* Spelled ' alcumy,' and a little onward ' alcumists. — G.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 22. 475
serve. And therefore where any arc slitjht in their profession, that give in if they be ready to dash upon any displeasure of any one ; if they he to ven- ture their estates or so, then they are ashamed of Christ, and that profession which they took upon them ; they deny his name, at least they do not own it, they have not so much as a little strength, if they do not recover. Peter was in such a temptation, but he recovered his strength, and got more strength, and a firm standing upon it : the shaking of Peter was for the rooting of him.
So God to shame his children, suflcrs them sometimes to have dastardly spirits, but they recover themselves, they are ashamed of it. But those that are common politicians in this kind, that will not stand out in a good cause to maintain their truth and profession, when God thrusts his cause into their hands, specially at such times when God saith to them, ' Who is on my side ? who ?' 2 Kings ix. 32, now is the time to appear then. If they have not a word for God, they will not own the quarrel and cause of God and religion, they have not a little strength ; for they that have a little strength here, keep the word and have not denied the name. Those therefore that can fashion themselves to all religions, to all com- panies, they will have a religion mutable and flexible to their occasions ; where is the earnest of the Spirit ? The Spirit, as much as he is, is strong and vigorous, and powerful. These men have not so much as a little strength, that are as water which is fashioned to the vessel it is in, like to the Samaritans, as Josephus* the historian of the Jews writes of them (<?^ce). When the Jews prospered, oh ! then they would be Jews ; when the Jews had ill success, then they were great enemies to the Jews ; so you have many that are no friends to the afflicted, to the disgraced truth ; but as long as the cause of religion is carried out with the countenance of the State, with the favour of great ones, so far they will own it ; but if Christ once comes to be abased, they will not know Christ, nor his cause.
I beseech you, let us take notice of it. It is a sign there is no grace at all, where there is such an habitual disposition without shame or grief, or repentance ; for God's children sometimes may be overtaken with a spirit of dastardhness, which afflicts them sore afterwards, that they gather more strength. A man may know if he be God's child in such a state ; for it is universally true, God's children are never overtaken with a spirit of coward- liness and fear, but they regain it, and gi'ow more strong upon it ; as we see in Cranmer and others (ffff). God purposeth sometimes to let them see what they are in themselves without his support and strength ; but afterwards they gather new resolutions, new purposes to stick firmer to the truth than e'er before. I might add many other things, but I go on to that which follows.
You see here now how we may try, if we have any true ' earnest' in us at all or no.
Now I beseech you, let us labour to hare this ' earnest,'' if we have it not, to have this assurance especially. Let me desire those of the younger sort to labour to have the seal of this Spirit, and the ' earnest' before they be further and further engaged into the world, and before they be so hardened that they will not receive a contrary stamp to their corruptions. It is a wondrous advantage that gentlemen, and others that are young, before the world hath soiled them, and before their understandings be darkened, and their affections are crooked, and carried away much with the stream and errors of the time, they have much advantage above others, for they have spirits fitter for grace, fitter to receive the impression of this seal of the Spirit, * Spelled ' Joseph.' — G.
476 COMMENTARY ON
and fitter for the ' earnest.' Let ug labour for this earnest betimes. Wliat a comfortable thing will it bo to carry along with the ' earnest' an assurance of a hotter estate from our youth to our age, and from our age to our old age, and so to heaven with us ! What a deal of comfort do young ones deprive and rob themselves of, that will not be gracious betimes ! Let us labour to have the stamp of the Spirit set on us in our prime time, in the strength of our years. But I will press the point, if the time will give leave, afterwards.
Now we must know, that God gives this earnest vol for himself, hut for us, to secure us ; and that is one reason why it is called an earnest.
There is besides bargaining another state and condition that ' earnest' is appUed unto, which perhaps the apostle aims at, as marriage ; whatsoever was before the consummation of the marriage, was a kind of Arrah,* a kind of ' earnest,' to assure the affection of the contracted person and persons that loved one another, till the consummation of the marriage.