God. There is no interval of time left for us to give proofs of our sincerity, before God will acknowledge us as his : but the instant we believe in Christ, we are " sons and danghters of the Lord Almighty"."]
2. To enjoy the privileges of this relation —
[The children of a stranger are not noticed by us, while our own children are admitted freely into our presence, and are the objects of our tenderest solicitude, our unremitted attention. We feed them, we clothe them, we protect them, we provide every thing for them that is suited to our circum- stances, and that will contribute to their welfare. In all these respects believers find God a Father to them. They can go into his presence, "crying, Abba, Father0!" and obtain from him whatever is necessary either for their support or comfort.]
3. To possess an inheritance worthy of that rela- tion—
[Parents account it a duty to provide for the future maintenance of their children, and not merely for their present subsistence. With this view they lay up fortunes for them, which they are to inherit after the decease of their parents. Similar to this is the provision made for those who believe in Christ. They are " begotten again to an inheritance that is incorruptible, and undefined, and never-fading p." " Being sons, they are heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ q." Nor shall they merely divide their Father's inheritance among them ; but every one of them shall enjoy the whole, and have his happiness enlarged, rather than diminished, by the com- munication of it to others.]
Learn then from hence,
1. The folly of unbelievers —
[One would suppose, that, in calling them to believe in Jesus Christ, we urged them to make the greatest sacrifices, and to resign every thing that could conduce to their happi- ness. But, on the contrary, we only invite them to " receive ;" to receive " the greatest gift" which God himself is able to bestow r : to receive Him, in whom they will find all that they can possibly desire. We require them to surrender nothing but what will make them miserable ; and to receive nothing which will not make them happy. How unreasonable does their conduct appear when viewed in this light! If we were to offer them bags of gold, we should find them willing enough to accept as many as we could bestow. But when we exhort
n 2 Cor. vi. 18. ° Gal. iv. 6. p 1 Pet. i. 3.
9 Rom. viii. 17. r John iv. 10.
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