united to his earthly body, like a light shut up in a dark cavern."*

That divine part of the human composition derives its original from the Father of Spirits, in the same manner with those ministers of fire who are not confined to corporeal vehicles; concerning whom the oracle, having acknowledged one Supreme and Divine Majesty, immediately subjoins ; "and we angels are but a small part of God."

And with regard to this principle which excels in man, which actually constitutes the man, and on account of which he most truly deserves that name, he is a noble and divine animal; and whatever some fanciful and proud men may boast concerning their families, "if we consider our original, and that God was the author of the human kind, none of Adam's race can be called ignoble."‡ -But if, on the other hand, we regard our woeful fall, which was the consequence of sin, we are all degenerate; we have all fallen from the highest honour into the greatest disgrace, and the deepest gulph of all sorts of misery; we have given away our liberty and greatest dignity, in exchange for the most shameful and most deplorable bondage;

* Ψυχή δ' εσιν αημα Θες, και μιξιν ανεπλη

Ουρανιή χθόνιοιο, φαος σπηλυγγι καλυφθεν, Naz. de Anima. † Μικρη δε Θες μερις αγγελοι ήμεις.

Si primordia nostra,

Auctoremque Deum spectes,

Nullus degener extat.

Boeth, de Cons. Phil. lib. iii. met. 6.

instead of the sons of God, we are become the slaves of Satan: and if we now want to know to what family we belong, the Apostle will tell us, "That we are children of wrath, and sons of disobedience."*

But, as the overflowing Fountain of goodness and bounty did not choose that so noble a monument of his wisdom should be entirely ruined by this dismal fall; could any one be more proper to raise it up again, or better qualified to restore men to the dignity of the sons of God, than his own eternal Son, who is the most perfect and express image of the Father? Nor does this glorious person decline the severe service: though he was the son of his Father's love, the heir and lord of the whole uni verse; though he might be called the delight of his most exalted Father and of all blessed spirits, and now, with the greatest justice, the darling of the human kind; yet he left his Father's bosom, and, O wonderful condescension! became the son of man, that men might, anew, become the sons of God: whence he is also called the second Adam, because he recovered all that was lost by the first.

That all who sincerely receive him, might be again admitted into the embraces of the Father, and no more be called the children of wrath, he himself submitted to the punishment due to our disobedience; and, by bearing it, removed our guilt, and pacified justice. He also went into the

* Υιοι απείθειας και τεκνα οργης. Eph. ii. 2, 3.

flames of divine wrath to deliver us from them; and by a plentiful stream of his most precious blood, quite extinguished them. He likewise took effectual care that those who were now no longer to be called children of wrath, should also cease to be children of disobedience, by pouring out upon them a plentiful effusion of his sanctifying spirit; that their hearts being thereby purged from all impure affections, and the love of earthly things, they might, under the influence of the same good spirit, cheerfully lead a life of sincere and universal obedience. Now, it cannot be doubted that those who are so actuated and conducted by the Divine. Spirit, are truly the sons of God. Whence that spirit whereby they call God their Father, and with confidence apply to him as such, is called the spirit of adoption.

Moreover, this wonderful restoration is often called adoption, not only to distinguish it from the natural and incomparable dignity which belongs to the only-begotten Son; but also because we by no means derive this privilege from nature, but absolutely from the free donation of the Father, through the mediation of his only Son. We must not, however, conclude from this, that this privilege has nothing more in it than an honourable title, or, as they call it, an external relation; for it is not only inseparably connected with a real and internal change, but with a remarkable renovation, and, as it were, a transformation of all the faculties of the soul, nay, even of the whole man. You will

accordingly find these words applied to this purpose by the apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Romans. And, to conclude, it is with a view to convince us, that, together with the title of sons, the Spirit of God is given to believers, and they are inwardly renewed thereby, that we so often in scripture meet with this regeneration which is the subject of our present discourse.

If we consider the lives of men, we shall be apt to imagine, that the generality of mankind who live in the world under the name of Christians, think it sufficient for them to be called by this name, and dream of nothing further. The common sort of mankind hear with pleasure and delight of free remission of sins, imputed righteousness, of the dignity of the sons of God, and the eternal inheritance annexed to that dignity; but when they are told, that repentance, a new heart, and a new life, contempt of the world and the pleasures of the flesh, fasting and prayer, are absolutely necessary for a Christian, "These are hard sayings; who can bear them?" Though, at the same time, it must be said, that they who do not regard these necessary duties will have no share in the reward annexed to them.

There are many things which distinguish this divine adoption from that which obtains among men. 1st, The former is not an expedient to supply the want of children, which is commonly the case among men; for God has his only-begotten Son,

* Romans xii. 2.

who is incomparably preferable to all the rest taken together, who is immortal as his Father; and though, from a principle of wonderful humility, he condescended to become mortal, and even to die, yet he rose again from the dead, and liveth for ever. From him is derived all that felicity which our heavenly Father is pleased to confer upon us, out of his mere grace and bounty, through the merits and mediation of his dear Son. And is there any one, on whom this felicity is bestowed, who will not freely acknowledge himself to be quite unworthy of so great an honour?

Yet such honour has the eternal and incomprehensible love of God condescended to bestow on us, who are quite unworthy and undeserving; and in this also, the divine adoption differs from that which is customary among men, who generally choose the most deserving they can meet with. But all those whom God maketh choice of, are unworthy, and some even are remarkably so. 2dly, Men generally adopt but one a-piece, or at most a few; but divine adoption admits into the heavenly family a most numerous host, extending even unto myriads, that Jesus, who is the head of the family,

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may be the first-born among many brethren." And, 3dly, They are all heirs; whence it is said, in another place, "That he might bring many sons into glory." Nor is the inheritance of any individual in the least diminished in consequence of so

* Haud equidem tali me dignor honore. Virg. Æneid. i.