Secondly, The persons who are adopted, miserable sinners, who were strangers and enemies to God : 'Children of wrath, even as others ;' those who were born heirs of God's curse, ' dead in trespasses and sins ; ' who had cast away the mercies of our creation. Now, that strangers should not only be taken into the family, but put in the place of children, and dealt with as children ; that enemies should not only be reconciled, but have the blessed God to become their father in Christ ; that children of wrath should be called to inherit a blessing ; that those who were dead in trespasses and sins, and had so often offended God, should be begotten to a lively hope ; that slaves to sin and Satan should be made free indeed, even called into the glorious liberty of the children of God ; this is that we may wonder at, and say, ' What
442 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. [SeR. I.
manner of love is this that we should be called the children of God ! ' The prodigal son, when he returned to his father, said, ' I am not worthy to be called thy son ; make me as one of thy hired servants.' We have all played the prodigal, cast away the mercies of our creation for a very trifle. We blame Adam for selling himself and his pos- terity for an apple, and Esau for parting with his birthright for one morsel of meat ; but ' we have sold ourselves for nought.' Therefore every son of Adam may say, I am not worthy to be called a son. We have forfeited all comfortable relations to God, and the privileges depending thereupon ; therefore what astonishing mercy was this !
Thirdly, The bottom cause and fountain of this mercy and grace, or that which moved God, was his love ; this was that which set his power and mercy at work to bring us into this estate.
1. This was an eternal love ; the first foundation of it was laid in the election of God ; there is the bottom stone in this building : ' From before the foundation of the world we were predestinated to the adop- tion of children, according to the good pleasure of his will.' Then was the way of man's recovery stated, the privileges, the terms, the persons who should enjoy them. Upon these terms it was agreed. Now what are we that the thoughts of God should be taken up about us so long ago, that he should show such favour to lost mankind, and to us in particular ?
2. It was a free love : ' I will love them freely.' God was not inclined hereunto by our worth, but out of his own free love was graciously pleased to call us with an holy calling, and to give us a new being and an holy nature, that being regenerated, we might be adopted, that so he might love us tenderly as his children, and seek our felicity. In other adoptions men are at liberty to choose the best and most accomplished. Nature is limited, but adoption is free. Whatever our children be, distorted or deformed in body or depraved in mind, yet they are our children ; we cannot cast them off. But where we choose one at our free will and pleasure, we take such as have drawn our affection by some good qualities and carriage of theirs. Now what good endowments had we to commend us to God, who are sinners by nature and practice, children of the devil, enslaved to sin ? If God had respected our deservings, he might have cast us into hell rather than taken us into his family, we were so infinitely below him, so rebellious against him ; therefore ' behold what manner of love God hath bestowed upon us.'
3. It is special peculiar love, not common to the world ; yet this love was bestowed upon us : 'In this the children of God are mani- fested, and the children of the devil.' Some live and die the children of the devil, always retain the satanical nature, and are not renewed according to the image of God ; yea, the greatest part of the world do so : ' We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.' Now the difference is not from ourselves, but from God, and cometh from God, that made thee to differ ; all our good is from God, and from his mere love and goodness.
4. It is a costly love, considering the way how it is brought about ; for before God's eternal purposes could be executed, and conveniently be made known to the world, redemption by Christ was necessary ;
VEB. 1.] SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN IIL 443
therefore it is said that ' he was made of a woman, made under the law, that we that were under the law might receive the adoption of sons.' Sin needed to be expiated by the Son of God in our nature be- fore God would bestow this honour upon us. Christ was to be our brother before God would be our father, and to take a mother upon earth that we might have a father in heaven ; yea, to endure the law's curse before we could be instated in the blessing. In the busi- ness of our redemption he was treated as a slave or servant, that we might be treated as sons. Judas sold him for thirty pieces of silver, Mat. xxvi. 15, and that was the price of a slave, Exod. xxi. 32. And the apostle telleth us that he came in the form of a servant, even he that was lord of all : ' The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.' Now when so much is necessary to bring about this privilege, surely it should be the more admired by us. It was pure infinite love, and his love remarkably and particularly expressed towards us, that he will bestow such a privilege upon us : ' God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son.' It is a great and wonderful love ; it cannot be said how or how much.