Commentary on 2 Corinthians 1

A S the riches of a Christian consisteth in the promises of God, which (as we have heard) in Christ are all Yea, and Amen: so unless he be stablished and built upon this strength, all is nothing. What if a man stand on a rock, if he be not built on it? what if the foundation be never so strong, if he be not stablished thereon? It is not sufficient that the Promises be stablished, but we must be stablished upon them. The Promises of God are indeed Yea, and Amen, (might the soul say) but what is that to me? Therefore the Apostle addeth, He that gives the Promises, will stablish us upon the promises.

The first thing that I will observe (before we come to the particular handling of the words) shall be only this in the general, from the connection and knitting together of this Verse with the former, viz.

There is an Amen in the Promises, they are in themselves true; there must be an Amen likewise in us: we must say Amen to them, that is, we must be stablished upon them. There must be an Echo in a Christians heart unto God; that as God saith, These and these things I promise, and they are all Amen: so the soul by faith must Echo again, These things are for me, I believe them.

For (as we say in the Schools to good purpose) there is a double certainty, a double firmness: a certainty of the Object, and a certainty of the Subject: there is a firmness of the Promises in Jesus Christ; and there must be a firmness in us upon those Promises. It is no matter what the certainty of the thing be that we are to build upon, if there be not a certainty in the person, if there be not a building on that thing: God shall lose the glory of his truth, and we the comfort, unless we be certain, as well as the promises are certain. It is no matter what the garment be, if it be not put on: It is no matter (as I said before) how firm the rock be, if we plant not ourselves upon it: and therefore besides the writing of God's Word on Tables, unless he write it likewise in our hearts, unless our hearts be stablished on that truth that in itself is certain, that it may be certain to us, all is to no purpose.

You see therefore the absolute necessity of the application of the soul unto those truths which are certain and sure in themselves: there must be a stablishing of us, as well as a stablishing of the promises. There is a necessity of the application of the promises to ourselves, that they be true to us. Christ is a garment, we must put him on then: he is the robes that we appear glorious before God in; but we must put him on by faith. Christ is the food of life, he is so indeed, but then he must be digested. Meat, except it be applied, except the stomach work nourishment out of it by application, and so digest it to all the parts, the body hath not nourishment from it.

Christ is the foundation of his Church: I but there must be application; we as living stones must be built on him. Let the foundation be never so strong, if the stones be not laid on the foundation, the stones cannot stand. Though Christ be the Spouse of the Church, and be never so rich, there must be application, and consent; we must strike up the bargain and match between Christ and us. There must be our consent to tie ourselves to him, to give up ourselves to him. So look to all the comfortable relations that our blessed Savior hath taken upon him in the book of God, they all enforce application.

The ground (I say) is this, that though there be never so much certainty in the thing, yet if there be not a certainty in the person to found application upon; all is to no purpose.

These two therefore must go together, and they are sweet relatives, promises on God's part, and faith on our part. The Promises, and Christ, are nothing without faith. For there must be a touch to draw virtue. If faith have never so little touch of Christ, it will draw virtue: but there must be a touch, there must be application. Christ is nothing without faith, and faith is nothing without Christ, and the Promises.

For what is the difference between faith, and presumption? presumption is an empty, groundless, fruitless conceit: faith builds on the Promises of the Word, we can allege the Promise. It is nothing for a mad man to assume himself to be King of another Country; why? he hath no promise. He that made account that all the ships that came to the Haven were his, it was but a frantic part of him, and so he was accounted: So a man that thinks his estate is good, and builds not himself upon the promise, that hath no ground for it out of God's Word, it is but a presumptuous frantic conceit. The promises are nothing without faith, and faith is nothing without the promises. There must be application. This I thought good to observe first in the general. To come now more particularly to the words themselves.

In the words you have first, A gracious Act of building, or stablishing.

Secondly, The Basis, the foundation of that stablishing, or building; and that is Christ.

Thirdly, the Author of this stablishing; God.

Lastly, the persons, who are built and stablished on that foundation; with you. He that stablisheth us with you in Christ, is God.

The first thing is the Act, Stablishing.

The point is this; first, That

It is necessary that there be a stablishing, confirming grace. It is not sufficient that we be brought out of the Kingdom of Satan; for when we are gotten out of his hands and strength, he pursues us with continual malice; therefore there must be the same power to stablish us still in grace, that first brought us into the state of grace: For as Providence is a continual creation, so stablishing grace is the continuance of the new creature: the same grace that sets us in the state of the new creation in Christ; the same stablisheth us. Stablishing grace is necessary: It is necessary many ways. Man of himself is an unstable creature; take him at the best, but a creature. God found no stability in the Angels; take the best of creatures, even as creatures they are unstable. For God will have a creature as a creature to be a dependant thing upon the Creator, who is a being of himself Jehovah. There is no stability in any creature. Man in his best estate was an unstable creature. Since, we are very unstable, ready to be carried away in our judgment to the wind of any false doctrine; ready to be blown over with every little temptation. Nay, now in the state of grace, in ourselves we are very unstable, ready to fly off presently; and therefore we have need to be established of God.

It is necessary in regard of the indisposition of our nature to supernatural truths: we are an unprepared subject for them in ourselves. The Law indeed we have some principles of it; but of the Gospel there are in us no seeds at all of it: and that is the reason there are so many Heresies against the Gospel, there are none against the Law: And therefore Divine truths being contrary to our disposition, as there must be a supernatural beginner, so there must be a supernatural strengthener; he that is Alpha, must be Omega: As there must be a mighty subduing of the heart to be a vessel to receive these truths, an Almighty power to lay the soul on this foundation; (because of the contrariety of the truth to the natural heart of man,) so there is need of no less then of a Divine and supernatural stablishing. Our natures are very inconstant, and unsettled, and wayward: take us at the best, before the fall, you see how soon we fell, being left to ourselves, and having no stablishing grace: Much more now since the fall, is there a nenecessity of Divine stablishing: when we come to know the truth, we are subject to fall away; like little children, that are ready to sink, if they be not upheld by their parents, or nurse: God must uphold and propus, and shore us up, we presently sink else. Moses was but in the Mount a while, and we see how soon the Israelites fell to Idolatry. Paul did but leave the Galatians a little, and they were removed presently from Christ to false Teachers. The nature of man is wonderful unstable, very loose and unsettled: Divine truths are supernatural; we have need of stablishing therefore.

Again, stablishing grace is necessary, in regard of those oppositions that are made against us after once we be in Christ: For with what malice doth Satan pursue a Christian, when he is once taken out of his Kingdom? And the world runs a clean contrary Byas in the several examples thereof: How many scandals do there arise daily even in the very Church itself? How many things are in our natural disposition joining with them? all which will make a man fly off, and unsettle him, if he be not stablished in grace.

And indeed, what is the difference between one Christian and another that lives in the bosom of the Church? between a temporizer, and another? The difference is but in their radication, in their stablishing: for all have the general knowledge of the truth; but here is the difference, the true Christian is radicated, and rooted in the truth; a false Christian is not, and thereupon when temptations come either from within, from conscience: or from without, from Satan, and the world; he falls away, because he is not rooted: but the other holds on, because he is established.

And the best of us all have need of stablishing: for there be degrees of truths, degrees of faith, in all the parts of faith: there is conjecture, a certain suspicious knowledge: and there is opinion, which is with fear of the contrary: and there is knowledge; and there is faith, which is founded upon the Authority of the speaker. And yet this faith, though it be founded upon the Word of God, it may receive further and further strength in all the parts of it: In assent there may be a higher degree, in affiance there may be a higher degree, &c. And therefore the best of us all have need of strengthening.

But where shall we have it?

Christ is the Basis, the foundation of all our stability: Now in the Covenant of grace, we are stablished in him, not in ourselves. The Point is this, That

As all the Promises are made to us in Christ in regard of the execution, so God he brings us to Christ; all is conferred to us in Christ: as the Promises are made, so they are executed. God stablisheth us in Christ, he draws us to Christ. None come to me, but God the Father draws. Therefore God doth reveal Christ to us in our conversion, and our stablishing is in him. Therefore our salvation is so certain, because it is laid upon one that is so certain in himself, Christ Jesus.

And happy it is, that we are stablished in him that loves us so well, that is both a low high Priest, that will pity us; and a great high Priest, equal with God, able to do all things to God for us, and between God and us. Adam (we know) had his strength in his own keeping, and being left to himself, we see what became of him. The Angels had their strength in their own keeping, and we know how soon they fell: But since the fall, we are founded and bottomed upon a surer foundation; now we stand not by our own strength, but we are established in Jesus Christ: we are surer then the Angels were before they fell, surer then Adam was in Paradise: for now we arestablished in Christ the Mediator, God and man: and because we could not keep our stability in ourselves, we are stablished in him that wrought it for us, and that possesseth it for us in heaven, and that keeps it for us: and as it is laid up and kept for us, so we are kept for it; You are kept by the power of God to salvation, 1 Pet. 1. And therefore as there be many differences which advance the state of grace above the state of nature; so this is one, that our state in grace is more stable and firm, as being stablished upon a better ground, even upon Jesus Christ the second Adam. God never mends, but he mends for the better: and he never restores, but he restores for the better: the new heaven and the new earth shall be better then the first, so the new creature, the new Adam is more glorious then the first: and as that which we recover in Christ is more and better then that we lost in Adam, so the certainty and security of our estate in grace, is far beyond the other, this being stablished in Christ.

But what in us is stablished in Christ? and in Christ how considered?

First of all, our Judgment, that is stablished in Evangelical truths, concerning the Natures and the Offices of Christ, concerning the privileges that we have by him; and this is the ground of all other stablishment: we cannot firmly cleave to that with our Will and affections, which we do not clearly apprehend with our understandings. When we have a clear and judicious apprehension of things, then follows a firm affection to them: the adhering and cleaving of the will and affections, it comes from the discerning of the understanding: and therefore as we say of the first concoction, if that be naught, all is naught; and if that be good and sound, it makes way for all concoctions after: so if things be well digested in the Judgment, if there be a sound illumination and apprehension of Divine truths, it makes way for a constant and firm adhesion: therefore the first stablishing is of our Judgments.

Secondly, as our Judgments, so our Wills are stablished in cleaving unto Christ, making choice of him above all things in the world; that as he became man to sue unto us for our love, and to become our Husband: so we then marry him, when upon judging what an excellent person he is, and how fit for us, we choose him, and cleave unto him constantly without all separation, for better, for worse, in our joy, in our love, and delight: for indeed, he is the only excellent object, and most fittest for our affections to be placed on: whatsoever other things besides we place our affections on too much, they make us worse then ourselves; only he can advance us to a better estate then we are in, that can raise us higher.

In a word, the whole soul, judgment, will, and affections, and all the inward man (for so the Apostle takes it in that latitude, Ephes. 3. 16.) is stablished in Christ, and this carries the outward man with it. We are stablished in Jesus Christ, not in ourselves.

Now when we are stablished in Christ, whatsoever Christ hath, or is, is ours. It is a most excellent condition to be in Christ, and to be stablished in him: for to be established in Christ, is to be in a firm estate, in an everlasting estate; once Christ's, and forever his: it is a glorious state, for he hath conquered over all enemies whatsoever, and his conquest is ours.

Well then, we see the foundation of the Church, and of every particular Christian (Christ Jesus;) whence comes the stability and firmness of the Church, that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it? It is built upon the rock, upon Christ. So all the stablishing that a Christian hath, it is from this rock, his being built upon Jesus Christ: If we were built upon man, we could not stand: if we were built upon Angels, we could not stand: if we were built upon anything in the world we could not stand; but being built upon Jesus Christ, (who is all in all to a soul that is stablished in him) there must needs be an everlasting stablishing.

It is a fond Objection of some, and unlearned, against the principles of Divine truth, that we may fall as well as Adam in Paradise, as well as the Angels in heaven: As if there were not a wide and broad difference between the state of grace, and the state of nature. A Christian hath more strength then the Angels in heaven, or then Adam in Paradise ever had: he hath a more firm consistence, because he stands by grace; By grace we stand, as the Apostle saith. A Christian hath promises of perseverance, Adam and the Angels had none: and therefore to fetch a reason of falling away from grace, from the proportion we have to that condition, is a mere Sophism, not rightly discerning the disparity. It is not alike with the Angels and Adam, and us, for we stand by grace, out of ourselves, being stablished in another.

We have not only a promise of happiness as the Angels and Adam had happiness and a blessed estate, but they had no promise to stand, and be confirmed. A poor weak Christian hath a promise to be stablished, and confirmed. Therefore those proud Sectaries that are between us and the Papists, and join rather with them then us, that trouble the Church so much, they make an idle objection concerning falling away from grace, to say, Did not Adam fall away? What is that to the purpose? was Adam under the same Covenant as we are now in Christ? Is there not a new promise made to us in Christ better then ever Adam could attain to.

Besides, we are founded upon a better Adam, upon the second Adam, God-man: we have not only a better foundation, but better promises, that Adam, and the Angels themselves wanted. And therefore the Covenant of grace is said to be an everlasting Covenant; I will marry thee to myself forever, Hos. 2.

A Christian is not to be considered abstractively, or alone; for then indeed he is a weak creature, as weak as other men are: but consider him in his Rock on whom he is built; consider him in his Husband to whom he is united and knit; consider him in his head Christ: look upon him as he is thus founded and stablished, oh he is an excellent person.

See him in the difference betwixt him and others. Those that are not stablished by a firm judgment, and will, and affection, and so by faith in Jesus Christ, what consistence, what stability have they? Those who have the firmness they have in the favor of men, it is but vanity: those that have the firmness they have in riches, what are they? how soon do they leave it all? those that have the firmness they have in dependence upon any creature, be it never so great; alas, they are nothing, they are all vanity. Both we ourselves in depending, and the things we depend upon, are vanity: therefore we are vanity, because we fasten upon that which is vanity: things have no more firmness then that hath upon which they lean: those that have but a weak prop to support them, when that falls, they fall together with it. Now those that are not founded upon Christ by knowledge and love, and united to him by faith, alas, what standing have they, when all things else besides God are vain? For nothing hath a being but God, and a Christian so far as he leans upon God. Were not all things taken out of nothing? and shall not they all turn to nothing? must not this whole world be consumed with fire?

There must be a new world, a new heaven, and a new earth; but this and all the excellencies in it, as they were raised out of nothing, so they shall come to nothing: God he is, I am that I am, saith he: and Christ he is yesterday, today, tomorrow, and the same forever. A man cannot say of any creature in the world, that it was yesterday, and shall be tomorrow, and forever. We may say it of Christ, he is Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, he was, and is, and is to come: and therefore those that are founded upon him, that have their happiness in him, they are firm as he is firm: and those that build upon any other thing, they vanish as the thing vanisheth. There is nothing in the world hath such a Being, but it is subject in time not to be: it is only a Christian that is in Christ, who is as firm as Christ is; and Christ can never be but that which he is; for of necessity God must be always like himself, he is Jehovah, I am, I am at all times; and Christ he is Jehovah: A Christian therefore, and none but a Christian hath a firm stablishing in Christ. Without this stablishing in Christ what are we? what are wicked men? Chaff, that the wind blows away; they are grass, &c. things of nothing carried away with every blast: but a Christian is a stone, a rock, built upon Christ Jesus.

But to come to the Person, who it is that stablisheth: He that stablisheth us in Christ, is God

Wherein we may consider these two Branches:

God must stablish.

God will stablish.

Can none stablish the soul upon Christ, but God?

No; For God is the only maker of the Marriage between Christ and the Church. The same God that brought Adam and Eve together in Paradise, brings the Church and Christ together. And as he gives Christ to the Church, and hath sealed and appointed him to be wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption: (being made of God unto us for that purpose, as the Apostle saith) so he works the consent of the Church, a consent in heart and spirit to take and embrace Christ. Now it is God only that can work the heart to Christ; None can come unto me, except God the Father draw him. It is God that gives Christ to be the husband of the Church, and that brings the Spouse the Church to Christ.

For first, it is God by his Spirit that discovers to the soul its hideous, desperate, and woeful estate without Christ; and by the Spirit in the Ministry of the Word, lays open the riches and excellency that is in Christ, and the firmness, and stability that is to be had in him; and so draws us with the Cords of a man, with reasons, discovering an absolute necessity of geting into Christ, and of having him to be our Husband, except we will lie under the wrath of God and be damned; and withal, discovering the fullness and excellency that is in Christ.

Again, it is God only that must stablish the soul, all the parts of it, both judgment and conscience: For (I beseech you) what can any human creature, what can anything under God work upon the soul? I mean so firmly as to stablish it: and therefore our controversy with the Papists is just and good.

We say, The reason and ground of our believing the Word of God, to be the Word of God, must not be the testimony of the Church, and the authority thereof: for alas, what can the judgment of man, what can the judgment of the Church do? It may incline and move the will by inducing arguments, and so cause a human consent: but to establish the soul and conscience, and to assure me that the Word of God (which is the ground of my faith) is the Word of God, it must be God by his Spirit that must do it; the testimony of the Church will never do it. The same Spirit that inspired holy men to write the Word of God, works in us a belief, that the Word of God is the Word of God: The stablishing argument must be by the power of God's Spirit. God (joining with the soul and spirit of a man whom he intends to convert, besides that inbred light that is in the soul) causeth him to see a Divine Majesty shining forth in the Scriptures: so that there must be an infused establishing by the Spirit, to settle the heart in this first principle, (and indeed in all other Divine principles) that the Scriptures are the Word of God.

And (to go on a little further) this is a fundamental error in our practice. For what is the reason we have so many Apostates? what is the reason so many are so fruitless in their lives? what is the reason that men despair in death? but even this, because men are not built and stablished aright: God's Spirit never stablished their souls in Divine truths. For first, concerning Apostasy, ask them, what is the reason they are of this or that Religion? They will say, they have been taught so, they have been brought up to it; the company with whom they have conversed, have been devout men, and have been always led with this opinion; and they see no reason to thwart it.

Is that all? Hath not the Spirit wrought these things in thy heart? hath he not given thee a taste of them? hath he not convinced thee in thy judgment that it is so? hast thou not found the power of the Spirit working upon thy soul, changing of thee, raising of thee, drawing of thee out of the world nearer to God? hast thou not (I say) felt the power of the Spirit this way?

No, but thus I was catechized, and thus I have been bred, and thus I have heard in the Ministry. And no otherwise? Alas, it will never hold out; there will be a falling away: for when a man believes not that which he believes from the Spirit of God, he will be ready when dangerous times come, when there is an onset made by the adversaries, to fall, and to fall clean away, as we see it was in the time of Popery: for whatsoever is not spiritual, whatsoever knowledge is not Divine, and from the Spirit of God, never holds out. Therefore (I beseech you) what's the reason that you have many illiterate men, that set upon the truth and hold out to the end: and on the contrary many great seeming Scholars that are skillful in school-learning, and in other Authors, do not? The reason is, the one hath the truth from the Spirit, discovering all the objections that the heart of man can make against it, and the strength that is in the truth to answer and silence all those objections. The other man hath only a discoursing knowledge, an ability to gather one thing from another, and to prove one thing by another, by strength of parts: But the Spirit of God never discovered the sleights and the corruptions of his heart, never fastened and settled his heart upon the truth, he never had experience of the truth: For indeed nothing doth stablish so much as the experience of the truth on which we are stablished.

Again, what is the reason of that unfruitfulness that is amongst men? but because truths were never settled in the soul by the Spirit of God. That which men know out of the Word of God, concerning Christ and the privileges by him, they were never persuaded of it in their hearts; therefore they come not to a fruitful conversation. It is impossible but that men should be abundantly fruitful, that have spiritual apprehensions of Divine things, of Evangelical truths. Hence comes all our unthankfulness and undervaluing of the Gospel. The Gospel of itself is an unprized thing; however we esteem of it, God values it highly: we value it not, because our apprehensions of it are customary and formal, gotten by breeding, and education, and discourse, and not by the Spirit: we feel not the spiritual and heavenly comforts of those truths we think we know.

How comes likewise Despair in time of temptation, and in death, but only because men want this stablishing by the Spirit of God? Men go on in evil courses, trusting to a formal, dead, human knowledge, gotten by human means; and not settled in them by the Spirit of God, that hath not sealed the truth in their hearts: and hereupon when sharp trials come, they despair, because they have no feeling of the truths of the Gospel: and so when conscience is awakened and smarts, it clamours and cries out upon all their formal and human knowledge: For they having not a spiritual sense of the mercies of God in Christ, and the persuasions of comfort, are not so near to support the soul, as the temptations, and vexations, and torments are, how can they but despair? Now who can still the conscience but the Spirit of God? Why now, if the knowledge that men had were spiritual and heavenly; in all accusations of conscience, it would set conscience down, and still it; I am a sinner indeed, I am this and this, but I have felt the sweet mercies of God in Christ: God hath said to my soul, I am thy salvation: he hath intimated to my spirit by a sweet voice, Son, thy sins are forgiven thee. Where there is (I say) a knowledge and an apprehension of these Evangelical truths wrought by the Spirit, it sets down Conscience and stills it, though the heart rage at the same time. There are thousands in the very bosom of the Church that miscarry because of this, resting in a literal, outward, formal knowledge, gotten only by discourse, and by reading, and commerce with others; and never labor to have their hearts stablished in Christ by God's Spirit.

You see here then a necessity of God's writing his truth in our bowels: he saith in the Covenant of grace, I will write my Law in their inward parts; thaat is, I will teach their very hearts: that knowledge that they have, shall be spiritual.

For (beloved) the knowledge that must save us, must not only be of Divine things, but it must be Divine; it must not only be of spiritual things, but it must be spiritual: the light that we have of spiritual things must be answerable to the things; we must see them by their own light: we cannot know spiritual and heavenly things, by a human light, but as the things themselves are spiritual, so we must have the Spirit of God, that by it we may come to know spiritual things spiritually.

Desire God therefore to vouchsafe us his Spirit, that it may teach us, and convince us of the truth of those things which we read and hear. God must do it, he must persuade and bow the heart, and will, and affections; and so he will do it, and doth it to those that rely upon him: And this is the second Branch.

What is the Reason of that?

It is this; he will do it, because he is constant: where he begins a good work, he will finish it to the day of the Lord. He will do it, because in the Covenant of Grace he hath undertaken both parts, both his own, and ours. He undertakes his own part, which is to give us eternal life, and to give us Christ; and he undertakes our part too, which is to believe, and to cleave unto Christ, &c. he makes this good himself, he works this in the heart by the Spirit: for therefore it is called the Covenant of Grace, because God himself is graciously pleased to do both parts. Which must be comfortably remembered against an Objection that flesh and blood will make. I might indeed come to God, and Christ, but I am an unworthy empty creature, I have no faith.

Come, and atrend upon the means, the gift of application, and confirming, and stablishing, is part of the Covenant. The Covenant that God makes with thee, is not only to give thee life everlasting, and glory; but to give thee grace likewise. Faith is the gift of God. He that stablisheth us, and confirms us upon that which is certain in itself, is God.

Lay it up against a time of temptation for a pillar and ground of your faith; that here God doth both: he gives us Promises, and gives us Christ whereon the Promises are founded; and likewise establisheth us, and seals us, &c. he doth all. So that as none can stablish the soul but God by his Spirit: so he will do it. It is an excellent reason of the Apostle in Rom. 5. If when we were enemies God gave us his Son to reconcile us, how much more now shall we be saved? If we were saved by the Death of Christ when we were enemies, much more shall we be preserved by his life, he now living in heaven. So I say, If God when there was nothing in us, but we were in a clean opposite estate, did begin spiritual life in us, much more will he stablish that which he hath begun in us.

And this stablishing as well as the beginning of grace comes likewise from God: for take Grace in the whole latitude and extent of it, take all that can be in grace, all comes graciously from God: the offer of it, the beginning of it; this manner of it, that it should be strong, the strengthening of grace, it comes from God: he strengtheneth us in grace, as well as begins it: so that Grace itself, and this Modus, this manner, that it is strong and firm, that it should hold out, all comes from God.

A Christian needs not only converting grace, but stablishing grace: God that converted him, must stablish him, and build him up, and confirm him. Peter was in the state of grace, and yet when God did not stablish him; you see how he fell: so David was an excellent man, but when God did not stablish him, you see how he fell. The weakest with the stablishing grace of God will stand; and the strongest without the stablishing grace of God, will sink and fall.

The Apostle doth not say, he hath done, but he doth stablish us. This must be considered, that the life of a Christian is a perpetual dependant life: not only in his conversion he lives by faith, he hath his first life; but ever after he lives by faith, that is, dependence on God for assistance, and protection, and strength in the whole course of his life.

The ignorance of this makes us subject to fail: for when we trust to grace received, and do not seek for a new supply, we fall into Peters case: Though all men for sake thee, yet will not I: hereupon Peter fell foully, he had too much confidence in grace received.

Therefore God is fain to humble his children to teach them dependence: and usually therefore in Scripture, where some special grace is given, he hath somewhat joined with it, to put them in mind that they do not stand by their own strength. In the same Chapter where Peter makes a glorious confession, Thou art the Son of the living God, and he was honored of Christ by that confession; yet Christ calls him Satan in the same Chapter, and he forsakes his Master. A strange thing: To teach us, that we stand not of ourselves. When we are strong, it is by God; when we are weak, it is by ourselves.

Jacob wrestled, and was a prevailer with God, but he was fain to halt for it; he was struck with halting all the days of his life: though he had the victory, and overcame God, taking upon him (as I said before) the person of an enemy to strive with him; yet God to put him in mind, that he had the strength whereby he prevailed, from him, and not of himself: he made him limp all his days. We need perpetual dependence upon God.

Therefore let us set upon nothing in our own strength, as Hannah saith comfortably, 1 Sam. 2. No man is strong by his own strength. God is all our sufficiency. Mans nature doth affect a kind of Divinity, he would be a God to himself: but God will teach him that he is not a God; but a dependant creature. He affects a Divinity; thus he will set upon things in confidence of his own wisdom without prayer, and thinks to work things with the strength of his own parts, to compass things with his own wit, to bring things to a good issue. O no, it will not be so. In Prov. 3. Acknowledge God in all thy ways: That is, acknowledge him in thy enterprises in anything: acknowledge him in the progress, that thou needest stabilishing grace: acknowledge him in the issue, that thou needest his blessing upon all thy endeavors: acknowledge God in all our ways.

Therefore whas do we but make ourselves God's, when we set upon business, especially weighty, without invocation and dependence? A Christian is wondrous weak, a man is vanity in himself: but take him as he is built upon the promises, and as he is in the love of God, and Christ, he is a kind of almighty man; then I can do all things in Christ that strengtheneth me. A Christian is omnipotent if he depend upon the Promise, and commit his ways to God; but he is impotent, and weak in himself. It is God that must stablish us. A man that is vanity, he makes him firm: a man that is weak, he makes him strong: a man that is unsettled, he settles him. The Word is a firm thing, and God that builds us on the Word is as firm; and Christ in whom we are built is as firm. Peter when he built on the Word he was wondrous firm, he was a rock too. A man that stands on a rock is firm. Now in believing the Gospel, and in being built on the Gospel, upon the Prophets and Apostles, upon Apostolical truth, now we that are weak in ourselves are firm.

The weakest creatures have the strongest shelters; and weakness is turned by God to be a help: for conscience of weakness makes us seek for strength out of ourselves. You know, the Conies (as Solomon saith) they hide themselves in the rock, they flee to their burroughs. The birds, because snares are laid for them below, they build their nests on high to secure themselves that way. We see the Vine, a weak plant, it hath the Elm to prop it, weak things must have a strong support: So man being weak in himself, weak in judgment, weak in affections, he is stablished by God.

God herein triumphing in our weakness over strength. For when we have strong Adversaries, and we are weak, Satan is a strong enemy. God himself puts upon him the vizor of an enemy sometimes, as in Job's case, and Christ's on the Cross; when God personates an enemy, and the devil is a real enemy; And the devils instruments, Heretics, and Seducers are strong, strong in wit and parts every way, and we are weak to encounter with God, to wrestle with him; and we are weak to encounter with Principalities and powers, and with men of stronger parts, that are besotted, and intoxicated with Satanical temptations, and labor to draw all into the snare of the devil with themselves: Now when God in weakness shall triumph over strength, here is glory to God, in stablishing us. It is God that must stablish us.

And as God must only do it, so he is ready to do it: for in the Covenant of grace it lies upon him, God hath promised there to confirm it; and therefore the Apostle, 1 Cor. 7. 8, 9. binds it with the faithfulness of God, Faithful is he that hath promised, who also will do it. God is content that our confirmation should lie upon his faithfulness; and therefore when he accepts us into the Covenant of grace, he performs our part as well as his own: God is faithful (saith the Apostle, 2 Cor. 9.) who hath called us to the fellowship of Christ, who will confirm us to the end: he is content to hazard his reputation, as it were, and to be counted unfaithful else: so that strengthening grace is of God, he hath bound himself by his faithfulness to confirm and to stablish those that are his.

Mark here by the way, (before I come to handle the Doctrine of perseverance) what an invincibld Argument you have to prove, that a man that is once in Christ can never fall away.

Say they, Indeed, God for his part is ready to maintain us, to do this; but we for our part are subject to fall away: as if the carrying of us along in the course of grace to salvation, did not lie upon God and Christ. God is faithful to confirm us to the end: we being once in the Covenant of grace, he doth our part and his own too: how can those then that are in the state of grace ever finally fall away?

Now God doth confirm us, by working such graces in us by his Spirit, by which we are stablished. As for instance; I will put my fear into their hearts, that they shall never depart from me: he stablisheth us by fear: Make an end of your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that works in you both the will and the deed: he puts a spirit of jealousy into a man over his corruptions; and a reverential filial fear, which keepeth him from presuming.

And likewise he preserveth us by Wisdom, as it is, Prov. 2. 10, 11. When wisdom entereth into thy heart; discretion shall preserve thee, and understanding shall keep thee.

And by Faith: You are kept (saith the Apostle) by the mighty power of God through faith to salvation.

And by Peace of Conscience, which is wrought in the heart by the Spirit: The Peace of God which passeth all understanding shall guard (for so the word signifieth) your hearts and minds; that is, a true Believer that is once in Christ, he finds such joy in the Holy Ghost, such inward peace of conscience, as preserves and guards him from despair, from the temptations of Satan, from the seeming wrath of God. So that God as he stablisheth us, so he stablisheth us as it becometh Christians, as it becomes men, by sanctifying our understandings, by working grace in our hearts, the grace of fear, of wisdom, of faith, of peace, &c. so that a Christian now cannot presume, save in a holy kind of presumption, that God will finish his own good work. But of this (I say) I shall have fitter occasion to speak hereafter.

To conclude therefore; God you see must stablish, and God will stablish. It is a Point of great comfort every way: Comfort from the foundation and root in whom we are stablished; and from him that hath taken upon him to stablish us, God by his holy Spirit. If a Christian should fall, God must be unstable; or Christ the foundation must be unstable; or the holy Spirit by which we are stablished must be unstable: but it were blasphemy to think thus.

I come now to the last thing, The subject, or the persons that are stablished; us with you.

We should have honorable conceits of all Christians: there is an ointment runs down upon the very skirts of Aaron's garment: there is not the lowest Christian, but he receiveth something from Christ the head. Perhaps thou hast one grace in an eminent manner; it may be he hath another more eminent then thou hast: thou may est have more knowledge, he may have more humility: thou mayest have more strength of judgment, he may have more sense of his own wants. There is somewhat in every Christian that is valuable, that is estimable and precious, not only in the eye of God, who valued him so as to give his Son for him; but should be so also in the eye of stronger Christians: therefore S. Paul here, a strong Christian, out of the sweetness of his spirit, joins, us with you: he saith not, you with us; but as if they were as firmly set in Christ as himself, he saith, us with you: he puts them together with himself: for indeed, all of us one with another, weak Christians, and strong Christians fetch all that we have from one Fountain, draw all from one Spring, are led all by one Spirit.

You have here also the Character of a sound Christian; he loves and values all Christians. A carnal man may value excellent Christians, that have excellent parts, of whom he hopes for kindness in some peculiar regard, but he loves not all the Saints. Love to all Christians as they be Christians, because they have some anointing of the Spirit, some earnest, somewhat they have to be valued, is a note of a good and sound Christian.

Another reason why he joins us with you, is, to show that the working of the Spirit, it is not in the members severed from the body; but as they are in the body. The Spirit works in us, but in us with you, and in you with us: that is, as all the spirits come from the head and heart to the several members of the body, so they must be united, they must be in the body, before they can have the benefit of the spirits; there must be an union with Christ the head and with the rest of the members before we can have the Spirit to strengthen us and anoint us; those that rend themselves from the body, cannot hope for stablishing from the head.

This should be a bond to ty us to the communion of Saints: we have all that we have in the body: we all grow in the body: we are all stones in one building, whereof Christ is the foundation; therefore as stones in an Arch strengthen one another, so should we. Let us look for grace to be given in the communion of Saints: it is an ill sign when any man will be a solitary Christian, and will stand alone by himself. As we are knit to Christ by faith, so we must be knit to the communion of Saints by love. That which we have of the Spirit, is had in the communion of Saints. It is worth ohserving, the better to cherish Christian lovingnesse.

Thus you see the parts of this sentence, in which we have, the grace itself here spoken of, Stablishing.

In whom we are stablished; In Christ.

By whom; by God.

And who those are that are stablished; Us with you.

To make now some Application of all.

If it be God that stablisheth us, let us make this Use of it; Let God have the glory of our stablishing. If we have it in dependence upon God by Prayer, let us return all by praise, and thanksgiving: all comes of his mere grace, let all return to his mere glory; Not unto us, but unto thy Name give the praise. It is the song of the Church on earth, and the song of the Church triumphant in heaven, that all glory be to God in all the whole carriage of salvation. The promises are his, stablishing is his, that he would make a Covenant it is his, that he will perform his Covenant to us it is his; that he will enable us to perform the Covenant, it is by his strength, all is his: therefore both the Church here, and the Church in heaven, our song should be, Great, and gracious, and merciful is the true God, that is so gracious, and righteous in all his promises.

Let us labor (I beseech you) for stablishing, especially in these times. Is it not a shame that we have gotten no more ground now, then we had threescore years ago? nay, that we rather call principles into question? The Pope hath been Antichrist; and Traditions have been accounted Traditions, and not equal with the Word: what shall we now stagger in the foundation? is here our progress? Oh (beloved) labor to be stablished in the present truth, that you may not be a prey for every subtle man.

And here especially I would speak to the younger sort, that they should labor for this stablishing betimes, before they be engaged in the world, and before other businesses possess them over-deeply: for falsehood hath more correspondency, and suits better with our corruption, specially if it be forced from subtle wits, it prevails much with unstable dispositions; those that are uncatechized and ungrounded, they are soon led away: and therefore with other studies we should study the truth; and remember, that our best calling is to be a Christian; and our best honor, to be able to stand for the truth we profess.

Labor to have fundamental graces established, and then all will be stablished: if the root be strengthened, the tree stands fast; radical graces must be strengthened.

First, Humility. The foundation of Religion is very low, and humility and abasing is in all parts of Religion, every grace hath a mixture of humility; because our graces are from God: they are dependences. Now humility is an emptying grace, and acknowledgeth, that in myself I am nothing. Spiritual poverty with humility acknowledgeth that I in myself am a dependent creature; if God withhold his influence, if God withdraw his grace, I shall be as other men, as Sampson when his hair was cut. Our strength is in God altogether. Let us pray that we may be humble: God gives grace to the humble. When I am weak (saith blessed S. Paul,) then I am strong: that is, when I am humble, and feel, and acknowledge my weakness, then I am strong: or else a man is not strong when he is weak, but when he feels, and acknowledgeth his weakness. Therefore let us labor to grow in humility, and self-denial, and we shall grow in strength.

Then again, another radical grace to be stablished, is Faith. Depend upon God altogether: for considering our strength is out of ourselves, and faith being a grace that goes out of ourselves, and lays hold of that that is out of ourselves, faith is necessary to our stablishing; Believe, and ye shall be stablished, saith the Prophet. Though the Promise be sure in itself, yet we must be established by faith. How doth God stablish us? by working a spirit of faith: therefore strengthen faith, strengthen all other graces: all have their issue from faith.

And faith comes from sound knowledge: knowledge therefore hath the name of faith, This is eternal life, to know thee; strengthen, and increase knowledge. Historical faith is nothing but knowledge: when we know the Word of God to be as it is; and that is the ground of justifying faith, and dependence. For the more I know God in Covenant as he hath revealed himself, and the more I know the promise, and the more I know Christ, the more I shall depend upon him, and trust in him; They that know thy Name, will trust in thee, Psal. 9.

Therefore let us labor for certainty of knowledge, that we may have certainty of faith. What is the reason that our faith is weak? because men care not to increase their knowledge. The more we know of God, the more we shall trust him. The more we know of a man that we have bonds from, that he is an able man, and just of his word, we shall trust him more, and the more our security upon his promise, and bond is increased: so the more we know of God as he hath revealed himself in his Word, and his voluntary Covenant he hath made with us, and performed in the examples of Scripture, the more we know him, the more we shall trust him.

And this must be a spiritual knowledge; not only a bare, naked reading, but it must be spiritual, like the truth itself. We must see, and know spiritual things in their own light: to know them by their own light, is to know them by the Spirit. You know the Spirit dictated the Scripture to the Prophets, and Apostles, the Spirit did all: they wrote as they were acted by the Spirit. Now the same Spirit must inform our understanding, and take away the veil of ignorance and infidelity; I say; the Spirit must do it, we must know spiritual things in their own light.

Therefore a carnal man can never be a good Divine, though he have never so much knowledge; an illiterate man of another calling may be a better Divine then a great Scholar: Why? Because the one hath only notional knowledge, discoursive knowledge, to gather by strength of parts one thing from another. Divinity is a kind of Art, and as far as it is an Art to prove one thing by another: so a natural man may do wonders in it, and yet know nothing in its own spiritual light. That is the reason the Devil himself knows nothing, he is a spirit of darkness, because he knows nothing spiritually, and comfortably: therefore as there must be humility, and faith, for our stablishing so there must be spiritual knowledge.

It is said here, that God stablisheth us: the same God that stablisheth us, must give us faith whereby we are stablished, and he must give us knowledge. Beg of God that he would vouchsafe us his Spirit: when we read the Scriptures, beg of God that he would open our understanding by his own Spirit, that as there is light in the Scriptures, so there may be in us.

You know an eye must have light, before it can see the light; light is full of discovery of things in itself. I can see nothing except there be light in my eye too, there must be a double light: so there must be a Spirit in me, as there is a Spirit in the Scripture before I can see anything: God must open our eyes, and give us spiritual eye-salve, to see, and then the light of the Scripture, and our light together, is suficient to found a saving faith, as stablishing faith on.

What is the reason that a Christian stands to his profession, though he be weak, when the greatest learned men in the world flinch in persecution? The knowledge of the one is spiritual, and heavenly, he hatht ligh in him; the other hath no divine; spiritual light; when light is joined with light, the light in the soul with the light in the Scripture, it makes men wondrous confident.

To this end, labor to be acquainted with God's Word, study the Scriptures, and other Treatises of that kind, that you may be able to hold fast the truth, that it be not wrung from you upon any occasion. And in reading, it is a good course to observe the main, principal undeniable truths, such Dogmatical truths as are clear and evident, and to lay them up; and oft make queries to ourselves; Do I understanst this or no? Yes, I do, this I know is true: build on it then, and bottom the soul upon it. And so if it be matter of promises: these promises are undeniable true I will stay my soul upon them. And so when we meet with plain evidences in the Scriptures that cross our coruptions, that meet with our known sins, then consider of those places as Jewels, and lay them up that you may have use of them as occasion serves.

All things have not an equal certainty in Scripture to us; some things we may have an implicit faith in: but the main we must have a clear apprehension of. There are some things that concern Teachers more to know then others, by reason of their standing in the Church: it is sufficient that in preparation of mind we be ready to embrace further truths that shall be discovered; but in fundamental truths it is not so, we must have our hearts stablished upon them, that as they are certain in themselves, so they may be certain to us. And often let us examine ourselves, Would I die in this, and for this? would I stand in the defense of this against any? this will make us make much of so much truth as we know, and labor to grow in truths in that kind.

And take no scandal to hear that any shrink from the profession of the truth, and the maintaining of it, that are of great reputation. Was Christ the worse for Judas betraying of him, and for Peters denying of him? was Paul's truth the worse because he had many enemies, Elymas the sorcerer and others? Is the truth the worse because there are many that have carnal outward dependence, that seem to shrink when they should stand out? The truth is not the worse, it is the same truth still: truths are eternal in themselves, and in the good they bring, if they be believed. The Word of God endures forever, it is not variable, as man is: and therefore be not discouraged, though men discountenance it: remember whose truth it is, & for whose good it is given, the Word of God; it is a soul saving truth.

And retain the truth in love. Love is an affection with which we should receive the truth: or else God will give us over to uncertainties. They in 2 Thess. 2, 10. had the truth, but because they received not the Love of the truth: therefore God sent them strong delusions, that they should believe a lie. O how lovely is the truth! The certainty of our estate in Christ; the glorious privileges that come by him; that the gifts of God are without repentance: that God looks on us, not for foreseen faith or works, but such as he had decreed to work himself: How comfortable, how lovely are these truths being the Word of God, notwithstanding some seek to shake them! These very truths should be retained in love. And indeed, the truth is not in its own place, till it be fixed in the heart and affections, and in a good conscience, which S. Paul makes likewise the vessel of the truth, and those that care not for that, they make shipwreck of the truth.

And what truths you know, labor to practice, and then you shall be stablished. If any man do the will of my Father (saith our Savior, Joh. 7. 17.) he shall know of the Doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. Be true to known truths; be not false in disobeying them: To him that hath, shall be given: We have a little stablishing; by an uniform obedience to the truth we shall have more, God will increase it. I say, let us be faithful to the truths we have' and not cross them in any sinful course: let us not keep the truth prisoner to any base affection: as those in Rom. 1. that had but the light of nature, yet because they imprisoned it, and held it in unrighteousness, and lived in sins contrary to that light rhat God had kindled in them; though (I say) it were but the light of nature, God gave them up to sins not to be named: much more will he do to us if we withhold the light of the Gospel: take heed therefore that we inthral not the truth to any base lust whatsoever, and that is a means to be stablished in the truth.

And be oft in holy conference with others. Conference if it be rightly used is a special means to stablish; that is most certain, which is certain after doubting and debate; because that which is doubted of at the first, we come to be resolved of at the last, comparing reason with reason; Remembering always that of S. Ambrose, That there must not be striving for victory, but for truth. And then when we have tried all, we must keep that which is good, and not be always as the Iron between two Loadstones, hailed this way, and that way; always doubting, and never resolved; there must be a time of resolution: This the Apostle observes to be an excellent way of stablishing, oft to confer of things doubtful.

And labor to get experience of the truth in ourselves: nothing stablisheth more then experience. Our Savior Christ in Joh. 6. 68. when many left him out of dullness, not understanding the spiritual things that he taught (as many whose wits will serve for matters of the world, and to make them great amongst men, but when they come to heavenly things they have no understanding, they cannot apprehend them) he asks his Disciples, Will you go away also? Peter, who had his heart opened by the Spirit of God, saith he, Lord, whither shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life; insinuating, that the experience that he had of the power of that truth that Christ taught, did so establish him in the present truth, that with a holy kind of indignation at the question, he replies, Whither shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life: I have found thy words to have a spiritual life in them. So when we come once to have an experimental knowledge of the truths we learn, then our hearts are stablished; indeed, then it is an engraffed Word, as S. James saith: then the Word is true leaven, when it altereth and changeth the soul; in such a case there is no separating from fundamental truth, when it is one with ourselves, and digested into us.

And pray to God oft (as David did, Psal. 86.) to knit our hearts to fear his Name: Lord, my heart is loose and ready to fall off of itself, Oh knit my heart: it is unsettled, Oh settle my unsettled heart; settle my judgment and affections: this should be our meditation.

