"For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope; because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God," Rom. viii. 19-21.

The apostle, in the beginning of this chapter, asserts that there is no condemnation to them who are interested in the salvation of Christ, who are led, not by the carnal lust of the flesh, but by the love, comfort, and life-giving power, of the holy Spirit of God: verse 1.

The reason assigned for this is, because the law of faith, which is written on the mind by the Spirit, and the law of love put into the heart, make us free from the destroying power of the law of sin, which is in our members; and from the damning power of the law of death, which was engraven on tables of stone: ver. 2.

For, as the law could neither remove guilt, destroy sin, justify the sinner, nor give life, God sent his own Son in our nature, that, by his sacrifice for sin, our sins, being imputed to him, might be condemned in his flesh, when he bore our sins in his own body on the tree, and by his blood put away our sins: verse 3.

From the first verse down to my text he is describing a child of God in distinction from them who are in the flesh, and who are carnally minded, in enmity, living after the flesh, and destitute of the Spirit of Christ: but the great question is, Who this creature is which is in such earnest expectation of the manifestation of the sons of God? Some have conceived that the brute creation is at least included, if not chiefly intended; and they tell us that this passage "is a large field for a philosophic mind." So Mr. Toplady conceived; and bishop Jewell, I have been informed, hath sometimes pleased himself with the thoughts of seeing an old favourite mare of his in some large field, in the millenium, when this wonderful manifestation shall be made; and which they found upon these words - "for we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." But this cannot be the sense of the apostle, because God's voice in the gospel is to the sons of men, not beasts; nor are irrational creatures capable of hope, consequently utterly incapable of an earnest expectation of this manifestation of the sons of God; for a creature can never expect what it knows nothing about.

Nor can fallen angels be either intended or included; for there is no mediator in their nature, nor offer of mercy made to them, and of course there is for them no place of repentance: and, as no promise of life and salvation is held forth to them, there can bc no ground of hope for it, and therefore no expectation of this manifestation of the sons of God is, or can be, found in them.

Nor are all the human race intended by this creature, for there are thousands of them upon earth who are without God, without the scriptures, without Christ, and having no hope in the world And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard, and how shall they hope in him whom they have not known? There can be no real hope or expectation of such a manifestation, where the Almighty hath made no revelation of it.

No, nor are all men that hear the gospel intended; for the gospel is to some" a savour of death unto death," and is preached for a witness against them. And, if such have a hope, it is only "the hope of the hypocrites" which God says shall perish, Job, viii. 13. So that, if such sinners are in expectation of this manifestation of the sons of God, it is all in vain, for such will have no part in it, for "the expectation of the wicked shall perish," Prov. x. 28. Nor do the wicked expect it, for" the expectation of the wicked is wrath," Prov. xi. 23. Whereas the expectation (of this creature) shall not be cut off, for it shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption.

Nor can it be said of all who are in a profession, no, nor of very few of them, that they are in earnest expectation of this manifestation of the sons of God; too, too many "put far away the evll day;" such expect not a deliverance, but an evil day, instead of a deliverance from the bondage of corruption. The foolish virgins who slept, and the hypocrites in Zion who were afraid and seized with fearfulness, were in no earnest expectation of his glorious manifestation.

Some are inclined to think that the Gentiles excluding the Jews is this creature who is in this earnest expectation; but that cannot be, because the great apostle includes himself in the context, who was a Jew. "But we have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father; the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; and, if children, the heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ: if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestations of the sons of God," verses 15-19. Hence it is plain that Paul does not mean the Gentiles only by this creature, because himself was a Jew; nor doth he mean the Jews only, because he is writing to the Gentiles.

Once more. Whoever or whatever this creature may be, sure I am that three things must be found in it. First, it must have a promise of deliverance from the bondage of corruption, as a ground for its hope, and a warrant for his expectation; for hope stands on a promise, "Remember thy word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope;" but none but be-lievers are heirs of promise.

