God and his dear children, Ifa. Ixvi. 5. In this manner then ઠંડ they vexed his Holy Spirit," who dwelt not in them, but in the prophets and other holy perfons; that is, they gave him occafion to do thofe things, which are the effects of wrath, and which are ufually done by him, who avengeth the injuries he has received: or, if we may explain it of the Spirit working in thofe rebels, then it is to be understood of the convictions of natural conscience, excited by the Spitit, which they impiously oppofed. Therefore it was, "that he turned to be their enemy," and rejected that people, and took their kingdom from them, and gave them up to hardness of heart: and fought against them, as well externally by his armies, which flew them, and destroyed their city and polity; as internally by terrors and anguifh of confcience, Deut. xxviii. 65. All which is no proof of the total departure of the Holy Spirit from believers.

XXX. As that Spirit continually abides in believers, so he is alfo in them as the fpring of eternal life. For, he is "the Spirit of life," Rom. viii. 3. His holy and comfortable energy is the life of the foul: for death reigns in a blind and depraved mind, John xvii. 3. "This is LIFE ETERNAL, to know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft fent." Spiritual life confifts in knowing, loving, revering the grace and truth of God the Father and of Chrift, and in the joy which arifes from thefe; which is called ETERNAL, becaufe, when it is begun in this world, it is carried on by the continual influence of the Spirit, and brought to perfection in the world to come. In another place it is called "a root within," Matt. xiii. 21. "The anointing which abideth," 1 John ii. 27. "the feed that remaineth," I John iii. 9. "a well of water fpringing up into everlasting life," John iv. 14.

XXXI. The nature of that life, which is infufed into the elect in regeneration, is far different from that, which was in Adam in innocence, though even that was holy, and from the Holy Spirit. For, ift. In that ftate, man was left to himself, without any promife of the conftant inhabitation of the Spirit fuch as, we have just proved, the elect have now. 2dly, That caufe which firft produced this life, feems alfo to be the fame. which makes them perfevere therein; but this life is implanted in man, who refifts it and takes pleafure in fpiritual death, and

fets

Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word, your brethren that hated you, that caft you out for my name's fake, faid, let the Lord be magnified. The author evidently applies this text of Scripture, to make it appear, that nothing is a greater evidence of rebelling againft and vexing the Holy Spirit, than the perfecuting those in whom he dwells, efpecially when they pretend to be acted by zeal for the glory of God, John xvi. 2.

fets himself with all his might againft God: it is infufed, I fay, by the invincible efficacy of the Spirit, which Paul has fo highly commended, Epft. i. 19. As therefore that efficacy of the Spirit, has notwithstanding, overcome and fubdued those that refifted and oppofed his operations; fo, in like manner, after he has once fettled himself in fouls thus vanquished and fubdued, he conftantly keeps the place he has orce occupied : and fhould any thing arife, either from within, or from without, that fhould attempt 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 vanquished; 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 Christ, Gal. ii. 20. "nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me." Moreover Chrift, by his death, has obtained, that he should live for ever, Rev i. 18. " I am he 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 alfo 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 xiv. 19. "becaufe I live, ye fhall live alfo." This life therefore of Chrift in us is different from the life implanted in Adam by creation. 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 in a holy and bleffed life, as was the cafe with the bieffed angels. Whereas the life of Chrift in believers is the fruit of his fatisfaction and merits, and therefore must be everlafting and eternal, that he might not lose the pains he had been at and is to be compared, as to its duration, not with the life of Adam, when in a state 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. iii. 3. " ye are dead," namely, to the devil, the world, fin and yourselves," and your life is hid 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

is perfected in that which is to come. That life is hid, 1ft, From believers themselves, who do not fully conceive the manner, in which the Spirit now worketh in them; and still less that inexplicable knowledge, that perfect holiness, that unfhaken love, that unfpeakable joy, which is ready to be revealed in the last time, 1 Pet. i. 5. 1 John iii. 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 Christ and Christ in us; but reckons these myfteries of our Chriftianity, as a kind of melancholy madnefs. 3dly, From the devil; *whose mortal blows and victories can have no access to it. The life of God's children, like a most precious treafure, is laid up in a secret place; from which the evil spirit cannot take it away, neither by open violence, or secret stratagem. In this fense it is said, Pfal. lxxxiii. 66 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. i. 12. As Chrift 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 Christ. The bofom of God, is that most sacred repofitory, in which that treasure is kept fafe.

