to the E P H E S I AN S. For firfr, if you take this purchafed polfetJion to be meant of Heav e" it felf, ~ that Inheritance he fpeaks of, which the Spmt ·IS the Earnefl of, 1t 1s the Moft Srr.XV11. elegont expretiion that could be. Why? For whereas you have not the actual~ of[etJion of Heaven, until you are redec.mcd f~om ftn and m1fery ; and an Ear. ~efl doth ufe to give interell in ~ polleiTion before-hand, It g1veth a nght unto the Land, yon may claim the Land by lt. Hence he fitly (a1th, he '.s the Er~r11ejl of our Juberita 11 ce afore-hand, before we come to polfefs 11, and bewg redeemed to polfefs it. . , Then again, If you take 1t for the Cbt1rcb a11d People of God, for Gods 111beritaflcr, it is as elegantevery way and as proper. For firll, the Apo!lles mean– ing is this, Te bave tbe Ear11ef/ of tbe Sptrtl, faith he, mtttl tbe ~edempt10n. Do you think much to flay for It, you do but flay till the redemption ot all God's People; it is a common cafe, and God h1mfelf he llayeth for them; ti•ey. arc his Peculiar, they are Jus Treafure, they are h1s Purchafed enes, he llayeth nil they be redeemed ; therefore (faith he) you may well !lay. They were h1s redeemed People, his People purchafed by the blood of Chnfr; but though yurchafed by the blood of Chrill, yet they are fold ttnderfot, as the Apollle faah; they are pt~wurd the word is,and therefore they are det ained from him by Si11,and 'Death, and Sotlmt. Now therefore he mthe mean time g1veth them an Eamef/tmtit the redemptioll of tbis poffejfi011, until he bath redeemed unto himfelf, and vindi– cated by his Spirit his People unto lumfelf. My Brethren, Whereas God is fain to flay for his own Inheritance, what doth he do to make fure of the Commodtty ? He g1veth an Ear11ejl, It IS an elegant expretiion, and infinitely comfortable to us. As the Holy Gho!l is an Eamefi to us of ottr Inheritonce , he is an Earntfi to God of bu Inheritance too; the A· po!\le bath both in his eye, for our Hearts are ilippery commodities. God hath bought us by the /;/ood of Cbrifi, we would give him the llip; therefore to make fureof us, be giveth us his Spirit (to be an Ear11ejl of our Redemption roo) to redeem us,. and .to br!ng us to Heaven at lafr. And the word ,.,..,.,;,.,,, p 11 r. tba(edpojfojfio11, 1t figmfieth a Guard, thofe that are guarded and defended. it fignifiethTutri. He giveth us the Hob Gbofl to guard us to Heaven; an Et~rnijl, not tci lie llill, but as an Hollage to accompany us thither. God is loath to lofe you, as you are loath to lofe him, therefore he giveth you his Spirit as an Et1Ynefl; therefore nothing can be more to the comtort of God's Saints. Thus vafr and various is the Holy Gbofl in his writ ing, and in his aims in both thefe expreffions; We are God's Inheritance, He is our!nheritance; the Hob Ghofl is an Earnell tom, He is an Earnell toGod, U1ttilthe redemptiott of tbe pttrchafod poffejfiof!. Now you have the meaning of the words, I will give you an Obfervation or two from them. Firfr, See the Love of G<(d. . 1. That God fl10uld not only bellow an Inheritance upon us, but bellow Him– felf upon us, ( for himfelf is this Inheritance;) and not only make us Heirs of him, but make us hi~ own Inheritance too, for fothe word 'Poffi!ftott will bear it. That that God, who ISblelfed for ever, and needeth no Creature fhould call his People his ],~htritauce~ which he liveth upon as it were, (for yo~t know a man's Inhentance IS that he hveth upon,) call them his purchajed pojfef!ion ; here was Love. 2. T~at he fl1ould purchafe this. Inherit~nce by the 6/oodof Cbrijl, and pay fo dear for 1t. They are not only h1s Inhentance, 'but his p1wcha(ed !11btritauce too; he did it to fl1ew his Love the more, 3· When he had bought us by ~brill, he lheweth yet a further love; for though we were bought, and the pnce was·paid we llilllie in fins and therefore he fendeth his Spirit into our hearts to refcue us 'thence, to fu bdue' us, to redeem us; tmllt tbe redemptio11 of tbept~rcbafedpoffo.Jlio•s, he giveth the Spi>·it as an Earnell', 4• Hedoth this to make fure work, that he might notlofe us. G g 2. 'i· He
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