DrsCOURSES ON THE CHAP. VII. THE SPIRIT AN EARNEST, AND HOW. AGAIN, the Holy Spirit, as thus communicatedun- to us, is said to be an earnest. 'Aegada, the word in the original is no where used in the New Testament, but in this matter alone, 2 Cor. ik 22. chap, v. 5. Eph. i. 14.. The Latin translator renders this wordby Pignus, a pledge. But he is corrected therein by Hierom on Eph. i. a Pignus," said' he, as Latinus oa lnterpres pro arrhaboneposait. Non id ipsum sutem Arrabo, quod pignus sonst. Arrhabo enim fusurw " emptioni quasi quoddam testimonium, and obligatnen- "-turn datar. Pignus vero, hoc est lsxogod pro mutua as pecunia apponitur, ut quum lila reddita fuerit, red. " denti debitum pignus a Creditore reddatur." And this reason is generally admitted by expositors. For a pledge is that which is committed to and left in the hand of another, to secure him, that money which is borrowed thereon shall be repaid, and then the pledge is to be received back again. Hence it is necessary, that a pledge be more in value than the money re- ceived, because it is taken in security for repayment. But an earnest is a part only of what is to be given or paid, or some lesser thing that is given to secure somewhat that is more or greater in the same or another kind. And this difference must be admitted, if we are obliged to the precise signification and com- mon use of pledges and earnests among men, which we must inquire into. The word is supposed to bederived from the Hebrew S-,v and the Latins make use of it also, Arrhabon, and Arrha. It is sometimes used in other authors: as Plutarch in Galba. 'Ep5ars, agouApgas s1ggaßac: essyacois zoo od,voi; he prepossessed Obinius with great sums of money, as an earliest of what he would do afterwards. +Hesychius explains it by 9.ó.F., a gift beforehand. As to what I apprehend to be the mind of the Holy Ghost in this expression, I shall declare it in the ensuing observations: First, It is not any act or work of the Holy Spirit on us, or in us, that is called his being an earnest, It is he himself who is this earnest. This is exprest in every place where there is mention made of it, 2 Cor. i. 22. lei s,, áçcaßwrzze sr,svuxras: the earnest of the Spirit; that earnest which is. the Spirit, or the Spirit as an earnest; as Austin reads the words, Arrhabona Spiritism, chap. v. 5. Who bath also given unto- us the earnest ofthe Spirit. The giving of this earnest is con- stantly-assigned to be the act of. God the Father, who, according to the promise of Christ, would send the Comforter unto the church. And in the other place, Eph. i. 14.- it is expressly said that the Holy Spirit is the earnest ofour inheritance. Everywherethe article is of the masculine gender, ¿s iri, z'ggada,; and ,r,mna, the Spirit is of the neuter. Some would have it to refer unto Christ, van -12. But, as it is not unu- sual in scripture that the subjunctive article and rela- tive should agree in gender with the following substan- tive, as de here doth with k(gaßa,; so the scripture speaking of the Holy Ghost, though be of the neuter gender, yet having respect unto the thing, that is, the person of the Spirit, it subjoins the pronoun of the masculine gender unto it, as John xiv. 26. Where. fore the Spirit himselfis the earnest, as given unto us from the Father by the Son. And this act of God is expressed by giving or putting him into our hearts, 2 Cor. i. 22. How he doth this, path been before de-. clared, both in general, and with respect in particular unto his inhabitation. The meaning therefore of the words is, that God gives unto us his Holy Spirit to dwell in us, and toabide with us, as an earnest of our future inheritance. Secondly, It is indifferent whether we use the name of an earnest or a pledge in this matter. And although I choose to retain that of an earnest, from the most usual acceptation of the word, yet I do it not upon the reason alleged for it, which is taken from the especial nature and use of an earnest in the dealings of men. For it is the end only of an earnest whereon the Holy Ghost is so called, which is the same with that of a pledge; and we are not to force the similitude or allu- sion any farther. For, precisely, -among men an ear- nest is the confirmation of a bargain and contract made on equal terms between buyers and sellers, or exchang- ers. But there is no such contract between God and
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