Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	act_n	believe_v	faith_n	5,216	5	5.8503	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68733	A fountain sealed: or, The duty of the sealed to the Spirit, and the worke of the Spirit in sealing Wherein many things are handled about the Holy Spirit, and grieving of it: as also of assurance and sealing what it is, the priviledges and degrees of it, with the signes to discerne, and meanes to preserve it. Being the substance of divers sermons preached at Grayes Inne. By that reverend divine, Richard Sibbes, D.D. and sometimes preacher to that honourable society.	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Nye, Philip, 1596?-1672.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.	1637 (1637)	STC 22495; ESTC S117375	62,609	291

security upon him by the work and witnesse of Gods Spirit Whatsoever the use is or can be of a seale in mans affaires that God will have us make use of in his heavenly intercourse betwixt him and us Whereby you are sealed Now there are divers degrees of the Spirits sealing 1 Faith Hee that beleeves hath the witnesse in himselfe 1 Ioh. 5. 10. he carries in his heart the counterpane of all the promises This grace is first planted in the heart and answereth to Gods love and purpose towards us of giving eternall life the seale and first discovery of election is manifested to us in our beleeving Act. 13. 48. As many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved This beleeving is also a seale to us in that it is of those gifts that accompany salvation of which God never repents him by calling back againe it is a seed that abideth for ever 2 The worke of sanctifying grace upon the heart is a seale whom the spirit sanctifieth hee saveth The Lord knoweth who are his but how shall we know it By this seale Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from iniquitie not onely in heart and affection but in conversation and that shall bee a seale of his Sonneship to him none are children of God by adoption but those that are children also by regeneration none are heires of heaven but they are new-borne to it Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath begotten us a new to an inheritance immortall c. This seale of sanctification leaves upon the soule the likenesse of Iesus Christ even grace for grace But because in time of desertion and temptation we are in a mist and cannot reade our owne faith and our owne graces it pleaseth Christ after some triall and exercise to shine upon his owne graces in the heart whereby we may know we beleeve and know we love untill which time the heart sees nothing that is good and seemes to be nothing but all objections and doubtings Wee may be sometimes in such a state as Paul and his company was in the ship Act. 27. 20. when they saw neither Sunne nor starres many dayes together almost past all hope So a Christian may for many dayes together see neither Sunne nor starre neither light in GODS countenance nor light in his owne heart no grace issuing from God no grace carrying the soule to God though even at that time GOD darts some beame through those clouds upon the soule the soule againe by a Spirit of faith sees some light through those thickest clouds enough to keepe the soule from utter despaire though not to settle it in peace In this darke condition if they doe as Saint Paul and his companie did cast Anchor even in the dark night of temptation and pray still for day God will appeare and all shall cleere up we shall see light without and light within the day-starre will arise in their hearts Though by reflecting upon our soules we are able to discerne a spirit of faith GOD may hide himselfe from the soule in regard of comfort Nay a Christian may know himselfe to bee in the state of grace and yet bee in an afflicted condition As in Iobs case hee knew his Redeemer lived and he resolved to trust in him even though he killed him hee knew he was no hypocrite he knew his graces were true and for all the imputations of his friends they could not dispute him out of his sincerity you shall not take my uprightnesse from me Yet for the present hee saw no light from heaven till it pleased GOD to reveale himselfe in speciall favour to him There is alwayes peace and joy in beleeving yet not in that degree which gives the soule content untill by honouring God in beleeving and waiting still his good time hee honoureth us with further sence of his favour and powreth forth his Spirit to us manifesting his speciall love towards us and this is a further degree of sealing of us confirming us more strongly then before The reason why we can neither have grace to beleeve nor know wee beleeve nor when we know we beleeve enjoy comfort without a fresh new act of the Spirit is because the whole carriage of a soule to heaven is above nature where the Spirit makes a stand we stand and can goe no further we cannot conclude from right grounds without some helpe of the Spirit some doubts some