THE fiAPPIKE55 Or StPARATE sPIR125. .[DISC. Ir ! spiritual glory in the state of separate spirits, when the recompence of their labours is begun. So, 1Cor. iii. 8. Ike that planteth, and he that Wa- Steréth are one, and every naan shall receive his own re- ward according to his own... labour. If all be rewarded dike, the apostle would net have said, each wan shall _receive according to his own labour. Surely siñcethere is a distinction of labours, 'there will be a distinction of :rewards too. And it is with this view that the saine apostle exhorts the Corinthians, 1 Epist. xv. 58. Therefore, 'my beloved brethren, be ye stedfst, unmoveable; alzea s abounding in the work, of-the Lord, for as much aspye -knozo that Your labour is i of in vain in the Lord. Now that great labour and diligence, that stedfastuess in proféssioni and that zeal in practice,..to which the apostle exhorts them, might seem to be in vain, if those who were far less laborious, less zealous, and less strdfast, should obtain an equal recompence. It is-upon the same principle that he encourages them to holy patience under afflictive trials; 2 .Cor.- iv. 17. when he says, our light affliction which is butfor n mo- went,. xi-orkethfor us áfar more e,tweed ngand eternal height ofglory ; While we look not to the things that are seen, and .temporal, but to the things invisible and eter- nal. Now if the saint, who was called to heaven almost as soon as he was made a christian; and went through no sufferings, should possess-, the same weight of glory with the martyrs and .confessors, under the long and te- dious train of cruelties which they sustained from men, or painful- trials from the hand of God ; I cannot see bow their afflictions could be said to work-for them a far more exceeding weight of glory. He urges them also;to great degrees of liberality from the same motive ; 2 Cor. ix. 6. This I say,: he that soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly and he which soweth bountifully, shall also reap bountifully, Which. words may reasonably be construedto signify the blessings of the life to come, as well as the blessings of the. present life ; for this apostle, speaking of the sarnee dut' of liberality, 'expresses the same encouragement under the same metaphors; Gal. vi. 6, 7, 8, 9. Let him, itat is taught in the word, communicate' to him that
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=