VeR. 19.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS Vlir. 153
now ; their sonship entitleth them to a miserable portion in the world's estimation, who know not, consider not things to come.
2. From whom they are hidden. Not from God, who ' knowetli those that are his,' 2 Tim. ii. 19 ; not from Christ, who died for them, and liath their names graven upon his breast and shoulders, and is mindful of them upon every turn : John x. 14, 'I am the good shepherd, who know my sheep, and am known of mine.' Christ hath a particular and exact knowledge of all the elect, their individual per- sons, who they are, where they are, and what they are, that shall be saved ; he taketh special notice of them, that he may suitably apply himself to them. They are not altogether unknown to the good angels, for they are their charge : Heb. i. 14, ' Are they not all minister- ing spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salva- tion ? ' And they shall gather them from the four winds at the last day. Mat. xsiv. 31. From whom then are they hidden ?
[1.] From the world. The world knoweth us not, as they knew him not ; they are hid from the world, as colours from a blind man ; they have no eyes to see ; they are blinded by the delusions of the flesh, and cannot judge of spiritual things, because they are to be spiritually dis- cerned, 1 Cor. ii. 14; as a beast cannot judge of the affairs of a man. It is a life above them ; these things are out of their sphere, for they value all things according to the interest of the flesh ; and being blinded with malice and prejudice, they censure this estate perversely, and so malign and oppose it : I Pet. iv. 4, 5, ' They think it strange yon do not run with them into the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you ; who shall give an account to him who is ready to judge the quick and the dead.' They are unwilling any should put a disgrace upon their fleshly course of life ; therefore if they cannot draw others into a fellowship of their sins, they labour to blacken them with cen- sures, or root them out with furious oppositions and persecutions. But their perverse judgment should be no discouragement to us ; let us rather pity their ignorance, than be troubled at their malice ; it is enough for us that we have the favour of God, and our hopes lie else- where.
[2.] In a great measure from ourselves. What with corruptions within, and temptations without, we have much ado to be persuaded that God is our father, and we his children ; our condition being so unsuitable, and our conversations so much beneatli our rights and privileges ; so that it needeth to be cleared by the Spirit of adop- tion ; no less agent or witness will serve the turn : Kom. viii. 16, ' The Spirit itself beareth witness to our spirits that we are the children of God.' When that is done, yet the glory intended to be revealed in us is not sufficiently known ; we have not now an heart to conceive of it, 1 Cor. ii. 9 ; and prophecy is but in part, 1 Cor. xiii. 9 ; and the apostle when rapt up in paradise, heard apprjTa pi'ifj-aTa, 2 Cor. xii. 4. Heavenly joys caimot be told us in an earthly dialect ; the scripture is fain to lisp to us, and to speak some- thing of it, as we can understand and conceive of things to come by things present ; therefore our glory is in a great measure unknown, and will be till the day of manifestation ; and then there shall be a crowu of glory prepared for us.
154 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. [SeR. XXVII.
3. Why thi.s glory is hidden ?
[1.] Because now is the time of trial, hereafter of recompense. There- fore now is the hiding time ; hereafter is the day of the manifestation of the sons of God ; if the glory were too sensible, there were no trial, neither of the world, nor of the people of God. Christ himself might be discerned by those who had a mind to see him ; yet there was obscurity enough in his person to harden those tliat were resolved to continue in their prejudices; therefore it is said, Luke ii. 39, 'This child was set for the rise and fall of many in Israel.' So if the whole excellency of a christian's estate were laid open to the view of sense, there would be no trial ; Christ had his bright side and dark side ; a glory to be seen by those whose eyes were anointed with spiritual eye- salve : John i. 14, ' And the Word was made flesli, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, as the glory of the only Ijegotten of the Father ; ' and affliction and meanness enough to harden those who had no mind to see. So God hath his chosen ones in the world, who keep up his honour and interest ; and he hath his ways to express his love to them, but not openly ; they are called his ' hidden ones,' Ps. Ixxxiii. 3. They are under his secret blessing and protection, but not visibly owned, but in sucli a way as may be best for tbeir trial, and the trial of the world. The Lord Jesus came not with extertal appearance ; his divine nature was hidden under the veil of his flesh ; and his dignity and excellency under a base and mean outside ; in the outward estate there was nothing lovely to be seen by a carnal eye : Isa. liii. 2, ' He hath no form and comeliness ; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him ; yet in himself, he was ' the brightness of the divine glory, and the express image of his person,' Heb. i. 3.