1. The privilege itself is to be ' called the sons of God.' Mark, not subjects or servants, but sons ; and to be called the sons of God is to be the sons of God, for that is the idiotism of the Hebrew phrase : Isa. lviii. 13, ' Thou shalt call the sabbath a delight ; ' that is, make it to be so. So in this matter it is often used : Gen. xxi. 12, ' In Isaac shall thy seed be called ; ' that is, owned and acknowledged to be thy children : Mat. v. 9, ' They shall be called the children of God.' Yea it is said of our Lord Christ himself, Luke i. 35, ' That holy thing which is born of thee shall be called the Son of God.'
VER. 1.] SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. 439
2. The fountain and first rise is the 'love of the Father,' who is everywhere represented as the first cause of our blessedness. Of our redemption : John iii. 16, ' God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believetb on him should not perish, but have everlasting life ; ' 1 John iv. 10, ' Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.' The cause of our regeneration : Eph. ii. 4, ' But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ/ And here it is made the cause of our adoption : ' Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God ! ' God's love is nothing else but his good-will and resolution to impart such great privileges to us ; together with his acquiescence and well-pleasedness with what he doth for us : he did it because he would do it ; he was resolved to do it, and took pleasure in it.
3. The wonderful degree in the expression of his love, ' What manner of love.' The expression noteth not only the quality, but quantity ; as in other places : Mat. viii. 27, ' What manner of man is this ? ' or how great a man is this, ' that even the winds and seas obey him ? ' 2 Peter iii. 11, ' What manner of persons ought we to be ? ' which noteth not only the manner or kind, but the degree of holiness. There- fore I would read it here, not only ' what manner of love,' but ' how great love.'
4. The note of attention, or the term used exciting our attention, 'Behold.' There is a threefold 'behold' in scripture, and they are applicable to this place ; as —
[1.] Ecce demonstrantis, the behold of demonstration, or pointing with the hand, which is referred to a thing or person present, and noteth the certainty of sense ; as John i. 29, ' Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.' There he was then before their eyes, and he pointed at him as present. If prefixed to a doctrine, it noteth the certainty of faith : Job v. 27, ' Lo this, we have searched it ; hear it, and know it for thy good ; ' believe it as a certain truth.
[2.] There is ecce admirantis md excitantis, the behold of admira- tion, or awakening our drowsy minds, when anything weighty or any extraordinary thing is spoken of ; this is to excite our attention as to an important truth, worthy of our most serious thoughts and raised affections. As in a case of evil : Lam. i. 12, ' Behold, see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.' So here in the case of good, ' What manner of love ? ' is there any love like unto this love ? And all is that we may entertain it with wonder and reverence.
[3.] There is ecce exultantis aut gratulantis, the behold of gratula- tion, as rejoicing and blessing ourselves in the privilege : Ps. cxxi. 4, * Behold, he that keepeth Israel never slumbereth nor sleepeth.'
Now all these take place here. Behold it with faith and confidence as a certain truth , behold it with wonder and reverence as a high dignity ; behold it with love and delight as a blessed privilege to have God for our father, Christ for our elder brother, and heaven for our portion ; what can we desire more ? It is a certain truth, we should believe it more firmly ; it is an important truth, we should consider it
440 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. [SeR. I.
more seriously ; it is a comfortable truth, we should improve it to our greater joy and consolation.
From the whole observe this doctrine —
That the love of God in adopting us into his family, and acknow- ledging us for his children, is such an act of grace as cannot be suffi- ciently considered and admired by his people.
I shall prove three things —
1. That there is such a relation as that of father and children between God and his people.