Page images
PDF
EPUB

nature of it, 2. The use of it. The nature of fealing confifts in the imparting of the image or character of the feal to the thing fealed: this is to feal a thing; to stamp the character of the feal on it. In this fenfe the effectual communication of the image of God unto us, fhould be our fealing. The Spirit on believers really communicating the image of God in righteousness and true holiness unto the foul, fealeth us. To have this ftamp of the Holy Ghost, so as to be an evidence unto the foul that it is accepted with God, is to be fealed by the Spirit; taking the metaphor from the nature of fealing. And in this fenfe is our Saviour faid to be fealed of God, John vi. 27. even from that impreffion of the power, wisdom and majesty of God that he had upon him in the discharge of his office.

2. The end of fealing is twofold. I. To confirm or ratify any grant or conveyance made in writing; in fuch cafes men fet their feals to make good and confirm their grants, and when this is done they are irrecoverable. Or to confirm the teftimony that is given by any one of the truth of any thing. Such was the manner among the Jews: when any one had given true witnefs unto any thing or matter, and it was received by the judges; they inftantly fet their feals to it, to confirm it in judg ment. Hence it is faid, that he who receives the teftimony of Chrift, fets to his feal that God is true, John iii. 33. The promife is the great grant and conveyance of life and falvation in Chrift to the fouls of believers. That we may have full affurance of the truth and irrecoverableness of the promife; God gives us the Spirit to fatisfie our hearts of it; and thence is he faid to feal us; by affuring

our

our hearts of those promises, and their ftability. But though many expofitors go this way, I do not fee how this can confift with the very meaning of the word: it is not faid that the promise is fealed, but that we are fealed, and when we feal a deed or grant to any one, we do not fay the man is fealed, but the deed or grant.

2. To appropriate, diftinguish or keep fafe this is the end of fealing; men fet their feals on that, which they appropriate, and defire to keep fafe for themfelves: fo evidently in this fenfe, are the fervants of God faid to be fealed, Rev. vii. 4. that is, marked with God's mark, as his peculiar ones, for this fealing anfwers to the setting of a mark, Ezek. ix. then are believers fealed when they are marked for God, to be heirs of the purchafed inheritance, and to be preferved to the day of redemption. Now if this be the fealing intended, it denotes not an act of fenfe in the heart, but of fecurity to the perfon; the Father gives the elect into the hands of Chrift to be redeemed, having redeemed them in due time, they are called by the Spirit, and marked for God, and fo give up themfelves to the hands of the Father.

If you ask now which of these fenfes is chiefly intended in this expreffion of our being fealed by the Holy Ghost; I answer the first, not excluding the other; we are fealed to the day of redemption, when from the ftamp, image, and character of the Spirit upon our fouls, we have a fresh fenfe of the love of God given to us with a comfortable perfuafion of our acceptation with him. But of this whole matter I have treated at large elfewhere.

Thus then the Holy Ghoft communicates unto us his own likeness, which is also the image of the Father

K k

Father and the Son. We are changed into this image by the Lord the Spirit, 2 Cor. iii. 18. And herein he brings us into fellowship with himself. Our likeness to him, gives us boldnefs with him: his work we look for, his fruits we pray for; and when any effect of grace, any discovery of the image of Chrift implanted in us, gives us a perfuafion of our being separated and fet apart for God, we have a communion with him therein.

6. He is an earneft unto us, 2 Cor. i. 22. He hath given the earneft of the Spirit in our hearts, chap. v. 5. who alfo bath given unto us the earnest of the the Spirit; as alfo Eph. i. 13, 14. Te are Jealed with that holy Spirit of promife, which is the earneft of our inheritance. In the two former pla ces, we are faid to have the earnest of the Spirit, in the latter the Spirit is faid to be our earnest, of the Spirit then in the first place is as we fay Genitivus materia; denoting not the caufe but the thing itself; not the author of the earnest, but the matter of it. The Spirit is our earnest, as in the last place is expreffed. The confideration of what is meant by the Spirit here, and what is meant by an earnest will give fome infight in to this privilege, which we receive by the Comforter.

1. What grace, what gift of the Spirit is intended by this earneft? fome have made enquiry, I fuppose to no purpose. It is the Spirit himself perfonally confidered, that is faid to be this earnest, 2 Cor. i. 22. It is God hath given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts; an expreffion directly anfwering that of Gal. iv. 6. God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: that is the perfon of the Spirit, for nothing elfe can be called the Spirit of his Son; and in Eph. i. 14. he hath gi

ven the Spirit, which is that earnest. The Spirit himself of promife is this earneft. In giving us this Spirit he gives us this earnest.

2. An earnest it is arrabon, neither the Greek, nor the Latin have any word to express directly what is here intended. The Latins have made words for it, from that expreffed here in the Greeks, arrha and arrabo. The Greek word is but the Hebrew herabon which as fome conceive came amongst them, by the Tyrian merchants being a word of trade; it is by fome rendered in Latin, pignus, a pledge, but this cannot be here intended. A pledge is that property which any one gives, or leaves in the custody of another to affure him that he will give him, or pay him fome other thing, in the nature of that which we call a pawn. Now the thing, that is here intended, is a part of that which is to come, and but a part of it according to the trade use of the word, whence the metaphor is taken, it is excellently rendered in our language an earnest. An earneft is part of the price of any thing, or part of any graut, given before hand to affure the perfon to whom it is given, that at the appointed feafon he fhall receive the whole that is promised him.

That a thing be an earnest, it is required, 1 That it be part of the whole of the fame kind and nature with it. As we do give fo much money in earnest to pay fo much more. 2. That it be a confirmation of a promise and appointment; first the whole is promifed, then the earneft is given for the good and true performance of that promife.

Thus the Spirit is this earnest. God gives us the promife of eternal life. To confirm this to us, he giveth

Kk 2

giveth us his Spirit, which is as the firft part of the promife, to fecure us of the whole. Hence he is faid to be the earneft of the inheritance that is promised, and purchafed. And it may be confidered how it may be faid to be an earneft on the part of God, who gives him, and on the part of believ ers who receive him.

1. He is an earnest on the part of God, in that God gives him as a choice part of the inheritance itfelf; and of the fame kiad with the whole, as an earneft ought to be. The full inheritance promifed, is the fullness of the Spirit in the enjoyment of God. When that Spirit which is given us in this world fhall have perfectly taken away all fin and forrow, and fhall have made us able to enjoy the glory of God in his prefence, that is the full inheritance promifed. So that the Spirit given us for the fitting of us for enjoyment of God in fome measure, whilft we are here, is the earnest of the whole.

2. God doth it to this purpose, to affure us and fecure us of the inheritance; having given us fo many fecurities without us, his word, promises, covenant, oath, the revelation and difcovery of his faithfulness, and immutability in them all he is pleafed alfo graciously to give us one with in us, Ifa. liv.13 that we may have all the fecurity we are capable of; what can more be done? he hath given us of the holy Spirit; in him the firft fruits of glo ry, the utmost pledge of his love; the earneft of

all.

2. On the part of believers, he is an earneft, in that he gives them an acquaintance with, 1. The love of God; their acceptation with him makes known to them their favour in his fight; that he is

« PreviousContinue »