Precious Faith Considered, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Of Adoption the third fruit of Faith; the peculiar Priviledg of ſound Believers. The Excellency thereof demonstrated under ſeveral Conſiderations.
THus far of the ſecond fruit of Faith being Juſtification.
The next fruit thereof is Adoption: Juſtification and Adoption are twin-Graces, brought forth by Faith at once; only in order of nature,
Juſtification goes firſt, and then follows Adoption, as preſuppoſing the other; hence the new name is ſaid to be written in the white ſtone, Rev. 2.17. Alexander the Great Conqueror of the World, was by the flattering Oracle ſaluted as a Son of Jupiter; but the Believer, who overcomes the World in a more noble Spiritual way, is by the true Oracle ſtiled a Son of God; As many as received him, to them he gave power to become the Sons of God, Joh. 1.12. The Believer in the inſtant of believing is no longer a meer Son of Adam, but a Son of God; he is in unity with the natural Son of God, and ſo becomes an Adopted one. The Human nature is in the natural Son by Hypoſtatical union, and ſo is taken into the natural Sonſhip; and the Believer is in him by a Myſtical union, and ſo becomes a Son by Adoption: Neither is this a meer empty title, He is born not of blood, in a way of carnal Generation, not of the will of the fleſh, in a way of Concupiſcence; not of the will of man, in the way of Moral Virtues and Excellencies; but he is born of God, he is one of the ſeed-Royal of Heaven, the blood of God runs in his Conſcience, a Divine Spirit breaths in him; Chriſt is formed in his heart, and that in the very ſame manner as he was in the Womb; that is, by the overſhadowing power of the Holy Ghoſt. Nay further, as Aquinas obſerves,Tertia pars Queſt. 23. Art. 2. Filiatio Adoptiva eſt quaedam ſimilitudo filiationis aeternae; Adoptive Sonſhip is a ſhadow of the eternal one. The natural Son is the foreign, or brightneſs of his Father; and in the Adopted there is a ſplendor of Grace reſembling God in a meaſure: The natural Son was begotten from Eternity, and is ſtill a begetting; and in the Adopted the holy thing is begotten: And yet in reſpect of the ſucceſſive ſupplies of Grace afforded for its preſervation, it is as it were ſtill a begetting; hence the Adopted Son, as well as the Natural, abides for ever, Joh. 8.35. The Natural Son is the image of Gods Nature, and the Adopted the image of his Will; Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, Jam. 1.18.
The Excellencies of this Priviledg are unutterable: I ſhall expreſs them only in ſome Conſiderations.
Firſt, Adoption is a very glorious thing; it redounds to the glory of Free-grace, and puts a luſtre upon the Believer; it redounds to the glory of Free-grace: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath beſtowed upon us, that we ſhould be called the Sons of God, 1 Joh. 3.1. That the indefectible God, who hath a Son of his own lying in his boſom as an eternal joy, ſhould Adopt; that the great Creator, who as ſuch hath all poſſible right to his Creature, ſhould Adopt; that the Immortal One, to whom by reaſon of his Immortality there can be no ſucceſſion, ſhould yet Adopt; that ſuch a Majeſty as he is ſhould Adopt ſuch as we are, worms and ſinful duſt, and Adopt us to ſuch an Inheritance as Heaven is; and by putting a new nature into us, make us meet for the ſame, is ſtupendious and wonderful beyond expreſſion. Such Conſiderations as theſe made the great School-man Durandus (as Medina relates) affirm, That God did not Adopt properly, but Secundum Tranſlationem, in a Metaphorical way. But to paſs that, theſe things ſignally demonſtrate, that Divine Adoption is full of rich Grace, and in a tranſcendent manner above Humane. Moreover, Adoption puts a luſtre upon the Believer, ſuch as is not to be found upon the Princes and Potentates of the Earth.Par. Medulla hiſt. The proud Sultan Achmet uſed in his Letters to arrogate theſe high Titles to himſelf; I Achmet head of Prophets, Emperour of Emperours, Lord of Europe, Aſia, and Africa, Lord of the White, Black, and Red Seas, ſubjoining a long Enumeration of all the Provinces under him: But to be a Son of God is incomparably more than all theſe. All that train of Titles whereby Potentates ſpread out their Glory, is fumus ſeculi, the ſmoke of this lower World, and glitters only in the eyes of fleſh and blood; but Adoption is radius Caeli, a ray of Heavenly Glory, and makes the Believer ſhine to the eyes of Angels; who, as they rejoice over a repenting Sinner, cannot but wonder to ſee ſuch an one transfigured into a Son of God: Nay, Adoption puts ſuch a glory upon the Believer as was not upon Adam in Paradiſe. Adam was a Son of God only by Creation, but the Believer is one by Myſtical Union and Communion with Chriſt the Natural Son; hence Chriſt calls him Brother, Heb. 2.11. a Compellation not uſed to Angels; and he is one of the firſt-born, Heb. 12.23. a title in an eminent way given to Chriſt.
