“old things passed away, and all things became new.” St. Paul’s use of the metaphor of adoption has no doubt exercised a wide influence upon the form of dogma. It is intimately connected with the doctrine of Assurance. This doctrine is principally founded upon Romans 8:14–16. In this passage, as elsewhere, the Third Person in the Trinity is represented in the character of a witness. The reference is to the legal ceremony of adoption. The common form of adoption was singularly dramatic. It consisted