feares will hinder the application to our selves even as those that live in some damnable sinne cannot but grant that those that live in such a sinne shall never inherit heaven and their conscience tels them they live in such a sinne yet selfe-love blindes them so that they will not conclude against themselves that they shall be damned so true beleevers cannot conclude for themselves without divine light and helpe It pleaseth God thus to keepe every degree and act of sealing in his owne hand to keepe us in a perpetuall dependance upon him and to awe us that wee should not grieve the Spirit of grace and cause him to suspend either act of grace or comfort Ioy and strong comfort come from a superadded seale of the Spirit The works of the Spirit are of a double kinde either in us by imprinting sanctifying grace or upon us by shining upon our soules in sweet feelings of joy what the Spirit worketh in us is more constant as a new nature which is alwayes like it selfe and worketh uniformely but comfort and joy are of the nature of such priviledges as God vouchsafe that one time and not another to some and not to others This degree of sealing in regard of joy hath its degrees likewise sometimes it is so cleare and strong that the soule questioneth not its state in grace ever after but passeth on in a triumphant manner to that glory it lookes for Sometimes after this sealing there may be interrupting of comfortable communion so farre as to question our condition yet this calling into question comes not from the Spirit which where it once witnesseth for us never witnesseth against us but it is a fruit of the flesh not fully subdued it is a sinne it selfe and usually a fruit of some former sinne For howsoever wee should not doubt after a former witnesse of the Spirit yet there will bee so much weakening the sence of our assurance at there is yeelding to any lust The knowledge of our estate in grace and comfort thereupon though it may bee weakened by neglect of our watchfulnesse yet still it hath the force of an argument to assure us when the Spirit pleaseth to direct us to make use of it because Gods love varies not as our feeling doth and a fit doth not alter a state The childe in the wombe stirres not alwayes yet it lives and that may be gathered from the former stirrings This degree of sealing by way of witnesse and comfort is appropriated to the holy Spirit every person

uncertaine condition wherein a man knowes not but he may be a reprobate Wherefore came our Saviour into the world and tooke our nature upon him why became he a curse for us why hath he carried our nature into heaven and there appeares for us till he hath brought us home to himselfe but that he would have us out of all doubt of his love after o●ce by faith we have received him whence proc●●ded those Commandements to beleeve those checks of unbeleevers the commendation of them that did beleeve those upbraidings of doubting as springing from unbeliefe to what use are the Sacraments but to seale unto us the benefits of Christ if upon all this we should still doubt of GODS love especially when besides the seali●g of the promises to us we are sealed our selves by the Spirit of promise Object This is true if wee know we doe beleeve Answer It is the office of the Spirit as to worke faith and other graces so to reveale them to us every grace of GOD is a light of it selfe comming from the Father of lights and it is the property of light not onely to discover ot●er things but it sel●e too and it is the office of the Spirit to give further light to this light by shining upon his owne grace in us an excellent place for this is the 1 Cor. 2. 12. Wee have received the Spirit that is of God that wee might know the things that are freely given to us of God in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every thing bee confirmed one witnesse is the Spirit of man which knowes the things that are in man the other witnesse is the Spirit of God witnessing to our spirits that we are the children of God Here is light added to light witnesse added to witnesse the greater witnesse of the Spirit to the lesse of our Spirits the Apostle joynes them both together My conscience bears me witnesse through the holy Ghost Obje Mans heart is deceitfull Answ But the spirit of God in mans heart is not deceitfull it is too holy to deceive and too wise to be deceived in this point of assurance wee plow with the Spirits Heifer or else we could not finde out this Riddle where there is an object to be seene and an eye to see and light to discover the object to the eye sight must needs follow In a true beleever after he is inlightened as there is grace to be seene and an eye of faith to see so there is a light of the Spirit discovering that grace to that inward sight in the bottome of a cleare River a cleare eye sight may see any thing where nothing is nothing can be seene it is an evidence that the Patrons of doubtings have little grace in them and much boldnesse in