option, which Chrift has been fo employed for, and upon which fo much of his honour depends?

4. The defign of the miniftry of the gospel is to bring finners out of Satan's family into God's by adoption. And therefore they are fent out with that meffage in the name of the Lord, 2 Cor. vi. 17. Come out from among them, and be ye feparate, faith the Lord. They are fent to travel betwixt the two families, and perfuade finners to forget their father's houfe. The Lord does not send out his ambaffadors to mock you, but as really as the word of God is truth, if ye comply with their call, ye fhall be God's fons and daugh

ters.

5. Lastly, Whofoever fhall comply with the gofpelcall fhall be efpoufed and married to Chrift, and therefore cannot mifs to be a child of his Father's family, Hof. ii. 19. The gofpel-call is the carrying on of a treaty betwixt the elder brother of the houfe of heaven and a child of the houfe of hell. It is offered to all to whom the gospel comes, and to you in particular, amongst whom the feaft of the efpoufals is providing, Matth. xxii, 4. It is his Father's good will that this match be made. And therefore whom Chrift takes for his fpoufe, the Father will never refufe for a child of his family.

THIRDLY, I will lay before you farther the nature of this relation unto the family of heaven. The text tells us, that the iffue of this adoption is, that God will be a Father to the adopted, and they his children. Now, this may be confidered in two refpects. (1.) In point of privilege, and this privilege is exceeding great; but of that we have fpoke already. (2.) In point of duty, which the privilege brings along with it; and that I will now lay before you. If ye mind to join yourselves to the family of heaven, remember ye are to be there under the character of fons and daughters of the house, and must refolve to carry yourfelves as fuch: otherwife ye do but mock God, and will ruin your own fouls. Lay then

your account with this, that God must be a Father to you, and ye his fons and daughters. And this in point of duty implies,

1. Ye must join interefts with God's family. As the father's intereft is the intereft of all the children, fo God's intereft must be yours, on all hazards, Matth. xvi. 24. If any man will come after me, fays Chrift, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. There is a continued battle betwixt Chrift and his angels, and the devil and his; the peace will never be made. Now chufe what fide Now chufe what fide you will fall in with. Chrift is carrying all the family of God on earth away to heaven, in the fhip of the covenant, with a defign to weather all the ftorms they may meet with by the way; never to yield to go back to the devil's ground. Are ye content to embark with him on these terms? If fo, then fay now as Ruth did to Naomi, Ruth i. 16. Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goeft,! will go; and where thou lodgeft, I will lodge: thy people Shall be my people, and thy God my God. If not, better not to put your hand to the plough, than look back.

If

2. God muft command, and ye muft obey without difputing of your Father's orders. God fays to children, Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right, Eph. vi. 1. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well-pleafing unto the Lord, Col. iii. 20. The fame are the laws of the family of heaven, 1 Pet. i. 14. As obedient children, not fashioning your lufts, in your ignorance. Jelves according to the former lufts, in ye will come in here, leave your own corrupt will behind you, for your Father's will must be yours, Pfal. xlv. 10. and ye muft refolve to fubmit to all the laws of the house. If there be therefore any known duty ye have no mind to comply with, or known fin ye have no mind to part with, venture not in among the children, for ye cannot have the portion or welcome of a child.

3. Ye muft give him internal as well as external

obedience. Filial affections are due to a father; love, reverence, delight in him, and fear to offend him, Rom. viii. 15. A flave or fervant will give God the hand, when they do not give him the heart. But if thou be a fon, thou muft have child-like affections towards him. If thou haft no heart for him, no kindly zeal and concern on thy fpirit to please him, thou canft be no child of his. And if thou doft not mind to ply internal as well as external obedience, thou art not for that family.

4. Ye muft refolve, to imitate your Father, Eph. v. 1. Be followers of God, as dear children. Conform yourselves no more to the world, to follow the way of the multitude, Rom. xii. 2. but fet yourselves to write after Chrift's copy, to follow his example, and to walk as he walked, 1 John ii. 6. for he has left us an example, that we should follow his steps, Confider if ye be fo minded, ye are welcome to the childrens table; if not, ye are not fit to come there.

