that He would turn their attention to that firm hope, which is in Him alone. For He is so long-suffering that He leadeth them to repentance, as it is said in Romans ii,[1] and suffers none to be straightway deceived by this deceitful hope, if haply they may "return to the heart,"[2][3] and come to the true hope.
But Christians have, beside this twofold blessing,[4] the very greatest future blessings certainly awaiting them; yet only through death and suffering. Although they, too, rejoice in that common and uncertain hope that the evil of the present will come to an end, and that its opposite, the blessing, will increase; still, that is not their chief concern, but rather this, that their own particular blessing should increase, which is the truth as it is in Christ, in which they grow from day to day, and for which they both live and hope. But beside this they have, as I have said, the two greatest future blessings in their death. The first, in that through death the whole tragedy of this world's ills is brought to a close; as it is written, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints";[5] and again, "I will lay me down in peace and sleep”;[6] and, "Though the righteous be prevented with death, yet shall he be at rest."[7] But to the ungodly death is the beginning of evils; as it is said, "The death of the wicked is very evil,"[8] and, "Evil shall catch the unjust man unto destruction."[9][10] Even so Lazarus, who received his evil things in his lifetime, is comforted, while the rich glutton is tormented, because he received his good things here.[11] So that it is always well with the Christian, whether he die or live; so blessed a thing is it to be a Christian and to believe in Christ. Wherefore Paul says, "To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,"[12] and, in Romans xiv,[13] "Whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether
