B00698:19
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.
Whether the words be a Command ensuing from authority, or counsel, from wisdom, or a caveat from Gods care of our souls, it is not material: considering both Counsel and Caveats of the great God, have both force of a Command, with some mixture of the sweetness ⟨p. 2⟩of love: the Apostle as his manner is, from in the largeness of his Spirit, riseth from a particular dissuasive from corrupt communication,1 in the verse before, to this general advise of not grieving Gods Spirit by sin; especially against conscience enlightened: and this dissuasive from evil, is enforced from a dangerous effect of grieving the spirit of God; and the danger of grieving ariseth from this, that it is the Spirit of God, and God himself whom we grieve, and a holy Spirit, holy in himself, and holy as the cause of all holiness in us; and he that after he hath wrought holiness in us, sealeth and confirmeth us ⟨p. 3⟩in that act of grace, until the day of our glorious redemption: so that the grounds of not grieving, are from the greatness and goodness of the person whom we grieve, and from the greatness and constancy of the benefits we have by him.2 To speak something of the person, the holy Spirit is called a Spirit, not only by nature, as being a spiritual essence, but in regard of his person and office, he is both breathed from the Father and the Son, as proceeding from them both; and by office, breathed into ail that God hath given Christ to redeem, and him to sanctify; he is so the spirit of God in proceeding from God, as ⟨p. 4⟩that he is God, which who so denieth, deny their own Baptism, being as well Baptized into the name of the Holy Ghost, as into the Father and the Son; and no less a person, then God, is needful to assure our souls of Gods love, and to change our nature, being in an opposite frame: who can reveal to us the mind of GOD, but the Spirit of God? and herein we may see the joint forwardness both of the Father and Son and holy Ghost; when both Father and Son join in willingness to send so great a person to apply unto us, and to assure us of that great good the Father hath decreed, and the Son performed for us.