Part 141 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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[6.] Sixthly, If you are a holy person, if you are one who has this genuine holiness, without which there is no happiness, then know for your comfort—that your holiness is a blessed evidence of your adoption and sonship. John 1:12; Romans 8:17. If you are a holy person, then from a child of wrath—you have become a child of God, a child of love; and from an heir of hell—you have become an heir of heaven; and from a slave of Satan—you have become a son of God. Gal. 4:4-5, 7, "But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons, therefore you are no more a servant—but a son." Romans 8:14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God." The leadings of the Spirit are all holy leadings, and there are none who are the sons of God but such as are under the holy leadings of the Spirit of God: Phil. 2:15, "That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." There are none worthy of this title of honor—namely, the sons of God—but such who in the main of their lives and conversations are blameless and harmless, without rebuke, and who are as shining lights in the world.
There are two ways whereby we may know fire to be real fire, and that differences real fire from painted fire, or from imaginary fire; the first is by the heat of it, and the other is by theflame of it. Now, though sometimes it so happens, that the fire does not flame—yet at that very time you may know it to be real fire by the heat it gives. Just so, there are two ways of knowing our adoption; the first is by the spirit of adoption, crying "Abba! Father! in our hearts," Gal. 4:6; and the other is by our sanctification and holiness, Romans 8:16. Now, though sometimes it may so fall out that the flame, the witness of the spirit of adoption, may be lacking—yet the heat of sanctification and holiness remains, and we may have recourse to this fire, and warm our hearts at it, and sit down satisfied and assured of our adoption. For as fire may be known to be fire by its heat, though it lack a flame—just so, though the spirit of adoption do not witness our adoption to us—yet we may know our adoption by our genuine sanctification and holiness.
Every holy person is a high-born person, for as his divine birth—just so, his divine adoption is high, very high, exceeding high, yes even as high as heaven itself, John 3:5, 8, and 1:12-13. It is a very high honor to be the son of a king, yes to be the son-in-law of a king, for so David reckoned it: 1 Sam. 18:23-24, "Is it a light thing to you to be a king's son-in-law, seeing that I am vile and lightly esteemed?" Oh then what an honor it is to be the son of God, to be the son of the King of kings, and Lord of lords! Rev. 1:6. It is a very high honor to be God's servant, and so David accounted it, as you may see in 2 Sam. 7:5, 8. And so did Theodosius the emperor, and Constantine the Great, and many others account it. Oh then what an honor must it be to be God's son!
The blessed apostle cannot speak of this high privilege but with great admiration; as you may see in 1 John 3:1, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" It is an infinite condescension in God, to honor us with the title of sons, and therefore we should never think of it, nor ever speak of it—but with much admiration. O sirs! what matter of admiration is this—that the great and glorious God, who has many millions of glorious angels attending Him—that He should look upon all holy people as His sons, and love them as His sons, and delight in them as His sons, and clothe them as His sons, and feed them as His sons, and protect them as His sons, and stand bythem as His sons, and lay up for them as His sons, and lay out Himself for them as His sons! O sirs! what matter of admiration is this—that those who have not deserved a smile from God, a good word from God, a bit of bread from God, or a good look from God—should be made the sons of God!
What manner of love is this—that those who have so highly provoked God, walked so cross and contrary to God, were so exceeding unlike God, preferred every lust, and every toy and vanity before God, fought many years under Satan's banner against God, refused all the offers of mercy which have been made by God--that those who have deserved to be reprobated by God, damned by God, and to be thrown to hell by God—that these should be made the sons of God! Oh stand and wonder! Oh stand and admire the freeness of His grace, and at the riches of His grace! But,
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