SE RMO N V. 2 Cor. 5. 3. If fo be, that being Clothed we Hiatt not be found naked. THe A poftle here limiteth the Priviledge of the certainty of puttingon Heaven.; ly Glory,which is not Common to all men, but only belongeth to the faithful. He limiteth alfo thedefire of that happy eftate which he had produced as an. evidence of the certainty ofit, to the fame faithful ones, who departing Out of this Life, to an immortal, Eternal eftate, are not found naked, that is, deftitute of that true covering, wherewith our filthy nakednefs is Covered. We groan and defire earneftly. If fo k, &c. There are feveral fenfes given ofthefe words. I fhallonly take notice of Two that Teem to offer themfelves with equal probability; the Fiji is built upon the fpecial notion ofthat word [ to be Clothed upon, ] Imsvdlíoù 9y ufed in the former verfe. I Know not, or I am ignorant of the mind of God in this thing, whether we (hall befound Clothed with our Bodies, or naked, that is,fripped of our Bodies at the Lords coming r As if it had refpe& to that myftery fpoken of a Thef, 4. 17. That we that are alive, or remain, (hall be caught up together with them in the Clouds, to meet the Lord in the Air; And to be for ever with the Lord. And 1 Cor. i 5. 51. Behold Ithew you a mylie- ry, we :gal lnot all flee but we fhall all be changed. idly. The other fenfe giveth us the reafon why he and all the faints groaned or longed to be Clothed upon, becaufe they were prepared or made ready, becaufe they were found Clothed with the Righteoufnefs and Holinefs of Chrift in the day Of their tránfmigration,whereas others who are naked anddeftitute of this Righteoufnefs of Chrift cannot, and are not to expectthis Glory. I (hall give my reafons why,though both be probable, I prefer this latter fenfe. I. TO not very probable to imagine, that the Apoftle fhould conceive that poJbly they might furvive till the coming of Chrifi, or that his Gofpel Kingdom fhould be of fo jhort Continuance as that they ihuiuld fee the end ofit, efpeciallwhen he had fo zealoufly cautioned them againft that miftake that the Day of Chrift was at hand, z7hef. 3. z. idly. In the frft verfe he fioppofeth a dilution of the Earthly Houle of this Tabernacle, where he compareth the weak and mortal eftate ofthe bodily Life to a Tabernacle or Tent, which men in their Travel eafily fet up, and at their departure take down again, or let fall of its own accord. And that the Glorious eftate which he expe &ed fhould enfue after this Tabernacle was taken down or difí'olved;and he proveth his certain Know- ledge of this, becaufe he and all the Saints groaned : Even all thofe were Clothed and not Naked. idly. What he expelled and groaned for, hefheweth in the 8th verfe. We are confident andwilling rather to be abfent from the Body and prefent with the Lord. .Therefore Paul doth not fuppofe, that he fhould live in the Body, till Chrift . thould come to change his Body, without having need to put it off. gthly.The commodioufnefs of the other fenfe,andfuitablenef of it to etherScriptures,where nakednefs and clothing is ufed Metaphorically, and with refpe& to our final eftate of Glory, or being found of Chrift in the day of our tranfmigrttion : That holinefs is the true wedding Garment, Matth. zz. That the graces of the Spirit are Garments of Salvation, and Chrifts Righteoufnefs reprefented by a robe,is evident, by Ifa. 61.1 o. And many other Scriptures : That we put on Chrif , that the Church is 'Clothed with the Sun, Rev. sz. 1. is a thing fo evident, that it needeth not to be infifted on. And that in this eftate we muR be found of Chrift at his coming to the general Judgement, or to us in particular, is evident by many Scriptures, Rev. i 6. 15. Behold Icome as a Thief, Bleffed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his Garments, left he walk naked and they fee hisflame. A Chriftian is Clothed with Chrift and his Righteoufnefs, which is a covering, which is not too fhort. He is Clothed alfo with the graces of the Spirit, which are both ornamen- tum and munimentum. Our Ornament and Armour of defence. 'Tis our Ornament as leaves
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