3. How blessed is the portion of every child of God—
[Inconvenient as his present abode is, and painful as his state at present is in some respects, he yet is truly blessed. Consider what prospects he enjoys, yea, what anticipations and foretastes of his future bliss ; for by faith he has already as clear evidence of the future glory, as if he saw it with his bodily eyes ; and as truly the substance of it, as if he had it already in his possession ^ Tell me not of his trials; for I say, he is a truly blessed man : and our blessed Lord again and again declares him blessed''. Then think of his state as soon as this earthly tabernacle is dissolved ; think of him as clothed upon with his house from heaven, and mortality, with all its attendant pains, " as swallowed up of life." Not an atom of his former troubles or weaknesses remains ; all is swalloioed tip, and is as if it had never been. Read the account of him as dwelling in the tabernacle of his God'', and you will break forth into the most heart-felt congratulations, " Happy art thou, O Israel, O people saved by the Lord'"."]
X 2 Cor. iv. 17. See the Greek. y Rom. viii. 18.
^ 1 Pet. i. 7. ^ Heb. xi. 1.
^ Matt. v. 11, 12. «= Rev. xxi. 3, 4. ^ Deut. xxxiii. 29.
2 Cor. V. 7. iFe ivalk hy faith, not hy sight.
IF we behold any wonderful effects, we naturally inquire after the cause that has produced them. Now in the preceding context we behold as extra- ordinary a phenomenon as can be conceived : a sinner, like ourselves, not only divested of all fear of death, but longing after it as the consummation of all his hopes, and the completion of all his desires. This is a frame of mind totally miknown to man by nature, and incapable of being produced by any natural means. How then was it produced in the Apostle Paul ? He tells us, " He that hath wrought us to the self-same thing, is God." But how did God work it ? for it is certain that he works by means. I answer. By forming in his soul a principle of faith, and making that the great moving cause of all his actions. This is the account which St. Paul himself gives us in the words before us : " We are willing to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord ; for we walk by faith, not by sight ^." It was by faith that he attained this blessed state : and if, like him, we cultivate that heavenly principle, and take it as the spring and source of all our con- duct, we shall find it productive of similar blessed- ness in our souls. It is, in truth, this principle, which above all others distinguishes the true Christian from every other person under heaven.
To explain and vindicate his conduct in reference to this matter, we will shew, I. The principle by which the Christian is actuated —
He fixes his eye, not on things visible and tem- poral, but on things invisible and eternal —
[This is declared at the close of the preceding chapter**; and the same contrast is marked in our text. Faith is opposed
3 Compare the text with the preceding and following verses, b 2 Cor. iv. 18.