making themselves a measure for others Those that are b●se borne know their mothers better than their fathers the Church of Rome is all for the mother but the babes of Christ know their father the remainder of corruption will indeed be still breeding doubts but it is the office of the Spirit of faith to quell them as they arise We are too ready in time of temptation to doubt we need not helpe the tempter by holding it a duty to doubt this is to light a candle before the divell as we use to speake Question May not there be doubtings where there is true faith may not a true beleever be without assurance Answ There be three rankes of Christians first some that are yet under the spirit of bondage that like little children doe all for feare Secondly those that are under the spirit of adoption and doe many things well but yet are not altogether free from feare these are like those children that are moved with reverence to obey their Parents and yet finde their commands somewhat irkesome unto them The third are such as by the love of God shed into their hearts by the Spirit of adoption are carried with large Spirits to obey their father and herein like unto those children that not onely obey but take a delight in it upon a judgement that both obedience and the thing wherein they obey is good this we ought to labour for but we finde many Christians in the second ranke many truely beleeve in Christ by some light let into their hearts by the Spirit of adoption who are not yet fully assured of the love of Christ There is the act of faith and the fruit of faith the act of faith is to cast our selves upon Gods mercy in Christ the fruit of faith is in beleeving to be assured of this we must know that faith is one thing assurance another they may have faith and yet want a double assurance first assurance of their faith being not able to judge at all times of their owne act likewise secondly assurance of their state in grace as in time of desertion and temptation a soule at such a time casts it selfe upon Christ as knowing comfort is there to be had though hee be not sure of it for himselfe and this the soule doth out of obedience though not out of feeling as the poore man in the Gospell Lord I beleeve helpe my unbeliefe the soule often times out of the deepe cryes and in the darke trusts in GOD and this is the bold adventure of faith the first object whereof is Christ held out in a promise and not assurance which springeth from the first act when it pleaseth God to shine upon the soule and is a reward of glorifying Gods mercy in Christ by casting the soule upon his truth and goodnesse Assurance is GODS seale faith is our seale when we set to our seale by beleeving he sets to his seale assuring us of our condition we yeeld first the consent and the assent of faith and then God puts his seale to the contract there must be a good title before a confirmation a planting before a rooting and establishing the bargaine before the earnest Some would have faith to be an over-powring light of the soule wherby undoubtedly they beleeve themselves to be Christ and Christ to be theirs which stumbleth many a weake yet true Christian for this is rather the fruit of a strong faith then the act of a weake which struggleth with doubting untill it hath gotten the upper hand True it is there must be so much light let in to the soule as the soule may relye upon Christ and this light must be discovered by the Spirit and such a light as shewes a speciall love of Christ to the soule And againe it is true that we are not to take up our rest in the light untill the heart be further subdued as many are too hasty to conclude of a good condition upon uncertaine signes before they have attained unto fuller assurance but yet we must not deny faith where this strong assurance is wanting so farre as to conclude against our selves if there be desires putting on to endeavour with conflict against

the rising of unbeliefe with a high prising of the favour of God in Christ so as to value it above all things Degrees doe not varie the kinde weakenesse may stand with truth but where truth is there will be an uncessant desire of future sealing The second conclusion We may upon the knowledge of our present estate in grace bee assured for the time to come for this sealing is to the day of Redemption that is till we be put into full possession of what we now beleeve and besides sealing is for securing for the time to come and our Saviours promise is that though He departed from them yet the Comforter should abide with them for ever Iohn 14. And why are we certaine of the favour of God to our comfort for the present but that wee doubt not of it for the time to come Faith and love and these graces they never faile finally therefore when the Scripture speakes of Faith it speakes of salvation by it for the present as if a man should be in heaven presently so soone as hee beleeves Wee are saved by faith say the Scriptures we are not yet saved but the meaning is we