6. Hence, hkewise, the use of a seal is to shew that things should be kept inviolable. Hereupon the church is as a ' sealed fountain,' Cant. iv. 12. Sealing shews a care of preservation from common annoyance. Hereupon likewise it is that sealing is the securing of persons or things sealed from hurt. No man will violate a letter, because it is sealed. The tomb where Christ was buried was sealed, and the prison doors upon Daniel, that none might meddle with them. So the Spirit of God, by this work of sealing, secures God's children ; as the blood sprinkled upon the posts of the doors of the Israelites secured them from the destroying angel. In Ezek. ix. 4, there was a mark set upon those that were to be preserved that secured them ; and in Rev. vii. 3, the ' sealed ones ' must not be hurt. So where this seal of the Spirit is, it is an argument that God means to preserve such a one from eternal destruction, and from prevailing dangers in this world. They are God's sealed ones. No man can hurt them without wrong to God himself. ' Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm,' Ps. cv. 15. And likewise from devouring sins and dangerous apostasy. A man that is truly sealed by the Spirit of God he never be- comes a member of antichrist, a stigmatised papist — for antichrist hath bis seal too — he is kept from soul-murdering errors ; he hath this secui-ity upon him by the work and witness of God's Spirit. Whatsoever the use is, or can be, of a seal in man's affairs, that God will have us make use of in his heavenly intercourse betwixt him and us.
Wherehy you are scaled.
Now there are divers degrees of the Spirit's sealing.
1. Faith ; ' He that believes hath the witness in himself,' 1 John v. 10. He carries in his heart the counterpane* of all the promises. This grace is first planted in the heart, and answereth to God's love and purpose towards us of giving eternal life. The seal and first discovery of election is mani- fested to us in our believing. Acts xiii. 48, * As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.' This believing is also a seal to us, in that it is of those gifts that ' accompany salvation,' Heb. vi. 9, of which God never repents him by calling back again. It is a ' seed that abideth for ever.'
2. The yvovk of sanctifying yrace upon the heart is a seal. Whom the Spirit sanctifieth he saveth. ' The Lord knoweth who are his,' 2 Tim. ii. 19. But how shall we know it ? By this seal : ' Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from iniquity,' not only in heart and
* Cf. footnote, page 43-4.— G.
438 A FOUNTAIN SEALED.
affection, but in conversation, and that shall bo a seal of his sonship to bim. None are children of God by adoption, but thoso that are children also by regeneration ; none are heirs of heaven but tliey are new born to it. ' Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath be- gotten us anew to an inheritance immortal,' &c., 1 Peter i. 4. This seal of sanctitication leaves upon the soul the likeness of Jesus Christ, even grace for grace.
But because in time of desertion and temptation wo are in a mist, and cannot read our own faith and our own graces, it pleaseth Christ after some trial and exercise to shine upon his own graces in the heart, whereby ■we may know wo believe and know we love ; until which time, the heart sees nothing that is good, and seems to be nothing but all objections and doubtings. Wc may be sometimes in such a state as Paul and his com- pany was in the ship. Acts xxvii. 20, when ' they saw neither sun nor stars many days together ; ' almost past all hope. So a Christian may for many days together see neither sun nor star ; neither light in God's countenance nor light in his own heart ; no grace issuing from God ; no grace carrying the soul to God ; though even at that time God darts some beam through those clouds upon the soul. The soul again, by a spirit of faith, sees some light through those thickest clouds, enough to keep the Boul from utter despair, though not to settle it in peace.
In this dark condition, if they do as St Paul and his company did, cast anchor even in the dark night of temptation, and pray still for day, God will appear, and all shall clear up ; we shall see light without and light within ; the day-star will arise in their hearts.
Though by reflecting upon our souls we are able to discern a spirit of faith, God may hide himself from the soul in regard of comfort. Nay, a Christian may know himself to be in the state of grace, and yet be in an afllicted condition. As in Job's case, he knew his Kedeemer lived, and he resolved to trust in him, ' even though he killed him,' Job xiii. 15; he knew he was no hypocrite ; he knew his graces were true ; and for all the imputations of his friends, they could not dispute him out of his sincerity : ' You shall not take my uprightness from me,' Job xxvii. 6. Yet for the present he saw no light from heaven till it pleased God to reveal himself in special favour to him. There is always peace and joy in believing ; yet not in that degree which gives the soul content, until by honouring God in believing, and waiting still his good time, he hon- oureth us with further sense of his favour, and poureth forth his Spirit to us, manifesting his special love towards us ; and this is a further degree of sealing of us, confirming us more strongly than before.