And because it is God that stablisheth, always maintain spiritual poverty in the soul, that is, a perpetual dependence upon God: see the insufficiency that is in ourselves, that we cannot stand out. What is the reason that God suffers great men to fall from the defense of the truth, and from the profession of it in their lives? (as we see it in the case of Peter) to show, that we stand not by our own strength: therefore we should be always in this temper of spiritual poverty, to know that as Samsons strength was in his Hair, so our strength is in God. God is my strength, of myself I have no strength. And therefore upon every new defense of the truth, when we are called to it, we should lift up ejaculations, and dart up strong desires to God, that God would strengthen and stablish our souls, that we may not be traitors to the truth, but that we may stand to it; for in his own strength shall no man be established

And grow every day more and more in detestation of a luke-warm temper. Your Ancipites as Cyprian calls them, your doubtful flatterers of the times, that have their Religion depending upon the State, and the times, that are neither fish nor flesh, Bats, as we say, that are neither Mice nor Birds, but of a doubtful Religion, that out of carnal policy are fit to entertain anything, Oh this is a devilish temper. Howsoever we (in our luke-warm disposition) value the truth; God values it highly; it was purchased by Christ's blood, and sealed by the blood of Martyrs, and shall not we transmit it to our posterity, as safe and as firm, and retain it, come what will? Let us grow into dislike of this temper; atemper that we should as much hate as God hates it; such a temper as is in Popery, they are in an adiaphorisme temper in Religion, a luke-warm, cold temper, a temper of Religion according to reasons of flesh, and reasons of policy, this will make us be spewed out of God's mouth at the last. Do we think to lose Religion alone? Oh no, never think to part with Religion alone; it came with peace and prosperity, and if we keep not this Depositum, this truth delivered to us, God will take it away, and that which we betray it for, Peace, and Plenty.

Let us labor therefore to be radicated in our Judgment, in our Affections, in our Love, in our Faith, in our whole inward man, in the truth revealed. To be stablished in the truth, it is our best inheritance, it is that will stand by us when all leaves us.

What consistence hath a man out of the truth? are you rich or honorable? death will drive you out of all your riches and honors in the world, and strip you of all. What stablishing hath any man but in Christ, in the truth? Take a man that is not bottomed, that is not fastened on Christ, he is the changeablest creature in the world, he is vanity, he is nothing.

Oh love this state, that we may say, Though I be variable here, though I be not so rich as I was, or have not that favor of great ones that I have had; or it is not with me as it hath been, but in all changes I have somewhat that is unchangeable: my soul is settled upon Christ, and upon the truth in him, which is certain. As it is a glorious being to be found in Christ, so it is an eternal and an everlasting being: once Christ's, and forever his, he will never lose a member. Labor we therefore to be stablished in Christ in all the changes and alterations in the world, and then we shall have something that is unchangeable to fix and stay ourselves upon, even in the hour of death.

Again, in the second place, (to make an Use of examination) I beseech you examine yourselves whether you find this stablishing in your hearts or no? whether your hearts be thus settled or no by the Spirit of God? For (beloved) it is worth the labor and pains to get this grace; and to be assured that you have it, stablishing in Christ is most necessary, and we stand in need of a great deal of spiritual strength. Do we know what times may come? If dangerous times come, if we be not stablished, what will become of us? Oh it is a happy estate, a Christian that is stablished in the sound knowledge and faith of Christ! I beseech you therefore consider of it. To give you an evidence or two whereby you may discern whether your hearts be settled and stablished.

A man hath the grace of stablishing, and confirmation, when it is upon the Word, when God doth stablish him upon the promises.

And then again, by the effect of it. A man is stablished by the Spirit of God, when his temptations are great, and his strength little to resist, and yet notwithstanding he prevails. Satan is strong; if we prevail against Satan's temptations, we are stablished; God is strong, too strong for us: if we can break through the clouds, when he seems an enemy, as Job, Though thou kill me, yet will I trust in thee. Here is a prevailing, a stablished faith. In great afflictions, when clouds are between us and God; when we have faith that will break through those clouds, and see God through them shining in Christ, here is a strong, a stablished faith; because here is mighty temptations, and oppositions.

The strength is known by the strength of the opposition, and the weakness of the party. In the times of Martyrdom, there was fire and fagot, and the frowns of cruel persons: who were the persons that suffered? Children, women, old men sometimes, all weak. Children, a weak age; women, a weak sex: old men, a withered melancholy dry age, fearful of constitution. But when the Spirit of God was so strong in young ones, in weak women, in old withered men, as to enable them to endure the torment of fire, to enable them to endure threatenings, and whatsoever, as we see, Heb. 11. here was a mighty work in weak men. A man may know here is stablishing grace: because except there were somewhat above nature, where were a man in such a case? Then a man may know especially that there is stablishing grace, when he sees somewhat above nature prevailing over the temptation, and confirming the weak nature of man, that is the best evidence we have, of God's stablishing grace; sometimes, them that are stronger at sometimes, are weaker at other times: but (as I said before) that is to teach them, that they have their strength from God.

Again, if your hearts be soundly bottomed and founded and grounded on Christ and the promises of God in him, then you will be freed at least from all victory and thralldom to base fears, and to base cares, and base sorrows, and base passions.

A man that hath no settled being on Christ, he is tossed up and down with every passion: he is full of fears and cares for the world, which distract the soul upon every occasion, full of unseasonable and needless sorrows and griefs, which vex and perplex the soul continually. Oh how he fears for the time to come! what shall become of me if such a thing happen? how shall I be able to live in such a time, &c? If he were settled upon God in Christ, that he were his Father: if he were stablished upon the promises of God in Christ, I will not fail thee nor forsake thee; Fear not little flock, it is the Fathers will to give you the Kingdom: and, Why do you fear, O you of little Faith? and, He that provides for the birds of the Air, for the Sparrowes, for the Lilies of the field, for the poorest creature, will he not much more for you? If I say we were thus stablished upon Christ, and the promises, there would be no disquietness, those fears and griefs that usually perplex and enthrall the minds of men; but where there are these distracting cares, and vexing sorrows, and needless fears, it argues a heart unsettled; though perhaps there may be some faith notwithstanding.

Let us often examine ourselves in this particular: how it is with us when such thoughts arise, what if trouble should come, what if change and alteration should come? He that hath truly settled his heart will say, If they do come I am fixed, I know whom I have believed, I know I am a member of Christ, an Heir of Heaven, that God is reconciled to me in his Son: I know God hath taken me out of the condition I was in by nature, and hath advanced me to a better condition then I can have in the world: and when the world shall be turned upside down, I know when all things fail I shall stand.

He that his heart can answer him thus, is firm. A good man (saith the Psalmist, Psal. 1 12. 7.) shall not be afraid of evil tidings; why? his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord: and again, in Verse 8. his heart is stablished, therefore he shall not be afraid. If our hearts be established, then we shall not be afraid of evil tidings, nor afraid of wars, nor of troubles, nor of loss of friends, nor of loss of favors, or the like. A righteous man is afraid of no evil; he that hath his heart stablished in Christ, and that hath peace of Conscience wrought by the Spirit of God in the promises, his heart is fixed, in all alterations and changes he hath somewhat that is unchangeable: even when he ceaseth to be in this world, he hath a perpetual, eternal being in Christ: if he die he goes to Heaven, he hath his being there where he enjoys a more near communion with Christ then he can have in this world. So that all is on the bettering hand to him that is stablished in Christ: for it is not an act of one day to be stablished in Christ; God doth it more and more till death, and then comes a perfect consummation of this stablishing; we shall be forever with the Lord, saith the Apostle. A man then that is stablished in Christ, he is fixed, he is built on a rock, come what can come, he is not afraid.

Alas, others that are not so, they are as wicked Ahaz in Isaiah 7. he was boisterous out of trouble, but in trouble he was as fearful, his heart shook as the leaves of the forest, as the leaves of the forest when the wind comes, they are shaken, because they are not seemly knit to the tree, because they have no stability.

All those whose hearts are not firmly settled in the knowledge of Christ, and the excellent prerogatives that come by him, when troubles come, they are as the leaves of the Forest; or as you have it in Psal. 1. As the chaff that the wind driveth to and fro; because it hath no consistence, it is a light body: or as the dross, Psal. 119. God shall destroy the wicked as dross: see how the Scripture compares men (not only for their wickedness, but for their misery) that have no certain being, but on earthly things, though they be never so great, and (as they think) deeply rooted, when troubles come, they are as dross, they are as chaff that hath no firmness, before the wind: when the wind of Judgment comes, they are as stubble presently wasted and brought to nothing.

I beseech you therefore without deceiving of our own hearts, let us enter into our own souls, and examine, for our knowledge first, and then for our boldness.

What doest thou know in Religion that thou wouldest die for? or die in? we are stablished in no more to purpose, then we would die for. Are those truths thou knowest so firmly wrought in thee by the Spirit of God? hast thou such experience of them, such spiritual sense and taste of the goodness of them, that thou wouldest be content to part with thy life, rather then to part with them? thou art stablished then by the Spirit of God in Christ. I do not speak of every little truth, it needs not that a man should die for that; but I speak for fundamental truths, canst thou prove them so out of the Scripture? and doest thou find the testimony of Jesus Christ witnessing to thy heart that they are true? then thou art confirmed and stablished in these truths. I beseech you, let us often examine upon what grounds, and how firmly we know what we know. For, have we not many, that if the Adversaries should come, would conform to Popery, and join themselves to Rome, because they cannot back their principles with Scriptures, and because they have not a spiritual understanding, and apprehension of Divine truths? Now he that is stablished stands firm against temptations, and against arguments; he will not be won away from his faith, but remains immovable.

Therefore (I say) let us often examine ourselves in this particular: I believe this and this against the Papists and others; I but how shall I stand out for this? If trials should come, am I able to prove this from the Scriptures so clear as if it were written (as he saith) with a Sun-beam? The temptation and assaults of the Devil, by men's subtle wits and arguments, will, shake our judgments, will hurt more, and if time should come, try us better then fire and fagot. Those Spies that brought an evil report upon the Land of Canaan, we see, that though the Land (when it was won) was fruitful enough, and the conquest of it honorable, &c. (and therein those Spies discovered their own weakness) yet when they had made that shrewd Oration, and brought subtle arguments to the eye of flesh and blood, we see (I say) how the people were discouraged, and how they staggeted. So a man that is not stablished, he may sometimes have shrewd men to deal withal, perhaps Atheists, Papists, Jesuits, and the Devil joining with them to unsettle men; and they will prevail if men be not well settled and stablished before.

And so for the course of our life and conversation amongst men; we should examine how we are stablished in that: for we are not only to stand firm in cases of Religion; but for causes of honesty. John the Baptist was as good as a Martyr, though the cause he died for was not Religion, but a bold telling of Herod, when he thought he took an unlawful course in keeping his brothers Wife.

An honest man may die and suffer much for civil matters. Therefore examine yourselves in this: I have undertaken this cause, upon what ground? in what confidence? how far would I willingly go in it? could I be content to lose the favor of great ones? to die in the quarrel if need be? So far as a man is stablished by God's Spirit, so far is he settled also in this.

You have had Heathen men, that would stand out firmly even to the death, against all disfavours, against all losses and crosses for evidence of Civil truths, as you have it storied of Papinian an excellent Lawyer, that in the defense of right, stood forth to the loss of his life; and many other the like examples have been: But much more doth the Spirit of God stablish men; this I understand, this cause is good, this I will stand in, come what will, when I am called to it.

Let us oft call ourselves to an account, what we believe, and upon what ground: what we do, and upon what ground we undertake it; whether on grounds of conscience, or out of spleen and passion? When a man undertakes things on natural grounds, in great temptations, (if God do not assist him) he will sink. Take the strongest courages that are, if they have no more but nature, though they may stand out sometimes, (to the shame of Christians) yet in some cases they will show themselves to be but mere natural men.

And therefore labor for the Spirit to stablish us. It is not necessary that we should enjoy our wealth, nor the favor of men, nor our life itself; but it is necessary that we should keep a good conscience; it is necessary that we should be saved, it is necessary that we should look upon our Judge with confidence at the day of Judgment.

It becomes Christians who besides the light of nature, have the Spirit to stablish them, to be settled in their courses, to look that the conscience be good, the cause good, the aim good. If such a one give over when the cause is clear and good, it is a sign that his heart is not stablished by the Spirit of God in Christ: he hath either corrupt aims, or else he is weak, and understands not the grounds of Religion, and the vanity of this life as he should do.

There are none that flinch and give over in a good quarrel, but either it is from hypocrisy, that he pretends to believe in Christ, and life everlasting, and yet he doth not; or else it is from extreme and wonderful weakness, which (if he belong to God) he shall recover, (as Peter did) and shall stand more strongly another time.

It is but a forced, a false encouragement and stablishing, when a man (that hath not the Spirit of God) shall set light by death, though perhaps he die in a good quarrel, and with some comfort. For when a man shall know, that after death there is a Judgment, and that God hath many things to lay to his charge, when his conscience shall tell him that he is guilty of a thousand deaths, if he be not in Christ, and his pardon sealed by the Spirit of God in the blood of Christ: is it not madness to be courageous in that which he cannot conquer? It is good for a man to be courageous in time of conquest: It is a dastardly thing for a Christian to be cowardly, because he hath death and hell conquered, and everything is made serviceable to help him to heaven. But for another man to set light by these things, it is more madness. No man but a Christian can be stout and courageous, except it be from a false spirit; especially in things that are above man's natural power, as death it is eternal, and what man can stand out against the eternal wrath of God?

And therefore those that put on a Roman stoutness and courage, though they seem to have strong spirits, it is but false; either they are besotted with sensuality, or else with a spirit of pride. When they look before them, and see eternity, and see their sins, and that they must all appear at the day of Judgment, they cannot be strong. Let us labor therefore to have our hearts stablished by the Spirit of God; and try ourselves often, by propounding Queries, how we do things? with what minds and? upon what grounds?

Again, another Evidence, whereby we may know that we have spiritual strength and stability in Christ wrought in us by the Spirit of God, is this: when it makes us desire the coming of Christ: when it makes us think of death, and of the time to come with joy and comfort: and that for the present it gives us boldness to the Throne of Grace in extremities. He that in extremity can go to God in Christ, it is a sign his heart is established.

Hypocrites in extremity fly to desperate courses, as Saul and Achitophel did: but in extremity the soul that is stablished goes to God: My God, my God, saith Christ: so Job, Though he kill me, yet will I trust in him. I say, it is an evidence of a soul stablished upon Christ by the Spirit of God, to have boldness to the Throne of Grace in extremity; nay, when God seems to hide himself (which is the principal extremity of all) as in Divine temptations, when God seems to be an enemy, then for a man to fight and wrestle with God, and tug with the temptation, and not to let God go, though he kill him; this is a true Israel, a conqueror of God: this is a heart fortified by the Spirit.

It is an argument of a heart established, when (besides for the present) for the time to come, he can cheerfully and boldly think how it will be with him when death shall come, that he shall go to Christ, that the Match shall be fully made up that is begun by God between Christ and him, (for the contract is in this world, but the nuptials are celebrated in heaven) and in confidence hereof can say, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.

