96 S E R M 0 N S upon Serm. XIV. ly, The ufe of this mark and diftinttion. Thirdly, The time how long this abideth with us, and all this will fully prove the point in hand. t. The markof all thofe whom God admitteth into the Gofpel State. They are fealed with that holy Spirit of promife; that isfecured, fet apart, as thofe that have intereft in the new Covenant, by that fpirit of holinefs which is promifed to believers ; for the fpirit is called the promife Of the Father; the renewing and fandifyirig work of the fpirit, or the image of Chriff impreffed upon the foul, is this feal ; and the comfort and joy that floweth thence, is an appendage to it ; as the work of Sanaification is more and more carried on, and is fruitful in holinefs of life ; fo we are more and snore diftinguifhed as a people fet apart to ferve,and pleafe,and injoy the holy and bleffed God. Now you that are exercifed with fo many doubts and fcruples about your intereft in the promife, would it not be exceeding comfortable to you, if you had your teal and warrant for a fincere claim to the priviledges of the Gofpel,by the faving graces of the fpirit, or the impreffion of the image of Chrill upon your hearrs ? You may be abundantly fatisfied; for where thefe favinggraces, and fruits of holinefs are found, your right and intereft in the promife of eternal life is clear and manifett; for this is themark of the holy fpirit, and the feed of life eternal. 2. The ufe for which the holy Spirit andfaving graces, beflowed on them, f rveth, is, to be the earnefl of the inheritance. An earneft is a pledg or firft part of a payment, which is an affurance or fecurity that the reft of the whole price Ihall not fail to follow So the Spirit and his Graces is the earneft given by God to confirm and affure the bargain,that at laft he will beflow upon us our full portion, or falvation and eternal life its felf: The prefence and working of the fpirit in our hearts,is this earneft ; affoon as you give up your felves to God in covenant, you have a right, but the Poffeffron is delayed for a feafon ; therefore he giveth us part in hand, to affure us he will bellow the whole in due time ; for we need to be fatisfied, not only as to our prefent right, but our future pof- feffron : The fpirit and his work of grace received here, is glory begun ; a part it is, tho but a fmall part in regard of what is to enfue. 3. The time how long the ufe of this earnefi is to continue, until the Redemption of the purcbafed pofjon. The words are fomewhat obfcure ; What is the purchafed pofièffion ? Its taken for the perfons acquitted and pnrchafed, that is to fay, the Church and People of God, holy and fincere Chriflians ; for they are Chrills poffeffion whom he bath dearly bought, r Cor. 6. io. and recovered out of the hands of Satan their old poffeffor and matter, Col. r. 13. The Redemption of them is till their full and final deliverance, Eph. 4. 30. Whereby ye arefealed to the day of redemption. Their deliverance is but begun now, and their bonds but in part loofed, but they are fully freed from the effeéls of fin at the laft day,when death its fell is abolilhed, and their bodies railed up in glory The camel is given, the holyfpirit with his graces to abide with us till then ; at that time there is no farther ufe of an earneft 5 for there is no place left for doubts and fears : Till this day comes, Gods earneft abideth with us, that is, in our fouls, till our bodies be reunited to them ;and this fully proveth the matter in hand. 5. His refpell to his old dwelling place; he once dwelled in our bodies as well as in our fouls, r Cor. 6. 19. Know you not that your bodies are Temples of the Holy Ghofl. Our bo- dies was his Temple, and honoured by his prefence ; he fanitified our bodies as well as our fouls, t Thef. 5. 23. !pray God fancfifre you wholly, your whole fpirit, foul and body. He fanitifieth the body,as he maketh it obedient to his motions, and a ready inflroment to the foul ; now when the body was given up' to the fpirit to be fanhlified, it was conic- crated to immortality ; 'tis by the fpirits fan&ifying the foul,that it was made capable of feeing and loving God; fo the body of ferving the foul in our duties to God ; now (hall a Temple of God be utterly demolifh'd ? That body that was kept clean for the Holy Ghoft to dwell in, and to be prefented immaculate at the day of Chrill, come to nothing ? Indeed for a while it rotteth in the grave, but his intereft in it is not made void by death, and his affe &ion ceafeth not; this body was once his Houle and Temple, and he had a property in it, therefore he bath a love to our dult, and a care of our dull, and will raife it up again. 6. Becaufe the great workof the fpirit is to retrench one bodily pleafures, and to bring its to refalve by all means to fave the foul, whatever becometh of the body in this World ; and to ufe the body for the fervice of the Lord Jefus Chrilt : Now the fpirit would not put us upon the labours of the body, and take no care for the happinefs of the body, thefe two always go together, r Cor. 6.13. The body is for the Lord, and the Lord far tie
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