under his roof and committed to at home, where we shall always his care, so Jesus Christ is engaged behold the face of our heavenly to protect and defend his people. Father, for ever celebrating his "They shall dwell in a peaceable praises, admiring his perfections, habitation, and in sure dwellings, and enjoying his presence. "So and quiet resting places." Is. xxxii. shall we be ever with the Lord," 18. Heb. i, 14.-4. Unspeakable 1st Thess. iv, 17. felicity. They enjoy the most inti- The evidences of adoption are, mate communion with the Father, 1. Renunciation of all former deand with his Son Jesus Christ. pendencies. When a child is adoptThey have access to his throne at ed, he relinquishes the object of all times, and under all circum- his past confidence, and submits stances. They see divine wisdom himself to the will and pleasure regulating every affair, and ren-of the adopter; so they who are dering every thing subservient to brought into the family of God, their good, Heb. xii, 6 to 11. The will evidence it, by giving up every laws, the liberty, the privileges, other object so far as it interferes the relations, the provisions, and with the will and glory of their the security of this family, are all heavenly Father. "Ephraim shall sources of happiness; but especial-say, what have I to do any more ly the presence, the approbation, with idols?" Hos. xiv, 8. "Other and the goodness of God, as the lords have had dominion over us; governor thereof, afford joy un-but by thee only will we make speakable and full of glory, 1st mention of thy name," Is. xxvi, Pet. i, 8. Prov. iii, 17. Heb. iv, 13. Matt. xiii, 45, 46. Phil. iii, 16.-5. Eternal glory. In some 8.--2. Affection. This may not cases, civil adoption might be always apply to civil adoption, but made null and void, as among the it always does to spiritual. The Romans, when against the right children of God feel a regard for of the pontifex, and without the him above every other object. His decree of the college; but spirit-own excellency, his unspeakable ual adoption, as it is divine as to goodness to them, his promises of its origin, so it is perpetual as to future blessings, are all grounds of its duration. "The Son abideth in the strongest love. "Whom have the house for ever," John viii, 35. I in heaven but thee? and there "The inheritance of the saints is is none upon earth that I desire incorruptible, undefiled, and never besides thee," Psalm lxxiii, 25. fadeth away," 1st Pet. i, 4. "Now" Thou art my portion, saith my are we the sons of God, and it soul, therefore will I hope in doth not yet appear what we shall thee," Lam. iii, 24. Luke vii, 47. be: but we know that when he Ps. xviii, 1.-3. Access to God shall appear, we shall be like him, with a holy boldness. They who for we shall see him as he is," 1st are children by adoption are supJohn iii, 2. In the present state posed to have the same liberty of we are as children at school; but access as those who are children in heaven we shall be as children by nature; so those who are par

takers of the blessings of spiritual||Heb. xi, 26, 27. From the consiadoption will prove it by a reve-deration of the whole of this docrential yet familiar address to the trine, we may learn that adoption Father of spirits: they will con-is an act of free grace through Jefess their unworthiness, acknow-sus Christ, Eph. i, 5. Applied ledge their dependence, and im-to believers by the Holy Spirit, plore the mercy and favour of Gal. iv, 6. Rom. viii, 15, 16. A God. "Because ye are sons, God blessing of the greatest importance, hath sent forth the spirit of his 1st John iii, 1, and lays us under Son into your hearts, crying Ab- an inviolable obligation of submisba, Father," Gal. iv, 6. "Through sion, Heb. xii, 9, imitation, Eph. Jesus Christ we have access by onev, 1, and dependance, Matt. vi, 32. Spirit unto the Father," Eph. ii, See Ridgley's and Gill's Body of 18. Having such a privilege, they Div. art. Adoption; Charnock's come boldly to the throne of grace, Works, vol. ii, p. 32-72; Flavel's that they may obtain mercy, and Works, vol. ii, p. 601; Brown's find grace to help in time of System of Nat. and Rev. Religion, need, Heb. iv, 16.-4. Obedi- p. 442; Witsii Oecon. Foed. p. 165. ence. Those who are adopted in- ADORATION, the act of rento a family must obey the laws of dering Divine honours, including that family; so believers prove in it reverence, esteem, and love: themselves adopted by their obe-this is called supreme, or absolute. dience to the word and ordinances The word is compounded, of ad, of God. "Ye are my friends, if" to," and os, oris, "mouth;" and ye do whatsoever I command literally signifies to apply the hand you," John xv, 14. "Whoso keep- to the mouth, "to kiss the hand;" eth his word, in him verily is the this being, in the eastern counlove of God perfected: hereby tries, one of the great marks of reknow we that we are in him. Hespect and submission. See Job that saith he abideth in him, ought xxxi, 26, 27. The attitude of adohimself also to walk even as he ration, however, we find, has not walked," 1st John ii, 4, 5.-5. been confined to this mode. StandPatient yet joyful expectation of the ing, kneeling, uncovering the head, inheritance. In civil adoption, in- prostration, bowing, lifting up the deed, an inheritance is not always eyes to heaven, or sometimes fixcertain; but in spiritual adoptioning them upon the earth with the

