4. There may be a child-like love to God, when yet we have not a sense and assurance of his paternal love to us. God hath a title to our choicest and dearest love before we can make out a title to his highest benefits. We owe our hearts to him : Pro v. xxxiii. 26, ' My son, give me thy heart' If you give him your hearts, you are sons, though you know it not. God may be owned as a father, either by our sense of his fatherly love, or by our choice and esteem of him, optando, si non affirmando. Come as fatherless without him : Hosea xiv. 3 ; or, to speak it in other words, the unutterable groans of the Spirit do discover the spirit of adoption, as well as the unspeakable joys of the Spirit : 1 Pet. i. 8. There is an option and choice, though we be not assured of our special relation.
5. God is glorified by an affiance, and a resolute adherence, where there is no assurance. When you are resolved, let him deal with you as an enemy, you will stick to him as a father : Jobxiii. 15, ' Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.' Faith can take God as a friend and father, and put a good construction upon his dealings, when he seems to come against us as an enemy. And we give glory to God when we can adhere to him as our only happiness, and trust his fatherly kindness and goodness, though he cover himself with frowns, and hide himself from our prayers ; and you own him as the Father
36 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE [MaT. VI. G-8.
of mercies, though it may be you have no sense and feeling of his fatherly love to you.
6. There is a difference between the gift itself and the degree. We cannot say we have not the spirit of adoption because we have not so much of the spirit of adoption as others have — I mean as to the effects. We may have the Spirit as a sanctifier, though not as a comforter ; though he doth not calm our hearts, and rebuke our fears, yet he doth sanctify us, and incline us to God. The Spirit was only given to Christ without measure, but to Christians in a different measure and propor- tion ; and usually as you submit more to his gracious conduct, and overcome the enemies of your peace, the devil, the world, and the flesh. The impression is left upon some in a smaller, and upon others in a larger character. All are not of one growth and size ; some are more explicitly Christians, others in a riddle. Much grace doth more discover itself than a little grace under a heap of imper- fection. Some are more mortified and heavenly-minded than others.
7. When all other helps fail, faith will make use of our common relation to God as a Creator, as we may come to him as the work- manship of his hands. It is better to do so than keep off from him ; and we may come to him as the workmanship of his hands when we cannot come to him as children of his family. The church saith, Isa. Ixiv. 8, ' Now, 0 Lord, thou art our father : we are the clay, and thou our potter, and we all are the work of thy hand.' They plead for favour and mercy by that common relation, as he was their potter, and they his clay. And David, Ps. cxix. 73, ' Thy hands have made me and fashioned me : give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.' Surely it is some comfort to claim by the covenant of Noah, which was made with all mankind, when we cannot claim mercy by the covenant of Abraham, which was made with the family of the faithful. The scriptures warrant us to do so : Isa. liv. 9, ' For this is as the waters of Noah unto me.' All this is spoken to show that, one way or other, we should bring our hearts to depend upon him as a father, for succour and relief
Thirdly, His attributes. This text offereth three. God's omni- sciency, 'He hiows ;' His fatherly care, ' Your Father knows what you stand in need of ;' and his readiness to help, even before ice ask.
[1.] He is omniscient : He knows our persons, for Christ calleth his own sheep by name : John x. 3. He knoweth every one of us by head and by poll, by person and name. Yea, and he knows our state and condition : Ps. Ivi, 8, ' Thou tellest my wanderings ; put thou my tears into thy bottle ; are they not in thy book ?' All our wanderings he tells them \ all our tears he hath a bottle for them ; to show God's particular notice ; they are metaphorical expressions. And he observes us in the very posture when we come to pray, and where. Acts ix. 11 : Go to such a street, in such a place, and ' inquire for one Saul of Tarsus ; for, behold, he prayeth.' The Lord takes notice, in such a city, in such a street, in such a house, in such a room, and what you are doing when you are praying. And he seeth, not only that you pray, but how you pray : Eom. viii. 27, * And he that searcheth the heart, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketli intercession for the saints, according to the will of God.' He can dis-