[4.] It is growing. As our assent to the word of truth is more full and strong, so our adherence, confidence, and dependence increaseth also, and we cleave faster to the promises of Christ, and are better established in the practice of godliness, and have a more settled bold- ness against fears, and doubts, and temptations, so that they can bear better repulses from God : Mat. xv. 28, ' Great is thy faith ;' grow more courageous in dangers and difficulties: Kom. viii. 18, 'For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that .shall be revealed in us ;' ver. 37, 'Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors ;' and are the less shaken and troubled with cares and fears : Mat. vi. 20, ' Shall he not much more clothe you, 0 ye of little faith ?' 'and believe in hope against hope,' Kom. iv. 20. The highest degree of confidence is not gotten at once, nor at first, ordinarily, but by degrees, after some con- tinuance of waiting upon God, after many trials and conflicts, and experiences of his love and favour ; therefore still we are to labour after this, that we may with greater quietness wait on God in the midst of pressures, overcome the world, contemn the pleasures of sin, curb our unruly passions, come to the throne of grace with more bold- ness and confidence.
Secondly, What is the earnest of the Spirit ? See the sermon on the former verse.
Thirdly, How this confidence ariseth from having the earnest of the Spirits in our hearts. Three ways —
1. As an argument.
2. By way of effectual influence.
3. By way of gracious improvement.
1. As a confirming argument against all our doubts and fears, which are apt to assault and hurt us, till we be in full possession, especially in great trials. The Spirit is an argument, strong and full, to confirm us in the truth and worth of the promised glory. The truth is plain, so the worth, as before. It is an argument in our own
VeS. 6.] SERMONS UPON 2 COEINTHIANS VIII. 493
bosoms ; other things are without us, but this is within. That which before was written in boolis or spoken by men is now transcribed upon our hearts, and so nearer at hand for our use : 1 John v. 10, ' He that believeth on the Son of God hatli the witness in himself.' When I go to my Bible, there I find promises of eternallife, which are the ground of my confidence. I go to my heart, and there I find the beginnings of eternal life ; and so my confidence is much increased. A believer hath that within which assureth him of a better state to come ; he hath a taste of it in his soul, a spiritual sense.
That which is within us, and lieth as near as our own hearts, is more sensible and affecting, and more likely to work upon us effectually than that which is without us.
It is a very engaging argument to bind us not to depart from these hopes ; shall we turn the back upon God after experience ? It is their great aggravation : Heb. vi. 4, 5, ' It is impossible for those that have been once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted of the good word, and the powers of the world to come, if they should fall away, to renew them again unto repentance.' There may be some kind of taste and preparation towards this earnest, from whence men may fall away : 2 Peter ii. 20-22, ' For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning ; for it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it ia happened unto them according to the true proverb — The dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallow- ing in the mire.' Some knowledge, and some experience, some common work of the Spirit. This argument doth increase our confidence, because it doth evidence our right and interest, as well as the truth of the thing itself, that there is an immortal blessed estate, and that it is ours. An earnest is given to secure the party that hath it. This earnest is the Spirit, convincing, comforting, changing the heart: 1 Cor. ii. 12, ' But we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.' If I have this, I am safe ; the carnal cannot say so, they have no earnest.
2. By way of effectual influence. The Spirit is given as an earnest of blessedness to come, and causeth all the motions and inclinations of the soul to tend that way in the heart ; he is as a Spirit that came from heaven, exciting the soul to look and long for and prepare for that happy estate. The life of grace, begun and maintained Ijy the Spirit in our hearts, wholly tendeth to this, to carry up our hearts thither. The Spirit mortifieth the earthly and sensual disposition, Kom. viii. 13 ; but raiseth in us hopes, desires, and endeavours after the other world : Phil. iii. 20, ' But our conversation is in heaven ; ' inclineth us to drive on a trade for another country and another world ; yea, our very confidence is wrought by him, and increased by his influence. The devil, the world, and the flesh do continually assault it, but the Spirit maintaineth it. Therefore the more of his Spuit, the more