A PraC!ical Expojition and therefore ~equires Awe and Reverence; but it .' is a Thron~ qf Gr.tcc to~ pereforc permns Holy Freedom and Confidence. And fo 'Ve ficd all along in the ftayers of the ~aims, bow rbey mix the C?nfide~ation <?f ~ou >s Mercy aiJd his Ma~ Jefty togetlrer m the very Preface.r and Prcparanor:s ro th~1r Pr<iyers. So Ne/;, 1 • 5 , Lord God ofHeaven, th~ great and tcrri/Jle God, that ktcp,;;l; Covenam al'fd .Mercy for •them thRt /{lf)e him. So Dan. 9· 4· 0 Lm·d, tbc g1·cat and ilrcndjit! God, keeping Co. vrnant and .Mercy for them that love him. Nvw th iS cxceller.t Mixture of awf~.il and enCouraging Artributes will keep us from borh tfu:: Exrrea\-ns, of Defpair oh the one Hand, and ofPre{iJmption on rhe other. He is our Eaher,_and rhis may com:ft the rJ.efpaiting Fear w-hich f!lig~t ot~J~r~ife_fCizf_ us ~pon the Confiderarion Of his Majej/y and Glory.- And he IS hkewt!e mfin11ely Glonous, a God whofo Throne is in the highefr lieavens, and the Earth his Footjloo/. And thismay correE! the prefumptu. ous ·Jrreverence, which elfe the C.pnfidemlon of God, as our Foth", ·might perhaps e'mboldeo us unro. Now htre I fhallfi'fi fpeak of ihe Relation of God utiro us as a Father, and then of rhe Place of his Glory and Refidence, in lieavm, and of both but briefly. for 1 mutt. nor dwell upon every PartictJ lar. · , . Fi1f, To begin with the Relation ofGod ro us, as a Father. Now God is a Fatbr~ Three WafS. Fir}/, God is a Father by Erernal Generation. Se&tmdly, By Temporal Creation and Providence. 'Thirdly . By Spiritual Regeneration and lidoprion. . Firfl, God is a Fatbu by Eternal Generation: ha'.1ing by aq inconceivable aiJd in· effahle Way Begotten his Son, God Co~equal, Co·eterna l, with ll.mfc:lf, aild' rbeJefore qdled ]he only lkgPftcn·Son of God. John 3· 16. Thus God is a Father only tq our Lord ,Jefus Chri!t, according ro his Divine Nature. And whenfoever r1Jis Tide Ft1tber is gjven to God, with relation to the Eternal Sonfllip of out · Lord Jefu!i ChrHt, it denotes only the Firfi Pcrfon in the Ever- bkifed Trinity, who is therefOre chief!r, ~~d efpecially called the Father. Secondly, God is a Father by Temporal Creation, as he gives a Being and Exiaence to his Creatur~s; creating thofc whom he ma c!~ Radonal after his own Image and Similitude. And therefore God is faid to be a Fiuher of Spirit$, Heh. 12, 9· And the ..A11gels are called th~: Sons of God, Job l. 6, Thrre was a Day when tbe Sons of God &ame to prrj&nt thcmjelvcs befure th~ Lord: And fo Adam upon the account of his Creation is called the Son of God , Lu.te 3· 38. where the Evur,gdifi runs up rhe Genealogy of ·Mankind till it terminaces in God, TVbo was tbe So11 of Adam, ·roho was the Son t>/God. Thirdly, G·d is fa id ro he a Father bj Spiriwal Regeneration and Adoption, arl fo all true 81.! Jtvers ,Jre fa id w be rhe Sons of God, 2nd to be Born of God, ,ltJhn 1. 12,1 3· To tU 11Jany 11.1 reuir;~d him, /o 1bem gave be P-(Jwe" to bt'come the Som of God, even to as many as believed on his h'ante1 tfJbtcb were Born not o/ the lViiJ of JUan, but of God. So Rom. 8. J 7, We are faid to rtceive 1be Spiri1 of .Adoption, whereby u;c cry, .Abba, Father. For tbe Spirit itfe!fwitnrjfnb with 011r Spirits that we a1·e the Children of~~~ in thefe Two laO Significations this Expreflion, O!lr Father, uhicbart in Hea. ven, is to , b~ underfiood, aod fo they denote nor any one particular Perfon of the :Bleffcd Trinity, bur iris a relative Atrribure, belonging equally ra all rbe Tbree Pr:r· fons. God is the Father ofall Men by Creation and Ptovidence : and he is efpt:cially the f(llbtr ofrhe FairbfUl by Regeneration and Adoption. 1 ow as th ef~ Aa ions of · Cr~a t ion, Regeneration and Adoption, are common 10 rhf" nolt! I'tinity, fo likcwife is the Tide of f;tther. God the Fir!! Perfon in rbe B!t fi td TriNity is indeed Emi· nendy called rhe Father, but not in refpefl of us, bur in rofp<fl cfChr iil, 'His only Begotten Son ffom all.Eterniry. In refpetl: of us the whole Trr'nity is 011r F:uber, whub is in Heaven, both Father, Son, and Holy Ghoji; and in praying to dur f'aibtr we pray ro them all jointly; Mr Cbrifi the Second Perfon jn the Tri11ity is exprcfly called ·tht; F'atb,tr, lia. 9. 6. Untrrus a Child is born, onJ. 11ilto m tt Son is given, and his Name jha/1 be called Wonderfki6JJmj"e!lor, I he Mighty God, the Evcdajling Father. And we are fa id to be Born of the Spirit, 7ohA 3· 5· Except a il1nn be born ofWater, and of the Spirit. Now that Gqd lhould be pleafed to take thi~ into his Glorious Stile, ~ven to be called Our Father, it may reach us, · Firjl,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=