V E R. I. Ephefiana, Chap.S. 177 Pfe I: r Z. e tray ,. . Dem. t as a child with his Father. Let Godgoe before thee inhis coutifell and will to dire& and leadc thee as afather,and doe thou fubmit thy feltas a childe to his father,hutnbly tofollow and obey him in alibis waves : Fóra childeas he is a child is humble, andgives his father all duere- verence and fubjeCtion,elfe he denies thenatureofaichilde. 3. With naturali affe&ion and propenfion , not as fervants and flavesby compulfion, to imitate God, and fo to feeke to pleafe God, but as children naturally affeól both to imitate and by imitation to pleafetheir parents.For as afather naturallycommunicateslifeand be- ing to hischild,and bynaturali propenfion and affectiondoth his child all the goodhe can, and not by any compulfion or feare : So he by ge- neration communicatesthe like nature tohischild to imitate and ferve him and pleafe him cheerefully and.gladly : fo is it betweene God our Fatherand his children,they performeal duties oflove,worfhip,fervice and obedience to God in freechildlike affe&ionandpropenion to God as toa father, not as to acreator, a King or Judge ofthe world. This therefore doth prove to matey that theyare not the children of God; for like the Jewes, lob. 6.48. wewill fay, we are the children of God, becaufe we arebaptized,and fuch with whomGodoutward- ly at kafl hath ftrickencovenant to be our God; but what faid Chrifl to theme Yearenot Gods children, yeare the devils : How doth he prove ice Ye doethe workesofthe devil!, you follow not God, nor doe not theworkes of God. So many that live in covetoufneffe, in fnfuli flefhly pleafures, in negkéling the Word of God, they are not the children of God, for thefe are not the workesof God. Again, itletterh us fee howwe may gatherour felves to be his cbii- dren, if we doe walke in the wayesofGodand follow him;thofe that, followhim are his children, thofe that are children mull follow biro. If we tella good childe, his fatherand mother would not sloe thus :, or your father will doe thus and thus, the one will hold him hacke,' the other will move him to doe accordingly. Indeede there are many outwardly children, that doe otherwife, of whom God may fay as he fpeaketh,I bawsbraught up children and they have rebelledagaisffme; but beloved childrenwill doe as we havefpoken. Again,herebywe may judge what istrue holineffe &godlinesit is a child-likerefemblance&imitatió of God as a father.lt is nothing what love,feare,fervice and obedience weperforme toGod,and whatgraces we have,but inwhat natureand kind and relative imitationof God as a. Father, we doe them. We muff TooketoGod as a father, and as chil- dren frame our felves to pleafe, honour, and imitate,him as afather; notasflatterers and time ferving, hypocritesthat pleale God fora time for their owneadvantage, and to fervetheir owne turnes andbelliesas theydoe men : Theyflattered himwith their lippes; then They would be holy and likeGod,when theywere indiflreffe, then they will bee Saintsand none lo godlyand holyas they, but all was but flattery for their owne advantage, no child -likeheart in them naturallyaffeéling to be like unto,God aschildren, a father in holineffe. oh that there were is them
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