Therefore in our eclipses and disgraces let us all comfort ourselves in this. Let the world esteem us for the present as the refuse of the world, as persons not worthy to be acquainted with, not worthy to be regarded ; we shall be ' justified ' and cleared and glorified, especially at that day ' when Christ shall come to be glorious in his saints.' There is a hidden life of the church and every Christian ; they have a life in Christ, but that ' life is hid in Christ,' in heaven, Col. iii. 3. As the flowers in winter they have a life, but it is hidden in the root. ' When Christ shall appear,' as blessed St Paul and St John say, then it ' shall appear who we are.' Then our 'glorious life,' that now is in our Head, ' shall appear ;' then we shall be 'justified to be so glorious,' as the Scripture sets us forth to be. The church shall be glorious within and without, too, at that da3^ Therefore let us comfort ourselves. This hidden life, though it appear not now, yet we shall be justified. And hence we may answer some objections likewise.
Ohj. Some may say, How doth it appear that Christ is King of the church ? We see how the church is trampled on at this day. Where is the life and glory of the church ? What ! his spouse, and thus used ! What ! his turtle, and thus polluted and plucked by the birds of prey !
Ans. I answer. Look with other spectacles, with the eye of faith, and then you shall see a spring in the winter of the church. However she be now abased and eclipsed, yet she shall be 'justified ;' and it will appear that Christ regards his church and people and children more than all the world besides, only there must be a conformity.
It was fit there should be a time of Christ's abasement ; how should he have suflered else ? The world would never have crucified God. They could not have done it. Therefore he was abased ; he veiled his Godhead under his manhood, under abase condition, so he passed through ' sufiering to glory.' So it must be in the body of Christ. It niust pass through the veil of infirmities, of weakness, affliction, aud disgrace. How else should it be conformable to Christ ? If Christ had ' justified ' himself at all times in his humiliation, he could not have sufiered ; if we should be justified now and appear to all the world who we are, who would persecute us ? how could we be conformable to Christ ? Therefore let us quietly and meekly a-while endure these things, that are nothing but to conform us to our Head, knowing this, that as he was 'justified ' by httle and little, till he was perfectly 'justified ' when he was raised from the dead, so we shall be perfectly 'justified ' and freed from all imputations at the last day, when by the same Spirit that raised him we shall be raised up too.
102 THE FOUNTAIN OPENED.
Nay, in this world, when it is for his glory and for our good, he will bring our rightconsnoss to light as the noonday, Ps. xxxvii. 0 ; he will free us from the imputiitious that the world lays on us ; he will have a care of our credit. For as Christ was ' mightily declared to be the Son of God ' in a ilt time, so shall we when wo are fit. Then the world shall see that wo are not the men that profane, bitter, malicious persons, led with the spirit of the devil, charged us to be.
Let us take no scandal at the present afflictions of the church. Christ will justify his mystical body by his glorious power in good time. Anti- christ shall not alway ruffle* in the world. Christ will be justified to be the King and Ruler of the world. ' All power is committed to him,' Mat. xxviii. 18. But we see it now. Antichrist rages in the world, and the church seems to be under hatches. f So it is with particular Christians. Those that belong to God, and indeed are truly such as they profess themselves to be — though with much weakness — we see in what respect and esteem they are had. ' Let us comfort ourselves, beloved.' Christ justified him- self by his Spirit, and will he not justify his poor church, and free it from the tyranny of antichrist ? Will he not advance those that are trodden on now and made as the dirt in the street, that ' they shall shine as the sun ?' Daniel xii. 3. Therefore when you hear of the dejected state of the churches abroad, be not dismayed. Consider there is a glorious King that rules the world, and he will make it appear ere long. He will justify him- self and his church, for he suffers in his church. He is wise. He sees cause to do this. He is working his own work. He corrects and rules and purgeth his church in the furnace of affliction. But be sure the time will come that he will bring the cause of religion to light, and he will shew what side he owns ; he will justify his truth, and tread Satan and all his members under feet. This frame of things will not hold long. As verily as Christ is in heaven, as verily as he is 'justified ' in his own person by his Spirit, by his divine power, so he will justify his mystical body. And as he hath conquered in his own person, so he will by his Spirit conquer for his church.