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them the image and resemblance of his own holiness, Job 4. 18, and because, as children of the family, they familiarly converfe with God in his houfe, which is heaven, Job 1. 6: in fine, because fomething of the dignity and authority of God is vouchfafed unto them, as we have juft faid, that magiftrates are alfo called the children of the most high, Thefe are thrones, dominions, principalities, powers Col. 1. 16: nay they are alfo called, Gods, Pf. 97, 7, compared with Heb. 1. 6.

Adam by VII. In almoft the fame fenfe, Adam feems alfo creation, to be called the Son of God, Luke 3. 38; for feeing eminently that name, which has the article e fet before it,

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denotes father in all the foregoing verfes, as the fyriac in place of re always puts ; no reafon can be affigned, why here, altering the phrafe, we fhould tranflate with Beza, who was of God; in which he has followed the Syriac, who tranflated, who is of God. For, no doubt can be made, that Adam may be fitly called the fon of God, the reafons of which Philo elegantly explains in the paffage adduced by the illuftrious Grotius on Luke 3. 38 in the manner Jofephus has alfo written, that men were born of God himself: namely, God created Adam. 2. In his own image. 3. Eminently loved him, 4. Gave him dominion over the creatures. For thefe reafons he is defervedly called the fon of God, tho' God had not yet declared him heir of his peculiar bleffings. Nor does he feem without reafon to mention Adam, as the fon of God. For, this tends, as Grotius has learnedly obferved, to raise our mind, by this fcale, to the belief of the birth of Chrift. For he, who from the earth, without a father, could produce man, was able in like manner to make Chrift to be born of a virgin without a father.

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But kept VIII. But Adam did not long maintain that not long dignity, on account of which he was called the Son that dig- of God; for neglecting holiness, and, lofing that excellency,

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excellency, in which he was created, and fuffering himself to be overcome by the devil, he became the fervant of Satan, by whom he was foiled, 2 Pet. 2. 19; and, at the fame time, a child of wrath, Eph.

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2. 3, together with all his pofterity. But what the Which the elect have loft in Adam, they recover in Chrift; Elect renamely, the fame, nay a far more excellent degree, Chrift. or rank among the children. For, let the difparity between Chrift and believers be ever fo great, yet he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Heb, 2. 11.

IX. But the Elect obtain this degree of children of 1. By a God feveral ways. First, they become the Sons of God new birth; by a new and fpiritual generation, defcending from above: John fpeaks of this, chap. 1. 12, 13. But as many as received him, to them gave be power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on his name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. This illuftrious paffage, which is varioully explained by interpre ters, requires fome particular confideration.

X. The Apoftle defcribes this generation, or birth, John 1: whereby the Elect become the fons of God, both 12,13,ex. negatively and pofitively he denies it to be of blood, plained. that is, natural or ordinary, like that, whereby the children come to be partakers of flesh and blood, Heb. 2. 14, and which is judged to be of blood: neither is it of the will of the flesh, that is, from any carnal defire of having children by any means; hence it is, that one, by giving too much indulgence to the corrupt reafoning of the flesh, makes ufe of means for that end, which God never prefcribed: fomélike this we may obferve in Sarah, when, from a defite of having children, fhe gave Hagar to Abrabam: nor in fine, is it of the will of man, who, for certain reafons of his own, loves one above others," and fo appoints him to the principal part of the inheritance juft as this was the will of Ifaac with refpect to Efau. Nothing human can give being to this fpiritual generation, which is only of God, who decreed

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decreed it from eternity, and actually regenerate at the appointed time.

XI. To thofe, who are thus born of God, he gave power to become the fons of God. Eusia here de-, notes right and power, Rev.. 22. 14, that they may have a right to the tree of life. But it may feem ftrange, how they, who are born of God, may have a right to become fons of God; feeing, by their very nativity from God, they are already become his children. To remove this difficulty, three things chiefly have been obferved by very learned men: ift, As yEveçla, to become, is the fecond Aorift, it may fitly be taken for the preterperfect; to this effect, he gave them that power, that right, that dignity, that they might become the fons of God, and enjoy the privileges, which are fuitable to that condition. 2dly, Tsa TOTO denotes in Scripture phrafe, to be fuch a one, or to behave, as becomes fuch a one. Thus it is ufed, Mat. 5. 45, bπws yémnçle vioi tã malpòs vuur, that ye may be the children of your father, that you may be. have yourfelves, as becomes the children of God, fee 1 The 2. 7, 10. 3dly, It might alfo be referred to that perfect filial ftate, which fhall be conjoined with the redemption of our body, and which the Apoftle, Rom. 8. 23, enjoins us to wait for: and fo the meaning may be, that God has granted those, who are born of him, a right to the heavenly inheritance, and that unparallelled honour, by which, both in foul and body, they fhall rejoice, as children of the family, in the palace of their father: in fuch a manner, that it shall not be in the power of any creature to flrip, diminish, or cut them off from that dignity. The reader may chufe which expofitions, he has a mind. We are not a little pleased with the laft; but wherein this new birth confifts, we have explained at large, Chap. VI, of this book.

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2. By mar. XII. And this is the firft foundation of that gloriage with rious ftate. Secondly, We become the children of the Lord God by marriage with the Lord Jesus; for when we

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become his fpoufe, then we pafs with him into his father's family, and the father calls us by the endearing name of daughter, Pf. 45. 10: and the Lord Jefus calls her alfo his fifter, whom he names his fpoufe, Cant. 5. I, 2. God had provided by his law, that if a man betroth, his maid-servant unto his fon, he fhall deal with her after the manner of daughters, Exod. 21..9: in the fame manner, he is pleafed to deal with elect fouls. By nature, they were as maid-fervants to fin and Satan; lay expofed in the open field, and were a loathing to all. However, he graciously offers them a marriage with his only begotten fon: they, by faith, accept the propofal, almost in the fame manner, that Abigal did, when she was invited to marry David, 1 Sam. 25. 41. And thus, by the fame act, by which they become the spouse of Christ, they alfo become the daughters of the living God, 2 Cor. 6. 18.

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XIII. Thirdly, by Adoption, which is an oeconomical 3. By Aatt of God, whereby they, who are regenerated after his doption. image, and betrothed by faith to his only begotten fon, are received into his family, and obtain the right and privileges of children, and the inheritance itself, by an immutable teftament. They are of the houshold of God, Eph. 2. 19; if children, then heirs, Rom. 8. 17; for the communication of the image of God alone does not give a right to the heavenly inheritance. This appears with respect to Adam in his ftate of innocence, who, indeed, was in the way of acquiring a right; but had not yet obtained it. The alone foundation of that right is the perfect and conftant obedience, either of man himself, or of his furety. Chrift therefore, having appeared for us, fulfilled all righteousness, and was appointed heir of all things, Heb. 12. The Elect being regenerated receive, and claim to themfelves, by faith, Chrift and all his benents, even his perfect righteousness: and being thus adopted by the father, and become the bre

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thren of Christ, they are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Chrift, Rom. 8. 17. And in this fenfe principally we think, John Speaks; to them, which are born of God, he gave power to become the fons of God, as explained above, fect. 11.

XIV. For the better understanding what has been phors ac- faid, we are now to obferve, that the Spirit of God, ed, to ex. in order to explain thefe myfteries, ufes metaphors, prefs the borrowed from human things. But thefe metaphors are to be fo adjusted, as one may not deftroy, but rather fupply the defects of the other. It would feem, in other respects abfurd, that the foul, which is born of God, fhould be adopted for a daughter, and joined in marriage to the only begotten Son of God. Yet the Scripture has wifely, ordered matters, when it declares all these things concerning believers. In order to express the original of fpiritual life, and of the image of God in man, it fays, that he was born of God to fet forth our most delightful union with Chrift, which is full of mutual affection, it calls it marriage; and to fhew the ground and firmnefs of our inheritance, it declares that we are adopted in Chrift. And it is on account of each of these things, that we may be called the children of God..

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Adoption, XV. And this adoption, is a moft precious bleffing the com- of the covenant of grace. But it was very different, mon bene- according to the different oeconomies, or difpenfations of that covenant. Tis, however, not to be doubted, that believers, at all times, were the children of God. Elibu, who was not of the people of Ifrael, called God his father, § Job. 34. 36. To underftand this in that dimunitive fenfe, in which the Heathen called Jupiter the father of Gods and men,

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In our verfion it is my defire is that Job may be tried but our marginal reading is, my father, let fob be tried; for fome obferve, that the fame words fignifies, both my defire and my father.

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