supply of nature for the comfort of them that
want. But it is strange, that God having a Son so glorious, the very
character of his person, and brightness of his glory, in whom he delighted
from eternity,--strange, I say, that he should in a manner lose and give
away his only begotten Son, that he might by his means adopt others, poor
despicable creatures, yea, rebellious, to be his sons and daughters.
Certainly, this is an act infinitely transcending nature,--such an act that
hath an unsearchable mystery in it, into which angels desire to look and
never cease looking, because they never see the bottom of it. It was not
out of indigency he did it, not for any need he had of us, or comfort
expected from us, but absolutely for our necessity and consolation, that
he might have upon whom to pour the riches of his grace.

Sermon XXXVIII.

Verse 15.--"But ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we
cry, Abba, Father."

"Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God," 1 John iii. 1. It is a wonderful
expression of love to advance his own creatures, not only infinitely below
himself, but far below other creatures, to such a dignity. Lord, what is
man that thou so magnified him! But it surpasseth wonder, that rebellious
creatures, his enemies, should have, not only their rebellions freely
pardoned, but this privilege of sonship bestowed upon them, that he should
take enemies, and make sons of them, and not only sons, but heirs,
co-heirs with his own only begotten Son. And then, how he makes them sons,
is as wonderful as the thing itself, that he should make his own Son our
brother, "bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh," and make him spring
out as a branch or rod out of the dry stem of Jesse, who himself was the
root of all mankind. This is the way, God sent his Son, made of a woman,
under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons, Gal. iv. 5. The
house of heaven marries with the earth, with them who have their
foundation in the dust, the chief heir of that heavenly family joineth in
kindred with our base and obscure family, and by this means we are made of
kin to God. "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus," 1 Cor. i. 30. It behoved
Christ, in a manner to lose his own sonship as to men, to have it so
veiled and darkened by the superadded interest in us, and his nearness to
us. He was so properly a Son of man, subject to all human infirm