Book II. THE HOLy SPIRIT ·COMPARED TO A SEAL. 493 MET AP HO R. V. A Seal is to confirm and .make fure Bonds, Contracts, or Covenants that are made between Man and Man. If an hone!l: Man make a-Promife of.fuch and ·fuch Things to his Friend, he thinks he hath ground to hope .thofe good Things, -fa .l'romifed him, are Ius own ; but 1t he g1ve it under his Hand Writing. he concludes he is more fure; but if the VVriring, Covenant, or Pro• mife be fealed, it is as firm and as fure as·he can·defire to have it. VI. A Seal is ufed to diftinguifh or differ Things one from another, ·whereby Property is known and fecured ; a Merchant knows his ' Goods from other Mens by the Seal or Mark he fets upon tl.em. D I S ·P A R I T Y. :V. The Holy Spirit confirms and makes fure Covenant and Promifes of God to Believers, Pfal. xxii. •4· God bath not only-made gracious Promifes to them, .of Pardon, .Peace and eternal Life, &c. But he hath left thefe P10mifes written in the Holy Scriptures; and not only fa, but fuch is his great Love and Kindnefs to them, he hath given them his Seal, they have his Pro– ·mife, his Word, and his Spirit .alfo, that they might not doubt of the Truth and Stability of hi• Covenant, 2 Cor. i. 22. We are his Witnejfes of .thefe 'Thilzgs, and fo is alfo the Holy Spirit, whom .God hatb given to them that obey him, Eph. i. 13. .dtls v. 3· .VI. The Holy Spirit diftinguilhes or differs one . Man from another ; God h~th fet his Seal or Mark upon all his People. '!'he Foundation of God remaineth Jure, having this Set~!, '!'he Lord knoweth them that are his, 2 'l'im. ii. 19· If any Mall bath ;zot the Spiril of Chrijf, .he is none qf ·his, Rom. ix. Vll. A Seal is ufed to·confirm VII. The •Holy Spirit is the broad Seal of ;and make Laws authentic; till Heaven, by which all the Laws and Inftitutions •they have the King's SealiJ:amped of the Gofp"l were ratified and confirmed, with upon them, they oblige not the Signs and Wonders in the primitive Times ; by Subject to Obed1ence. \Vhich means ·they come ·to be -authentic, and everlall:ing Laws, obliging all Men to Obedience; ;and all Laws of fpiritual Wodhip, Traditions, and Inftitutions, enjoyned by any .Potentate, Alfembly, or Council whatfoever, that were not thus .fealed or witnelfed ..to, are utterly to be rejected, Mark xvi. 20. Heb. ii. ·3· 4· 'VIII. A Seal is ufed ro fecure, VIII. The Spirit fecures, preferves, and keeps .preferve or keep fafe feveral fafe all true Believers from the Danger they con– Things, which otherwife might be tinually are expofed to, from Sin, Satan, and the ·fpoiled, run out, and become ·Infnarements and Mifchiefs of this evil World. good for nothing. Things that Satan, nor wicked Men mu£1: not, cannot deftroy ·-we would not have any to rouch, the Servants of God, becaufe of the Mark or nor meddle with, we fet a Seal .Seal he harh fet tlpon them. Set a Mark upon the npon. Men that mourn, &c. faying, Hurt not the Earth, &c. till we have fealed the Servants of our God in the Forehead, &c. And it was commanded them, tbat they jhould not hurt the Grafs of .the Earth, neither any green 'l'hing, neitber any 'l'ree, but only thofe Men, which have JJot the Seal of God upon their Forehead, Ezek. ix. 4- Rev. vii. 3· and ix. 4· 'IX. A Seal many Times is IX. The Spirit is oftentimes counterfeited by counterfeited by ill Men, they Satan, who transforms himfelf into an Angel of endeavor to imitate it as nigh as Light, as do his Minif\ers, as if they were the ·they can, to cheat poor ignorant Minifters of Righteoufnefs; hence they pretend .People thereby. to -Light, Spirit and Holinefs, and beguile the X. A Seal is ufed ·to hide or ·keep back others from the Know– ledae of Things; if a Man have .any 0 Thing to write unto his Friend that he would not have others 'know, he leals up his Letter, upon ·the Account of Secrecy, though it is likely afterwards, in conveni– .ent Time, thofe Things fo con– c<:ealed are difcovered. ignorant and unwary Souls to their eternal Ruin. X. The Holy Spirit hath hid or fealed up fome Things from fame Men ; Bind up my 'l'ef– timony, feat the Law amongfl my Difciples, Rev. viii. 16. Many Things are hid from Saints them– felves, in dark and myllerious Prophecies in the holy Scripture. Seal up thofe 'ThingJ which the [even '!'hunders uttered, &c. Yet in due Time thofe Things fhall be revealed, and not only fa, but ·the Saints of God themfelves, by .the Spirit are fuch a fealed and hidden People, that but a very few can read and underftand them., though 6 K legible
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