to Salvation In whom after that ye believed c. 2. The nature of this Assurance Paul calls it a Sealing ye were sealed c. Assurance says one is like to a Seal for three things 1. It confirms the Grants of God And 2. It declares the purpose of God And Lastly It distinguishes the Persons so priviledged from other Persons 3. Here is the Author of this Sealing viz. The Holy Spirit of Promise Ye were Sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise It is he Beloved that keeps the great Seal of Heaven and it is his Office to Seal and to confirm to Believers their Interest in Christ by Faith and right to Heaven and Glory As it is his work to sanctifie so also to seal Believers and witness to them their Adoption Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit witness with our Spirits that we are the children of God 4. You have the quality of this Spirit that seals Believers he is a Holy Spirit and he seals the Saints as an Holy Spirit of Promise Now the Spirit 's sealing thus 1. as an holy Spirit relates to his previous work of Sanctification in the Souls of them he seals the Spirit first sanctifies and then seals the Soul 2. As a Spirit of Promise this respects the Medium or Instrument made use of by him in his sealing of Believers viz. the Promises of God which are made in or with Christ the Head for all Believers and given to them thro' him 2 Pet. 1. 4. The Spirit opens and applies the Promises of the Gospel to Believers in order to their sealing Thus having opened the Text and given the Analyses of it we shall note two Doctrines First Doctrine That the Spirit of God who is a sealing Spirit is a holy Spirit or a Spirit of Holiness the Sanctifier of unholy Persons he is called by this Name often in the Scriptures 1 Thes 1. 5. As the Devil is an unclean Spirit or a Spirit of uncleanness Matth. 12. 43. so the Spirit of God is a holy Spirit or a Spirit of holiness We read of the sanctification of the Spirit 1 Pet. 1. 3. And we are said 2 Cor. 3. 18. to be changed from glory to glory into the Image and likeness of Christ even by the Spirit of promise I shall not inlarge upon this only beseech you in Christ's stead to examine your selves whether you have this holy Spirit of Promise dwelling in you know this that if you have not the Spirit of Christ Profess what you will you are none of his Rom. 8. 9. Have you therefore the Spirit or not If you have then you are Christ's and transform'd into his Image and Likeness you are made comely through his comeliness put upon you Ezek. 16. 14. If you have not the Spirit you are still under the power of Satan led captive by him at his will 2 Tim. 2. 26. He rules in your hearts and has his throne there Eph. 2. 2 3. Quest How shall we know we have the Spirit Answ By his blessed Operations and Fruit in your Souls where the Spirit is the Soul is changed and renewed and there 's Faith Love Patience and other Fruits of the Spirit 1 Cor. 5. 17. Gal. 5. 21 22. Second Doctrine The great Priviledge and Blessing of sealing by the Spirit follows the duty and act of Believing In whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise For the prosecution of this great Truth for your Edification and building up in Christ Jesus I shall 1. Shew you what the sealing of the Spirit is and how it is performed by him in the Soul 2. Shew you why none are sealed with the Spirit till after they do believe and close in with Christ by Faith 3. Shew whether all Believers are sealed by the Spirit 4. Shew you the great Priviledges of them that are Sealed 5. Then sum up all by way of Application 1. Shew you what the Spirit 's Sealing is and how it is performed by him in the Soul In general the Sealing of the holy Spirit is his giving a sure and certain testimony to the reality and truth of that Grace whichhe hath wrought in their Souls and to their saving Interest in Jesus Christ and propriety in all the promises of the Gospel that are made in Christ for all true Believers This is the Spirit 's Sealing whereby he resolves the fears and satisfies the Souls of Believers whom he seals about their state and condition This sealing Work is alone by the Spirit none else need do it and no meaner Person than he can do it The Holy Ghost delighteth to speak in our Language that we may understand him and because we cannot rise to him he therefore stoopeth unto us Under the Law we find that a matter of great concernment and weight was to be proved and confirmed by two sufficient Witnesses Deut. 19. 15. One witness shall not rise up against a Man for any iniquity c. at the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three shall the matter be est ablished or confirmed Now the sincerity or uprightness of our Souls before God and our saving Interest in Jesus Christ are matters of great yea greater concernments to us than all in the World And being so they need a further Witness to confirm them than our own Spirits therefore the Spirit of God witnesseth with our Spirit that we are the Children of God thro' Christ Jesus 't is by him that we know God is our Father and that we are enabled to call upon him in Christ as our Father Gal. 4. 