fing with God: prayer and meditation, &c. are excellent means in and by which our foul converfes with God; but communion with God is properly fomewhat more fpiritual, real, powerful, and divine, according as I defcribed it juft now. As for example; the foul receives the impreffions of divine fovereignty into it, and gives up itself unto God in the grace of felf-denial, and humble fubjection. The foul receives the communications of divine fulness and perfection, and entertains the faine with delight and complacency; and, as it were, grows full in them. Even as the communications of the virtues of the fun are answered with life, and warmth, and growth in the plants of the earth: fo a foul's converfing with the attributes of God, is not an empty notion of them; or a dry difcourfe concerning them, but a reception of impreffions from them, and a reciprocation to them: the effluxes of thefe from God, are fuch as beget reflexions in man towards God. This is to know Chrift, to grow up in him into all things according to that in 1 John iii. 6. Whosoever fin→ neth, hath not feen him, neither known him, A FAREWEL TO LIFE. 2 CORINTHIANS v. 6. WHILST WE ARE AT HOME IN THE BODY, WE ARE ABSENT FROM THE LORD. T HE holy apoftle having in the first verfe of this chapter laid down the doctrine of eternal glory, which shall follow upon this tranfitory life of believers, fhews in the following verfes how he himfelf longed within himself, and groaned after that happy ftate and then proceeds to give a double ground of this his confident expectation; one in verf. v. therefore is the apoftle confident concern ing ing the putting off this mortal body, becaufe God had wrought and formed him for this state of glory, and already given him an earnest of it even his holy fpirit: the other ground of the confi-* dence and fettledness of his mind as to his defires. of a change, is taken from his prefent ftate in the body, which was but poor and uncomfortable in comparison of that glorious ftate: Thus in the words of the text, Therefore we are always confident? knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are abfent from the Lord. For I do not take the words [we are confident] concerning the apostle's refolvedness with a quiet and fober mind to fuffer any kind of perfecution or affliction whatever; but we are always confident, i. e. we do with confidence expect, or at least we are always well fatif fied, contented, well resolved in our minds concerning our departure out of this life for the apoftle was fpeaking, not of afflictions or persecutions in the former verfes but indeed of death; which he calls a diffolving of the earthly houfe of this tabernacle, verf. 1. and a being cloathed upon with our house which is from heaven, verf. 2.4. Yea, and thus the apostle explains himself, verf. 8. where he tells you what he means by this his confidence, we are confident and willing rather to be abfent from the body; where the latter words are exegetical to the former, q. d. It is better to be with the Lord, than in this mortal body; but we cannot be with the Lord, whilft we are in this body, it keeps us from him, therefore we have the confidence to part with it. It is the reason of the apoftles confidence and willinglefs to part with the body, that I am to speak of; and the reason is, Sategood ol bn because because this body keeps him from his Lord,--wwhilst we are at bome in the body, we are abfent from the Lord. The words are a metaphor, and are to he tranflated thus, we in dwelling in the body, do davell put from the Lord; which our tranflation renders well, taking little notice of the metaphor, whilst we are at home in the body, we are abfent from the Lord. Though indeed if they had left out that word, at home, it would have been as well, and fo have neglected the metaphor altogether, as we may haply hint hereafter. The words are a reafon of the apoftle's willingness to be diffolved, and do contain a kind of an accufation of the body, and fo feem to lay a blame upon it, and upon this animal life; which must be remembred. Now for the former phrase of being at home in the body, it is eafily understood, and generally, I think, agreed upon, to be no more than whilft we carry about with us this corruptible flesh, whilst we live this natural animal life. It only fignifies man in his compounded animal ftate, and doth not at all allude to his finful, unregenerate or carnal state, but the latter phrafe, abfent from the Lord, is capable of a double fenfe, both good and true; and I think both fit enough to the context and drift of the apoftle. I fhall speak to both, but infist most upon the latter. Stoned Whilft we are in the body, we are absent from the Lord, i. e. from the bodily prefence of the Lord in heaven, abfent from Chrift Jefus and his glory: and fo the words are the fame in fenfe with 31 Cor. xv. 50. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; for by flesh and blood there, muft needs be meant man in this animal corruptible fate. And fo the apoftle accufes this kind of life in the body; and, as it were, blames it for ftanding between him and his glorified Lord; and fo confequently between him and the glory of his Lord. And this fenfe doth well agree with what went before, and with what follows. The apoftle hath a great mind to depart; for whilft he is in the body, he is abfent from his perfect happiness: for this is the confummation of a christian's happiness to be with the Lord, to be admitted to a beholding of his infinite glory; as appears by our Saviour's earnest prayer for this, John xvii. 24. Father, I will that they alfo whom thou haft given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory. Befides, if we shall see him as he is, we muft alfo needs be made like unto him, 1 John iii. 2. elfe how can we be fit to live for ever in his presence? Now are we kept from this feeing and beholding the Lord in glory, by this animal life: it stands of between us and the crown, between us and our mafter's joy, between us and the perfect enjoyment of God. To be with the Lord, is a ftate of perfect freedom from fin. No unclean thing fhall, or can enter into heaven, Rev. xxi. 27. A perfect freedom from all manner of afflictions, Rev. xxi. 4. There fhall be no more forrow, nor crying, nor pain, and all tears fhall be wiped away from their eyes: a ftate of freedom from all temptations to fin for a tempting devil, and all tempting lufts fhall be caft out for ever: a ftate of perfect peace without the leaft difturbance from within, or from Aturban without of perfect joy, that fhall neither have end or abatement; and of perfect holiness, when the whole foul fhall be enlarged, and raised to know, and love, and enjoy the bleffed God as : much |