4. The fourth evidence that the Spirit of God hath been in a man's heart, is the joy of the Hohj Ghost wid 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 gra- ciously 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 sufiering, after some special conflict, after we have combated with some special corruption, with some sinful disposition, with some strong tempta- tion, 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,' Rev. ii. 17, 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
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himsL'lt' in a glorious manner to him. So it is usually after some great cross ; or in the midst of some gn-at cross, when God sees that we must be supported with some spiritual comfort, wo sink else. Then there is place and time for s[)iritual comfort, when earth cannot comfort. Thus St Paul in the midst of the dungeon, wh(;n he was in the stocks, being sealed with the Spirit, he ' sang at midnight,' Acts xvi. 24, .svYy. Ahis ! what would have become of blessed Paul ? his spirit would have sunk if God had not stamped it with 'joy in the Holy Ghost,' llom. xiv. 17; 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, some- times in tlie midst of afflictions, sometimes as a reward when they come out of their afflictions ; sometimes before. So our Saviour 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 sutfering 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 c(mifort upon comfoii ; 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 exa- mine ourselves by that which hath been spoken : after we believe, God seals those that do believe. We honour him by believing, he honours us by sealing us with his Spirit. Hath God spoken to thy soul by the wit- ness 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 extre- mity ? and to go with boldness and earnestness to him ? Surely this bold- ness 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 Ahithophel and Judas in extremity go to desperate conclusions. A man that hath not the Spirit of God speak- ing peace to his conscience, to whom God hath not given the spirit of adoption to cr}', ' Abba, Father,' in all manner of exigents, he sinks 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 continues with the thing. God's children And 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 alway sensible, yet it is alway 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-