There are two ways whereby we may know fire to be real fire, and that differences real fire from painted fire, or from imaginary fire ; the first is by the heat of it, and the other is by the flame of it. Now, though sometimes it so falls out that the fire do not flame, yet at that very time you may know it to be real fire by the heat it gives. So there are two ways of knowing our adoption ; the first is by the spirit of adoption, crying 'Abba! Father! in our hearts,' Gal. iv. 6 ; and the other is by our sanctification and holiness, Kom. viii. 16. Now, though sometimes it may so fall out that the flame, the witness of the spirit of adoption, may be wanting, yet the heat of sanctification and holiness remains, and we may have recourse to this fire, and warm our hearts at it, and sit down satisfied and assured of our adoption ; for as fire may be known to be fire by its heat, though it want a flame ; so though the spirit of adoption do not witness our adoption to us, yet we may know our adoption by our real sanctification and holiness. Every holy person is a high-born person, for as his divine birth, so his divine adop- tion is high, very high, exceeding high, yea even as high as heaven itself, John iii. 5, 8, and i. 12, 13. It is a very high honour to be the son of a king, yea to be the son-in-law of a king, for so David reckoned it : 1 Sam. xviii. 23, 24, ' Seemeth it' (saithheto Saul's servant) 'alight thing to you to be a king's son-in-law, seeing that I am vile and lightly esteemed ?' Oh then what an honour it is to be the son of God, to be the son of the King of kings, and Lord of lords ! Kev. i, 6. It is a very high honour to be God's servant, and so David accounted it, as you may see in that 2 Sam. vii. 5, 8. And so did Theodosius the emperor, and Constantino the Great, and many others account it. Oh
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then what an honour must it be to be God's son ! The blessed apostle cannot speak of this hio^h privilege but with great admiration ; as you may see in that 1 John iii. 1, ' Behold what manner of loA^e the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God/ It is an infinite condescension in God, to honour us with the title of sons, and therefore we should never think of it, nor never speak of it, but with much admiration. 0 sirs ! what matter of admiration is this, that the great and glorious God, who hath many millions of glorious angels waiting on him, that he should look upon all holy persons as his sons, and that he should love them as sons, and delight in them as sons, and clothe them as sons, and feed them as sons, and protect them as sons, and stand by them as sons, and lay up for them as sons, and lay out himself for them as sons, that they that have not deserved a smile from God, a good word from God, a bit of bread from God, or a good look from God, should be made the sons of God ? What manner of love is this, that they that have so highly provoked God, that they that have walked so cross and contrary to God, that they that were so exceeding unlike to God, that they that have preferred every lust, and every toy and vanity before God, that they that have fought many years under Satan's banner against God, that they that have refused all the offers of mercy that hath been made by God, that they that have deserved to be reprobated by God, to be damned by God, and to be thrown to hell by God, that these should be made the sons of God ? Oh stand and wonder ! oh stand and admire at the freeness of grace, and at the riches of grace ! But,
[7.] Seventhly, If thou art a holy person, if thou art one that hast that real holiness, without which there is no happiness, then know for thy comfort, tliat thou art an undoubted lieir of everlasting glory : i Kom. viii. 29, 30, * For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son' (that is, in holiness,) ' that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called : and whom he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified.' Holiness is a most sure earnest and pawn of glory: 2 Thes. ii. 13, ' God hath chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit ;' Mat. v. 8, * Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God ; ' 1 John iii. 2, 3, ' When he shall appear, we shall be like him ' (that is, in glory) ' for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure.' He that hath a real hope, a lively hope, of being like to Christ in glory, and of reigning with Clirist in heaven, will set roundly upon the work of self-purifying. There is no hope to that hope that runs out into holiness, and that leads the soul on to the highest degrees of purification, and that enables a man to set up Christ's purity as the most perfect pattern and exact copy for his imitation : Titus iii. 4-7, ' But after that the kindness and lOve of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of right- eousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour ; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to ^ Horn. viii. 16-18 ; James ii. 5 ; 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8.
HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 421