Chapter VI
That the clothing mentioned in the text, 2 Cor. v. 3, doth import the spiritual
clothing of the soul in this life as a preparation unto ylory.
The difference of interpretation being thus stated, there are two things
to be treated of in the 2d and 3d verses.
1. That clothing, and answerably nakedness here, are similitudes that
do refer unto spiritual clothing of the soul while in this life, as it is a
preparation unto glory, or to a being clothed upon.
2. I shall shew the incongruities that accompany that other interpreta
tion, which asserts that clothing and nakedness should relate simply to our
mortal bodies.
1. The account and demonstration of the first will be despatched by these
ensuing conclusions or considerations.
(1.) No man can deny but that the ordinary and frequent use of these
two phrases in these scriptures (when they are used as metaphors, and
applied to the soul, both which is the case here, whatever sense be taken)
is intended of spiritual clothing or nakedness, especially when thus con
joined, and set as in opposition together, clothed and not naked, as here, which doubling of it must have a special emphasis in it, and that as to our
sense, and against theirs, of which more in the sequel. I counsel thee,
says Christ, Rev. iii. 18, to buy of me white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear ; and in
Rev. xvi. 15, Blessed is he that keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. He turns it both ways (as it is here), clothed
and not naked. This last place I cite, because in many copies and scholias*
upon this 3d verse of my text, it is found in the margin thereof, and thereby we are referred unto it as a comment upon the words.
(2.) If the next inquiry be, what more particularly the Scripture holds
forth, to be our spiritual clothing, to be obtained first in this life, in order
to that order, it is to be considered, that the scripture last cited men
tioned garments in the plural, as indeed in use amongst men the ordinary
apparel of every man consists of more garments than one, and that in
distinction from his uppermost garment he is clothed upon withal. So
that the clothing of the soul in this life, though consisting of two garments,
is reckoned but as one clothing, in distinction from that glory we are clothed
upon withal in the other world. Now, this clothing in this life are (as Calvin observes upon this place) two : 1. Christ s righteousness. 2. Sancti-
fication of the Spirit.
* ^Estius.
380 OF THE BLESSED STATE [CHAP. VI.
[l.J Christ and his righteousness put on by faith : Gal. iii. 26, 27, For ye are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ ; which is fitly termed a clothing, for a clothing serves for a covering of nakedness and
deformities, and sometimes sores and defilements. And our justification by Christ s righteousness is in that respect styled a covering to us, as well as un adorning of us, and making us righteous in the sight of God. Therefore in one and the same place righteousness is said to be imputed, and thereby sins to be covered, as the apostle clearly argues it, Rom. iv. 6, 7. By his comparing the words used of David s justification, Ps. xxxii., expressed by covering sin, and of Abraham s justification, which was an imputation of righteousness without works of our own, it is apparent that this righteous ness with which we are clothed must be another s, for also it is said to be imputed to us. And whose but Christ s obedience, Rom. v. 19, is said to make us righteous, whose name is Jehovah our righteousness, as the
prophet hath it ? This his righteousness also is that fine linen, clean and
white, given the church against her marriage
: Rev. xix. 7, The marriage of the lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready ; and ver. 8, To her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white : for the clean linen is the righteousness of saints. This is Christ s, and not our own righteousness. For, 1, it is given her over and above her being made ready, under which is meant that readiness or her pre paredness of sanctification for glory (as after will appear) to shew that it was her own ; for it is said she herself made herself ready by the help of grace. But of this other righteousness it is said, that it is granted unto her as a further gift and denary of her husband. The spouse, the woman, usetli to send fine linen against marriage to the husband of her making ; but here the husband sends the wife a clothing of his own making. Yea, and it is not only said that fine linen was given her, but that it was granted she should be clothed with it, importing a righteousness merely put over her, and so put on by faith, and not wrought by herself. And besides all this, what I assert is evident from another reason. Our righteousness is not
fine, and clean, and white, but as menstruous rags, intermingled with defilements ; but this righteousness imputed, and with which we are clothed, is both clean, without impurity, and white, as estating unto glory. Unto alMhis may be added, that he, in Rev. xix. 8, by way of eminency points at it, for he says, that this is the righteousness of the saints. In the Greek it is, this fine linen are the righteousness [es] of the saints ; which Brightman with vehemency urgeth against the popish justiciaries, and
layeth it at their door. He asserts not (says he) the righteousness of the
saints is this fine linen, but this fine linen, thus granted her to be clothed
withal, is that which is the righteousness of the saints, that only righteous ness which they stand righteous before God withal ; even they that are most holy need to be clothed with it to come to the presence and enjoyment of their husband, and to be clothed with it over and besides their own
righteousness. And what I have asserted is also evident from this, that
every saint in particular is justified by this righteousness, hath a share in
it, yea, hath the whole of it for his justification, therefore it is termed
dizcuufjuira, in the plural. So then Christ and his righteousness is a cloth
ing put upon the sonl in this life, in order to that other life.