2. This creature must have a good hope through grace, for the hope of unjust men perisheth: whereas this "creature shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God;" hence Christ must be in this creature the hope of glory, because this creature hath hope in his death, and "shall be delivered," saith my text, therefore he shall not be disappointed of his hope.

Moreover, the expectation of this creature is a grace of the Spirit, which is never found in a wicked man, but the contrary, for "the expectation of the wicked is wrath," Prov. x. 28; xi. 7. But the expectation of this creature is of God, and he is one that fears God—"Let not thine heart envy sinners, but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long; for surely there is an end [a reward], and thine expectation shall not be cut off," Prov. xxiii. 17, 18. Hence it is plain that the reward of this creature is glory, and his expectation shall not be cut off; for he "shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God."

But still the great question is, who this creature is? and I conclude that it is every real believer in Christ Jesus; for "if any man be in Christ he is a new creature," 2 Cor. v. 17. Whatever hopes or expectations may be found in others, or whatever birth-privileges they may trust in, or whatever legal works may be performed by them, it will all at last come to nothing - "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature," Gal. v. 6. Every new creature in Christ Jesus is in expectation of this manifestation of the sons of God, and shall undoubtedly be delivered from the bondage of corruption.

Again, this creature is the whole body of God's elect, Jews and Gentiles; it is collectively the Lord's whole mystical body, called a man. "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace," Eph. ii. 15. This new man is the general assembly and church of the first-born, consisting of all the elect of God, which are one fold under one shepherd; or, in Christ Jesus, one new man: as it is written, "And he gave some apostles, &e. for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the fulness of the stature of Christ," Eph. iv. 12, 13, 14. Here the whole church is called the body of Christ, many new creatures or members, but only one new man or body, a perfect man in Christ, or Christ's mystical body. Now ye are the body of Christ collectively, and members in particular.

"The earnest expectation of this creature waiteth, &c." That which exciteth and encourageth this earnest expectation, is the truth and faithfulness of God which hath promised this deliverance, and he will perform it; the death of Christ, also, which hath secured it, and made it sure to all the seed; the Spirit of God is an earnest of it, he has revealed it to us, raised us to hope for it, and to expect it. And the body of sin and death which burdens us, the world which hates us, the devil who buffets us, the infirmities that compass us about, bodily afflictions which weigh us down, short-lived joys and long desertions, makes us long to be unclothed, to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house, which is from heaven," 2 Cor. v. 1, 2. These groaners are parts of this creature in my text. which earnestly expect the manifestation of the sons of God.

But what is this manifestation of sonship? Are not believers the sons of God [manifestly so], by faith in Christ Jesus? Yes, for he that believes hath the witness in himself, and that witness is true, and is no lie; and he doth, as the spirit of adoption, cry, Abba, Father, in all believers; and where this witness and this cry is, sonship is manifested there already, and he is enabled to claim it, though the poor weakling in faith and babe in grace may not; but this is not the manifestation meant in my text, for this manifestation of sonship is more or less in all believers now.

The manifestation of this sonship is something future, something in hope and expectation, which is always something to come; "for what a man seeth [himself in possession of] why doth he yet hope for?" and what a man hath already got, why doth he yet expect? "Now are we the sons of God," this is already manifested; "but it doth not yet appear what we shall be," this is yet to come; "but we know that when he appeareth we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is;" this is the manifestation that this creature so earnestly expects.

When Christ was in the world he was viewed and embraced as the only begotten Son of God by his own elect; but the world viewed him as a deceiver, a madman, and as Beelzebub: but all this dishonour must be wiped away, to the confusion of his foes and the glory, of his own majesty; and, when this is done, our adoption will appear before our enemies as his divine sonship shall appear before his, and this shall be done when we are all made perfect in one God, Father, Son, and Spirit; and then the world shall see, and believe too, as devils believe and tremble: yea, the Arian, Sabellian, Socinian, Atheist, Deist, Jew, and Infidel, for so it is written, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me," John, xvii. 21. When this end arrives there will be no more controversy about the mystery of godliness; Christ will appear the just God and the Saviour in all his glorious majesty, and the saints in all their glory; devils in all their villany, and Christ's ememies in all their confusion, shame, and everlasting contempt. Christ told the Jews, "When ye have lifted up the son of man, then ye shall know I am;" but he gave them not an honest heart to confess it, but left them to sin with open eyes, that they might drown them-selves in the great transgression.

