(2.) The very nature of this calling enforceth this sanctification, or netting man apart from a common to a sacred use ; for it is a calling us not only from misery to happiness, but from sin to holiness, and the one is indispensably necessary to the other ; for none but those who are in a holy estate can be in a blessed condition. Our calling is sometimes called ' a heavenly calling,' Heb. iii. 1 ; sometimes ' an holy calling,' 2 Tim. i. 9. Therefore the chief subordinate end is holi- ness : Rom. i. 7, ' Called to be saints,' — from the devil, the world, and the flesh, to God.
(3.) The grace and favour which is showed in our calling obligeth us to be holy in point of gratitude ; for when we consider in what a
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sinful estate God found iis, how freely he loved us, and that with a discriminating, difFerencincj love, when he passed by others worthier than we, and to wiiat estate he is ready to advance us — to the enjoy- ment of himself, amongst all those that are sanctified by faith ; — all these are as so many strong bonds and obligations upon us to 'walk worthy of God, who hath called us to his kingdom and glory in Jesus Christ/ 1 Thes. ii. 12 — worthy of his grace in calling ; worthy of the glory to which we are called ; that is, with the worthiness of conde- cency, not of condignity. We cannot fully answer this grace, but we must do that which will become it.
(4.) This calling enableth us to be holy, because it giveth us all things necessary both to holiness of heart and life: 2 Peter i. 3, ' Accord- ing as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.' Kow this grace must not lie idle, otherwise we receive the Spirit in vain.
Secondly, The ultimate end : ' To obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.' The same expression in 1 Peter v. 10, ' The God of all grace, who hath called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus.' It is ' his glory.' Mark — (1.) Here is glory ; (2.) It is the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[1.] It is glory for body and soul. The glory is so great we cannot utter it, and conceive it. Now a little is revealed to us, but then it shall be revealed in us. (1.) The soul is not annihilated after death, nor doth it sleep till the resurrection, nor is it detained by the way from immediate passing into glory ; but as soon as it is loosed from the body, is admitted into God's })resence, and gathered unto the souls of just men made perfect, where it seeth God and loveth him, and en- joyeth what it seeth and loveth ; for as soon as we are loosed from the body, we are present with the Lord. And therefore the first bene- fit we receive in the other world is the salvation of the soul : 1 Peter i. 9, ' Pieceiving the end of your fiiith, even the salvation of your souls.' It flitteth hence to God. (2.) The body hath its glory also in due time ; for when it is raised U]) out of the grave, it will be another kind of body than we now have, both for impassibility, clarity, agility — for impassibility, called incorruption ; clarity, called glory ; agility, called power; subtilty, called a spiritual body by the apostle: 1 Cor. XV. 42,43, ' It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption ; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory ; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body' : —
(1.) Impassability doth not only exclude corruption, for so the bodies of the damned are preserved for ever ; but all grievances and pain : Kev. xxi. 4, ' There shall not be any more pain.'
(2.) For glory, a shining ])rightness : Mat. xiii. 43, ' The righteous shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of the Father.' Stephen's face shone, in this life, ' as it were the face of an angel,' Acts vi. 15. And Moses' face shone by converse with God in the mount, Exod, xxxiv. 30. Our bodies shall be ' likened unto his glorious body,' Phil, iii. 21. In the transfiguration, ' His face did shine as the sun, and his raiment did shine as the light.'
(3.) For vigour, activity, and strength. It shall always be in the
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height and excellency of it. Grod preserved Moses' natural vigour for a long time, Deut. xxxiv. 7 ; but glorified bodies shall for ever re- main in an eternal spring of youth.
(4.) Subtilty, a spiritual body. Here we live an animal life, after the manner of sensitive creatures, maintained by meat, drink, sleep ; but hereafter the body shall live after the manner of spirits, having no need or use of these things. There we are ladyyeXoi, ' as the angels of G-od,' Mat. xxii. 30 ; and 1 Cor. vi. 19, ' Our bodies are the temple of the Holy G-liost.' Well, then, this is the glory put upon us.