XXXIV. The fame Spirit, who is the author of this everlasting life, is the feal, wherewith believers are fealed, Eph. i. 13. The Apostle compares believers to an epiftle, written, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, 2 Cor iii. 3. Now that epiftle contains God's teftament. And whenever the elect have received the promises of that teftament by a lively faith, then, in fome measure, they have the Spirit to write them on their minds. Moreover, God ratifies that infcription with the stamp of his feal. That feal is the Spirit of promife, not only with refpect to the extraordinary gifts, which formerly abounded in the church (for these were neither conferred on all, nor on true believers only, neither were they an earnest of the hevenly inheritance) but chiefly with refpect to faving gifts or graces. It is called " the Spirit of promife," either because he was promised, or because it is his office to intimate to, write and feal the promises of the gospel upon the hearts of * A thing may be faid to be hid for fafety and fecurity, as well as for conccalment, and it is with refpect to this, that our author here speaks. VOL. II,

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believers. A 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. This myftical fealing, therefore, by the feal of the Spirit, confifts in the effectual communication of that divine light, purity, holinefs, righteoufnefs, goodnefs, bleffednefs 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 Christ comes to be ftrong and operative, all these things are confirmed, strengthened, incrased, and more deeply imprinted by the fame Spirit; and in this deeper impreffion confifts the fealing; by the view and sense of which believers have affurance that they are the children of God.

XXXV. Moreover, this fealing of the Spirit is a proof of the unfhaken steadiness of believers, for the Apostle himself with good reafon, joins their establishment with this fealing, 2 Cor. i. 21, 22. "he which STABLISHETH us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who hath alfo SEALED us.” For, ft, The promises of the eternal teftament are confirmed and ratified to us by that feal. The wonderful and almost 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 fhall 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 alfo engraves the fame promises, by the finger of his Spirit on the hearts of the elect. Nor does he stop here: but he adds the feal of the fame Spirit 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. vii. 3.

XXXVI. We cannot here omit that remarkable paffage, 2 Tim. ii. 19. "nevertheless the foundation of God ftandeth fure, having THIS SEAL, the Lord knoweth them that are his : and let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." Chryfoftom, by the fure foundation of God, understands,

thefe

thefe ftedfaft fouls, who ftand firm and immoveable. Which expolition is fuitable both to this context and to the language of fcripture. It is agreeable to this context; for the fure foundation of God is diftinguifhed from thofe men, who fuffered themselves to be drawn afide from the doctrine of the true faith, by the new doctrines and deliriums of deceivers, such as were Hymenæus and Philetus. And it is agreeable to the language of fcripture, where the believer is called an

" a foundation of ages, or " an everlasting foundation," Prov. x. 25. and "a pillar in the temple of God; which fhall go no more out," Rev. iii. 12. To this alfo might be referred, Ifa. xxviii. 16. where Chrift is called pn, which may be tranflated a precious corner, (corner-itone) of the fureft foundation. For, Chrift is the corner-stone of his church, which being built upon a rock, has the fureft foundation: therefore the church of the faithful is the foundation. And as none but God can lay fuch a firm foundation, it is therefore called the foundation of God. "Ye are God's building," I Cor. iii. 9. That foundation of God ftands fure, and unfhaken against all temptations. But what is the reafon and cause of that stability? Believers have it not of themselves, but from the feal of God: of which feal a two-fold ufe is here propofed, 1ft, To fet a mark on the elect, as those who are known to and beloved by God, and on whom he imprints characters as his peculiar treafure, which he highly esteems and choicely keeps, and as teftimonies of his dominion and property: of this it is faid, "the Lord knoweth them that are his." 2dly, To imprefs upon them the likeness of that holinefs which is in the feal, that is, in the Holy Spirit; whereby they are made to be diligently on their guard against iniquity and defection. To this purpofe is the caution; "let every one that nameth the name of Chrft, depart from iniquity." For, whoever has this law infcribed within, fo that it becomes the proper law of his heart, which he frequently repeats to himfelf; and as from this he may know that he is chosen and beloved of God, so he carefully referves himself for God, to whom he belongs.

XXXVII. In the laft place, this Spirit is aggav rus xangovorices qua, the earnest of our inheritance, Eph. i. 14. Grotius has learnedly obferved on this place, that the word agg'aßwv (earneft) is not of Greek, but Syriac origin; but we fay, it is of Hebrew derivation, as appears from Gen. xxxviii. 17. where Thamar afks, Arabon a pledge of Judah. It is probable, the Greeks had this word from the Phenicians, with whom they carried on much commerce. But Arrabo an carneft, or, as the Latins exprefs it fhorter, arra, is a part of the price given before

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