5 6. He hath given us the Spirit of his Son whereby we cry Abba Father This Sealing is not only a witnessing to us but it is a work upon us and in us carrying the Image of him that Sealeth us whereby saith Dr. Sibbs we are not only assured of the Good promised to us but freed for the receiving of it God prepares no Good for any but whom he prepares and fits by his Spirit for that good 2 Cor. 5. 4 5 6. There be three things that the Spirit doth in Sealing Believers which things all concur together and must be in this Sealing Work 1. The Spirit Sanctifies the Soul and makes it holy he never Seals before he Sanctifies this is the Spirit 's material and objective Seal where he is a Sealing Spirit there he is a Spirit of Sanctification he renews and changes the Soul and forms Christ's glorious Image upon it where the Spirit Seals he subdues Sin makes the Heart anew and enables them he Seals to cast off the works of darkness and put off the old man after the flesh with his deeds and put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Eph. 4. 22 23 24. He Sanctifies them throughout in Body Mind and Spirit 1 Thes 5. 20. and makes them that were darkness to be light in the Lord Eph. 5. 4 5. Ye were sometimes darkness but now
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
and Glory c. to them that walk uprightly with thee If you can be assured that you have Grace for the present you may be sure it shall be made up full in Glory There is no opposition that shall prevail to hinder it for God has set his as a Seal First upon his Hand to shew that he doth and will keep them 'till they come to Glory Isa 41. 10. Fear not for I am with you saith God and I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness Behold all they that are incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded they shall be as nothing c. Even they that contend with thee shall be as nothing v. 13. Why shall it be thus The Answer is For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right Hand saying unto thee fear not I will help thee v. 49. Isa 13. 14 15. Sion said the Lord hath forsaken me and my God hath forgotten me Thus many Believers say But saith God Can a Woman forget her sucking Child not to have compassion on the Son of her Womb yea she may be so cruel as to forget but I saith the Lord will not forget thee For behold I have graven thee upon the Palms of my Hands or drawn thee pourtray'd thee on my hands A Metaphor taken from some that used to tye something on their hand to put them in mind of Business they would not forget God having set his People as a mark or seal upon his hand he 'll never forget them for they are not only set but ingraven which will not easily wear out But Secondly God has set them as a Seal upon his Breast to love them and He will love them and that for ever John 13. 1. Our Love indeed may be deadned and decay towards God we may leave our first Love in a great measure Rev. 2. 4. But there is nothing that can or shall deaden God's love towards his Children Where God loves in Christ he loves for ever his Love is an everlasting Love Jer. 31. 3. But Thirdly On his Shoulder to support and uphold them at all times and in all places and conditions 'till he hath brought them to glory Says God to 〈◊〉 disconsolated People Isa 40. 27 28 29. Why sayest thou O Jacob and speakest O Israel my way is hid from the Lord and my Judgment is passed over from my God Why speak ye after this manner this is but the surmisings of Unbelief hast thou not known hast thou not heard That the everlasting God the Lord the Creator of the Earth fainteth not neither is weary he giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he increaseth strength But Fourthly God sets them as a Seal on his Heart they lye near his Heart therrefore are they called the Beloved yea the dearly beloved of his Soul Jer. 12. 7. They that are sincere shall enjoy and taste his love and lye in his sweet embraces he 'll smile on them with the Light of his countenance for they are the joy of his heart and are in the most inward parts of it Cant. 8. 6. Thus you see how Believers are assured and secured for the time to come Those that are in Christ the rock of Ages are secured for ever And though they meet with temptations oppositions and tryals yet they are but as Waves that dash upon them but shall not ruin them for they are kept by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation 1 Pet. 1. 