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A67217
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Comfort for believers, or, A discourse of the duty and priviledge of being sealed by the Holy Spirit In five sermons upon Eph. I. 13-- published for the establishment of weak believers, who are fill'd with doubts and fears about their eternal state. By Nathanael VViles pastor of a Church of Christ in Shadwell.
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Wyles, Nathaniel.
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Wing W3770A; ESTC R221272
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44,526
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were Sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise BEloved the Theam we are upon is this viz. Doct. The great priviledge and mercy of being Sealed by the Holy Spirit is after the Duty and Act of Believing In whom after ye believed ye were Sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise For the management of this weighty Point we have First Shown you what the Spirit 's Sealing Work is Secondly Why none are or can be Sealed 'till they Believe Thirdly Whether all Believers are Sealed by the Spirit or no. Fourthly We are now upon showing you the great priviledges of Persons Sealed by the Spirit of God And for the doing of this we have in our last Discourse shown you some of the Believers Priviledges being Sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise and that First In the many uses of a Seal in six things Now we shall thro' God's Assistance proceed further to set forth the Priviledges of Sealed Believers by the Spirit of Truth and Holiness and therefore Secondly The Saints Priviledge being Sealed appears from the Author of it viz. the Holy Spirit of Promise This is the Spirit 's Act and proper work alone God doth not send Angels upon this Errand or to do this Work but he gives and sends his gracious Spirit to do it If God did send an Angel to do this work it would be an honour to poor Man but for God to send his Holy Spirit to Seal us is more and greater honour than if Millions of Angels were to come and to be imployed in this work What is sorry Man that God should give him his Spirit And besides the certainty and satisfaction of the Spirit is beyond all other ways and methods in the World In miraculous Voices and Inspirations there may be found some cheat of the Devil who is a deceiver and seeks to deceive poor Souls But the Spirit 's witness is certain and true it being suitable to his revealed Mind in the written Word as I have told you before and being thus it cannot deceive us The Spirit that Seals us is Truth and cannot witness to a Lye nor deceive them that he Seals Thirdly Their Priviledges who are Sealed appears from the Truth that is Sealed to them which is Ravishing and Transporting The Spirit Seals to Believers the Pardon of their Sins through the Blood of Christ which is a great Blessing and their propriety in Him as their Head their Husband their Friend their All in All. This is that which Believers long to know and is their great mercy for to know by the Spirit what sweeter and more transporting to the Souls of Believers than this to know their Sins which were many are pardoned that Christ is their's his Righteousness their's his Merits their's his Grace their's to supply their great wants and that they shall be saved from Wrath through him Rom. 5. 9. To know this indeed is sweet it is to injoy Heaven upon Earth and to have such Joy as is beyond all the Joy in the World Oh! then what a mercy and priviledge is this to know that Christ is ours so as to say with the Spouse Cant. 2. 16. My beloved is mine and I am his And to say with them upon good grounds Lam. 3. 24. The Lord is my portion saith my Soul therefore I will hope in him And with David Psal 73. 25 26. Whom have I in Heaven but thee or upon Earth which I desire besides thâ—â— My flesh and my heart faileth but thou art the strength of my heart and my portion for ever How sweet was this to David under his troubles to know that God was his Portion for ever Paul tells us Gal. 2. 20. The life that he lived in the flesh was by the faith of the Son of God who loved him and gave himself for him And 2 Tim. 1. 12. I know says he in whom I have believed c. Which knowledge was by the Spirit 's Sealing and this is that which is Sealed up more or less to every Believer which affords great comfort and joy even joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 P. l. 1. 7 8. Fourthly From the Subiects or Peâ—â—â—ns that are Sealed and they 〈◊〉 as iâ— themselves are sinful 〈…〉 grieved the Spirit 〈◊〉 God a thousand times over Now is nâ—â— this a great mercy that they who grieved the Spirit so much should be Sealed thereby Eph. 4. 30. Oh! wonderful priviledge that such who had deserved to be Sealed to damnation because of their sins should be Sealed to Salvation Fifthly The Priviledges of Sealed ones appears to be many from the great or grand design of the Holy Spirit in Sealing The Spirit 's designs and aims in Sealing of Believers are these three viz. First To secure them from Hell and Wrath they that have the Spirit 's Seal shall not be condemned the Wrath of God that falls upon others shall not touch them For there is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Secondly To secure Heaven to them for ever They that are Sealed here by the Spirit shall certainly be crowned with Glory hereafter says Paul 2 Cor. 5. 4 5 6. Now he that hath wrought us or made us fit for the self same thing viz. Heaven is God who hath also given unto us the earnest of his Spirit But Thirdly The third design of the Spirit in Sealing Believers is as intermediate thereunto to bring much of Heaven into their Souls in order to comfort and strengthen them in their way to Glory Believers Sealed by the Spirit enjoy much of Heaven in their way to it which makes them long to be with Christ in the full possession of Glory Phil. 1. 22. Believers being Sealed enjoy much comfort joy and peace in their Souls Rom. 5. 1 2. They rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God That God who is the God of Peace doth and will give to his much joy in believing he 'll fill them with joy and peace above all others they shall have the foretast of Glory and Blessedness here and in a little while they shall be received to Glory where all tears shall be wiped away and they shall be for ever with the Lord 1 Thes 4. 18. This shall suffice to have set forth the Priviledges of those that are Sealed by the Spirit of Promise Fifthly Application First Vse By way of Information from this great Doctrine of Sealing by the Spirit I infer these Two things viz. First Infer That Persons may know here they are in a state of Grace And Secondly That Persons upon knowing there present state in Grace may be assured for the time to come But First I infer That Persons may know here they are in a state of Grace and Salvation that their Sins are pardoned that God is pacified towards them through his Son and that also through Christ they are saved from Hell and Eternal Wrath which for sin they deserved This I say Believers