[2.] The second thing is our own inward holiness, and our walking
holily. You find both in Eph. iv. 22-24, That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful
CHAP. VI. J OF THE SAINTS IN GLORY. 381
lusts ; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind ; and that ye put on that new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. And to the same effect the apostle speaks, Col. iii. 9, 10, Lie not one to
another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds ; and have
put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him
that created him. And further, both places affirm, the image of holiness
in man was at his first creation to have been a clothing to his soul, so as
it might have been said of him then, He was clothed, and not naked; which accordingly appears also by this, that when by sin he had lost
that image, he fled even from God, as naked in soul as well as in body, Gen. iii. But let us in the mean time observe not a little of resemblance or parallel between these two places now cited, and this of our apostle that is afore
us, which is something to the further carrying on the proof what should be the apostle s scope here. You may remember, we observed (as in order
to our opening the first verse of this fifth chapter) how the apostle, by way of introduction, thereto had spoken of our souls, considered as distinct from the outward man of our bodies, as an inward man, which was renewed from
day to day (so ver. 16 of chap, iv.), and then we made some parallel between these words, and some particulars in this first verse. Now observe how
further this is carried on in these scriptures now cited under the metaphor of being clothed. For he useth the very same language. An inner man there is made the subject of this clothing ; also that inner man there, by being clothed, is still said to be further renewed. The words are express
* Put on the new man, which is renewed in the spirit of }^our minds. And
that is the most inward part of our souls, in distinction from our outward man. Now then let us first take and put these things mentioned in this place in like manner together. 1. An inward man renewed, whilst the out ward perisheth ; and 2, when this outward man is dissolved, we, that is, our souls, be clothed, and not found naked. And then let us bring these two alleged parallel places unto these, and they will readily inform us, that
the soul clothed with the image of God, and found such at the dissolution
of the outward man, is all one with that inward man, which in our lifetime was daily renewed, whilst the outward man did moulder and perish ; which
as you know is the plain sense that hitherto hath been driven at ; so as he useth but a new metaphor in this second verse, chap, iv., of clothing, to
express what he had afore spoken of this renewing.
2. The second consideration is, that this other phrase of being clothed upon with glory is fitly and congruously spoken in relation to this of our
souls being first clothed with Christ s righteousness, and with holiness in
this life, as in order to our being clothed upon with glory in that other, which will appear from those reasons.
(1.) Take the thing itself; it is evident that grace and Christ s righteous ness are in this life in order unto, and a necessary preparation unto glory, as an under-clothing, fitted and suited to an upper clothing-upon. That look as if you will lay varnish, you must first lay some colour capable of
it, or it loseth its gloss and verdure ; so it is here.
[1.] Our being clothed with Christ and his righteousness is a necessary
pre-requisite to glory, because it gives the right to it as to an inheritance :
so in that place, cited for that purpose, Gal. iii. 27, 29, those that have
put on Christ are heirs ; and so in many places more.
