Evidence for Heaven, Treatise · Part 10
Sealing by the Spirit.
Ephes. 4.30.
Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. — [Whereby ye are sealed, &c.]
THat which I pitch upon in this Text, as most for my purpose, is this, That the holy Spirit of God doth seal the Elect unto the day of redemption.
The whole Trinity doth concur in this work of sealing soules to eternall happiness; but sealing is here attributed to the third Person in Trinity (to wit) the holy Spirit of God, because it is a work most proper to his Office; It is the holy Spirit of God that sealeth soules to the day of redemption, as the Apostle here tells us.
The persons sealed, by the holy Spirit of God, are the Elect of God, true believers, as the Apostle intimates by that particle [Ye] whereby [Ye] are sealed, speaking of true believers. These, all these, and none but these, the holy Spirit of God doth seal unto the day of redemption, unto the day of the full manifestation of our redemption, unto the day of the redemption of our bodies from corruption, and the fruition of the redemption of our souls and bodies from Hell, by Jesus Christ.
Sealing is a metaphor taken from Merchants, who use to seal their own wares, for speciall ends.
The divine seales of God, are of a double kind, and of a double use; they are of a double kind, they are either externall, or internall; outward or inward; …. Externall, or outward, and such a seal was Circumcision in the time of the Law, it is so called by the Apostle, Rom 4.11. And such are our Sacraments▪ Baptism, and the Lords Supper, now in the daies of the Gospel.
2. Internall, or inward; the internall or inward seal of God, is the seal of the holy Spirit of God, metaphorically so called; and this is that which this Text points at.
Seales are of a double use, they serve to demonstrate, and to confirme; they signifie, and ratifie; I speak after the manner of men; Gods seales do no less, they demonstrate, they confirme; But Gods externall seales, without the internall seal of the Spirit of God, cannot assure any soul, of the speciall love of God, nor of his Adoption; many outwardly sealed go to Hell, the outward seales alone, cannot seal any soul unto the day of redemption; It is the inward seal of the holy Spirit of God, that seales us unto the day of redemption, as this Text tells us, Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
The internall, or inward divine seal of the Spirit of God, is twofold, Demonstrative, or Confirmative; The holy Spirit of God seals the Elect to the day of redemption two wayes, 1. With a seal of Demonstration, 2. With a seal of Confirmation.
The seal of Demonstration; set by the Spirit of God, I call that a speciall work of the holy Spirit of God, whereby a sinfull soul is truly regenerated, and the Image of God stamped upon him.
The seal of Confirmation, I call that a speciall work of the holy Spirit of God within us, whereby we are perswaded and assured, after an immediate manner, that we are the children of God, adopted in Christ, and beloved with an everlasting love.
Both these seales agree in their efficient cause, for they are both the speciall workes of the holy Spirit of God, whereby the soul is marked for, and assured of eternall happiness, when this life is ended.
Of the first of these seales (to wit) the seal of Demonstration, I shall speak something from this Text, as God shall enable me; and somewhat of the other (to wit) the seal of Confirmation from another Text, if the Lord permit, and so conclude this work.
Before I speak further of this seal of Demonstration, or the appearances of it, I will here premise six things.
First, That as a Merchant sets his seal upon his wares, by which he demonstrates such and such wares to be his, and distinguisheth them from all other; so God sets his seal upon his people (to wit) this seal of regeneration, by which he demonstrates them to be his, and distinguisheth them from all the people in the world, profane, morall, hypocriticall: This I may call Gods broad-seal, sealing a soul to the day of redemption.
Secondly, This seal God sets upon all his wares; all his adopted children, are sooner or later sealed with this seal: every reall Saint, every one that is effectually called, hath this seal of Demonstration set upon him, regeneration wrought in him, Gods Image stamped upon him. But all the children of God have not this in like measure, the impression is not alike visible in all, neither to the parties themselves, nor to others; some bear this impression, as babes; others, as men grown up to some maturity; all Gods adopted children bear this impression truly, but none of them perfectly in this life.
