B00698:148
A fountain sealed: or, The duty of the sealed to the Spirit, and the…
A fountain sealed: or, The duty of the sealed to the Spirit, and the work of the Spirit in sealing. Wherein many things are handled about the Holy Spirit, and grieving of it: as also of assurance and sealing what it is, the privileges and degrees of it, with the signs to discern, and means to preserve it. : Being the substance of divers sermons preached at Gray's Inn. / By that Reverend Divine, Richard Sibbes D.D. and sometimes preacher to that honourable society.A fountain sealed: or, The duty of the sealed to the Spirit, and the worke of the Spirit in sealing. Wherein many things are handled about the Holy Spirit, and grieving of it: as also of assurance and sealing what it is, the priviledges and degrees of it, with the signes to discerne, and means to preserve it. : Being the substance of divers sermons preached at Grayes Inne. / By that Reverend Divine, Richard Sibbes D.D. and sometimes preacher to that honourable society.
London: printed by Thomas Harper for Lawrence Chapman, 1638
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Joy and strong comfort come from a superadded seal of the Spirit. The works of the Spirit are of a double kind: either in us by imprinting sanctifying ⟨p. 157⟩grace, or upon us, by shining upon our souls in sweet feelings of joy: what the Spirit worketh in us is more constant, as a new nature which is always like it self, and worketh uniformly: but comfort and joy are of the nature of such privileges as God vouchsafeth at one time, and not another, to some, and not to others.
Ioy and strong comfort come from a superadded seale of the Spirit. The works of the Spirit are of a double kinde: either in us by imprinting sanctifying ⟨p. 157⟩grace, or upon us, by shining upon our soules in sweet feelings of joy: what the Spirit worketh in us is more constant, as a new nature which is alwayes like it selfe, and worketh uniformely: but comfort and joy are of the nature of such priviledges as God vouchsafeth at one time, and not another, to some, and not to others.
This degree of sealing in regard of joy hath its degrees likewise : sometimes it is so clear and strong, that the soul questioneth not its state in grace ever after, but passeth on in a triumphant manner to that glory it looks for. Sometimes after this sealing, there may be interrupting ⟨p. 158⟩of comfortable communion of far as to question our condition: yet this calling into question comes not from the Spirit, which where it once witnesseth for us, never witnesseth against us, but it is a fruit of the flesh not fully subdued, it is a sin it self, and usually a fruit of some former sin. For howsoever we should not doubt after a former witness of the Spirit, yet there will be so much weakening the sense of our assurance, as there is yielding to any lust. The knowledge of our estate in grace and comfort thereupon, though it may be weakened by neglect of our watchfulness, yet still it hath the force of an argument