dying this subject, in the very centre of "the heights and depths, the lengths and breadths," of the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge; that thus I may ascribe nothing to the Spirit which belongs to Christ; nor so present what belongs to the Spirit as to hide any of the wonders of redeeming love.

On the other hand, however, equal care ought to be taken that we neither overlook nor underrate any part of the work of the Spirit, or of the wondrous love which distinguishes his operations. Now, in regard to adoption, all the children of God are "born again of the Spirit," "led by the Spirit," and "sealed by the Spirit.' In like manner, all their knowledge and enjoyment of their adoption comes from his witness to its truth. Hence Paul says, "The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." Rom. viii. 16. For these and similar reasons, the Comforter is expressly and emphatically called "the Spirit of Adoption."

With such facts before us, there can be neither danger nor difficulty in tracing, even minutely, the love of the Spirit, as that is manifested in connection with adoption. It shines brightly even in the preliminary step of convincing us that our natural relationship to God, as "the Father of our spirits," is not sonship. We are all, indeed, by creation, "his offspring." Yes; and, by nature, we should all trust to that, as enough for safety. So prone is the human mind to rest satisfied with mere natural and nominal relations to God, that the Jews reckoned themselves the children of God because they were the "seed of Abraham," and although this presumptuous fallacy was met and unmasked by the startling oracle, "God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham," many have taught, and more believed, even in the face of John the Baptist's protest, that baptism makes an infant a child of God, and an heir of the kingdom of heaven.

We may never have attached any such importance to our baptism, nor founded any claim or hope upon our descent from pious parents: but the time was when we took for granted that we needed no nearer relationship to God than our birth in a Christian land gave us. When we spoke of God, it was as our maker chiefly, if not only. We addressed him, indeed, as "our Father," when we repeated the Lord's prayer; but we thought of him only as our creator and preserver; and never dreamt, that he who made us could have "no mercy upon us," apart from redeeming us from the curse of the law by the death of his Son.

This delusion did not end with our childhood. It would never have ended by age or experience, had not the Holy Spirit convinced us, that "we were by nature the children of wrath, as well as others." Eph. ii. 3. This conviction is his work upon the soul, wherever it is an humbling conviction. And what but love, even great love, could have induced him to implant it in any soul? For no truth, perhaps, is more hateful to the natural mind; it exasperates, as well as mortifies, our pride. Oh, it was "a night much to be remembered before the Lord," when we first applied this humbling truth to ourselves, and said of ourselves, "We are the children of wrath as well as others!" |

"Call me a child of thine!"

is not the first prayer which springs from the heart to the lips, when we feel ourselves to be children of wrath by nature. Penitents, in general, adopt instinctively the prayer of the prodigal, "Make me as one of thy hired servants, for I am no more worthy to be called thy son."

You remember that you would have been content, yea, well pleased, to be restored to the favor of God, in any capacity, or relation, which would have placed your soul in safety. To be on the right hand, at the judgment-seat, however far off from the spot where crowns of glory were falling: to be in heaven for ever, however obscure or unnoticed, would have more than satisfied your soul, at first. You could not see then, how God could "put you among the children, and give you a goodly heritage," in the general assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven, and whose mansions are near the throne. You would have counted it "joy unspeakable and full of glory" for you, to have had the prospect of serving the servants of God, by carrying their harps after them on the sea of glass, or by helping them to cast their crowns at the feet of the Lamb. You thought of no crown nor harp for yourself; but felt, that you could adore the Lamb for ever without either, if only permitted to be where he is.

It is,

Now there was real humility in all this: but it was not so wise, as it was well-meant, nor so very humble as it seems. For, as this is not the form in which eternal life is promised or presented to any one by the gospel, so it is not a form in which it should be sought or desired, by any one. remember, "many sons," or only as children, that God will bring to glory. Heb. ii. 10. Accordingly, the Holy Spirit did not allow your hopes or desires to rest satisfied with the bare prospect of just escaping hell, and entering heaven at last.He led them out, however gradually, to seek for an interest in the great atonement-for the regenerating power of grace-for conformity to the divine image; and thus led them on to embrace the prospects of the gospel, as well as the promises of it; and to lay hold of eternal life, just as Christ has revealed it.

Do you not see the love of the Spirit in this? Consider; had you been left to take up with the mere hope of escaping hell, or of being merely "a

hired servant," in your father's house, you would soon have relaxed in prayer to God, and in dependance on Christ. There is, alas, but too little of both maintained, even when a hope full of immortality is taken up: and there would be still less, if less than "the glory to be revealed" were permitted to become the final object of desire or pursuit.

