Whenfoever a true Believer comes to partake of this Ordinance, and fees the Bread broken, and the Wine poured forth, fignifying unto him the breaking of Chrift's Body, and the fhedding of his Blood, he ought then to lift up his Heart to God, and in the filent Devotions of his Soul to fay, Lord, I believe on thy Son thus broken, and on his Blood thus poured out for me; and to atteft and witnefs that I do indeed believe, behold, I now receive this thy holy Sacrament, and by it do fet Seal to the Truth of my Faith, accepting of my bleffed Saviour, and fincerely devoting my self unto him.

Secondly, It feals to our Faith confecutively, by way of Effect and Caufality, as the receiving of it doth mightily confirm and strengthen our Faith. For there is no Ordinance of God whatsoever that is more accommodated to the Increase of Faith than this; in that it doth as it were fet the Death of Chrift before our Eyes. For though Faith be evacuated where there is clear and perfect Vision, yet where the Reprefentation is fuch as doth not fully difcover the Object, but only hint it unto us, as it is here in the Sacrament, Faith takes a mighty Advantage from the Type and Refemblance that Senfe perceives, to look

into these more Spiritual Objects represented by these material Signs, which to the Eye of Senfe are altogether invifible. And indeed, when we confider that God hath not only engaged his Word, that whofoever believeth shall be saved, but hath also instituted this Ordinance as aWitnefs between him and us, that he will certainly perform this gracious Promife, if we perform the Condition; we may well have ftrong Faith, and strong Confolation from that Faith, fince he hath been pleased to affure our Salvation to us, both by his Word, and by this Pledge of Truth, and Fidelity of his Word. And in this Sense, our Faith may be faid to be fealed by the Sacrament, because it is thereby greatly confirmed and ftrengthened.

But then, as the Sacrament feals to our Faith; fo,

Secondly, It feals alfo to God's Cove nant with us. The brief Tenor of this Covenant you have exprefly contained in those few Words, Mark 16. 16. He that believeth, fhall be faved. And to this Covenant the Sacrament is affixed as a Seal. And in it there be Two Things that admit of Sealing:

First, The Tenour of the Covenant it felf.

Secondly, Our Propriety and Intereft in the Mercy promised.

The Tenour of the Covenant confifts in this, If I believe, I shall be saved. Our Intereft and Propriety in the Covenant confists in this, But I do believe, and therefore I fhall be faved. Now each of these may be fealed unto the Soul: And accor dingly there is a twofold Sealing;

First, An External Sealing by the Sa

crament.

Secondly, An Internal Sealing by the Spirit.

Of thefe, the External Sealing only refpects the Sacrament. For in this Ordinance God feals unto me, that if I believe. on the Lord Jefus, I shall be faved; and gives me a vifible Pledge of this Promise, That as fure as I eat of the Sacramental Bread, and drink of the Wine, fo furely upon my Faith, I shall inherit eternal Life. And this indeed is the most proper Sealing Use the Sacrament hath.

But the Internal Sealing of the Spirit in our own Confciences, refpects our peculiar Right and Interest in this Covenant. For though the Sacrament feals to me, that if I believe, I shall be faved; yet it doth not properly feal and atteft to me, that I do believe, and therefore shall be faved. But this is the Work of the Holy Ghoft,

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Ghost, the Spirit of Adoption, which feals us up unto the Day of Redemption, and works in the Hearts of many Believers a full Affurance, that Grace is already wrought in them, and that Glory fhall hereafter be bestowed upon them.

And thus you fee what it is, that the Sacrament feals to: Principally and primarily, it feals to the Truth of the conditional Covenant, as a Pledge of God's Veracity: But fecondarily, it feals alfo to our Faith, as it is a Means instituted by God for the strengthening and increafing of it.

Thirdly, By what hath been spoken, we may easily give a Refolution to the Third Queftion, whofe Seal it is, whether God's or ours: For it is both. It is God's Seal only,

First, In refpect of its Inftitution. For he hath appointed this Holy Ordinance as a Seal between him and us. And indeed, this is fo effential to the Nature and Being of a Sacrament, that nothing can be fuch, but what hath the Stamp of Divine Institution to warrant it.

Secondly, It is God's Seal, as it is affixed to his Part of the Covenant. For in this Sacrament he feals to us, that if we believe, we shall certainly be saved. But then,

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Thirdly, It is our Seal, as we do by receiving of it testify and declare the Truth and Reality of our Faith, and that we do believe on the Lord Jefus Christ, as he is exhibited unto us in this Sacrament.

Fourthly, Thefe Things therefore being thus clear, I fhall come to the Fourth General Head propounded, which indeed I principally intended, viz. That it is Faith alone, in the Death and Sufferings of Jefus Christ, that makes the Seal of the Sa crament useful and beneficial to our Souls.

First, It is true indeed, that whether we believe or no, this Ordinance will ftill feal the Truth and Stability of God's Covenant, that if we believe, we shall be faved: Yet if we do not believe, of what Ufe or Benefit will this be to us? Yea, it will rather be a fearful Aggravation of our just Condemnation, in that God hath not only given his Word for our Salvation, but hath so far condescended as 'to fet his Seal to it in this holy Ordinance; and yet neither Salvation promised, nor this Promise fealed, can work upon us to act that Faith upon which Heaven and Happiness is affured.

Secondly, The Sacrament, without Faith in the Partakers, will be still a Seal; yea, but it will only feal them up to the Day

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