the soul. Nothing puts such golden engagements upon the soul to holiness, as the Spirit sealing a man up to the day of redemption, as the Spirit speaking and sealing peace, love, and pardon to the soul, Ps. Ixxxv. 8; 1 Cor. xv. 31; 2 Cor. v. 14. Nothing makes a man more careful to please Christ, more fearful to offend Christ, more studious to exalt Christ, and more circumspect to walk with Christ, than this testimony of the Spirit of Christ. Verily, that is not the blessed whis- pering of Christ's Spirit, but the hissing of the old serpent, that makes men bold with sin, that makes men dally with sin, that makes man a servant to sin, that breeds a contempt of ordinances, a neglect of holy duties, a carelessness in waljiing with God. And from those hissings of the old serpent, 0 Lord, deliver my soul, and the souls of all thy servants that put their trust in thee !
(9.) The ninth difference. Ninthly and lastly, Assurance ia a jewel, a pearl of that price, that God only bestows it upon renewed hearts. The Spirit never sets his seal upon any, but upon those that Christ hath first printed his image upon. God gives to none the white stone, Rev. ii. 1 7, but to those from whom he hath taken the heart of stone ; Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 26, 27 compared. Christ never tells a man that his name is written in tlie book of life, till he hath breathed into him spiritual life, Luke x. 20. Christ never says, Son, be of good cheer, thy sin is par- doned, till he hath first said, Be thou healed, be thou cleansed, Luke v. 18-20. Christ never gives a man a new name, that is better than the names of sons and daughters, till he hath made them new creatures, Isa. Ivi. 5 ; 2 Cor. v. 17. Of slaves Christ first makes us sons, before we cry Abba, Father, Rom. viii. 15. Of enemies, he first makes us friends, before he will make us of his court or counsel, Eph. ii. 13-20. Christ will never hang a pearl in a swine's snout, nor put new wine into old bottles, nor his royal robes upon a leprous back, nor his golden chain about a dead man's neck, nor his glistering crown upon a traitor's head. The Spirit never sets his seal upon any, but upon those that Christ hath first set as a seal upon his heart, Eph. i. 1 3 ; Cant. viii. 6. The Spirit only bears witness to such as hate sin as Christ hates it, and that love righteousness as Christ loves it, that hate sin more than hell, and that love truth more than hfe, Ps. xlv. 7. A soul sealed by the Spirit will pull out right eyes, and cut oft" right hands, for Christ ; such souls will part with a Benjamin, and offer up an Isaac, for Christ. And this is to be seriously minded against those deceived and deluded souls, that remain yet in their blood, and that wallow in their sins, and yet boast and brag of the seal and of the witness and testimony of the Spirit.
And thus I have shewed you the difierence between the whisperings of the Spirit and the hissing of the old serpent, between a true testimony and a false.
^ Containing answers to several special questions about assurance, [1.] The first question. But methinks I hear some precious souls
524 HEAVEN ON EARTH. [ROM. VIII. 32-34.
saying, Sirs ! we have, after much praying, weeping, and waiting, gained this pearl of price, assurance ; but oh, how shall we do to strengthen it, how shall we do to keep it ? Satan will labour to weaken our assurance, and to rob us of this jewel that is more worth than a world ; what means must we use to strengthen our assurance and to secure it ? &c.
Inow to this question I shall give these following answers :
First, If you would have your assurance strengthened and maintained, then keep close to soul-strengthening ways, be serious and sincere, be diligent and constant in tlie use of those means and ways wherein you first gained assurance, as prayer, the word, breaking of bread, communion of saints, &c.^ A conscionable and cordial use of holy and heavenly means is blessed, not only with a preservation of assurance, but likewise with an addition and increase of it. The ways of God, and his goings in the sanctuary, have wrought wonders upon thee, when thou wast dead, how much more will they work upon thee and for thee, now thou art by grace made alive ? He that will not apply himself to God's strengthening methods will quickly find his assurance weakened, if not wholly wasted. He that thinks himself too good for ordinances, will quickly grow weak in his assurance. The choicest prophets, and highest apostles, if I may so speak, that had attained to the fullest assurance, kept close to the ways and precious institutions of Christ.* Verily, those that pretend to live above ordinances-, and yet live below them, never knew by experience what a mercy it was to have a well-grounded assurance, or else they have lost that blessed assurance that once they had, &c.
Secondly, If you would strengthen- and maintain your assurance, then dwell much upon your spiritual and eternal privileges, viz., your adoption, justification, reconciliation, &c., 1 Peter ii. 9'. This you shall find by experience will mightily tend to the strengthening and maintaining of your assurance. He that neglects this rule will quickly find his sun to set in a doud, his harp to be turned into mourning, and his organ into the voice of them that weep,^ Job xxx. 31.
Thirdly, If you would strengthen and maintain your assurance, then look that your hearts run more out to Ghi'ist than to assurance ; to the sun than to the beams, to the fountain than to the stream, to the root than to the branch, to the cause than to the effect, Cant. i. 13. Assurance is sweet, but Christ is more sweet. Assurance is lovely, but Christ is altogether lovely. Cant. v. 16. Assurance is precious, but Christ is most precious, Prov. iii. 15. Though assurance be a flower that yields much comfort and delight, yet it is but a flower. Though assurance be a precious box, yet it is but a box. Though assurance be a ring of gold, yet it is but a ring of gold. And what is the flower to the root, what is the box to the ointment, what is the ring to the pearl ? No more is assurance to Christ. Therefore let thy eye and heart, first, most, and last, be fixed upon Christ, then will assurance bed and board with thee ; otherwise thou wilt quickly find thy summer to be turned into winter.
' The old mle was, B.oe age,
• A cool spirit is always a losing spirit ; the doing heart, the diligent heart, turns the spark into a flame, the mite into a million, &c.
» Holy and heavenly privileges are the food by which assurance ia cherished and maintained.
Rom. VIII. 32-34.] heaven on eabth. 525