i. U KE xxiii. 46. And when Jefus had cried with a loud Voi", he faid> Father, into thy Ha nds J commend my Spirit. THE Words are the Prayer of our Ble!fed Saviour in the Extre mity. of lti! Paffion. His unrighteous and implacable Enemies had nail'd h is Body to the Crofs, but they had no p~wer over his Sp!rit, tha.t was. ready to take its flight to the Sanll:uary ofLtfe and Immortality. Thts dymg Prayer of Chrift is a Pattern for fincere Chriftians : He has invel\:ed them with the Relation of Children of God ; and authorifes them by h.is Example, to commend thei~ dep_arting Spirits to his powerful Love. The obfervatton I !hall unfold and apply, tS this: Tis the Priviledge of dying Saints, to commend their Spirits i nto the Hands of their Heavenly Father. . · Jn difcourfing of tlus, I !hali, I. ConGder the Foundation of this Priviledge. ll. Shew wbat a blelfed Priviledge this is. IIJ. Apply it; I. The Foundation of this Priviledge is to be confider'd. Tlus isbuilt upon two Things: . ._ I. The Relation ofGod to the Saints. , 2. His Perfell:ions joinedwith that Relation. , . ' I . The Relation of God to the Saints. The Title of Father is upon ferveral Accounts attributed to God. • · (I.) He is a Father by Creation: 0 Lord, tho11 art oHr Father: we arc the Clay, thou rr•. 64 ; art the Porter, we are the Work of thine Hands. He formed Man's Body into a Majeftick Figure, becoming his original State, being Lord of the lower World. But in a peculiar manner he is ftiled the Father ofSpirits: they have a near Alliance, andRefemblance of the Father of Lights, in their intellell:ual Powers , and their immortal Nature. From hence it is, the Angels are called the Sons ofQod: They are the eldefl: Job ,; Off-fpring of his Power. Adam has the Title of the Son ofGod. And fince the Fall, t.k< 1. ~et~:r:e~C~~~b~0~:~p~;g;he 1~~~ ~}~~d~elkb~~ ~~~:a~:n°{u?n~~~~b~7g~~~~~ Creator and Father, this endearing obliging Relation aggravate s his Rebellion, but gives him no Interefl: in the Paternal Love of God, of which h e has made a deadly Forfeiture. 'Tis threaned again!l: ignorant perverfe Sinners, He that made them, wilt ~totfavethem. Re)~;?o~~[';,~~~e~c~~gts~~~xte;~:!e~a~~~aa~f 1fs0~!::~~. tl~~J: ~~e i~~fr~~i~~~~ Seth are called the Sons ofGod : and the entire Nation of the Jews are fo fl:iled; Wh"' Gen. 6. Ifrael was yoHng, I caUed my Son oltt ofEgypt. And all that have received Baptifm, Hof" "· the Seal of the holy Covenant, and profefs Chrifl:ianity, in th is genera l Senfe may be called the Children of God. But 'tis not the outward Dedicat ion that entitles Men !~e ba~~r~~g J~~~:~~. ~~ ~~~1·a~~~~~at;t~~e~~e ~~~~!n~ 0 et~e"r~~~f.\\0;; d~~e~~ Hell, whofe hopes were high, on the account of their external Chri!l:ianity. (3.) God is our Father upon a more excellent Account,by Renovatio n and Adoption. The natural Man is what St. Pmd faith of the voluptuous Widow, dead while he lives. There is only a Ce!fation of fpiritual Ails, but an utter incapac ity to perform them : he cannot obey nor enjoy God. Now the renewin g of Man js called a Regeneration. Our Saviour tells NicodemtH, Verily I fay tmto yo11, V >tle{; a M.n he horn again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom ofHeaven. The reafon of the Expreffi.-. on is, becaufe there is a new Nature, fpiritual, holy and heav enly, comniunicated, different from the carnal, polluted and earthly Nature, derived from the firfl: Ada!Jt, And as the Relation of a Father refults from the communicating a vital all:ive Principle to another, in that kind of Life like his own: fo Go d by making us Partake~.s of a Divine NatHre, ofhil Lift a11d Image, is fiiled our Father : Of his own]2m. 1. •a. Lllll 2 WiU
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