corruptible.' He alludes to the Olympic exercises ; now running and wrestling were two of the Olympic games. Now in these Olympic games the reward was only a corruptible crown, a crown made up of laurels, or olive-branches, or oaken-leaves, or of flowers and herbs, or at the highest of silver and gold, which soon faded ; but we run for an incorruptible crown of glory. A man, saith Chrysostom, would dwell in this contemplation^of heaven, and be loath to come out of it. Nay, saith Augustine, a man might age himself in it, and sooner grow old than weary : 1 Pet. i. 4, ' To an inheritance incorruptible and unde- filed, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.' Here are superexcellent properties of the heavenly inheritance.
(1.) First, It is KkypovofiLav acf)dapTov, an ' incorruptible inherit- ance.'! All earthly inheritances are liable to corruption ; they are true gardens of Adonis, where we can gather nothing but trivial flowers, surrounded with many briars, thorns, and thistles. Oh, the hands, the hearts, the thoughts, the lives that have been corrupted by earthly inheritances ! Oh, the impure love, the carnal confidence, the vain boastings, the sensual joys, that have been the products of earthly in- heritances. If a man's estates lies in money, that may rust, or the thieves may break through and steal it ; if in cattle, they may die, or fall into the hands of the Sabeans and Chaldeans ; if in houses, they may be burnt. Witness the late dreadful fire that turned London into a ruinous heap. If in lands, a foreign enemy may invade them and conquer them. 2 All earthly inheritances are no better than the cities which Solomon gave to Hiram, which he called Cahul, that is to say, displeasing or dirty, 1 Kings ix. 13. Earthly inheritances they do but dirt, daub, and dust the children of men ; it is only the heavenly inheritance that is incorruptible.
(2.) Secondly, It is KXrjpovofjbia d/j,LavTo<}, an ' inheritance un de- filed.' There are few earthly inheritances, but some defilement or other sticks close to them. Many times they are got by fraud, oppres- sion, violence, injustice, &g., and as they are often wickedly got, so they are as often wickedly kept. They that will but go to West- minster Hall may every term understand enough of these things. The heavenly inheritance is the only undefiled inheritance. There is no sin, no sinner, no devil, to defile or pollute the heavenly inheritance, the incorruptible crown. The Greek word, afilavro'^, signifies a pre- cious stone, which though it be never so much soiled, yet it cannot be blemished nor defiled, yea the oftener you cast it into the fire and take it out, the more clear, bright, and shining it is. The apostle may probably allude to this stone : and it is as if he should say, ' The in- corruptible crown that you shall receive shall be studded with the stone amiantos, which cannot be defiled. No unclean thing shall enter into heaven to defile this crown, this inheritance, Kev. xxi. 27. The serpent got into the earthly paradise, and defiled Adam's crown, yea he robbed him of his crown, but the subtle serpent can never enter into the heavenly paradise. But,
(3.) Thirdly, It is Kkqpovofilav afidpavrov, an ' inheritance that
^ An incorruptible inheritance. Gen. iii. 18 ; Isa. xxiii. 9.
'^ James v. 2-5 ; Mat. vi. 19, 20 ; Job i. 14, 15, 17. See my ' London's Lamentation.' [Vol. vi.-G.]
522 THE SIGNAL PRESENCE OF GOD
fadeth not away : ' a metaphor taken from flowers. The beauty of flowers, and the sweetness of flowers, withers in a moment, and is quickly gone, and then they are good for nothing but to be cast upon the dunghill ; so it is with all earthly inheritances, they soon lose their glory and fragrancy. Where is the glory of the Chaldean, Persian, Grecian, and Koman kingdoms ? Dan. vii. 3-8. Sic transit gloria mundi hath been long since written upon them all ; yea, all the glory of the world is like the flower of the field that soon fadeth away, Isa. xl. 6 ; 1 Pet. i. 24. How many great men and great kingdoms have for a time shined in great glory, even like so many suns in the firmament, but are now vanished away like so many blazing comets ! How hath the moon of great men's honours been eclipsed at the full, and the sun of their pomp gone down at noon ! How soon is the courtier's glory eclipsed if his prince do but frown upon him ! and how soon does the prince become a peasant if Grod does but frown upon him ! The Greek word amarantos, say some, is the proper name of a flower which is still fresh and green after it hath hung up in the house a long time. It is as if the apostle had said, ' Your in- corruptible crown shall be garnished or adorned with the precious flower amarantos, which is always fresh and green and flourishing. And indeed this is the excellency of the heavenly inheritance, that it fadeth not away, that it is a flower that never withereth. All the glory of that upper world is like God himself, lasting, yea, everlasting. This never-fading crown is like the flower we call Semper vivens, it keeps always fresh and splendent. The glory of believers shall never fade nor wither, it shall never grow old nor rusty. Thrice happy are those souls that have a share in this incorruptible crown. When Alexander heard the philosopher's discourse of another world in which he had no part, he wept, to speak with the apostle, as ' one without hope,' 1 Thes. iv. 13. None on earth have such cause to weep, as those that have no interest in that inheritance that fadeth not away. But, (4.) Fourthly and lastly. There is no power nor policy on earth or in hell that can deprive a sincere Christian of a croion of glory. 1 Pet. V. 4, ' And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall re- ceive a crown of glory which fadeth not away,' — as the garlands did wherewith the conquerors at games, races, and combats were crowned, which were made of herbs, leaves, and flowers. A crown imports perpetuity, plenty, dignity. It is the height of human ambition. The Greek word amarantinon cometh from amarantus, which is a flower that fadeth not, of which garlands were made in former times, and wherewith they crowned the images of the heathen gods. A be- liever's crown, his inheritance, his glory, his happiness, his blessedness shall be as fresh and flourishing after he hath been many millions of 3^ears in heaven as it was at his first entrance into it. Earthly crowns are like tennis-balls, which are bandied up and down from one to another, and in time wear out. When time shall be no more, when earthly crowns and kingdoms shall be no more, yea, when the world shall be no more, a Christian's crown of glory shall be fresh, flourish- ing, and continuing. All the devils in hell shall never wrangle a believer out of his heavenly inheritance, nor deprive him of his crown of glory. The least thing in heaven is better than the greatest
WITH HIS PEOPLE IN THEIR GREATEST TROUBLES, 523