from the curfe of the law, by being made a curfe for them, we may pafs on to the confequences of our Lord's being thus brought under the law, and its curfe, which, he fays, was to redeem or buy up those who were in bondage to it. Only it may be worth obferving, how the Apoftle rifes in his views: he lays before them, and brings on the light in which he wanted they should see it, by degrees, "like the morning light, which fhines more " and more unto the perfect day," Prov. iv. 18.: and it is indeed the path of the righteous. He begins with what might feem a remote prospect, viz. the promise and bleffing of Abraham; he proceeds to their deliverance from the curfe of the law, by Jefus Christ the seed to whom the promise was made; and here he carries it up to a deliverance from the law itself, as being of no more ufe to the Jews themselves, now that the end of it was attained. It was a comfortable view he gave both of Jews and Gentiles, as heirs of the promife; but now he carries it up to the fulfilment, they were children and heirs of God in Chrift.

Thus we find, that the Son of God

when

when he came into the world to redeem those who were under the law, the gracious defign was not purely to free them from the bondage they were held under by it: Had they been left there, it is hard to fay what their condition would have been. The buying them up from under the law was by no means defigned to leave them to the dreadful confequences of a lawlefs liberty, which might have had worse confequences, if poffible, than that bondage from which they were freed: it was, that they might be put into a state where their conduct was to be directed by another fort of law, which this fame Apostle calls the law of the Spirit of life in Chrift Jefus: it was, that they might receive what could not be received by the law of Mofes, that they might re-, ceive the adoption of fons.

He must be a very fuperficial reader who can pass this without obferving the ftrength of the Apoftle's expreffion, that all that is left to us for obtaining this fonfhip, is, to receive it as God gives it in his Son, as a free gift of sovereign grace. The voice of the gofpel, as our Lord himfelf preached it, is, "All things are ready, N n

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come

come to the marriage,” Matth. xxii. 4. ; or, as the Prophet Ifaiah proclaimed long before, "buy wine and milk without money, and without price," Ifaiah lv. Nothing but come, and take what God has kindly prepared at fuch an immense expence, as the life and blood of his own beloved Son. And ftrange, very strange it is, (our Lord himself marvelled at it), that perishing sinners will not come to him that they may have life; that they may have it too in fuch an endearing way, by receiving the adoption of fons.

Adoption is a term very well known among men. It is taking a stranger into one's family, and instating him in all the relations, rights, and privileges of a fon born of one's own body. It never was, nor can be, difputed, that this is an act of mere grace and favour, whatever the merits and worth of the adopted perfon might be; and they may be fuch as may bring greater honour to the adopter than him who is adopted. But this is far from being the cafe of those who are made fons and children of God. So far from having any thing amiable about them, that of all the creatures of God, devils only ex

cepted,

cepted, they are the bafeft and vileft, the moft foolish and the moft wretched, and the only creatures funk into fuch perverfenefs, as to be enemies to that God unto whom they owe every thing. Surely if there is any mercy fhown to fuch, it must be pure sovereign grace; and fuch love as is no where to be found but in him who is love, and can pitch his love on what object he pleases.

f

Whatever the circumftances of the adopter may be, it is the highest evidence any man can give of love to the perfon whom he thus brings into his family; but the higher the rank and digni

ty

of the adopter, and the larger the inheritance, fo much greater is the advantage the stranger makes by being thus connected with the family. This sets the adoption, and fonfhip which the Apostle here fpeaks of, in a light greatly above human conception in our present state. Were it no more than the love which God. has fhown in this aftonishing favour, though we were to make no more by it, the privilege is inestimable: And the Apoftle John refers us to this very thing, to take the measure both of the truth and reality,

Nn 2

reality, the intenseness and perfection of the love of God: 1 John iii. 1. “ Behold, "what manner of love the Father hath be"ftowed upon us, that we fhould be call"ed the children of God:" and furely that is the highest honour, the most fupereminent dignity a creature can poffibly be invefted with; and in comparison of which the highest dignities and honours on earth are mere baubles, fuch trifles as are not worthy to be named along with this.

But the God of truth does not put off those whom he allows the title of fons to, with bare names and titular honours. Whomfoever he honours with the title of fons, he makes really fuch. Men can give ftrangers all the rights and privileges, but cannot give them the hearts and fpirits of children: whereas the Apostle affures us, verf. 6. that whoever have received this adoption, have at the fame time the Spirit of his Son, his own well-beloved Son, fent into their hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Abba, every one knows, is the fame with that which fignifies father in Greek. That there must be fome reafon for the Apostle's ufing that Hebrew word, when describing the adopted fon's address to his heavenly

Father,