Drsc. dRI1rNßRY WITNESS OF TírE sPr&IT'. 25, drowLY in despair, when they could but lay hold of that one bough. Many a christian, under great difficul- ties, inward tumults, doubts, and darknesses of spirit, have been enabled to hold on their way by living upon some one plain scripture, and finding the sense of it transcribed into their own hearts. Some one evidence of true faith, or holy love, of repentance, or heavenly- mindedness, has been set in such a divine light before them, that they could not well mistake ; and this has borne up their hope in an hour of temptation. But I must add, ' 5. Though you ought to bless God for any mark of his children in your hearts, yet you ought not to content yourself with one mark, since the scripture has given us many. The faculties of our nature are various, and they have their various operations: The passions or affections of our souls are many, and some of them are frequently in exercise : Now all the passions and facul- ties of nature, with all their operations, should be con- formable to the rule of the word of God; and when it is so, there appears a variety of marks of the children of God upon, us, even as many as there are powers or pas- sions belonging to our souls. Whether it be love, it is love to God, and the children of God, for they are born of the same Father :.Whether it be hatred, it is hatred to sin, and to ; all that displeases God : If it be delight, it is a delight in he_avenly things, and in holy ordinances : If it be desire, it is a desire after God, after a sense of his love, a greater acquaintance with him, a more exact con- formity to him, and a breathing after the heavenly state, where we shall never sin against him, Thus since the several powers and principles in our nature being sanc- tified, yield us several distinct evidences of adoptiop, let us not be contented ith one of them, but press forward `toward a stronger hope of our sonship. Let us labour and pray that all the springs of action within us being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, may yield the fruits of ho- liness, may shine bright in a way of evidence, and raise our hope to full assurance. 6. When you have found any comfortable and solid hopes of your adoption, by the Holy Spirit witnessing in this rational way with your spirits, that you are'the chil- dren of God, walk in the chearful sense of it continually ;
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