that fo they may not be readily brought under the Bondage of the Fear of Wrath again. Perfect Love cafts out the Fear of Hell, but perfect Love brings in the Fear of Sin: Ye that love the Lord bate Ill; and if ye hate it, ye will fear it in this State of Infirmity and Weakness, wherein we are. And if at any Time ye, through Negligence and Carelefihefs of walkining, lofe the comfortable Evidence of the Father's Love, and be reduced again to your old Prifon of legal Terror, do not defpair for that, do not think that fuch a Thing could not befall a Child of God, and from that Ground do not raze former Foundations; for the Scripture study so to walk, as you may not caft Dirt upon it, or open any Gap in the Confcience for the Re-entry of thefe hellifh-like Fears, and dreadful Apprehenfions of God. Certainly 'tis impoffible to preserve the Spirit in Freedom, if a Man be not watchful against Sin and Corruption. David prays, Re-establish me with thy free Spirit; as if his Spirit had been abafed, embondaged, and enthraled by the Power of that Corruption. If you would have your Spirits kept free from the Fear of Wrath, ftudy to keep them free from the Power of Sin, for that is but a Fruit of this: And 'tis moft fuitable that the Soul that cares not to be in Bondage to finful Lufts, fhould, by the Righ-faith not, that whofoever believes once in teoufnefs of God, tempered with Love Chrift, and receives the Spirit of Adoptiand Wisdom, be brought under the Bon- on, cannot fear again; for we fee it dage he would not, that is, of Fear and otherwife in David, in Heman, in Terrour; for by this Means the Lord Job, &c. all holy Saints; but the Scrip makes him know how evil the firft is, by ture faith, ye have not received the Spithe Bitterness of the fecond. rit of Bondage for that End to fear again: It is not the Allowance of your Fa ther; your Allowance is better and larger, if you knew it, and did not fit below it. It is ufual on fuch a Scripture as this, to propound many Queftions, and debate many practical Cafes; as, whether a Soul;after believing, can be under legal Bondage? And wherein thefe differ, the Bondage of a Soul after believing, and in its firft Converfion? And how far that Bondage of Fear is preparatory to Faith? And many fuch like; but I choose rather to hold forth the fimple and naked Truth for your Edification, than put you upon, or intertain you in fuch needlefs Janglings and Contentions. All I defire to say to a Soul in Bondage, is, to exhort him to come to the Redeemer, and to confider. that his Cafe calls and cries for a Delivery: Come, I fay, and he fhall find Reft and Liberty to his Soul. All I would fay to Souls delivered from this Bondage; is, to request and befeech them to live in a holy Fear of Sin, and Jealoufy over themselves, Now, the great Gift, and large Allowance of our Father, is expreffed in the next Words, But ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, &c. Which Spirit of Adoption is a Spirit of Intercellion, to make us cry to God as our Father. These are two Gifts, Adoption or the Privilege of Sons, and the Spirit of Adoption revealing the Love and Mercy of God to the Heart, and framing it to a Soul-like Difpofition: Compare the two Statestogether, and its a marvelous Change ARebel condemned, and then pardoned,and then adopted to be a Son of God: A Sinner under Bondage, a bound Slave to Sin and Satan, not only freed from that intolerable Bondage, but advanced to this Liberty, to be made a Son of God, X. X this. this will be the continued Wonder of Eternity, and that whereabout the Song of Angels and Saints will be. Accurfed Rebels, expecting nothing but prefent Death, Sinners arraigned and fentenced before his Tribunal, and already tafting Hell in their Confciences, and in Fear of eternal perishing, not only to be delivered from all that, but to be dignified with this Privilege to be the Sons of God: To be taken from the Gibbet, to be crowned, that is the great Mystery of Wisdom and Grace revealed in the Gofpel, the proclaiming whereof will be the joynt Labour of all the innumerable Companies above for all Eternity. Now, if you ask how this Eftate is attainable, himself tells us, John i. 12. As many as believed or received him, to them be gave the Privilege to be the Sons of God. The Way is made plain and eafy, Chrift the Son of God, the na-in it, into which Angels defire to look, tural and eternal Son of God, became the Son of Man; to facilitate this, he hath taken on the Burden of Man's Sin, the Chaftifement of our Peace; and fo of the glorious Son of God he became like the wretched and accurfed Sons of Men; and therefore God hath proclaimed in the Gofpel, not only an Immunity and Freedom from Wrath, to all that in the Senfe of their own Mifery, cordially receive him, as he is offered; but the unfpeakable Privilege of Sonfbip and Adoption for his Sake who became our elder Brother Gal. iv. 4, 5. Men that want Children ufe to fupply their Want by adopting some beloved Friend in the Place of a Son; and this is a kind of Supply of Nature for the Comfort of them that want: But it is ftrange, that God having a Son fo glori-ous, the very Character of his Perfon, and Brightnefs of his Glory, in whom he delighted from Eternity; ftrange, I fay, that he should in a manner lofe and give away his only begotten Son, that he might by his Means adopt others, poor defpicable Creatures, yea rebellious, to be his Sons and Daughters! Certainly, this is an Act infinitely transcending