are set by faith into a state of salvation Being put into Christ by faith we are risen with Christ and sit in hea●venly places with him Faith makes the things to come present and faith beleeves that neither things present nor things to come shall bee able to separate us from the love of God in Christ So that our assurance is not onely for the present but for the time to come We are sealed to the day of Redemption and who can reverse Gods seale or Gods act and deed Grace is the earnest penny of glory God hath made a covenant and given earnest he will not lose it the earnest is never taken away but filled up if wee be assured of grace for the present we may be sure it shall be made up full in glory hereafter If the spirit of Christ be in us the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead will raise us up likewise and not leave us untill we be in full redemption we shall awake filled with his image No opposition shall prevaile God hath set us as a seale on his right hand to keep us I and on his breast as the high Priest had the twelve Tribes to love us and on his shoulder to support us The marked and sealed ones in Ezech. 9. and Rev. 7. were secured from all destruction If we be in Christ our Rocke temptations and oppositions are but as waves they may dash upon us but they breake themselves Quest Why then do we pray for the forgivenesse of sinnes Answer We pray for a clearer evidence of what we have secondly as the end is ordained so the meanes must be used God doth and will pardon sinne and therefore we must pray for pardon as a meanes ordained Thirdly prayer doth not prejudice the certainty of a thing Christ prayeth for that hee was most sure of Ioh. 17. I pray for them which thou hast given me for they are thine Pregnant for the proofe of this point is that of Peter Wee are begotten againe to a lively hope a hope of that life which maketh lively Oh but we are weake true but wee are kept by the power of GOD an inheritance is not onely kept for us but we are kept for it Ob. But Sathan is strong and his malice is more than his strength Answ True but we are kept as by a Garison wee have a guard about us Ob. All this is true while faith holdeth out but that may faile Answ No we are kept by the power of GOD through faith God keepeth our faith and us by faith Ob. But the time is long betweene us and salvation and many dangers may fall out Answ Be it so that the time is long yet wee are kept unto salvation even untill the day of redemption for the Spirit by vertue of the Covenant puts the feare of GOD into our hearts that we shall never 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 GOD doth no● pr●mise what we shall doe of our selves but what he will doe in us and by us Thus the Holy Ghost putteth a shield into our hands to ward off all objections and helpes us to subdue the reasonings that are apt to rise within us against this blessed hope So that this happy condition is not onely sure to us but God hath assured us of it Gods gracious indulgence is such he sees here wee goe through a wildernesse and are molested every way therefore hee would have us assured of a blessed condition to come So good is God hee doth not onely finde out a glorious way of Redemption by the bloud of his Sonne God-Man but hee acquaints us with it in the dayes of our pilgrimage Partly that we may glorifie him that he may have the praise before hand of what good hee intends us for assurance of that blessed condition will stirre up our spirits to blesse God What the thing it selfe would worke faith workes the same in some measure Therefore Saint Peter 1 Pet. 1. Blessed be God saith he who hath begotten us againe to a lively hope of an inheritance immortall undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in the heavens Why doth he blesse God before we have it because we are as sure of it as if we had it what is revealed before hand is praised for before hand GOD would have us assured that he may have glory Partly to comfort us for faith is effectuall to worke that comfort that the thing present would doe in some measure What comfort would the soule have if it should see heaven open and it selfe entring into it if redemption were at hand The same faith workes in some measure What is more sure then the thing it selfe What more comfortable then faith in it When the Israelites were in the wildernesse going to Canaan they had many promises that they should come to Canaan and many extraordinary helpes to leade them thither the pillar and cloud and Angell and God out of indulgence condescending to their weaknesse gave them some grapes of Canaan hee put it into the minde of the spies to bring of the fruits So God gives us some work of his blessed Spirit whereby he would have us assured and sealed to the day of redemption The third conclusion is this that the spirit doth seale us This cannot be otherwise for who can establish us in the love of God but he that knowes the minde of God towards us and who knowes the minde of God but the spirit of God Then am I sealed when I doe not onely beleeve but by a reflecting act of the soule know I doe beleeve and this reflection though it be by Reason yet it is by Reason inabled by the spirit our spirits by the Spirit onely can discerne of spirituall acts it is not for us to know things above nature

