the 7. All God's faithful servants have his seal set upon them, as you see in the text, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 0, say you, how shall I know if I be among sealed? Answ. You may know it by the print of the seal. You know the print of the seal upon the wax, is an exact transcript of the engraving that is upon the seal. Just so is it here, when Christ seals, or sets his mark upon the soul, he by the power of his Spirit puts the print of his own grace upon it, John i. 16: "Of his own fulness have all we received, and grace for grace;" that is, the grace that is in the believer, just corresponds to the grace that is in Christ. As in nature, so it is in grace; the child receives from the parent by natural generation, member for member, eye for eye, hands, legs, limbs, just like its parent that begat it; so it is in supernatural things, or in regeneration, we receive from him, who "of his own will begat us by the word of truth," grace for grace. The Spirit shows the things of Christ to us, and we, by beholding them, are "changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord." So, then, see whether you have the following prints of Christ's seal upon you: 1st, The print of his life: "Because I live, ye shall live also." It is the life of Christ that is in the soul of the believer: "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, is by faith in the Son of God." Where notice, the believer does not live upon his own feelings, or grace in him, but on Christ the fountain of life. 2dly, The print of his light; "for he enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world." So then, have you in his light seen light? If so, then you will know the difference between light and darkness, day and night; and when it is night, you will long to see the sun again, and "go mourning without the sun." 3dly, A print of his love; for "God is love," and he "draws with the cords of love;" he kindles a fire of love in the heart, the sparks of which are always flying upwards toward heaven. 4thly, A print of his holiness; "Be ye holy, for I am holy." And this is it that makes the soul to "groan under a body of sin and death," to war against it, and to long to be fully like him in holiness. 5thly, A print of his faithfulness in the word of truth: "Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth." What is faith, but just the impression of God's faithfulness made on the soul by the word of truth; insomuch that, whenever the soul hears the record of God concerning Christ, it cries, O "this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation ?" 6thly, The soul gets a print of his seal for the honour and glory of God, so that the man cannot but stand up for the house of God, and the concerns of his glory, "The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up," says Christ; and therefore, like him, the man that is sealed, cannot endure to see the house of God turned into a den of thieves, robbers, and hirelings, buyers and sellers, and he is far from joining hand with them. Ithly, The man carries the print of Christ's seal upon his forehead, in a way of a visible profession of Christ, and his cause and truth, in opposition to the corruption of a wicked world. Hence it is, that as the world hated Christ, so it hateth them also; for as " the world knows its own," so it soon knows the followers of Christ, that "keep the commandments of God, and the testimony of Jesus." And this is one thing among others, that gives me a very bad notion of those new con versions so much talked of, that if they know a man to be either a formal or practical acceder, they will not enter upon a religious conversation with him, or give any account of the Lord's way of dealing with them, contrary to the command, "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you." Use third, of consolation to those that are sealed; for we are commanded to speak comfort to you. And therefore know for your comfort, 1. That Christ, the Angel of God's presence, has the charge of you: "All the saints are in his hand." "He has power over all flesh, to give eternal life." 2. He is ascending from the east, like the sun in the firmament; even when the clouds are thickest and darkest, it does not hinder his rising, and he will break through to the salvation and comfort of all his sealed ones, that "keep the commandments of God," and have and " contend for the faith once delivered to the saints." "His goings forth are prepared as the morning." 3. He is a person of great power and authority; for he has the seal of the living God, he has the keys of the house of David, he opens, and no man shuts, and shuts, and no man opens," yea, the keys of hell and death belong to him, 4. All the executioners of the divine wrath against a wicked world are under his command; you see here, that the angels that loose the winds, are at his beck, and fulfil his will and pleasure. Good angels are his ministering spirits, and they minister for good to them that are the heirs of salvation; and the bad angels are in his chains, which he lengthens out, or shortens at his pleasure... 5. It is his opportunity to help his church, and to interpose, when the danger is most threatening, for here he gives the cry, when the winds are at the point of being loosed. 6. All his administrations are calculated for your good, Rom. viii. 28. " He rides in the heaven for your help." 7. He will guide you with his counsel, and bring you to glory. Use fourth, of Terror to all an unbelieving Christless world; who, instead of being the servants of God, are " serving divers lusts and pleasures;" who, instead of having the seal of heaven, have the seal of hell upon them: all carnal unstable professors, who are already wandering with the winds, giving up with the truth, and the tradition we have received from the Lord in this land. What shall I say to you? your condemnation is awful and terrible, God's " soul hath no pleasure in you." Perhaps, indeed, you may imagine otherwise; and that, in giving up with the covenanted cause of Christ in this land, you have now fallen upon a new way of which God approves, and your own soul delights in; but read these three scriptures, Is. xliv. 20: "He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, is there not a lie in my right hand?" Is. l. 11: "Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your tire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow." Is. lxvi. 3, 4: 4: "He that killeth. an ox, is as if he slew a man: he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck: he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood: he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol: yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not." The winds, when loosed to the full, whither will they drive you? especially you that have had the knowledge of the truth, made a profession of it before the world, and yet have turned away from the testimony of Christ in this land? You may see and read your doom, if infinite mercy do not prevent, Heb. vi. 4-6; x. 26-29;2 Pet. ii. at the close, &c. Perhaps you may think this very hard, but it is no harder than God has made it, for whom "it is impossible to lie." Use fifth shall be an Exhortation to all in general, even to all that are afar off, to come to Christ before the wind be fully loosed, that perhaps shall blow you out of this world into an unalterable state of eternal wo and misery: O come to Christ, I say, in order to your being sealed with his seal, for he is "the Angel who hath the seal of the living God." His Father commands you to come to him, 1 John iii. 23: "This is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ." He himself invites you to come, yea, not only invites you, but importunately solicits you to come, Is. lv. 1-3: "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, let him come; come, buy wine and milk without money, and without price," &c. He passes his word that he will make you welcome, and that you shall not be put away: "Come to me," who will, " I will in no wise cast out;" he "hates putting away:" he complains of your backwardness to come, John v. 40: "And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." His Father sealed him, and he "hath the seal of the living God," that he may seal all that come to him in a way of believing: John vi. 27; he makes it an argument to press sinners to come to him for life and salvation, "because him hath God the Father sealed." If you be sealed by him, you are "the preserved in Christ Jesus;" the winds shall never hurt you, no evil shall come near your dwelling, Christ himself shall be your "hiding-place from the storm." The curse of the law, the storm of vindictive wrath, the sting of death, the malice of Satan, the rage of men and devils, shall never hurt you, "he shall cover you with his feathers," &c. If you be sealed. by him, you shall be guided by his counsel, he will lead you in the way you know not, until he bring you to glory. If you do not come to him to get his seal, the wrath of God abideth on you, and will pursue you through all the ages of eternity: "He that believeth not, is condemned already;" and the day comes, when it shall be said to you, "Depart from me, I never knew you," for you have not my seal on your hearts or foreheads. Do not say, I am a sinner, and therefore he will not receive me; for it is only sinners he deals with: "He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Do not say, I am a great and grievous sinner, he will not put his seal upon me; for he says to the greatest of sinners, "I am mighty to save," Is. i. 18. Remember Paul, Manasseh, Mary Magdalene; for they all obtained mercy, and are triumphing in heaven. Do not say, I have nothing to recommend me to him; for he wants nothing but poverty, misery, blindness, &c. Do not say, I fear the door is shut; for he says, John x. 9: "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved," &c. Do not say, I am not elected, and do not belong to his commission; for neither you, nor all the devils in hell, can say you do not belong to the election of grace. Come to him by faith, and get his seal, and then you may read your "name in the Lamb's book of life." Do not say, His bowels are shut up against me, I have slighted his call so often; for he says, Jer. iii. 1: "Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord;" ver. 22: "Return, ye backsliding children," &c. Do not say, I want power; for "he gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increases strength." Do not say, He is angry with me; for that moment you come to him, his anger turneth away, and he says to the soul that comes, "Thou art my dear son, my pleasant child." Like the father of the prodigal, Luke xv., it is the delight of his soul, to see a prodigal coming home to him. Direct. 1. Be convinced, that by nature you have the seal of hell upon you, and that you belong to the devil: study to know and be convinced that God is angry with you every day, that you are condemned already, dead in sins, upon the very borders of eternal wo and misery. 2. Be convinced and persuaded that Christ is "a Saviour, and a great one, mighty to save," Psal. lxxxix. 19; Is. lxiii. 1. 3. Be persuaded that you have a title to him, to employ him as your Saviour: a right by his wearing the human nature: a right to him by office; a Saviour is for a lost sinner, a Mediator to make peace, a Redeemer to set captives at liberty, a Prophet to teach the ignorant, a Priest ordained for men: a right by the command of God, by his own invitation, and the free grant and gift of him to sinners in the gospel. 4. In the persuasion of all this, cast thy perishing soul into his arms, lie down at his door, and say, If I perish, I shall perish here, where never one perished. 5. In a dependence on the divine power, and in obedience to the divine command, 1 John iii. 23, [endeavour] at believing, and be persuaded upon his own faithful promise, that through his grace, ye shall be saved as well as others. Use sixth shall be in a word to God's sealed ones, that have come to him in a way of believing. And all I shall say to you, shall be in a few advices, in order to your being established, and preserved from any hurt or danger, by the pernicious winds that blow in our day. 1. Then, As you have come to Christ the Angel that "hath the seal of the living God," so study to be always renewing your acts of faith upon him, that he may renew and brighten his own seal upon your souls: 1 Pet. ii. 4, 5: "To whom coming, as unto a living stone,-ye also as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a habitation of God through the |