The Sinners Sanctuary, Sermon 38
SERMON XXXVIII.
Rom. 8.15.
But ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
BEhold what manner of love the Father hath shewed unto us, that we should be called the Sons of God, 1 Joh. 3.1. It is a wonderful expression of love, to advance his own creatures, not only infinitly below himself, but far below other creatures, to such a dignity. Lord what is man that thou so magnifiest him! but it surpasses wonder, that rebellious creatures, his enemies, should have, not only their rebellions …reely pardoned, but this p…iviledge of Son-ship bestowed upon them; that he should take enemies and make Sons of them; and not only Sons, but Heirs, Co-heirs with his own only begotten Son. And then, how he makes them sons, is …s wonder…ul, as the thing it self, that he should make his own Son, our Brother, bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh; and make him spring out as a branch or rod out of the dry stemm of Iesse, who himself was the root o… all mankind: This is the way God sent his Son, made of a woman, under the Law, that we might re…eive the adoption of sons, Gal. 4.5. The House of Heaven marries with the Earth, with them who have their foundation in the dust; the chief Heir of that heavenly Family, joyneth in kindred with our base and obscure family, and by this m…ans, we are made of kin to God, But of him are ye in Christ Iesus, 1 Cor. 1.30. It behoved Christ, in a manner, to lose his own Son-ship as to men, to have it so vailed and darkned by the superadded interest in us, and his nearnesse to us, he was so properly a Son of man, subject to all humane infirmities, except sin, that without eyes of …aith, 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 apprehension of their own enmity and distance …rom God, receive Christ Jesus, offered as the peace, the bond of union between the two Families of Heaven and earth, that were at an infinit odds and distance, whoever (I say) believes thus in him, and flies to him, desiring to lay down the weapons of their warfare, their peace is not only made by that marriage which Christ made with our nature, but they are blessed with this power and priviledge to be the sons and daughters of the Most Hig: hand 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 enlargments, or in the things of this life, you must refer to his wisdom: for his love indeed is strong as de…th, nothing can quench it, in the point of reality and constancy: there is nothing to shadow it out among men; the love o… women is ea…nest and vehement, but that is nothing to it, Isa. 49.15. For they may forget, but he cannot. Yet his love is not a …oolish dotage, like men that is often miscarried with fancy and lust, but it is a rational and wise affection, administred and expressed with infinit reason and wisdom: and therefore, he chooses rather to profit us, then to please us in his dealings, and we who are not so fit to judge and discern our own good, should commit all to his Fatherly and wise providence. Therefore i… you be tempted to anxiety and carefulnesse o… mind, either through the earthlinesse of your dispositions, or the present straits of the time, you who have resigned your self to Jesus Christ, would call to mind that your heavenly Father careth …or you: and and what need you care too? why not, use your lawful Callings, be diligent in them, this is not to prejudge that, but if you believe in God, then you are oblidged by that prosession to abate …rom the supe…fluous tormenting thoughtfulnesse, that is good …or nothing, but to make you more miserable then your troubles can make you, and to make you miserable before you be miserable; to anticipat your sorrows. If you say God is your Father, you are tyed to devolve your selves over on him, and trust in his good will and faith…ulnesse, and to sit down quietly as children that have parents to provide for them.
Now, the other gift is great too, the Spirit of adopti…n, and because ye are sons, therefore hath he given you the Spirit of his Son, saith this Apostle, Gal. 4.6. And …o it is a kind of con…ecta…y of the great priviledge and blessed estate of adoption. They who adopt children, use to give them some kind of token to expresse their love to them: But as the Lord is higher then all, and this priviledge to be His son or child is the greatest dignity imaginable, …o this gi…t of his Spirit suits the greatnesse and glory and love of our Father. It is a Fathers gift indeed, a gift suitable to our heavenly Father. If a father that is …ender of the education of his child, and would desire nothing so much as that he might be of a vertuous and gracious disposition, and good ingine, I think if he were to expresse his love in one wish, it would be this, that he might have such a spirit in him, and this he would account better then all that he could leave him: But if it were possible to transmit a gracious and well-disposed and understanding spirit from one to another, and if men could leave it, as they do their inheritance to their children, certainly a wise and religious parent would first make over … disposition of that to his children, as Elisha sought a double measure of Elijahs spirit, so a …ather would wish such a measure to his children, and if it were possible, give it: But that may not be, all that can be done is to wish well to them, and leave them a good example for imitation: But in this our heavenly Father transcends all, that He can import his own Spirit to his adopted children, and this Spirit is in a manner the very essential principle that maketh them children of the Father: their natures, their dispositions are under his power, he can as well reform them, as you can change your childrens g…rments: he can make of us what he will, our hearts are in his hand, as the water, capable o… any impression he pleaseth to put on it: and this is the impression 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, then all humane perswasion can reach. This Spirit they receive as earnest of the inheritance, and withall, to make them fit for the inheritance o… the Saints in light.
