Flowing from the life of Chrift. And hid Chrift in to weaken it; the more violent the attack, the more carefully it will collect its whole force and prepare for a refiftance. And what fhould retard its progrefs, when its enemies are now vanquifhed; feeing nothing could withstand its power, in the beginning, when every thing was against it? XXXII. Moreover, 3dly, This life flows from the life of Chrift, Gal. 2. 20, nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me. Moreover Chrift, by his death, has obtained, that he fhould live for ever, Rev. 1. 18, I am be that liveth, and was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore. But Chrift lives not only in glory with the father, as to his perfon, but alio by his Spirit in the Elect. The Spirit of life, which refiding in him as the fountain, flows from thence to his people, and he is the author of the fame glorious life in them, which fhall be perfected in their feveral degrees. And hence he argues from his own to our life, John 14. 19, because I live, ye shall lives aljo. This life therefore of Chrift in us is different from the life implanted in Adam by creations For, that was given him for the trial of his conftancy, and might therefore be loft. But after his conftancy was at length tried, he might expect a confirmation inda holy and bleffed life, as was the cafe with the bleffed angels. Whereas the life of Chrift in believers is the fruit of his fatisfaction and merits, and therefore muft be everlasting and eternal, that he might not lofe the pains he had been at and is to be compared, as to its duration, not with the life of Adam, whenting a ftate of probation, but with that life, which he was to obtain, had he happily finished the course of his trial. " XXXIII. That expreffion of Paul, is very memorable, which we have, Col. 3. 3, ye are dead, namely,. to the devil, the world, fin and yourselves, and your life is kid with Chrift in God; every word of this fentence is fufficient to prove the perpetuity of this life. Life here denotes that holy and bleffed energy, or activity of believers, which refult from the communication of the Spirit of Chrift, which begins in this life, and is perfected in that which is to come. That life is bid. ft, From believers themselves, who do not fully conceive the manner, in which the Spirit now worketh in them; and ftill lefs that inexplica ble knowledge, that perfect holinefs, that unfhaken love, that unspeakable joy, which is ready to be revealed in the last time, Pet. 1. 5. 1 John 3. 2. 2dly, For the world. For, as Chrift, who is our life, is not feen by the world; fo neither does the world know, how we live in Chrift, and Chrift in us; but reckons thefe myfteries of our chriftianity, as a kind of melancholy madness. 3dly, From the devil;* whofe mortal blows and victorys can have no ac cefs to it. The life of God's children, like a moft precious treasure, is laid up in a fecret place; from which the evil Spirit cannot take it away, neither by open violence, or fecret ftratagem. In this fenfe it is faid, Pf. 83. 3, they have confulted against thy hidden ones, whom thou protecteft in thy bofom. This life is hid with Chrift, to whofe care and cuftody it is entrusted; who is able to keep that, which is committed unto him against that day, 2 Tim. 1. 12. As Christ therefore, though invifible to the world, actually fits at God's right hand, and will be really revealed; fo in like manner, our life is with Chrift, and is really kept for us. In fine, the fame life is hid in God: that is, is contained in the decree and love of God, who, in his own time, will make it manifeft, for what end he loved us in Chrift. The bofom of God, is that most facred repofitory, in which that treasure is kept safe, A thing may be faid to be hid for fafety and fecurity, as well as for concealment, and it is with refpect to this, that our author here fpeaks, 3. The Jievers XXXIV. The fame Spirit, who is the author of feal of be- this everlasting life, is the feal, wherewith believers are fealed, Eph. 1. 13. The Apoftle compares believers to an epiftle, written, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, 2 Cor. 3. 3. Now, that epiftle contains God's teftament. And whenever the Elect have received the promifes of that teftament by a lively faith, then, in fome meafure, they have the fpirit to write them on their minds. Moreover, God ratifies that infcription with the ftamp of his feal. That feal is the fpirit of promife, not only with refpect to the extraordinary gifts, which formerly abounded in the church (for thefe were neither conferred on all, nor on true believers only, neither were they an earneft of the heavenly inheritance), but chiefly with refpect to faving gifts or graces. It is called the Spirit of promife, either becaule he was promifed, or because it is his office to intimate to, write and feal the promifes of the Gofpel upon the hearts of believA fealing is the impreffion of the image, which is on the feal, upon the thing fealed; whereby we both, affure the perfon to whom we write, of the author thereof, and more ftrongly confirm the contents of the epiftle or teftament, fo as he may have no doubt about the truth of the thing. Thi myftical fealing, therefore, by the feal of the fpirit, confifts in the electual communication of that divine light, purity, holiness, righteousness, goodness, bleffednels and joy, which are found in the Holy Spirit. Of which the first lines are drawn at the beginning of regeneration, and this is the writing on the heart by the Spirit. But after faith in Chrift comes to be ftrong and operative, all thefe things are confirmed, ftrengthened, encreafed, and more deeply imprinted by the fame fpirit; and in this deeper impreffion confifts the fealing; by the view and fenfe of which believers have affurance, that they are the children of God. XXXV. More faftnefs XXXV. Moreover, this fealing of the Spirit is a Renders proof of the unfhaken fteadiness of believers, for the their ftedApoftle himself with good reason, joins their eftablish-unfhaken. ment with this fealing, 2 Cor. 1. 21, 22, be which STABLISHETH us with you in Christ, and bath anointed us, is God; who hath alfo SEALED us." For, ift, The promifes of the eternal teftament are confirmed and ratified to us by that feal. The wonderful and almoft incredible goodness of God fhines forth in this matter. He not only promifes the Elect, that he will never depart from them, but will fo order it, that they shall never depart from him. And he likewife ratifies the fame in the facred and inviolable writings of both teftaments: but this is not all, for he allo engraves the fame promifes, by the finger of his fpirit, on the hearts of the Elect. Nor does he ftop here but he adds the feal of the fame fpirit whereby they are affured, in the highest degree, of the donation of thefe excellent promifes. 2dly, This fealing denotes a firm and indelible impreffion of the graces of the Holy Spirit. For, who can efface God's own feal, which he has appended to his eternal teftament, and deeply impreffed on the hearts of his people? 3dly, By this fealing, the fealed are rendered inviolable or facred. Thereby God declares, that they are his peculiar property, which he will never fuffer to be alienated, Rev. 7. 3. 19. XXXVI. We cannot here omit that remarkable As is paffage, 2 Tim. 2. 19. nevertheless the foundation of God taught, ftandeth fure, beving THIS SEAL, the Lord knoweth 2 Tim. 2 them that are kis: and let every one that nameth the name of Chrift depart from iniquity. Chryfoftom, by the fure foundation of God, understands, thefe steadfast fouls, who ftand firm and immoveable. Which expofition is fujtable both to this context and to the language of fcripture. It is agreeable to this context; for the fure foundation of God is diftinguished from thofe men, who fuffered themfelves to be drawn afide from the doctrine U 4 1 23 doctrine of the true faith, by the new doctrines and may |