he is a Spirit of consolation Are we in perplexity and know not what to do he is a Spirit of wisedome Are wee troubled with corruptions He is a sanctifying a subduing a mortifying Spirit in what condition soever we are he will never leave us till he hath raised us from the grave and taken full possession of body and soule in heaven he will prove a comforter when neither friends nor riches nor any thing in the world can comfort us How carefull should we be to give contentment to this sweet Spirit of God No Christian is so happy as the watchfull Christian that is carefull of his duty and to preserve his communion with the holy Spirit of God for by entertaining him he is sure to have communion with the Father and the Sonne It is the happiest condition in the world when the soule is the Temple of the holy Spirit when the heart is as the holy of holies where there be prayers and prayses offered to GOD. The soule is as it were an holy Arke the memory like the pot of Mannah preserving heavenly truths It is an heavenly condition a man prospers to heavenward when the Spirit of God is with him You know Obed-Edom when the Arke was in his house all thrived with him so while the Spirit and his motions are entertained by us we shall be happy in life happy in death happy to eternity For it is he By which you are sealed to the day of redemption The Apostle sealeth this grave admonition by an argument taken from the Spirits sealing of them to the day of redemption We are all by nature in bondage to sinne and corruption we all are redeemed from sinne by the first comming of Christ and are to be redeemed from corruption by the second There is a day appointed for this glorious worke In the meane time GOD would have us assured of it aforehand This assurance is by sealing And this sealing is by the Spirit none else need do it no meaner person can doe it And what respect is due to the Spirit for doing so gracious a worke that wee grieve him not and not onely so but that we indevour so to please him as he may with delight goe on with this blessed work that it hath pleased him to take upon him As the dutie is spirituall so the arguments that inforce it are spirituall and the argument here is fetched from that which hath a most constraining force love expressed in the sweetest fruit of it and the stability of it sealing and sealing to the day of redemption as if the Apostle should reason thus God the Father hath ordained you to salvation by the redemption of Christ his Sonne and that you might have the comfort of it in the way to it against all discouragements you may meet with the holy Ghost hath assured you of it and set his seale upon you as those that are set apart for so great salvation that the sence of this love might breed love in you againe and love breed a care out of ingenuity not to offend so gracious a Spirit The holy Spirit by which you are sealed THe holy Ghost delighteth to speake in our owne language we cannot rise to him therefore he stoopeth to us This sealing is either sealing of persons or of good things intended to the persons Sealing is not onely a witnessing to us but a work upon us and in us carrying the Image of him that sealeth us whereby we are not onely assured of the good promised to us but fitted for the receiving of it God prepareth no good for any but whom he prepares and fits for that good There is not only an outward authorising of the great grants we have by promise oath and Sacrament but an inward by the spirit perswading of our interest in them and working that which doth authorise us to lay claime unto them after the use of a seale both in confirmation and representation and resemblance of him that sealed The persons sealed are first Christ and then those that are given to Christ Christ is sealed 1 By the Father Christ was ordained by him to be a Saviour in our nature predestinate to be the head of the Church Wherefore he often saith he came to do his Fathers will Him hath the Father sealed Ioh. 6. 27. anointing him calling him setting him forth sanctifying him by the spirit and every way fitting him with all grace to be a Saviour 2 He was sealed by the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelling in flesh abased and exalted for us so as his flesh is the flesh of the Son of God and his bloud the bloud of God 3 Sealed by a testimony from heaven of all three Persons by the Father This is my welbeloved Son by the Holy Spirit descending like a dove by himselfe to his humane nature dwelling in all fulnesse in it Christ is sealed by miracles done upon him and by him by his baptizing and installing into his office and by giving himself up to shed his bloud for sinne by which bloud the Covenant is established and sealed 4 In being justified in the spirit being raised from the dead and declared thereby to be the Sonne of God mightily with power and then advanced him to the right hand of God that through him our faith and trust might be in God 1 Pet. 1. 