[3.] In order to our future enjoyment of God, and that glory and blessedness which we expect in his heavenly kingdom. None but new creatures are fit to enter into the new Jerusalem. It is said, John iii. 3, ' Except a man be born again, he shall not see the kingdom of God.' Seeing is put for enjoying. He shall not be suffered to look within the veil, much less to enter. Man neither knoweth his true happi- ness nor careth for it, but followeth after his old lusts till he be new moulded and framed. By nature men are opposite to the kingdom of
VeR. 17.] SERMONS UPOX 2 CORINTHIANS V, 239
God, it being invisible, future, spiritual, mostly for the soul. Now men are for things seen, present, and bodily ; the interest of the flesh governeth them in all their choices and inclinations; and how unmeet are those for heaven ! In short, our frail bodies must be changed before they can be brought to heaven — ' We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed,' saiih the apostle. If thy body must be changed, how much more thy soul ? if that which is frail, much more that which is filthy. If bare flesh and blood cannot enter into heaven till it be freed from its corruptible qualities, certainly a guilty soul cannot enter into heaven till it be treed from its sinful qualities. Use 1. To inform us —
1. How ill they can make out their interest in Christ that are not sensible of any change wrought in them. They have the old thoughts and old discourses, and the old passions, and the old aftections, and old conversations still ; the old darkness and blindness which was upon their minds : the old stupidity, dullness, deadness, carelessness upon their hearts, knowing nothing, regarding nothing of God , the old end and scope governeth them, to which they formerly referred all things ; if there be a change there is some hope the Redeemer hath been at work in our hearts. You can remember how little favour you had once for the things of the Spirit ; how little mind to Christ or holiness ; how wholly given up to the pleasures of the flesh or profits of the world. What a mastery your lusts had then- over you, and what a hard servitude you then were in : Titus iii. 3, ' Serving divers lusts and pleasures.' Is the case altered with you now ? If it be, your gust to fleshly deligiits is deadened, and your soul will be more taken up with the atfairs of another world. The drift, aim, and bent of your lives is now for God and your salvation ; and your great business is now the pleasing of God and the saving of your souls, and now you are not servants to your fleshly appetites and senses, or things here below, but masters, lords, and conquerors over them. But in most that profess and pretend to an interest in Christ, there is no such change to be seen ; you may find their old sins and their old lusts, and the old things of ungodliness, are not yet cast off. Such rubbish and rotten building should not be left standing with the new ; old leaves in autumn fall off" in the spring.
2. It informeth us in what manner we should check sin ; by remem- bering it is an old thing to be done away, and how ill it becoraeth our new state by Christ : 2 Peter i. 9, ' Hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.' Former sins ought to be esteemed as rags that are cast otf, or vomit never to be licked up again. If we are and do pro- fess or esteem ourselves to be pardoned, we shoidd never build again what we have destroyed, and tear open our old wounds , so 1 Peter i. 14 ' Not fashioning yourselves to the former lusts of your ignorance.' We should not return to our old bondage and slavery ; so 1 Cor. v. 7, ' Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump.' The unsuitableness of it to our present state stirreth up our indignation : ' What have I any more to do with idols ? ' Hosea xiv. 8. Worldly things are pleasing to the old man.
Use 2. Have we this evidence of our being in Christ, that we are made new creatures ?
240 SEKMOXS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V, [SeK. XXXII.
1. Have we a new mind? A new creature Imtli a new sight of things, looketh upon all things with a new eye, seeth more odiousness in sin, more excellency in Christ, more beauty in holiness, more vanity in the world than ever before. Knowing things after the flesh bringeth in tins discourse about the new creature in the text. A new value and esteem of things doth much discover the temper of the heart ; if thou esteemest the reproach of Christ, Heb. xi. 26 ; esteemest the decay of the outward man, to be abundantly recompensed by the renewing of the inward, 2 Cor. iv. 16. A new creature is not only changed himself, but all things about him are ciianged ; heaven is another thing, and earth is another thing than it was before ; he looketh upon his body and soul with another eye.