ftone. The child of God is like the mason that learns the trade, to the end he may work in it daily. The former may have more of the theory than the latter, and can talk more rationally about it; but they are not called mafons: the latter have more of the practice, fo the name is theirs. Even fo in fpirituals, men not enlightned in the knowledge of God, fo as to practise it in works of holiness, are not called of God Chriftians. (3.) Lastly, Experimental and favoury, Phil. iii. 9. The child of God feels the power of truth on his foul. He fees the glory of Chrift and religion, and he loves them, and is touched with the overcoming beauty. He feels the ill of fin, and he is put in horror with the deformity of it, 1 Pet. ii. 3. The other is fpeculative, unfelt, untried, 1 Cor. xiii. 1. 2. 3. They speak of religion, as a parrot, without the fenfe or knowledge of the things themselves, as a man does of war that was never at a battle, or one of fweet fpices that he never faw, 1 Tim. i. 7.

2. In heart. Children readily partake of the dif pofition of their parents; fo that as they are like them in the face, they are like them in their manners too. The child of God gets a new heart, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. So righteoufnels and holinefs are parts of the image of God, Eph. iv. 24. Every child of God is in fome meafure like David, a man after God's own heart. The heart that was bent to evil, gets a fet to the right fide; the heart that was enmity againft God, is turned to him. So that the foul loves what God loves, hates what he hates, forrows for what grieves his Spirit, rejoices in what is acceptable to him. These are the upright and pure in heart in a gofpel-fenfe, Matth. v. 8.

But fome will fay, Well, I keep always a good heart to God. Others, Alas! the heart is the worst bit in me, where I can fee the leaft liknefs to God. Anf. Many that are firft fhall be laft, and the laft fhall be first. The heart is both the beft and worst bit in man. The beft, Prov. iv. 23. the worst, Jer. xvii. 9. And VOL. II.

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therefore I conclude, that the former fort are none of the children of God; because they are blind, and miftake the worst part of them for the beft, the chambers of imagery for the temple of God, Rev. iii. 17. Prov. XXX. 12. The latter fort may be God's children; for that which makes the heart to be both the best and worst part, is, that in every heart of God's family on earth, there is a renewed part, the fpirit; and an unrenewed part, the flesh, Gal. v. 17.; the one the best part, the other the worft. So that this holds of the children of God; for the best part of an unrenewed man is his life, be it never fo bad, his heart is always worfe, as the fountain is worse than the ftream, Mark vii. 21. Now, the child of God looking on the unrenewed part of the heart, fees the worft bit in him but if he look to the renewed part, it is the beft for all that, better than his life, Pfal. xlv. 13. be it never fo good, Matth. xxvi. 41.

The heart of a child of God is a roomy houfe; and grace and corruption in that heart are like two flitters, one going out of the house, the other coming into it. The outgoing tenant is loath to leave the houfe, makes no fpeed to lift his plenishing, but as the incomer lifts it for him to make room for his own. So here lies the one's furniture, there the other's in and about the fame houfe. Even fo God's good things that he has in a faint, and the devil's evil things that he has in him, are both to be found in the houfe of the heart, and standing about the door in the life. In the heart of a child of God, upon the one hand lies God's plenishing, faith, humility, meeknefs, &c. on the other, Satan's, unbelief, pride, pasfion, &c. with this difference, that the latter is neareft the door, and all lifted out of their place, which they fometimes ftood in, when they had the house their alone.

But what is the differencing mark here of a heart on which God's likenefs is, is, that the law of God is written on that heart, Heb. viii. 10. This is the

peculiar privilege of a child of God. And it fpeaks three things.

(1.) A heart-approbation of the law. The law of God is holy and pure, condemning all impurity where ever it is found. But a child of God heartily approves of it, for all that it strikes against his most beloved idols. He approves of it in his judgement, as juft and righteous; and not only fo, but in his practical judgement as good as well as juft, Rom. vii, 12. Which evidences the natural enmity to be broken, and the heart new-moulded, Rom. viii. 7.

