PROPOSITION XX. '183 God, and'say, " Father, 'we have sinned-Against thy heavenly Majesty ;" Acts xx. 21. Luke xv. 18. And to returnand devote ourselves afresh toGod the Father, andsubject ourselves lohis go- vernment, against whomwe had rebelled ; Hoe. xiv. 1, 2. There are so many instances of this kind of worship paid to God the Father in scripture, that 1 need not dwell longer upon this head. H. Another part of divine worship, due to the Father, isto offer our thanks and praises to him for all those adorable instan- ces of his wisdom, power and goodness, which appear in the works of creation, providence and redemption ; We praise him, that he should make us at first after his own image;endue us with noble faculties, and furnish this world with rich conveniences for our use, and propose to our choice immortality and happiness. And when we had abused his goodness, and chosen sin and mi- sery, that he should bepleased to look on fallen sinners with au eyeof pity, that be appointed ä way for their restoration to his favour and image, that he sent his' oívn Son to become a Media- tor, that lie laid on him the iniquities of men, and made his soul That offering for sin : 'li he also appointed the blessed' Spirit to renew our natures, that he sends him to restore his own image upon us, to work faith and repentance in out hearts,' tobring us into this covenant' of reconciliation, and to lit us for heaven. Of this sort of worship, which consists in'gratitùde, doxology, bles- sing and praise, to the Father, there are multiplied instanced in scripture. W. Weare bound also to pray, to God the Father, for what- soever mercies we stand in need c4 as, well as give thanks and praises to him for what we receive, whethe.these mercies are to be bestowed upon us immediately, by the' hands of the Son, or of the blessed Spirit; because both in'the economy of nature; and grace, he is represented as the prime Agent, vesting his Son add his Holy Spirit with .their' peculiar characters and offices, and acting towards us, in and by them '; though their eternal godhead be the same with that of the Father, Thence it comes'to"pass, that God the. Father is set forth in scripture as the most proper constant 'object of our addressesin worship, and that our worship is most generally to 'be paid to the Father in the name, or through the mediation of his Son, and by the assistance ofhis holy Spirit: For as it it by the mediation' of his Son Jesus Christ, he appproaches. to us, "and condescends tQ be reconciled to.us, and by the operations of his blessed Spi- rit in us, lie brings us near to himself, so he expects we should snake a return of honour and worship to him in the same order and manner : And this we find appointed byour Lord Jesus Christ, and required and practised by his blessed ` apostles. this is-manifest in ,a great number of texts in the New Tess tameitt.
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