Furthermore, As Christ was, so are we in this world. We are deemed fools, impostors, madmen, false prophets, deceivers, the filth and offscouring of the earth, and are treated accordingly; but our sonship shall be as fully manifested to the wicked, in the day of judgment, as it is to us now. "All that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed;" for there shall be a conspicuous manifestation both of the sons of God and of the children of the devil; for the one shall appear in the image of Christ, and God shall despise the image of the other; goats and sheep shall be separated, the goats shall acknowledge the sheep, and the sheep shall see the goats.

"For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, out by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope," Rom. viii. 20. Whatever this vanity is that this creature is made subject to, it is something disagreeable to it, for it is made subject to it not willingly. Sin and the pleasures of it are vanity, which man is not unwilling to the pursuit of, nor can any thing but a divine power displayed incline his will to choose the better part, But it may be objected, that a new creature in Christ is delivered from all this. To which I answer, there is in him the flesh that loves the law of sin, and a lusting at times after evil things; yea, and at times a willingness to them, though the fear of God awes him, and the Spirit assists him in mortification and self-denial; yet, if the deeds of the body are mortified through the Spirit, it is plain that mortification is a crossing and disappointing the will of the flesh, and self-denial is nothing else but a refusing to gratify self. Neither of these things appear to me to be the vanity to which this creature is unwillingly subject.

Again, Vanity is written upon man himself, and upon every thing beneath the sun, for, "all is vanity," all is light, transient, dissatisfactory, unsubstantial, disappointing, and grievous; it is vanity and vexation of soul; but to this vanity the creature is not by nature unwillingly subject, no not the creature in my text. The enjoyment of a wife and family, riches, honour, pleasure, apparel, and many other things in this life, he can find, at times, that member of the old man, called inordinate affections, going out after these, which cost him many a stripe, and many a groan.

In short, the vanity to which the creature is unwillingly subject, is death. "The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool," Eccl. ii. 14, 15. To this vanity the creature is subjected, but not willingly.

And when was this creature made subject to this vanity? Answer, it was done in paradise, where Jehovah said, "Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return." There is in nature an unwillingness to this, for death, abstractedly considered, hath nothing pleasing in it; for, though the heaven-born soul may long for it in order to obtain the full enjoyment of Christ, the soul being armed against the second death, yet the flesh is weak, the body hath no armour, the weakest part must go to the wall. Besides, grievous pains, languid spirits, increasing infirmities, dying agonies, weeping friends, and leaving poor fatherless children behind in a miserable sinful world, are things in themselves not pleasing to nature. He is subjected to this vanity unwillingly, and no wonder, when the human nature of Christ, at the approach of death, "began to be exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, and sore amazed."

But God hath subjected the creature to this vanity in hope; for, at the same time that he said, "To dust thou shalt return," he raised them to hope by a promise, "The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head;" and, as Paul says, "Christ destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and delivered them who through the fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage." Here is death, and bondage through the fear of it, to which the creature is unwillingly subject.

But the creature is subjected in hope of a resurrection through Christ; for God begot the apostles again to a lively hope by it; and the ultimate end of Paul's hope was to attain to the resurrection of the dead. For, though he wanted to depart and be with Christ, and to be unclothed, or stripped of the mortal body, yet he had something in view beyond that: "Not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon with our house which is from above, that mortality may be swallowed up of life, when this mortal body shall have put on immortality. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death;" and then, "O grave, where is thy victory? I will ransom them from the power of the grave, I will redeem them from death."

To the full and eternal enjoyment of this glory, God hath subjected this creature in hope. Christ's flesh rested in hope, because it was not to see corruption; and ours shall rest in hope also.

