3. It is called a heritage to show the nature of our tenure. You know of all tenures, inheritance is the most free, most sure, and the most honourable ; and indeed in this way do we hold all the blessings of the covenant.
[1.] It is a free tenure. All that God seeks to magnify in the covenant is his glorious grace from first to last. In heaven we shall admire free grace : 2 Thes. i. 10, ' He shall come to be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe.' Keward and wages are more servile terms, suited to a covenant made with servants ; but heritage is for children. Therefore the apostle, speaking to godly servants, saith, Col. ii. 23-25, 'Servants, obey in all things your masters, according to the flesh; not with eye-service as men-[)leasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God . . . knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the rew^ard of the inheritance.' Mark how these are coupled : reward is suited to their outward relation, you will have w^ages ; but then 'reward of inheritance,' that is suited to their inward and spiritual condition ; as they are freemen and children of God, so they have an inheritance ; and as servants they shall have a reward. When we come to heaven, it is a question which we shall admire most, grace or glory. It is a free manner of tenure, that so grace may be exalted. The heritage is bought before the heir be born many times. So this heritage was purchased before the children had done either good or evil. There was a covenant passed betwixt God and Christ, and that was a covenant of work and wages ; Christ was to be a servant that Ave might be children.
[2.] It is honourable. Of all tenures, that of inheritance is best, better than holding of land by service. Now God liath put this honour upon us to make us co-heirs with his own Son : Eom. viii. 17, ' Heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.' We do not hold as hired servants.
VeR. 7.] SEKMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 221
l)iit as children. Clirist alone is the natural son; and we shall have Christ's own title, and are co-heirs by adoption : John i. 12, ' To as many as received him, to them gave he, i^ovaiav, power to be called the sons of God.' God needed ns not ; he had a son of his own that he delighted in before ever there was hill or mountain : Prov. viii. 30, ' Then was I with him as one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight.' It is the more to be admired by us because we were strangers and rebels, and could aspire to no other title than that — ' Make me as one of thy hired servants,' Luke xv. 19. Though we are very ambitious, yet conscience is so possessed with the sense of guilt that we can look for no more. But now he hath put this honour upon us that we shall have the title of children and hold by an inherit;! nee.
[3.] It is a sure title, because it is built upon nature. A father may frown upon his son for his fault, but doth not easily disinherit him ; but a servant, on his offence, is turned out-of-doors. When Adam held by the first covenant, he was but an honourable servant ; therefore when he offended his master, he Avas turned out-of-doors. But now we have the title of children by Christ. Though God may chastise us, yet he will not disinherit us : Ps. Ixxxix. 33, 34, ' ]\Iy lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail ; my covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.' He hath reserved a liberty in the covenant, that he will chastise us : ver. 32, ' I will visit their transgressions with the rod,' &c., but he will never alter the purposes of his love and his counsel towards us. A child may be whipped, but not disinherited. God hath not only pawned liis word to us, but given us earnest that he will not change his purpose : the inheritance is past over in court : 2 Cor. i. 22, Who hath sealed us, and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.' Those that make the purposes of God to be changeable, they cut the sinews of christian comfort ; they make us to walk with God like dancers upon a rope, as if we were always ready to fall ; buu God hath given us earnest that he will never reverse the purposes of his grace. When we have once an interest in it, our right is indefeasible, and we cannot lose it. And mark, it is not only a sure title in regard of God, but also in regard of men ; for as God will not take our heritage from us, so men cannot. We may lose goods, livings, lives, but we can never lose our heritage ; this is sure in Christ, they cannot take away our better portion — ' All things are yours,' even death among the rest, 1 Cor. iii. 22 ; that is a part of our heritage.