c E(l·9· 6. dF.fa.n. JO, l:.fa.B.t8. Ier."t4 19 M:u,6.4. Dutiest. fob 11. '4· Of the ofthe [reede. Fath~r. wee are regenerateby him , acceptc:cl"tC? bee his fmmes by adoption thwugh the mentsof Chrifr. And in this rcfpeC!: the fecond perfon as well asthefirlliscalled' a Father, and faid A tan i~his father: for f<llong as a man walkes in his fins (which euery man dmh by nature) fo long cloth he !hew himfdfe to be the Jiuely child ofthe diuell. And thus ChriO: reafoneth to haue an uff-fpring d or feede and ' chil– dren. Butwhen the name ofFather is giuen to the firft pcrfon, it is done vpon afpeciall con– fideration, becaufe he is a Fatherby nature to rhefecond perfon, begettinghim ofhis owtle fubftance before all worlds. By this it ap– peares,thatout ofthe title ofthe firll perfon, we may fetch adefcription therofon this man– ner. The Father isthefirO: perfon in Tritiitic, begetting the Son. Now to beget, is the per– fmull propertie whereby hee is diO:ingui1bed fwm the other two. Ifit be faid, that crea– tures doe beget, and that therefore to beget is B notproper tothe Father:the anfwer is,thatin this pointthere are many differencesbetween God the Father & all creatures. Firll:,the Fa– ther begets the Sonnc before a!eternitie: and thereforeGod the Father begetting • and the Sonne begotten are equall in time: whereas in earthly generation the father is before the fon in time. Secondly, .God the Father bcgets his .Sonne by communicating to him his whole e!Tenccot Godhead, which can not-be in earthly parents, vnle!Te .they fhould bee aboliilied·and come to nothing: Whereas neuerthele!Te , God the·Father giuing his whole nature to his Sonne, retaines the fame llill,becaufc iris infinite. Thirdly, the Father begets the Sonne in himfelfe , ..nd not forth C of himfelfe : but in earthly generation tpe Father begetting is forth ofthe child, and the childfootthofthe Father. And thatmoO: not trouble -vs which heretikes alteadge againll: this doCtrine, namely, that ifthe Fatherwho is ofone nature with the Sonne,did beget the Soune, the» hee did beget himfelfe : for the Godhead of the Father dothnotbeget either the Godhead or the perfon ofthe Sonne: but the perfon of the Flther begets the perfon of the Sonne, bothwhich in one Godhead are really diO:i11CI:. againfr the Scribes and Pharifies:Ye are ofJ'frtr Io~t.s, 44 f.rher thtdiu<ll, & tbt l•ftsof )'Okr farl;er ye Will do. And true it is,thatno child is fo like his fai ' ther that begot him. as euery man by nature is like the diuell : and the whole tcnour and courfe of his naturall life without grace, is aliuely refemblance ofthe difpofition ofSatan. Secondly, cuery one that beleeues God to bee a Father, andin ChriO: his Farher,mull: as a good childe beeobedient to his fathers will. So Salomon faith, .A wife fonne mak!thaJ!.iad Pto;;o,I f•rhcr.How? by doing his wilt:and thtrefore when ene told .om::-.Sauiour ChriO: that hs mother and brethren O:ood without, defiring to fpeake with him, he faid, Who{otlrtrJb•U doe my Fmhn-s will k'9bich Win htllHtn,the fame Umy M:atl 1.1 :., /Jrother, r»Jftfler., andmothtr: wherein we may se. note,thathe that will haue God the Father to' bee his father, and ChriO: Jefus his brother, mull doe the will of God the Father. And hence God faith, IfI b"Am•Jlcr,whrrc inny Mal, 1 , 6 • fe~tre? If I be a Father,UJhere i1 my hon~Jur l Where is plainely taught this fecond duty ; that ifGod be our Father, then as good children wee muO: ibew obedience vnto him :but ifwe difobey him, then we muO:know, that that former laying of ChriO: will bee "crified vponvs, that becaufe mendoe the luO:s ofthe diuell, therefore they are the children ofthe The~swcc fee what the Father is. Now to bclceuc in the Father, is ro bee perfwadcd, thatthe firO: perfon inTrinitie, is the Father ofChriO:, and in himmy Father particularly, ~od that for this caufe I intend and defire for cuer to put my tru!l: inhim. The duties which we may learne hence are manifold. And here wee haue occafion offe– red, firl1 of.tll to confider who is our father by nature, Ijh'U Jny rocortoption(faith lob) th'u flrl my f.uhtr: mrdto theW!Jrme, thouflrt my mo– th•r : _feeing God vouchf.lfeththis great pre– rogattuero them thatlouehim, that he will be their f.n-her, therefort lob in confideration hereof would haue euery man to haue re– co•lrfeto his owne naturall condition , to fee \~ho _is h_is father bym.tufe. lob faith)corrnp- . tlon 1s In~ father:butifwe marke wel the con– dition ofour nature, \VC fi1all further fce~uery man to be the childe ofwrath, and th:tt Sadiuell. Butleft this fearefull fentence be veri– fied ofvs, it isthe dutyofeuery man that ma– keththisconfeffion, thathee beleeuesGod to behisFather,firfr,to labour to know Gods will; and fecondly, to performe continuaU o– bedience vnto the fame : hke 1 vnto aoood childe, that wonld faine pleafe his f•the; and therefore is alwayes ready todoe t~e beJibec can.And withont doubt, that man wh\ch "n" fainedly takes God for his Father, is then moO: grieucd, when as by any finne bee dif– plcafeth him, and noother cro(fe or calamity ts fo gncnvns vmo htm. The grea~eft griefe that the prodigall fon"e vpon his repentance D had, was that he had offended his l'ather, by !inningagainfl: heauen, and againO: him : the fame alfo muO: be our griefe : and all our care muO: be fet on this, to confider how weemay bee obedient children to this our louing Fa– ther. Thirdly, that man that beleeues God to be his Father, muO: imirateand follow him: for it is the will ofGod thlt his children fhould be like vntq himfclfe. Now wee follow God fpecial!y in two things. I. In doing good to them that perfecute vs : fo faith 'Our Sauiour l' Chri!l; Prt~.yfor themth;tt hurt)1Jt~, that you m-q M•n·!·H be the children ofyowr: Fatherwhich ;I it; he1111tn : for he m,1k(ththe Sunne to rife on the tr1ill. andgn thegogd, llfld Jmdeth r•ine on the iuft t~tnd vnisJjf. rr. 0ur heauenly Father is morcifull:for he is
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