Now, the working o… this Spirit of Adoption, I conceive to be threefold, beside that of Intercession, expressed in the vers. The first work of the Spirit of Adoption, that wherein a Fathers affection seems to break first from under ground, is, …he revealing to the heart, the love and mercy of God to sinners. I do not say, to such a soul in particular, for that application is neither first, nor universal: But herein the Spirit of Adoption first appears from under the cloud of …ear, and this is the first opening o… the prison of bondage, wherein a soul was shut, when the plain way of reconciliation to God in Christ, and delivery from the bondage of sin and wrath, is holden out; when such a word as this comes into the soul, and is received with some gladnesse, God so loved the world, that he gave his Son, &c. This is a true and faithful saying, &c. Come ye that labour and weary, and I will give rest to your souls: When a soul is made to hear the g…ad tidings of liberty preached to captives, of ligh… to the blind, of joy to the heavy in spirit, of life to the dead; though he cannot come that length as to see his own p…ticular interest, yet the very receiving affectionatly and greedily such a general report as good and true, gives some ease and relaxation to the heart. To see delivery possible, is some door of hope to a desperat sinner; but to see it, and espy more then a possibility, even great probability, though he cannot reach a certainty, …hat will be as the breaking open of a window of light in a dark dungeon, it will be as the taking off o… some of the hardest fetters, and the worst chains, which makes a man almost 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 construction of Him, and make us ready to think well of Him, to beget a good understanding between us and Him, and correct our jealous misapprehensions of Him; for certainly we are naturally suspitious of God, that he deals not in sad earnest with us: when ever we see the hight of our provocation, and weight of deserved indignation, we think him like our selves, and can hardly receive, without suspition, the Gospel that layes open his love in Christ to the world.
Now, this is the Spirits wo…k, to make us entertain that ho…ourable thought of God, that he is most inclinable to pardon sinners; and that his mercy is infinitly above mans sin; and that it is no prejudice to His Holiness or Justice; and to apprehend seriously a constant reality and solid truth in the promises of the Gospel; and so to convince a soul of righteousnesse, Joh. 18. that there is a way of justifying a sinner and ungodly person, without wrong to Gods righteousnesse; and this being well pondered in the heart, and received in love, the great businesse is done; after that, particular application is more easie, of which I shall not speak now, because occasion will be given in the next vers. about the Spirits witnessing with our spirits, which is another of the Spirits workings: only I say this, that which makes this so difficult, is a defect in the fi…st: but the common principles of the Gospel are not really, and so seriously apprehended, because many souls do not put to their seal to witnesse to the promises and truth o… it; therefore the Lord often denies this seal an… witnesse to our comfort. It is certainly a preposterous way S…tan puts souls upon, first, to get such a testimony from the Spirit, before they labour to get such a testimony to Christ, and eccho or answer in their hearts to his word: this way it seems shortest; for it would leap into the greater liberty at the first hand, but certainly its farthest about, because its impossible for souls to leap immediatly out of bondage to assurance, without some middle step: they cannot passe thus from extreams to extreams, without going through the middle st…te of receiving Christ, and laying his word up in the heart; and therefore it proves the way furthest about, because when souls have long wearied themselves, they must at length turn in hither.
But there is another working of the Spirit, I wish you were acquaint with: as the first work is to beget a suitable apprehension of Gods mind and heart towards sinners; so the next is, to beget a suitable disposition in our hearts towards God as a Father: The first apprehends his love, the next reflects it back again with the heart of a sinner to Him: The Spirit first brings the report of the love and grace of God to us, and then he carries the love and respect of the heart up to God.
You know how God complains in M…lachi, If I be a Father, where is my fear and honour: …or these are the only fitting qualifications of Children, such a reverent respective observance of our Heavenly Father, such affectionat and humble carriage towards him, as becometh both His Majesty and His Love: as these are tempered one with another in Him, his Love not abasing his Majesty, and his Majesty not diminishing his Love: So we ought to carry, as reverence and confidence, fear and love, may be contempered one with another, so as we may neither forget his infinit greatnesse, nor doubt of his unspeakable love: and this inward disposition ingraven on the heart, will be the principle of willing and ready obedience, it will in some measure be our meat and drink to do our Fathers will; for Christ gave us an example how we should carry towards him: How humble and obedient was he, though his only begotten Son!