3. He dispenseth it, and communicateth his glory to the saints. He is our husband, we are his spouse. Uxor fidget radiis mariti; as the husband riseth in honour, so doth the wife. He is the head, we are the members ; when the head is crowned, all the members are clothed with
VER. 10.] SERMONS UPON 2 THESSALONTANS T. 271
honour and garments of state. There must he a proportion ; his mysti- cal body shareth with him in his glory ; he is the captain, we are his soldiers: Heb. ii. 10, ' The captain of our salvation was made perfect through sufferings, to bring many sons unto glory.' When David was crowned at Hebron, he made his followers captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties. Servants: John xii. 26, ' My servants shall be where 1 am.' He will put marks of honour and favour upon all his servants ; they often meet with disgrace here ; here they suffered, sighed with him, now they shall be glorified with him.
4. He is the pattern and sampler of it. In all things Christ must 7rpoiTeveiv. he must have the pre-eminence, Eom. viii. 29. We have all our blessings at second-hand. First Christ is manifested to the world, and then the saints : Col. iii. 4, ' When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.' His glorious body is the pattern to which ours is likened: Phil. iii. 21, 'Who shall change our vile bodies, that they may be fashioned like unto his glorious body,' and to a conformity to him in all things : 1 John iii. 2, ' When he shall appear, we shall be like him.' Now in all these respects Christ is concerned in our glory ; we have it from him, by him, and according to his pattern.
Fourthly, The subjects, ' In his saints,' and ' in all that believe/ Where mark —
1. The connection between these two characters, saints and believers ; and it implieth that those that by the belief of the gospel do separate themselves from the world, and consecrate themselves to God, or that do believe so as to become saints, shall be thus glorified. The true faith is of a sanctifying nature : Acts xv. 9, ' Purifying their hearts by faith ; ' and Acts xxvi. 18, ' Sanctified by the faith which is in Christ Jesus.' In the gospel there is represented to us a holy God, whom we should imitate : 1 Peter i. 15, ' As he that hath called you is holy, so be ye holy.' A holy Saviour, whose main work and blessing is to turn us from sin, Acts iii. 26, and Mat. i. 21. A Holy Spirit, who sanctifieth us unto God, that we may become a peculiar people to him, 1 Cor. vi. 11, Titus ii. 14, Eph. i. 13 ; a holy rule to walk by, Phil. ii. 14, 15 ; a holy hope to aim at, 1 John iii. 3 ; and a blessedness to be possessed by the holy, Heb. xii. 14, and Mat. v. 8. Now if there be a sound belief of these things, it will not be a naked belief, but operate unto holiness. Certainly all true believers will be saints, and live holily.
2. This glory and blessedness is limited to saints and believers, as their peculiar and proper portion. For believers, John iii. 15, ' That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' For saints, many places, Col. iii. 12. Heaven is the inheritance of those only who are saints : Acts xx. 32, ' I commend you to God, who is able to build you up, and give you an inheritance among all those which are sanctified ; ' Acts xxvi. 18, ' That they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them which are sancti- fied.' It concerneth us to see that we be believers and saints. The apostle showeth this was the reason of applying this consolation to them ; namely, as they had believed, and improved the gospel unto obedience.
272 SERMONS UPON 2 THESSALONIANS I. [SER. VIII.
Who are sound believers, I shall show hereafter, now only what it is to be saints. Holiness is sometimes in scripture relatively considered, sometimes positively. Relatively, that thing or person is holy which is separated and set apart from a common to a holy use. Positively, it implieth the renovation of our natures. As holiness is considered with respect to our relation to God, there are four things in it —
[1.] An inclination towards God ; for grace puts a new bias upon Hie soul, by which it bendeth and tendeth towards God, whereas before it bended and tended towards carnal vanities ; therefore it is expressed by conversion, or a turning from the creature to God, Isa. xxvi. 18, 19.
[2.] From this tendency ariseth a dedication of ourselves, and all that we have, to the Lord's use and service : 2 Cor. viii. 5, ' But first gave their own selves to the Lord ; ' Eom. vi. 13, ' Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead ; ' Rom. xii. 1, ' Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.' They are ashamed God hath been so long kept out of his right.