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sinning again. We shall fully enjoy the vision of God, and by seeing be made like him. If specular vision transformeth us (2 Cor. iii. 18r ' But 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, even as by the Spirit of the Lord), much more the light of gloiy. We shall be filled with eternal joy and delight, and securely possess our eternal blessedness. The light of God's eternal favour shall shine upon us in its full strength, without cloud or night.
2. Adherent privileges, justification, adoption, and redemption, they are all perfect.
[1.] Justification. We are justified now as soon as we believe. We have a right by covenant to justification, but the solemn sentence is not passed. Then we have our absolution from our judge's mouth sitting upon the throne: Acts iii. 19/ That your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord ; ' that is, our full and final justification, when sin shall never rise up in judg- ment against us any more.
[2.] Adoption. We have a right now : John i. 12, ' To as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.' But the full fruition is hereafter : ' Kow we are the sons of God ; but it doth not appear what we shall be ; ; Kom. viii. 23, ' Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body ; ' when God shall not only take us into his family, but his presence and palace ; not only give us a right, but the possession ; not only some remote service and ministration, but everlastingly em- ployed in loving, delighting, and praising God ; and the tokens of his fatherly affection to us are not only privately exhibited, but manifested before all the world. Then adoption is adoption indeed.
[3.] Kedemption. Therefore that day is called ' the day of redemp- tion,3 Eph. iv. 30, because then we are completely redeemed out of all misery, both of soul and body: Luke xxi. 28, 'Tour redemption draweth nigh ; ' Eph. i. 14, 'Which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory ; for then we are completely redeemed from all sin and misery, both in soul and body at once, when all tears shall be wiped from our eyes, sin and sor- row no more. Christ is a saviour now, a redeemer now ; he hath saved us, and redeemed us from all evil as to the fulness of his merit ; yea, he is a redeemer now, a saviour now, as to partial application, when guilt is pardoned, and the power and reign of sin broken ; but at death he is a more perfect saviour and redeemer, when we receive the salvation of our souls. Now the evils introduced by sin yet remain upon the body, but at death the last enemy is destroyed, and the effects of sin cease.
II. The means by which God bringeth us thither. They may be referred to two heads : there is a way of holiness, and patient enduring the cross. In the general, it will cost us something to obtain it, for all excellent things are hard to come by ; in particular, that is by self- denial, both in the active and passive part of our obedience. Therefore the apostle, when he showeth what use we should make of the doc- trine of the resurrection, he referreth all to these two heads : 1 Cor. xv. 58, ' Wherefore, my beloved, be ye steadfast and immovable, always-
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abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know your »abour is not in vain in the Lord.' We ought to be steadfast and unshaken in afflictions, and we ought also to abound in the work of the Lord. Of the two, holiness is the most necessary and indispensable. God may bate some men suffering, but he never bated any man holiness ; for ' no unclean thing shall enter there,' Eev. xxi. 27 ; and ' without holi- ness no man shall see God,' Heb. xii. 14. There must be mortifica- tion of sin, and there must be living to God. Besides, sufferings for religion without holiness are but a scabby sacrifice, and swine's blood offered to him, which are an abomination to the Lord.
1. For the way of holiness, and the active part of our obedience, that consists in two things — dying to sin and living to God.
[1.] Dying to sin. Certainly we must die unto sin ; we must ' crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts ; ' for if pride, worldliness, and sensuality live, we die ; for every one of these turneth us to another happiness, and we have our heaven elsewhere than in the habitation of the blessed : Luke xvi. 25, ' Son, in thy lifetime thou receivedst thy good things.' The pleasures, honours, and profits of the world, whilst we make these things our felicity and scope, we discharge God from giving us any other reward. The covetous have their portion in this world, and the voluptuous sell their birthright for one morsel of meat, and the ambitious and vainglorious are not contented with the honour which cometh from God only. We shall have pleasures enough, and riches enough, and honours enough, if we can be contented to tarry God's leisure, and will continue with patience in well-doing. But when we will be our own carvers, and set up sense instead of faith, and an imaginary and corrupting felicity instead of the real and sanctify- ing felicity which is offered to us in the promises of the gospel, we can blame nothing but our perverse choice ; and no wonder if God deny to us the happiness we contemn. Flatter not yourselves ; there is no leaping from Delilah's lap into Abraham's bosom ; no hope to get to heaven at last, when all our care hath been to heap up treasure to our- selves here in the world ; no such connection between vainglory and eternal glory, that after we have served the one, we should obtain the other. No ; the scripture is peremptory with us : Rom. viii. 13, 'If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die ; but if through the Spirit ye mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live ; ' Gal. vi. 8, ' He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting.' If the world present to the flesh the bait, faith should show it the hook, and set our loss against our gain. God will not give us two heavens, here in our pas- sage, and hereafter at the end of the journey.