14. and appearing there for ever for us sheweth not onely his habilitie and willingnesse to save us but that it is done already Wee may see all what ever wee can looke for to our selves performed in our head to our comfort As Christ was sealed and fitted for us so we are sealed and fitted for Christ There is a privy seale in predestination this is knowne onely to God himselfe The Lord knoweth who are his And this knowledge of God of us is carried secret as a River under ground untill his calling of and separating us from the rest of men When first by his Spirit hee convinceth us of what wee are in our selves and of our cursed condition and thereby layeth us low by sorrow and humiliation for sinne as the greatest evill And then a pardon is more to us then a Crowne then we will wait for mercy and continue so and begge for mercy and that upon Christs own condition by denying and renouncing any thing of our owne then Christ is Christ unto us Indeed after this it pleaseth Christ by his Spirit to open a doore of hope and give some hints of mercy and to let in some beames of love and withall to raise up the soule by a spirit of faith to close with particular mercy opened and offered by the Spirit whereby the soule sealeth to the truth of the promise Ioh. 3. Hee that beleeveth hath set to his seale that God is true It is strange that GOD should stoop so low as to receive as it were confirmation by our beleefe but thus GOD condescends in the phrase of Scripture As we are

And Sathan will not lose such an advantage but will tempt us to call the worke of grace in question which though it bee a true worke yet for want of light of the Spirit to discerne it wee cannot see it to our comfort Whereas if the Spirit would witnesse unto us the truth of our state and the sincerity of our graces we shall bee able to hold our owne and those temptations will vanish For those that the holy Spirit hath set a clearer and stronger stampe upon that doe not question their condition they of all others should not grieve the Spirit A Spirit of ingenuity will hinder them and stirre up a shame in them to requite so ill such a friend Nothing so ingenuous as grace what is commendable in nature is in greater perfection in grace How doth the conscience of unkindenesse to a friend that hath deserved well of us trouble our spirits that we know not with what face to looke upon him And will not unkindenesse to the Spirit make us ashamed to lift up our face to heaven Benefits are bonds and the greater favour the stronger obligation now what greater favour is there then for the Spirit to renew us according to the Image of God our glorious Saviour who carried the Image of Sathan before And by this to appropriate us unto GOD to be laid up in his treasure as carrying his stampe and by this to bee separated from the vile condition of the world although we carry in us the seeds of the same corruption that the worst doth differing nothing from them but in GODS free grace and the fruits of it For God to esteeme so of us that have no worthinesse of our owne but altogether persons not worthy to bee beloved as to make our unworthinesse a foile to set out the freenesse of his love in making us worthy whom he found not so For the Spirit by sealing of us to secure us in the midst of all spirituall dangers and to hide us as his secret ones that that evill one should not touch us to hurt us These as they are favours of an high nature the more eare they require to walke worthy of them We cannot but forget our selves before wee yeeld to any thing against that dignity the Spirit hath sealed us to Nature helped with ordinary education moveth every man to carry himselfe answerable to his condition a Magistrate as a Magistrate a Subject as a Subject a Childe as a Childe and we thinke it disgracefull to doe otherwise and shall that which is disgracefull to nature not be much more disgracefull to nature renewed and advanced by the Spirit And indeed as wee should not so wee cannot grieve the Spirit so farre forth as wee are renewed Our new nature will not suffer us to dissemble to be worldly to bee carnall as the world is wee cannot but study holinesse we cannot but be for GOD and his truth wee cannot but expresse what we are and whose we are It is impossible a man should care for heaven that doth not care for the beginnings of heaven hee cannot bee said to care for full redemption and glory that doth not care for the spirit of grace fulnesse of grace is the best thing in glory other things as peace and joy and the like they are but the shinings forth of this fulnesse of grace in glory Againe when the Spirit assureth us of Gods love in the greatest fruits of it as