Nature, fuch an Act that hath an unfearchable Mystery and never ceafe looking, because they never fee the Bottom of it. It was not out of Indigency he did it, not for any need he had of us, or Comfort expected from us, but abfolutely for our Neceffity and Confolation, that he might have upon whom to pour the Riches of his Grace. Verfe 15. SERMON XXXVIII. But ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. BEHOLD what Manner of Love the Father bath fhewed unto us, that we should be called the Sons of It is a wonderful fel felf, but far below other Creatures, to fuch a Dignity. Lord what is Man that thou fo magnifieft him! but it furpaffes Wonder, that rebellious Creatures, his Enemies, Thould have, not only their Rebellions freely pardoned, but this Privilege of Sonship beftowed upon them; that he fhould take Enemies, and make Sons of them; and not only Sons, but Heirs, Coheirs with his own only begotten Son. And then, how he makes them Sons, is as wonderful as the Thing it felf, that he should make his own Son, our Brother, Bone of our Bone, and Flesh of our Flefb; and make him fpring out as a Branch or Rod out of the dry Stem of Jeffe, who himself was the Root of all Mankind. This is the Way, God fent bis Son, made of a Woman, under the Law, that we might receive the Adoption of Sons, Gal. iv. 5. The House of Heaven marries with the Earth, with them who have their Foundation in the Duft; the chief Heir of that heavenly Family, joineth in kindred with our bafe and obfcure Family, and by this means, we are made of Kin to God. But of bim are ye in Chrift Jefus, 1 Cor. i. 30. It behoved Chrift, in a manner, to lofe his own Sonship as to Men, to have it fo vailed and darkned by the fuperadded Intereft in us, and his Nearnefs to us; he was fo properly a Son of Man, fubject to all human Infirmities, except Sin, that without Eyes of Faith, Men could not perceive that he was the Son of God: And by this wonderful Exchange are we made the Sons of God: Whoever, in the Apprehenfion of their own Enmity and Distance from God, receive Chrift Jefus, offered as the Peace, the Bond of Union between the two Families of Heaven and Earth,that were at an infinite Odds and Diftance; whoever (Ifay) believes thus in him, and flies to him, defiring to lay down the Weapons of their Warfare, their Peace is not only made by that Marriagewhich Chrift made with our Nature, but they are bleffed with this Power and Privilege, to be the Sons and Daughters of the Moft High: And from thence you may conclude, that if God be your Father, you can want nothing that is good: But the Determination of what is good for you, whether in spiritual Enlargements, or in the Things of this Life, you must refer to his Wifdom: For his Love indeed is ftrong as Death, nothing can quench it, in the Point of Reality and Conftancy: There is nothing to fhadow it out among Men; the Love of Women is earneft and vehement, but that is nothing to it, Ifa. xlix. 15. For they may forget,! but he cannot. foolish Dotage, like Man that is often mifcarried with Fancy and Luft, but it is a rational and wife Affection, adminiftred and expreffed with infinite Reafon and Wifdom: And therefore, he chooses rather to profit us, than to please us in his Dealings, and we who are not fo fit to judge and difcern our own Good, fhould commit all to his fatherly and wife Providence. Therefore, if you be tempted to Anxiety and Carefulness of Mind, either through the Earthlinefs of your Difpofitions, or the prefent Straits of the Time, you who have refigned your felf to Jefus Chrift, would call to Mind that. your heavenly Father careth for you; And what need you care too? Why not,. ufe your lawful Callings,.be diligent in them; this is not to prejudge that, but if you believe in God, then you are oblig ed by that. Profeffion to abate from the. fuperfluous tormenting Thoughtfulness, that is good for nothing, but to make you, more miferable than your Troubles can X X 22 Yet his Love is not a make ferable before you be miferable, to anticipate your Sorrows. If you fay God is your Father, you are tyed to devolve your felves over on him, and truft in his good Will and Faithfulness, and to fit down quietly as Children that have Parents to provide for them. make you, and to make you mi- them, and leave them a good Example, for Initation: But in this our heavenly Father tranfcends all, that he can impart his own Spirit to his adopted Children, and this Spirit is in a manner the very effential Principle that maketh them Children of the Father; their Natures, their Difpofitions are under his Power, he can as well reform them, as you can change your Childrens Garments: He can make of us what he will, our Hearts are in his Hand, as the Water, capable of any Impreffion he pleaseth to put on it: And this is the Impreffion he putteth on his Children, he putteth his Spirit in their Hearts, and writeth his Law in their inward Parts, a more divine and higher Work, than all human Perfwafion can reach. This Spirit they receive as an Earneft of the Inheri tance, and withal, to make them fit for the Inheritance of the Saints in Light. Now, the other Gift is great too, the Spirit of Adoption, and because ye are Sons, therefore bath be given you the Spirit of bis Son faith this Apoftle, Gal iv. 6. And fo it is a Kind of Confectary of the great Privilege and bleffed Estate of Adoption. They who adopt Children, ufe to give them fome kind of Token to exprefs their Love to them: But as the Lord is