"and deliver them, who through fear of "death were all their life time subject unto

a

ઃઃ

bondage:" and all this, " that we might "receive the adoption of fons," that we, who are fatherlefs by nature, having no natural right to be called the children of God, might be made fo by "adoption ;" we acknowledge as much in our beautiful collect for Christmas-Day, and we acknowledge no more than we are taught to believe in fcrip"Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath bleffed us with all spiritual bleffings in heavenly

ture:

places in Chrift: according as He hath "chofen us in Him before the foundation "of the world, that we should be holy and "without blame before Him in love: having predeftinated us unto the adoption of chil"dren by Jefus Chrift unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." But this is not all, the mercy of God does not stop with the fending of his fon; having

a. Heb. ii, 1. 15.

Ephef. i, 3, 4, 5•

fent

fent his Son, He fends his Spirit alfo:" and "because ye are fons, God hath fent forth "the Spirit of his Son into your heart, cry

ing, Abba Father." This is the Father's gift unto all his children, " If ye being evil "know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more fhall your Father which is in heaven give the holy Spirit unto them that afk Him ?" The promises of Chrift are express to this purpofe, many of them are to be found in the fourteenth, fifteenth, and fixteenth chapters of St. John's Gofpel.-He expreffes himself in a remarkable manner when he says, “I "will not leave you comfortless, in the "Greek it is oppaves orphans:" which is as much as to fay, that they, who have not the fpirit of Chrift, are in a "fatherlefs" conditi

on;

indeed the Apostle fays the fame, that if any man have not the fpirit of Chrift he "is none of his," that " as many as are led " by the Spirit of God, they are the fons of

* Luke xi, 13.

D 2

b John xiv, 18.

God,"

2

"God," that " ye have received the fpirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba Fa«ther," and that " the Spirit itself beareth

witness with our fpirits that we are the "children of God." The Apostle Peter has exprefsly faid on the memorable day of Pentecoft," the promife is unto you and unto your children and unto all that are a far "off, even as many as the Lord our God « fhall call": from whence we may

ь

infer that the influences of the Spirit can not cease, being effential to the existence of the Chrif tian Church unto the end of time; nay they can not cease till the Church is complete in glory; " but if the fpirit of Him, that raised

up Jefus from the dead, dwell in you; He, "that raifed up Chrift from the dead, shall "alfo quicken your mortal bodies by his

Spirit that dwelleth in you." We therefore pray in our beautiful collect for Chriftmas-Day, that we being regenerate, and

22

Romi viii, 9, 14, 15, 16. 1. 1b Ads ii, 39.

Rom viii, 11.

"made

"made God's children by adoption and "grace, may daily be renewed by his holy Spirit."

This is the "mercy," which is fpoken of in the words of the text, and which is held forth in the gospel to thofe, who are by nature" fatherless", without hope. and without God in the world. When a perfon has ceived "the Spirit of God's Son in his heart crying Abba Father", he may be faid, to have found" this mercy: as the Apoftle speaks of himself in the first chapter of his Epiftle to Timothy; " for this caufe I ob"tained mercy that in me firft, or the chief of "finners, God might fhew forth all long

fuffering, for a pattern to them which fhould hereafter believe on Him unto life "everlafting." Now, reader, if this is the mercy which you and I want, (nay what muft become of us without it?) and if it is freely and fairly held forth to us in the word of God, the great question is, where is it to be found?

This

This was propofed to us as the third head of enquiry-it is most important, and great emphafis is laid upon it in the words of the text, "in THEE the fatherlefs findeth mercy." The returning Ifraelites, whom we may venture with the Apoftle to call a rem

T

hant according to the election of grace, are taught to come unto God as "fatherJefs, confefling their iniquity, and praying for it's removal; take away all iniquity:"" they are taught to ask for a gracious reception," and receive us gracioufly:" they are taught to renounce all other dependències;

Afhur fhall not fave us, we will not ride upen horfes, neither will we fay any more "to the work of our hands, ye are our "Gods; for in THEE the fatherless findeth

86

mercy." Here the wicked are taught that this mercy is not to be found in the ways of fin; they, who are righteous in their own eyes, that it is not by works of righteousness which they have done; they, who

2 Rom. xi, 5.

are