T' t(auo fat* âpon ut, that we Jhould be called the Sons of God, r 7oh. 3. t. That the indefectible God, who bath a Son of his own lying in his bofom as an eternal joy, should Adopt., that the great Creator, who as fuch bath all poffible right to his Creature, íhould Adopt ; that the Immor- tal < , One, to whom by reafon of his Immorta- lity there can be no fucceffion, 'should yet A- dopt ; that fuch a Majetly as he is should A- dopt fuch as we are, worms and finful duff, and Adopt us to fuch an Inheritance as Hea- ven is ; and by putting a new nature into us, make us meet for the fame, is ftupendious and wonderful beyond exprefiion. Such Conti - derations as thefe made the great School -man Duràndus (as Medina relates) affirm, 7hát God did not Adopt properly, but Secundum Tranfla- tionem,in a Metaphorical way. But to pats that, thefe things fignally demontlrate, that Divine Adoption is full of rich Grace, and in a tran- fcendent manner above Humane. Moreover, Adoption puts a lufire upon the Believer, fuch as is not to be found upon the Princes and Po- tentates of the Earth. The proud Sultan ?lob- ch met ufed in his Letters to arrogate thefe high hift. Titles to himfelf; I Achmet head of Prophets, Emperour of Emperours, Lord of Europe, Ada, and Africa, Lord of the White, Blacl;, and Red Sean fubjoining a long Enumeration of all the Provinces under him : But to be a Son ofGod is incomparably more than all thefe. All that train of Titles whereby Potentates fpread out their Glory, is fumus f cull, the fmoke of this lower World, and glitters only in the eyes of R 2 fleth
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