The third thing premised is this, That this seal of Demonstration (to wit) true regeneration, is of absolute necessity unto salvation; for, Without holiness no man shall see the Lord, Heb. 12.14.This Christ in…nated to Peter, Joh. 13 8. and plainly told Nicodemus, Joh. 3.5. No man shall ever inherit the kingdome of glory, that hath not this seal set upon him in the kingdome of grace. Christ will own none of these wares for his, in that other world, whom he doth not thus seal in this world, it stands not with his justice to own such.
The fourth thing premised is this, That this seal of regeneration demonstrates to God, to man, to others, and to a mans self, except in some *Viz. In case of Ignorance, Temptation, Desertion.cases, that he is Gods; He hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the Truth, 2 Thes. 2.13.
Fifthly, This seal of regeneration,Such a seal was set upon those, mentioned Phil. 4.3. whose names the Apostle judged were in the Book of Life. is such as others may discern; therefore I call it, a seal of demonstration: The Image of God, if once stamped in truth upon the soul, cannot be hid no more, than fire in a mans bosome; the love of God in the heart, will shew it self in the outward man; Nay, this seal of regeneration is many times more obvious unto others, than unto the parties themselves: This seal is so lively stamped on some of Gods people, that it shews it self very eminently in the eies of others, when they that have it, cannot, nor will not, behold it in themselves.
The sixth and last thing premised is this, That this seal of regeneration, whereever it is truly stamped by the holy Spirit of God,The saving graces of the Spirit, are called, The earnest of the Spirit, 2 Cor. 5.5. is Gods mark, and the soules earnest for Heavens eternity; The Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself, Psal. 4.3. The person thus sealed is a sequestred person, sequestred for the Lords use, sealed unto the day of redemption; Where note, That this seal of regeneration, doth confirme and make sure the love of God unto the person on which it is set, as well as the other, though not alwayes to the apprehension of the person.
Object. But Satan doth many times counterfeit this seal, and thereby cheats and cosens many a soul; He counterfeiteth holiness, and perswades the soul, that is but seemingly regenerate, that he is truly regenerate; and him that hath but civill holiness, that he hath saving holiness; and by this sophistry of his, cheats and undoth many a soul; How shall I then come truly to discern, whether the demonstrative seal, set upon my self, be indeed the seal of the holy Spirit of God▪ or but the counterfeit set by Satan?
Answ. 1. Wheresoever there is true regeneration wrought by the holy Spirit of God, Satans seal, which is upon our soules, as we come into the world, is cancelled, corruption is not barely restrained, but mortified; The body is dead, because of sinne, as the Scripture speaks; the soul is bent against every sinne, it allows not it self in any known sinne,Hates fin for its evil nature, and because God hates it. it hates all sin, but where Satan counterfeits this seal, corruption is but restrained, the heart loves it still, and cherisheth some one sinne or other.
2. The soul …hus sealed by the holy Spirit of God, beares the Image of God, the Image of God is stamped upon it; as the seal is, so is the print which it makes; the Spirit of God is a holy Spirit, and the soul that is sealed by it is a holy soul: He is renewed in the spirit of his mind; Holiness is stamped upon his heart and spirit▪ Eph. 4.23.and from thence spreads it self through the whole man, and through the whole life; from the time of conversion, regeneration, wrought by the Spirit of God, makes the heart pure and holy, as well as the outward man; therefore the Apostle calls it, Holiness of truth, Ephes. 4.24. and saith in another place, The Spirit is Life, because of righteousness. Christ makes it a note of a good man, that he can derive goodness from within, Luk 6 45. Therefore I may safely pitch upon it, That Holiness engraven upon the heart and spirit of a man, and from thence, declaring it self in the whole man, and in the whole life, is vigor fit and but fit to give the denomination of a soul thus sealed; regeneration wrought by the Spirit of God is begun in the inward man; it is universall, and goes through every faculty of the soul, and every part and member of the body, through the whole life and conversation; he that is truly sanctified, is sanctified throughout, and holy in all manner of convers…tion; he that is sealed by the holy Spirit of God, beares the Image of God in all these.