higher than all, and this Privilege to be bis Son or Child is the greatest Dignity imaginable, fo this Gift of his Spirit fuits the Greatnels and Glory and Love of our Father. "It is a Father's Gift indeed, a Gift suitable to our heavenly Father. If a Father that is tender of the Education of his Child, and would defire nothing fo much as that he might be of a vertuous and gracious Difpofition, and good Ingine; I think if he were to exprefs his Love in one With, it would be this, that he might have fuch a Spirit in him, and this he would account better than all that he could leave him: But if it were poffible to tranfmit a gracious, well-difpofed and underflanding Spirit from one to another, and if Men could leave it, as they do their Inheritance to their Children, certainly a wife and religious Parent would firft make over a Difpofition of that to his Children; as Elifba fought a double Measure of Elijah's Spirit, fo a Father would with fuch a Measure to his Children, and, if it were poffible, to give it: But that may not be, all that can be done is to wish well to Now, the working of this Spirit of Adoption, I conceive to be threefold, befide that of Interceffion, expressed in the Verfe. The first Work of the Spirit of Adoption, that wherein à Father's Affection feems to break first from under Ground, is, the revealing to the Heart, the Love and Mercy of God to Sinners; I do not fay, to fuch a Soul in particular, for that Application is neither firit, nor univerfal; But herein the Spirit of Adop tion first appears from under the Cloud of Fear; and this is the firft Opening of the Prifon of Bondage, wherein a Soul was fhut, when the plain Way of Reconciliati on to God in Chrift, and Delivery from the Bondage of Sin and Wrath, is holden out; when fuch a Word as this comes into the Soul, and is received with fome Gladness, God fo loved the World, that be gave bis Son, &c. This is a true and faithful faying, &c. Come ye that labour and are weary,andIwill give reft to your Souls: the glad Tidings of Liberty preached to Captives, of Light to the blind, of Joy to the heavy in Spirit, of Life to the Dead; though he cannot come that length as to fee his own particular Intereft, yet the very receiving affectionately and greedily fuch a general Report as good and true, gives fome Eafe and Relaxation to the Heart. To fee Delivery poffible, is fome Door of Hope to a defperate Sinner; but to fee it, and efpy more than a Poffibility, even great Probability, though he cannot reach a Certainty, that will be as the breaking open of a Window of Light in a dark Dungeon, it will be as the taking off of fome of the hardest Fetters, and the worst Chains, which makes a Man almoft to think himself at Liberty. Now this is the great Office of the Spirit of the Father, to beget in us good Thoughts of him, to incline us to charitable and favourable Constructions of him, and make us ready to think well of him, to begat a good Understanding between us and him, and correct our jealous Mifapprehenfions of him; for certainly we are naturally fufpicious of God, that he deals not in fad earnest with us: When ever we fee the Height of our Provocation, and Weight of deferved Indignation, we think him like our felves, and can hardly receive without Sufpicion, the Gofpel that Mays open his Love in Chrift to the Souls: When a Soul is made to hear, xviii. that there is a Way of justifying a Sinner and ungodly Perfon, without Wrong to God's Righteoufnefs; and this being well pondered in the Heart, and received in Love, the great Business is done; after that, particular Application is more eafy, of which I thall not speak now, because Occafion will be given in the next Verfe, about the Spirit's witneffing with our Spirits, which is another of the Spirit's workings: Only I say this, that which makes this fo difficult, is a Defect in the first: But the common Principles of the Gospel are not really, and fo feriously apprehended, because many Souls do not put to their Seal to witness to the Promifes and Truth of it; therefore the Lord often denies this Seal and Witness to our Comfort. It is certainly a prepofterous Way Satan puts Souls upon, firft, to get fuch a Teftimony from the Spirit before they labour to get fuch a Teftimony to Chrift, and Eccho or Answer in their Hearts to his Word: this Way it seems shorteft; for it would leap into the greater Liberty at the firft Hand ; but certainly 'tis fartheft about, becaufe 'tis impoffible for Souls to leap immediately out of Bondage to Af furance, without fome middle Step: They cannot pass thus from Extremes to Ex. tremes, without going through the middie State of receiving Chrift, and laying his Word up in the Heart; and therefore it proves the Way furtheft about, because when Souls have long wearied themfelves, they must at length turn in hither. World. Now, this is the Spirit's Work, to make usentertain that honourable Thoughtof God, that he is most inclinable to pardon Sinners; and that his Mercy is infinitely above Mans Sin; and that it is no Prejudice to his Holiness or Juftice; and to apprehend feriously a conftant Reality and folidTruth in the Promises of Gofpel; and fo to convince a Soul of Righteousness, Joh. But there is another working of the Spirit, I wish you were acquainted with. As the first Work is to beget a fuitable Apprehenfion of God's Mind and Heart to. wards Sinners; fo the next is, to beget a fuitable Difpofition in our Hearts towards God as a Father: The first apprehends |