them with the hidden Manna, and gives them before-hand the white Stone, as a sure pledge of vi&ory. What is it but this that makes them devour torments, and come to them with an apperite? 'cis that that softens the flimes, and turns them into a bed of Roses ; 'tis this that fills their souls with joy and their mouths" with praises : that makes them more chearful in their sufferings than their Saviour in his; for they usually have the face of a re. conciled God shining out upon them, which was wholly withdrawn from him, when he cry'd out My God, my God, wby haft tbou forsaken me?

4.Praying times are sealing times. The fame Spirit that erdites the Prayer, seals it up. When Hannah had put up hier Prayer, i Sam. 1. 18. the text sayes 'exprefsely, that ber countenance is no more fad. As 'cis the great Priviledge of Affurance, that Chri. fians may then with confidence cry Abba Farber, so also 'tis a great means to Affurance. The hearing of Prayers is a mighty Arengthening to faith ; and the Arengthening of Faiih does ftrongly tend to Affurance. Besides, Chriftians may pray for Alfurance ; they may be importunate for a glimpse of his face, for one beam, for one smile, and his bowels won't let him deny them. . Hence you shall find it, that'such as are most frequent in Prayer, are most bleft with Affurance. Praying Chriftians have much entercourse and communion with their God. And thus there may be a National kind of Affirance, I say a Nacional plerophory; when God (hall pour out a Spirit of Prayer and Supplication upon his people,and they with united and concentrica ted abilities shall beliege the Throne of Grace;there is no doubt, there can be no doubt, but at length he will yield up such a mercy to his praying people.

5. Times of outward exigencies are sealing times, 2 Cor.4.16. Though our outward man decay, yet our inward man is renew'd daily; that feeds upon hidden Manna,a precious reftaurative for a fainting Christian : Manna you know was rain'd down in the wilder. ness; and when the Ifraelites provision failed them, then Manna was rain'd down. When the water-pots are filled up to the brim; then was the water presently turn'd into wine : and lo this hidden Manna is provided for sad and cloudy conditions, We except only the case of total desertion, when the soul has not ihe leaft light shining in upon it, which is the severeft judgement that a troe Christian is capable of : but in other diftreffes especially outward and temporal diftreffes, he does reveal himself more immediately to them. And though the creature frown, yet he will smile.upon them. Believers i hey are the friends of God, and 'ris no part of friendhip to forsake them in the rada deft times. St. John, when a banisht man in the Ife of Pathmos, then God sheds him that glorious Revelation. Paul and Silas when in prison, then brim-full of joy, which breaks out into Psalmes of Praise. In the hery trial, as there is some scorching, so there is some light too. And God does prepare his People for the seal of the Spirit, by thus melting and softening their heart; for the softer the heart is, the clearer will the Pring of his love be. When God bad brought that great fickness upon Hezekiab, and thus had diffolyod and soft'ned his heart, he presently prints his love upon it :

Thou hast lov’d my soul from the grave. God does then moft express his love, when they have moft need of it. The white Stone (parkles mof oriently in the darkest condition. O how gloriously does God shine in upon the prisons of Martyrs? what frequent visits does he give them? it might even make men ambitious of their sufferings, that they might have some such expressions of his love towards them.

6. Times of Vi&ory and conquefts over lufts and temptacie ons are sealing times, God after such vi&ories will give his Peo. ple a triumph. This is expreft in that text of the Revelation, Rev. 2 17, TO visconti daow, To bim that overcomes will I give to eat of the bidden Manna;&c. Thus when Saint Paul was wrastling wich, and conquering that great temptation, whatever it was, that is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12. God then gives to ear of the hidden Manna, and Atrengthens him with this , My grace is b--fficient for thee. He gives hiin the white Stone with that Motto graven in it, My grace, &c. Thus that noble Chriftian, and famous Conrerc of Italy Geleacius Caracciolus when he had fcorn'd the pomp and Inftre of the world, and had trampl'd upon all relations for the love of a Saviour: when Satan thai cunning Angler of souls,had spent all his baits upon hin, and he had cefild them all: O then what a deal of precious íwceines: (lides into his soul? what rushings in of glorious joy? he had never fuch joy al Naples,as he had at Geneva. You may

hear him pronouncing on Anathema to all such, as shall presec all the gold and silver in the world before one dayes (weet Com. munion with Jesus Christ. As noire have more dregs of wrath than relapsing and apoftatizing Spirits, ( Remember but Spiras case ;)so none have sweeter and choicer mercy than the faithful Servants of the Lord Jesus, that follow him in the hour of tempration. Apoftates are seal'd up to a day of vengance, but these are sealed up to a day of Redemption. Thus the mourners, in Ezekiel, that would not yield to the abomination of the times must have a seal ser upon them. Thus thac Virgin-company in the Revelation, that would not prostitute their souls to Antichris fian folly, have the seal of God in their foreheads. This is the happiness of a Christian, that has a sweet satisfa&ion in fell . denyal ; in denying fin, in repulsing luft, in conquering temptation, and pulling out his right eye,in cutting off his right hand, in mortifying the body of death, he has a sweet satisfaction in all these. And thus you have seen those special fealing times when Chriftians have this high plerophory, these riches of Affurance; we come now to speak of them in a more Applicatory way.