Spirit and through Christ to discover your state and condition to you that so you may not be deceived and go down to Hell with a Lye in your right hand Lord say to my Soul I am thy Salvation Psal 35. 3. Plead thus daily with God that so you may not lose your comfort on the one hand nor your precious Souls on the other But Fourthly Watch much over your own Hearts and Lives be very careful of your steps and how you walk that you grieve not the good Spirit Let not your Hearts run out too much upon the World and be not too careless of your steps lest you offend God Psal 39. 1. I said I will look to my ways c. That is I resoved to do so So Pray do you for to him that ordereth his Conversation aright God will shew his Salvation Psal 50. 23. Fifthly Wait humbly and patiently upon the Lord even 'till he shall shed abroad his Love in your hearts and set you as a Seal upon his heart They that wait upon God shall have renewed strength Isa 40. 29 30. Who is there among you that feareth the Lord who walketh in darkness and see no light Oh! trust in the Name of the Lord and stay and wait upon him I say to you as David Psal 27. ult Wait on the Lord and be of good courage for he shall strengthen your hearts Wait I say on the Lord waiting Christians will lose nothing Mich. 7. 9. Sixthly Mourn over all those sins that cause the Lord to withdraw and hide his Face from your Souls Isa 59. 2. Have you not grieved the Spirit and been guilty of too much Pride Passion Formality and Unbelief Oh! weep bitterly for this before the Lord look upon Christ whom you have pierced Zech. 12. 10. Sights of a broken Christ will cause a broken Heart None can look upon Christ truly without brokenness of heart he that looks upon Christ savingly will mourn for him as a Man for his only Son Mourning for an only Son is the greatest of Sorrow our sorrow for sins against God should exceed all other sorrow Though there be no merit yet there is much mercy in a broken heart Psal 51. 17. 34. 18. They that mourn shall be comforted Matth 5. 6. Seventhly In times of trouble and desertion keep up Faith and in times of Communion keep up fear when God has hid his Face and you sit in darkness then stir up Faith trust and stay still upon him Isa 50. 11. And when God shall manifest himself and shine upon you then keep up fear a fear of Jealousie not of Distrust Work out your Salvation with fear Phil. 2. 12. Blessed is the Man that seareth always Tho' my Beloved we blame the Papists for teaching People to doubt and for making that a duty which is a Sin yet we are for a narrow search and a holy Fear and Trembling in trying of our hearts lest we be deceived in the end Eighthly Make much of and cherish the holy Spirit of God Oh do not resist him but comply with his Blessed Motions it is the Spirit that is the Comforter John 14. 16. who seals up assurance to us 2 Cor. 1. 22. When good David would have assurance of God's Love that his broken Bones might be healed he prayed earnestly that God would not take his holy Spirit from him Psal 51. 11. 12. David knew that it was the Spirit only that could make him hear the Voice of Joy and Gladness O make much of the Spirit deal tenderly and kindly by him do not grieve nor quench him as too many do Eph. 4. 30. 1 Thes 3. 19. Ninthly As doubts arise in your Hearts get them satisfied and and as Sins are committed in your Lives get them pardoned Are your Hearts Christians filled with doubts and fears about the state of your Souls O cry to God to resolve and scatter them Have you fallen into any Sin thro' Infirmity and Temptation Cry for pardon through Christ who is your Advocate and Friend in Heaven and is there pleading for you Heb. 7. 26. 1 John 2. 1 2. Tenthly Keep a pure Conscience O see that no Sin or guilt lye there unrepented of remember that God Seals no Pardon before Faith and Repentance keep Conscience therefore pure and void of offence we are bidden Heb. 10. 22. to draw near to God with true Hearts and in the full assurance of Faith having our Hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience c. He that allows himself in Sin and keeps not a good Conscience cannot draw nigh to God in the full assurance of Faith But 11. Lastly Lye at the Pool of Ordinances frequent much the Word and Sacraments that are God's Appointments in which he has promised to meet his People do not stay away from Hearing nor from the Table of the Lord at no time as many do for every small frivolous thing The way to meet with God and to have an assurance of his Love to be Sealed by his Spirit is to wait upon him in his Ordinances and to remember him in his ways Isa 64. 5. The Ordinances of God are the banquetting House where God displays the Banner of his Love and seals it up to his People Cant. 2. 4. To be found sincerely in the way and use of God's Ordinances is the way to be set as a Seal upon Christ's heart 2. Branch You that are Sealed and assured by the Spirit of the love of God in Christ to you Oh! be exhorted First to endeavour to keep the assurance you have as we must labour to get it so to keep it It is a Mercy we should beware of losing it is the comfort of your life and 't will be sweet in death What comfort is there preserable to this which flows from the Sealing of the Spirit or the Assurance of God's love in Christ Now that you may have much of this Sweetness and Comfort keep and hold fast that assurance which you have through Grace obtained Question How or by what means may we do this Answer First By renewing your Repentance often for Sin you cannot live without Sin therefore live not without Repentance God often cloaths such with the Garments of Joy and Comfort who tumble themselves in Ashes as it were for their Sins Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted Matth. 5 6. And that are humble for they shall he exalted James 4. 9 10. Secondly Fear the hidings of God's Face and the withdrawing the Light of his Countenance from you David feared much therefore prayed much Hide not thy Face from thy Servant c. Psal 27. 9. Fear also to offend God by doing of any Evil beware of every Sin and of every Temptation to Sin either from the Devil the World or your Hearts When tempted to Sin say as Joseph did How can I do this great Evil and sin against God Gen. 39. 9. Sin is an enemy it hides God's Face from us and wounds our Souls 't will