Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

The next fruit thereof is Adoption: Justification and Adoption are twin-Graces, brought forth by Faith at once; only in order of nature,

Justification goes first, and then follows Adoption, as presupposing the other; hence the new name is said to be written in the white stone, Rev. 2.17. Alexander the Great Conqueror of the World, was by the flattering Oracle saluted as a Son of Jupiter; but the Believer, who overcomes the World in a more noble Spiritual way, is by the true Oracle styled a Son of God; As many as received him, to them he gave power to become the Sons of God, Joh. 1.12. The Believer in the instant of believing is no longer a mere Son of Adam, but a Son of God; he is in unity with the natural Son of God, and so becomes an Adopted one. The Human nature is in the natural Son by Hypostatical union, and so is taken into the natural Sonship; and the Believer is in him by a Mystical union, and so becomes a Son by Adoption: Neither is this a mere empty title, He is born not ⟨p. 242⟩of blood, in a way of carnal Generation, not of the will of the flesh, in a way of Concupiscence; not of the will of man, in the way of Moral Virtues and Excellencies; but he is born of God, he is one of the seed-Royal of Heaven, the blood of God runs in his Conscience, a Divine Spirit breaths in him; Christ is formed in his heart, and that in the very same manner as he was in the Womb; that is, by the overshadowing power of the Holy Ghost. Nay further, as Aquinas observes,¹ Filiatio Adoptiva est quaedam similitudo filiationis aeternae; Adoptive Sonship is a shadow of the eternal one. The natural Son is the [Greek or Hebrew], or brightness of his Father; and in the Adopted there is a splendour of Grace resembling God in a measure: The natural Son was begotten from Eternity, and is still a begetting; and in the Adopted the holy thing is begotten: And yet in respect of the successive supplies of Grace afforded for its preservation, it is as it were still a begetting; hence the Adopted Son, as well as the Natural, abides for ever,