The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 1 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Seventhly, Faith is precious in regard of the Dignities it puts upon the soul. Dig. 1. It makes a man the Son of God. 2. It makes a man Heir of all the World. 3. It not only makes a man an Heir, but a Co-heir with Christ. 4. It makes free of the New Jerusalem.
SEventhly, The glorious Dignities that Faith puts upon the soul; that proves the preciousness of Faith. Why? What doth it put upon the soul?
It puts this Dignity, So many as received him (saith John) he gave power to become the Sons of God: as in John, 1. to be the Sons of God: that which is translated in your Books [Power] it loses the elegancy in the English, it is an Authority, they have such a Power as hath a kind of Authority with it, they have Authority to be called the children of God; they can claim this, it's their own by right to be the Sons of God, even to them that beleeve on his Name, saith the Text: other men cal God Father, but they have not that right and Authority to do it; by what warrant do you do it? But now when you have Faith, by Warrant you may call God Father; you are come to be made the children now of the living God, whereas before thou wert a child of the Devil, yet now thou art a child of the Living God, sons and daughters you are to God, to sit at the …able o… God as his children, and his heart is towards you as towards children, you are of Gods Houshold among his children: When you have Faith you come to have this Dignity, for so we are the Children of God by Faith, he puts it upon Faith in the Epistle to the Galatians rather than upon any thing else.
2 And by this we come likewise to be Heirs, to be the Heirs of all the World: A Beleever as soon as he hath Faith, though never so mean and poor in the World, yet I say he comes to be an Heir of all the World: you have such an expression of Abraham, that you may find in Rom. 4. 13. For the Promise that he should be the Heir of all the World was not to Abraham, or to his Seed through the Law, but through the righteousness of Fai…h, saith the Text. The Promise that he should be the Heir of the World, how was it not through the righteousness of the Law, but the righteousness of Faith; it was through that that Abraham had the Promise of being the Heir of the World: Now by Faith we come to be of the Seed of Abraham, and you know the children inherit their Fathers Estate when they die; And it's not with Abrahams children as it is with others that have the Eldest to be the Heirs, but every one of Abrahams children inherit the blessing of Abraham. Look what was the real blessing of Abraham, that's the blessing of every child of Abraham: Now Abraham by Faith was made the Heir of the World, then certainly every Beleever that is a child of Abraham, is an Heir of all the World.
You will say, That Beleevers are the Heirs of Heaven.
That indeed we all grant and say that they shall go to Heaven, and are the Heirs of Heaven; but that they should be Heirs of the World, it may be that you have not thought so much of: but yet that's true, th…t the poorest beleever in the World is the Heir of all the World.
You will say, How can that be?
I would put that to you, How was Abraham the Heir of the World? You will say, you have but little of the World. No more had Abraham when the Promise was made to him; Abraham had nothing in the Land of Canaan but a burying place. Abraham took possession as it were of the World by Canaan, and yet he had nothing of Canaan but a meer burying place all his life time, and yet he was Heir of all the World; in this way a Beleever is an Heir of all the World; in this way, That certainly he hath right to all the good …hings in the World so far as may be useful to him, and good for him; thou that art the poorest, hadst thou more of the world than thou hast, it may be you would have less grace, and i… God should put it to your choice, if you knew all, you would not have more than you have, for God takes care to provide that which is best for thee, and all things are to turn to their good; if thou wantest somwhat of it that others have, yet thy want is turned to some spiritual advantage; this I dare affirm, That there's no Beleever that wants any thing of the world, but it is made up some way or other: But it is not without probability that this Scripture may be made good that Beleevers shall inherit the World, that there is a time a coming for Beleevers to inherit the Earth, though for the present wicked men …or the most part have it now, Why? Because the world is so defiled with sin, there is such corruptions in the World: but now God is content that even those that he hates, and reprobates many of them, that they should inherit the great things of the World because it's so defil'd; but there's a time a coming …hat there shall be a restitution of all things, and the corruptions of the World shall be taken away, and sin taken out of the World, when all shall be purged, and the world made fit for the Saints of God, and they shall come to inherit the World, They are the Heirs of all the world now, and shall possess the World when Gods time shall …ome.
3 And they are not only Heirs, but Heirs together with Jesus Christ, Co-heirs; and that's a greater Dignity …hat is put upon the Saints, and all by Faith. It's a great Dignity for a man, not only to have such an Inheritane given unto him, but to be joyned Fellow-Purchaser with him that it cannot be taken away from him; truly it's as much to be made a Co-heir with Jesus Christ, We have the right to all things by Faith, the right of Purchase, and the right of Donation, and the right of Inheritance, and this Inheritance joyned to Jesus Christ, that if Christ be a right Heir of all the World, then Beleevers are the right Heirs: The Saints they have so much right to all the good things of the World besides Heaven, that if Jesus Christ be a right Heir, then thou art a right Heir, for thou art a Co-heir with the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou hast an interest, thou hast an interest by thine Inheritance, and thy Inheritance is strengthened by the Inheritance of Jesus Christ, as he is the Heir of all things.
4 These Dignities besides many others, as being made free of the new Jerusalem which is above, of which such glorious things are spoken in the Scripture, so many as beleeved they were added to the Church; Oh precious is that Grace that doth put such Dignities and Honors upon the Saints, as this doth, To those that have obtained like precious Faith. And yet besides this.