[2.] Holiness in heart and life, that other part of our clothing in this
life, which is next us, is everywhere termed a preparation to this glory,
382 OF THE BLESSED STATE [CHAP. VI.
without which no man shall see God, Heb. xii. 14 ; yea, without which
1 no man can see God, John iii. 3. The church, therefore, by her decking
herself with holiness, is said to make herself ready for the meeting of her
husband, in that fore-cited Rev. xix. 7, which in Rom. ix. 23 is termed a
preparation to glory. And thus likewise in Eph. v. 26, 27, Christ sanc-
tifieth and cleanseth his church, that he might present it to himself a
glorious church. And it is not to be passed over, that what is in 2 Cor.
v. 2, 3, spoken in a way of metaphor, of being clothed, in order to clothing
upon, our apostle, in the fifth verse of the same chapter, as to the reality
of the thing, utters thus : He that hath wrought us for the self-same thing
is God ; that is, he that by working grace and holiness in us hath fitted
us for this glory, which in the phrase of this third verse is expressed, hath clothed us to be clothed upon ; or, if you will have it in the language
of the psalmist, Ps. xlv. 13, The king s daughter is all glorious within.
Her clothing is of wrought gold; she shall be brought unto the king, and
* in raiment of needle-work; which how that answers
his palace, ver. 15,
to this, He that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, I leave
to any man to judge. The context, then, confirms the reality of this
metaphor.
[3.] The metaphor itself tells us that glory is a clothing upon, as a gar ment put over these garments first had in this life ; that is, it is an upper
garment, which among all nations hath been made use of pro veste hono
raria, as a sign of difference of persons of honour from others. Every man
hath his ordinary clothes, but men of honour and rank have, besides, upper
garments, to shew their dignity, superiority, &c. Kings and nobles have
their ordinary wearing apparel for every day, but when they go to be
crowned, or to be invested kings or nobles, or go to parliament, they have
robes or mantles, upper garments proper to their greatness. Thus Joseph, when advanced second in the kingdom, was arrayed in vestments of fine
linen, Gen. xli. 42, Pharaoh commanding them to bow before him. Thus
Daniel was arrayed by Belshazzar, Dan. v. 29 ; and thus also was Mor-
decai clothed, Esther viii. 15, He went out of the presence of the king in
royal apparel, as his upper garment, being in a garment of fine linen and
purple, as his ordinary garment besides. And to this day the kings of
these Eastern nations do put, as a sign of honour, an upper garment on
those they favour. The Great Turk lets no ambassador with his followers
come afore him, but he gives them upper vestments out of his own ward
robe, and lets them wear their own ordinary apparel besides. Thus
_ the
saints, when they are first actually installed kings in heaven, have Christ s
righteousness, and their own holiness, which they had obtained and worn
in this life. But these are but as their common apparel, worn every day,
that is, both in this life and the life to come ; and as ordinary apparel,
though consisting of two garments, is yet reckoned but as one sort of
apparel, taken in distinction from those upper, so both Christ s righteous
ness and our holiness are in that respect reckoned but as a clothing, be
cause it is that in this life we are clothed withal ; and this robe of glory
also, unto which sanctification prepared, and Christ s righteousness^ gave
< a clothing upon ; though indeed Christ is our
right, is an upper garment,
clothing in both. Christ in glorification is as an upper garment, but ii
justification he is an under garment, because in this life; but yet still
Christ is all in all in both. And this notion, that glory is as an upper garment, that place seems to
favour : Rev. vi. 11, White robes were given unto every one of them
CHAP. VII.] OF THE SAINTS IN GLORY. 383
(speaking of souls in glory), given them now when new.come to heaven (as the context shews), and yet they did come clothed to heaven, with
< gar ments dipped in the blood of the lamb, which they had in this life, Kev. vii. 14, yet now anew are robes given them : glory must therefore be said to be a clothing upon. And truly let it be considered by critics if groXai, robes, especially white robes, doth not sometimes, in the use of the word, properly and peculiarly import upper garments of honour and dignity which great persons are clothed upon withal. And if at any time the word is strictly used to express such, I would then say that it means so here ; for he speaks of robes of glory, and those granted anew. Sure I am that ffroXy is so used restrictim, sometimes as the word robe amongst us is used both pro veste senatoria, the upper robes that senators wear (and so among the Greeks), and also pro veste sacerdotali, for priests upper garments ; inboth which respects the Pharisees affected to wear such garments, Luke xx. 46, Mat. xxiii. 5. Which places we translate,
< They desire to walk in long robes (it is the same word), the ensigns, forsooth, of their dignity, rule and greatness.