A heart that is not stablished saith, Oh come not. Wherefore art thou come to torment us before our time? say the Devils to Christ; so an unstablished heart, at the hour of death, is afraid it shall be tormented before the time: and therefore come not, come not, saith such a soul. But the soul that is stablished upon Christ and upon the promises in Christ of forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting by the Spirit of Christ, that saith, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.

I have been larger upon this Point, then I intended: these unsettled times moved me to speak a little more then ordinary, that we might labor to have our hearts stablished, that whatsoever comes we may have somewhat that is certain to stick to; that our estate in Christ may be sure, whatsoever becomes of our state in the world otherwise.

T He Apostle having formerly laid open the riches of a Christian; In this Verse he cometh to show his strength: His riches consisteth in the promises of God in Christ: His strength, in being stablished upon those promises. Now that which he had spoken of more generally in the word stablishing, he unfolds in three borrowed Terms, Anointing, Sealing, Earnest: Implying therein the manner of the Spirits establishing a Christian. He who stablisheth us: how is that wrought? By the Spirit anointing, by the Spirit sealing, and by the earnest of the Spirit: which three terms do all argue assurance. For you know, that in the old Law, Kings, Priests, and Prophets were anointed, that is, they were authorized and confirmed in their places. And for sealing; Writings (among ourselves) are sealed for security. And an Earnest secures Contracts and Bargains. So that whatsoever may serve to strengthen a Christians faith and assurance, is here laid down: God to help our souls by our senses fetcheth it from human affairs, applying words borrowed from earthly commerce, by a heavenly anagogical sense to spiritual things.

First, the sure estate of a Christian is set down in the general, by stablishing: and then in particular, we are anointed and sealed, and have the Earnest of the Spirit.

God, in the Covenant of grace doth our part and his own too; he gives faith, and strengthens faith, and seals us: he gives us promises, he doth stablish us upon those promises, and works our hearts to an embracing of them, he anoints us, and seals us, and gives us the Earnest of the Spirit. All in the Covenant of Grace depends upon the faithfulness of God; and not upon ours, but upon ours dependantly, as he is faithful in stablishing us. Now because the holy Apostle would have us settled in the excellency of the state of a Christian in the Covenant of grace, you see how largehearted he is; he useth four words implying one and the same thing, Stablishing, Anointing, Sealing, and giving Earnest; all of them words used in ratification amongst men.

God is pleased to stoop to speak to us in our own language; to speak of heavenly things after an earthly manner: and therefore he sets down the certain estate of a Christian by borrowed speeches. This is a gracious condescending of God, stooping (as it were) lower then himself: and indeed so he always abaseth himself when he deals with man, coming down far below himself.

To come to the words in particular.

This word hath a double reference. The holy Ghost carries our minds first to the relation and proportion that is between the graces of the Spirit of God, and the ointment with which in former times they were anointed in the Jewish Politie. And it hath reference likewise and relation to the persons that were anointed. The persons were Kings, Priests, and Prophets.

Now God hath anointed us in Christ. The order is this:

First, Christ himself as Mediator is anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows; but for his fellows. The ointment is first poured on the head of spiritual Aaron, and then it runs down to all the skirts of his garment, that is, to the meanest Christian. Even as the least finger and toe is actuated, and enlivened, and moved by the soul and spirits, that the head and the chief vital parts are: so every Christian though he be but as the toe or the foot, yet all have communicated by the Spirit from Christ the head. So that the third person, the Holy Ghost, that sanctified the human nature of Christ, that filled and enriched it with all grace, and anointed Christ; the same Spirit enricheth all his mystical members. As there is one Spirit in Christ, and that sacred body he took on him; so there is in the mystical body but one Spirit quickening and enlivening, and moving the head, and the members. He is a head of influence, as well as a head of eminence: Of his fullness we have all grace for grace: He is first anointed, and then we are anointed in him.

We will first speak of it as it hath reference to an ointment: and then as it hath reference to the persons anointed.

In the first place then, why are graces here called anointing?

I answer, they are called anointing, from reference to that composed ointment in Exod. 30. where you have the composition of the holy oil laid down.

But in particular, you may observe these five particulars in which the relation standeth.

First, Ointment is a liquor supereminent, it will have the highest place, it will have the eminency, and be above all other liquors, and in that respect it is a royal liquor: so the graces of God's Spirit, they are of an eminent nature. Spiritual gifts are above the gifts of nature; and spiritual blessings are above earthly things: the grace of God is a supereminent, a royal thing, it will be above all, even above our parts of nature: if a man have by nature a strong wit, grace will subdue his wit, so that he shall be only witty to salvation, he shall be only strong to defend the truth, and to do nothing against it: he will subjugate and subordinate his parts and whatsoever excellency he hath by nature, to grace; cast all at Christ's feet, count all as dung, in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Christ. And so again, grace is above corrupt nature, above all our corruptions, it will bring them under, it will subdue corruptions, temptations, afflictions; anything, what you will, that is either natural; or diabolical: for grace is spiritual, and that which is spiritual, is above all that is below: Grace is of an invincible nature, it will bear sway by little and little; it is little in quantity, but it is mighty in operation. And it is above any outward excellency whatsoever; if a man be a King, if he have this anointing, it makes him better then himself: he is better in that he is a Christian, that he hath this sacred anointing, then for any other created excellency under heaven whatsoever; yea, though he were an Angel. Grace hath its derivance and influence from Christ, who is higher then all, and will be above all; and so will grace. That is the first. Other liquors, the best of them will be beneath; but oil, it will be above all.

It is compared to ointment in the second place, because that ointment is sweet and delightful; so was the ointment that was poured upon our Savior by the woman in the Gospel: therefore the Spouse in Cant. 1. 3. speaking of Christ, Because (saith she) of the savor of thy good ointments, thy Name is as an ointment poured forth, therefore do the Virgins love thee: The graces that are in Christ are so sweet, that they draw the Virgins, they draw all believers after him. So grace in a Christian, it makes us sweet; it sweetens our persons, and our actions: It sweetens our persons to God; God delights in the smell of his own graces: it makes us delectable for Christ and his holy Spirit to lodge in our souls as in a garden of Spices: It makes us sweet to the Church, to the communion of Saints. A gracious man that hath his corruptions subdued, is wondrous sweet, his heart is as fine silver, everything is sweet that comes from him. When the woman poured the box of ointment upon Christ, the whole house was filled with the smell thereof: so the whole Church is filled with the savor of the graces of good men, that either do live in the present times; or have left their graces in writing to posterity.

A wicked man is an abomination to God, and so are all his actions; he that is in the flesh cannot please God: a civil man that hath not this anointing, all that he doth is abominable to God; all things are unclean to the unclean even their best actions have a tincture of defilement from their corruption: without this ointment we are not sweet, neither to God, nor to others; therefore the Scripture terms men in the state of nature, Swine and Goats, stinking creatures; and so indeed they that have not this anointing, they are stinking Goats, and shall be set at Christ's left hand, except they have grace to sweeten their understandings and affections, and to draw them higher then nature can.

Likewise grace is full of sweetness to a man's self; it sweeteneth our nature and our actions to ourselves: a good conscience being privy to itself of the work of grace, is a continual feast; the conscience of a Christian, once renewed by grace, enlargeth the soul, and fills it with sweet peace and joy in believing.

Thirdly, the graces of the Spirit are called anointing, because anointing strengthens; therefore usually Warriours and Combatants, (amoug the Heathen) that were to encounter, were first anointed: so there is a Spirit of strength in all those that are true Christians which they have received from God, whereby they are able to do that that worldlings cannot do; they are able to deny themselves, to overcome themselves in matters of revenge, &c. they are able to want and to abound, to bear crosses, to resist temptations, and, as the Apostle saith, able to do all things; nothing can stand in the way of a gracious man, no not the gates of hell; he that is in him, Grace is stronger then he that is in the world: the least measure of grace, though it be but as a grain of mustard-seed, is stronger then the greatest measure of opposition, though strengthened with all the power of hell.

In the fourth place, ointment makes the joints of the body nimble: so this spiritual anointing it oils the joints of the soul, (as I may say) and makes them nimble, and ready to serve God in newness of Spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. God's people are called a willing people, and a cheerful people, ready to every good work. And there is good reason for it; for they have an inward spiritual anointing, that makes them active and nimble in everything they do: that Spirit that sanctifieth them, that Spirit telleth them what Christ hath done for them, that there is no damnation to them, that God is reconciled to them, that they are freed from the greatest dangers, that all is theirs, and so their joy and nimbleness is from good reason: and there is a spirit of love in them unto God and Christ, which makes them nimble. When a man is without grace, he goes lumpishly and heavily about the service of God: he is drawn and forced to prayer, and to hearing, and to conference and meditation: he is dead and dull, and frozen to good works; but when a man hath received this sweet anointing of the Spirit, his heart is enlarged to all duties whatsoever, he is prepared to every good work.

Again, oil makes cheerful: so doth grace, it makes cheerful in adversity, cheerful in death, cheerful in those things that dismay the spirits of other men: so much grace, so much joy; for even as light and heat follow the fire, so the spirit of joy doth follow this spiritual anointing: Conscience of the interest he hath in the favor of God in Christ, and the evidences of grace stamped upon his heart, & an assurance of a better estate in the world to come, wonderfully enlarge the soul with spiritual joy: that which makes a man lumpish, and heavy, and earthly, is not the Spirit of God: the Spirit of God is a Spirit of joy, and it puts a gracious cheerfulness in the heart of a Christian; if there be mourning, it is that it may be more cheerful: for light is sown to the righteous sometimes in mourning. God loves a cheerful giver, and a cheerful thanksgiver; all must be sweetened with cheerfulness, now this comes from the Spirit of God: and he that is anointed with the Spirit, in some measure partakes of spiritual joy and cheerfulness.

Again, ointment you know is of a healing nature; as Balm and other sweet ointments have a healing power and virtue: the Scripture makes mention of the Balm of Gilead: so grace hath a healing power; repentance that is of a purging, spiritual joy of a healing nature; there must (you know) be first a cleansing, and then a healing and strengthening: so some graces are purgative and cleansing, some again are strengthening and healing: repentance is a good purgation; it carries away the malignant and evil matter; but the Cordial that strengthens the soul, is joy, The joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehem. 8. and so the grace of faith and love tend to cherrish and corroborate the soul: so that (I say) these graces, this Balm of the Spirit, hath a special Sovereign power to heal us, to heal us both from the guilt of sin, and from the dominion, and rule, and filthy stain of sin; it hath both a purging and a Cordial virtue.

Thus you see, that upon good grounds the graces of God's Spirit, that he communicates to the Elect, and only to them that are in Christ, they are called anointing; and they will have the effect of an ointment in us, if we receive this anointing,

Let us therefore try ourselves by these, whether we be anointed or no; what cheerfulness is there? what joy? what strength? what nimbleness to that which is good? what sovereignty hath grace in our hearts? you have a company that profess Religion, but make it serve their own turn, that make heaven to come under earth, that make the service of God to stoop to other ends: Beloved, grace it is a superior thing, and Religion makes all subordinate: Grace and Religion wheresoever it is in truth, is of a ruling nature: and so it is sweet, and it is strong wheresoever it is; it is curing, and purging, and cleansing wheresoever it is: therefore I beseech you, let us not deceive ourselves.

I need say no more of the Point, you may enlarge it in your own meditations.

I come to the persons

As this anointing hath reference to the ointment, so it hath relation to the persons that were anointed.

Now the persons anointed were first dedicated by anointing; they were consecrated to God and separated from the world: And as they were dedicated and separated, so they were dignified by this anointing, it raised them above the common condition: And likewise with this anointing God gave them qualifications suitable.

You have three eminent persons that were anointed, and so raised above the common condition of other men.

Prophets, to teach the people.

Priests, to offer sacrifice

Kings, to govern them.

Now Christ is principally all these: He is the principal Prophet of his Church, the Angel of the Covenant; He is Logos, the Word, because as the inward word, the mind of a man, is known by the outward word; so Christ is called the Word, because as a Prophet, he discovers his Fathers mind, and makes known his Fathers will unto us.

And he is the great high Priest, he makes atonement between God and us, he stands between his Father and us.

And he is the great King of his Church, that rescues it from all its enemies, to protect and defend it.

But as Christ hath received this anointing primarily, and above his fellows, yet (as I said before) he hath received it for his fellows. Every Christian hath his anointing from Christ's anointing, all our graces and all our oyatment is derived from him. He (saith the Apostle, Rev. 1.) hath loved us, and washed us in his blood; (he loved us first, which is the cause of all, and then he washed us in his blood; he did not only shed his blood for us, but he washed us in his blood: he hath applied his blood to our souls, and by applying that and sprinkling it upon our souls,) he hath made us Kings and Priests to God his Father: And indeed, the great King of heaven and earth, he is and will be attended upon by none but Kings and Priests; he hath no servants but such as are anointed; he is followed of none but eminent persons, such as are separated from the world, and dignified above all other people: for the glory of his followers tends to his honor: therefore those whom God chooseth to be his atendants, he qualifies them, gives them the hearts of Kings, royal qualifications, and the hearts of Priests, and the hearts of Prophets. But this in the general.

To show it therefore in particulars.

A Christian is anointed, he is a person severed from the world, dedicated to God, and dignified above others, and that from good reason, because God hath given him an inward qualification, which is the foundation of all.

And first, he is a true Prophet, for he hath received the anointing of the Spirit, 1 Joh. 2. whereby he is enabled to discern of things: he knows what is true honor, to be the child of God: he knows what is true riches, Grace: he knows what is true Nobility, to be born of God; what is true pleasure, Peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost: he can discern between seeming and real things, and only he that hath received this anointing of the Spirit.

And again, as a Prophet, he knows not only the things, but the doing of the things; he hath with the anointing of the Spirit ability to do that which he knows; the grace of God teacheth him not only the duty, that he should live justly, and soberly, and godly, but teacheth him to do the things; for God writes his Laws in his bowels, that is, in his affections: he can love and joy in God, and hate sin, and overcome revenge, &c. The Spirit showeth him Divine things by a Divine light; he sees heavenly things with a heavenly light: and Divine & spiritual knowledge is a working knowledge, of the same nature with the things known. The poorest Christian in the world having this anointing, sees good things with such a convincing light, and evil things with such a convincing hatred, that he is doing and acting: whereas a Christian that hath not the Spirit, he may know heavenly things by a natural light, by a discoursive knowledge; he may know what he should do, and so perhaps he may talk, but he cannot do: he may talk of death, but he cannot die; he may talk and discourse of suffering, but when it comes, he cannot suffer: he may speak much of patience, but he cannot act patience when occasion is: A true Christian hath the knowledge of doing things.

And likewise he is able to speak a word in due season, to reprove, to admonish, to comfort. Every member in the communion of Saints hath some qualification in regard of knowledge, when he is put to it.

But especially he hath received this anointing as a Priest, and a King.