Besides; it is of immense importance, yea, absolutely necessary, to be led on to the desire of full adoption into the family of God. Willingness to be a servant is all very well, as a feeling; but as a principle, it does not, and cannot, produce either the kind or the degree of service which God requires. Indeed, when it is thoroughly sifted, as a principle, it will be found somewhat unholy as well as slothful. Our hearts, remember, are very deceitful, and quite capable of preferring that relationship to God, which involves the fewest sacrifices, and the least serving. It is, therefore, just as possible to hold back from embracing the hope of sonship, in order to avoid the duties of children, as to keep back from the sacrament, in order to stand clear of its peculiar moral obligations and responsibilities. More is expected from children than from servants, in life: and in godliness, this is soon discovered to be still more true. O, it is well that the Comforter is "the Spirit of adoption!" By this, he proves himself to be the Spirit of sanctification and holiness. For it is sonship alone, that is seen and felt to call for filial, cheerful, and impartial obedience. It is the duty of being "followers of God as dear children," that explains and enforces "following the Lord fully."

Consider now the love of the Spirit in fixing and exercising the mind of penitents, with God's solemn question," How shall I put thee amongst the children?" Jer. iii. 29. It is a remarkable fact, that all the truly penitent, however intent upon escaping the wrath to come, are yet deeply concerned for the honor of God in their salvation. I mean, that they wish to see how a holy and just God can, consistently, save them. Their chief difficulty lies here.

This is not what might naturally be expected from a sinner, when he is shrinking from "a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation.' Then, it might be supposed, that he would care for nothing but his own safety-that he would catch at any hope of escape, without one thought about the glory of God-that he would count any kind of salvation, in any way, enough for him. But a penitent does not. The louder he cries, "Who | can dwell with devouring fire and everlasting burnings?" the oftener he asks, “How can man be just with God?" The more he feels his danger, the more he wishes to be honorably delivered from the wrath to come.

There is more in this concern for the honor and consistency of God, than can be explained fully by the fact, that we know him too well to suppose that he could show mercy at the expense of law or justice. This consideration has, of course, no small influence upon us. It ought to have much. But still, there is more in this state of mind, than the conviction that God must act in character, or in harmony with all the perfections of his nature, and principles of his government. There is, also,

an anxious and honest desire to see God just, in justifying to see God glorified, in saving. Accordingly, until something of this is seen, no penitent ventures to answer God's question,—“ How can I put thee amongst the children?"

This, however, is just the question, for drawing us to search the Scriptures, that we may ascer tain whether there be any way in which God can be merciful to us, without injury to his character. And is not the love of the Spirit illustrious, in thus throwing us upon an inquiry, that throws us directly upon the gospel? Were our great question only-how shall I become better, or how shall I resist temptation in future? we might, and most likely should, stop short of the cross of Christ, and think only of our need of some divine help. But the question-how can I become an adopted, accepted, and beloved child of God? cannot be answered by any prospect of mere help, however great. It is unanswerable, until we discover that for this very purpose, or that we might be "dear children," Christ both died and rose again. How wise and kind it is, therefore, to fix and exercise our hopes and fears, with a point upon which we can obtain no real satisfaction, but by finding out from the word of God, that he sent his Son to redeem them who were under the law, just "that we might receive the adoption of sons.' Gal. iv. 5. Truly, the Spirit is often a Comforter, when we do not think him so. Yes; his work is often in tender love, when we suspect him of desertion or denial. We, no doubt, thought, when turning over and over in our minds, the absorbing inquiry, "Am I a child of God-shall I ever be one of his family?"-that it was very trying, and somewhat strange, that we could come to no settled conclusion! But see now-what love regulated all the work of the Spirit, in this apparent standing afar off." He was thus taking care, that we should come near enough to the cross, by the Scriptures, to see in it, and for ourselves, that the great sacrifice which made mercy free, made adoption equally free; that the blood which cleanseth from all sin, cancels all unworthiness, and gives power, right, and welcome, to all who receive Christ crucified, to regard themselves as the children of God.

