An Expo[ition of the ~piflle ~ In the fidl place, becaufe we have a title to it, being Saints, as ~on.s_have. to Ser.XIX. their natural Inheritance, In refpeCl: of our mle to lt therefore, 1t tscalled an ~ JnheritmJce. My Brethren, God, to make Heaven fure, and that his Childrea m<ght have mighty hope of their Calling, he bath made Heaven fore by all . faits of waies tl1at are lound amongft Men to make a thmg fure, , He bath made it fure by a purchafe of the Blood of Chrift; fo faith ver, I 4• he calleth it the purcbajfd pofJeJ!ion. He bath made it fure.by an Inheman·ce too; n9t only by a · way ot fa le, it was fold to Chnfi, and 1t ts hts Inherttance too, but tt IS an In- ' hcritancc to us though he purchafed it; fo faith the Text too, It is like wife by way of Gift,that is the third way ofconveying ofit;for the gift of God i& eternal LifC,Rom.6 .ttlt. Lafily, It is given by Will of a man that dieth. Heb.gd). You read there that Jefus Chrift, he died, and he made his Will, tbat aU tho[e t IJ<Zt believe itJ bim, they jhottld have etemal life; For this cauje (faith he)!;,_;, the Mediator of the New Covmrwt, or Tejlmpent; that by fflfallS of death, fur thf rdempt1o1J of the tr,zufirtJ!io11s that were utJder the firfl Tejlament, . they w bich are caUed might receive the Pr·omije of eternal Inheritance. As it is an ·Inheritance, and purchafed by Chrift, and given by God, fo bequeathed by Chrifl at his death. Read the next Verfes, For where a Te(/ament is, of ne– a({ity thtremujl be tbe death of the Teflator; for a Teflament is of force after nie11 tlre dead, otherwife it IS of 110 jlre11gtb ''' aU wh1tj/1he Tejlator tivdh. So that Jefus Chrift died, and left it to us by Will. :we have it by all waies; vou cannot have God made over to you more furely than by way of gift, than by way of Inheritance, ( if a man make no Will, yet the Heir fucceedeth him, ) than by way of purchafc, than by way of Will. All thefe waies is Heaven con· veyed to us. In the Second place, An !11heritance noteth out a perpetuity. You know your fryle of Inheritance runs thus, To a ma11 and bis Heirs for ever. So doth Heaven, and therefore m the fame place I even now quoted, Heb, g; r). tt IS called an Eterttal b1heritmtce, In the Third place, An Inheritance noteth out a whole poffeiiion; it doth not note out a part, it doth not note out a portion. Abraham, you kn9w, he gave portions to his youngefi Children; but an Inheritance he gave to his eldefl Son ](iwc, to his Firfi-born. Now read Heb. 12.2 3· he calleth the Saints there the Firjl-bortl of them whofe Names are written in Heaven. They have all bheritances as Firil-born, You will fay, How is that poiiible? For if one Saint inherit all, how doth the reft do fo too ? Yes, my Brethren. Look Colof!. r. I l· it is called a11 !11heritmrce ;,, light. Now thofe that are Sons of Adamborn toto thts World, one man doth not in– herit part of the light of the Sun and another man another; but all men are Heirs alike of the light of the Sun. If God be the Inheritance, if he be the light of it, as you !hall hear anon in ReV.2I .22. then all may be Heirs; for God (faith he) is aU i11 all. He can be whole happinefs to one man and whole hap· pinefs to another,a nd no man !hall complain; every man po!feffeth whole God to himfelt: An Inheritance is of the whole, it is not a portion. So much now for the word JrJberit a11ce, I have touched upon fuch things as are mofi material for the opening of it. I come now to the Attributes of it, Firfi, it is arich btberitallct? Secondly,it is a glorious !~therttance.Tlmdly,there are riches of Glory in it : For the word Ricbes may either be attributed to Inherita11ce (and fo Glory) apart; or you may joyn both together, R1ches of Glory of ottr I11heritrma. In the general, my Brctl:rcn, The Apofile fpeaks here pertinently, after the manner of men; for all Inheritances here below conlifl either of Riches or of Glory, we fee that men inherit both; the Children of rich men inherit their Riches; if they be Noble men they inherit their Honour; both Honour and Riches go by defcenr, hcjoyneth them both here you fee; and where both thefe meet there is fulnefs. When the Glory of the greatefi Monarch upon Earth is defcribed, E(lh.r.4. it is done both byRiches and by Glory, he faith, Ahajiur11s made a Feaft, whm he J/.ewrd tte riches of his glorious _Ki11gdom, and the ho11ottr of his exaUe11t MaJejly.
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