Secondly, Adoption carries with it an excellent ſpirit of Prayer; Becauſe ye are Sons, God hath ſent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba father, Gal. 4.6. This praying Spirit is the breath of the New-creature, and as much excels all meer modes and gifts of Prayer, as a pair of natural Lungs doth artificial ones; others may pray artificially, and as it were mechanically, but the Adopted man prays naturally; without this Spirit all words and expreſſions in Prayer are but poor low things; like the Ʋrim and Thummim made under the ſecond Temple, by which the Jews could not tell how to ask counſel of God, becauſe the holy Spirit was not preſent with it: In the Adopted that Spirit makes the Prayer iſſue forth with life and power; when the Blood and Merits of Chriſt plead above, and the holy Spirit makes interceſſion in the heart for the ſame bleſſings, there is ſuch a Harmony, that the Almighty ſloops and bows down his car to it. Thus the ſweet Singer, In waiting I waited for the Lord, and he enclined unto me, and beard my cry, Pſal. 40.1. God himſelf enclines and ſtoops down at the Prayer of Faith. Vacula Pater, that little word, Father, ſpoken in the heart is more than all the Eloquence of Cicero and Demoſthenes, Com. in Gal. cap. 4.ſaith Luther: No ſooner doth the Child of Grace cry, but God ſays, Here am I, Iſa. 58.9. as if he were always at hand to anſwer the requeſt.
Thirdly, Adoption uſhers in an Heavenly freedom; whileſt the Law is only without in the letter, and the terrors of Sinai flaſh in the Conſcience, the man with his old heart of enmity, drudges in the ways of God, and brings forth all his Duties as the Bond-woman did her Son, in the power of nature, in a dead, carnal ſervile manner: Moſes with the cords of Hell and Death drags the outward man to this and that Duty; but old Adam with his luſts, reigning within, holds back the love and the joy, and the delight from the work: all renders to bondage, till Adoption come, and ſpirit him for holy things: Becauſe ye are Sons, God hath ſent forth the ſpirit of his Son into your hearts, Gal. 4.6. The ſame Spirit which led the Humane Nature of Chriſt into all Sinleſs Obedience, leads the Adopted into a true willingneſs to all the Ways of God, that Spirit engraves a Law within anſwering the outward one, and inſpires ſuch a Divine Love, as caſts out the Bond woman and her Son, I mean the ſervile fears, and ſervices; the Will is ſet upon the wheels of Faith and Love, and the Duties are brought forth in the power of Grace, and of the Promiſe; that Promiſe, I will put my Spirit within you, and cauſe you to walk in my ſtatutes, Ezek. 36.27. is ſweetly experimented in every act of Obedience; this glorious and almoſt Angelical freedom grows upon Adoption, and no where elſe; no will of man ever ſeemed out ſuch a thing; ſhould any man go about to ſtrike it out of his own power, it would fare with him as it did with the perſon reported of by one of the Jewiſh Rabbies, who in the night lighted his Candle, and it went out, lighted it again and again, and ſtill it went out; at laſt weary of ſuch vain labours, he reſolved with himſelf to wait for the Sun. Such an one may ſtrike and ſtrike again to fetch ſuch a liberty out of his own will; but at laſt the Concluſion muſt be, If the Son make us free, we ſhall be free indeed, Joh. 8.36. and, Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, 2 Cor. 3.17.