As a Priest, to stand before God, and to offer up prayers for himself and others. Every Christian is a Favorite in heaven, he hath much credit there, he hath God's ear open at all times, and he improves it for the good of the Church, for the good of others as well as for his own. And as to pray for ourselves and others, so to bless ourselves and others; that was one part of the Priests Office, and so (as the Scripture saith) we are called unto blessing; and therefore those that are given unto cursing, are not Priests.

And again, a Christian that hath received this anointing as a Priest, he keeps himself unspotted of the world: You know, the Priests were to touch no unclean thing, nor to defile themselves with any manner of pollution; so every Christian in some measure is enabled to abstain from the common pollutions of the times, to hate even the garment spotted with the flesh: he is not carried with the stream of the times; he will not converse amiably with those that may stain him, but as his calling leads him, lest he contaminate his spirit.

And likewise a Christian hath his heart always as the Holy of Holies, that so he may offer up thanks and praise to God; there is a disposition in him always to praise God. As the fire in the Sanctuary must never go out; so the fire that is kindled by the Spirit of God in the heart of a Christian, it never goes out, the Holy Ghost maintains it continually: he is ready to praise God upon all occasions; ready to offer up himself unto God as a sacrifice. The sacrifices of a Christian are a broken heart: and as in the Law, the sacrifices for sin must first be killed, and then offered; so now in the Gospel, it is the work of every Christian, to mortify, to kill, and slay those beasts, those corruptions that are in him contrary to God. A Christian must not offer himself to God as a sinner, but he must first slay his corruptions: he must mortify his sins, and then offer up himself slain to God.

Therefore our care must be to mortify every corruption, every faculty of the soul, and every part of the body: we must circumcise our eyes, that they behold not vanity; and our ears, that they hear not, and delight not in unchaste things; and our thoughts and every part, our wills and affections, and then offer up soul and body as a living sacrifice unto God, that all may be dedicated and sanctified unto him, and then it is a sweet sacrifice: then when a Christian hath dedicated himself to God, it is an easy matter to give him his goods when he calls for them, then he will be ready to let all go, as the Apostle saith of the Corinthians, they first gave themselves to God, and then to others: other sacrifices will follow when we have first given ourselves to God: therefore the first sacrifice is to kill our corruptions, to offer ourselves to God, and then we shall be ready to offer our estates, and to have nothing but at God's disposing; Oh Lord, of thy hand I have my body and my life, and my goods and all, I give them unto thee: if thou wilt have me to enjoy them, I do; but if thou wilt have them sacrificed, I am a Priest, I am willing to offer myself as a burnt-sacrifice to thee even to the death, and all other things when thou shalt be pleased to call for them: and indeed, all other sacrifices of our goods, and thankfulness in words, they will easily come off when we have offered ourselves, as I said before.

What is the reason that men will not part with a penny for good uses? They have not given themselves as sacrifices unto God: therefore in the Scripture we are pressed to give ourselves unto God first: and it useth arguments to that purpose; as that we are not our own, but bought with a price, &c.

And so for the Kingly office.

Every Christian by this anointing is made a King, Rev. 1. 6. He hath loved us, and washed us, and made us Kings, &c.

But how are we Kings? (to take away an Objection that ariseth in the hearts of carnal men) Oh (say they.) they talk that they are Kings, when perhaps they have not a penny in their purse; they talk they are Kings, when in the mean time they are underlings in the world: here are Kings indeed, think profane conceited persons.

Indeed, all other things are but shadows, these be realities; this is a Kingdom to purpose: Thou livest by sense and by fancy, or else if thou haddest the spiritual eye-salve, if thou haddest thine eyes open to see the dignity of a Christian, thou wouldest judge him to be the only King in the world: and therefore I do not enlarge the Point to set colors upon matters, but indeed, I rather speak under: there is no excellency that we can think of in this world, that riseth high enough to set out the state of a Christian: he is indeed a King.

For (I beseech you) what makes a King? Victory and Conquest, that makes a King: Is not he a Conqueror that hath that in him that conquers the world, and all things else? others that are not Christians, they are slaves to lusts and pleasures. A Christian that is chief Conqueror in the world, he conquers the world in his heart, and all temptations are inferior to him; he sees them as things that he hath gotten the mastery of: He subdues the principal enemy: a Christian fears not death, he fears not Judgment, he fears not the wrath of God; he knows God is reconciled in Christ, and so all things are reconciled with him: God being at peace, all things else are at peace; so he is a Conqueror: he hath a Kingdom in himself, others have Kingdoms out of themselves, and in themselves they are slaves; he is such a King as hath a Kingdom in himself; he hath peace and joy, and rest from base affections, and terror of conscience.

Is not he a King that is a Lord and Master of all things? A Christian is Master of prosperity, he conquers it; he can make it serve his turn, to be thankful to God, to be ready to distribute: he is Master of adversity, I can want, and I can be abased, I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me, saith blessed Paul: He is an omnipotent King in some sense, he can do all through him that strengthens him: He hath conquered the King of fears, death: that that makes the greatest Monarch in the world to shake and tremble, a Christian can think of with comfort: He can think of God's wrath with comfort, appeased in Christ, stenched with his blood; he can think of the day of Judgment with comfort, that then his Savior shall be his Judge, and that he shall stand at the right hand of God: He can think of afflictions with comfort, he is sanctified to all things, and all things are sanctified to him, and all things shall work for his good, nothing shall be able to separate him from God's love to him in Christ, neither things present, nor things to come: That which amazeth the Belshazzar's of the world, and makes their knees smite one against another (as that hand-writing did him,) that which makes others quake to think of (a revenging God, before whom they must appear, and answer for all their miscarriages and their neglect of precious time, and abuse of their places) they can think of with joy and comfort.

He hath conquered himself and his own heart; he can subdue the carnal part of him, and bring it under the Spirit; all others, (though Kings) if they be not Christians, are slaves to some reigning lust or other.

He is a King likewise in regard of possession; which is a second thing which makes a Christian an excellent person; as he is a great Conqueror, so he is a great possessor; for All is yours (saith the Apostle,) things present and things to come, life and death, afflictions and crosses and all is yours: How? to help him to heaven; things present are his: comforts are his if they be present: afflictions are his to purge him, and to fit him for heaven: things to come are his, heaven is his, and terrors to come, all serve him: Even evil things are his in advantage and success; though in disposition they be not his, but have an hostile disposition in them, they are all over-power'd by the love of God: And Christ the King of heaven and earth over-rules all to the good of his: And so all good things are his, though not in civil possession, but as far as the great Governor of all things sees fit: what a King is this? and therefore the word is not too great, to say; a Christian is a King: he is indeed the most excellent person in the world.

And he hath likewise a Kingly spirit, that is, he doth things with love and freedom of spirit, that others do upon compulsion: for he hath the royal Law of love (as the Apostle saith) written in his heart: what is that? the royal Law of love is this, when a man doth that which he doth from love, and from a Princely spirit, when he is not compelled: that which others do not at all, or by force is wrung from them, he doth out of a Princely spirit that is in him, because his spirit is enlarged and anointed by the Spirit of God to every good work.

These things might be enlarged, but a taste of them is sufficient; and they are very useful to raise our hearts to consider that there is another manner of State then the world thinks of: there are spiritual and excellent Kings and Priests; and this will stand by us when all other excellencies will fail: All flesh is grass, and as the flower of the grass; but this dignity, this anointing which we have by the Spirit, and by the Word of God, it endures forever, and abides to all eternity.

Now (not to go on in more particulars, but) to make some Use of this. Surely, this is true in some degree of every Christian, that he is a Prophet, to discern of things that differ; and he hath a supernatural heavenly light answerable to the things; a spiritual light to judge of spiritual things: And he is a Priest to stand before God continually: And he is a King, by conquest, by possession, by qualification. I say, this undoubtedly is true of all spiritual persons that are anointed. As it is said of Saul, that when he was anointed he had another Spirit; so God never makes a Christian, but he gives him the Spirit of a Christian: God's calling is with qualification, it is not a mere titular anointing, but there is another Spirit goes along with this anointing, then there was before calling: though men be trained up from their infancy in the truth, yet when they are anointed by the Spirit of God, there will another manner of Spirit appear in them, then ever was in them before, or then that which is in the world.

I beseech you therefore, (for dignity prepares and stirs up to duty, a man never so carries himself in his place and condition, as when he thinks of his condition,) oft think of the excellent estate we are advanced to in Christ; it will put us in mind of a qualification and disposition answerable: that as the Apostle oft presseth it, we may walk worthy our calling, that we may walk worthy of this dignity.

When we are tempted therefore to sin, and to base courses, let us say as good Nehemiah when he was moved to fly, What shall such a man as I fly? so should we say to any temptation to base courses of life, what shall such a man as I do this? Why, if I be a Christian, if I be not only a titular Christian, (which is only sufficient to damn me, and not to do me good,) but if I be a real Christian, I must be a Priest, I must keep myself unspotted of the world, and undefiled, and not touch any unclean thing: I must be in a state and condition to pray to God, Shall I regard iniquity, that God should not hear my prayer?

If I be a Christian, I am a King; shall I debase myself? shall I cast my crown in the dirt? God hath raised me, and made me an heir of heaven, shall I abase myself to sins, and to base lusts, so that I cannot rule my own members, and yet profess myself to be a King? For a Christian that is a King, that hath a guard of Angels about him, that is the most excellent creature in the world, for him to abase himself to the world; he that is bred from heaven, for him to have no higher thoughts then the things below, to have an earthly mind, and earthly thoughts, it is a shrewd presumption that he is but only a titular Christian; and hath not received this inward and spiritual anointing. It was a speech of the Martyrs in the Primitive Church, when they were asked their names, they gave this answer, Christianus sum, I am a Christian; and that satisfied all questions: so when we are basely tempted to courses unbefitting our dignity, answer them from our Baptism, I am baptized into Christ, and so am become a Christian, and this is unbeseeming the profession of Christianity.

I beseech you let us remember our calling, we are called to be Prophets, Kings, and Priests, and not only here, but in the world to come we shall be so; we must not think to be Kings in Heaven, except we begin it here.

It is with a Christian, as it was with David, he was anointed many years before he was actually a King upon the Throne; while Saul lived, he did not enjoy the Kingdom: So we are anointed in this world, in part we are Kings while we are here; Kings over ourselves, and over the world: a Christian sees all under him that is worldly, he treads the Moon under his feet: but our anointing hath then especially its effect when we are in heaven; as David's anointing it had its special effect when Saul was dead. We must now carry ourselves as those that shall be Kings: those that are not Kings here, shall never be Kings hereafter; those that are not Priests here, shall never walk with Christ in heaven in long white Robes forever. Eternal life is begun here in all the parts of it.

And therefore I beseech you, if our memories be so shallow that we cannot remember other bonds, let us remember our Baptism, let us read our duty in our Baptism: what are we baptized into? Into Christ, that is, to take the Name of Christ upon us, to be Christians; which name implies these three, to be a King, Priest, and Prophet. What do we then when we sin? We reverse our Baptism in some sort: let it be an aggravation then when we are tempted to sin; it is Treason to God, I shall leave my Captain, under whose banner I have vowed to fight against the Devil, the world, and the flesh; and to forsake my colors is the greatest treachery: Yea, it is sacrilege: and so God accounts it, when thou profanest thine eyes and thine ears in seeing and hearing of vanity, as you do when you frequent Play-houses and the like: I say, it is sacrilegious; Kings and Priests were dedicated persons, and to employ dedicated things about any other business, then to God, is sacrilege; it is a committing of folly with thy soul. Men have slight conceits of Religion, and scarce a tincture of it: if they did deeply consider what Religion is, that it seizeth upon the soul, that it alters and changeth it, that whosoever will have benefit by the Promises, he must have an inward qualification, and be anointed with the Spirit; they would have better conceits of it then they have: and hence it is therefore that men make so little conscience of giving liberty to their ears and eyes to hear and see vanity, and defile themselves in evil courses, and cleave to the occasions of sin.

Let us oft (I beseech you) be stirred up to think of our high prerogatives, with high admiration, what love! what love! hath God shown, That we should be called the sons of God, that we should be made Kings and Priests to God the Father. And if every you hope to have comfort by Religion, you must find this anointing in yourselves, raising you above other men to holy duties, to be Kings, and Priests, and Prophets.

You see then, a Christian is stablished this way in Christ, because he is anointed by the Spirit of God; he is dedicated and consecrated to God: Hence (before I go on to that which followeth) in that the Apostle coupleth anointing, and sealing, and earnest to the Promises, observe this briefly,

The Promises of God (as I have often said) are the riches of a Christian, and his inheritance: take all from him, you must needs leave him this, you cannot take this from him: and as an Usurer thinks he is a rich man, though he have not two pence in his house, but all that he hath is in Bills and Bonds, so a Christian, though haply he have not much in actual possession, yet he is rich in that he hath God's bonds in the promises: but now a man cannot say that he is interested in the promises, that he can lay claim to them, if he be an unfruitful man, an unhallowed man, that hath not the sweet ointment of the Spirit, changing of him (as it is said of Saul) into another man: for God wheresoever he reconciles himself, and gives any promise of favor and mercy, there he works a qualification. Of necessity it must be so, because he is reconciled to amity: now in friendship there must be a correspondent similitude of disposition and sympathy. Now as long as we are in our natural estate, and remain unhallowed and defiled, we are in such terms as God and we cannot meet in amity, and therefore wheresoever the promises of the favor of God and reconciliation are of force, there must be a change: God, when he intends to show favor to any, he alters and changeth them, that they may be such as he may have content, and complacency and delight in.

We see then there is a necessity of examining ourselves in this point. If thou be anointed, examine thyself, what inward power of grace thou hast, what sweet work of the Spirit; whether thou find in thee a principle above corruption, that makes thee rule above that which the world is inthralled unto: undoubtedly as our title to heaven it is out of ourselves, by the promises we have of salvation and reconciliation in Christ; so the evidences must be found in ourselves; there must be anointing, and sealing, and the Earnest of the Spirit: therefore I beseech you, think seriously of what I have delivered of that Point before. But we shall have occasion in the particulars after to speak more of this. I go on therefore to the second word,

The same God that anoints us, seals us. Anointing and sealing go both together; both are to secure us of our estate in Christ: both wrought by the Spirit of God.

Now Christ is the first sealed, Job. 6. Him hath God the Father sealed: Christ is sealed to be our Redeemer, that is, God hath set apart Christ from others, hath distinguished him, and sealed him, and set a stamp upon him to be the Messiah: sealed him to the great work of Redemption, first by the graces of the Spirit; (for he is full of them, having received the Spirit above measure,) and not only so, but he sealed him by many miracles, by the resurrection from the dead, by which he was declared to be the Son of God; by the calling of the Gentiles, and by many other things.

Christ being sealed, he sealed all that he did for our redemption with his blood: and for the strengthening of our faith, he hath added outward seals, the two Sacraments, to seal our faith in this blood, and in him who is sealed of the Father,

But here in this place is meant another manner of sealing; for here is not meant the sealing of Christ, but the sealing of us, that have communion with Christ. The same Spirit that sealed the Redeemer, seals the redeemed.

