Rom. viii. 16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.
THERE is a tribunal before which we must all appear at the last day : but we need not wait till that time to ascertain our true character. Every man has a tribunal erected in his own bosom. The conscience, according to the light it has received, accuses or excuses, those who will listen to its voice. This is common to heathens as well as Christians3. But God's people are favoured with the additional testimony of the Holy Spirit. Of this the Apostle speaks in the passage before us.
We shall endeavour to shew, I. What is the witness here spoken of —
Witnesses imply a doubt of the thing which is to be confirmed. The thing to be ascertained here is, " That we are the children of God." Respecting this, many are in suspense all their days ; but God has provided means for the removal of these dqubts.
He has been pleased to give us the witness of his Spirit.
1 . Through the medium of rational deduction —
[We may judge of our state by comparing it with the declarations of Scripture : God has given many marks and characters of his own peopleb; we may examine by these how far our practice corresponds with our duty, and know from the testimony of an enlightened conscience our real state. This is a scriptural way of judging: St. Paul used itc; and exhorts us
a Rom. ii. 15. b e. g. 1 John iii. 10.
c He knew that God required real integrity of heart, Ps. Ii. 6. He therefore laboured to attain it, Acts xxiv. 16. He had the testimony