An Expofitiort of the Epiftle ~ from evetla!\ing; he cometh :irtd 1tampeth up<ln a m:in's heart,The Lordk11oweth Ser. XV. thee to be hu. It beareth the image of God's everla!l:idg Love, ( it is news with ~ll.Witnefs)of God'severlli!l:inglovetoaman, tohim in particular; that is the Motto, the Imprefs about this Seal, (it bath Hotine{s with it too, as I .lhalllhew) bllt I fay the Imprefs, the Motto ts thts, God lwoweth thee to be hu. For this Seal of the Spirit anfwereth to the other Seal, itis the Copy of it, it is engraven from it; God's Seal is, The Lord knoweth who are his, (that is in general fpokcn of Election;) the particular Sea:! of the Spirit Is, God lwoweth thee to be hi<. As we choofe God, becaufe he ~hofe us, we anfwer his Election in love, we love God becat<(e he loved ttsftrjl: fothis Seal of the Spirit, Kllow thou that thou art God's, anfwereth that, God kltoweththee to be his, which was God's Seal from tverla!l:ing. It is the Electing love of God brought home to the Soul; therefore as Election looks not to Works nor Graces, when God chofe you to be his : fo when hefealcth you up, the Imprefs of that love of his it is without the con!i- o • deration of Works; aman cloth not know that he is God's by marks and figns, but by an immediate imprefs and light of the Holy Gho!l:'s. And fo now I have fully, as I could, explained to you what tbis(eal'of the Spirit is. Let me now in a word but obfe.rve the order :You fee here it is after believing; '.Ajitr ye believed you were fealtd, faith he. I will not here enter upon that Centroverfie, becaufe the Text givethnotocca!ion for it,Whether that affurance by Signs be fit!l:, ot affurance by the Spirit immediately be firft? for I muft ftill keep to what the Text faith. Only this I raife out of it, and obferve funher to open the Text, That the Spirit it is after betievmg. Pljtator, he readeth the words, Per quod<tiam qt~um credidiflis, Whm )'' bt• lieved, at the fame time that)e believed. But, my Brethren, it is not mr&,,.,,, llelievint,, as you have it, 1 Pet,1.8. Betievingyott were fitted with joy i" the Holy Ghiijl; but it is ,,&""""'• it is of the time pa!l: , when ye bad 6elievtd; Havi11g bttieved ye were fealed, After ye believed, faith our Tranflation r:ghtly. Take the greate!l: In!\ance in the world fot it, the fipoj/Jes themfelves ; they were Believers, and they trufted God by Faith, before they were affured and had thefeal of the Spirit. You know, verje u . Paulfpeaking of the Apoftles,faith, who jirfl trujled i1t Chrijl, and the word is hopedi1t Chnft. Now do but look in– to the 14thof John, read but that Chapter, and you !hall find that the Apoftles hadFaith and the Holy Ghoft long before they had Affurance and the feal of the Spirit; faith Chrift there, Te believd11 God; here they had Faith, but it was a very poor Faith, forv.). they [aid, they did 110t know the way to Heaven, {o far were they off from this Aff1,1rance here mentioned. Chri!l: telleth them there alfo, that they had the Spirit, v.I]· He dwelltth withyou, faith he, He is inyour hearts. Well, but fee what he faith in the 2othverfe, fit that tlay (namely, whm I ama(cended,)yefoa!Jk11ow (I willgiveyo11the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,fohe calleth him, he dwelleth withyotl now;) brst in that day)•oufoa!t /mow that I ami1smyFather,andyouittme,mtd I ittyou. Then they lhould have a full manife!l:ation of their union with Chrift, and their union with the Father, and of the union of Chri!l: with the Father; Thmyot~jballkttow,faith he, i11 that day: this was after their believing. I will give you but one Scripture more (it openeth that place to me clearly) in the fame Chapter. Chri!l: promifed them that do believe the Coniforttr; I will pray the Father (faith he,v.16.) andhefoallgivt;•ot~tht Comforter, whom(faith he) the World ca1111ot receive, btcmsfe it [nth them 11ot, •uither k11oweth hi111 ; butye know him,for he dwe!Jeth withyou, andfba!Jbe inyott, I take the mean– ing of the words thus : I promife ~o11 the Holy Ghojl M a Comforter, ; ·ou have htm vlready as a Srmrfifier, he dwe!Jeth with you, ; ·ou have him ah·eady M o1~t that bath wrought Faith in you; 611t M a Comforter the world cam10t receiw him as you}ba!t. Why? Becaufe the worttl bath not h10W1t him as a Sanctifier, bnt foyou have hsown him a/read)'; for till fuch time as the Holy Ghoft bath wrought Faith, and put a man into the !l:ate of Grace, he cannot affure him, he cannot comfort him. For, my Brethren, confider well the Reafon he giveth why .the World cannot receive the Spirit,is, becat<[e thry do not know him. I ask this, When thou wert converted, wert not thou one of the world ? thou didft !J'Ot know
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