speaks more especially of His Incarnation, or visible appearance in the world; but, by this manner of speaking, He intimates withal that this Sun of Righteousness is always shining upon His faithful people, more or less, in all ages, from the beginning to the end of this world. For in that it is said, "He shall arise," it is plainly supposed that He was the Sun of Righteousness before, and gave light unto the world, though not so clearly as when He was actually arisen. As we see and enjoy the light of the sun long before he riseth, from the first dawning of the day, though it grows clearer and clearer all along as he comes nearer and nearer to his rising so the Sun of Righteousness began to enlighten the world as soon as it was darkened by sin; the day then began to break, and it grew lighter and lighter in every age. Adam himself saw something of this light; Abraham more: John 8. 56. “Abraham rejoiced to see My day," saith this glorious Sun; " he saw it and was glad." David and the Prophets after him saw it most clearly, especially this the last of the Prophets; he saw this Sun in a manner rising, so that he could tell the people that it would suddenly get above their horizon : "The Lord Whom ye seek," saith he, "shall suddenly come to His Temple;" and acquaints them also with the happy influences it would have upon them, saying, in the Name of God, "Unto you that fear My Name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings."

Mal. 3. 1.

Num. 24. 17.

II. "The Sun of Righteousness;" that is, as I observed before," Jesus Christ the Righteous," Who is often foretold and spoke of under the name and notion of the Sun or Star that giveth light unto the world. "There shall come a "And He shall be as

2 Sam. 23. Star out of Jacob," said Balaam.

4.

Isa. 9. 2.

the light of the morning when the sun riseth," saith David. And the Prophet Isaiah, speaking of His coming, saith, "The people that walked in darkness have seen a Great Light, and they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of Matt. 4. 16. death, upon them hath the Light shined." For that this was spoken of Christ, we have the authority of the Evangelists. To the same purpose is that of the same Prophet, Isa. 60. 1,2. "Arise, shine, for thy Light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the

Jer. 23. 5.

Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. "The sun shall be no more thy light by day, Isa. 60. 19. neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee; but the Lord shall be unto thee an Everlasting Light, and thy God thy glory." To which we may add the many places where Christ is called, which we translate “ the Branch;" as, "I will bring forth My Servant the Branch;" Zech. 3. 8. "Behold the Man whose Name is the Branch;" "I will ch. 6. 12. raise up to David a righteous Branch;" " and a Branch ch. 33. 15. · of righteousness." In all which places the original word signifies also" the rising of the sun," and is accordingly rendered by the LXX. avarok, "oriens," not that part of the heavens where the sun riseth, but the sun itself as rising there and so it is translated, also, both in the Syriac and Arabic versions. And where it is said, "In that day shall Isa. 4. 2. the Branch of the Lord be beautiful," in the LXX. it is

izináμ‡ ¿ Ðós, "God shall shine forth:" in the Syriac, ἐπιλάμψει Θεός, "The rising of the Lord shall be for glory;" in Arabic, "The Lord shall rise as the sun." And that this is the true sense of the word in all these places, appears from the prophecy of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist; for, speaking of Christ's coming, he expresses it, according to our translation, by saying, "The Day-spring from on high Luke 1. 78. hath visited us." But in the original it is the same word that the LXX. use in all the aforesaid places, avaroký,

oriens, the rising sun." And it is much to be observed, that all the said places of the Prophets are interpreted of the Messiah or Christ, by the Targum or Chaldee paraphrase made by the ancient Jews themselves; for the rising sun,' is there translated the Christ,' as if it was only another name for the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. From all which it appears, that when the Prophet here calls our Saviour Christ the Sun of Righteousness, he speaks according to the common sense and practice of the Church at the time.

And verily He may well be called the Sun, both in respect of what He is in Himself, and in respect of what He is to us. As there is but one sun in the firmament, it is the chief of all creatures that we see in the world. There is nothing upon earth but what is vastly inferior; the very

stars of Heaven seem no way comparable to it. It is the top, the head, the glory of all visible objects. In like manner, there is but one Saviour in the world; He is exalted far above all things in it, not only above the sun itself, but above all principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also Eph. 1. 21, in that which is to come. "All things are put under His feet, and He is given to be Head over all things to the Church." 1 Pet. 3. 22. The very angels, authorities, and powers of Heaven, “are all made subject to Him." And that is the reason that He is said to be at the right hand of God, because He is preferred before, and set over the whole creation, next to the Almighty Creator Himself, where He now reigns and doeth whatsoever He pleaseth in Heaven and in earth.

22.

