which each person has made, or thinks he has made, in religion ; every one fixing his own standard, and so drawing the line as to include himself within the number of God's elect. They are children of God, because,
1. They have committed no gross sin —
[Be it so : they have kept within the bounds which the world prescribes for our moral and religious conduct: but is this sufficient to prove them children of God ? Yea, rather, does not the complacency which they feel in consequence of this partial obedience prove them indisputably to be children of the devil ? What is, in fact, the language of their hearts ? Is it not this ? ' It is needless to love and serve God : to obey his law is quite superfluous : all that we need to do, is, to abstain from gross sin : if we do that, we need not alarm ourselves about the displeasure of God : we are in no danger of perishing : we need not trouble ourselves about a Saviour : we have all the righteousness that God requires, and may look forward with confidence to our final acceptance with him.' Yes, this, I say, is the language of their hearts : and I leave you to judge how far such a state of mind can be an evidence of their being children of God. In truth, all the gross sins that they could possibly commit would not more clearly prove them children of the devil, than this impiety : the weight and number of their sins indeed might be increased; but, as a test, nothing can be more decisive of their state, than such vain confidence as this.]
2. They approve of the doctrines of the Gospel —
[It matters little what doctrines we embrace, unless they operate to the renovation of our souls. Our Lord intimates that many will express a considerable degree of zeal in his cause, preaching his Gospel, and casting out devils in his name, who yet will be rejected by him at last, because they did not experience any sanctifying efficacy from his Gospel; " their saying, Lord, Lord, will not avail them any thing, because they did not the will of his heavenly Father." Indeed a knowledge of the Gospel tends rather to aggravate the guilt of those who do not practically embrace it ; because they sin against greater light, and against the convictions of their own conscience. The Jews were filled with zeal for the law of Moses, and were ready to put our Lord to death for supposed violations of it: but were they therefore children of God? No: though they pre- tended such high respect for the law, they did not themselves keep the law, as our Lord told them ; and that very law would condemn them in the last day. It is plain therefore that an