[3.] To bind us not to depart from these hopes — the earnest of the Spirit convincing, comforting, changing the heart. Have you felt this in yourselves, and will you turn back from God after experience? •
SERMON Vin.
Therefore ive are aliuays eonfident, knowing that iohih weave at home in the body lue are absent from the Lord. — 2 Cor. v. 6.
In the words observe two things —
1. The effect of God's giving the earnest of the Spirit — Therefore we are always confident.
2. The state of a believer in this world — Knoioing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.
In the first branch take notice —
1. Of the eftect itself — ' We are confident.'
2. The constancy or continuance of this confidence — 'Always.' To be confident at times, when not tempted or assaulted, is easy ; but in all conditions to keep up an equal tenor of confidence is the christian height which we should aspire unto, for the strength of this confidence is discovered by manifgld trials and difficulties.
3. The illative particle — ' Therefore.' Why ? Because God hath wrought us for this very thing, and given us the earnest of the Spirit.
For the effect itself. There is a twofold confidence — (1.) Of the thing; (2.) Of the person ; for both are requisite, for the latter presupposeth the former ; there can be no certainty to a person of a thing which is not certain in itself. An immortal state of bliss is to be had and enjoyed after this life ; we are confident of that before we can be confi- dent of our interest and actual enjoyment of it. We are confident of the thing, because God hath promised it, and set it forth in the gospel. But because the promise requireth a qualification and performance of duty in the person to whom the promise is made, therefore, before ■we can be certain of our own interest and future enjoyment, we must not only perform the duty and have the qualification, but we must certainly know that we have done that which the promise requireth, and are duly qualified. Now the serious performance of our duty evidenceth
VeR. 6.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 487
itself to the conscience ; and as our diligence increaseth, so doth our confidence. But so far as a man neglecteth his duty, and abateth his qualification, so far his confidence may abate also.
The illative particle—' Therefore.' The earnest of the Spirit hath influence both upon the confidence of the thing, and cf our own interest.
[1.] Of the thing. If God never meant to bestow eternal life upon his people, he would not give earnest.
[2.] Of our interest and future enjoyment. For the Spirit of God convincing, comforting, and changing the heart, doth assure us that he hath appointed us to everlasting glory.
Well then, the full meaning of this clause is, that we certainly, know that we shall be crowned in glory ; and being assured by the earnest of the Spirit that we shall not fail of it, therefore we lift up the head in the midst of pressures and afflictions, knowing that if they should arise as high as death, they will bring us the sooner to the Lord, that we may live with him for ever.
Doct. They who have the earnest of the Spirit are, and may be, confident of their future and glorious estate.
Let me show you —
1. What is this confidence.
2. What is the earnest of the Spirit.
3. How this confidence ariseth from having the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
First, What is this confidence — 1. The nature of it ; 2. The opposites ; 3. The effects ; 4. The properties.
1. The nature. It is a well-grounded persuasiop of our eternal happiness. But I must distinguish again as before. Thei'e is a two- fold confidence : one which is proper to faith ; another which may be called assurance, or a sense of our own interest.
[1.] There is a confidence included in the very nature of faith, usually called affiance. We have often considered faith as it im- plieth a firm assent, and again as it implieth a thankful acceptance of Christ. Now, as it implieth affiance, or a resting, relying, and reposing our hearts with quietness and peace upon God's promises ; and so confidence is nothing but a firm and comfortable dependence upon God, through Jesus Christ, for the gift of eternal life, while we patiently continue in well-doing. Assent to the truth of the promise breedeth this confidence ; but it is not it, for faith is not a bare assent, but a fiducial assent, or a trust and dependence upon the Lord in the appointed way of obtaining the effects of the promise. Faitli is often described by the act of trust, both in the Old Testament and in the New. That there can be no doubt of this, no notion is more frequently insisted on in the Old Testament : Ps. cxii. 7, ' He shall not be afraid of evil tidings, his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.' His adherence to God and dependence upon him is the great preservative against worldly fears and apprehensions of danger and misery ; so that he is fortified not only for a patient, but cheerful entertainment of all that shall come, or may come. So Isa. xxvi. 3, 'Thou keepest him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.' A man securely rests upon the promise of God, that all will