236 S E R M 0 N S upon Serm. XXXII. where 1 am, there you may be alfa. To keep a foot this promife in the Church, and to keep it alive in our hearts, we come to the Lords Table. 2. Our bufinefs is to receive new pledges of Gods fatherly love, and our blefPed inheri- tance, which are reprefented under ailouble notion; as an earnefl to (hew how fore 5 as frrfi fruits, to (hew how good. . a. Earnefi. Hope is not built upon promifes alone, but we earneft alto; The promife is given us in the word, the earneft is given in our hearts, 2 Cor. 5. 22. though God be truth it Pelf, and promifeth nothing but what he meaneth to perform, yet he will give us earneft of his promifes; the outward pledges are the elements; The inward pledge is the earneft of the fpirit; his comfort and graces are a part of the promifed felicity ; he would not weary and burden us altogether with expeftation, but giveth us fomewhat in hand, light, life, grace, joy, peace ; one dram of thefe, is more precious than all the world, yet there are but an earneft ; .this is the confirmation that we have in the midft of our doubts and fears, they expect the full rum. 2. Firfi fruits. We come to get a tafte (deride things, to deaden our talle of other things, which would divert us from thefe hopes, which are vain delights of the flefb 5 i Pet. r. 13. bodily pleafures are put out of refill' by thefe choice and chatte delights. Theta are our Tongs in the houle of our pilgrimage. 3. To bind ourfelves to the more earne/i parfait of thefe hopes 5 our journey is not end- ed, nor our warfare and confliâs : Therefore here we bind our felves to continue our race, and finifh the good fight of faith; as the Ifraelites in their firft ,paffover had their loins girt, and their Raves in their hands, as refolving on a journey to Canaan, the land of reft; fo we profefi our felves ftrangers and pilgrims, let us therefore relolve on our journey towards heaven, and bind our felves to the performance of it. S E R.
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