:uo An Expofttion of the Epiftfe ~ My Brethren, As Chri(l did partake of the lame Ord:nonces we do, fo t?ere So .XVf. wns fome effect that thefe Ordinances had upon lum,wluch he was capable of, an– ~ fwerable and fuitable to what ti1ey have upon us. Therefore as Bapt1[m 1s the ·outward Seal, to feol ul? .Adoptio11 to a Believer, ond the witnefs of the Spirit is the inward work, the truit of Baptifm, to be waited for, (yet a man h>th it not by virtue of his Baptifm.) So when Chri(l was baptized,what was the fruit of it? what, was the inward work anfwerablc to the outward upon him ? This,Thi< i< my brloved So1l,i1t whom,~c.And as the inward Stal of the Spirit to us, is an imme– diate Witnefs; fo was this from Heaven to Chri(l : Not that ours is an immediate voice .from Heaven, but a light of the Ho/.y Ghofl's fuperadded to the light of Faith; other Revelations ceafe, and they are the Revelations that the Papifis fpeak of. That you may fee your ground for this, look I Job. 5·9· compared with the verfes going before. He faith there are Three Witnefles in Earth, and Three i11 Heavm, that bear w itnejs to Two thi11gs (read the place you will find it the fcope,) fir(\, that we have Eternal Life in Chri(l, and Secondly (as appeareth by the 9thve.rfe) that Jefus Chri(l is the Son of God; Thi< i< the T.flitnejs of God (faith he) which he hathteflifiedof hisSoiJ, There are three in Hea.ven that bore witnefs that Jefus Chri(/ is the Soil if God; when he was baptized, there was Godt/g Father, and Godthe Soil, and God the Holy Ghojl, all thefe three did bear this witnefs. There was God the Father, he fpeaks, the voice that came from Heaven, it was his voice properly; for he called him his Son, ThiS i r my /Jeloved Soil, there was Godtlie Father's te(limony ; and .1ob. I , p. the Ho1)·Gho[t defcended down ttpo1! him like a 'Dove; there is the Spirits witnefs, and all at his Baptifm : and then as he that 6etieveJ.h bath the witnefr i11 himfetf, fo Chrifr had the witnefs of his being Son of GOd, from the fecond Perfon alfo, he had it in himfclf.All thefe three Witnetres concurred then at his Baptizing;and thus was Jefus Chri(l our Lord and Saviour then{ealtd. Will you have me fpeak plainly? Though he had the atfurance of Faith that he was the So11 of God, he knew it out of the Scriptures by reading all the Prophets; yea,and as .Adam had it written in his heart, that he was the So11 of God, fo Chri(l had the like in(linCl: and law in his Spirit, that he was the So11 of God: yet to have it fealed to him with Toy unfpeakable, and glorious by :rhe witnefs of all the three Perfons; this was deferred to the time of his Baptifm, he was then ann'!)'llted with the Ho/.y Ghof/ (as I remember the expre!Iion is, .A[f. 10. 38.) amJOi?Jted with the Or! of gtad11ejs (that was the fir(! beginning of it) above a!J hH Fe!Jows, in a more pe– culiar and tranfcendent manner. Now mark it, anfwerably (compare 2. Cor. r. 2.2.) he bath jraled and annointed us, jufi as he jealed and annointed Chri(l in his Baptifm; we are conformed unto Chri(l ; look what was wrought upon him, is wrought upon Believers. He did believe in God, and himfelf to be the So11 of God6y Faithfrom his Mother's Womb, fo he telleth us Pfal, n.g. But this eminent, tranfcendent, He>venly witnefs of it from all three Perfons, was de– fe.rredtill now. So now we fee we are [ealed in him, by venue of him, and by h1s bemgfoaled. The Fourth thing in theText, is this; The rfficient cau(e by whom we .:~re.fealtd, By the Spirit, the third Perfon in the Trinity, who is defcribed to us by two things. I. That he is the Spi6t of Promifo. 2.. AHoty Spirit, and this as a &alfr, for fo you mu(l uoder(\and it~ All thefe mu(\ befpoken to; for there is a My!lery lieth in all thefe. Firll, here is the Spirzt by whom we are fealrd, there is the Perfon. Secondly, here is his defcription as he is aSealrr; r. he is the Sp1rit of Promifo; 2. he is a Holy Spirit. You fhall find evt!ry one of thefe have their weight in the matter of foaling. .. l"irfi for the Perfon. Let us fpealrto that a little. The Apome had mentioned the work of the other two Perfons before : he had mentioned the work of God the Fatbrr, Blej[ed be God the Father, who hath 6/efled 11s with all Spirit11al Blrj]i11gs; fo verf <· and 4· he had mentioned God tbe So11 before, [,whom we h,zw Redemptiott through his Blood, andwt arf chojfn in bim,&c. But he had f10t mentioned the Spirit before,yet he had mentioned the Wm·k of 1he Spirit be– lore tco , the work of Faith and the work of Vocation, working prudence and wifdom,
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