Of Communion with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

4. Another Effect we have of his, Rom. 8. 16. The spirit it self §. 10 bears witness with our spirits, that we are the Children of God. You know whose Children we are by nature; children of Satan, and of the curse, or of wrath. By the Spirit we are put into another capacity, and are Adopted to be the children of God, inasmuch as by receiving the spirit of our Father, we become the children of our Father. Thence is he called v. 15. the Spirit of Adoption. Now sometimes the soul, because it hath somewhat remaining in it, of the principle that it had in its old condition, is put to Question, whether it be a child of God or no, and thereupon as in a thing of the greatest importance, puts in its claim, with all the Evidences that it hath, to make good its Title. The spirit comes and bears witness in this case. An allusion it is to judicial proceedings in point of Titles and Evidences. The Judge being set, the person concerned lays his claim, produceth his Evidences and pleads them; his Adversaries endeavouring all that in them lies, to invalidate them, and disannul his plea, and to cast him in his claim: In the middest of the trial, a person of known and approved integrity comes into the Court, and gives Testimony fully and directly on the behalf of the claimer, which stops the mouths of all his Adversaries, and fills the man that pleaded, with joy and satisfaction. So is it in this case. The soul by the power of its own Conscience, is brought before the Law of God: there a man puts in his plea, that He is a Child of God, that he belongs to Gods family, and for this end produceth all his Evidences, every thing, whereby Faith gives him an interest in God. Satan in the mean time opposeth with all his might; sin and Law assist him: many ⟨p. 280⟩flaws are found in his Evidences; the Truth of them all is questioned, and the soul hangs in suspense as to the issue. In the middest of the plea and contest, the Comforter comes; and by a word of promise; or otherwise, overpowers the heart with a comfortable persuasion, (and bears down all objections) that his plea is good and that he is a child of God. And therefore it is said of him, [Greek or Hebrew]: When our Spirits are pleading their Right and Title, He comes in and bears witness on our side: at the same time, enabling us to put forth acts of filial obedience;

4. Another Effect we have of his,