partly, the misgiving and unbelief of our heart is fuch, that none but God can fubdue it, the thing being fo great, and our defervings fo little, being unworthy of the things of this life, much more of that eternal happiness; this cannot be done without the high and glorious fpirit of God.

How earnest and defirous then is both the Father and the Son to fave us, who pleased to send fuch an orator and ambassador as is equal with themselves, to perfuade us, to affure us, to fit us for falvation? And how gracious is the fpirit, who will vouchsafe to have such communion with fuch poor finful spirits as ours? And should not this work upon our hearts a care not to grieve the holy fpirit?-Now we come to the fourth conclufion.

The fourth conclufion is, that the fealing of the spirit unto falvation, should be a strong prevailing argument not to grieve the fpirit, that is, not to fin; for fin only grieves the spirit. "The grace of God (faith Paul to Titus) that bringeth falvation." Chrift appeared; and what is Chrift but grace? Chrift appeared, and the free favour of God in Chrift, whereby we are affured of falvation, which teacheth us what to do-" to deny all ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly, in this prefent world." Even the confideration of the benefits of Chrift, that are past, such as came with Chrift's first coming. But this is not all, ver. 13. "Looking for that bleffed hope, and the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jefus Chrift." The fecond coming of Chrift likewise enforceth the fame care of holiness. "Our conversation is in heaven," and not as theirs, (fpoken of in the former verse) whose end is damnation, whofe belly is their God, who mind earthly things: no, we mind heavenly things; and these heavenly defires, from whence fprung they, but from the certain expectation of our Saviour, the Lord Jefus Chrift, who fhall change our vile bodies, &c. that is, fhall redeem us fully, even our bodies, as well as our fouls?

It is an argument of force, whether we be not yet fealed, or be fealed; if not fealed, then grieve not him whofe only office it is to feal, entertain his motions, give way to him, that he may have scope and liberty of working.

Set no reasons against his reafons, hearken to no counfel against his counsel, stand not out his perfuafions any longer, but

yield up your fpirits to him," left he put a period to his patience. He is long-fuffering, but not always fuffering. If he gives us up to our own fpirit, we shall only be witty to work out our own damnation. We are not given up to our own spirit, till after many repulfes of this holy fpirit; and, at length, what now will not serve for an argument to perfuade us, shall be used hereafter as an argument to torment us. The fpirit will help our fpirits to repeat and recal all the motions to our own good, that we formerly put back. We should think, when confcience speaks in us, God fpeaks; and when the spirit moves us, it is God that moves us, and then all excufe will be cut off the answer will be, Did not I tell you of this by confcience, my deputy? did not I move you to this good by mine own fpirit? Iake heed of keeping out any light; for light, where it doth not come in and foften, hardens. None fo hard hearted as thofe upon whom the light hath shined. There is more to be hoped from a man that hath a natural conscience, than from him whofe heart and fpirit hath been long beaten on there is more to be hoped from a heathen Pilate, than a proud Pharifee.Those that will not be fealed to their falvation, it is just with God that they fhould be fealed up to their deftruction. The foul without the fpirit is darkness and confufion, full of felfaccufing, and self-tormenting thoughts. If we let the fpirit come in, it will scatter all, and fettle the foul in a sweet quiet.

For thofe that have been fealed by the fpirit, and yet not fo fully as to filence all doubts about their eftate: those should, out of that beginning of comfort which they feel, ftudy to be pliable to the fpirit, for further increafe. The fpirit fealeth by degrees. As our care of pleafing the fpirit increafeth, fo our comfort increafeth; our light will increafe as the morning light unto the perfect day. Yielding to the fpirit in one holy motion, will cause him to lead us to another, and fo on forwards, until we be more deeply acquainted with the whole couniel of God concerning our falvation; otherwife, if we give way to any contrary luft, darkness will grow upon our fpi its unawares, and we shall be left in an unfettled condition, as thote who travel in the twilight, that cannot perfectly find out their way. We fhall be on and off, not daring to yield wholly to our lufts, becaufe of a work of grace begun: nor yield wholly to the spirit, be cause we have let fome unruly affection get too much strength in us; and fo our fpirits are without comfort, and our profesfion without glory.

We shall ly open to fatan, if he be let loofe to winnow our faith; for if our ftate come to be queftioned, we have nothing to alledge but the truth of our graces; and if we have not ufed the fpirit well, we shall not have power to alledge them, nor to look upon any grace wrought in us, but upon those lusts and fins whereby we have grieved the fpirit; they will be fet in order before us, and fo ftare us in the face, that we cannot but fix our thoughts upon them. And Satan will not lofe fuch an advantage, but will tempt us to call the work of grace in question; which, though it be a true work, yet for want of the light of the fpirit to difcern it, we cannot fee it to our comfort. Whereas if the spirit fhould witness unto us the truth of our state, and the fincerity of our graces, we shall be able to hold our own, and those temptations will vanish.

For those that the holy fpirit hath fet a clearer ftamp upon, that do not question their condition, they of all others should not grieve the fpirit.

