1. Tliat God should adopt us when he had a Son of his own. Men adopt because they want children, and desire to have some to bear their nauie : but that God should adopt us when he had a Son of his own, the Lord Jesus, — here is the wonder of love. Christ is called " God's dear Son," Col. i. 13. ; a Son more worthy than the angels, Hcb. i. 4., '• Being made so much better than the angels." Now, wlien God had a Son of his own, — such a Son, — here is the wonder of God's love in adopting us. We needed a Father, but he did not need sons.
2. Consider what we were before God did adopt us ; we were very deformed ; a man will scarce adopt him for his heir that is crooked and ill-favoured, but that hath some beauty. Mordecai adopted Estlier, be- cause she was fair. But we were in our blood, and then God adopted us, Ezek. xvi. 6 , " When I saw thee polluted in thy blood, it was the time of love." God did not adopt us when we were bespangled with the jewels of holiness, and had the angels' glory upon us ; but when we were black as Ethiopians, diseased as lepers, then it was the time of love.
3. That God should be at so great ex- pense in adopting us : when men adoj>t, they have only some deed sealed, and the tiling is effected ; but when God adopts, it puts him to a far greater expense, it sets liis wisdom a-work to find out a way to a- dopt us ; it was no easy thing to m;ike the lieirs of wrath, heirs of the promise. And when God had found out a way to adopt, it was no easy way ; our adoption was purcliased at a dear rate ; when God was about to make us sons and heirs, he could not seal the deed but by the blood of his own Son Here is the wonder of God's
love in adopting us, that he should be at all this expense to bring this work about.
4. That God should adopt his enemies ; if a mail adopts another for his heir, he will not adopt his mortal enemy, but that. God should adopt us, when we were not only strangers, but enemies, — here is the wonder of love ; for God to have ])ardon('d his enemies, had been much, but to adojit them for his heirs, this sets the angels in heaven a wondering. %
5. That God should take great numbers out of the devil's family, and adopt them into the family of heaven. Christ is said to bring many sons to glory, Heb. ii. 10 Men adopt usually but one heir, but God is resolved to increase his family, he brings many sons to glory. God's adopting milli- ons, is the wonder of love. Had but one been adopted, all of us might have despair- ed ; but he brings many sous to glory, this opens a door of hope to us.
G. That God should confer so gi*eat hon- our upon us in adopting us. David thought it no small honour that he should be a king's son-in-law, 1 Sam. xviii. 18. But wliat honour to be the sons of the high God ! And the more honour God hath put upon us in adopting us, the more he hath mag- nified his love towards us. Wliat honour that God hath made us so near in alliance to him, — sons of God the Father, — mem- l)ers of God the Son, — temples of God the Holy Gliost ! Tliat he hath made us as the angels. Mat. xxii. 30. ; nay, in some sense, superior to the angels ; all this proclaims the wonder of Gods love in adopting us.
Branch 2. See the sad condition of such as live and die in unbelief. They are not tlie sons of God : " To as many as received him, he gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name." No faith, no sonship ; unbelievers have no sign of sonship, they know not God ; ail God's children know their Father, but the wicked do not know him, Jer. ix. 3., " They proceed from evil to evil, and know not me, saith the Lord." Unbelievers are " dead in trespasses," Ej)h. ii. 1. God hath no dead children ; and not being children, they have no right to inherit.
Use 2d. Of trial. Try whether we are adopted. All the world is divided into
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these two ranks, either the sons of God, or the heirs of hell: John i. 12., "To them he gave power to hecome the sons of God." Let us put ourselves on a trial. It is no sign we are adopted sons, because we are sons of godly ])arents. The Jews boasted that they were of Abraham's seed, John viii. 33., they thought they must needs be good, because they came of such an holy line. But adoption doth not come by blood ; we see in^ny godly parents have wicked sons ; Abraham had an Ishmael, — Isaac an Esau. The corn that is sown pure yet brings forth grain with an husk ; he who himself is holy, yet the child that springs from his loins is unholy. So that, as Hierom, non nascimur filiit — we are not God's sons as we are born of godly parents, but by adoption and grace. Well, then, let us try if we are the adopted sons and daughters of God.