2 COKINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 22. 4G3
Let us labour 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 scaling 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,' John iii. 10. Now the same Spirit that stirreth 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 forgot 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 b}^ 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.
Those therefore that will hold out in the end, and not apostatise, those that Mill stand out in the hour of death against temptation, and those that will hold out in the time of life against solicitations to sin, they must have a knowledge suitable to the things they know, that is, they must see and know heavenly things bv a heavenly light, spiritual things by the Spirit of God.
And therefore when we come to hear the ministers of God, we should not come with strong conceits, in the strength of our wit ; but with reverent dispositions, with dependence upon God for his Spirit, that he would teach us together with the ministers, and close with our souls, and set those truths we hear upon our souls ; we shall never hold out else. And it must be the Holy Ghost that must do this ; for that which must settle and seal comfort to the soul, must be gi'eater than the soul, specially in the time of tempta- tion, when the terrors of the Almighty are upon us, and when the hell within a man is open, when God lays open our consciences, and ' writes bitter things against us,' Job xiii. 2G, and our consciences tell us our sins wondrous near ; they are written as it were ' with a pen of iron, and the point of a diamond, upon our souls,' Jer. xvii. 1 ; now I say, those truths that must satisfy conscience that is thus turmoiled, must be set on by that which is above conscience. The Spirit of God who is above our spirits, can only set down our spirits, and keep them from quarrelling and contending against the truth, and quiet the conscience ; and this the Spirit doth when it sets the truth upon the soul.
And thei-efore when our souls are disquieted and troubled, and we hear many comfortable truths, let us lift up our prayers to God, let there be ejaculations of spirit to God. Now Lord, by thy Holy Spirit set and seal this truth to my soul, that as it is true in itself, so it may be true to me likewise.
This is a necessary observation for us all. Oh, we desire all of us in the hour of death, to find such comforts as may be standing comforts, that may uphold us against the gates of hell, and against the temptations of Satan, and terrors of conscience ; why ! nothing will do this but spiritual truths spiritually known ; nothing but holy truths set on by the Holy Spirit of God.
464 COMMENTARY ON
But wliat course shall wo take when we want comfort ? when we want joy and peace ?
In the first [Epistle] of John, v. 7, 8, there are ' three witnesses in heaven, and three in earthj' to secure us of our state in grace, and the certainty of our salvation. The three witnesses upon earth are ' the Spirit, the water, and the hlood, and these three agree in one ; ' and the ' three that bear witness in heaven,' are ' the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost ; ' and the three on earth, and these throe in heaven agree in one ((lihhl).
Now the Spirit is the feelings and the sweet motions of the Spirit. The water may well be that washing of the Spirit, sanctification. The blood is the shedding of the blood of Christ, and justification by it. When there- fore we find that part of the seal, that extraordinary seal that I spake of before, the joy of the Spirit of God, that it is not in us, what shall we do? Shall we despair ? No ; go to the water. When we find not spiritual joy and comfort, when the witness of the Spirit is silent, go to the work of the Spirit in sanctification.