And as the sun is in itself also the most glorious as well as the most excellent creature we see, of such transcendent beauty, splendour, and glory, that we cannot look steadfastly upon it but our eyes are presently dazzled; so is Christ Matt. 17. 2. "the Sun of Righteousness;" when He was transfigured, "His face did shine as the sun." When St. John had a Rev. 1. 16. glimpse of Him, " he saw His countenance as the sun that shineth in his strength." When He appeared to St. Paul Acts 26. 13. going to Damascus at mid-day, "There was a light above the brightness of the sun shining round about him and them Heb. 1.3. that journeyed with him." And it is no wonder, " for He is the brightness of His Father's glory, and the express Image of His person;" and therefore must needs shine more gloriously than it is possible for any mere creature to do: His very body, by reason of its union to the Divine Phil. 3. 21. Person, "is a glorious Body." The most glorious, doubtless, of all the bodies in the world, as far exceeding the sun as that doth a clod of earth; insomuch, that could we look upon our Lord as He now shines forth in all His glory in the highest Heavens, how would our eyes be dazzled! our whole souls amazed and confounded at His excellent glory! The sun would appear to us no otherwise than as the moon and stars do when the sun is up. And He that so far excels the sun in that very property wherein the sun excels all other things, may well be called the "Sun"-the Sun by way of pre-eminence, the most glorious Sun in the

world, in comparison whereof nothing else deserves to be called by that name. Neither may our blessed Saviour be justly called by this glorious name only for what He is in Himself, but likewise from what He doeth for us; as may be easily demonstrated from all the benefits that we receive from the sun. I shall instance in some of the most plain

and obvious.

1. First, therefore, the sun, we know, is the fountain of all the light that we have upon earth, without which we could see nothing, not so much as the way that is before us, but should be always groping and stumbling in the dark; whereas by it we can discern every thing that is about us, or at any distance from us, as far as our sight can reach. In which respect our blessed Lord is the Sun indeed, "the John 8. 12. Light of the world;" "the True Light that lighteth every ch.1. 9. one that cometh into the world;"" a Light to lighten the Luke 2.32. Gentiles, and the glory of His people Israel;" "a mar- 1 Pet. 2. 9. vellous Light," whereby we can see things that are not visible to the eye as plainly as we do those that are. For

this "Day-spring from on high," this Sun of Righteousness, Luke 1. 78, "hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness 79. and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace;" to shew us the invisible things of God, and direct us to all things belonging to our everlasting peace and happiness. He hath made them all clear and manifest

to us in His Gospel. "But whatsoever maketh manifest is Eph. 5. 13. light." Wherefore He is said to have "brought life and 2 Tim. 1. 10. immortality to light through the Gospel." Because He hath there so clearly revealed them to us, that by the light of His holy Gospel we may see all things necessary to be known, believed, or done, in order to eternal life, as plainly as we can see the most visible objects at noon-day.

2. By this light we can see as much of the glory of God Himself, as our mortal nature can bear. For "no man hath John 1. 18. seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, Which is in

the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." "Neither Matt.11.27. knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and He to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." So that no man ever had or can have any right knowledge of the true God, but only by His Son, our Saviour Christ. But by this means

they that lived before might see Him as by twilight; we who live after this Sun is risen, may see Him by the clearest light that can be given of Him; for He hath fully revealed and declared Himself to us in the Gospel.

3. By this glorious Light we can see into the mystery of the Eternal Trinity in Unity, so as to believe that God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are one, one Jehovah, one God. That God the Father made all things at first by His word, and still upholds and orders all things according to His will that God the Son was made flesh, became man, and, as such, died upon the cross, and so offered up Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world; that He rose again, went up to Heaven, and is now there at the right hand of God; that upon our repentance and faith in Him our sins are all pardoned, and He that made us is reconciled to us by the merits of His said death; that by the power of His intercession, which He now makes in Heaven for us, we are justified or accounted righteous in Him, before His, and in Him our Almighty Father; that God the Holy Ghost abides continually with His Church, moving upon, actuating, and influencing the means of grace that are there administered; that He sanctifies all that believe in Christ, leads them into all truth, comforts them in all their troubles, and assists them in doing whatsoever is required of them. These, and many such great and necessary truths, as lay in a great measure hid before, are now, by the light of the Sun of Righteousness shining in His Gospel, made so plain and evident, that all may see them, except they wilfully shut their eyes, or turn their back upon them.

4. And though the sun in the firmament enlightens only the air, to make it a fit medium through which to see; this glorious light that comes from the Sun of Righteousness Ps. 119. 18. enlightens men's minds too, and opens their eyes" to behold the wondrous things that are revealed in the Law of God." And that, too, so effectually in some, that they likewise are Acts 26. 18. able to enlighten others, "to open their eyes, and turn them from darkness to light." Insomuch that they also are the Matt. 5. 14. "light of the world;" not originally in themselves, but by communication from Him, as the moon is first enlightened by the sun, and then reflects its light to the earth.