righteousness of Christ, and the graces of the Spirit, without which a
new-born babe cannot live, unless he have the golden righteousness of
Christ.

Fourthly, A child when it is in its mother's lap, the mother takes
great delight to have that which will he for its comfort; so it is with
God's children, they shall he kept on his knee; Isaiah lxvi. 11, "They
shall stick and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolation."
Ver. 13, "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you."
There is a similitude in these things that nobody knows of but those
that are born again.

Fifthly, There is usually some similitude betwixt the father and the
child; it may be the child looks like its father; so those that are
born again, they have a new similitude, they have the image of Jesus
Christ (Gal. iv.), every one that is born of God has something of the
features of heaven upon him. Men love those children that are likest
them most usually; so does God his children; therefore they are called
the children of God. But others do not look like him, therefore they
are called Sodomites. Christ describes children of the devil by their
features; the children of the devil, his works they will do; all works
of unrighteousness, they are the devil's works. If you are earthly,
you have borne the image of the earthly; if heavenly, you have borne
the image of the heavenly.

Sixthly, When a man has a child, he trains him up to his own liking, he
learns the custom of his father's house; so are those that are born of
God; they have learned the custom of the true church of God, there they
learn to cry, My Father and my God; they are brought up in God's house,
they learn the method and form of God's house for regulating their