[2.] Compare it with the life of grace, which puts us into some degree of communion with God ; but this doth not exempt us from miseries, rather sometimes exposeth us to them : 2 Tim. iii. 12, * Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall sufi"er persecution.' Yea, we often provoke God to hide his -f ace from us ; all tears are not yet wiped from our eyes ; our sins breed not only doubts of God's love, but put us under a sense of his displeasure : Isa. lix. 2, ' Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.' Though we have obtained the life of grace, we are not yet got rid of the body of death, and that is matter of continual groaning : Bom. viii. 23, ' And not only so, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, — to wit, the redemp- tion of our body. ' Here we serve God at a distance, in some remote service ; there we are present with the Lord, and immediately before
VeR. 22.] SEllBIONS UPON ROMANS VI. 365
the throne : Eev. vii. 15, ' Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple.' Here we enjoy God in the ordinances at second or third hand, there face to face : 1 Cor. xiii. 12, ' For we see but through a glass darkly, then face to face/ Here in part we do not enjoy so much, but more is lacking ; but then we shall be satisfied with his image : Ps. xvii. 15, ' As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness, I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.' That which attaineth its end is perfect and blessed, there needeth no more to make us happy, for the most perfect estate ex- cludeth all want and indigency ; here is still some want, but there is none.
3. It is a good and happy estate. I prove it —
[1.] From the nature of it ; they that live this life see God and enjoy God. There is some last end of man's life, and therefore some chief- good. There are intermediate ends, therefore there must be a last end ; we must stop somewhere. As, suppose I eat for strength, my strength must be employed to some end ; is it for the service of others ? or myself ? or God ? Not for myself, for then I eat that I may have strength to labour, that I may eat again ; not for others, 7ion nascitnr aliis moriturus sihi; then for God, who is man's chief good : Gen. XV. 1, ' Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward ; ' Ps. xvi. 5, ' The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup:' Ps. xxxvi. 9, 'For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light.' There is all good in God, and beyond God nothing is to be desired: without him the soul is never satisfied ; but having him, we are perfectly satisfied, and our desires acquiesce, as in their proper centre of rest. Well then, our enjoyment of him is our proper happiness. Certainly man's felicity must agree with the noblest part of a man, his soul, that his noblest faculty may be exercised in the noblest way of operation about its most noble object. Every living creature desireth good, but their highest way of perception being sense, it is sensible good ; but man, being endowed with reason and understanding, must have some spiritual good before his desires can be perfectly satisfied ; a good it must be for our souls. Now the noblest object the soul is capable of is God, and the noblest faculties of our souls are understanding and will, the noblest operations are therefore knowledge and love. Love is either desire or delight. Desire noteth a deficiency, or some imperfect possession ; joy or delight is the repose of the soul in what is already obtained, ^o, then, the noblest acts are sight, love, and joy, which, assisted by the light of glory, are now most perfect in degree, as, being assisted by the light of grace, they were true in their kind. Well then, put all together, a living reason- able creature is admitted to the sight and love of Clod in the highest way he is capable of.
[2.] The end must be somewhat better than the means. The means is having our fruit to holiness, the end is everlasting life. This lil'e exercised in holiness is the way, that the home ; this the race, that the goal ; this the warfare, that the crown ; this the labour, that the reward ; this the means, that the end. Here we have the beginning and first-fruits, there the whole crop and harvest. Now a holy man is here united to God : 1 Cor. vi. 17, ' He that is joined to the Lord
366 SERMONS UPON ROMAKS VI. [SeR. XXIII.
is one spirit ; * therefore there the union is greater and more close ; for ' Grod will be all in all : ' 1 Cor. xv. 28. Here a holy man knoweth and seeth God by faith : John xvii. 3, ' This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent ; ' and 2 Cor. V. 7, ' For we walk by faith, not by sight ; ' therefore there the vision is more clear : 1 John iii. 2, ' We shall see him as he is.' Here he is renewed according to the image of God : 2 Cor. iii. 18, ' We all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory;' therefore there shall be another manner of transformation : 1 John iii. 2, ' Then we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.' Here he enjoyeth communion with God : 1 John i. 3, * Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ ;' there it shall be more full and uninterrupted. Here he rejoiceth and delighteth himself in God : Ps. xxvii. 4, ' One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple ;' there more especially, when there shall be nothing to divert that delight, and the participation of his benefits shall be more full. Here he pro- moteth the glory of God, and setteth forth his praise, either by way of design, making that his scope : 1 Cor. x. 31, ' Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God ; ' or of resemblance : 1 Peter ii. 9, ' Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priest- hood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light ;' Eph. i. 12, ' That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ;' there his whole work is to laud and praise God, and he doth more perfectly resemble him, there being nothing to obscure his image.