5. Ye and your lot must be at God's difpofal, Pfal. xlvii. 4. Ye muft take what place, and act what part in the family the Father fhall think meet to difpofe of you to. The foul that comes to Chrift, lays his all down at the Lord's feet, Acts ix. 6.; and if ye mind to come into the family, lay your account with this; for God will not allow his children to carve for themfelves, but leave that to him.

6. Ye muft fubmit to correction, Heb. xii. 6. 7. The difcipline of the house they muft fubmit to that will come into it. The crofs ye must be content to take up, if ever ye mind to put on the crown. Lay your account with the ilk-day's cross, and the holy-day's crofs for all the children of God are brought up un der it. And they that will refufe the crofs, will refufe their part in the family of heaven, fince there is no part there without it.

7. Lastly, Ye muft refolve to perfevere to the end, John viii. 35. Ye must take an everlasting farewell of Satan's family, never to go back to your former lufta

and idols; but to be the Lord's only, wholly, and for evermore. Never enter the threshold of the house, unless ye mind to stay for ever. Be contented to have your ears nailed to the door-pofts: for God has faid, If any man draw back, my foul fhail have no pleasure in him, Heb. x. 38.

Ufe of exhortation. Comply with the gospel-call. Come to Chrift out from among them, and partake of this adoption into God's family. Now ye may have God to be your Father, and ye may be his children. Secure this bleffed bargain for yourfelves now; and put a close to that tranfaction by fincerely clofing with Chrift, and giving up yourselves wholly to be the Lord's. I offer the following motives.

Mot. 1. Confider the wretched cafe of the family thou art of. Whilst thou art not a child of God, thou art a member of Satan's family, John viii. 44. and they are a miserable fociety, They are miserable now, and will be miferable for evermore; for God has fworn that he will have war with them for ever. See the great stroke that will be the decifive one, Matth. xxv. 41. Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Every unconverted man and woman is a child of wrath; that is their heritage from the Lord, which will make judgement their food, and everlasting forrow their bed. None of them have a garment to cover their nakednefs, nor wherewith to pay their debt to divine ju ftice, fo wretchedly poor are they; and therefore Chrift fays, Buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayst be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayft.be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not ap pear, Rev. iii. 18.

Mot. 2. Confider what a Father God will be to you, the beft of fathers. No children are fo happy as God's children are.

1. The moft honourable Father; he is the King of kings, and Lord of lords. And there are none whofe eyes God has opened, but they will value this ad

option more than all the fading honours of a world, 1 John iii. 1. Mofes preferred it to being the fon of Pharaoh's daughter, Heb. xi. 24. 25.

2. The most loving and compaffionate Father. It goes beyond the love of fathers, and mothers too, to their fucking children, If. xlix. 15. 16. Can a woman forget her fucking child, that he should not have compaffion on the fon of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands, thy walls are continually before me. What father's love would have made him to do what he has done for his children, even when they were enemies? John iii. 16. God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever belie veth in him, fhould not perish, but have everlasting life.

3. The most helpful Father. He is able to help in all cafes that his children can be in. Are they pursued? he has a refuge for them. Whatever they want, he can give them, for all is his. And if they be held at fhort commons at any time, it is because he fees it is best for them. When death comes, and neither father nor mother can help, he can; as Pfal. xlviii. ult. For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.

4. The richest Father, that has the best inheritance to give to his children, an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, 1 Pet. i. 4. He has prepared for them a better country, a glorious city, a palace for their manfion-place; richest treasures of glory. And all these are such as shall never go from them, nor they from them.

5. The wifelt Father, God only wife. He is one to whofe difpofal one may fecurely refign himself abfolutely. He cannot be mistaken in his measures for his childrens welfare, and he ever feeks it.

6. Lastly, His children have the beft attendants, in their life, Heb. i. ult. Are they not all miniftering fpirits, fent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of falvation? and at their death, angels to convoy them to