Or who would compare a Moment with Eternity? And yet this and far greater is the Difproportion between the Sufferings of this present time, and the Glory that shall be reveal'd in us. The better to clear this, I fay,

It, The Lightness of Afflictions makes them unworthy to be compar'd to a Weight of Glory. I know 'tis hard to perfuade any under Trouble that their Afflictions are light; for no Chaftifement for the prefent is joyous, but grievous: All Sufferings are against the grain of Nature, and moft Men are apt to complain of the Burden of them; but yet there are many Confiderations that may alleviate the Evil, and lighten the Burden of them. As, firft, by comparing what we fuffer with the much greater Punishments that we deferve, and that will mightily leffen our Senfe and Opinion of it: if one that is condemn'd to die comes off with a little whipping, we account the Punishment light and easy; and if we who are fentenc'd to eternal Death, are pardon'd and preferv'd from it by a little Correction, we can have no reafon to complain. Again, if we compare our Sufferings with the infinitely greater Sufferings of Christ for our fake, we may eafily reckon ours to be but light and gentle Afflictions. Moreover, if we compare the Sufferings of this Life with the unspeakable Torments of the Damned in the next, to which Sin naturally leads; we may reckon them not worthy to be nam'd or mention'd together. But laftly, if we compare the Afflictions of this Life, which upon all these accounts may be justly thought light, with that exceeding exceffive Weight of Glory, which they work out for us in the next, we fhall find them to vanish into nothing, less than nothing, and Vanity. But,

2dly, Not only the Lightness, but the Shortness of these Afflictions, makes them unworthy to be compar'd with the Glory to be reveal'd in us, for thefe Afflictions are but for a moment, but 'tis an eternal Weight of Glory that follows them. All the Sufferings we meet with here will be foon over; Sorrow may endure for a Night (faith the Pfalmift) but Foy cometh in the Morning. The longeft Term of their Duration is for the fhort space of this Life; and if they end not fooner, Death will furely put a period to them: but this future Glory is everlasting, and knows neither End nor Decay; 'tis a Kingdom that can never be mov'd, and a Crown that fhall never be taken from us. And now what Comparison is there between a Minute, and the boundless Duration of Eternity? What Proportion between the light

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Duft of the Ballance, and the heavy Globe of the Earth? or between the fmall Drop of a Bucket, and the whole Ocean? And yet this and much greater is the Difference and Difproportion between light momentany Afflictions, and an exceeding, exceffive, and eternal Weight of Glory: where the Apostle feems to labour how to exprefs as well as bear it; 'tis nad ipforlu' eis væregßonko` d'iáriov Bag Jóns; which implies fuch a heavy maffy Crown of Glory, that 'twill be as much as the Soul will be able to bear or ftand under. And therefore the Apoftle rightly reckons the Sufferings of this prefent time not worthy to be nam'd or compar'd with the Glory that fhall be reveal'd in us; which is enough to fet all good Chriftians a longing for it, not to value any thing here below, whether profperous or adverfe, but to wait with Patience for the revealing of it. This we should the rather do, because, as the next words tell us, The earnest Expectation of the Creature waiteth for the Manifeftation of the Sons of God. What this earnest Expectation of the Creature is, what the Manifestation of the Sons of God, and how the Creature is faid to wait for it, are Matters of fome difficulty to understand, and are therefore variously expounded by Interpreters.

Some understand these things of the Gentile World, who were then expecting what would befal the Jews, whether the Son of God were truly manifefted to them, or who among them fhould be manifefted to be the true Sons of God: for the Creature was made fubject to Vanity, that is, the Heathen World (fay they) were held in a State of Ignorance and Idolatry, which is in Scripture often call'd Vanity; and that not willingly, but by reafon of him who hath fubjected the fame in Hope: that is, this their dark and forlorn Condition was none of their own Choice, but 'twas by the Will of God, who fuffer'd them to continue awhile in those Idolatries, in hopes of being better inftructed and enlighten'd by the Gofpel. So the next words intimate; Because the Creature it felf alfo fhall be deliver'd from the Bondage of Corruption into the glorious Liberty of the Children of God: meaning, as they expound it, that the Heathens themfelves fhould, by the Gofpel or Grace of Chrift, be refcu'd from the Slavery they were in to Satan and the Bondage of Idolatry, and be inftated in the Rights and Privileges of the Sons and Children of God, and fo be made capable of the Glory that fhall be reveal'd in us. For we know (as the Apostle goes on) that the whole Creation groan

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eth, and travaileth in Pain together until now; that is, the whole Gentile World is as it were in Pangs of Travail ever fince Chrift's Coming, in a manner ready to bring forth Sons and Children of God, being in a good Forwardness to receive the Gofpel, which many of the Jews reject, And not only they (faith our Apoftle) but our felves alfo, which have the Firft-fruits of the Spirit, even we our felves groan within our felves, waiting for the Adoption, to wit, the Redemption of our Bodies: that is, not the Heathens only, but we Chriftians, who have receiv'd Chrift, and enter'd upon the Profeffion of Faith in him, do earneftly defire and expect this Adoption of Sons, waiting for a Deliverance from the Servitude and Oppreffion of Servants, and to be tranf lated into the glorious Liberty of the Children of God, and to receive a Redemption from all Evils by the Resurrection of the Body. This is the Senfe that fome put upon this obfcure Paffage of Holy Scripture; for which 'fee the Learned Dr. Hammond on the Place.

