hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called, and should be the sons of God."[1] The Apostle would have us understand that we bear not only the name but are in truth the sons of God, in order that we may appreciate the liberality and magnificence of God's mercy to us.
If God's enmity be such a terrible misfortune, what an incomparable blessing His friendship must be! For it is an axiom in philosophy that according as a thing is evil, so is its opposite good; hence the opposite of that which is supremely evil must be supremely good. Now, man's supreme evil is the enmity of God; therefore, his supreme good must be the friendship of God. If men set such value upon the favor of their masters, their fathers, their princes, their kings, how highly should they esteem this sovereign Master, this most excellent Father, this King of kings, compared to whom all power and riches and principalities are as if they were not!
The benefit we are considering is largely enhanced by the liberality with which it is bestowed. For as man before his creation was unable to merit the gift of existence, so after his fall he could do nothing to merit his justification. No act of his could satisfy the Creator, in Whose sight he was an object of hatred.
Another blessing flowing from justification is our deliverance from the eternal pains of hell. Having driven God from him by sin; having despised His love, man in his turn is justly rejected by God. Inordinate love for creatures
- ↑ St. 1 John iii. 1.
