38 S ERMONS upon the Serm. VII. formed, 'tis for fome end ; and what doth not attain its end, is vain and loft. A man may make a thing ufelefs, and fhort of its end,-but --God cannot ; for; he cannot miftake in the forming, nor change his mind ; and therefore if God had made us s;s du7ò ,4"s70 the end is Pure to be. obtained, there is evetlafting glory, and we Thal! have it. Now, God hath made and framed Believers to this Happinefs. So the fecond Argument by si.. ving uo the Earnefl of the Spirit : That's alto an Argument of the Certainty of the glory to come ; for if he hath given us Earneft, he will alfo.give us the whole Sum. An Bar- nett is loft when either the Bargain is repented of, or 'tis beyond the power of the par- ty to make good the Bargain ; or elfe when hs.not much regarded, being of (mall value ; but none of tiefe things call take place here ; for God repenreth not of his Cove- nant, Rum. 11.19: God is able to give what he bath promifed, Rom. 4.2, 1. Being fully per - fuaded that what he had prontifed,' he was able to perform. And the Spirit is no mean gift; next to Chrift,the greateft gift that can be bellowed upon mortal men.God that giveth the Creatures by meer gift to carnal men, lofeth nothing but the creatures ; Corn, and Wine, andOl it.may be loft, fec. But God that giveth his Spirit to his People, will not lofe his camel; w here this is given, he will give more. z. The excellency and worth of thefe- bit/ ed things, which are alfa a ground of this eár- nefl deffre. Now this is reprefented both by Gods forming, and alfo by the earneft of the Spirit. 1. By Gods Forming. If we mull be formed, wrought for this felffame thing : Surely this eftate, is an excellent, bleffed and glorious elate ! A natural man is counted fit for any thing this world hatli;'but he mull have a new fitnea for what God will con- fer upon him inthe other world ; therefore the preparation 1heweth what the bleflednefs is. God bath framed us with Furious and coftly Artifice, and therefore for a noble end and purpofe. Ordinary Utenfìls are thrown about the HoufeWithout any care,the meaneft place will ferve for them: But this Workmanlhip is too good to be left in this world ; therefore Godbath defigned it to a better place.. Surely fo much ado would not be made about a thing of nought. a,. The earneft ffieweth the greatnefs as well as the certainty. The things of the Spiritare very precious : Compared to light, life a pearl, joy. One dram of grace is more,precious than all the world : Yet thefe are but an earneft, which is afmallpart of the whole fum. The Argument runneth thus: If Joy unfpeakable and glorious, if Peace that paffeth all, underflandiòg, be but the earneit, then furely the whole purchafe and poffeffon is beyond all that can be thought of, and imagined. You would judge that to be no ordinary Bargain, where a thotsfand Pound camel is given. The Scrip- ture compareth all that we in joy of God here but to a tall, to an camel, to the firft fruits; little in comparifon of the full glory and happinefs that (hall enfue. The Points are Two, a. That Godframeth his people unto that happy eflate, which he hath appointed them. idly. That they may look and long for it,withgreater affetiion,he giveth them the earnefl of the Spirit. a. That Gadframetb and fuiteth bitpeople, unto that happinefs, which he bath provided for them. That truth you have in other Scriptutes, Rom. 9. 23. Ve is of mercy afore - hand prepared unto Glory. Sometimes we read that Heaven is prepared for us, at other times that we are prepared for Heaven.Heaven for us,Matth. 25.34Come ye Blefjedof my rather inherit the Kingdom preparedforÿou from the Foundation of the world: In the decree ofGod. By the mediation of Chrift, roh. 14. z. -- Igo to prepare a place for you. But that's not enough, we mutt allo be prepared for Heaven,fitted and faired to that elate. So again, Col. t. se. He bath made us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in light. God puts into his people, an agreeablenefs unto that happinefs which he bath appointed to them. Heaven is a clean and Holy place, and none but the purified and cleanfed, are meet to go thither. -A place of Spiritual delights, not fit for the fenfual, but the mortified. So Rev. 3.4. They (hall walk with me in white: For they are worthy. There is a twofold worthinefs; the worth of exat`i Equality, and the worth of fuitablenefs, con - veniency and proportion. 1. The worth of condign y or exafl equality. As a workman is Paid to be worthy ofhis wages, fo we are not worthy. For there is fuch a diftance be- tween God and his-Creatures, that no Creature can make him his Debter : But there is alto the worth ofineeetnefs, fuitablenefs, &c. Thus they that kept themfelves clean when others were defiled,thefe were worthy to walk withChrift in white;when others are ílain- ed
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