it doth when it assureth this redemption That love kindles love againe and love constraines us by a sweet necessitie to yeeld cheerefull and willing obedience in all things there is nothing more active and fuller of invention than love and there is nothing that love studies more than how to please there is nothing that it feares more than to discontent It is a neate affection and will indure nothing offensive either to it selfe or the spirit of such as we love and this love the Spirit teaches the heart and love teaches us not onely our duty but to doe it in a loving and acceptable manner It carries out the whole streame of the soule with it and rules all whilest it rules and will not suffer the soule to divert to by-things much lesse to contrary Againe these graces that are conversant about that condition which the Spirit assureth us of as faith and hope are purging and purifying graces working a suteablenesse in the soule to the things beleeved and hoped for and the excellency of the things beleeved and hoped for have such a working upon the soule that it will not suffer the soule to defile it selfe Our hopes on high will leade us to wayes on high therefore whilest these graces are exercised about these objects the soule cannot but be in a pleasing frame It hath beene an old cavill that certainty of salvation breeds security and loosenesse of life And what is there that an ill disposed soule cannot sucke poyson out of A man may as truely say the Sea burnes or the Fire cooles there is nothing quickens a soule more to cheerefull obedience than assurance of Gods love and that our labour should not be in vaine in the Lord this is the Scriptures Logicke and Retoricke to inforce and perswade a holy life from knowledge of our present estate in grace I beseech you by the mercies of God saith Saint Paul what mercies such as he had spoken of before Iustification Sanctification Assurance that all shall worke together for good that nothing shall bee able to separate us from the love of God in Christ all duties tend to assurance or spring from assurance Gods intendment is to bring us to heaven by a way of love and cheerefulnesse as all his wayes towards us in our salvation are in love And this is the scope of the covenant of grace and for this end he sends the Spirit of adoption into our hearts that we may have a childe-like liberty with God in all our addresses to him When he offers himselfe to us as a father it is fit we should offer our selves to him as children nature teaches a child the more he desires his fathers love the more hee feares to displease him And hee is judged to be gracelesse that will therefore venture to offend his father because he knowes he neither can or will disinherit him Certaine it is the more surely we know God h●th begotten us to so glorious an inherit●nce the more it will worke upon our bowels to take all to heart that may any way touch him this wrought upon David when the Prophet told him God hath done this this for thee and would have done more if that had beene too little it melted him presently into an humble confession Those that have felt the power of the Spirit of adoption on their hearts will both by a divine instinct as also by strength of reason be carried to all those courses wherein they shall approve themselves to their father Instinct of

said to helpe God curse ye Meroz because they came not to helpe the Lord c. God stoopes to be helped by us and to have his truth and power and goodnesse ratified and confirmed by us when we beleeve the promise of God in Christ though it be by the helpe of the Spirit we seale Gods truth And then God honoureth that sealing of ours by the sealing of his Spirit After you beleeved you were sealed saith the Apostle that is the gracious love of Christ was further confirmed to them GOD honours no grace so much as faith Why because it honours God most of all others it gives GOD the honour of his mercie and goodnesse and wisedome and power and of his truth especially he that beleeves in God by beleeving seales that God is true and God honours that soule againe by sealing it to the day of redemption God hath promised Those that honour me I will honour Therefore Hee that beleeveth hath the witnesse in himselfe that grace promised belongeth to him for he carries in his heart the counterpaine of the promises he that confesseth and beleeveth shall have mercie I beleeve saith the soule therefore the promise belongs to me my faith answering Gods love in the promise witneseth so much to me The Spirit not onely revealeth Christ and the promises in generall but in attending upon the ordinances by an heavenly light the spirit discovers to us our interest in particular and saith to the soule God is thy salvation and inableth the soule to say I am Gods I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine Christ loved me and gave himselfe for me Whence came this voyce of Saint Paul It was the still voyce of the Spirit of God that together with the