What Is Adoption?

Answ. Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.

Q^ What is in general meant by adoption?

A. The taking a stranger into our family, and dealing, with him as a son born in it, Gen. xv. 3.

Q. Wherein doth adoption among men differ from God’s adoption of children? A. Men adopt, because they want children, or see something lovely in the adopted -y but it is not so with God, 1 John iii. 1.

O. How many kinds of adoption are ascribed to God I

A. Two kinds, common and special.

Q^ What is God’s common or general adoptien?

A. His taking some part of mankind into his family of the visible church, Rom. ix. 4.

Q. What is the badge of this general adoption?

A. Circumcision under the Old Testament, and baptism under the New, Gen. xvii. Matth. xxviii. 19,

Q. What is God’s special adoption? A. His bringing a child of the devil into his family of the invisible church, and giving him a right to all the privileges of the sons of God, Col. i. 13. Gal. iv. 5, 6, 2 Cor. vi. 18.

Q. Whether is adoption a work or an act? A. An act,

Q. What moves God to adopt any of mankind?

A. His own rich and free grace, 1 John iii. 1.

Q. Whose children are those, by nature, whom God adop!>? A. The children of the devil, Eph, ii. 2, 3.

Qj Are these men, who are adopted by God, any better in ‘■hemselves than those who are not? A. No.

£h What then moves God to adopt some, and pass by others no worse?

A. His mere good pleasure, Jer. iii. 19.

Q. Whose act is adoption? A. It is an act of God

the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Horn. viii. 33.

Q. How is it an act of the Father? A. He predestinates us to the adoption of sons, Rom. viii. 29»

(X. How is adoption an act of the Son f

A. He gives us, whom he redeemed with his blood, power or privilege, to become the sons of God, John i. 12-.

Q^ How is adoption an act of the Holy Ghost?

A. He enters into our souls as a spirit of adoption, and makes us cry, Abba, Father, Rom. viii. 15.

Qj. What is the price or meritorious cause of our adoption? A. The righteousness of Christ alone.

Q. What is the instrumental cause of our adoption?

A. We are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesur.

Q. How is faith the instrument of adoption? A. It

unites us to Christ, in whom we become heirs of God.

Q. To whom is adoption intimated? A. To holy

angels, and to the adopted persons themselves, Heb. i. 14.

Q. Why is it intimated to the angels? A. That they may rejoice over, and minister to the new heirs of God.

Q^ How is it intimated to the adopted persons themselves?

A. By’ the Spirit’s bearing witness with their spirits, that they are the children of God, Rom. viii. 16, 26.

Q. What honour have those whom God adopts?

A, They are received into the number of his children.

g. What happiness have those whom God adopts?

A. They have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God, Rom. viii. 17. Rev. xxi. 7. 1 Cor. iii. 22.

Q. Wherein doth our right to these privileges given us in justification, and that given us in adoption, differ?

A. The right given us in justification is a law-right of purchase*, but that in adoption is a right of inheritance.

G. To what privileges have the sons of God a right?

A. A new name j new honour j a new spirit*, God’s fatherly protection, provision, correction, direction, and hearing their prayers j spiritual liberty ‘, boldness and familiarity with God and an everlasting inheritance.

Q. What was God’s children’s old and former name?

A. It was rebellious, strangers, foreigners, unrighteous, children of wrath, of disobedience, and of the devil, having no hope, without God and Christ in the world.

Qj What new name are God’s children called by?

A. Christ’s new name is written on them, Rev. iii.

Q. How is Christ’s new name written on them?

A. They are called the redeemed of the Lord, and the righteousness of God ‘in him j the sister, spouse, love, and dove of Christ, ckc. Isa. lxii. 4, 12. Song v. 2.

Q. How is this new name put on them? A. It is

conveyed to them in the sentence of their pardon.

Q>^ Are we then quickened, united to Christ, justified, and adopted, in the same moment of time, and by means of the same w-ord of promise? A. Yes.

