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 likewise he authoriseth 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?' Rom. viii. 35. We dare defy all objections and all accusations of conscience whatsoever. A man that hath God's seal, he
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stands impregnable, it so authoriseth 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,' 2 Tim. ii. 19.
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 •ftTought 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 alway 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 jo}^ and comfort. Though he seems sometimes to be in a corner of the heart, and is not discernible, yet he alway 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 :
1. First, the Spirit doth, together with the word, which is the instru- ment of the Spirit, the chariot in which it is carried, convince us of the evil that is in us, cuul of the ill estate ive are in bij reason, thereof. It comauceth 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,' Rom. viii. 15, because it makes a man tremble and quake till he see his peace in Christ.
2. When the Spirit hath done that, the)i it convinceth a man hy a better, bij a sweeter liyht, discoverinrf 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 afl'ections, 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,' Eph. i. 13. 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 confii-mation when we believe ? Is not faith confirmation
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enough, when a man may by a reflect act of the soul know that he is in the state of gi'aco by believing ?
It is time, 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, ho knows that he believes, withcnit the Spirit, by the reflect act of the understanding, except he be in case of temptation. What needs sealing then ?