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bÍtbtNAlt'Y tbttlPE95
bF t3tE
Si
1RrT,
tD1sC.
Weaned
from
this life
as
from
a
state
of
sire
and
sorrow,
and
drawn
nearer
to heaven,
it
is
a
comfortable
sign
that
we
belong
to
the
family
of
God.
7.
They
that
gain
a
victory
over the
world,
and
live
above
the
reach
of
the
frowns
and the
smiles
of
it,
they
are
the children
of
God
too
:
The-apostle John
assures
us
of this;
1
John
v.
4.
He that
is
born
of
Godovercon-
eth
the world.
8.
They
are
the
Children
of
'Cod
that
walk as
Christ
walked
and
live
as
Christ
lived
:
They
that
follow
the
glorious example
of
ttie
original
and
first-begotten
Son,
have
the mark
of
true
children
;
Rom. viii. 29.
"
God
has 'predestinated all
his
children
to
be conformed
to
the
image
of
his
Son
Christ
Jesus.
I
might
sum
up
all the
foregoing evidences
of
sonship
in
this general character of
likeness and conformity
to
our
Redeemer: For
if
we
consult
that
text;
1
..foi
m
t.
'6. ive
shall
'find
that the water and
blood
are the
two
great
testimonies
that are
,given
to
the
sonship
of our
Lord
Jesas.
This
is
he
that
came by
water and
by
blood.
-And
-as
°he
was
manifested
to
be
the
-Son
of
-God
'by
the purity
of
his life,
and
the
blood
of
martyrdom,
which also was
a blood
of
'atonement, so
are
we
mani-
fested
to
be
the
children
of God.
"The
blood
is
our
wit
-
ness,
''w:hen
we
by faith lay hold
of
the
atoning blood
of
Jesus, and
commit
ou
-r
guilty
souls
to
-'pardon'ing
mercy,
-to
be -accepted
through
that
blood
of
his
sacrifice. And
when
we
are sprinkled
with
the clean
water of
sanctifica-
tion, or baptized
with
the Hóly'Spirit
-acrd
made
holy, as
f-esus-is
holy,
the
we
have the
"witness
of
the
water too.
Thus; by the
witness
of the
water
and
the bloód,
Jesus
the first
Son
is
evi
1
aced, and
we
'also
appear
to
be chil-
dren.
lid
Prop.
As
the word
of
God
discovers to
us,
a.nd
describes the
characters of
his
children,
so
the Spirit of
God
-works
these heavenly dispositions
in
us, -these
happy
characters
of
out-
sonship.
By
nature
we
are the
chil-
dren of
-wrath,
the
'mere
seed
of
the first Adam, and the
offspring
-of
Satan,
-rather
than
of
God;
in our
.corrupt
natural
state,
we
are
led
-by
the
"
'prince
of the
power
of
the
air
;
-we
are
children of-disobedience, and
of
death;"
'There are
none
of
these
'divine
marks upon
-us.
It
is
the
blessed
Spirit
that
forms
these
Filial
graces