"To them who, by patient body bending forward; sitting with continuance in well doing, seek the under parts of the thighs restfor glory, and honour, and immor-ing on the heels, have all been tality, eternal life," Rom. ii, 7. used, as expressive of veneration "We look not at the things which and esteem. Whatever be the are seen, but at the things which form, however, it must be rememare not seen; for the things which bered, that adoration, as an act of are seen are temporal, but the worship, is due to God alone, Matt. things which are not seen are eter-iv, 10. Acts x, 25, 26. Rev. xix, nal," 2d Cor. iv, 18. Rom. vi, 23. 10. There is, 2, what may be

called adoration human, or paying||that offence, or the privilege of prohomage or respect to persons of secuting for it.-Although adultegreat rank and dignity. This has ry is prohibited by the law of God, been performed by bowing, bend-yet some have endeavoured to exing the knee, falling on the face. plain away the moral turpitude of The practice of adoration may be it; but it is evident, observes Paley, said to be still subsisting in Eng-that, on the part of the man who land, in the ceremony of kissing solicits the chastity of a married the king's or queen's hand, and in woman, it certainly includes the serving them at table, both being crime of seduction, and is attendperformed kneeling on one knee.ed with mischief still more extenThere is also, 3, adoration rela-sive and complicated: it creates a tive, which consists in worship new sufferer, the injured husband, paid to an object as belonging to upon whose affection is inflicted or representative of another. In a wound the most painful and inthis sense the Romanists profess curable that human nature knows. to adore the cross not simply or im-The infidelity of the woman is agmediately, but in respect of Jesus gravated by cruelty to her chilChrist, whom they suppose to be on dren, who are generally involved it. This is generally, however, con- in their parent's shame, and alsidered by Protestants as coming ways made unhappy by their quarlittle short of idolatry. See IDOLA-rel. The marriage vow is witnessed before God, and accomADVERSARY, one who sets panied with circumstances of sohimself in opposition to another: lemnity and religion which apone of the names of Satan. See proach to the nature of an oath. SATAN. The married offender, therefore, ADVERSITY, a state which incurs a crime little short of peris opposite to our wishes, and the jury, and the seduction of a marcause of sorrow. It stands opposed ried woman is little less than suto prosperity. See AFFLICTION. bornation of perjury. But the

TRY.

ADULTERY, an unlawful strongest apology for adultery is, commerce between one married the prior transgression of the other person and another, or between a party; and so far, indeed, as the married and unmarried person. 2. bad effects of adultery are anticiIt is also used in scripture for idol-pated by the conduct of the husatry, or departing from the true band or wife who offends first, the God, Jer. iii, 9.-3. Also for any guilt of the second offender is species of impurity or crime against extenuated. But this can never the virtue of chastity, Matt. v, 28. amount to a justification, unless -4. It is also used in ecclesiastical it could be shewn that the obligawriters for a person's invading or in-tion of the marriage vow depends truding into a bishopric during the upon the condition of reciprocal former bishop's life.-5. The word fidelity; a construction which apis also used in ancient customs for pears founded neither in expedithe punishment or fine imposed for ency, nor in terms of the vow,