Q. What new honours do God’s children receive?”

A. They are made kings and priests unto God, Rev. i. 6;

Q. What new spirit of adoption have they?”

A. The spirit of Christ dwells-in them Rom- viii. 9,

Q. Whether does the Holy Ghost dwell in them in his person, or in his influence ?- A. In both, 2 Tim. i. 14.

Q. How can the one person of the Spirit dwell in each believer? A. His person is every where, and he dwells

in all believers as the one mystical body of Christ.

Q. Of what use is the Spirit of adoption to believers j

A. To sanctify, direct, comfort, and assist them.

O. What divine protection have God’s children?

A. God’s fatherly eye is still on them, his arms a» bout them, and his angels surround them, Psalm xxxiw

A. They attend; guard, support, and direct thenu Qj What provision hath God made for his children?

A. All things necessary for their soul and b.edy.

Q. What provision is secured by promise for their bodies? A. Bread and water, Isa. xxxiii. 16.

Q. Why is no better provision secured for their bodies?

A. To wean them from this world, and make them feed more largely on their spiritual provision, 2 Cor. iv. 7.

Q. What is provided for the souls of God’s children?

A. All the fulness of God, Eph. iii. 19. 1 Cor. xv. 28.

Q. What spiritual food is provided for believers souls?

A. The flesh and blood of Christ, John vi. 53, — 57.

Q. What cloathing is provided for believers souls?

A. The righteousness and image of Christ, Rom. xiii. 14.

Q. What bed hath God provided for his children’s souls?

A. His bosom of love, and covenant of grace, Song i. 15.

O. What4iouse is provided for their souls?

A. God in Christ, and the heavenly mansions.

Q. What teachers are assigned to their souls?

A. God their Father, Christ their brother, the Spirit their guest, and ministers their servants, Isa. xlviii. 17.

Q. What direction have God’s children a right to?

A. To God’s gracious leading and drawing of them in the paths of duty and happiness, Psalm lxxiii. 24.

Q. What correction have God’s children a right to?

A. To the rod of both outward and spiritual troubles,

Q. What moves God to correct his children for their

faults? A. His great love to them, Heb. xii. 6, — 11.

Q. How may we know if our afflictions spring from

God’s love? A. If they are attended with resignation to

his will, and earnest desire after holiness, Heb. xii. 6, 10.

Q. For what end doth God correct his children?

A. To drive folly out of their hearts, and make them partakers of his holiness, Heb. xii. 10, 11. Isa. xxvii. 9.

Q. How should believers behave when God corrects them? A. They should neither despise his chastening,

nor faint under it, Heb. xii. 5. Job v. 17.

Q. What is meant by God’s hearing of their prayers?

A. His kindly accepting and answering of them.

Q. What spiritual liberty have the children of God?

A. Freedom from the power of sin, Satan, death, and the law as a covenant; and sweet pleasure in running a course of obedience to the law as a rule, Psalm cxvi. 16.

Q. To what spiritual boldness have believers a right?

A. They may boast in God as their own, and boldly seek, and firmly expect all his blessings, Psal. lxii. 1, 2, 7.

Q, What is the ground of our holy boldness towards God? A. Christ’s righteousness and intercession.

Q. To what familiarity with God have believers a right?

A. They may freely represent their case to him as a Father, whose ear is open to hear, and his heart full of pity to them and may take his w-ord as a Father’s language to them, Job xxiii. 3, — 6. Song ii. 8, — 13.

O. Of what inheritance are God’s children heirs I

A. Of salvation, righteousness, God, and glory.

Q^. By what marks are God’s children distinguished?

A. By a desire to be like God, their Father,in holiness; to be in his company, and hear his voice zeal for his honour 5 and a love to all his children, ordinances, &.c,

Qj now should we improve this benefit of adoption?

A. By refusing to be at ease, till we possess it; and by wondering at the love of God manifested in it, &c.