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" and deliver them, who through fear of "death were all their life time subject unto " bondage:" and all this, " that we might " receive the adoption of fons," that we, who are fatherless by nature, having no natural right to be called the children of God, might be made so 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 scripture: "Blessed be the God and Father of " our Lord Jesus Chrift, who hath blessed " us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly " places in Christ: according as He hath " chosen us in Him before the foundation

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" 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, ac"cording to the good pleasure of his will." But this is not all, the mercy of God does not stop with the sending of his fon; having

* Heb. ii, 11. 15. Ephef. i, 3, 4, 5.

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sent his Son, He sends his Spirit also: " and "because ye are fons, God hath sent 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 shall your Fa"ther which is in heaven give the holy " Spirit unto them that afk Him?" The

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promises of Christ are express to this purpose, many of them are to be found in the fourteenth, fifteenth, and fixteenth chapters of St. John's Gospel. -He expresses himself in a remarkable manner when he says, " I " will not leave you comfortless, in the “ Greek it is ορφανες orphans:" which is as much as to say, that they, who have not the spirit of Christ, are in a "fatherless" condition; indeed the Apostle says the same, that if any man have not the spirit of Christ he " is none of his," that " as many as are led " by the Spirit of God, they are the fons of

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• Luke xi, 13.

► John xiv, 18.

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

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witness with our spirits that we are the "" children of God.". The Apostle Peter has expressly faid on the memorable day of Pentecost, "the promise is unto you and unto "your children and unto all that are a far " off, even as many as the Lord our God "shall call": from whence we may infer that the influences of the Spirit can not cease, being effential to the existence of the Chriftian Church unto the end of time; nay they can not cease till the Church is complete in glory; "but if the spirit of Him, that raised

up Jefus from the dead, dwell in you; He, "that raised up Christ 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

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Romv9 145 16.11b Als ii, 39.
Rom viii, 11.

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

This is the “ mercy," which is spoken of in the words of the text, and which is held forth in the gospel to those, who are by nature " fatherless", without hope and without God in the world. When a perfon has re ceived " the Spirit of God's Son in his heart "crying Abba Father", he may be said to have “ found” this mercy: as the Apostle speaks of himself in the first chapter of his Epistle to Timothy; "for this cause I ob"tained mercy that in me first, or the chief of "finners, God might shew forth all long "fuffering, for a pattern to them which "should hereafter believe on Him unto life " everlasting." Now, reader, if this is the mercy which you and I want, (nay what must 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

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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 fatherless findeth mercy." The returning Ifraelites, whom we may venture with the Apostle to call " a remhant according to the election of grace,"* are taught to come unto God as " fatherlefs, confefling their iniquity, and praying for it's removal; " take away all iniquity:" they are taught to afk for a gracious reception," and receive us gracioufly:" they are taught to renounce all other dependencies; "Ashur shall not fave us, we will not ride upen Horses, neither will we say any more "to the work of our hands, ye are our "Gods; for in THEE the fatherless findeth " 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 rightcousness which they have done; they, who

* Rom. xi, 5.

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