Use 3d. Comfort to the justified. 1. It is comfort in case of failings. Alas ! how defective are tlie godly. They coirje short in every duty ; but though believers should be humbled under their defects, yet not de- spond; they are not to be justified by their duties or graces, but the righteousness of Christ. Tlieir duties are mixed with sin, but that righteousness which justifies them is a perfect righteousness. — 2. Comfort in case of hard censures ; the world censures the people of God as proud and hypocriti- cal, and the troublers of Israel ; but though men censure and condemn the godly, yet God hath justified them ; and as he hath now justified them, so at the day of judg- ment he will openly justify them, and pro- nounce them righteous before men and an- gels. And (lod is so just and holy a judge, that having once justified his people, he will never condemn them. Pihite justified Christ, " I find no fault in him," yet after
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this lie condemned him ; but God having condemn tliem : publicly justified his saints, he Avill never he also glorified.
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OF ADOPTION. John i. 12. To them he gave power to become the sons of God.
HAVING spoken of the great points of faith and justification, the next is adoption.
1. The qualification of the ])ersons : " as many as received him." Receiving is put for believing, as is clear by the last words, " to them that believe in his name."
2. The specification of the ])rivileges : *' to them he gave power to become the sons of God." Tlie Greek word for ])ower, exusia, signifies dignity and |)rerogative ; he digni- fied them to become the sons of God.
Our sonship differs from Christ's sonship ; Christ was the Son of (iod bv eternal {je- neration, — a Son before time, — but our son- ship is, 1. By creation. Acts xvii. 28., '" We are his offspring." This is no privilege ; men may have (lod for their Fatlier l)y cre- ation, yet have the devil lor their father. — 2. Our sonship is by adoj)tion ; so in the text, " He gave them power to become the sons of God." Adoption is twofold.
1. External and federal : so those who live in a visible, church, and make a profes- sion of God, are sons, Mat. viii. 12., " The children of the kingdom shall be cast out."
2. Real and gracious : so they are sons, who are God's favourites, and are heirs of glory. Before I proceed to the questions, I shall lay down three positions.
Position 1. Adoption takes in all nations : at first adoption was confined to the people of the Jews, they only were grafted into the true olive, and were dignified with glorious privileges, Rom. ix. 4., " Who are Israel- ites, to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glory." But now, in the time of the gospel, tlie charter is enlarged, and the be- lieving Gentiles arc within tlie line of com- munication and have a right to the privi- leges of adoption as well as the Jews, Acts X. 35., " In every nation he that feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is accept- ed with him."
Position 2. Adoption takes in both sexes, ,
females as well as males, 2 Cor. vi. 18., " I will b(! a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters." I have read that in some countries, females are excluded from the supreme dignity, — as l)y the Sa- lique law in l-'rance no woman can inherit a crown : but if we speak of spiritual pri- vileges, females are as capable as males. Every gracious soul, of whatever sex, lays claim to adoj)tion, and hath an interest in God as a father ; " ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
Position 3. Adoption is an act of pure grace, Ej)h. i. 5., " Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children, according to the good jdeasure of his will." Adop- tion is a mercy spun out of the bowels of free grace ; all by nature are strangers, therefore have no right to son.ship, only God is pleased to adopt one, and not ano- ther, to make one a vessel of glory, another a vessel of wrath. The adojtted heir may cry out, " Lord, how is it, that thou wilt show thyself to me, and not unto the world?"
QuES'i". Jl7i(it thisjiliutiun or adoption is ?
Ans. Adoption is the taking a stranger into the relation of a son and heir : so Mo- ses was the adopted son of king Pharaoh's daughter, Exod. ii. 10. ; and Esther was the adopted child of her nude Mordecai, Esth. ii. 7. Thus God adopts us into the family of heaven : and God, in adopting us, doth two things :
1. lie ennobles us with his name : he who is adoj)ted, bears his name who adojits him. Rev. iii. 12., " I will write on him tlie name of my God. '
2. God consecrates us with his Spirit; whom he adopts, ho anoints ; whom he makes sons, he makes saints. When a man adopts another for his son and heir, he may put his name Tipon him, hut he cannot put his di.^jxisition into him ; if he be of a morose rugged nature, he canuot
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