i 26 Thefi lr/I Sign PART III. thatfigh and cryfor all the Abominations that are done in the midi! thereof. When God lets his Seal on a Man's Heart by his Spirit, there is fome holy Stamp, fome Image imprefs'd and left upon the Heart by the Spirit, as by the Seal upon the Wax. And this holy Stamp, or im- prefs'd Image, exhibiting clear Evidence to the Confcience, that the Subjea of it is the Child of God, is the veryThing which in Scrip- ture is called the Seal of the Spirit, and the LTfitnef, or Evidence of the Spirit. And this Image inftamp'd by the Spirit on God's Children's Hearts, is his own Image : That is the Evidence by which they are known to be God's Children, that they have the Image of their Fa- ther flamp'd upon their Hearts by the Spirit of Adoption. Seals an tiently had engraven on them two Things, viz. The Image and the Name of the Perfon whole Seal it was. Therefore when Chrift fans to his Spoufe, Cant. 8. 6. Set me as a Seal upon thine Heart, as a Seal upon thine Arm ; it is as much as to fay, Let my Name and Image re- main impreft there.TheSeals of Princeswere wont to bear theirImage ; fo that what they let their Seal and royal Markupon, had their Image left on it. It was the Manner of Princes of old to have their Image engraven on theirJewels & preciousStones ; and the Image ofAuguflus engraven on a precious Stone, was ufed as the Seal of the Roman Emperors, in Chrift's and the Apoftles Times. jI And the Saints are the Jewels of Jefus Chrift, the great Potentate, who has the Poffeffion of the Empire of the Univerfe : And there Jewels have his Image enftamped upon them, by his royal Signet, which is the Holy Spirit. And this is undoubtedly what the Scripture means by the Seal of the Spirit ; efpecially when it is enftamped in fo fair and clear a Manner, as to be plain to the Eye of Confcience ; which is what the scripture calls our Spirit. This is, truly an Efea that is fpirituat, fupernatural, and divine. This is, in it felf, of a holy Nature, being a Communication of the divine Nature and Beauty. That Kind of Influence of the Spirit which gives and leaves this Stamp upon the Heart, is fuch that no natural Man can be the Subje& of any Thing of the like Nature with it. This is the higheft Sort of Witnefs of the Spirit, which it is poffible the Soul fhould be the Subjea of : If there were any fuch Thing as a Witnefs of the Spirit by immediate Suggeftionor Revelation, this would be vaftly more noble and excel- lent, and as much above it as the Heaven is above the Earth. This the Devil cannot imitate : As to an inward Suggeftion of the Spirit of God, by a Kind of fecret Voice fpeaking, and immediately affert- ing and revealing à Fa&, he can do that which is a thoufandTimes fo ti See Chambers's DiEtionary, under theWord ENGRAVING. like
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