generall truth in the Gospell discovered in particular Christs love to him It is not a generall faith that will bring to heaven but there is a speciall worke of the Spirit in the use of meanes discovering and sealing the good will of God to us that he intends good unto us and thereupon our hearts are perswaded to beleeve in ●od and to love God as our God and Christ as our Christ This is excellently set downe in the sweet communion of marriage the Spirit is the paranymph●s the procurer of the marriage betweene Christ and the foule Now it is not sufficient to know that God and Christ beare good will to all beleevers though that be the ground and generall foundation of all and a great preparative to the speciall sealing of the Spirit but then the Spirit comes and saith Christ hath a speciall good will to me and stirres up in mee a liking to him againe to take him upon his owne conditions with conflict of corruptions with the scornes of the world c. Whereupon the mutuall marriage is made up betweene Christ and us this worke is the sealing of the Spirit Many are the privileges of a Christian from this his sealing as the use of a seale in mans affaires is manifold 1 Seales serve for confirmation and allowance to that purpose measurss are sealed God is said to seale instruction Iob 33. 16. Confirmation is either by giving strength or by the authority of such as are able to make good what they promise and also willing which they shew by putting to their seale which hath as much strength to confirme him to whom the promise is made as he hath will and power to make it good that hath ingaged himselfe Amongst men there is the writing and the seale to the writing when the seale is added to the writing there is a perfect ratification So there are abundance of gracious promises in the Scriptures now when the Spirit comes and seales them to the soule then they are sure to us the Spirit puts the seale to the promises 2 The use of it likewise is for distinction from others that carry not that mark So the sealing of the Spirit distinguisheth a Christian from all other men There is a distinction betweene men in Gods eternall purpose but that concerns not us to meddle with further then to know it in generall God knoweth who are his and who are not his but in time the holy Spirit distinguisheth and rankes men as they were distinguished before all worlds and as they shall be at the day of judgement the beginning of that distinction that shall bee afterward is in this life A seale maketh the impression of an Image the Princes Image useth to be in his seale so is Gods Image in his which destroyeth the old Image and print that was in us before Holy and good men by this worke of the Spirit are distinguished 1 From civill men by the worke of holinesse which meere civill men have not at all but despise And secondly from seeming good men by the depth of that worke the Spirit of God workes a new nature in them whereby they are distinguished Now nature in every creature is carried to one thing more then to another There is a distinct propension in a good man to God to grace and goodnesse his aymes and bent are distinct and thereupon he hath a greater inlargement of heart sutable to his great aymes hee looks above the world and worldly men they are narrow low base spirited men the best of them Againe things by nature worke from within Herein painted hypocrites are distinguished from a true substantial Christian he workes from a principle within another man is moved as the Automata things of motion Clockes and the like engines of wit that move from a weight without that poyseth them if they doe any good it is from somewhat without that swayeth their aymes and ends and not from an inward principle nature workes from an inward principle light things goe upward and heavie things downeward naturally artificiall things are forced Thus good men are distinguished from those that are seemingly holy there is a new nature wrought in them Againe nature is constant what is done naturally is done constantly heavie bodies goe alwayes downward and light bodies upward every creature works according to his nature an holy man is exercised in holinesse constantly because he doth it from an inward principle from a worke and stampe within Different things may seeme the same as wilde hearbs may have the colour and forme of those that are planted in the garden but there is difference in the vertue of them the seeming graces and actions of an hypocrite they have no vertue in them as there are some drugges without vertue dead things But there is a distinguishing vertue in the faith of a Christian wherby he overcomes the world and his lusts whereby he doth all duties prayes and heares and is fruitfull in his conversation in all his graces there is a cōforting strengthening vertue True gold hath the vertue to comfort and strengthen the heatt that Alchymy gold hath not True grace hath a working comforting vertue Another mans formall artificiall actions have