XXXV. In the same books, therefore, in which the Testament is contained, God has enjoined every one that would take comfort from the promised inheritance, 1st, To love, search, meditate upon, and lay up in his heart, as no contemptible part of his inheritance, those writings which exhibit the Testament. He must esteem them more than his necessary food. i 2dly, To value highly, as it deserves, the promised inheritance. 1. To hunger and thirst after it, and to be satisfied with nothing short of it. 2. To consider all other things, in comparison of it, loss and dung; and to be prepared, cheerfully to sell all that he hath, in order to obtain the pearl of inestimable worth. 3. To glorify God for his great goodness." 4. To keep, with care and diligence, what he has already received. 3dly, To walk as becomes his present happy state, and the hope of so glorious an inheritance.P 4thly, To be ready to impart to his brethren what he has received from his Father, both in things temporal and spiritual; and to exert his endeavours that others may be brought to possess the same inheritance with himself. The individual sustains no loss, but rather derives an accession of happiness, from the numbers of his fellow-heirs; for the abundance of love serves wonderfully to heighten the joy. XXXVI. It remains to be observed, that if, in a matter of so great importance, we would not impose upon ourselves by flattering imaginations, it is necessary carefully to examine ourselves, by those distinguish ¡ Deut. xxxiii. 4. vi. 6. * Mat. v. 6. m Mat. xiii. 46. • Rev. ii. 25. iii. 11. ¶ Rom. xii. 13. J Job xxiii. 12. 1 Phil. iii. 8. n Ps. xxxi. 19. P 1 Thes. ii. 12. 1 John iii. S. * Acts xxvi. 29. ing characters of the children of God which the Scriptures supply. The chief of these are the following. 1st, The impression and expression of the Divine image, with a holy conformity to our Father. What is more natural than for a son to resemble his Father? The natural Son of God is "the brightness of the Fa"ther's glory;" and it is fit that we, in our order and measure, should be so too. As corrupt Adam "begat " a son in his own likeness, after his own image;"s so God forms his children in his own likeness, " in righte"ousness and true holiness." This resemblance to God is gradually promoted by familiar intercourse with him, until, having obtained "the adoption, to wit, the re"demption of our body," of which the Apostle speaks," we shall become perfectly like him.▾ 66 XXXVII. 2dly, A new life, which is worthy of God, and the effect of the Spirit of adoption, who is the Spirit of life. The life of creatures never fails to correspond to their spirit. The natural man has not a nobler spirit, nor a more excellent principle of life than his soul (anima); and consequently he lives merely an animal life. But as the children of God are endowed with a "free Spirit," who is also the Spirit of Christ; so they, in their measure, live such a life as Christ lived, exerting their utmost efforts to copy after his example and pattern. "Be ye followers of God," says the Apostle," as dear children."z XXXVIII. 3dly, A true and sincere love to God. Nature itself teaches this; for what genuine son doth not ⚫ Gen. v. 3. u Rom. viii. 23. * Rom. viii. 2. y Gal. iv. 6. VOL. I. 2 F Ephes. iv. 24. v 1 John iii. 2. * Ps. li. 12. * Ephes. v. 1. 8. love his father? This is not only a written law, but born with us. Now this love to God arises, partly, from the consideration of his infinitely amiable perfections, which his children are admitted familiarly to contemplate," their eyes seeing the King in his beauty;"a partly from the beams of Divine love continually shed forth upon them, by which they cannot fail to be inflamed. Whenever they attentively reflect upon this love, they consider the whole capacity of their soul as too limited to render adequate returns of love. XXXIX. 4thly, Filial reverence and obedience. This arises from that love of which we have just spoken. This love forbids a man to do any thing displeasing to God, and inspires him with so ardent a zeal for his glory, that he cannot, without anguish, see his honour infringed by others. It disposes him also to discharge, with promptitude and alacrity, all the duties of religion. Further, it does not suffer a man to be at ease, if perhaps, by an inconsiderate action, he has offended God, and forfeited those gracious smiles of his face with which he was formerly cheered; it constrains him at last to prostrate himself, with the profoundest reverence, at the feet of his heavenly Father, with sorrow and tears to implore the pardon of his offences, and to promise greater circumspection in his future conduct.f 45 XL. 5thly, Undissembled brotherly love, which he bears for all those in whom he perceives the Divine image, and a participation of the same grace with himself. Whilst other evidences are often imperceptible, a Is. xxxiii. 17. Ps. lxiii. 2. • John xiv. 21. 45 See NOTE XLV. b 1 John iv. 19. f Luke vii. 38. this brotherly love furnishes the doubting soul with a comfortable mark of its state. It is impossible for the love of the brethren, to be separated from the love of God. Whoever loves the original, will also love the copy. Whoever loves God, will love him who belongs to God, in whom he discerns the excellencies of God, and whom he believes to be beloved of God. Happy the man whose spirit bears witness with the Spirit of God, that these distinguishing characters of God's children, are found in himself. 1 John iii. 14. h 1 John iv. 20. DISSERTATION VIII. ON THE CREATION. 1. THE work ascribed in the Creed to the Father is that of CREATION; on which we now proceed, concisely, to discourse. Let us begin with explaining the word. What the Latins call Creare, the Hebrews express by the term (bara ;) which signifies, to produce some new thing, solely, by one's will and command, or nobly to effect and accomplish something by a surprising energy. Thus Moses says, "If the Lord "make a new thing," that is, produce a strange thing by his powerful word, causing the earth to open her mouth and, likewise, Jeremiah," The Lord hath cre"ated a new thing in the earth," b that is, hath commanded a thing to exist, nothing equal, or similar, to which was ever beheld. II. We are not, however, to imagine, that the word does uniformly, or by its own proper power, denote the production of a creature out of nothing. It is applied to those works which are expressly recorded to have been formed, during the first six days, from pre .30 .Num. xvi בריאה יברא 8 .22 .Jer. xxxi ברא יהוה חדשה בארץ * |