1. Times of Assurance, they should be times of humility and dependance upon God. When Mofes had been so long in the Mount, and had a luftre upon him by conversing with God himself, presenly at the foot of the Mount he meeis with matter of humiliation. The Israelites have made them a golden Calf; Thy people'sayes God to Mofes,they have done this. And the Apollle Paul, when de had been rapt up into the third Heaven, and had heard there some of arcana Cæli , things that neither could nor might be utter'd;for both are impli'd in "Aponta parata: chere then comes a messenger of Satan to buffet him, he must be put in mind of himself by a thorn in the felh , and chat at left he Îhould be exalted above measure with abundance of Revelations. A creature can't xalatif au pigo y oxßoy, alittle thing will puff up a buble,a small happiness will fwell up the sons of men. Pride as it cwines about the choiceft graces, so it devours the sweeteft comforts. But yet there is nothing tends more to soul-abalement and self-exinanition, then the beholding of Gods face than the seeing of his glory, this will make the soul abhorre ic self in duft and afhes, The more God reveals himself upto the

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Coul, the more will the soul see that huge disproportion that is between it self and a Diety. There's none here below that ever Caw more of Gods face than Moses and Paul had done, and there were none that ever had lower apprehenfions of themselves, They knew well enough whac the sun shine of his presence was, what a glorious fight it was to behold his face, and yet they had rather part with this, than he (bould part with his glory. They are like men amaz'd with the valtness and spaciousness of the Ocean, and make nothing of a little inconfiderable drop of Be. ing. They that know not these treasures of love and sweetness, those heaps of excellencies that are ftor'd up in God, the e are the grand admirers of themselves. Bur when the soul comes to have a profpe&t of heaven,and Sixes his eye upon an obje& of the firft magnitude, the creature disap cars, self vanishes and loses it self in the fulness of God. And if God do affure thee of this his love, thou canft not but wonder at the grearness of his good. pels, especially when thou shall recolled thy felf, and think Upon thinc own unworthiness. Thou that didt nor deserve a beam of his face, what does he give thee a full S. n(hine ? Thou that couldört not look for the leafttate of his love, what does he give the a whole clutter of Canaun? Thou that did not deserve the leaft crumb of the hidden Manna, does he fll ahee an Omer full of it? Nay yet higher Thou that didit deserve a brand from his Jutlice , does he give thec a seal of his love? he might have given the gall and venegar to drink, and does he flow in upon thee with milk and honey? he might have given thee the first flashes of hell and does he give the the firft-fruits of heaven? what could it thou have look't for but an eternal frown, and doft thou meet with so gracious a smile ? then fall down and adore his goodness, and let all that is within the blefs his boly namo. Tell me now,is there any ground for pride in such a foul? Does not affurance beffeak humility; and speak a meer depen dance ?

2. Times of Affurance, iliey should be times of trampling upon the creature, and (corning of things below. Doft thou now take care for corn, and wine, and oile, when God lifts up he light of his countenance opon thee? is this same Angels ood, this fame hidden Manna , is it too light meat for thee? Now shou art within the land of Promise , fecding upon

upon the grapes

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and pomegrannates of the land, doft thou now long for the gara lick and onions of Egypt? Now thou art within thy fathers house, and the fatted Calf is sain, wilt thou now Aill feed upon husks ? Art thou cloth'd with the Sun, and canft not thou trample the Moon under thy feet? O let them scramble for the world that have nothing else to live on. Pray give room to the green Bay trees to spread themselves abroad; but don't thou lose thy fatness and (weetness to rule over these, Art thou sure of heaven, and would't thou fix thy Tabernacle upon earth? Is it good for thee to be here? or would'At have any more than the light of Gods countenance ? is it not enough that thou are fure of bappiness ? is not a fountain enough for thee? why wilt thou drink in muddy ftream ? and thou that are filled with the love of a Saviour,canst thou tell how to spend a thought upon the worlfi? is not there more beauty in a Chrift ihan in the Creature ? is not he the fairest of ten thousand? Away then with adulterous glances, for why should'At thou embrace the bo Come of a ftranger?

3. Times of Affurance they should be times of watchfulness, and more accurate walking with God. To fin against revealed love is a deep and killing aggravation. To fin againft light is.coo too much, but to in against love is a great deal more: this height'ned Solomons Idolatry, (1 Kings 11. 9.) chat he turn'd from the God of Israel which had appeared to him cwice. What wilt thou with Jejhurun wax fat and kick, and kick againft bowels too? To provoke God in a Wilderness is not so much as to provoke him in a Paradise. What could he have done more for thee ihan he has done ! and what couldst thou have done more against him than thou haft done! and wilt thou ftill require him thus ? wilt chou provoke him with Manna in thy mouth? does he give thee the sweet clofters of the land, and doft thou return him wild grapes ? that which is the drongest engagement to obedience, doft thou make it an encouragement to fin? art thou fo willing to dash thy joy, to lose thy peace? And O how will io please the powers of darkness to see thee abuso a beam ? The devil has several designes againf the welfare of a soul. Frift, if it were poffible he would keep thee from having any grace at all. But secondly, if he can'c do that, he would keep

thee from Atrength of grace, from growth in grace ; he would break the

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