us, so that there are times when he will not hear'. Even in our best estate on this side of eternity, we have each abundant reason to say with the prophet: Woe is me, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips'! Even ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit; even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. In our practice, we can never come up to those ideas of Christian holiness and Christian devotedness, which we can readily enough frame to ourselves in mental speculation. A something is still wanting: a something ever draws us back and hinders our course. To will is present with me, may the believer say with St. Paul, but, how to perform that which is good, I find not. For the good, that I would, I do not: but the evil, which I would not, that I do. I find a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Such will be the perpetual inward conflict of a Christian, while yet in the flesh: for man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh 1 Isaiah lix. 2. 3 Rom. viii. 23. 2 Isaiah vi. 5. lusteth always contrary to the Spirit'. But the great privilege of heaven, that privilege which ensures a never-ceasing communion with God, is an absolute freedom both from all sin and from all tendency to sin. In the city of the living God, in the heavenly Jerusalem, in the midst of an innumerable company of angels, the spirits of just men, we are told, are made perfect'. They, which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead, can die no more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Thus being freed from the dominion of sin, they will be freed likewise from all harassing inward conflict: and, there being nothing to obstruct the true glory and perfection of their nature, they will enjoy a perpetual and a yet more and more intimate communion with the author of their existence. 4. Highly privileged as the walk of the good man is upon earth, because, like Enoch, he walks with God: still, no less than other men, is he liable to pain and grief and trouble and sickness. In all these he beholds indeed the hand of a father; and he opens not his mouth, because it is the Lord's doing: yet, notwithstanding he is fully assured that all things are working together for his everlasting good, chastisement, as chastisement, must ever, in the 1 Art. ix. 2 Heb. xii. 22, 23. 3 Luke xx. 35, 36. very nature of things, be irksome and painful. It may be good, as a mean to an end; just as a surgical operation is good, as a mean to the recovery of a diseased patient: but it is no more intrinsecally good and pleasant and desireable, than a severe surgical operation is intrinsecally good and pleasant and desireable. This is confessed by the Apostle. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons: for what son is he, whom the father chasteneth not? Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby'. Such being the case, when chastisement of whatever description has wrought its full effect, and when the child of God is removed from the probationary school of this world to that state for which all his Father's severity was mercifully designed to fit and prepare him: then chastisement, as being in itself a physical evil though a mean to a great and glorious moral good, ceases to be any longer employed. The moment that the souls of the faithful are delivered from the burden of the flesh, they are forthwith in joy and felicity. Preserved in the abode of separate spirits under the safe-keeping of their God and their Saviour, they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them. Here, joyfully looking forward to 1 Heb. xii. 7, 11. 2 Rev. xiv. 13. the time, when it shall please the Lord, of his gracious goodness, shortly to accomplish the number of his elect and to hasten his kingdom; they expect, in the true faith of his holy name, to have their perfect consummation and bliss, both in body and soul, in his eternal and everlasting glory. I heard, says St. John, a great voice out of heaven, saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men; and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people; and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away'. Is the sleep of a labouring man sweet, after the toil and turmoil of a hardwrought day'? Behold, there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God'. Is the heirship of ant ample patrimony desireable in our eyes? Behold, the Father hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Do we desire freedom from sorrow and the possession of a kingdom? God hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son'. Well may we take the testimony of an eye-witness, the testimony of Paul, himself caught up to the third heaven, as to the joys of the Paradise of God. He heard indeed unspeakable words': he beheld sights 1 Rev. xxi. 3, 4. 4 Coloss. i. 12. 2 Eccles. v. 12. 3 Heb. iv. 9. 'Coloss. i. 13. 62 Corinth. xii. 2-4. incapable of adequate description to mortal ears. But the impression left upon his mind by this mysterious transaction has thrown a vivid glory over his language, like the glory which shone upon the face of Moses when he descended from the mount and quitted the immediate presence of Jehovah. I reckon, that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us'. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things, which are seen, are temporal; but the things, which are not seen, are eternal. I am now ready to be offered; and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. The eloquent apostle is evidently so absorbed in the anticipation of future glory, that all sublunary things appear to be absolute dust, to be mere nonentities, when placed for one moment in competition with it. 5. There is another blessing; which, inferior as it may be to perfect communion with God and 1 Rom. viii. 18. 2 Corinth. iv. 17, 18. 32 Tim. iv. 6-8. |