3. It is not a general belief, but a particular confidence : ' I know that my Kedeemer liveth ; ' and here, that we shall be like him ; he speaketh upon the supposition that we are God's children. Now to make this evident, we must have more than a word of promise ; we must have the spirit of holiness opening the eyes of our mind, in seeing the truth and worth of this glorious and blessed estate : Eph. i. 17, 18, ' That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
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may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, in the knowledge of him : the eyes of your understanding being enlightened ; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of the inheritance of the saints in light ; ' quickening us in the love of God and heavenly desires, to carry us to this blessed estate, as our only happiness : 2 Cor. v. 5, ' Now he that hath wrought us to this self-same thing, is God, who hath given us the earnest of the Spirit.' Causing us to groan after it, to delight in it, to continue with patience in the pursuit of it : Gal. v. 5, ' We through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.' Filling us with joy as we get any hope of it, or sight of our interest in it : 1 Peter i. 8, ' Whom having not seen, we love ; in whom, though now we see him not, yet believing, we re- joice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory.' First faith seeth the feast, then love tastes it ; those joys being afforded to us in our most sober and serious moods as cannot be a fantastical impression.
Use. To show how much it concerneth us to get it evident that we are the sons of God, if there be such a glorious estate reserved for them. Now this will be made evident —
1. By regeneration ; this is our legal qualification and preparative disposition. First, our legal qualification : John iii. 3, ' Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God ; ' 1 Peter i. 3, ' Who hath begotten us to a lively hope.' Therefore, till this change be wrought in us, we are altogether without any true and well-grounded hope of eter- nal life ; but having gotten this new life and a new nature, we may ex- pect this glory and blessedness as our inheritance. Now it is not only our legal qualification, or that which doth constitute our right and title, but, secondly, it is our preparative disposition. The sanctified under- standing is only able to behold God, and the sanctified will and affec- tions only capable to enjoy him. These are made meet ; as Col. i. 10, ' Who hath made us meet to be partakers of the saints in light.' This concurs conditionally and dispositively. What should a sensual heart do with God and heaven ? If they cannot receive or savour spiritual things, what shall they do with heavenly things ? Now that they cannot receive and savour them is plain from 1 Cor. ii. 14, ' The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit, for they are foolishness unto him ; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned ; ' Eom. viii. 5, ' For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit' Either heaven must be another thing, or we must be other manner of creatures than we are. Oh, then how much doth it concern us to see whether we have this new life and being ; then the first principles of blessedness are introduced into the soul ; the soul is a form for this very thing, that it may be like unto God. To pretend to desire heaven and dislike renovation is to pretend you would have that perfected which you cannot endure should ever be begun ; therefore see that it be a thorough change, not some faint inclinations to God and the hea- venly life.
2. When converted and regenerated, we have the spirit of adoption inclining us to God as a Father : Gal. iv. 6, 'And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father ; ' Eom. viii. 15, ' But ye have received the spirit of adoption,
470 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. [SER. IV.
whereby we cry, Abba, Father.' So that a man is another man to God than he was before. He hath holy longings after him, delights much in converse and communion with him, especially in prayer : Zech. x. 12, ' I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplications.' And Paul is an instance of this ; for as soon as converted, he falleth a-praying. God's children have a childlike love to God, and it endeth in a childlike obedience to him, and a childlike dependence upon him for daily supplies : Mat. vi. 32, ' Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.' They likewise depend upon him for an everlast- ing inheritance : 1 Peter i. 3, ' Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath, according to his abundant mercy, begotten us to a lively hope.' A child looketh for a child's portion. The soul loveth God, mindeth him in all things, inclineth to the ways of God, and delighteth in them as they tend to God, that he may get nearer to him, and be fitted and prepared to love him, and enjoy him for ever.