means, inftruments, and objects of other perfons happiness, fo far as they are innocent, for that reafon communicate happiness to them. Whilst the envious man, vexing himself because his neighbour is happy, cannot enjoy his poffeffions because his neighbour has better ones, the benevolent Christian enjoys every virtuous pleasure which can be derived from his neighbour's poffeffions, without any alloy from this thought, that they are the property of another person. They fhall alfo inherit all things, because, like their property, all things fhall in fact promote their real intereft, Adverfity, prosperity, health, sickness, riches, poverty, the means and ministers of religion, perfecution for confcience fake, the things which they poffefs, and the things which they want, life and death, fhall all be overruled by God for promoting their best intereft, even their improvement and happiness Of fuch perfons Paul fays, 1 Cor. iii. 21, 22. "All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things prefent, or things to come, all "are yours. And ye are Chrift's: and Chrift is "God's." God will be his God. To inherit all things is a great and an ineftimable bleffing, but to have God for his God is the higheft poffible blefling of man: for God is all and in all. God will be his faviour, his fanctifier, the fole object of his worship, his preferver, his guide, the standard

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of

of his character, and his chief good in every ftage of his existence. The contemplation of God in this world, in the glafs of his works and of his word, and in the face of Jefus, and in a future world, as it were face to face, immediately and intuitively as one pure spirit beholds another, fhall employ, enlarge, improve, and delight, all his intellectual and moral powers. He fhall be a fon of God. Be fides Chrift, who, because the Son of God in a fenfe peculiar to himself and incommunicable to any other perfon, is called God's only begotten Son; there are three diftinct perfons who are filed fons of God in fcripture. These three are angels, Adam, and all real Chriftians or regenerated per fons. Of angels Job fays, chap. xxxvii. 7. "When "the morning ftars fang together and all the fons "of God fhouted for joy." Luke, in tracing back the genealogy of Jofeph, finishes it by calling Adam the fon of God; thus, "Who was the fon of "Seth, who was the fon of Adam, who was the fon of God, chap. iii. 38. and of true Chriftian Paul faith, Rom. viii. 14. "For as many as are led

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by the Spirit of God, they are the fons of God." There are two effential qualities in which all these three agree, and on account of which they are ftiled fons of God. The firft quality is immediate crea tion by God, and the fecond is a refemblance of the intellectual and moral perfections of God. In these two qualities the very effence of fonfhip con

fifts in all who are ftiled the fons of God in fcripture, excepting only Chrift. He is ftiled the only begotten Son of God, because he is the fon of God in a way entirely peculiar to himfelf; in a way which therefore does not imply creation or likenefs to God, but which is confiftent with felf-exiftence and identity with God. Thus, angels received their exiftence immediately from the creating hand of God, and were made wife, righteous, and holy, like God. And Adam received his exiftence immediately from the creating hand of God, and was made after the image of God in knowledge, righteousness, and holinefs. In like manner, real Christians or regenerated perfons are renewed by the Spirit of God in the spirit of their minds, and are brought again to resemble God in the state of their intellectual and moral powers. John i. 12, 13. "But as many as received him to "them gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them who believe on his name; who 66 were born not of blood nor of the will of the

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flesh, but of God." Eph. iv. 23, 24. “And be ye "renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye

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put on the new man, which after God is created "in righteousness and true holiness." I Johniii. 10. "In this the children of God are manifeft, and the "children of the devil: whofoever doeth not righ"teousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not "his brother." The fons of God therefore are thofe 3 D

men

As

men who are renewed by the Spirit of God after the image of God in knowledge, righteousness, and true holinefs, and who, as the natural confequence of this new birth, manifeft that they are the fons of God by doing righteoufnefs, and lov. ing one another with brotherly affection. Every one who overcomes the world fhall be a son of God. The spiritual life fhall be restored to him by the regenerating influence of the Spirit of God. His intellectual and moral powers fhall be revived, corrected, improved, and at laft perfected. And he fhall be raised to, and fecured for ever in the enjoyment of that pure and exalted happiness which accords to fuch a ftate of his faculties. fons of God, they fhall inherit the kingdom of God both in a prefent and future world. Rom. viii. 17. "If children, then heirs, heirs of God, "and joint heirs with Chrift: if fo be that we suf"fer with him, that we may also be glorified toge"ther." The excellence of this character, the extent of divine grace in beftowing it, and the degree of excellence and happinefs to which it fhall arise in a future flate, far exceed the capacity of human faculties in their prefent ftate fully to comprehend, and the power of human language fully to exprefs, 1 John iii. 1,-3. "Behold what man"ner of love the Father hath beftowed upon us, "that we should be called the fons of God: there"fore the world knoweth us not, because it knew

"him

1

"him not.

Beloved now are we the fons of God, "and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but

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we know that when he fhall appear we shall be "like him, for.we fhall fee him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth “himself even as he is pure." Having defcribed the character and happiness of the faithful fervants of God, he who fitteth upon the throne enumerates the various characters which fhall be configned to hell, and shall be hurt of the second death. They shall all be ranked under one or other of the eight following claffes. "The fearful." All those persons in whom the paffion of fear predominates and regulates their conduct. From the fear of lofing the favour or of incurring the difpleafure of men, from the fear of hurting their fame, their worldly intereft, their liberty, or even endangering their lives in this world, they either deny, do not profefs, or corrupt the truth of the gospel. If at any time they attend to any duty which they owe to God, they act not from a fenfe of duty, from love and reverence to God, nor from an efteem for truth and virtue; but from fear of the divine wrath, from fear of hell. Their motive of action is that of the flave, not that of the freemen, not that of the fons of God. "The unbelieving." All those perfons who do not in a tolerable proportion to their opportunities and abilities candidly and diligently examine the nature and evidence of the 3 D 2 leading