from the world-to quicken them in their dutyto prove their fincerity-and prepare them for heaven. David confidered his adverfity as a fruit of God's parental faithfulness and love. "I know, O God, that thy judgments are right, and thou in faithfulness haft afflicted me."

Affliction, confidered in itself, is grievous-confidered as the effect of fin, is humbling-but, confidered as the allotment of divine wifdom for our eternal advantage, it is matter of thankfulness and joy. "Count it all joy," fays St. James, "when ye fall into divers temptations, for the trying of your faith worketh patience." "Rejoice," fays St. Peter, "in as much as ye are partakers of the fufferings of Chrift, that when his glory fhall be revealed, ye may be glad alfo with exceeding joy." The children of God must esteem it a mighty privilege, that they are under the care of a wife and gracious parent, who will always treat them according to their wants; will give them profperity as far as it is fafe, and withdraw it when it would be dangerous; will fend correction when it is needed, and remove it when the occafion ceafes; and, in a word, will caufe all things to work for their good.

3. Adoption includes a title to a glorious refurrection from the dead, and to an eternal inheritance in the heavens.

So this Apoftle explains it in the eighth chapter to the Romans. "We have received the fpirit of adoption-and the fpirit itfelf beareth witnefs with our fpirits, that we are the children of God; and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Chrift. If we fuffer with him, we fhall also be glorified with him; and all the fufferings of the present time, are not worthy to be compared with the glory, which fhall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifeftation of the fons of God; for the creature shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption

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into the glorious liberty of the fons of God. And we, who have the firft fruits of the fpirit, groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, even the redemption of the body." To the fame purpofe are the words of St. John, 1 Epifle, Chapter iii. "Behold now, what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us, that we fhould be called the fons of God.-Now we are the fons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when Chrift fhall appear, we fhall be like him, for we fhall fee him as he is." So alfo fays St. Peter, 1 Epifle i. 3. "Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath begotten us to a lively hope by the refurrection of Chrift from the dead, to an inheritance incorrupti ble, undefiled, fading not away, referved in heaven for us."

Now if believers are the children of God, then their temper must be a child like temper-a temper correfponding to their relation, condition and character. Let us therefore, as becomes obedient children, be holy in all manner of conversation, for he who has called us is holy. Let us be followers of God as dear children, walking worthy of him, who has called us to his kingdom and glory. Let us reverence and love our Supreme Parent, truft ourfelves in the hands of his goodness, patiently bear the corrections of his love, humbly fubmit to the difpofals of his wifdom, maintain a daily correfpondence with him, attend to all the difcoveries of his will, and in all things cheerfully comply with his commands, however contrary to our nat ural wishes. In imitation of his goodnefs let us da good as we have opportunity; and, regarding his profeffed children as our brethren, let us walk in love to them, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace; for he, who is the God and Father of all, is above all, through all, and in us all.

I proceed to our fourth,

IV. Obfervation: That all fpiritual bleffings are derived to us through Jesus Christ. "God hath shofen us in Chrift-predeftinated us to the adoption of children by Chrift-made us accepted in the Beloved." It is the grand theme of the gospel, that "God is in Chrift, reconciling the world to himfelf."

The wisdom of God faw fit to exercise mercy to finful men through the mediation of his Son, who came into our world, affumed our nature, and fuffered death on the crofs for our fins. What were all the reafons, which, in the divine government, made fuch a scheme of redemption neceffary, it may be difficult for us to determine, and it is needlefs to inquire. We may, however, cafily difcern fome important ends, which it anfwers. It clearly difplays the holiness, juftice and mercy of God, the evil and demerit of fin, the punishment which it deferves, the grace of God to pardon it, and the amazing danger of continued impenitence in it :We must therefore fuppofe, that these were among the reasons why it was adopted.

As Chrift is the Mediator, fo all the bleffings, which we enjoy and hope for, are reprefented as coming to us through him. We are juftified through his blood-adopted in him-obtain the promise of the Spirit and are fanctified in him-are admitted to the means of falvation, called to the privileges the gospel, and made partakers of eternal life through

him.

The Apoftle fays, God has chofen us in Christ, before the foundation of the World. It was the eternal plan of divine wisdom to fave finners through Jefus Chrift, who, in the purpofe of God, was a lamb flain from the foundation of the world.Their falvation therefore cannot originate from any worthyness in themselves, but muft depend on the interpofition of the Savior; for every thing which

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God has done, and which, even before the foundation of the world, he purpofed to do for the recovery of finners, was in confideration of that all perfect facrifice which has been offered on the

crofs.

Now if all fpiritual benefits come to us only through Chrift, it is an obvious conclufion, that we muft feek and expect them in his name: For we muft evidently apply for them in the way in which God beftows them. Faith in Chrift, therefore, becomes a neceffary condition of acceptance with God. However God may fee fit to deal with fome, whoenjoy not our light, yet to us, who have known the mystery of his will, faith in Chrift is a necef. fary principle of religion. "For as much as we know, that we are not redeemed with corruptible things, but with the precious blood of Chrift, who was ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifefted in these last times for us, we must come to God by him, and by him believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, that our faith and hope might be in God."

V. The Apoftle farther teaches us, that the reafon of God's choofing believers in Chrift, and predeftinating them to adoption, is the good pleasure of his will.

If we admit that we are finful, fallen crcatures, unworthy of God's favor, aud infufficient for our own redemption, which is a plain doctrine of the gofpel, and an evident dictate of experience, then our falvation muft ultimately be refolved into God's good pleasure. There is no other fource from which it can be derived. If death is our defert, our deliverance muft be by grace.

Final falvation is fufpended on the conditon of our repentance, faith and holinefs; but it is not the lefs grace; for thefe previous requifites are not merely of ourfelves; they are the gifts of God.

The original plan of falvation is from him, not from us: The gospel itself is a divine gift, not a human difcovery: Our being under circumftances to enjoy it is not the effect of our previous choice, but of God's fovereign goodness: It is the good Spirit of God, who awakens the attention of finners to the gofpel, excites them to the use of the means in their hands, and makes these means fuccessful. The gofpel confiders and treats us as free, but not as independent agents. In common life, the fuccefs of our labors, as well as our ability to labor, depends on the fupport and concurrence of Providence. In the fpiritual life, we are no lefs dependent on the influence of grace. As our encouragement to worldly induftry arifes from a belief, that God's Providence always attends us, fo our animation in the Chriftian life fprings from a perfuafion, that God's grace is fufficient for us. The juft

live by faith."

Salvation is the purchase of Chrift; but ftill it no lefs originates from God's good pleasure ; "for in this was manifefted the love of God toward us, because he fent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." "God, who is rich in mercy," fays our Apoftle, " for the great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in fins, hath quickened us together with Chrift, that in the ages to come, he might fhew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnefs to us by Jefus Chrift. For by grace are ye faved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not of works, left any man should boast; for we are his workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus to good works, which God hath ordained, that we fhould walk in them."

This brings us to our laft obfervation,

VI. That the great purpofe for which God has chofen and called us, is the praife of the glory of his

grace.