2. It informs us how far they are from the spirit of sincere chris- tians who are content to live here always, will not part with their earthly portion ; their hearts are set upon satisfying the vile lusts of the body. They are not as yet weaned children, but hang upon the world's dug ; have no desire of that great happiness and glory which God hath provided in the other world. Such as men's natures are,
VeR. 3.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 459
such will their desires be. Most men are at home in this world, pitch their tents here, desire no other portion than they have in hand ; there is a suitableness between the world and them. As fishes desire to be in the water, and fowls in the air, so they are the children of this world, and their hearts cleave to present thing.s, Ps. xvii. 14.
Use 2. To exhort us to rouse up our languid and cold affections, that they may be more earnestly carried out after heavenly things, and with greater fervency seek after them. (1.) Consider how clear these things are to the eye of faith. In tlie promise you may see enough to awaken the most dead heart. The hope is set before thee, Heb. vi. 18, if we had eyes to see it. So it is said of Christ, Heb. xii. 2, 'Who for the joy set before him.' The promise sets it in our view, that we may eye it much, and often look upon it, and press earnestly towards it ; sense cannot discover it, but in the scripture there is a clear representation and firm promise ; if we had more lively appre- hensions and certain expectations, we would more long after it. (2.) The miseries and troubles of the present world are matters of sense. Sense cannot discover what should draw our desires, yet sense can discover what should drive them from the world ; enough to set us a- groaning in a way of sorrow, if not a-groaning and desiring in a way of hope. The misery of the present state is no matter of faith ; we need not scripture to tell us that we are burdened and pained, and conflict with sundry trials. Oh ! draw off thy heart more and more. (3.) Eouse up your love. Can you love Christ, and not long to be with him ? Col. iii. 2, 3, ' Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth ; for you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God/ If Christ be in heaven, and your life there, should not your love be there ?
SEEMON V.
If so he that being clothed toe shall not he found naked.— 2 Cor. v. 3.
The apostle here limiteth the privilege of the certainty of putting on heavenly glory, which is not common to all men, but only belongeth to the faithful. He limiteth also the desire of that happy estate which he had produced as an evidence of the certainty of it to the same faithful ones, who, departing out of this life to an immortal, eternal estate, are not found naked, that is, destitute of that true covering wherewith our filthy nakedness is covered. ' We groan and desire earnestly. If so be,' &c. There are several senses given of these words ; I shall only take notice of two, that seem to ofter themselves with equal probability ; the first is built upon the special notion of that word, ' to be clothed upon,' itreyhvaaaOai, used in the former verse. I know not, or I am ignorant of the mind of God in this thing, whether we shall be found clothed with our bodies or naked, that is, stripped
460 SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. V.
of our bodies at the Lord's coming ; as if it had respect to that mystery spoken of: 1 Thes. iv. 17, 'That we that are alive, or remain, sliall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the ail', and to be for ever with the Lord ;' and 1 Cor. [xv. 51, ' Behold I show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.' (2.) The other sense giveth us the reason why he and all the saints groaned or longed to be clothed upon, because they were prepared or made ready, because they were found clothed with the righteousness and holiness of Christ in the day of their transmigration, whereas others who are naked and destitute of this righteousness of Christ cannot and are not to expect this glory.
I shall give my reasons why, though both be probable, I prefer this latter sense.
1 . It is not very probable to imagine that the apostle should con- ceive that possibly they might survive till the coming of Christ, or that his gospel kingdom should be of so short continuance as that they should see the end of it, especially when he had so zealously cautioned them against that mistake that the day of Christ was at hand, 2 Thes. iii. 2.
2. In the first verse he supposeth a dissolution of the earthly house of this tabernacle, where he compareth the weak and mortal estate of the bodily life to a tabernacle or tent, which men in their travel easily set up, and at their departure take down again, or let fall of its own accord, and that the glorious estate which he expected should ensue after this tabernacle was taken down or dissolved, aud he proveth his certain knowledge of this, because he and all the saints groaned. Even all those were clothed and not naked.