Manton - BX8915 M26 1684 v1

37 SE R M O NVII. 2 COr. 5. 5. 1\Iow he that bath wrought to for this fel f fame thing is God, 'go alfo bath given unto sts the fiarnefl of his Spirit. Aving Mewed, r. The Perlons who delire Eternal Glory, v. 3. z. The Man- ner of deGring ; not simply to be unclothed, v. 4. 3. He now !hews the grounds of deGring in this verle. They are two. 1. God hath fitted us for this very thing. x, He hathgiven us the Pledge and Farnell of this Glorious elate. All the bufinefs will be, 1. To open the Exprefions. z. To _hew how thefe aregrounds of the Delire. Firft, To open the meaning of the Exprefions, I. God's forming us] ö r,Tepyten4g. ;,5 dvaó rmro. What is that Pelf fame thing he fpeaketh of? A groaning and an Barnett delire after Immortality, fay fome : We would gladly be rid of odr Burthen here, and be in Heaven, and furely the fenfe of Nature would not incline us to fo holy an Affeétion. No, God hath wrought us for this felf fame thing, hath framed fuch a delire in us. We know and are allured, that when this earthly Tabernacle is diffolved, we have a Build- ing, (5c, fay others, Surely this perfuafion is of God, created and produced in the hearts of his People by his Special Grace. Flesh and Blood bath not !hewed `it to us, Still good. Others carry it higher ; That we eye things unseen, and make them our fcope; itill this is from Grace, not from Nature ; for Nature looketh only to things before us, to prefent welfare. That we are contented though our outward man perifh, fo that our inward man be renewed: Surely all this is from God. A man may admire Ccele- filal Happinefs, but not indultrioufly delire it, and fell denyinglyfeekafter it, to the lofs of the Contentments and Interefts of the bodily life, unlefs God move his heart, and fupernaturally bellow fuch a difpofition towards himfell All this is true and good, but 'tis a part of this fenfe. The Apollle fpeaketh not of the Delire, but of the Happi- nefs its felt, that we may be capable of it. He fieft formeth us, and frameth us for this very thing. r. Here in this World he its us, andprepareth the Soul by Sandi- ftcation or Regeneration, purifying and cleanfing us from fin. z. For the Body; the Spi. rit that now dwelleth in us will at lag 'wife our mortal Bodies, Rom. 8. r r. and prepare us for that Immortality. God now frameth the Souls of his People, hereafter their Bodies. They are wrought to this thing. Man mull be new made, before he is capable of en- tring into. glory. There is a new work on the Souls and on the Bodies of his Saints ; they mull be new moulded and transformed, before they are brought into this Ble /d ell ate. The word x..7epyc os, noteth a powerful work, and an exalt work. None, who are unfit, or unmeet for Heaven, get an accefs to it; no, we are framed for this ve- ry thing. II. [Given us the Eat-nell of his Spirit.] This better life is fealed and confirmed to us by Earneft. Tona, gifts; that is one thing. As we give a shilling to a Beggar. Pignes, a pawn or pledge, is another. As when a poor man layeth his Tools at pledge, with an intent when he can make up the money borrowed, to fetch it away again. But Arrha earneft, is a part of the bargain, till the whole be performed. God will not deal with us by bare Covenant, but give Éarneft, to afItre us the more of that life which he bath promifed in his Covenant ; we have a taft and experience of it in the prefent work of ]his Spirit. Secondly, How theft aregrounds of this Deere ? There are Two things con liderable in that glorious dilate which we expeót according to promife ; the Certainty and the Ex- cellency ; both are confirmed by God's working us, eis dvai dho, And giving us the Earnell, &c. a. The Certainty of it is confirmed by Ylv`h these by things ; the frame of the New Crea- ture, and Earnell of the Spirit. 1. By the Frame of the New Creature. If a Veffel be formed, Mon

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