494 THE HOLY SPIRIT COMPARED TO A SEAL. Book II. legible to be read of all the chofen and eleB: Seed, and Heirs of Promife, and in that great Day they !hall be known to all the World. METAPHOR. I. A "Seal among Men, after a Bond or Covenant is feal– ,ed therewith, may be defaced or broken, and thereby the faid Bond or Covenant may lofe its Vir– tue, Efficacy, and not be deem– -ed good and authentic in Law. II. A Seal amongMen can make ·no Impre!Eon without a Hand, or •one to feal therewith. Ill. A Seal is an Inftrument made by the Hand of fame Arti– Ji.cer of earthly Matter or Sub– ,ftance, and makes only a human or ·external Impreffion. IV. A Seal may be loft, or grow ·old and defeCtive, and fo make no ,perfeCt .and clear Impreffion. D IS PAR IT Y. I. THE Holy Spirit having once made a gracious ar>tl glorious lmpreffwn in the Soul of a Man, neither Devi.l, nor any other Enemy can ever, by all their Strength and Skill utterly deface, tear or break it, fa as to make the Cove– nant of Grace to lofe its Virtue and become of none EffeCt to the Soul; hence Believers are faid, '.fo be fealed to the Day of Redemption, Eph. iv. 30. II. The Spirit is not only the Seal, but the Se•ler, he makes the lmpreflion, needing no other, and alfo is the Seal by which the llnpref– fion is made. Ill. The Spirit is an uncreated Being, or an immortal Subf\:ance, and makes a divine and hea– venly lmpreflion in the Mind or Soul of a Man or a Woman, which by the Operation of God's Grace is made pliable and meet to receive it. JV. The Spirit can never be loft, grow ol<l, be wore om, or become defetlive; fo that the lmpreffion it now makes, is the fame in every re– !peEt with that it made five thocfand Years ago. N F E R E N C E S. I. poM hence ·we may perceive by whom the Change and Difference is made, which is in any Perfon. Man is born in Sin, and rather refembles Satan, and ,bears his Image, than t)1e CharaCter and Likenefs of God, until the Holy Spirit ftamp .a new and heavenly CharaCter upon him, or infufe a fpiritual Habit into him. JVho -makes thee to differ from another, or what haft tbou, which thou haft net received? &c. II. It may ferve to f\:ir every one up, to examine their Hearts, whether they have ·received .the Imprdlion of this fpiritual Seal; as is the Seal, fuch is the lmpreffion it makes. '.!bey that are after the Spirit, mind the '.fhings of the Spirit, Rom. v1ii . 5· But we all .with opw Face, bebolding as in a G14fs, the Glory of the Lord, are chaaged into tbefame Image, from Glory to Glory, even as b)' the Spirit of the Lord, 2 Cor. iii. 18. UL For .further Trial take thek few brief Notes following. 1 • Were yo.ur Hearts ever humbled in the Senfe of Sin, broken in pieces, melted, made foft, and pliable to receive the Seal? The Heart of Man naturally is hard and obdurate, and will nor take the fpiritual lmpreffion. 2. Did the Spirit.ever fet home, and feal any Promife in particular, or Promifes in general upon your Hearts, fo that you can fay with the Prophet David, Lord re– member the Word unto thy Servant, ttpon which thou haft cau(cd me to hope? Pfal. cx1x. 49· The Ephcfums are faid to beJea!ed 'fJJitb the Spirit of Promife,. Eph. i. 13. . . 3· Are you formed into the Likenefs and Image of the Spmt? There JS m that Soul that is fealed by the Spirit, a certain Impreffion of D1vme L•ght; former Dark– nefs Aies away, and rhe Eyes of the Underftancling are enlightened? .rhe Soul fees an Excellency in God, and in J efus Chrift, a tranfcendeni Beauty m d1vme ObjeB:s, and values the Knowledge of Jefus Chrift and him crucified, above all the Tlungs m t!m World, Phi!. iii. 9• to, 11, 12. . . 4 . A.re you holy, heavenly, fpiritual? Are there Principles of true P1etf and Godh– nefs wrought in you? Do you love God becaufe he 1s holy, and love Ius Word be– caufe of the Purity of it ? Do you breathe and pant after a further Confornmy and Likenefs to him ? 5· Is thy Heart wafhed from its filthinefs? If thou art not cleanfecl from thy former Wickednef<, and fwini01 Natur~, thou mayefl: affure thyfelt th?u hafl: no~. the Spirit of God in thee, thou art far from be;ng lealed therew•th. It JS by the\ 11 tue of thofe Promifes that are imprinted upon the Soul by theHoly Ghofl:, that a Man comes to cleanfe bimfe!f from all Ftlthinefs of the Flejh and Spmt, and toperjef! Holmefs in tbe Fear of God, 2 Cor. vii. 1. 6. Doth 3
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=