2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 4. 63
God throngh Jesus Christ our Lord,' Rom. v. 1. And ' wc have boldness to the throne of grace, and we rcvjoice in tribulation : knowing that tribula- tion brings forth patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope,' Rom. V. 4. He sets himself there of pui-pose to comfort in all tribulation, and he saith, in these things we rejoice, ' We rejoice in tribulation.'
Aye, but for our sins after our conversion, after we are in the state of grace, what comfort is there for them ? There is excellent comfort in the fifth of the Romans. ' If when we were enemies he gave his Son for us :' if he saved us by the death of Christ when we were enemies, much more, Christ being alive, and in heaven, he will keep it for us ; and keep us to salvation now, when wo are friends, seeing he died for us when we were enemies. Aye, but the remainders of corruption in this world trouble us. That troubles our comfort, the combat between the flesh and the Spirit. Would you see comfort for that ? You shall see it in Romans vii. 24, 25.
* Oh, miserable man, who shall deliver me from this body of death ? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.' So he shews there what way to have comfort in the combat between the flesh and the spirit, to search into our corniptions, to lay them open to God by confession.
And then, in the beginning of the eighth chapter, saith he, ' There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus,' ver. 1. Though there be sin, yet there is no condemnation ; though there be this conflict between the flesh and the spirit. So he comforts them. And for the afflictions that follow our corruptions in this life, there is a treasure of comfort against them in that chapter ; for doth he not say, ' if we sufier with him, we shall reign with him,' ver. 17. And the same ' Spirit helps our infirmities, and teacheth us how to pray ?' ver. 26. We can never be uncomfortable if we can pray ; but there is a promise of the Spirit that stirs up sighs, and ' groans that cannot be expressed,' ver. 26, and a Christian hath alway a spirit of prayer, at the least of sighs and groans ; and God hears the sighs of his own Spirit.
And what a grand comfort is that, that I named before, verse 28, ' All things work for the best to them that love God.' And ' if God be with us, who can be against us.' ver. 33. And he sends us to Christ. If Christ be dead, ' or rather risen again, who shall lay anything to our charge ?' Christ is ' ascended to heaven, and makes intercession at the right hand of God,' ver. 34. Though Satan lay our sins to our charge, Christ makes intercession in heaven at the right hand of God. He makes continual inter- cession for our continual breaches vrith God. Who shall lay anything to our charge ? Aye, but all that power of hell and sin ! and all labour to separate us from God, to breed division between God and us. In the lat- ter end of that chapter he bids defiance to all, what shall ' separate us from the love of God in Christ ?' ver. 35. It shall separate his love from Christ first. God's love is found in Christ. He shall cease to love Christ if he cease to love us. Aye, but we may afterward fall into an uncomfortable case. For that he saith, ' neither things present, nor things to come, shaU be able to separate us,' ver. 38.
What an excellent spring of comfort is there in that reasoning, verse 32,
* If God spared not his own Son, but gave him to death for us all, how shall he not with him give us all things else.' How many streams may be di'awn from that spring ! ' If God spared not his own Son, but gave him to death for us all, how shall he not with him give us all things else' in this world necessary, gi-ace, provision, and protection, till he have brought us to heaven ? If he have given Chiist, he will give all. WTiatsoever is writ-
64 COMMENTARY ON
ten, is written for our comfort. I name=''= this epistle, because I would name one instance for all. * All is written for our comfort,' as he saith after in the same epistle, xv. 4. The written word, or the word unfolded ; the end of preaching, is especially to comfort. The chirurgeon opens a wound, and the physician gives a purge, but all is to restore at the last. All that the chirurgeon aims at, is to close up the wound at the last. So all our aim is to comfort. We must cast you down, and shew you your misery that you are in, and shew you, that if you continue in that course, hell and damnation belongs to you. But this is to make you despair in yourselves, and to fly to the God of comfort. The law is for the gospel. All serve to bring the soul to comfort.