ſen; in this verſe he openerh kimſelf, and ſhewerh whar thoſe un- ſeen things are: W: (faith he) know, we have a certain perſwaiion we doubt nor of jr, bur that if our body werediflolved, &5. This bo- dy he calleth an Earthly koaſe, either becauſe it is made of the duft of rhe earth, into which jr muſt azain be reſolved; or becouſe jr 1s only the haticarion of the Soul ſo jong as tte Soul 15 on this fide of Heaven z and therefore he callech ic alſo, the Eartiiiy ho:fe of this Tabernacle, A Taternicle 1+ a moving Houſe or Booth builded np tor a time 3 This Tabernacle (fairh the Apoſtle) muſt be pulled down, and taken inpleces ; and we are certain, thart if it be diff3l- ved, b vehavea b:41ding of God ; cither a bleſſed, eternal Manſion. (zccording co thar of our Saviour, oh. 14. 2. In ny Fathers kouſe there are many manſions} or elſe, God wili give us a ſpiritual, glorious, 1ncorruptible Body, &« Not an Houſe made with hand*, nor an houſe that ſhail be diſſolved and any more pulled do.vn, bur which ſhall be 4 Eternal in the Heavens 3, \nfuch a ſtate, as that it ſhall be incorcup- tible, and no more ſubject ro any corruption or decay,
Chap.
4 The Apcſtie had before (aid, thar he looked at the things nct
2 For inthis * we groan earneitly, deliring to be clo- * Rom. 3.
thed upon with our houſe which is from heaven e.
e Weare fo confident of ſuch a bleſſed ſtare, rhar we paſſionarely deſire tobe inveſted into ir. And this Groaning is allo an Evidence of it, for the defice of Grace ſhall nor be made fruſtrace. Defirous that our morta!ity may pur on immortality, and our corruption may pur on incorruption. It 1s againſt che Nature of man to defire dearh, which is the ſtripping or uncloathing the Soul of fleſh 3 buc nor to defire thar the garmenr of immortalicy may be pur upon mor- raliry, ( which is that our houſe from Heaven, which is mentioned Inv. I,
naked f.
f Some make the C!othizg here ſpoken of, different from the Clothing before mentioned, And make this Verſe reftritive of whar che Apoſtle had before ſaid, of the certainry which ſome have of being clothed upon with a glorious Body. 7 ſo be (faith the A-
garmenc of Chrift's Righreouſneſs; for concerning choſe that do nor die in the Lord, that do not watch, and keep their garments, ir IS ſaid Rev. 15, 15. They ſhall walk naked, and men ſhall ſee their ſhane. Bur conſidering the clothing before mentioned was ncr this clo« ching, bur the ſuperinducing of an immortal, incorruprible, glori- ous ſtate of Body, upon our Mortal, corruptible Stare ; ſome judi- clous Interepreters think, that the c{o:hing here mentioned, is che clothing of the Soul with the Body. Ir is probable, that the Apo- ſtles apprehended Chriſts ſecond Coming much nearer than i: hath proved ; thetime of ir not beivg revealed torhem. Therefore he faich 1 Theſſ. 4. 15. We that are alive (ſuppoſing thar generation mighc live) to Chriſts ſecond Coming : and 1 Cor. 15. $1. We ſhall not all ſleep, but we ſhall all be changed. This ſome think (and that nor imp:0954- bly) 1s the cauſe of this paſſage; rhe ſenſe of which chey judge ro be this: If ſo be thar we be, ar the ReſurreRion, found in the fleſh, clothed ſti]l with our bodies, and ſhall not be found zated, thar is, {tript of our fliſk, and dead before thar time,
4 For we that are 1n ths tabernacle, do groan, be- ing burdened g, not for that we would be unclothed h,
bur clothed upon, that mortality might be ſwallow- ed up of life z.
g By Taberncle he meaneth (as he had before expoanded it} the earchly houſe of our body. Do groan, both wich a groaning of grief, and alſo of deſire, Being burdened, either wich the body of fle(þ, or with $3n (the vody of death) Ron. 7. 24. or with the load of Trials and Affizetions, h Not that we would be unclothsd, that 1s iz, be unclothed of our fleſh, ( Nature abhorreth death, and flyerh from ir) bur clothed upon; which is expounded 1 Cor. 15. 33. Okr
The j £0rruptivle having put on jncorruption, and our mortal baving pit on im-
mortality, And this confirmerh whar was obſerved before, char the Apoſtles had ſome perſwafion, (though nor from any Divine Reve- lation of that hour) rhat che Reſurre&tion, and Day of Judgment, would be before the determinacion of that Age and Generation , thac ſo we might come into the poſſeſſions of Erernal Life, (for rhat tbe Apoſtle meanerh by mortality being ſwallowe! up of life.) Death 1s nor deſirable for irs own ſake, bur upon the account of chat immortal life-into which ic leadech the Souls of Bellevery 3 nor (a5 was ſaid before) dorh the Apoſtle here diced!y defire death, which 1s that which in this Verſe he callerh «nclotting) bur rather the change. mentioned 1 Cor. 15, 52. which he here callech a clo- thing up01, Þ
5 Now*he that hath wrought us for the ſelf ſame * 1.29.
thing 1s God k, who hath alſo given unto us the ear- neſt of the Spirit /. |
k The ſelf ſame thing is the life, the Eternal Life, mentioned in the former Verſe; the houſe in the Heavens, not made with hands, Tr. 2, God hath wrought us for ir, (as ſome imerpret the Text) in Crea- tion, and by his Providence, torming our bodies in the Womdb : bur ir is nuch berter interpreted by others concerning Regeneration 3 for in the firſt birch (withour reſpz& to the Decree of EleRion ) God hath no more wrought us for it, than the worft of men, The Apoſtle therefore is, doubtleſs, ro be underſtood, as ſpeaking con- cerning the work of Grace, which is here attribured ro God 3 we have not wrought our ſelves into or up to any firneſs or atty groun- ed expeRation of the fucure bleſſed and glorious eftate ; buc it is God who hath prepared us for it, and wrought ſuch a lively hope of itin us. / And hath alſo given us his holy Spirit as the Pledge and Earneſt of ic : (Concerning this, ſee 2 Cor. 1. 21. ) he hath given us his Spirit to dwell and to work in us, and to affure us of what we ſpeak of, wiz. The houſe in the Heavens, the building of God that is net made with hands, The Spirir of Grace given to che people of God, working and dwelling in them, is a certain pledge of that Glory and Lite Eternal which he hath prepared for chem. |
6 Therefore we are always contident, knowing that whilſt we are at home in the body, we are abſent from
the Lord mm,
Fffii n Wc
poſtle) we be not ſound naked, bur clothed, 3. e. with the Wedding- -
3 It ſo be that * being clothed, we ſhall not be found *Rev. 5; I8.
-7 Eph.2.19-