What is our Sealing?

Sealing we know hath this use.

First of all, it doth imprint a likeness of him that doth seal upon the wax that is sealed: as when the Kings Picture or Image is stamped or sealed upon the wax; everything in the wax answers to that in the seal, face to face, eye to eye, hand to hand, foot to foot, body to body. So we are said to be sealed, when we carry in our souls the Image of Jesus Christ: for the Spirit sets the stamp of Jesus Christ upon every Christian, so that there is the likeness of Christ in all things: understanding answers understanding, in proportion; as a child (you know) answers the father, it hath limb for limb, foot for foot, finger for finger, but it is not in quantity, but in proportion and likeness: so it is in the soul that is sealed by the Spirit, there is a likeness to Christ, something of every grace of Christ: there is understanding of the same heavenly supernatural truths; there is a judging of things as Christ judgeth: and the affections go as Christ's do; he loves that which Christ loves, and he hates that which he hates: he joys in that which Christ delights in: Every affection of the soul is carried that way that the affections of our blessed Savior are carried in proportion: Every thing in the soul is answerable to Jesus Christ; and there is no grace in Christ, but there is the like in every Christian in some small measure: the Obedience of Christ to his Father even to the death, it is in every Christian: the Humility whereby Christ abased himself, it is in every Christian. Christ works in the soul that receiveth him, a likeness to himself.

And this is an undoubted Character of a Christian; The soul that believes in Christ, doth not only believe in him for his own sake, to be forgiven of his sins, but together with believing, feeling the forgiveness of his sins, and that Christ hath so loved him, and done such things for him, he is ambitious to express Christ in all things; and it stirs him up with desire to be like him: for, thinks he, is there such love in Christ to me? and is there such grace and mercy in God to me? and was Christ so good as to do and to suffer such things for me? Oh how shall I improve things for him? Oh that I might be like him! lovely in his eyes! This (I say) must needs be so, these desires are undoubtedly universally in the souls of all those that partake of Christ; it is the nature of the thing to be so: we shall desire to be transformed more and more to Christ; Every way to bear the Image of the second Adam, who is (as the Apostle saith) from heaven, heavenly; and so shall we be heavenly-minded as he was heavenly-minded on earth, talking and discoursing of the Kingdom of Heaven, and sitting people for the Kingdom of heaven, and drawing others from this world to meditate of a better estate: there is a likeness to these in the soul of every believer: and that's the reason that Christ's Offices are put together in all those that he saves, that look whosoever he is a Priest to, to die for their sins, to them he is a Prophet to teach them, and a King to subdue their corruptions, and to change them, and alter them, and to rule them by his Spirit.

You have carnal men in presumption, which leads them to destruction; they sever things in Christ, they will take benefit by Christ, but they care not for his likeness: they will have him as a Priest, but they respect him not as a King. Now all that are Christ's have the stamp of the Spirit upon them: there are desires wrought in them by the Spirit of God to that purpose: and a Spirit of Sanctification, that makes them every way like Christ in their proportion.

And that is an evidence of the sealing of such a soul; because the soul of itself hath no such impression: for the soul of itself is a barren Wilderness, a stone that is cold and uncapable of impression: when therefore the soul can command nature, being stiff, and hard, and dead, we see an impression of a higher nature, a man may know that undoubtedly the Spirit of God hath been in this soul; for we see a loving spirit, an humble spirit, a gracious, a believing, a broken spirit, an obedient spirit to every commandment of God; the soul can yield itself wholly to the will of God in all things: certainly (I say) the Spirit of God hath been here; for these things grow not in a natural soul. A stone (you know) is cold by nature, and if a man feel a stone to be hot, a man may undeniably gather, Certainly the Sun hath shined upon this stone: Our hearts are very cold by nature, undoubtedly when they are warmed with the love of God, that they are made pliable to duties, the Sun of righteousness, Christ hath shined on this cold heart. God's Spirit can work on Marble, can work on Brasse, as Jeremy saith. It was the commendations of one of the Fathers, that he could work on Brasse. God can work on our souls which are as brass, and make an impression of grace there: and therefore when a man sees an impression upon such hard metal, certainly he may know that the finger of God's Spirit hath been there. So that the work of Sanctification is an undoubted feal of the Spirit of God.

A second use of a Seal is Distinction. Seals are given for distinguishing: for you know sealing is a stamp set upon some few out of many: so this sealing of the Spirit, it distinguisheth Christians from others; as we shall see more at large afterwards.

Then again, a Seal it serves for Appropriation: for men seal those things that are their own. Merchants seal those Wares that they either have, or mean to have a right unto: Men seal their own sheep, and not others, and stamp their own Wares, and not others. God here stoops so low as to make use of terms that are used in human matters and contracts: and by sealing, he shows that he hath appropriated his own to himself, chosen and singled them out for himself to delight in.

Again, sealing further serves to make things authentical, to give authority and excellency to things: Magistrates and Officers go with their broad Seal, and deliver things that they would have carried with authority, sealed; and the Seal of the Prince is the authority of the Prince: so that a Seal is to make things authentical, to give validity to things answerable to the value and esteem of him that seals.

These four principal uses there is of sealing. Now God by his Spirit doth all these: for God by his Spirit sets the stamp and likeness of Christ upon us; he distinguisheth us from others, from the great refuse of the world: he appropriates us to himself; and like wise he authorizeth us and puts an excellency upon us to secure us against all: when we have God's Seal upon us we stand against all accusations; Who shall separate us from the love of God? we dare def •… all objections, and all accusations of conscience whatsoever: a man that hath God's▪ Seal, he stands impregnable, it so authorizeth him in his conscience: for it is given us for our assurance, and not for God's: God seals not because he is ignorant, He knows who are his.

But what? is the Spirit itself this seal? or the graces of the Spirit? or the comforts of the Spirit? what is this seal? (for that is the question now) whether the Spirit itself, or the work of the Spirit, or the comfort and joy of the Spirit?

I answer, indeed the Spirit of God where it is, is a sufficient seal to us, that God hath set us out for his: for whosoever hath the Spirit of Christ is his; and whosoever hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his: but the Spirit is the Author of this sealing: and the sealing that is in us, is wrought by the Spirit: so that except you take the Spirit for that which is wrought by the Spirit, you have not the right comprehension of sealing; and so the Spirit with that which the Spirit works, is the seal: for the Spirit is always with his own seal, with his own stamp. Other seals are removed from the stamp, and the stamp remains, though the seal be gone: but the Spirit of God dwells and keeps a perpetual residence in the heart of a Christian, guiding him, moving him, enlightening of him, governing him, comforting him, doing all offices of a seal in his heart, till he have brought him to heaven: for the Holy Ghost never leaves us; it is the sweetest inhabitant that ever lodging was given to: he doth all that is done in the soul, and he is perpetually with his own work in joy and comfort; though he seems sometimes to be in a corner of the heart, and is not discernible, yet he always dwells in us: the Spirit is always with the stamp it sets upon the soul.

What is that stamp then? (to come to the matter more particularly,) what is that that the Spirit seals us with especially? what is that work?

I answer, the Spirit works in this order for the most part; and in some of these universally.

First, the Spirit doth together with the Word (which is the instrument of the Spirit, the Chariot in which it is carried) convince us of the evil that is in us, and of the ill estate we are in by reason thereof: it convinceth us that we are sinners, and of the fearful estate that we are in by sin: this is the first work of the Spirit on a man in the state of nature; it convinceth us of the ill that is in us, and of the ill due unto us, and thereupon it abaseth us: therefore it is called the Spirit of bondage, because it makes a man tremble and quake till he see his peace in Christ.

When the Spirit hath done that, then it convinceth a man by a better, by a sweeter light, discovering a remedy in Christ, who is sealed of God, to reconcile God and us. And as he enlighteneth the soul, convinceth it of the all-sufficiency that is in Christ, and the authority that he hath, being sent and sealed of God for that purpose; so he works on the affections, he inclines the heart to go to God in Christ, and to cast himself on him by faith.

Now when the soul is thus convinced of the evil that is in us, and of the good that is in Christ, and with this convincing is inclined and moved by the holy Spirit, (as indeed the holy Spirit doth all) then upon this the Spirit vouchsafeth a superadded work, (as the Spirit doth still add to his own work) he adds a confirming work, which is here called Sealing: that seal is not faith: for the Apostle saith, After you believed, ye were sealed: so that this sealing is not the work of faith, but it is a work of the Spirit upon faith, assuring the soul of its estate in grace.

But what need confirmation when we believe? Is not faith confirmation enough? when a man may by a reflect act of the soul know that he is in the state of grace by believing?

It is true, as the natural conscience knows what is in a man, as the natural judgment can reflect, so the spiritual understanding can reflect; and when he believes, he knows that he believes, without the Spirit, by the reflect act of the understanding (except he be in case of temptaton) what needs sealing then?

This act of ours in believing, and the knowledge of our believing it is oft terribly shaken: and God is wondrous desirous (as we see by the whole passage of the Scripture) that we should be secure of his love; he knows that he can have no glory, and we can have no comfort else: and rherefore when we by faith have sealed to his truth, he knows that we need still further sealing, that our faith be current and good, and to strengthen our faith, for all is little enough in the time of temptation; and therefore the single witness of our soul by the reflect act, knowing that we do believe when we do believe, it is not strong enough in great temptations; for in some trials the soul is so carried and hurried, that it cannot reflect upon itself, nor know what is in itself, without much ado: therefore first the Spirit works faith whereby we seal God's truth, Joh. 3. He that believes, hath put to his seal that God is true: when God by his Spirit moves me to honor him by sealing his truth, that Whosoever believes in Christ, shall be saved, then God seals this my belief with an addition of his holy Spirit: so that this sealing is a work upon believing; and as faith honors God, so God honors faith with a superadded seal and confirmation.

But yet we not come particularly enough to know what this Seal is. When we honor God by sealing his truth, then the Spirit seals us; certainly then the Spirit doth it by presence, by being with us in our souls. What then doth the Spirit work when we believe? How shall we know that there is such a spiritual sealing?

I answer, the Spirit in this sea •… g works these four things:

First, a secret voice or witness to the soul, that we are the sons of God.

Secondly, a voice or speech in us again to God, causing us to have access to the Throne of grace with boldness.

Thirdly, a work of Sanctification.

Fourthly, Peace of Conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

By these four ways we may know the sealing of the Spirit after we believe, and that our faith is a sound belief, and that we are in the state of grace indeed.

First, (I say) the Spirit speaks to us by a secret kind of whispering and intimation, (that the soul feels better then I can express,) Be of good comfort, thy sins are forgiven thee, saith he to the soul, I am thy salvation: there is (I say) a sweet joining, a sweet kiss given to the soul, I am thine, and thou art mine: God by his Spirit speaks so much; there is a voice of God's Spirit speaking peace to his people upon their believing.

And then secondly, the Spirit of adoption stirs up the speech of the soul to God, that as he says to the soul, Because thou believest, now thou art honored to be my child; so the Spirit stirs up in the soul a Spirit of prayer to cry, Abba, Father; it can go boldly to God as to a Father; for that Abba, Father, it is a bold and familiar speech.

There are two things in a prayer of a Christian that are incompatible to any carnal man: there is an inward kind of familiar boldness in the soul, whereby a Christian goes to God, as a child when he wants anything goes to his father; a child considers not his own worthiness or meanness, but goeth to his father familiarly and boldly: so (I say) when the Spirit of God speaks to us from God, and tells the soul, I am thine, I am thy salvation, thy sins are forgiven thee, be of good comfort; and when the soul again speaks to God, when it can pour forth itself with a kind of familiar boldness and earnestness, especially in extremity, and in time of trouble, and can wait in prayer, and depend upon God this spiritual speech of God to the soul, and of the soul to God, it is a seal of the Spirit that indeed we are true believers, because we can do that that none can do but Christians: God speaks to our souls, he raiseth our souls, and by his Spirit he puts a spirit of supplication into us, and helps our infirmities: for we know not what to ask, but he helps our weakness, and enables us to lay out the wants of our souls to God: these are evidences of the presence, and of the seal of the Spirit.

In the third place, this sealing of the Spirit after we believe, is known by the sanctifying work of the Spirit: for (as I told you before in the unfolding of the Point) the Spirit seals our spirits by stamping the likeness of the Spirit of Christ on us: so that when a man finds in his soul some lineaments of that heavenly Image of Christ Jesus, when he finds some love, he may know by that love that he is translated from death to life; when he finds his spirit subdued, to be humble, to be obedient, when he finds his spirit to be heavenly and holy as Christ was; when he finds this stamp upon the soul, surely he may reason, I have not this by nature, naturally I am proud, now I can abase myself; natureally I am full of malice, now I can love, I can pray heartily for mine enemies, as Christ did: naturally I am lumpish and heavy, now in afflictions, I can joy in the Holy Ghost, I have somewhat in me contrary to nature, surely God hath vouchsafed his Spirit (upon my believing in Christ) to mark me, to seal 〈◊〉 to stamp me for his, I carry now the Image of the second Adam, I know the Holy Ghost hath been in my heart, I see the stamp of Christ there: Know you not that Christ is in you, except you be cast awayes? saith the Apostle; so upon search, the Christian soul finds somewhat of Christ always in the soul to give a sweet evidence that he is sealed to the day of redemtpion.

The fourth evidence that the Spirit of God hath been in a man's heart, is the joy of the Holy Ghost and peace of conscience, sanctification is the ordinary seal that is always in the soul; this is an extraordinary seal, peace and joy: when the soul needs encouragement, then God is graciously pleased to superadd this, to give such spiritual ravishings which are as the very beginnings of heaven, so that a man may say of a Christian at such times that he is in heaven before his time, he is in heaven upon earth; but especially God doth this when he will have his children to suffer, or after suffering, after some special conflict, after we have combated with some special corruption, with some sinful disposition, with some strong temptation, and have got the victory: To him that overcometh will I give of the hidden Manna, and a white stone, and a new name that none can read it, but he that hath it; that is, he shall have assurance that he is in the state of grace, and the sweet sense of the love of God, and that sweet heavenly Manna that none else can have: thus God dealt with Job; after he had exercised that Champion a long time, at the last he discovered himself in a glorious manner to him; so it is usually after some great cross: or in the midst of some great cross, when God sees that we must be supported with some spiritual comfort, we sink else; then there is place and time for spiritual comfort, when earth cannot comfort: thus St. Paul in the midst of the dungeon when he was in the stocks being sealed with the Spirit, he sang at midnight; Alas, what would have become of blessed Paul? his spirit would have sunk if God had not stamped it with Joy in the Holy Ghost; and so David, and the three young men in the fiery furnace, and Daniel in the den, God doth then even as parents, smile upon their children when they are sick and need comfort: so above all other times God reserves this hidden sealing of his children with a spirit of joy when they need it most, sometimes in the midst of afflictions, sometimes as a reward when they come out of their afflictions: sometimes before; so our Savior Christ had James and John with him upon the mountain to strengthen them against the scandal of suffering after: so God when he hath a great work for his children to do, some suffering for them to go through, as an encouragement beforehand, he enlargeth their spirits with the joy of the, Holy Ghost: and sometimes also after a holy and gracious disposition in the Ordinances of God, God doth add an excellent portion of his Spirit, a seal extraordinary: for indeed, God thinks nothing enough for his children till he have brought them to heaven, seal upon seal, and comfort upon comfort; and the more we depend upon him in the means of salvation, and the more we conflict with our corruptions, the more he increaseth the sweet comforts and the hidden Manna of the Spirit.