4 5. Quest But may some say If it be thus that Believers are assured for the time to come Why then do we pray for the forgiveness of sins Answ First Consid That as God hath ordained the End so also the Means God doth and will pardon Sin for he hath promised to do it Isa 55. 7. Therefore we ought to pray for pardon through Christ as a means ordained of God For these things I will be sought to by the House of Israel We should pray as David who though he was a justified Person and secured in the Covenant for Heaven yet falling fouly into Sin he plyes the Throne of Grace hard This was his duty and is ours in such a case Psal 27. 10. Forgive mine Iniquities for thy Names sake for they are great And Psalm 51. 1 2. Have mercy upon me O God c. and wash me thoroughly in every part and from every sin Prayer is an external means ordained of God to obtain Pardon and other Mercies in therefore we are bid in every thing to make our Requests known to God Phil. 4. 5 6. But Secondly Consider When Believers pray for pardon of Sin it is for a clearer evidence of what they have already in Christ To be pardoned and justified through Christ and so secured for Heaven is one thing and to know it is another Persons may be in Christ and pardoned and so in a sure state for Glory and yet may be in the dark about it and not know whether they be so or no. Now it is the duty of these to seek after a clear knowledge of their state in Christ and the pardon of their sins through his Blood When Believers pray for pardon 't is not because their pardon is not sure in Christ but 't is that they may get a clearer apprehension of it for their comfort Thirdly Consider that Prayer doth not prejudice the stability or certainty of a thing Our Saviour himself prayed for that which he was sure of John 17. 9 10. The Covenant standeth fast for ever and the promises of Pardon and all good in it are most certain and shall he fulfilled for God will not alter the thing that is gone out of his mouth Psal 89. 27 33 34. Yet we must seek and pray and put God in remembrance of his Promise as he bids us for this prejudices not at all the certainty of the Promises nor the stability of the Covenant of Grace in Christ Thus much for Information and for this time Believers Sealed BY THE Spirit of Promise Fifth Sermon from Ephes 1. the latter part of the 13 verse In whom also after that ye believed ye were Sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise BRethren The Point we are upon is this viz. Doct. The great priviledge and mercy of being Sealed by the Spirit is after the duty and act of Believing For the opening this Truth First We have given you the nature of the Spirit 's Sealing-work and how it is performed in the Soul Secondly we have shewn you why none can be Sealed by the Spirit of Promise till they believe in Christ Thirdly VVhether all believers are Sealed by the Spirit or no Fourthly VVhat the great Priviledges of Sealed ones are These things we have opened largely Now Fifthly VVe are upon the Applicatory part of this discourse and we have already said something First By way of Information or Instruction in two things which now I shall not Repeat to you but through God's assistance
by any new Revelation or extraordinary Voice from Heaven but by subjecting his Understanding to and comparing his heartwith the word Thus having made these Distinctions for your clear understanding the Case give me leave to Answer all out of doubt from what has been said And that briefly in these three things First Consider that though all Believers have not the Formal yet they have the Objective Seal of the Spirit they are all Sanctified and made Holy by the holy Spirit of Promise true Grace is infused and imprinted in their Souls though the formal Seal of the Spirit may not yet be set to it There may be Fire put in on the Hearth Though you cannot well see it there may be Grace in the Heart and spiritual life though it cannot be well discerned because of the many Corruptions that be yet in the Heart You read Matth. 12. 20. of the smoaking Flax and bruised Reed Grace may be true though weak and a Man may be in Christ though it be not clear to him all Believers are Sanctified though not Sealed presently But Secondly Consider That tho' all Believers are not Sealed at one and the same time yet there are few that are true Christians but before they dye meet with one Season or another wherein the Lord doth Seal them If they be not Sealed at their first closing in with Christ by Faith as some are tho' but few yet they are Sealed by the Spirit more or less before they dye and go out of the World Thirdly and Lastly Consider That though God doth not now seal by his Spirit in an extraordinary and immediate way by Revelation c. yet most Christians in the ordinary way of the Spirit are sealed God meets with them in one Duty or another in one sacred Ordinance or another either in Prayer Reading Hearing or in receiving of the Lord's Supper This God has promised and Believers may expect for God is faithful who has promised I shall conclude with these two Scriptures Isa 32. 