"Because the creature itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God." By the entrance of sin into the world all flesh hath corrupted its way; and, although by grace through faith in Christ we have "escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust," yet the new-born soul is sadly annoyed by the corruption of depraved nature; and, as for the body, it is nothing else but corruption, and is subjected, bound over, and doomed to death, putrefaction, and corruption; and shall decay, rot, and turn to dust. It is sown in corruption, and shall corrupt; it is sown in dishonour, reaping the rewards of its sin; it is sown in weakness, unable to resist the king of terrors, or its doom to dust; it is sown a natural body, and has nothing spiritual in it when it is sown. But this bondage of corruption shall be broken off; for he "shall change our vile bodies, and fashion them like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself," Philip. iii. 21. Then shall the body be raised in incorruption, in glory, in power, and a spiritual body, like that of the second Adam, for we shall be like him, and see him as he is; for he that is perfect (in this sense) shall be as his master; that is, he shall awake in his likeness and be satisfied therewith. "Thou which hast shewed me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me again, and bring me tip again from the depths of the earth; thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side," Psalm lxxi. 20. When this work is performed, then shall the adoption of sons be manifested, even to the body as well as to the soul; and it shall be manifested to the wicked also, for they shall see it; for of all that is given to Christ, he will lose nothing, but will raise it up at the last day, and present them all to the Father, with a "Behold me, and the children which thou hast given me." These are the many sons that shall be brought to glory. Moreover, the manifestation of the sons of God in this life is in faith, in hope, and in evidence and witness; and even that not fully, for we know but in part, it doth not yet appear what we shall be, we only look through a glass darkly, and not face to face. Again, though it is manifested to the believer himself, yet not to others, and especially to the wicked. But we are to return from the grave, and to see clearly the difference between the righteous and the wicked, and between him that serveth God and he that serveth him not: and this shall be done when the earth shall be burnt up, when the day shall come that burneth as an oven, the day in which God makes up his jewels, Mal. iii. 17, 18.

That this is what the apostle had in view is plain from what follows, and that he includes himself in this hope is more evident. "We which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption; to wit, the redemption of our body." Here the adoption longed for and expected is the redemption of the body, which is promised to hope, and which hope expects; though we do not now see it as yet performed, yet it shall be performed, for Christ is the Saviour of the body, and this salvation (or deliverance) shall be revealed in the last times, I Peter, i. 5. "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it," Rom. viii. 24, 25.

That which makes this text appear so ambiguous, is the apostle's digression from his subject. The apostle had been dropping some hints about the great suffering of the saints; first under a spirit of bondage, which was now removed from them. "Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, &c." Again, "If so be that we suffer with Christ, we shall be also glorified together." Once more. "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us." Our sufferings are but for a moment, but glory is eternal; God accounts us worthy of the kingdom for which we suffer. But what is all our sorrowful sufferings when compared to the joys and pleasure of that glorious kingdom. Our afflictions are light, but they work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. And now the apostle for a moment digresses from his subject, which has occasioned many to wander from the sense: and it is as though he would say, Do not you think that all the sufferings of this world, as the dreadful effects of sin, are fallen upon us. No, no; man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward; destruction and misery, afflictions, trouble, bondage, and death, attend upon all, more or less. All groaning and travailing doth not light upon us so as to exclude the wicked: no, nor even are they excluded who persecute us; "for we know that the whole creation [every creature] groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." And now the apostle reassumes his subject again, saying, "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption; to wit, the redemption of our bodies." And by this last passage he explains and confirms what he set out upon: namely, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the certainty of our bodies being quickened as well as his; for his resurrection is a pledge and earnest of ours; and the same spirit that quickened Christ (for he was put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit) shall quicken us also, for it is from this the apostle argues. "But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." This is what the creature hath in hope and expectation, to be clothed with glory and immortality, and that death and mortality may be swallowed up of life. And to this end Christ will still hold his regal sceptre, until he hath "put down all rule, all authority, and all power, for the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death;" at the destruction of this enemy that saying shall be brought to pass that is written," Death is swallowed up in victory ;" then the top-stone shall be brought forth with shouting, crying, Grace, grace unto it.