, saying: "Gross daikiit'ss I is coverod not only with daikuess, but

^hall cover the peoi)le."'

But what does this imply f AYere not persons in darkness juevious to the advent of Christ? If he brouglit the light through tlie (Jospel, liow does it happen that darkness tlu'u lii'st ap]>eari*d? We must bear in jnind here, that Isaiah is speaking of } tlie liglit, does not rise upou them,.

with gross darkness, in this way he indieati s not only the blindness of thin wretelied people, bnt also their grossdarkness; so that thi.s light does uot rise upon theui. The (iospel is uot jueaehed to the Jews; they are unwilling to hear it. Tluu-efore Christ,.

tlie fiewisli people only. These lie divides into two classes. The oue enjoys tke light, and tlie other is overwheiuied in darkness; as was really the case. For this reason he says: "The earth * * and the people.*' So loo David, l*s. 2, 1, says concerning them: " AVhy do the" i)eople speak vainly ''against the Lord, and against Ills anointed.'' Now th'Mvhole peo])le of Israel awaited Christ, and from tlie shadows of the law through Christ, they enjoyed light. But matters 8eeined to be reversed. The grer.ter j)ortion of them fell, aud merged <lee])er into darkness.

For, ju-evious to the advent of Clirist, there was a light, the law, in which Christ was promised to them.

tJirough the Cospel: and hence they remain covered in their unbelief without jueaching and instruction; as. ( jrod, l>'aiah 5^. 0, says in regard to^ this: '• 1 will also command the clouds that they rain no more rain upon it;'' that is, no preaclier shall ]»reach to them concerning Christ. This you perceive is not only being in darkness, in unbelief, but being covered v.ith it; so as to hear no i)reaching, through whicii the light might rise u[)ou them* O, terrible prophecy and example for all who ]eject the (lospel!

Yet, "Upon thee,' says he, "shall the Lord arise.'' The whole nation was not blinded. From it the better and gieater portion of the Christian Church is tlerived; the Apostles* lUit when he came and fultilled the j Evangelists, aud numenms saints.- law, they still continued to hang upon the law, and to await his api)roach, 80 that in this way, they seem to have lost the design and intention of the law, which they once had; and it hapjjcned with them, as it does with a person who leaves far behind him tlie light which he shouhl have before liim, or Avhichhe oiiceh;i<l before him. He thus goes deeper into darkness, without light. A person who has his eyes tixed on a light before him, no ' matter how faritnuiy be oft' from him, '■ may see indeed whither he io going; i but one who leaves it behind him and | turns his back upon it, is overwhelm- I ed in darkness. ^

In this way the Jews act, who have the law, which shines u}M)n Christ i who is idready come, behind them;! they reject its light which fails up4Ui Christ, with the exi)ectatioii, that it will shine for them upon another Christ who is yet to come. But here there is no light; this will amount to

These are those who are neithei- in (hirkness nor covered with it. To them the Lord himself was i)reached, and so preaciied that his glory appears or is seen in them. He does not nu^relj say: The glory of the Lord is risen upon thee, but that it shall be seen upon thee; so that it is not only revealed to tliem, — a thing which occurred also to the unbelieving jjortion, — but it appeared to them, and they know him aTid his glory. They persevered in these. Therefore, the rising of this light, that is, the Gospel, vras not taken away from them.

This seems to be the meaning of Isaiah: This part of the text refers ta the fruits of tlie lueached (Jospel, and the hist, to th<i ]ueaching of the Gos^ ])el. The Gospel arose, and admonished all to arise. But afterv. aids somt^ becauK^ so hardened and overwhelmed in darkness, that the light did notarise upon tliem again, neither was it l»reached to them any moie. Other** nothing; the law points to no other i were enlight<.uied, and continued in

Chri.st. for this reason he says: The earth j This tilways has been the cikse, eveu