Thus we see how the Spirit seals: I beseech you therefore let us examine ourselves by that which hath been spoken: after we believe, God seals those that do believe; we honor him by believing, he honors us by sealing us with his Spirit: Hath God spoken to thy soul by the witness of the Spirit, and said, I am thy salvation, thy sins are forgiven thee? doth God stir up thy spirit to call upon him, especially in extremity? and to go with boldness and earnestness to him? surely this boldness and earnestness is an evidence of the seal of the Spirit; for a man that hath no seal of the Spirit, he cannot go to God in extremity; Saul in extremity he goes to the Witch; and Achitophel and Judas in extremity go to desperate conclusions: a man that hath not the Spirit of God speaking peace to his conscience, to whom God hath not given the Spirit of Adoption to cry, Abba, Father, in all manner of exigence, he sin •… ks as lead to the bottom of the sea; so heavy is the soul that is not raised by the Spirit of God, he hath no consistence till he come to the Centre, to hell. Did you ever feel the sweet joy of the Spirit after conflict with corruptions, and getting ground of them, and in holy duties? &c. it is a sign that God hath sealed you.

But you will say, How can that be a seal that is not always? a seal cotinues with the thing; God's children find not peace always, the joy of the Spirit comes after the work of the Spirit: how then can this be a seal?

I Answer, Yes; for howsoever it be or not always sensible, yet it is always a seal: though we have not always the joy of the Spirit, yet we have the Spirit of joy; a Christian hath not the joy of the Spirit at all times, for that is moveable, but he hath always the Spirit of joy, which Spirit though it be not known by joy, yet it is known by operation and working: there is the work of the Spirit, where there is not always the joy of the Spirit: and therefore when that fails, go to the work of sanctification, and see what stamp and resemblance of Christ there is: see if thy heart be humble and broken, if thou have a loving disposition in thee like to Christ, that thou hatest that which Christ hateth, that thou seest a division in thyself: I say, when the joy of the Spirit ceaseth, go to the work of the Spirit, and to this work of the Spirit, viz. the voice of the Spirit, canst thou cry to God with prayer and supplication? and if thou canst not pray with distinct words, canst thou mourn and groan to God? this sighing and groaning is the voice of God's Spirit, and God knows the voice of his own Spirit. But for the question propounded: the soul of a Christian knows that when it finds not extraordinary comfort from God's Spirit, that God's love is constant: It can reason thus, Though I find not the comfort of the Spirit, yet I have the Spirit of Comfort, because I had the Spirit in former times, and God's Spirit is unchangeable, and therefore though it be not with me now as in those ravishings of the Spirit, yet the love of God is the same, though my feeling be not the same; because though I be off and on, and my feeling ebb and flow, yet his love is not so: and here upon the extraordinary feeling of the Spirit, which is superadded as an extraordinary seal, it may be a sound seal of Comfort from the constancy of God who gave it, and he gave it for this end, that we might have recourse and retire back in our thoughts, and argue, it was thus and thus with me; then we remember the times of old, as David saith, Psal. 77. and help ourselves with our former feelings: he that always hath life, is not always alike stirred; Christ may be begotten and live in us, but he stirs not always alike: so though the Spirit of sanctification be in us, and stir in us, yet his stirring is not alike so sweet; and the stirring of the Spirit though it be not always, yet the Spirit is always there; so the soul may have recourse to that which is unchangeable and constant, even God himself; and his love is as himself.

But to take a Christian in his worst time, in the worst and greatest afflictions, how shall he know then that he is sealed of the Spirit? when corruption, temptation and affliction meet together in the soul: when temptation is joined with our corruption, and afflictions yield ground to temptations: (for Satan useth the afflictions we are in as temptations to shake our faith, Canst thou be a child of God, and be so exercised? is this grace? so affliction is a weapon to temptation, for Satan to help his fiery darts with.) Now how shall a man know that God hath any part here?

He may know that he is sealed by the Spirit of God, if he have a spirit to thwart these, if he row against the stream, if he go contrary to all these; if he find a spirit resisting Satan's temptations, and raising himself above afflictions, and standing against, and combating with his corruptions, and checking his carnal soul when it is drawing him down, Why art thou discomforted, O my soul? saith David; Psal. 42. & 43. He found corruptions, and afflictions, and Satan's temptations working with them, depressing his soul downwards; hereupon having the Spirit in him, saith he, Why art thou disquieted within me? trust in God: He first chides his soul, Why art thou so? and then he lays a charge upon it, trust in God. So I say, when this is in the soul in the greatest extremity, when I can check my soul, Why art thou thus? yet trust in God; whatsoever is in the world, yet there is hope in heaven, though there be little comfort upon earth; this is a sign that I am sealed with the Spirit of God: and thus in the worst temptations that can come, and so in the worst times, a man may know that he is in the state of grace.

One use of a seal (I told you before) was to distinguish, if a man therefore find in himself a distinguishing from the errors of the times: Many walk (saith the Apostle) of whom I have told you oft, their end is damnation, their belly is their god, they mind earthly things: but what did S. Paul in the mean time? what did the Spirit work in him? But our conversation is in heaven, saith he. The whole world was overspread with a deluge of sin; but what was Noah and his family? God by his Spirit distinguished them, they went a contrary course to the world; and Lot in Sodom: so a man may know that he is sealed, when the Spirit leads him another way, that he is not led with the errors of the times.

Thus we have unfolded to you the sealing of the Spirit; and you see the Spirit of God not only anoints, but seals. Now we should labor to have our hearts thus sealed by the Spirit: Can we desire and never be at quiet till our Instruments be sealed, till our acquittances, till our Charters be sealed? and shall we be patient not to have our souls sealed?

Let us labor by all means to have the Image and likeness of Christ stamped upon our souls especially, that is wondrous comfortable when we can find somewhat in us like to Jesus Christ.

To encourage us to this, let us consider, that death and Judgment will come, and God will set none at his right hand but his sheep that have his mark: those that he sets his stamp and Image upon, those he will set on the right hand in the day of Judgment.

And how comfortably in the hour of death can the soul commend itself to God, when it sees itself stamped and sealed by the Spirit of Christ? when he can say to Christ, Lord Jesus, receive my soul that thou hast redeemed by thy blood, that thou hast sealed by thy Spirit, and that thou hast set thine own stamp upon, acknowledge thine own likeness, though it be not as it should be: what a comfort (I say) hath the sealed soul at the hour of death? and so in all other extremities, and in times of trouble and danger, those in whom God sees his own Image and likeness, he will own, and to those he will always show a distinct and respective love in hard times.

What a difference is between that soul and others in the time of affliction, as in the time of pestilence and war: the soul that is sealed knows that he is marked out for God, for happiness in the world to come, whatsoever befalls him in this world; and he knows that God in all confusion of times knows his own seal: those that are sealed God hath a special care of, I say; therefore in Ezek. 9. they are said to be marked in their foreheads: not that there was any visible mark on them, but it is a phrase to signify what special care God had of his people, specially in times of destruction, God will as it were set them out in those times, and make special provision for them: thus Josiah was taken away from the evil to come; and Lot was taken out of Sodom when fire and brimstone was to come from heaven: and Pella, a little Village was delivered when the general destruction came upon Jerusalem. So that (I say) God hath a special care of his little ones in this life; and if he take them away, yet their death is precious in his sight: He will not part with them but upon special consideration; he sees if they live it will be worse for them; he sees it is better for them to be gathered to himself, and to the souls of men made perfect in heaven.

And as he hath a special care of them in regard of outward miseries and calamities, so in regard of spiritual contagion and infection, as Rev 7. there God's holy ones were sealed, so many of such a tribe, &c. which is to signify to us, that God hath always some that he will keep and preserve from the universal infection and contagion of Antichrist in the worst times: God hath always a Church in the worst times, in the obscurest ages of the Church, eight or nine hundred years after Christ, especially nine hundred years, when Egyptian darkness had overspread the world, and there was little learning and goodness in the world, God had always sealed ones, marked ones, that he preserved from the danger of dark times: and so he will always have a care of his own, that they be not led away with that soul-hurting error, Popery; another manner of mischief then men take it for. The Scripture is more punctual in setting down the danger of those, especially in lighter times of the Church, that are carried away with that sin, then any other sin whatsoever, they have a contrary mark, those that have the mark of the Beast, it is contrary to the mark of Christ, it is far from being the mark and seal of the Spirit, that implicit bloody faith: Theirs is the bloody Church, pretend what they will, and they stand out to blood in the defense of all their cruel, superstitious, and bloody decrees. Those persons (I say) that are deeply died in Popery, that have the mark of the Beast, they are in a clean opposite condition to those that are marked with the Spirit, that Christ marks for his.

Let us not fear therefore, I say, if we have the Spirit of God stamped upon us, though in a little measure, if it be true, let us not fear death, Christ knows his own mark even in death, and out of death. And let us not fear afflictions nor evil times, Christ will know his seal, He hath a book of remembrance for those that are his, Mal. 3. for those that mourn for the sins of the times, and when he gathers his Jewels, those shall be his, he will gather his Jewels as a man in his house gathers his jewels, he suffers his luggage to burn in the fire: so God in common calamities, he suffers luggage, wicked men, to go to wrack; but he will free his own.

Let us labor therefore for this seal, to have our souls stamped with the Spirit of God, to have further and further evidence of our state in grace, that in the time of common calamity we may be free from danger, free from error, and destruction.

But you will say, What shall I account of it, if there be but a little sign of grace?

Be not discouraged: when the stamp in wax is almost out, it is currant in Law: put the case the stamp of the Prince be an old coin, (as sometimes we see it on a King Harry groat) yet it is currant money, yea, though it be a little cracked: So, put the case the stamp of the Spirit be, as it were, almost worn out, (it is our shame, and ought to be our grief that it is so,) yet there are some evidences, some pulses, some sighs and groans against corruption, we mourn in our spirits, we do not join with corruption, we do not allow ourselves in sin; there is the stamp of the Spirit remaining, though it be overgrown with the dust of the world that we cannot see it.

Sometimes God's children though they have the graces of the Spirit in them, yet they yield so much to their corruptions, that they can read nothing but their corruptions; when we bid them read their evidences, they can see nothing but worldliness, nothing but pride and envy, &c. though there be a stamp on them, yet God holds the soul from seeing it, so that they can see nothing but corruption, this is for their negligence; God gives them up to mistake their estates, because they will not stir up the graces of the Spirit; because they grieve the Spirit, and quench the Spirit, by doing that which is contrary to the Spirit.

Let us therefore (that we may have the more comfort) preserve the stamp of the Spirit fresh, by the exercise of all grace, and communion with God, and by obedience, and by faith: honor God by believing, and he will honor thee by stamping his Spirit on thee more and more. And let this be our work every day to have the stamp of the Spirit clear: Oh what a comfort it is to have this in us at all times! if a man have nothing in him better then nature, if he have nothing in him in regard of grace, if he have not Christ's Image upon his soul, though he be a King, or an Emperor, yet he shall be stripped of all ere long, and be set on the left hand of Christ, and be adjudged to eternal torments.

It is the folly of the times come up of late, there is much laboring for Statues, and for curious workmanship of that kind, and some pride themselves much in it, and account it great riches to have an old Statue: Alas, alas! what a poor delight is this in comparison of the joy that a Christian hath by the seal of the Spirit? and what is this to the ambition of a Christian, to see the Image and representation of Christ stamped in his soul? that he may be like the second Adam, that he may be transformed more and more by looking on him, and seeing himself in him, to love him, considering that he hath loved us so much: (for we cannot see the love of Christ to us, but we must love him the more, and be transformed into him.) Now this transforming ourselves into the Image of Christ, is the best picture in the world; therefore labor for that every day more and more.

There is besides the common broad seal of God, his Privy Seal, as I may call it: It is not sufficient that we have the one, that we have admittance into the Church by Baptism; but we must have this privy seal which Christ sets and stamps upon the soul of the true Christian: Alas, for a man to build only on the outward seals, and outward prerogatives, (which in themselves are excellent, yet) the standing upon them betrays many souls to the Devil in times of distress.

It is another manner of seal then the outward seal in the Sacrament that will satisfy and comfort the conscience in the apprehensions of wrath at the hour of death or other ways. It must be this privy seal, and then comes the use of those public open known seals, the broad seals; then a man with comfort may think upon his Baptism, and upon his receiving the Communion, when he hath the beginnings of faith wrought in him by the Spirit of God; when a man finds the beginnings of faith in him, then he may make use of the broad seal to be a help to his faith.

We must not be so profane as to think slightly and irreverently of God's Ordinances, they are of great and high consequence: for when Satan comes to the soul, and shakes the confidence of it, and saith, Thou art not a Christian, and God doth not love thee. Why, (saith the soul) God hath loved me, and pardoned my sins, he hath given me promises, and particularly sealed them in the Sacrament: here is the excellency of the Sacrament, it comes more home then the Word, it seals the general promise of God particularly to myself. I am sealed in the Sacrament, and withal I find the stamp of the Spirit in my heart; and therefore having the inward work of the Spirit, and God having fortified the inward work, and strengthened my faith by the outward seal, I can therefore stand against any temptation whatsoever: They are excellent both together, but the special thing that must comfort, must be the hidden seal of the Spirit.

Let us labor therefore to be sealed inwardly, and observe God's sealing-days, (as we use to speak) which though it may be every day if we be in spiritual exercises, yet especially on the Lord's Day; for then his Ordinance and his Spirit go together.

Now as there is a sealing of our estates that we are the children of God, so there is of truths, and both are in the children of God: as for instance, this is a truth, Whosoever believes in Christ shall not perish, but have everlasting life: now the same Spirit that stirred up the soul to believe this, seals it in the soul, even to death, and in all times of temptation: and likewise there is no promise but upon the believing of it, it is sealed by the Spirit upon the soul; for those truths only abide firm in the soul which the Spirit of God sets on.

What is the reason that many forget the comforts and consolations that they hear? because the Spirit sets them not on, the Spirit seals them not. What is the reason that illiterate men stand out in their profession to blood, whereas those that have a discoursive kind of learning they yield? the reason is this, the knowledge of the one is sealed by the Spirit, it is set fast upon the soul, the Spirit brings the knowledge and the soul close together; whereas the knowledge of the other is only a notional, swimming knowledge, it is not spiritual.