nor in the design of the legislature,||held that there was no difference which prescribed the marriage rite. between bishops and priests; a To consider the offence upon the doctrine maintained by many mofooting of provocation, therefore, dern divines, particularly of the can by no means vindicate retalia-presbyterian and reformed churchtion. "Thou shalt not commit adul-es. The sect received its denomitery," it must be ever remember-nation from Aerius, who founded ed, was an interdict delivered by his doctrine on 1st Tim. iv, 14. God himself. This crime has See EPISCOPACY. been punished in almost all ages AETIANS, those who mainand nations. By the Jewish law tained that the Son and Holy Ghost it was punished with death in both were in all things dissimilar to the parties, where either the woman Father. They received their name was married, or both. Among the from Aetius, one of the most zealEgyptians, adultery in the man ous defenders of Arianism, who was punished by a thousand lashes was born in Syria, and flourished with rods, and in the woman by about the year 336. Besides the the loss of her nose. The Greeks opinions which the Aetians held put out the eyes of the adulterers. in common with the Arians, they Among the Romans, it was punish-maintained that faith without works ed by banishment, cutting off the was sufficient to salvation; and that ears, noses, and by sewing the no sin, however grievous, would adulterers in sacks, and throwing be imputed to the faithful. Aetius, them into the sea; scourging, burn-moreover, affirmed that what God ing, &c. In Spain and Poland they had concealed from the apostles, were almost as severe. The Sax-he had revealed to him. ons formerly burnt the adulteress, AFFECTION, in a philosophiand over her ashes erected a gib-cal sense, refers to the manner in bet, whereon the dulterer was which we are affected by any thing hanged. King Edmund, in this for a continuance, whether painful kingdom, ordered adultery to be or pleasant; but, in the most compunished in the same manner as mon sense, it may be defined to homicide. Canute ordered the be a settled bent of mind towards man to be banished, and the wo-a particular being or thing. It man to have her nose and ears cut holds a middle place between disoff. Modern punishments, in dif- position on the one hand, and pasferent nations, do not seem to be sion on the other. It is distinso severe. In Britain it is reckon-guishable from disposition, which, ed a spiritual offence, and is cog-being a branch of one's nature orinizable by the spiritual courts, ginally, must exist before there where it is punished by fine and can be any opportunity to penance. See Paley's Moral and it upon any particular object; Political Philosophy, p. 309, vol. i, whereas affection can never be ori12th edition. ginal, because, having a special AERIANS, a branch of Arians relation to a particular object, it in the reign of Constantine, who cannot exist till the object have

once, at least, been presented. It||In addition to all which, the scripis also distinguishable from passion, tures of truth teach us, that religion which, depending on the real or is nothing, if it occupy not the afideal presence of its object, va- fections, Deut. vi, 45. Deut. xxx, nishes with its object; whereas af-6. Rom. xii, 11. 1st Cor. xiii, 13. fection is a lasting connexion, and, Ps. xxvii, 14.

like other connexions, subsist even A distinction, however, must be when we do not think of the ob-made between what may be merely ject. [See DISPOSITION and PAS-natural, and what is truly spiriSION.] The affections, as they re-tual. The affections may be exspect religion, deserve in this place cited in a natural way under ordia little attention. They may benances by a natural impression, defined to be the "vigorous and Ezek. xxxiii, 32; by a natural sensible exercises of the inclina-sympathy, or by the natural tempetion and will of the soul towards rament of our constitution. It is religious objects." Whatever ex-no sign that our affections are spitremes stoics or enthusiasts have ritual because they are raised very run into, it is evident that the ex-high; produce great effects on the ercise of the affections is essential body; excite us to be very zealous to the existence of true religion. in externals; to be always conIt is true, indeed, " that all affec-versing about ourselves, &c. These tionate devotion is not wise and things are often found in those rational; but it is no less true, who are only mere professors of that all wise and rational devotion religion, Matt. vii, 21, 22. must be affectionate." The affec- Now, in order to ascertain whetions are the springs of action;ther our affections are excited in they belong to our nature, so a spiritual manner, we must inthat, with the highest perceptions quire whether that which moves of truth and religion, we should our affections be truly spiritual; be inactive without them. They whether our consciences be alarmhave considerable influence on men ed, and our hearts impressed; in the common concerns of life; whether the judgment be enlighthow much more, then, should they ened, and we have a perception of operate in those important objects the moral excellency of divine that relate to the Divine Being, things; and, lastly, whether our the immortality of the soul, and affections have a holy tendency, the happiness or misery of a future and produce the happy effects of state! The religion of the most obedience to God, humility in oureminent saints has always consist- selves, and justice to our fellow ed in the exercise of holy affec-creatures. As this is a subject tions. Jesus Christ himself af-worthy of close attention, the reafords us an example of the most der may consult Lord Kaim's Elelively and vigorous affections; and ments of Criticism, v. ii, p. 517; we have every reason to believe Edwards on the Affections; Pike that the employment of heaven and Hayward's Cases of Consciconsists in the exercise of them.ence; Watts's Use and Abuse of the VOL. I. D