1. True Christians are the sons of God, objects of his affection, par- takers of his moral nature, and heirs of his kingdom, v. 14.
2. The relation of God to us is necessarily the counterpart of ours to him. If we feel as friends to him, he feels as a friend towards us ; if our sentiments are filial, his are parental, v. 15.
3. God, who is every where present and active, manifests his pre- sence, and communicates with his creatures, in a manner accordant with their nature, although in a way that is inscrutable, v. 16.
4. Assurance of salvation has a twofold foundation. The experience of those affections which are the evidences of true piety, and the witness of the Holy Spirit. The latter can never be separated from the former; for the Spirit can never testify to what is not the truth. He can never assure an enemy that he is a child of God, v. 16.
5. Union with Christ is the source of all our blessings of justification and sanctification, as taught in the previous chapters, and of salvation, as taught in this, v. 17.
6. Afflictions are not inconsistent with the divine favour, nor with our being the sons of God, vs. 18 — 25.
7. The future glory of the saints must be inconceivably great, if the whole creation, from the beginning of the world, groans and longs for its manifestation, vs. 19 — 23.
8. The curse consequent on the fall has affected the state of the exter- nal world. The consummation of the work of redemption may be at- tended with its regeneration, vs. 20 — 22.
9. The present influences of the Spirit are first-fruits of the inherit- ance of the saints ; the same in kind with the blessings of the future state, though less in degree. They are a pledge of future blessedness, and always produce an earnest longing for the fruition of the full inherit- ance, V. 23.
10. As, for wise reasons, salvation is not immediately consequent on regeneration, hope, which is the joyful expectation of future good, be- comes the duty, solace, and support of the Christian, vs. 34, 25