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There is much of the love of the Spirit manifested, in thus shutting up penitents" to the faith" of the gospel, for the relief of their anxieties about sonship. No direct witness of the Spirit with their own spirit could, under ordinary circumstances, do them so much good. It might be more agreeable to us, to have a sense of sonship, or the consciousness of adoption, borne in upon our minds by an impulse; but it would neither be so profitable or safe. We should be in no small danger of attaching more value to it, than to the cross; and in great danger of making less use of our Bibles. The Holy Spirit, therefore, does not give a sense of any thing, which would set aside or lessen the necessity of "a life of faith" on the son of God. He witnesses to no sonship, but what is drawn from the cross, and held at the cross, by humble and prayerful faith. Accordingly, even those cloudless and glorious discoveries of sonship which hallow and enshrine the death-bed of some saints, are, most likely, indeed certainly,-all made through the medium of their former experi

the face, as the small still voice of a reconciling God. That produces just the effect, and all the effect, foretold in prophecy,-Thou shalt "remember and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God." Ezek. xvi. 63.

usually omitted, when reasoning, with the timid and trembling, from the fact of their quickening, to the fact of God's love to their souls: omitted, however, not treacherously nor heedlessly, but in tenderness to their feelings, and in the hope that spiritual life may soon be followed by spiritual joy. These two things are often separate for a time, in point of fact; and, therefore, it is not altogether unfair to separate them in argument, when the unwise, however well meant. It defeats itself, whenever the trembling penitent retires to weigh the argument, by reading the passage. Then he sees, that the quickening, which (he was told) was a proof of the great love of God, includes spiritual resurrection, and is connected with some spiritual exaltation, which he does not even understand the meaning of. Thus, he finds no parallel between himself and the Ephesians, except that he, like them, is no longer "dead in trespasses and sins." Unless, therefore, he know of something in the gospel itself to encourage him, or recollect some case more parallel to his own, he is then in danger of being more discouraged than ever by the case of the Ephesian converts.

This distinction between some light, and considerable illumination, will go far in explaining that sad oversight of the love of the Spirit, which is so common amongst many, who are certainly not strangers to the work of the Spirit. They think nothing love, but comfort; nothing sympathy, but consolation: and, as they are uncomfortable, they are ready to conclude that they are unconverted, and thus not loved by the Spirit at all. This conclusion is often drawn by the weary and heavy laden, who, although seeking rest to their souls, cannot find any "quiet rest;" and it would be oftener drawn, were they not glad to cling to any thing, which was any proof or token that they are not given up to a reprobate mind. It is their dread of being rejected, or "let alone," by God entirely, that makes them so willing to hear the best construction put upon their fears and distress. These are not removed, nor much relieved, but they are alleviated, by the kind interpretations, which ministers and pious friends give of such symptoms. It is something, and that something is not a little to a trembling conscience, or a sinking heart, to be told kindly-that "God would not have showed you such things, had he intended no mercy;-you would not feel as you do if God had given you up;—a reprobate mind is a reckless mind; a seared conscience is past feeling. But this is not your case; you are in a far more hopeful state now that you are afraid to hope, than you were whilst you had no fears."

There is not, indeed, much of the gospel in all this; but still it is "a word in season to the weary," which often enables them to "look again" to the gospel, or inclines them to try again to find peace. In like manner, they are somewhat encouraged, although not exactly comforted, when ministers or friends reason with them "out of the Scriptures," showing, from the case of the Ephesians, that there is not only love, but "great love," manifested in quickening a sinner from spiritual death. "God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ." Eph. ii. 4, 5.

It is not common to quote, as I have done, the words, "together with Christ;" much less to add the words which follow, "and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Verse 6. All this is

Besides; the Holy Spirit is generally spoken of as a comforter; and, therefore, it is no great wonder if those who are very uncomfortable suspect very much that the Spirit has no love to them. They are wrong-sadly wrong, in thus suspecting the heart or the hand of the all-gracious Spirit: for, as "the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus," he must give death-wounds to the love of sin, and to the pride of the heart, and to the power of self-righteousness. It would be no less to wound them but slightly; and no wisdom to comfort the wounded spirit by the number or the depth of its bleeding convictions. It is not the begun work of the Holy Spirit on the heart, but the finished work of Christ on the cross, that gives real comfort then.

Were this distinction well understood, both the comfort and the illumination of penitents would advance faster than they usually do. Their personal piety also, would make more progress for it, too, is much impeded by trying to graft the hope of salvation upon the depths of conviction. Happily, that unwise process of comforting the awakened, defeats itself in the end. It is, however, very injurious, whilst it succeeds; for the moment a penitent takes up with the maxim, that his convictions are sure to end in conversion, there is an end to much of his diligence, and to more of his watchfulness. Little do they know what they are doing, who, in their sympathy with the convicted, comfort them by their convictions. This is stopping their flight from the wrath to come! Accordingly, it is not very uncommon to find persons whose experience and hope amount to nothing beyond the single fact, that, at one time in their life, they had very strong convictions, which were very like the work of the Spirit. Their alarm and melting did not, however, lead to any consecration to Christ or holiness; but merely to a lazy hanging on upon the outward means of grace, with some vague hope that what they once felt would turn out, at last, to be a work of grace, as a matter of course.

This is a fearful delusion! There is even infatuation in it. No man, in his senses, would treat