174 S E R M O N S upon Serm.XXV: But what (hall poor creatures do, that have not yet this clear teftimony 2 t. Difclaim all other confidence. When you cannot apply Hof. 14.3. AJhur/hall vat fave us, we will not ride upon horfes, neither will we fay any more to the works of our hands, Te are our gods : for in thee Olt fatherlefs findeth mercy. 2. Own God in the humbling way; Creep in at the back-door of the promife, t Tim: 1. 15. fefusChrifi came into the world to fave finners: If Chrift came to fave Gauers, I am firmer enough for Chrift to fave, Luke L5. 18, 19. Imill arife and go to my father, and wilt fay unto him, Father, I have finned againfi heaven, and before thee; and am no more worthy to be called thy fon ; make me as one of thy hiredfervants. 3. Come to him, as the God and Father of our Lord Apr.( thrift, Eph' 3. 14. For this caufe I born my knees tento the Father of our Lord Jefus ehrifi, Certainly God will love, and accept all chore that come to him by Chrift. 4, There is a child -like inclination, when there is not a childlike familiarity and bold-. nefs. The foul cannot keep away from God, and that is an implicite owning of him as a Father, Jer. 3., 19. Thou Jhalt call me f .ether, and(halt not turn away from me : We call him Father, optando ft nen affirmando ; unfpeakable groans dilcover the fpirit of adoprion,aswell as unutterable joys; we own him by way of option and choice; rho not by actual aflurance of our fpecial relation to him, and intereft in his fatherly love; there may be a childlike love to God, when we have noaffurance of his paternal love to us. 5. There is a childlike reverence and awe, when not a childlike confidence; Their heart itandeth in awe of, as the Kechabites, their fathers command, dare not difpleafe him for all the world; there in time will overcome; in (hors, God hatha title to our dearelt love, when we cannot make out a title to the higheft benefit. SERMON XXV. R O M. VIII. 17. If children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint -heirs with Chrift : if fo be that we fuffer with him, that we may alfo be glorified together. IstitieLeal H E Apofile had (hewed, v. 13, That if we through the fpirit do morti- fie the deeds of the body, we ¡hall live. He proveth it by this medium Itkd and argument ; That as many as obey the fanttifying motions of the fpirit, are children of God ; and children may look for a childs porti- on. He proveth they are children, becaufe the fpirit accompanieth the difpenfation of the New Covenant,whereby we are adopted into Gods family ; and this fpirit ails fuitably,as is evident by his impreffi. on, V.15. By his Teftimony and W itnefs, v.16. Now he goeth on fur- ther, and proveth, That if we be children, we are heirs ; and that we (hall live, if we mortifie the deeds of the body, is more abundantly proved, for our inheritance is eter- nal life and glory , And if children then heirs, &c. In the Words obferve, r. A Dignity, inferred from our Adoption. 2. The Amplification of it, from the excellent nature of this inheritance, Heirs of God, and joint heirs with Chrifl. 3. Tis applied as a comfort againfi adeierfities ; If fo be that we fttffer with him, thkt we may alfo be glorifiedtogether. r. The
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