Downame - BV209_D69_G6_1640_v1

What is meant by this word Our. Gods children. For though we call upon God as our Father, and yet do not obey him, nor honour him, nor fear him, nor love him, nor follow him, nor fubmit our felves to his chaflifements, nor truft in him, we (hew our felves not to be the children of God, but rather of the devil. For our Saviour faith to the Jews affirming that God was their Fa- ther, Eis fonnes ye are who fe works ye do, John 8.39, 48. And John alfo faith, 1.Epift.3.8,9,1o. Hethat commztteth fanne is of the devil: Whofbever is born of God f s neth not; for his fed remaineth in him, &c. in this the chilaren of God are known and the children of the devil. Whofoever doth not righteoufneffe is not of God; neither he that loveth not his brother. See Deut. 32. 5,6. Our. V\7Hefl as our Saviour teacheth us tó fay, our Father, Give ups, &c. he may Teem to fome to have prefcribed a form of publick prayer onely. Otherwife why doth he not teach us to fay, My Fa- ther, Give me, &c.r But out of verfe 6, it appeareth that he prefcribeth this form as well for private as for publick prayer. Now he teacheth us to fay, our Father, Give us, &c. that we may learn it to be our duty to call upon God not onely for our felves but alto for others. But for what others For all men, i. Tim. 2. 1. ( For God is the Father of all by creation. ) but efpecially for the faithfull, to whom God is a Fa- ther by grace of adoption, and they alto our bre- thren in Chriíl. We are therefore to pray for the whole 237