(2.) A heart-inclination to the holy law. There is a principle within the man lying the fame way with the law, and bending towards what it directs to, and away from what it forbids, Rom, vii. 22. And tho' there be a contrary principle to this, which thwarts and croffes it, yet the child of God takes part with the former against the latter, and is ftriving and longing to be rid of it, Rom. vii. 24. This is the new fet of the heart, given in the new birth, confiiting not in bare wishes to be conformed to that law, but in a refolute bent of the heart for it, which will never leave its ftruggling, till it overcome at laft. And,

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(3) An univerfality in both, Pfal, cxix. 6. It is not fome fareds and pieces of the law that the heart approves of and inclines to, but the whole law in every part thereof to them known, ver. 128. holy law in all the parts thereof is a copy of the holy divine nature, and it is tranfçribed into the heart of the child of God, in fo far as there are gracious inclinations wrought in the foul anfwerable to the feveral points of the law, as the wax bears the imprefs of the feal, John i. 16. So that try the child of God in his weakeft fide, this approbation and inclination will be found, Pfal. xviii. 23.

3. In their walk, Eph. v. 1. As children follow their father's footsteps, the children of God follow their heavenly Father. We have had the way of our Father, God, chalked out to us in the way our Lord

took, and we must prove our fonship by following his fleps, 1 John ii. 6. He walked in the way of humi lity, meeknefs, felf-denial, and heavenly-mindedness; and if we be following his fteps in fincerity, confcientiously aiming at these things, it is an evidence we are the children of God.

Particularly, the way of love to men was a notable road of his, which we muft follow, Eph. v. 2. A fpirit of bitternefs, and fierinefs, and felfishness, whatever men profefs, is a black mark, it is fo very unlike Chrift's way. And although the loving and feeking the good of our friends is fo very rare in the world, and people generally make no bones of returning evil for evil, nay many times working mifchief to them that never wronged them; yet the loving of our enemies, as Chrift loved his, and doing them good as we have opportunity, is abfolutely ne ceffary to evidence us to be the children of God, Matth. v. 44. 45,

Mark 2. By your affections to the family of God. A child of God has child-like affections to the family of heaven. Nature teaches us a special affection to our relations and the new nature and ftate teaches the fame to the heavenly family, betwixt whom there is a fpiritual bond. Try the pulfe of your affections thereby to fee your state.

1. A child of God has a child-like love and affection to God as his Father, and to Chrift as his elder bro ther. This is a fure mark, 1 John iv. 19. They bear a fuperlative, tranfcendent love to God and Chrift, loving him above all perfons, and all things. He is dearer to them than lawful or unlawful enjoyments, Pfal. lxxiii. 25. And this love will manifeft itself,

(1.) In honouring him as a Father, Mal. i, 6. A child of God has an honour for him, which the reft of the world have not. He fees a glory, lovelinefs, and maje fty in him above all other, 1 Pet. ii. 7. which produces a love mixed with reverence, that makes up the childlike difpofition. Thefe are feparated in others. The

prefumptuous hypocrite feems to have a love to him, but they want reverence, and their pretended familiarity breeds contempt. The unrenewed heart under convictions of fin and duty has a flavish fear of him, but no love to him. But the child of God has love mixed with reverence.

(2.) A confcientious obedience to his commands, 1 John v. 3. The father's command is a fufficient bond of obedience on a kindly child; and fo is God's on thofe that are his. It is lamentable to think of the horrid untenderness and woful latitude that many take to themselves, whofe confcience can witness, that God's command, though known, has not the weight of a feather on their confciences, in many things; especially where their own intereft is concerned, or in things that are thought light of by the world. But a child of God has weighty thoughts of God's authority, fimiles, and frowns, and will rather venture the difpleafing of any, than his Father.

(3.) In fubmitting to his chaftifements, Micah vii. 9. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, fays the prophet, because I have finned against him. It is the dif pofition of a child of God, to juftify God under the rebukes of providence, to condemn himself, and turn to the hand that fmiteth.

(4.) In his, abfence from them, and difpleafure against them, it is the difpofition of a child of God, (1.) To take his abfence heavily; fo the spouse is heartfick when her beloved is gone, a thing that many are very little acquainted with, Cant. v. 8. (2.) To juftify him in his withdrawings; the foul leaves its complaint on itself, Pfal, xxii. 1, 3. (3.) To long for his return and countenance, with a holy impatience, as Sifera's mother, Judg. v. 28. Why is his chariot fo long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariot? Pfal. Ixiii. 1. O God, thou art my God, early will I feek thee: my foul thirfleth for thee, my flejh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. (4.) To take reft in nothing while he hides his face.

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