[2.] It signifies to make it our work to get and keep up an interest in God's testimonies ; this is to take them for our heritage. Esteem is manifested by prosecution. That which is our chiefest work, that shows us what we take to be our heritage. What ! is it to grow great in the world, to shine in pomp, to flow in pleasure, or to get and main- tain an interest in the covenant? What do we seek first? Is it ' the kingdom of God and his righteousness' ? Mat. vi. 33. The main care is to make sure an interest in the covenant, to get a right and pro- priety in it.
[3.] To hold all by this tenure : heritage is a child's tenure. "We do not come to this right by our own purchase, but as heirs of Christ ; not by our own merits, but by adoption, God making us children and 'joint-heirs with Christ,' lioni. viii. 17 ; ' and if cliildren, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.' Adam's tenure was that of a servant ; the blessings that he expected from God, by virtue of the covenant of works, he looked upon them as wages of obedience ; but now we take the promises as an heritage, as a right devolved upon us as heirs of Christ, because believers are called the seed of Christ, and upon the account of tluit are possessed of the privileges of the cove- nant : Isa. liii. 10, ' He shall see his seed, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands.' This is a heritage purcliased for us before we were born, before we had done either good or evil ; and we have the right and title of sons, John i. 12 ; he hath given us this privilege to be the sons of God. Whatever we receive, we receive it from God as a child's portion.
[4.] Hei'itage signifies actual use and i)OSsession, and living upon them ; and so I have taken thy testimonies for my heritage ; that is, I mean to live upon tliem, and fetch all my comforts thence. A be- liever's interest is not an imaginary thing. We do enjoy somewhat by virtue of the promises. It is true our full fruition is suspended till hereafter, but we begin here. The testimonies of the Lord they are of present use in the present life ; therefore we are said to be ' Heirs according to the hope of eternal life,' Titus iii. 7. God doth not take
VeII. 111.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 137
US to heaven presently upon our spiritual nativity or new birth. It pleaseth God to exercise us for a while in our nonage, under tutors and governors, and to make us differ little from servants ; but for the present we have maintenance, we live by faith, Gal. ii. 20. We live upon our heritage, and fetch thence not only peace and righteousness and grace, but nieat, drink, and clothing, protection, and defence. So that to take God's testimonies for our heritage is to live upon them as far as the present state will permit, to fetch out all our supj)lies from the covenant ; otherwise we should make the promises to be but a con- ceit and imagination, if they did not afford present support. A believer doth not live upon outward supplies only, but upon the cove- nant ; not upon meat and drink, food and raiment, but he fetcheth all from the covenant, by the exercise of faith, and so these things are sanctified to liim. So that to take them as our heritage is to make them the grounds of our future hopes, and the storehouse from whence we receive our present supply. And this is that which is called living by faith, fetching all our supports and supplies out of the promises : Gal. ii. 20, 'All that Hive in the flesh' (so in the original), ' I live by the faith of the Son of God.'
3. For the reasons, why it is the property of believers to take the testimony of God for their heritage; before I come to that, first, I must show what kind of heritage it is ; secondly, How believers only, and no others, can take them from their heritage.
[1.] What kind of heritage it is. It is a heritage which exceeds all others in three particulars — it is full, it is sure, it is lasting ; therefore we must pitcli upon it for our solid happiness.
(1.) It is a fnll heritage, and nothing can be added to the complete- ness of our portion ; for in the promises here is God, heaven, earth, providences, ordinances, all made onrs, and all inward comforts and graces they are a part of our portion ; and what can a soul desire more ? Here is God made over to us ; the great blessing of the covenant is, I am thy God. Other men say (and they will think it a great matter when they can say), Thiskingdom is mine, this lordship is mine, thishouse, these fields are mine ; but a believer can say, this God, this Christ, this Holy Spirit is mine. Alas ! riches and honour and worldly greatness are ])Oor things to a God made ours in covenant. Nay, mark the emphasis ; God is not only ours, but oars as an heritage : Ps. xvi. 5, ' The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance.' They may claim a title to God, and enjoy the possession of God as freely as a man would do his own inlicritance. I say, they have as sure a right to God, and all that he is and can do, as a man can have to the patrimony whereunto he is born. And as the Lord is theirs, so heaven and earth are both theirs. Heaven is theirs : let a believer be never so despicable in the world, yet he is an heir-apparent to the kingdom of heaven, James ii. 1.5. Though, it may be, you are poor persons, nothing to live upon ; poor apprentices, nothing to set up withal, yet ' God hath chosen the poor of this world to be heirs of a kingdom.' Poor believers are but princes in disguise, princes in a foreign country, and under a veil ; they have a large 2)atriniony ; it lies indeed in an unknown land to the world, it is in terra incognita to them ; but believers know what an ample portion God hath laid up for them, heirs of a kingdom. If that be not enough.