155 / 808
E,x.i3.
E,phefians,Chap.t.
>t
3
the certainty
of
their hold,
and fo
doubt
cauflefly, thus it
is in
belee-
vers,
they
have
their redemption
ever furely fealed,
but notknow-
ing
the certainty
hereof
in
themfelves, they are yer-while
fubjeEt
to
doubtings.
The
ufe
is,
that
feeing
God hath thus
fealed
to
us
our falvation, we
Pre
t.
fhnuld,Ergo,labor to
be
fully perfwaded
touching this
his grace
toward
us.Though
true beleevers
are
not
alwaies fure
of
their falvation
in
their
f
nfe
and
judgement, yet
they fhould
everfirive to this
;
For
as
men
would
be
Crafted
confidently,
in
that they
promife and feale ; fo
God
much more would
have
us
be fecure,touching
that
which
he
hath pro-
mifed,written,fworn outwardly
and
inwardly
fealed.
Let
us
all
ftrive
to get our
felves fealed
to redemption,
feeing
God
Y/e
a.
doth
Peale
thofe whom
he will deliver in
that
great day
;
if
we be
not
in this
number,
we
(hall
not
efcape damnation. Even
as in
the
ninth
of
EzechieR,and
Revelation7.thofe were kept from the judgement fpirituall
in
the one place,corporall
in
another, whom God had
fealed and mar-
ked
thereto,fo
is
it here,
&c.
The
laft
point followeth,
viz.
That the
holy fpirit,and the
graces
of
D.
S.
the fpirit,arethe
Peale
affuring
our redemption,the fealefealing
us
to
re.
demption.For
affurance
of
outward things we haveonly
the
feale fealed
on
wax,or otherwife,we
need
not the
Signet fealing;
but
we are confir-
med touching falvation,both
by the
fpirit
of
God, who
is
as
it were
the
Peale
fealing,and by
the
graces
of
the fpirit, which
is
as
it
were the
Peale
fealed and printed upon
us;yea,thefetwo,both
of
them
are
together
as
a
feale,while
it
ftandeth uponthe matter which it now
fealeth.Looke
as
the
Kings
of
England grave on their broad Seale
their
owne image, and
fo
as
it were their
own
piélure
in
this
or that which they
Peale
:
So
our God by
his
holy
fpirit, effentially
like
himfelf, he
doth print upon
ourfoules,his
own image;upon
us
I
fay,whom
he fealeth
to
redemption.
Now,
that both Gods
fpirit and this image
of
God
in
us,
doe
as
it
were
Peale us
up
to falvation,is plain.For
firft
of
the perfon
of
the fpirit,it
is
fpoken;Row.8.that it
beareth witneffe
to
our
ffirits,that
we
are
Gods
chil-
dren,
and
heire, with
Chrif
.
The
fpirit
of
God doth by
his
owne
tefti-
mony
in
fpeciall
manner confirme
us
and
afire
us
this way.
Now
for
theother,
We know
by
this, faith Saint lobo,
that
we
aretranflatedfrom
death
to
lip,
becauf
we
love thebrethren.
Now
feeing it
is
the holy
fpirit
dwelling
in us,
and
Gods
holy image
in
ourfoules, which
feale
up
our
falvation: How
fhould we labour for the fpirit and for holineffe,
with-
out which none
fh
11
ever
fee
God hadwegreat
matters
to
be con-
veyed
to
us,
though
all
were concluded, and
the
inftruments ready
drawne,yet we could not
reft till we had
got
all
fure fealed ; fo it
is
with
us, we fhould
not
refs,
but
feeke
this
holy fpirit,
that
we
might
fee
our
heavenly inheritance
f
afe and
Pure,
even fealed
within
us.
Secondly
;
we
fee
by
this, that
the
feale
is
Gods holy
(pirit,
that
God
doth not
intend
by fealing,to
make
our
falvation certain
in
it
felf,but
to
us
alfo
:For
he
who
fealeth
us
with
fuch
a Peale
which we may know,he
would
have
us
affured
in
our felves,
touching
that to
which we
are fea-
led
: