2
74) and the Shorter Catechism (Q. 34) also addressed it, as did numerous commentators
of the Westminster standards ever since.
8
Most importantly, some Puritans wrote entire
treatises on adoption, including:
John Crabb, A Testimony concerning the VVorks of the Living God. Shewing how the mysteries
of his workings hath worked many wayes in and amongst mankind. Or, The knowledge of God
revealed, which shews the way from the bondage of darkness into the liberty of the Sons of God.
Simon Ford, The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption: Largely and Practically handled, with
reference to the way and manner of working both those Effects; and the proper Cases of
Conscience belonging to them both.
M.G., The Glorious Excellencie of the Spirit of Adoption.
Thomas Granger, A Looking-Glasse for Christians. Or, The Comfortable Doctrine of Adoption.
Cotton Mather, The Sealed Servants of our God, Appearing with Two Witnesses, to produce a
Well-Established Assurance of their being the Children of the Lord Almighty or, the Witness of the
Holy Spirit, with the Spirit of the Beleever, to his Adoption of God; briefly and plainly Described.
Samuel Petto, The Voice of the Spirit. Or, An essay towards a discoverie of the witnessings of the
Spirit.
Samuel Willard, The Child's Portion: Or the unseen Glory of the Children of God, Asserted, and
proved: Together with several other Sermons Occasionally Preached.
9
Sadly, none of these books have been reprinted, which, in part, serves to promote the
misrepresentation that the Puritans rarely addressed this subject.
Then, too, Scottish and Dutch divines of Puritan persuasion also wrote at length
on adoption; for example, John Forbes, a Church of Scotland minister who spent most of
his pastoral years in the Netherlands, wrote, A Letter for resolving this Question: How a
Christian man may discerne the testimonie of Gods spirit, from the testimonie of his owne
spirit, in witnessing his Adoption.
10
Thomas Boston devoted forty pages to the subject of
adoption; Wilhelmus à Brakel, twenty-five pages.
11
The Puritan bibliographical materials recorded in this introduction amount to
approximately 800 pages of writing on the doctrine of spiritual adoption.
12
As far as I
know, no one to date has recognized the significant amount of work done by the Puritans
on this subject, nor has anyone ever done a study on it. This article only begins to redress
this neglect by letting the Puritans speak for themselves, for the most part. Throughout, I
show how Puritanism recognized adoption`s far-reaching, transforming power and
comfort for the sons and daughters of God.
Greatness and comprehensiveness of adoption, and its relation to soteriology