talk of Light, but all the while he knows not what he means by the Words which he ufeth about him. For he useth them only as Words in courfe, taken up from thofe he talks with, without having any Effect or Operation at all upon his mind; whereas they who really believe God's Word, and what is there revealed concerning the Sun of Righteoufnefs; they fee his Light, they feel his Heat, they experience the Power and Efficacy of his Influences; and therefore, although they who have not Faith (as few have) can be no way profited by what they fhall hear or read of him, yet they who have, and act it upon what they hear or read out of God's holy Word concerning him, they will find their Thoughts or Apprehenfions of him cleared up, and their Affections enflamed to him; fo as to love and honour him for the future, as the Fountain of all that fpiritual Life and Light, and Joy they have. For to them he will arife with bealing in bis wings.

He did not only arife once, but he continually arifeth to those who believe in God, and fear him. For thus faith the Lord, to you that fear my Name fhall the Sun of Righteoufnefs arife, with bealing in bis wings. It is true, he fpeaks more ef pecially of his Incarnation, or vifible Appearance

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pearance in the World, but by this manner of fpeaking, he intimates withal that this Sun of Righteoufnefs is always fhining his faithful People, more or lefs, in all Ages from the beginning to the end of the World. For in that it is faid be fball arife, it is plainly fuppofed that he was the Sun of Righteoufnefs before, and gave Light unto the World, though not fo clearly as when he was actually rifen. As we fee and enjoy the light of the Sun, long before he rifeth, from the firft dawning of the Day, though it grows clearer and clearer, all along as he comes nearer and nearer to his rifing, fo the Sun of Righteouf, nefs began to enlighten the World as foon as it was darkened by Sin; the Day then began to break, and it grew lighter and lighter in every Age. Adam himself faw fomething of this Light, Abraham more; Abrabam rejoyced to fee my Day, faith this glori ous Sun, be faw it, and was glad, Joh.viii.56: David and the Prophets after him faw it moft clearly, efpecially this, the laft of the Prophets: He faw this Sun in a manner rifing, fo that he could tell the People that it would fuddenly get above their Horizon, The Lord whom ye feek, faith he, fball fuddenly come to his Temple, Mal. iii. 1. and acquaints them alfo with the happy Influences it would have upon them, fay

ནཱ་

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ing in the Name of God, Unto you that fear any name fhall the fun of righteoufness arife with healing in his wings.

The Sun of Righteoufnefs; that is, as I obferved before, Jefus Chrift the righteous, who is often foretold and fpoke of under the name and notion of the Sun or Star that giveth light unto the World. There fball come a far out of Jacob, faid Balaam, Num. xxiv. 17. And be fhall be as the light of the morning when the fun rifeth, faith David, 2 Sam. xxiii. 4. And the Prophet Ifaiah fpeaking of his coming, faith, The people that walked in darkness have feen a great light, and they that dwell in the land of the fhadow of death, upon them bath the light fhined, Ifa. ix. 2. For that this was fpoken of Chrift, we have the authority of the Evangelift, Mat. iv. 16. To the fame purpofe is that of the fame Prophet, Arife, fbine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is rifen upon thee. For behold the darkness ball cover the earth, and grofs darknefs the people, but the Lord fhall arife upon thee, and his glory fhall be feen upon thee, Ifa. lx. 1, 2. The fun fhall be no more thy light by day, neither for brightness fall the moon give light unto thee. But the Lord fhall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory, v. 19, 20. To which we may add the many places where Chrift

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is called moy which we tranflate the Branch. As, I will bring forth my fervant the Branch, Zech. iii. 8. Behold the man, whofe name is the Branch, c. vi. 8. I will raife up to David, a righteous Branch, Jer. xxiii. 5. And a Branch of righteousness. c. xxxiii. 15. In all which places the original word fignifies alfo the rifing of the Sun, and is accordingly rendred by the LXX,'AvaToan, Oriens, not that part of Heaven where the Sun rifeth, but the Sun it self as rifing there. And fo it is tranflated also both in the Syriack and Arabick Verfions. And where it is faid, In that day fhall the Branch of the Lord be beautiful, Ifa. iv. 2. In the LXX it is áμte o eo's, God shall Shine forth. In the Syriacki Las? The rifing of the Lord fhall be for glory. In Arabick, The Lord fhall rife as the fun. And that this is the true fenfe of the word in all these places, appears from the Prophecy of Zacharias the Father of John the Baptift, for fpeaking of Chrift's coming, he expreffeth it according to our Tranflation, by faying, The day Spring from on high bath vifited us, Luk. i. 78. But in the ori ginal it is the fame word that the LXX use in all the aforefaid places, 'Avaλn, Oriens, the rifing Sun. And it is much to be ob ferved, that all the faid places of the Pro phets, are interpreted of the Meffiah or Y 2 Chrift

Chrift; by the Targum or Chaldee Paraphrafe, made by the ancient Jews themfelves; for may the rifing Sun, is there tranflated on the Chrift, as if it was only another name for Meffiah, the Saviour of the World. From all which it appears, that when the Prophet here calls our Saviour Chrift the fun of righteoufnefs, he speaks according to the common fenfe and practice of the Church at that time.

AND verily he may well be called the Sun, both in refpect of what he is in himfelf, and in refpect of what he is to us. As there is but one Sun in the Firmament, it is the chief of all Creatures that we fee in the World. There is nothing upon Earth, but what is vaftly inferior, the very Stars of Heaven feem no way comparable to it; it is the top, the head, the glory of all visible Objects: In like manner, as there is but one Saviour in the World, he is exalted far above all things in it, not only above the Sun it felf, but above all Principality, and Power, and Might, and Dominion, and every Name that is named, not only in this World, but alfo in that which is to come. All things are put under his feet, and he is given to be bead over all things to the Church, Eph. i. 21, 22. The very Angels, Authorities and Powers of Heaven,

are