* Cf. i. 9— G.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. XV, VER. 14. 401
church for ever ? No ; ' that I dwell iu the house of the Lord for ever,' here while I live, and in heaven for ever when I am gone, Ps. xxiii. 6 : ' Douhtless I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever ;' here while I live, and for ever in heaven. Then they will be solid comforts. If the drops of comfort we have in holj' things be carried on to the end of all, everlasting deliverance, by the resurrection, and eternal comforts in heaven, then they would be comforts indeed. It is a good disjunction when friends promise to meet again. Well, we shall meet either here or in heaven, and per- haps here and iu heaven. The same God that will comfort us in heaven, if he seeth it good for us, he will comfort us here with the presence of one another.
* He will raise us up, and present us with you.' That is another of his comforts. But what comfort is that in this world, if he meaneth only the joy in the world to come ? as I am persuaded it is that he mainly aims at, the other was but that that by meditation he raised his thoughts to. What comfort is it that friend shall be presented to friend, pastor to people, believers among friends !
There be divers kinds of communion, if absent, by letters, by real tokens, by message ; but what are these to presence ? Presence is the sweetest kind of communion that can be. Communion one with another in pre- sence is in deed, in word, of communion in presence. And therefore God will deliver us from trouble, and present us with jon ; for in presence every thing speaks comfort. Without discourse the very presence of a friend comforts. There is a quick and living power in the very face of a friend. The eye comforts, the speech comforts, all comforts, and nothing but comforts if they be hearty fi'iends in the Lord.
And therefore saith Paul, this shall be my comfort and your comfort, that I shall be delivered out of this death, and presented with you, for your good, for my own comfort. And no question this is a beginning of heaven in this world. If there be any heaven on earth, it is the communion of saints ; it is when many join together in an holy affection, that have not only general likings of the same things, but have the same spirit acting and living in them all, one and the same Spirit of God stirring up approbation and dislike of the same thing, the same end for good causes. This is a special comfort, if there be any comfort in this world. And so Paul mean- eth, when he saith, ' I shall be delivered, and presented to you.' And therefore we should take special care to improve communion by all means, considering it was so sweet a thing. 0 qui coiigressus, et gloria quanta fue- runt ! when Paul was severed a great while. Paul came with abundance of blessings of God, and they came with abundance of desire to have heavenly discourse with St Paul.
Thus while we be in this world we must be exercised with these inter- mitting comforts. This is a life of separation ; we shall enjoy a while, and then part, till we be in heaven, ' and then we shall be for ever with the Lord,' 1 Thess. iv. 18. ' Therefore comfort one another with these words.' What is the comfort ? ' We shall be for ever with the Lord.' If it be such a comfort to enjoy communion one with another, what is it to enjoy communion for ever with the Lord in heaven ? That is the meeting time, when body and soul shall meet, when Christ and all his members shall meet, when all the members of the church from the first to the last shall all meet. These three blessed meetings shall be, Christ and we, and we one with another, and body and soul. Then is the meeting, then is the presenting. But all other meetings together are comfortable, as they be tastes of the last and everlasting meeting that shall be revealed. This may
4G2 COMMENTARY ON
comfort us in the parting of friends, in the loss of friends by death. There will be a time of meeting again. Our head will bring all the members togethei", as it is said of Christ, ' that he shall gather all to a head,' Eph. iv. 15 : that being Christ's office, to gather all the children of God together, from whom they were fallen ; to gather them to the angels iu* whom they were in terms of diflerence ; to gather them together, one to another in love, and gathering to themselves in peace. This is Christ's work. This gather- ing together to a head belongeth to Christ. And though we be not together now, yet in heaven we shall be.