8o2 Mr. Richard Baxter'.r Funeral Sermon. r P.r. n. ' ' ' WiU bc,~at he 111', with the.'Vo:d ofTrHt h. And we are faid, to. be bom again, not of corr11ptrbtc Seed, hrtt. wcorurptthlc, hy the Word of God, whrch l.veth and ahideth for· ':'er. By .the D1vme Influence, the Word of God implants in them fuch Qualities and Difpofitwns whereby the)' refembie God, are holy, as he ;s holy, ;, aU """_ , ,er of Conver{ation, They are calledgoclly, as they are like him in their Minds Affetl:ions and Atl:ions. And to fuch God has the Heart and Eye of a Fath;r 10 Pf•L , 03 . , 3 . regard and relieve them in all their Exigencies. Like as a Father pities his Childrc,, fo the Lord pitie; thet;, thatfi:rve him, · We are alfo the Childr~q ?,f God by. Adoption.. Tl1is he~venly· Pri~iledge is obtai-ned •for us by the merttorwus Suffenngs of Clmfr, and IS founded m our Union G.J. •· With t ]Jim, God ji11t hi< Son, that he might redeem thent that were rmder· the Lar", ~:r,b;rp;~!e';~'!i'e~~~~li:.t~~r;:r&:;~~. ~~fsh~fr~~~ w;f ~~fe~~;t;;,~; FJ::~~h~ Degrees of our Redenlption mentioned in Scrt.ture, l1ave annex'd to them parallel ~:¥:, ~~i~~a~~P¥f~~·w,~!~~~~;v!~~~;:~ist~~i Ado~;u;;a:rs::::"'~f;;~ ~7: r;i:f: #. Rom. s. 'l· are freed frOJJt the fervile Spirit ofthe Law, lt follows, We have received the Spirit of Adopti?"• whereby we c;y, Abba, Father. And the Apofrle tells us, That the RedemptiOn of our,Bodtes from ·the bo11dage ofCorr11ptio11, into the glorioru Liberty ofthe Sonr ofGod, is dur Adoption, that is the tnanifefration of it lJefore all the World. Our Adoption is founded in our U,nion with Chrifr. A Member ofChrill, and John l, n. a Son of God are the fame : 'Tis theFefore faid, AI ntany tu 1·eceived him, to thent gave he Power, or Priviledge, to hecome the Sons t?f God, even to thent ~Qat helieve 011 Gd. 3 . 6. his Nan~e. And ye are a !I the Sons ofGod, by Faith i" }ejiw Chrifl. This is tl1e vital Band of our Union with Chrifr, and invefrs us with his Relation to Go!L When he was to leave the World, he fends this comfortable Me!Tage to Ius DifciJohn •o. ' ' ' pies; Go te!ln'Y Brethrerz, I afcend to my Father andyu11r Father, to my God and yortr Rom. 8. 3 . God. His Relation has the precedence in Order, Dignity and Caufality. He is Heb. ' ' S· God 's own Son, in a fenfe infinitely high and proper to IJimfelf: To which' of the ANgels foid he n.t any time, Tho~t art my Son, to day have I beJ!.otten thee? The fublimefl: If~ . q; Prophet breaks forth with Wonder, Who jluU declare Mr Generation? Tis above our Capaci ty and Conception. It becomes us to acquiefce in wJ1at the Scriture reveals. ' Heb. 3 ' ~hl~s i!h~h:~~l :o~~;;;i~~~ 0fur ~; ~~~t t~e p~;J:~lt ;{t;~ht ~~t:~~,;:l:~ diminution; fo the Eternal Father communicated his EITence to the Son. In lhort, God is Chrifr's Father by Nature, and God by Di1j>enfation ; l1e is our God as the Author of Nature, and our Father by Adoption, Before I proceed, it is lit to obferve the Excellence of the Evangelical Adoption above the Civil Adoption among Men. (r.) Adoption is a legal Atl: in imitation of Nature, for the Comfort of thofe who are without Children. But God J1ad a Son, the Heir of his Love and Glory. His adopting Love heightned by confidering our Meannefs and Vilenefs : we are but a little breathing Dufr, worthlefs Rebels. The Apofrle cries out in a rapture of Admiration and Joy, Behold what "'""""' of Love tbe Father hath b;flowed upon IIJ', that we jho1tld be called the Som of God! ~ve confider the natural Dtftance between ~~~:;ndb~~· ti1se h~l~:a~ 1~i~~~ac~rbe~:~e:e :h: tJ~~~:~I:l~t~;~~sG~"dd~~~t~h~~~~; polluted Creature, is, if it were poffible, more than infinite : Love inconceivable! That rel eafes us from Bondage, and adopts us into the Line of Heaven. If we admire any thing of this World in comparifon of it, 'tis a fign we have no !hare in this Priviledge. . (2.) Civil Adoption conveys no Praife-worthy Qualities into the Perfon that IS adopted. A King may adopt one to be hfs Son, and the Heir of his Kinl(do!", but cannot endow him with a Royalty of Spirit, with ruling Wifdom, with Jufttce and Equity Clemency and Bounty, with Magnanimity and Fortitude, that may quahfy him to'managetheScepter. The adopted Prince maybe of a JowfordidDifpofition, ~j~~~ ~~ebl~:~eel~~!~e~~d ~efi;1~;ga~~ ~~~~:~ ~~~:sdeli~~~ a!~~h~e~dn~1~~;~ and are adorn'd with all the Graces of the Spirit, that God is 110t ajhaiJJed to be ca:- led their God and Father, nor Chrifi ajhamed to call them B~ethrm. Now fro!" thiS H<b. '· fpecial Relation and Interefr of God in the Saints, th, re IS a fure Foundatton of t4.eir Trufr in his Cwin• Mercy. David addreffes h1m~elfto <?od fo; l11s preferPiJI. ,,9 , vation ;ffon} itnminent D~nger, I tUJt thit:e, fo_ve 11:c: As 1f hts mtfcarrymg wouJti be a Lo(s to God, who had fo dear a Propnety m !urn. I
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