1. A fpirit of ingenuoufnefs will hinder them, and stir up a fhame in them to requite fo ill fuch a friend. Nothing fo ingenuous as grace. What is commendable in nature, is in greater perfection in grace. How doth the consciousness of ankindness to a friend that hath deserved well of us, trouble our spirits, that we know not with what face to look upon him? And will not unkindness to the spirit make us afhamed to lift up our face to heaven?

2. Benefits are bonds, and the greater favour, the stronger obligation. Now what greater favour is there, than for the spirit to renew us according to the image of God our glorious Saviour, we who carried the image of Satan before? And by this to appropriate us unto God, to be laid up in his treasure, as carrying his ftamp; and by this to be separated from the vile condition of the world. Although we carry in us the feeds of the fame corruption that the worst doth, differing nothing from them, but in God's free grace, and the fruits of it. For God to efteem fo of us, that have no worthinefs of our own, but altogether persons not worthy to be belov ed; as to make our unworthiness a foil, to fet out the freeness of his love, in making us worthy, whom he found not fo. For the fpirit, by fealing of us, to fecure us in the midst of all fpiritual dangers; and to hide us as his fecret ones, that the evil one fhould not touch us to hurt us.-Thefe, as they are favours of a

high nature, the more care they require to walk worthy of them. We cannot but forget ourfelves, before we yield to any thing against that dignity the spirit hath fealed us to.

3. Nature helped with ordinary education, moveth every man to carry himself answerable to his condition; a magistrate as a magiftrate, a fubject as a subject, a child as a child, and we think it difgraceful to do otherwise and fhall that which is dif graceful to nature, not be much more difgraceful to nature renewed and advanced by the spirit? And indeed, as we should not, so we cannot grieve the spirit in fo far as we are renewed. Our new nature will not fuffer us to diffemble, to be worldly, to be carnal, as the world is; we.cannot but be for God and his truth ; we cannot but express what we are, and whofe we are.

It is impoffible a man fhould care for heaven, that doth not care for the beginnings of heaven: he cannot be faid to care for full redemption and glory, that doth not care for the spirit of grace fulness of grace is the best thing in glory; other things, as peace and joy, and the like, they are but the fhinings forth of this fulness of grace in glory.

Again, when the spirit affureth us of God's love in the greateft fruits of it, as it doth when it affureth this redemption: That love kindles love again, and love conftrains us, by a sweet, neceffity, to yield cheerful willing obedience in all things: there is nothing more active and fuller of invention, than love, and there is nothing that love ftudies more than how to please, there is nothing that it fears more than to difplease. It is a neat affection, and will indure nothing offenfive, either to itself, or the spirit of fuch as we love : and this love the spirit teaches the heart; and love teaches us not only our duty, but to do it in a loving and acceptable manner, It carries out the whole ftream of the spirit with it, and rules all, whilft it rules, and will not fuffer the foul to divert to bye-things, much lefs to contrary.

Again, thefe graces that are converfant about that condition which the fpirit affureth us of, as faith and hope, are purging and purifying graces, working a fuitableness in the foul to the things believed, and hoped for: and the excellency of the things believed and hoped for, have fuch a working upon the foul, that it will not fuffer the foul to defile itself. Our hopes on high, will lead us to ways on high; therefore whilst these graces are exercised about thefe objects, the foul cannot but be in a pleafing frame.

It hath been an old cavil, that certainty of falvation breeds fecurity and loofenefs of life. And what is there that an ill difposed foul cannot fuck poifon out of? A man may as truly say, the sea burns, or the fire cools: there is nothing quickens a foul more to chearful obedience, than afsurance of God's love, and that our labour fhall not be in vain in the Lord; this is the fcripture's logic and rhetoric to inforce and perfuade a holy life from knowledge of our prefent eftate in grace. "I befeech you by the mercies of God," faith St. Paul: what mercies? fuch as he had spoken of before. Juftification, fanctification, affurance that all fhall work together for good, that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Chrift: all duties tend to affurance, or fpring from afsurance.

God's intention is to bring us to heaven by a way of love, and cheerfulness; as all the ways towards us in our falvation, are in love. And this is the fcope of the covenant of grace; and for this end he fends the spirit of adoption into cur heart, that we may have a child-like liberty with God in all our addresses to him. When he offers himself to us as a father, it is fit we should offer ourselves to him as children; nature teaches a child, the more he defires his father's love, the more he fears to difpleafe him. And he is judged to be graceless, that will therefore venture to offend his father, because he knows he neither can, or will difinherit him. Certain it is, the more furely we know God hath begotten us to fo glorious an inheritance, the more it will work upon our bowels, to take all to heart that may any way touch him this wrought upon David, when the prophet told him, God hath done this and this for thee, and would have done more, if that had been too little; it melted him presently into an humble confeffion. Thofe that have felt the power of the fpirit of adoption on their hearts, will both by a divine inftinct, as alfo by itrength of reafon, be carried to all thofe courses wherein they fhail approve themselves to their father. Inftinct of nature ftrengthened with thefe grounds, will move strongly.

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To conclude this difcourfe, let chriftians therefore be careful to preferve and cherish the work of affurance and fealing in them.

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What God doth for us, he doth by grace in us; ferve us, that we fhall not fall from him, by putting the grace of fear into us. He will keep us-but by what means?

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