B00698:66
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.
Again, we cannot grieve the Spirit of God in doing any thing against it,1 but it will grieve us again, and being a spirit, may fill our spirits with that grief that may make our conditions a kind of hell upon earth. Few reprobates feel those terrors here, that the godly oft do by their bold adventures: for besides the terrors of the natural conscience, ⟨p. 73⟩they have the Spirit, to set them on; and that spirit, that had so well deserved of them before: which cannot but increase the horror and shame. In hell it self, this will be the bitterest torment, to think of refusing mercy, mercy pressed, and offered with all love. A careless spirit oft proves a wounded spirit, and that, who can bear? and that, who can bear? until he that woundeth, healeth again by giving grace to afflict our selves, and wait his good time to take pity of us: that which we say of conscience, is true; it is our best friend, and our worst enemy. If a mans conscience be his friend, it will make all friendly to him: it will make God his friend, ⟨p. 74⟩affliction his friend, nothing can sit at the heart to grieve him. But if a mans conscience turn his enemy, there need no other enemies be sought out, he hath enow in his own heart, his own tormenting conscience tearing it self. This may be as truly said of the Spirit of God, who is above Conscience: if we make him not our best friend, we are sure to have him our worst enemy, that sets all other enemies upon us. Displeasure is as the person is: it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, who knows the power of his wrath? it is a powerful wrath, no creature hath power over the Spirit immediately, but this Spirit of spirits, who can fill ⟨p. 75⟩the soul, the whole soul, and every corner of it, being adequate to the soul, as large as the soul, and larger, he can fill it with wrath, of God, when the Spirit of God sets it on once?
Againe, we cannot grieve the Spirit of God in doing any thing against it,1 but it will grieve us againe, and being a spirit, may fill our spirits with that griefe that may make our conditions a kinde of hell upon earth. Few reprobates feele those terrours here, that the godly oft doe by their bold adventures: for besides the terrours of the naturall conscience,