Others again, and perhaps with greater Reafon, interpret this Paffage not only of the Heathen World, who may hope to receive this Benefit by Christ's Coming; but of the whole natural World, and all the Creatures in it, who by a natural Inftinct may look for fome fhare in the Benefit of it, And the reafon of this Expectation may be, because the whole World hath been by Man's firft Sin put befide its firft and natural Eftablishment, into which it may perhaps have foine innate Defires and Tendencies to be reftor'd, For all the Creatures in it are by the firft Tranfgreffion faid to be made subject to Vanity, to be put out of their due Course and Order, and made to adminifter, to the vain Defires and corrupt Defigns of Mankind; and that too against their will, and without their knowledg, being over-rul'd by a fuperior Power, to which they are fubject, not without fome hopes of being one time or other fet right again : which Hopes are grounded upon this, that they having fuffer'd part of the Curfe for Man's Sin, when he fhall be reeftablish'd in Grace and Glory, they may in fome measure be refcu'd and reftor'd too; according to that of Ifaias, Bebold I create new Heavens and a new Earth, and the former Shall not be remembred, nor come into mind; Ifa. 65. 17. The Pfalmift tells us of God's renewing the Face of the Earth, which hath been deform'd by Man's Wickedness: And St. Peter fpeaks of new Heavens, and a new Earth, wherein dwelleth Righteoufnefs. Suitable hereunto our Apoftle here de

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clares, that the Creatures alfo fhall be deliver'd from the Bondage of Corruption into the glorious Liberty of the Children of God. At prefent he tells us, that the whole Creation groans under the Weight and Burden of Man's Tranfgreffion, and travails in Pain to be deliver'd of it; of which they may have fome fecret Hopes or natural Impulfes towards it, which is that earnest Expectation of the Creature, that puts them upon waiting for the Manifeftation of the Sons of God. And not only they (faith the Apoftle) but we who have the First-fruits of the Spirit, and the Foretaftes of a future Happiness, earnestly long for the Completion of it, by the Regeneration of our Soul, and the Redemption of our Body. So that the Force and Sum of the Apoftle's Reasoning herein feems to be this: If all inferior Creatures, who fecretly feel and groan under the Miferies that Sin hath brought upon them, naturally long for a Deliverance from them; of which, by an invifible Inftinct, they have fome Hope and Expectation; How much more may we, who have higher Faculties, and fuller Difcoveries made to us of thefe Evils, groan within our felves, and long for a Redemption from them? efpecially confidering that unfpeakable Bliss and Glory they will e'er long be attended withal; which is fo great, that we may juftly reckon the Sufferings of this prefent time not worthy to be compar'd with the Glory that fhall be reveal'd in us.

This is briefly the Senfe of the Epiftle for this Day; which may teach us fundry Leffons: As,

1ft, From the Apoftle's reckoning upon Sufferings here in this Life, let us learn to do fo too; for 'tis certain they will come in one kind or other, either in Body, Goods or Name, and 'tis better to expect and provide against them, than to have them feize us unawares. Let none dream only of happy and halcyon Days, or fay with David, that his Mountain is made fo ftrong, that it cannot be moved; for 'tis but for God to hide his Face, and by and by we are troubled. And God will hide his Face, or frown upon fuch fecure and bold Sinners, to fhew them their Error, and to punish their Prefumption. We were better then to count upon and look for Afflictions, which are as neceffary as Phyfick for the Health and Welfare of our Souls, and ferve as Goads to mind and prick us forward in our Duty. Let us, with the Mariners at Sea, prepare for a Storm in the

midst of a Calm, and then we fhall weather it the better, and come the fooner into a fafe Harbour.

2dly, From the Apostle's reckoning upon a future Glory to be reveal'd in us to crown and reward our Sufferings, let us learn to do the fame, and that will enable us to bear them with the greater Courage and Patience, and make us rather rejoice than repine at Tribulations. Indeed, if Matters be well weigh'd, Afflictions are no fuch heavy and dreadful things as we vainly imagine; for tho they may carry a ftern Afpect to Flesh and Blood, yet if we look to the end of them, and confider that eternal Weight of Glory they work out for us, all the Terror of them will vanifh, and we fhall fee greater caufe to own the Kindness, than complain of the Hardship of fuch Sufferings. Let none then defpife the Chaftening of the Lord, or faint when he is rebuked of him; for whom the Lord loveth, he chafteneth, and Scourges every Son whom he receiveth.

Let us not increase our Burden by Impatience, nor entangle our felves, like a Bird in the Snare, with too much fluttering; but rather commit our felves unto God in Welldoing, and patiently rely upon his Providence, who will not fuffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but will with the Temptation make a way to escape.

3dly, From the vaft Difproportion between the Sufferings of this prefent time, and the Glory that fhall be reveal'd in us, we may learn to live above this World, and by the Eye of Faith to look thro the Troubles of this Life, to the Happiness of the next; between which, our Text tells us, there is no Comparison. If the Cross be plac'd in the Highway to a Crown, 'twill be greater Wisdom to take it up, and bear it awhile, than feek to decline it by Ways that lead to greater and everlafting Sufferings.

4thly, From the Creatures being made fubject to Vanity, and the whole Creation's groaning under the Weight of Man's firft Tranfgreffion, we learn the Heinoufness and Malignity of Sin, which thus crack'd the Heart-ftrings of Nature, and brought thefe Pangs of Sorrow upon the whole Creation; which fhould teach us to abhor and abandon it, as the Occafion of all the Evil and Mifchief that is in the World: it hath brought Disorder and Diftrefs upon all the Creatures, and without Repentance it will yet bring greater upon us; and that which funk Nature into fuch Confufion, will, if not amended, fink our Souls into Hell.

Laftly,