What must we do that we may not be found naked, but clothed ?
1. We must humbly .seek reconciliation with God by Christ. When the prodigal came and humbled himself to his father, presently, Luke XV. 22, ' Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him.' Then his nakedness is covered with the robe of Christ's righteousness, and the
VeR. 4.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 467
poor penitent believer is received into God's family, and enjoys all the privileges thereof, and in time shall be admitted into his immediate presence. Now this seeking reconciliation with God is not a thing to be once done at our first acquaintance with him, and no more ; no, but you must be daily renewing and keeping afoot this friendship, by godly sorrow for sin, and a lively faith in the mediator. Repentance and faith must be still renewed, that all breaches between God and us may be prevented.
2. Every day we must labour more to deck and adorn the soul with the graces of God's Spirit, for these make us lovely in the eyes of God : Eph. iv. 24, ' Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.' When the soul is clothed and adorned with these spiritual qualities of righteousness and holiness, then it is like God ; these are ornaments and garments which never fade and wax old. The Lord delighteth in his own image in us.
3. That we should honour God in the world by a holy conversa- tion. His people that are reconciled to him, God will not take them into his immediate presence by and by; as Absalom, 2 Sara. xiv. 24, ' The king said. Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face', &c. That his people may be exercised and tried, that hope may set them a-longing, and that God may have glory from the heirs of heaven here on earth in their conversation : Mat. v. 16, ' Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.'
SERMON VL
For ive that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened, not for that ive ivould be unclothed, but clothed wpon, that inortality might be swallowed up of life. — 2 Cor. v. 4.
In these words the apostle still persists in explaining the nature of that groaning and desiring after the heavenly estate which is in the saints, by declaring the reasons and ends of it. They do not desire simply death itself, which is a fruit of sin, but that happy change, not alto- gether out of a wearisomeness of this life, but out of a sense of a better. In the words observe — 1. The time when we groan — For ive that are in this tabernacle groan. 2. The occasion of groaning — Being bur- dened. 3. The end of groaning, expressed, (1.) Negatively — Not that loeivould be unclothed. (2.) Positively, expressed, (1st.) Metaphorically — Bid clothed upon ; (2dly.) Literally — That mortality might be swcd- loivedu]) of life.'
Let me explain these clauses.
I. The time when we groan — 'We that are in this tabernacle;' that is, while we are in these bodies of clay.
II. The occasion — ' Being burdened,' scit, with sin and afflictions. We have many pressures upon us which are very grievous, and give us a great weariness.
Ili. The end.
468 SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. VI.
1. Negatively expressed — 'Not for that we would be unclothed.' Those who interpret the apostle to speak of the change of the living at Christ's coming, say the meaning is, we would not at all put oft' the body, as others do at death. But this conceit I have already disproved. The words, therefore, may have a threefold sense — [1.] With respect to the ground of this desire ; not that we would part with the body out of impatience. There is a double groaning ; one of nature, another of grace. (1.) Of nature, out of a bare sense of present miseries. [2.] Another of grace, out of a confidence and earnest desire of eternal life, which the Spirit kindleth in us. And so the sense will be — as weary as we are, yet we are not so weary as if for afflictions' sake we would part with the body, wherein we may be serviceable to Christ, and enjoy something of him. No, this groaning arises not so much from a weari- ness of life natural, as from the hope of a better life. For therefore he saith. Though they were burdened and grieved in the body, yet they did not desire to be unclothed of the body. (2.) The manner. They did not simply desire to be unclothed, but only in some respect, that they might be clothed upon with a better life. It is natural to all living creatures to desire the continuance of that being which they have — ' No man ever yet hated his own flesh.' Therefore the saints do not simply desire to be unclothed, but do as all men do, naturally shun death. But the natural horror of death is in a good measure overcome by the confidence of a better estate ; and therefore desire not to be unclothed, but to be clothed upon, as we would put off an old torn garment for a new and a better. [3.] They did not desire to part with these bodies so as to part with them finally, as if they were altogether incapable of this immortality. The soul loveth the body, and would not part with the body but upon necessity, and that for a while only ; but being corruptible, they would not lose the substance, but the corruptibility. There is another sort of body, and another sort of life, infinitely more desirable than this, an eternal, immutable state of life. This we pant, desire, and groan after, and from this we would not have the body excluded ; that is, we would not wholly and everlast- ingly be deprived of the body which now we bear about with us. And so the state of the case lieth thus : if we lived in a house which were our own, where the walls are decayed, and the roof ready to drop down upon our heads, we would desire to remove and depart for a whOe, but would not lose the ground and the materials, but have it built up into a better frame. So, not another body, but we would have it otherwise.