[2.] Of holiness, purity of heart and life, a recompense worthy of your labours, how dearly soever gotten : Heb. xii. 10, ' They verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.'
[3.] Of eternal life. They are true servants of God who make it their work and business to serve and please God, and their scope to obtain eternal life : Phil. iii. 14, ' I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus ;' and ver. 20, ' Our conversation is in heaven, whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.' This is their happiness.
SERMON XXIII.
And the end everlasting life. — Eom. VI. 22.
Doct That a blessed eternal life is the final reward of those that have their fruit to holiness.
1, What this eternal life is.
2. The reasons why this is our final reward.
First. What eternal life is. Though it be better industriously to seek after it than scrupulously to inquire into the nature of this excel- lent benefit ; yet because unknown things have not such a power and efficacy to quicken our desires, let us know as much of it as we can. Indeed future things are but darkly spoken of ere they be accomplished ; we are told, ' Prophecy is but in part,' 1 Cor. xiii. 9. Our knowledge of these things is but imperfect ; our apprehensions are suitable to the state we are in, which is a state of imperfection ; but yet they are not altogether useless, but fitted to our benefit. Before the coming of Christ in the flesh, the mysteries of the christian religion were but darkly revealed to what they were afterward ; but yet they were such as were comfortable, and gave them some kind of sight of Christ before his exhibition to the world, enough to engage them to live in the expectation of the Messiah. So here we have apprehensions fitted to the use of travellers, and such as may encourage us in our heavenly course, and raise an expectation in us. Briefly I shall show three things : —
1. It is life.
2. It is a good and happy life.
3. It is an endless and eternal life.
1. It is life, both in soul and body. In soul : Ps. xxii. 26, * Your heart
3G4 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VI. [SeU. XXIII.
shall live for ever ; ' and again, Ps. Ixix. 32, ' Your liL-art shall live that seek God.' In body: 2 Cor. iv. 10, ' Always bearing in our bodies the dying of our Lord Jesus Christ, that the life of Jesus also might be mani- fested in our body ;' that is, we are continually ready to be put to death for Christ's sake, that at length we may receive the effects of his quickening power in raising from the dead to the life of glory : so Phil, iii. 21, ' Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Well, this we know then, that the party must subsist and live after death, otherwise he is incapable to enjoy God, and the blessedness of that estate ; and he must subsist in body and soul, otherwise he is not the same person, if he were all spirit, and had no body at all ; for if his body were utterly perished, and his soul were changed into the nature of angels, which were never destinated to be conjoined to bodies, this were not altogether the same being ; for it is not he that is glorified or debased, but some other thing. Well then, he that now serveth God shall then live, but in another manner than he now liveth.
[1.] Compare it with life natural. This life is a fluid thing, that runneth from us as fast as it cometh to us ; but that is eternal. Be- sides, here we are exposed to many troubles in an uncertain world : Gen. xlvii. 9, 'Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been;' there is full rest and peace: Kev. xiv. 13, 'Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth : Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their lalDOurs ; and their works do follow them.' The supports of this life are base and low ; it is called, ' The life of our hands,' Isa. Ivii. 10 ; most men labour hard to maintain it, but there we are above these necessities. Once more, the capacities of this life are narrow, every strong passion overwhelmeth us ; the disciples were not able to bear the glory of Christ's transfiguration : Mat. xvii. 6, ' When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces, and were sore afraid.' Alas ! strong winds soon overset weak vessels ; if God should give us but a taste or glimpse of that blessedness which is reserved for us, we are ready to cry out, ' Enough, Lord ! we can hold no more ; ' but there we are fortified by the glory we enjoy, and the object strengthens the faculty.