To add one thing more.
What ! these Corinthians, that had so many abuses, and such weaknesses, were they the matter of St Paul's joy ?
Yes ! why, therefore people must take heed how they leave churches that have corruptions in them. Schism ofttimes is a greater fault than the fault upon which they pretend separation. The things for which they pretend a rent, are not so great a fault in the church, as the want of charity in them to do so. If St Paul would have taken occasion to leave them, what good occasion had he ? Alas ! how many corruptions had they in doctrine, and in manners too. But yet, notwithstanding, as ill as they were, he saw what good was in them, and looked not to the e\al : he knew that God would perfect the good things that were in them ; and, saith he, notwithstanding all their infirmities, I see you were ready to reform when I wrote an epistle to you, therefore I doubt not but you will be ' our re- joicing.'
' In the day of the Lord Jesus.' This is the time. It must be taken inclusively, ' I am 3'our rejoicing, and you are mine, to the day of the Lord Jesus, and in the day of the Lord.' So he means here. It is laid as a gi'ound here, that
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 14. 823
Obs. Jesus Christ hath a day.
It is his day by way of eminency and excellency. Jesus Christ hath many days, two especially ; the day of his first coming, and the day of his second coming. The first coming of Christ was the day of the gospel, when he came to viork our salvation. His second coming is to accomplish our salvation. In his first day he came to be humbled, and to be judged, to be a sacrifice for us. In his second, he is to come gloriously to judge the quick and the dead. In the first, he came to gain a church to himself ; by his second he shall come to accomplish the marriage. Now is the contract ; there is the Sabbath. After the six days of this life the day of the Lord shall appear, the Sabbath day, the day of jubilee, the solemnisation of the marriage, the solemn triumph over all enemies. The first day was to save our souls, especially from the thraldom of sin and Satan. The second day, this that we speak of here, shall be to save our bodies from the rottenness and corruption in which they have lain rotting in the grave till that day of Christ. As he raised his own body, so at that day he shall raise our bodies, and make them ' like his glorious body,' Phil. iii. 21. That is the main doxy, the day of all days, for then he will come to accomplish all. That day shall never have a night, it shall be day for ever.
As the cloud that went before the Israelites to Canaan, that side toward the Egyptians was dark, but the other side was lightsome toward the Israelites ; so this day, it shall be a dark day, it shall be both a day of vengeance and a day of glory.
St Paul saith here, ' You shall be my rejoicing,' and I yours at that day. But those that do not believe the gospel, and obey the ministry of it, it shall not be a day of rejoicing to them. It shall be a glorious day when all other glory shall vanish. All other glory in the world shall be eclipsed, even as the stars are not seen when the sun appears in the firmament. All the glory at that day shall be the glory of Christ, and of his church. To omit other things that may be spoken out of other places of Scripture, the point I will observe hence is this, that,
Doct. The measure of a Christians rejoiciufi in this xvorJd in anything, it is the consideration of what it ivill he at the great day of judgment.
I say, the rule whereby a Christian judgeth things, and that measure whereby a Christianj measures things, to be thus or thus in their excellency and worth, it is as they will be esteemed at that day of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here St Paul saith, ' I am your rejoicing, and you are ours at the day of the Lord Jesus.' What ! is this a vain glorying to commend him ? Oh ! he is a worthy learned rabbi, a great learned apostle ; and then that they were such and such people ! No, no ! They had grace wrought in them ; and St Paul saw such evidences of grace in them, that at that day they should look upon Christ with boldness, because they were sincerely gained to the gospel. So then this must be the rule of the worth of anything, to esteem it as it will be then at that day ; which is a day when all om* estates will be determined of, for eternal happiness or eternal misery.
To explain it a little.
We do not value things of short continuance, because they are short, as flowers that are fresh in the morning, and cast away at night ; but we esteem things that will hold out. So our rejoicing, and glory, and comfort, we should consider of it how it will hold out, ' Riches avail not in the day of wrath,' Prov. xi. 4. Things have that degree of goodness or e\dl in them, they have that degree of vanity, or seriousness, as they will stand out at that day. What are riches in the day of wrath, even in this world ? What will