Ver. t 5. the 8th Chapter to the R. OMAN S. It5t Confider Three Things, r. His Relation to mankind in the general : 2. His Relation to the ancient Church under the legal Covenant : 3. The eftate wherein his Grace found ùs, when he was pleafed to take us into his family. I. His Relation to mankind in general 5 So he is the Father of all the world ; as he created them, and Adam is called the Son of God, Luke 3. 18. He is a father to any; who giveth them being, and hash a right to govern them ; fo is God to us, he made us, and is the foie caufe of our being and not being, and fo hath a right in us to difpofe of Mathis own pleafure : But the Relation that we have to God by Creation, is diftint from the natural Being; this is our new Being; which we have from him as his redeemed ones ; our natural being flowed from his benignity and common bounty ;, but our fpiritual being from his fpecial Grace and Love to us in Chrift. By creation we are his children, as he formed us in the womb, and created the foul within us.; called therefore the father of fpirits, Heb. 1a. 9. in oppofition to the fathers of Our flat; but he is our father by Adoption, as we are regenerated by the Holy Ghoft, John 1. r 2, i 3.. To as manyas received him, to them gave he power to become the funs of God ; being born not of blood, nor of the will of the flefb nor of the will of man; but of God. Our new birth and fpiritual being in Chrift,is the next ground of our Adoption; and fo we come into a nearer relation to him, that we may be capable of receiving the fruits of his fpe- cial love; 'tis the benefit of our Redemption applied by his fanftifying fpirit to all them that (hall be heirs of life : By the common Relation, God hath a title to our deareft. love, but we have no title to his highelt benefits ; and therefore he is our Father in a more comfortable fenfe, as we are his workmanfhip in Chrift. 2. His relation to the ancient Church through the legal Covenant : So God was a Father to them, and they his children ; for Iliad was called his ñrft.born,Exod. ¢. 22. in oppo -. fition to other Nations who were left to perifh in their own ways: And their defcendanta arecalled the children of the Kingdom, Matth. 8. 12. becaufe they had the ordinances and means of grace ; but the Gofpel dhurch is properly the church of the ftrfl.born, Hei,. i 2. 23. As they have a clearer knowledg of the priviledges belonging to Gods childreny and a larger participation, and more comfortable ufe of them, and fo are freed from that. rigour and fervitude, which belonged to the firft adminifiration of the covenant of Grace 5 they have that which anfwereth the priviledg of primogeniture, pis facerdotis e3' fits h,ereditatis ; the right of Priefhood , as they are a royal Priefibood, r Pet. 2. 9 Made Kings and Priefts unto Gad, Rev. r. 5. Becaufe they offer up fpiritual .Sacrifices acceptable to God by,Jefus Chrift; 1 Pet.'z. 5. They are feparaeed by the Eleftiòn of God from the rett of the world, and have an unftion from his Holy Spirit, t John à, 2oa And fo are qualified to offer up themfelves, Rom. 12. 1. and Prayers and Pralles, and Alms unto God, Heb. 13. s ç, 16. The other Priviledg of the birth -right is, ties heredi- latis ; the Hrff.born had a double portion, not only of poffeffions, but of Dignity and Honour above their brethren : All Gods children are heirs, and heirs of the Heaven- ly inheritance ; the multitude of coheirs doth not let en the inheritance, nor make the P riviledg lefs glorious : They are heirs of Salvation, Heb. 1. 14. 3. The efiate whereinhis Grace found us, when he was pleafed to take tes into his family. We were by nature children of Wrath, wretched children, Eph. 2.3. that had depri-. ved our ftives of the inheritance, wafted our Patrimony, forfeited our right to the Pro-. mifes ; but our inheritance is redeemed, and the forfeiture taken off by Chrift and we are brought back again into the family ; dignified with the priviledges of the firff- born, made Priefts unto God; and above all his other creatures, do become his fpecial Portion, Jam. r. 18. Of his own will begat he ris, to be a kind of firff fruits to his creatures. And made heirs of the Kingdom, Jam. 2.5. Now for us to have the Bleded God, whom we had fo ofteno ffended, to become our reconciled Father in Chrift : Oh what won- derful love is this! That we fhould be admitted into the Church of the firft -bórn, have free liberty to worship God, and have a right to loch a bfeffed and glorious inheria rance ! 2. What is the fpirit of Adoption ? Firfl, We are made fans, and then we have the fpirit of his Son, Gal. ¢. 6. Being adopted into Gods Family, we have a fpirit Editable : They that ufe to adopt children,give them tome kind of token, to exprefi their love ; fo here is a gift anfwerable to the dignity of our eftate, and the love of a Father, and that is thegifr of the fpirit; the dignity is inward and fpiritual ; and the gift anfwereth it : He hash Pent the fpirit of his Son into your hearts : God would not diftinguifh the good 8'X from,
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