But Satans counterfeit seal of Demonstration, stamps his own image; he is seemingly an Angel of light, whilest really a Devil; and he that is thus sealed by Satan, resembles him in this, he is a seeming Saint, a reall Devil; So Christ spake of Iudas, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a Devil?
He that is thus sealed by Satan, hath Holiness painted on his outside, but wickedness graven on his heart, as is evident in the Scribes and Pharisees, who were thus sealed by Satan; they were outwardly holy (as Christ shews at large, Mat. 23.) but inwardly very ugly and rotten, and therefore calls them, whited sepulchres, not sealed soules.
Civill Holiness may, and many times doth enable a man to carry himself civilly, and holily in the eies of men; but saving Holiness makes a man studious, and carefull to approve himself unto God, in his very thoughts and affections, and in the motions of his heart, as well as the motions of the outward man; yea, this is that which he is most carefull of, and industrious about, that is sealed by the holy Spirit of God, his chief work is within doors; his principall care, desire and endeavour, is to approve his heart unto God, and so walk, that he may be accepted of him, and glorifie him.
Then again, civill Holiness springs from morall principles,Saving Holiness springs from divine principles good education, and the like; but saving Holiness springs from love: love to God is the root out of which it springs, as the Apostle shews, Eph. 1.4. The soul that is thus sealed by the Spirit of God, his Holiness springs from love to God, The love of Christ constraineth him thereunto.
The soul that is thus sealed by the holy Spirit of God, dares not sunder what God hath coupled together (to wit) Holiness towards God, and Righteousness towards men: a man truly regenerate, is carefull of both, witness Paul, Act. 24.16. He makes conscience of all sinne, and of all duty; he warrs against all sinne, and hath r…spect unto all Gods Commandments.
The soul thus sealed by the holy Spirit of God, is one in whom sinne dwelleth as a Rebell, and ruleth as a Tyrant only: He is one that is of all men the most sensible of, and affected with carnallity in himself; I am carnall (saith he) sold under sinne, Rom. 7.
He is one that serves the Lord, with all humility of mind, Act. 20.19. The more holy, and the more righteous a soul sealed by the holy Spirit of God is, the more humble he is; Christ and Paul were notable examples of this.
He that is thus sealed by the holy Spirit of God, is a world-overcoming creature, a flesh-overcoming creature,He is still figh…ing against these, and at last overcomes them all. and a Devil overcoming creature; He is more than a Conquerour (over all these) through Christ that hath loved him, and sealed him by his Spirit.
He is one that is a new Creature, and of this something hath been already spoken in this Treatise, to which I refer the Reader, for a farther discovery of a regenerate person.
In fine, He that is thus sealed by the holy Spirit of God, is one that holds on his way, and grows in grace. I joyn these together, so doth Iob, The righteous shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger, Job 17.9. This seal of the holy Spirit of God, hath this priveledge, above and beyond all other seales, the impression which it makes remaineth and increaseth. This seal of Demonstration, if once truly stamped, by the Spirit of God, on a soul, abideth there, the impression never weares out; This annointing abideth, as Iohn speakes, 1 Ioh. 2.27. Truth of grace in the heart, and it abideth there, and the heart abideth in the truth; When God gives a man truth of grace, he gives it him, to have and to hold for ever; the soul thus sealed beares in it the marks of the Lord Jesus unto the death, and most eminently after death in glory; This seal of the holy Spirit of God is lasting, and everlasting; True regeneration, seales a man to the day of redemption, but this it could not do, were it not a lasting substance.
This may suffice to discerne the reality of this seal of Demonstration by (to wit) true regeneration, and to distinguish it from that counterfeit set by Satan; I do not intend an innumeration of the qualifications and appearances of a regenerate person here, but only endeavour to discry him, and distinguish between him, and one but seemingly regenerate, and therefore strik… …, and proceed to the other seal of the holy Spirit of God, (to wit) the seal of Confirmation, mentioned before, and for this purpose shall pitch upon; Rom. 8.16.