17. And the work of Righteousness shall be peace and the effect of Righteousnes Quietness and Assurance for ever Isa 64. 5. Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh Righteousness and remembers thee in thy ways So much for this time Believers Sealed BY THE Spirit of Promise Third Sermon from Ephes 1. the latter part of the 13 verse In whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise BRethren the Truth we are upon from the Words is this Doctrine The great priviledge and mercy of being Sealed by the Spirit of Promise is after the Duty and Act of Believing After ye Believed ye were Sealed by the Spirit c. For the opening this great Point we have First already shown what the Spirit 's Sealing is Secondly Why none are nor can be Sealed till they Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ And Thirdly We have answered this great Question viz. Whether all Believers are Sealed by the Spirit of Promise or not Now in the Fourth place God assisting we shall shew you the great Priviledges of those Souls that are Sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise And my Beloved their Priviledges and Advantages are many and great even so great and many that words cannot express them fully nor set out the riches and worth of this mercy Some of the Saints Priviledges by being Sealed we shall acquaint you with in these particulars First The use of a Seal in Men's Affairs sets out the priviledges of Believers Sealed by the Spirit For as the use of a Seal is manifold so the advantages of Believers are many who are Sealed by the Holy Spirit to the day of Redemption Eph. 4. 30. Quest What are the Vses 〈…〉 Seal Answ The Uses of a Seal are many as First A Seal serves for Confirmation amongst Men there is the Writing and the Seal put to the Writing now when the Seal is added there is a perfect Ratification or Confirmation of what is in the Writing There are abundance of great and precious Promises in the Word of God which the Spirit of Promise seals to the Soul and when he seals them then are they sure to us The Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 1. 20. That all the Promises of God are in Christ yea and Amen Yea that is truth Amen that is assurance And in v. 21. He hath also Sealed us and given the earnest of his Spirit in our hearts Those Promises that are made and given us in Christ the Lord assures and confirms to us by his Holy Spirit who opens and applies the Promises to Believers The Spirit assureth the Saints their right in the Promises and that God will pay the whole sum of them in his time to them For an Earnest saith the Annotators on the place is as a pledge whereby we confirm a Bargain or as a piece of Money whereby we assure the payment of the whole The first gift therefore of the Spirit and of Life is a pledge of our whole Inheritance insomuch that this anointing sealing and pledging all serve to one and the same end God is both able and willing to perform all that he hath promised and this the Spirit testifies to the Souls of them that he Seals 2. Vse A Seal is for distinction from others that carries not that mark the Spirit of God distinguishes them he Seals from other Men in the World There is as before I have told you a distinction between Persons in God's Election and Eternal Purpose but this concerns us not secret things belonging to God Deut. 29. 29. any further than to know it in the general that there is such a thing we are not to meddle any further with it 2 Tim. 2. 19. The Lord knoweth them that are his and them that are not his for he has set his seal and mark upon them in Christ from Eternity but now the Spirit of God in time distinguisheth and ranks Men saith D. Sibbs as they were before all Worlds and as they shall be at the Day of Judgment when Christ shall come and give to all Men according to their works 2 Cor. 5. 10. The beginning of that distinction that shall be afterwards is in this life the Spirit 's objective Seal viz. of Sanctification makes a distinction between Men. A Seal you know makes the Impression of an Image and the Prince's Image uses to be in his Seal The glorious Image of God is in his Seal which ruines and destroys the old Man and prints the New in the Souls of Believers by the Spirit 's Sealing Ephes 4. 22 23 24. There is that by the Spirit stamp'd and printed in the Soul that was not there before True Believers by the Spirit 's Sealing are First Distinguished from moral civilized Men which are at best but tamed Devils and old Adam put in a new Dress The House may be swept i. e. Man may be civilized and have many good Morals and yet the Heart not Sanctified See Matth. 12.