178 SERMONS upon Serm.XXV, 3. 'Tis a Bleffed Inheritance, the expreffron in the Text, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Chrift. Fort, heirs of God. The Inheritance is the Lord himfelf, blefled for ever; to be injoyed by the Saints to all Eternity. He is the Inheritance of his People now, Peal. 16. 5, 6. The Lord is the poritian of misse inheritance, the lines are fain to me in a pleafint place ; Pfal. 119. 57. Thom art my portion, 0 Lord; and Lam. 3. 24 The Lord is my portion, faith my foal, therefore will 1 hope in him. See what conclufions are drawn thence, duty, and hope ;much more then will God be our allfufhcient Portion, Rev. 21. 7.110 that overcometh ¡hall inherit all things ; and 1 will be his God, and he (hall be my fin : all things equivalently, all things immediately in God ; God is inftead of all, infinitely fupplying and filling up the room of all ; Riches, Honours, Contentment, and Comforts. If we have God, nothing (hall be miffed, nothing wanted, to make the !late of thofe that injoy ir, compleatly happy. God is all immediately from himfelf, I Cor. 15. 28. God (hall be all in all, who filleth all the delires, and perfeð all the Powers of our Souls, of himfelf, without the intervention of means. Secondly, joint heirs with Chrifi, we injoy it by him, and we injoy it with him. 1. By him, for Chrift is the heir of all things, and we can have no Title but by and through him; he bath the whole inheritance in his power, and the absolute difpofing of all the good things which belong to it, John 37. 2. Thou haft given him power ever all fiefh, that he fhould give eternal life.to as many as thou haft given to him. He hath power of condemning and abfolving ; unlefs we Sincerely and Cordially come to him, and accept him upon Gods offer, and obey him, we have no right. 2. We injoy it with bim. Chrift as Mediator bath a double Inheritance. i. Of life and glory. 2. Of dominion and power. For we read, t Tim. 3. 16. that he is received up into I. Of Life and Glory. Glory, and there he liveth for ever at the Right hand of God ; Now Chrift will not be there alone, he cannot fatisfie himfelf unlefs he have his People with him : for we do with Chrift, injoy God,, and live with him for evermore ; Chrift will have his People (havers in the fame life and Glory, John 12. 26. If any man will ferve me, let him follow me, and where 1 am, there fhall my fervant le : if any man ferve me, him wilt my Fa- ther honour. His People (hall fare as he doth, if they will ferve him, and follow him 5 that is, not take it ill to be no better ufed, than he was. He will be with them in trouble, and they (hall be with him in Glory : in their eternal eflate they (hall have confiant, intimate, and nearer fellow(hip with him. 2. An inheritance of dominion and power, Eph. 1. 21. God railed him far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every , name that is named, not only in this world, but in that which is to come. Chrift as Mediator was exalted to the higheft degree of glory, next to God in Heaven ; far above that fading power of Rulers and Potentates by whom he was put to death ; yea, above the higheft de- gree of Angelical power. But doth any of this fall to our (hare ? See what Chrift faith, Revel. 3. 21. To him that overcometh, I will grant to fit with me on my throne, even as I alfo overcame, and am fate down with my father in his throne. He that perfe- vereth in fpite of all temptations, (hall partake of that honour to which my Father bath exalted me unto, after my fufferings. He (hall reign with Chrift, and fit down with Chrift on the right hand of the Maje(ty of God ; not the fame methods ufed towards him, to bring him to a Glorious Eternity ; but invefled in the fame power as Chrift the head, Pfal. 49. 14. The upright (hall have dominion in the morning. U S E is Information of feveral truths. i. That our heavenly inheritance cometh to us not by our own purchafe, andprocurement, or merit; but by vertue of our fonfhip. For fo the Apoftle reafoneth, If fons, then heirs. Tis given by the mercy of God, or the bounty of our, Father, Luke 12. 32. Fear not little flock, 'tis your fathers good pleafure to give you a I ingdom. 'Tis purchafed by Chrift 5 indeed the Scripture loth not exprefly fay in terminis, that Chrift purchafed for us, but the merit of his death reached that effeû; the immediate end of Chrifts death was to expiate our tranfgreflions; but the neceffary confequent is our receiving the promife of eternal inheritance, Heb. 9. 15. For this caufe is Chrift the Mediator of the new covenant, that bymeans of death, for the redemption of the tranfgrefons under the Pit covenant , they which are called might receive the promife of eternal inkier ;t.,nce His death removed fin, and the eternal penalties due to it: and the new Covenant, which is fo full ofHeavenly promu es, is thereby introduced ; none btít Cuch
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