3.1 DISCOURSES ON THE a right unto,this inheritance, or to any part of it, norms"he can beadmitted into an actual possession of it, and unto the least share of God's creation here below, as many difficulties he may have in the mean time to Ion- a part of the rescued or purchased inheritance, but by flirt withal. And it is so in this case. The earnestof the virtue of an interest in Christ, and union with him. Spirit given unto us, whereby we become coheirs with Wherefore, Christ, whose Spirit we are made partakers of, secures Fourthly, The way whereby we come to have an in- I the title of the inheritance in and unto our whole per terest in Christ, and thereby a right onto the inheritance, sons. Butbefore sse can cone unto the full possession of is by the participation of the Spirit of Christ, as the a. it, not only have we many spiritual trials and temptations postle fully declares, Rom. viii. 1.4, -15, 16, 17. Ror it to conflict withal in our souls, but our bodies also are is by the Spirit of adoption, the Spirit of the Son; that liable unto death and corruption. Wherefore,whatever we are made children. Now, saith the apostle, If toc first fruits we may enjoy, yet can we not enter into the arechildren, then heirs, heirs ofGod, midjoint heirs wills actual possession of the whole inheritance, until not only Christ. Children are heirs unto their father. And those our souls are delivered from all sinsand temptations, but who are children of God, are heirs of that inheritance our bodies also are rescued out of the dust of the grave. which God bath provided for his children. HairsofGod. This is the full redemption of the purchased possession, And all the good things of grace and glory whirl, be- whence it is signally called the redemption of the body, lievers are made partakers of in this world, or that Rom. viii. 23. which is to come, are called their inheritance, because Thus, as the Lord Christ himself was made heir of all they are the effects of free, gratuitous adoption. They things by that communication of the Spirit unto him, are not things that themselves have purchased, bargain- whereby he was anointed unto his office; so the partici- ed for, éarneti, or merited, but an inheritance depending pation of the same Spirit from him, and by him, makes on and following solelyupon their free gratuitous adop- us coheirs with him, and so he is an earnest given us of tion. But how can they become heirs of God, seeing God of the future inheritance. It belongs not unto my God bath absolutely appointed the Son alone to be heir present purpose to declare the nature of that inherit- of all things? Heb. i. 2. He was heir unto whom the ance, whereof the Holy Spirit is the earnest. In brief, whole inheritance belonged. Why, saith the apostle, by it is the highest participation with Christ in that glory the participation of the Spirit of Christ, we are made and honour that our natures are capableof. joint heirs with Christ. The whole inheritance, as unto And in like manner we are said to receive rcaatZ, ra his personal right, was entirely his by the free donation tr,nuaros, Rom. viii. 23. that is, the Spirit himself, as the of the Father, all power in heaven and earth beinggiven first-fruits of our spiritual and eternal redemption. God unto him. Cut ifhe will take others into a joint right had appointed that the first fruits, which are calledn'o with him, he must purchase it for them, which he did and eVn= should be a nm n, an offering unto himself, accordingly. Hereunto dsraçx, answereth, and is taken generally for Fifthly, Hence it is manifest, hose the Holy Spirit that which is first in any kind, Rom. xvi. 5. 1 Cor. xv. becomes the earnest of our inheritance; for by him, 20. James i. 18. Rev. xiv. 4. And the first-fruits of the that is, by the communication of hint unto us, we are Spirit must be either what he first worketh ín, us, or all made joint heirs with Christ, which gives us our right his fruits in us with respect unto the full harvest that is to and title, whereby our names are, as it were, inserted come; or theSpirit himself, as the beginningand pledge into the assured conveyance of the great and full inherit- of future glory. And the latter of these is intended in once of grace and glory. In the giving of his Spirit this place. For the apostle discourseth about the liberty unto us, God making us coheirs with Christ, we have of the whole creation from that state of bondage where- the greatest and most assured earnest and pledge of our unto all things were subjected by sin. With respecthere- future inheritance. And be is to be thus an earnest un- unto, he saith, that believers themselves having not as til, or unto the redemption of the purchased possession. yet obtained a full deliverance, as he had expressed it, For, after that a man bath a good and firm title unto an chap. vii. 24. do groan after its perfect accomplishment. inheritance settled on him, it may be a long time before : Butyet,saith he, we have thebeginningofit, thefirst-fruits
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