498 Book IV. JLooking t~nto jjtfu.s. . Chap. 1. ~ea. 1 i. -------6-: The Spirit doth not only make the bean f~uirf~-~but giv~;;;rh~ hailfel and m– nell: of its inheritance, and thereby_ it begets alively hope, an earnd1: ellpedation, a confident attendance upon the promtfes, and an unfpeakable pelce and comfort there– upon. Oh when I fed a drop of heavens joy fl1ed abroad into my foul by the Holy Gholl:, and rhar I l~ok upo~ t~ts as a rall:e of glory, and a forerunner of bappinefs, how fl10uld I but re,oyce wtth JOY unfpeakable? in all thefe refpel'ts rhe Spirit is our Comforter; ~nd thisis another reafon why the !'Joly Gholl: is fent .. I will not leave yoa comfortlef, fatth Chnfl:, no, no; for I wtll come unto you by my Sp~rit. £p:1. 4· 30. 7· That the Holy C:holl: might according ro his Office, fea~ zu unto th< day-of,._ demptzon. Byfealmg, ts meant fome work of the Sptrtt by whtch he afTures a believer that he i> Gods: it is all olle with the Spirits witne{]inff. only under that notion I flull fpeak of it another time. "' ' ' But all the queflion is, what is that work of the Spirit by wl1ich he alfures? I an. fwer this work is many-fold. As-- r. There is a reflexe wotk of faith, and this is the work of the Spirit too, afTuring 1 }oh. 5 .Io. our fouls of our good efl:ate to God-ward, and Clmfl-ward, He that be!ieveth hath the !Vitnef in him(elf; he carries in his heart the counterpane of all the promifes, this IS the firll: feal, or (if you will) the firll degree of the Spirits fealing; the fir!l dif– covery of our election is manifefl:ed to us in our believing, .u many (faith the Text) Ml:. 13· 48. M were ordained to eternal life believed . . 2. There is a work of fantl ifying grace upon the hearr, and this is a feal of the Spirit 2 T1m. 2. I9. alfo; for whom tl1e Spirit fandifieth, he faveth. The Lord kpo!Veth 1rho are hi<, faith the Apoll:le, ay, but bow fl1ould we know it? why, by this feal; as it follows, Let every one that 11amerh the Name of the Lord depart from iniquity; none are children of God by adoption, but thofe 1hat are children alfo by regeneration, none are heirs of 2 Per. I. i• 4· Heaven! but they are new born to it; Bleffid be God the Father of olt'r Lord JefmChrift who hath begotten zu ,, new-- to an inheritance immortal. This feal of fanCl:ification ·]eaves upon the foul the likenefs of Jefus Ct1rifl:, even grace for grace. 3. There is a work of affill:ing, exciting, quickning grace, or of God's graciol!S concourfe with that habitual grace which he bath wrought in his people: now tbis is various according to the good pleafure of his will ; the Spirit is more mightily prefent to fome than to others, yea more to the fame man at fometimes, and in fome conditions· fometimes the fame Cbriftian is as a burning and lhinlng light, fametimes as afmoaking John 3 . 8. flaxe; The Spirit blowes how it li.fteth; fometimes he fills the foul with fuller gales, fome– times again lhe is becalmed; a man bath more of the Spirit at one time than another : now when the Spirit comes in thus by exciting,quickning, flirring .• and inabling us ro act· Jer. 20 • 9· fQ that we can fay, as fometime the Prophet faid, It w.u in my heart M abtmting fire fhu; "Pin my bones, ond IwMweary with forbearing, t<nd could not flay; why then the Spirit feals and gives afTurance to our fouls that we are his. +· There is awork of lhining upon, or inlightening thofe graces which the Spirit plants in us, and helps us to exercife; this feals to the purpofe; and of this it is that 1 cor. 2• I2. the Apoll:le fpeaks, We have received not the Spirit of the world, but tife Spirit which u of God, that we may kpow the things that are freely given w of God. The things given ro us may be freely received by us, and yet rhe receite 6f them not known to us ; th~refore the Spirit for our further confolarion doth (as it were) put his hand and feal to our re– ceits ; he lhines upon our graces, or he enlightens our grac,es, w.hereby we· may know we believe, and know that we live, Indeed this is rare with God's own people, fome– times ( notwithflanding this feal) we may be in fuch a /late as Paul and his c~mpany A<'t.27. 2o, were in thefltip, Whentheyjinvneither Sun nor Star for m~tnydays together ; fo lt may be that for a time we may fee neither Sun nor Star; neither light in God's coumen~nc~,nor light in our fouls ·· no grace ifTuing from God, rio grace carrying the foul to,God; yet in this dark condi;ion, if we do as_ Paul and his company did (i.e.) ,if we ea!! anchor even in the dark night of temptauon, and pray !!Ill for day, God wdl appear, and all fltall clear up; we flJall at la!! fee light without, and fee light within; furely the day-ll:ar will arife in our beans. . . . . 5· There is a work of joy an:J comfort; and thiS IS a~uper-added feal of theSp!r~t; the works of the Spirit you may fee ar~ ?f a double ktnd ; e11her tn us .by tmp:m– ting fandifying grace, or upon us by fl11mng on our fouls, and by fweet feel_tng of ;oy; habitual grace, or fa:C!ifying grace is more con/lant, and always Irke Jt [elf; b~t this
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