Reverence and godly Fear. . Si11ners that have not yet arrived to the free and filial Spirit of Adoption, but arc kept under Bondage under t he W rath of God, and m:m::~cled in the Fetters Of their own Fears. So faith the Apoftle, Heb. 2. I 5· To deliver tLm... , who through fear of Death, and of Hell that follows after it, were ali their Lifc·time fubjert umo Bondage. (3.) Thirdly, ThiJ jla-vij11 Fear iJ wrought in the Soul by the Spirit of God, thounh it be .rtavifo jl-tvijh; for it is his Office to convince as well as to comfort. and to cart'~down Fw is by the Terrors of the Law a.s well as to raife .up by the Promifes ~f. rh~ G?fpcl: ~r:;~~oul In John 16. 8. H e /hall convma the ~¥orld of ~t~J ; and therefo~·e It IS f.1~d m t.his by t6e place, Rom. 8. 1 S'· We have not tecuvedthe Spmtof Bondage agam to fear, unplymg Spirit, that thofc Terrors thatfeizc upon the Confcience are the Work of the Holy Ghofr. We bring our felves into Bondage under Sin, and he brings us into Bondage under . Fear. If therefore at any time, thou who art a fecure Sinner, art fuddenly furprized with fearful and trembling Thoughts concerning thy prefent ftate of Sin and thy fu ture ftate of Wrath, beware thou liftcn not to any that would perfuade thee it is nothing but a Fit of Melancholy or a Temptation of Satan, to drive thee to Defpair, but kQow a nU redly thy Confcience is now under the Hand of the Holy Gho!t himfelf, he raifeth thofe Tempefts of Fear in thee; and as ufual\y it is fatal to div ert and hulh them, fo is it no lefs than ignurant Blafphemy, to impute l1is Works to Mel ancholy, or to the Temptations of Sat!n. (4-) Fourthly, Whm the Sou/ h prey-1udfor the Work of Grace by the Work of Con- Whm t~c viliion, when it is prtpared [or ComfOrt by the Work of Hum:'liation, ~he fame Sririt Spirillm.h , th.tt ;vas before a Spirit of Bondage, becomeJ now a Spirit of Adoptiqn; that is, the Ho- :t::;ff::: !y Ghoft ~:e:fuad:s and atri~rcs _us of the love and. favour of God , a_nd cnabls:s us, J 1ge,itb:. through dtvire L1ght b~ammg 10 upon our Confcienccs, to behold lum as a graci- ""mcs a · ous and a reconciled Father, whom before we trembled at as a fl:crn and tcrri· Spirirof ble Judge. 'The fame \\find that in a raging, Storm tofleth the Sea to and fi·o Adoprian. in reftlefs. Heaps, in a Calm cloth onl y gently move and fan it with plea ling Purles . So is it here; that Spir it of God that in Conviction raifeth a Tempert in the Coufciencc, afterwards the fame Spiri t breaths forth a fweet Calm of Peace and Corn.. fort upon it : The fame Spirit that before was a Spirit of BondaJe, when the Soul is fufficiently thereby prepared for Grace, becomes a Spirit of Adoption. This is that Spirit of Adoption that is here fpokcn of, and is called fa, bccaufc it witnellhh with our Spirits, that we are the Children of God by Adoption. God bath but one Son by eternal Generation, and that is Jefus Chrift, called therefore, The Mly begotten of rhe Fllthcr, John I. 14. He bath many Sons by Creation, C\'CI\ all Mankind; fo Adam is called, The Son of God, Luke 3· 3~L :He hath many Sons alfo by Adoption, even all that are elfetl:ually called according to the purpofc of his Grace; all that are fantl:ified, ivho are of Strangers made Heirs of God, and Co. hiers with 'Je[us CJmft himfelf, who is the natural Son of God, as it is Rt·m. 8. I 7· Now becaufe it is the Work of the H oly Ghoft to tcftifie. to us this our great Privileges, that we are enrolled in the Family of Heaven and become the Children of God, therefore he is called the Spirit of Adoption; that is, the Spirit that witneffeth to us our Adoption. · (5.) Fifthly, To 1vhom the Spirit bath once been a S pirit of .Adoptio11, it never more Whernhe lucomn to th:m a: SpiYit of Bondage and Fear : That is, it never again proclaims Spirit War, after it hath fpoken Peace ; it never reprefents God as an in raged Enemy tJtb on(e. after it bath rcprefe ntcd him as a retonciled Father. It is true, the Spirit of ,.;,:no[ :.r~· 9od al.ways keeps llJ? h~s convincing Offi~e in the Soul of t~e malt :11Tured Saints; dcprhn, it lt connncet h them <A Sm, and of Wrath due to them for Sw. But now chore is ne11er more a twofold Convi~ion, there is a Conviction of the Evil of particular Actions, and ~~?n:es { there is a Convict ion {)f the Evil of our ftate and condition: Why now, thouP"h /~']~ 0 u~n particular Mifcar riages of God's Children, the Holy G hoft fecrctly .fmite'th ; ~:·J ~hctr Co~lfciencc·;, ihewing them the Guilt and Evil of their Sins, thereby bring- cu:.:Ezi!n mg t hem to Repentance and a godly Sorrow; yet the Holy Ghoft never again (Ifs;,. te!tifict h to them, that they are in a gracelefs, unregcllerate and linful Eftate and Con~ition, and in a State of Wrath and Condemnation ; it brings thCm to a deep Humiliation, by convincing them of the Evil of their ACtions, but it never ~rings then i nto legal Terror!, by convincing them of a finful State; neither mdced ClD it be fo1 for the Spirit of God is a Splrit of·Truth; and to witnefs that we arc yet Children of Wrath, who arc indeed the adopted Children of ~od , this N a n n n were
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=