Fourthly, Adoption brings us into ſweet Communion with God; thus the Apoſtle. I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they ſhall be my people, 2 Cor. 6.16. I will dwell in them, and walk in them, who can expreſs it? In the Sons of God there is an Ark with the Tables of the Law in it, and a Sanctuary with the Shechinah, or Divine Majeſtly in it; Gods gracious preſence is Spiritual ſhew-bread, and his Love burns upon the heart, as the fire that came down from Heaven upon the Altar; when they are ſacrificing in holy Duties, God doth wonderfully by his quickening, and elevating influences; and when they are ſuffering in the briers and flames of affliction, God is in the Buſh ſupporting and preſerving them; if Conſcience breaths ſweetneſs and peace, God is in the ſtill voice; if their Graces be ſet forth, God is a ſupping with them; nay, if there be but a poor ſpirit and weak deſires, God will ſup with theſe; the holy light and integrity in their heart is a kind of Ʋrim and Thummim to direct them, and the Heavenly motions and inſpirations are as it were a Bath Kol, a voice from Heaven for their inſtruction; in a word, all the appearances of God in the worldly Sanctuary, and outward Symbols of Glory under the Old Teſtament, are ſpiritually accompliſhed under the New in the Adopted, who are an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Fifthly, Adoption aſſures protection and proviſion; Iſrael, Gods own People, had a Pillar of Cloud, and a Pillar of Fire to defend them, and theſe Pillars are ſtill in the Church, though not always viſible: God hath ſaid it, That he will create upon her a cloud and ſmoke by day, and the ſhining of a flaming fire by night, upon all the glory ſhall be a defence, Iſa. 4.5. Rather than his Adopted ones, who carry his Glory about them, ſhall want a defence he will put forth an act of Creation: Iſrael when in the Wilderneſs, had Bread from Heaven, and Water out of the Rock; and to the upright, God ſaith, Their Bread ſhall be given them, and their Waters ſhall be ſure, Iſa. 33.16. Rather than fail, He will make rivers in the deſert, to give drink to his People, Iſa. 43.20. When there's a pinch in the Kingdom of Nature, his own Family and Houſhold ſhall be provided for; The young Linons may lack and ſuffer hunger, but they that ſeek the Lord ſhall not want any good thing, Pſal. 34.10. That Diſtich,
Eſt Deus in coelo, qui providus omnia curat,
Credentes nuſquam deſeruiſſe poteſt;
Was a Cordial to Muſculus in his ſtreights. Faith fears no Famine, neither ſhall the Adopted feel any.
Sixthly, Adoption carries with it Perſeverance; Once a Son of God by Adoption and ever ſo. One of the Jewiſh Doctors Commenting on that excellent paſſage, With thee is the fountain of life, in thy light ſhall we ſee light, Pſal. 36. ſaith, That the Iſraelites were made free by Moſes, and then brought into bondage again, and made free by Barak and divers others, and yet brought into bondage again; at laſt they ſhall be ſaved by the Lord their God with an eternal Salvation; that is, by the Meſſiah. If meer notions make us free, we ſhall be in bondage again; if Church-priviledges make us free, we ſhall be in bondage again; but if Adopting Grace make us free, we ſhall ever be ſo: God hath ſaid, nay, ſworn to Jeſus Chriſt, His ſeed (and ſuch are all the Adopted) ſhall endure for ever, and his throne (part whereof is in their hearts) as the Sun before me, Pſal. 89.36. and to make them endure, the holy Spirit is in them a well of water ſpringing up to everlaſting life, Joh. 4.14. and to ſecure the abode of the Spirit with them, Chriſt is a Prieſt after the power of an endleſs life, Heb. 7.16. Nay, though they break his ſtatutes, and thereby bring the rod upon their backs, yet God hath promiſed, Not to take away his loving kindneſs, nor ſuffer his faithfulneſs to fail, Pſal. 89.33. Upon ſuch unſhaken foundations do the Sons of God ſtand.
Seventhly, Adoption makes them heirs of Heaven; Though they may lye among the pots, and in the eyes of the World be the refuſe and off-ſcouring of all things, yet are they heirs of Glory; thus the Apoſtle, If children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Chriſt, Rom. 8.17. That Glory which Chriſt hath purchaſed, ſhall they be brought into; that Heavenly Inheritance, which is ſealed without in the Promiſe, is inwardly aſſured to them by the Seal of the Spirit; which by holy impreſſes marks them out for Heaven, and is a ſure earneſt in their hearts, that the whole ſum of glory ſhall be paid to them above: each of them may ſay as Quirinus Reuterus did on his Death-bed, Ego ſum vitae filius, I am a child of life.
Thus much for the third fruit of Faith being Adoption.