[3.] This is a sign of our communion with Christ : 1 John ii. 6, ' He that saith be abideth in him ought also to walk as he walked.' If his Spirit be precious to you, is his example of no regard ? Do you value his benefits and slight his holiness ? It is a sign you esteem him for your own turns. You love Christ the saviour and hate Christ the sanctifier ; you would abide in him to have his happiness, but you would not abide in him to imitate his obedience ; this is perverse and unthankful dealing ; no, you must mind both if you would justify your pretensions of adhering to Christ.
[4.] This will give us boldness in the judgment : 1 John iv. 17, ' We have boldness in the day of judgment ; because as he is, so are we in the world.' That day may be considered in esse rei or in esse cognito. In esse rei, the day itself, when a perfect distinction is made between the sheep and the goats, elect and reprobate ; now you shall stand in the judgment, for Christ will own his own image — acknow- ledge his mark. In esse cognito, in our present apprehensions of it, that when we think of it, we may have boldness. This giveth you joy and confidence for the present ; sincerity breedeth confidence. When we are like Christ, our consciences are emboldened against the terrors of judgment to come.
3. In felicity and glory. Conformity to Christ showeth us not only what we should do, but what we may expect ; the scripture speaketh of this conformity to him^in glory, both as to the body and as to the soul. The body : Phil. iii. 21, ' Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body,' And the soul:
VeK. 29.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. oU5
1 Cor. XV. 4, ' As we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly ; ' 1 John iii. 2, ' When he shall appear, we shall be like him ; 'and Ps. xvii. 15, 'But as for me I will behold tliy face in righteousness, I shall be' satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.' Our blessedness standeth in communion with God and con- formity to him, or the vision and fruition of him ; when we are thoroughly changed into his likeness, we ai-e in our perfect estate. Holiness for the present standeth in the intution and sight of God, which we have by faith, and that communion we have with him in the duties of obedience. God is a holy and happy being ; our conformity to his holiness is more exact ; our communion with him as the foun- tain of all happinees is more full ; we are in a capacity for a more per- fect reception of his benefits.
Secondly, Why this is the distinction between the elect and others, this conformity to the image of his Son.
1. This suiteth with God's design of recovering man out of his lapsed esiate, by setting up a pattern of holiness and happiness in our nature. To evidence this, I will show —
[1.] That our primitive glory was God's image — 'Let us make man after our image and likeuess,' Gen. i. 26. This was our perfection, which made us amiable in the sight of God, and was bestowed upon man as a special and eminent favour ; this was the ornament and crown of glory which he would put upon a creature, which was his masterpiece, and the most excellent of all his works ; and indeed what greater perfection can be in a creature than the nearest resemblance to his creator ? Now this being lost by sin, to have this restored is the true glory of man : 2 Peter i. 4, ' Tliat we may be made partakers of the divine nature.' We read, Prov. xii. 26, ' That the righteous is more excellent than his neighbour ; ' namely, as he hath more of the image of God upon him. It is not the rich, the honourable, the power- ful man, but the righteous man is more excellent ; he hath more of God, and more of a divine spirit in him, than all the rest of the world have. Tae saints are called ' vile persons,' Ps. xv. 4. Wickedness maketh a man base and vile, as holiness puts honour and glory upon them ; therefore, this is the greatest excellency we are capable of, to come as near to God as we can ie wisdom, purity, and holiness.
[2.] When this glory was lost none was fit to restore it but Jesus Christ, the Son of God incarnate, or made man ; for therel>y the glory of the Father was again visible in him in our nature : Col. i. 18, ' He is the image of the invisible God ; ' Heb. i. 3, ' The brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person.' He was made flesh, that the perfections of the Godhead might once more shine forth in human nature. In an image there must be similitude and likeness, and deduction, or a means of conveying that likeness ; therefore, to make us \\\iq God, there must be a fit means. God is a pure spirit ; we are creatures that indeed have an immortal spirit, but it dwelleth in flesh ; therefore, to make us like God, • the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory as the glory of the only- begotten Son of God,' John i. 14. So by this means was this likeness deduced, and the image of God restored to lost man, and man restored to