If I be a Father, where is my honor?' saith God, in Malachi. If we be bound to love and respect those, who, under God, have been instrumental in producing and maintaining us, how much more to him, who principally hath bestowed our being, and all the supports, comforts, and conveniences thereof on us? from whose free bounty we derive not only the benefits of this transitory life, but the privileges of the future, incomparably better, eternal state. If we neglect our duty, may not God justly expostulate with us, as with those children of his, Deut. xxxii. 6. 18. Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is he not thy Father that bought thee?' (δε ἐκτήσατο σε, who procured and acquired thee to himself;) hath he not made thee, and established thee?'

It will induce us to humility; if we are God's sons, have received our being, all our powers and abilities, all our goods and riches from his disposal, what reason have we to ascribe any thing to ourselves; to be raised in conceit, ambitious of praise or reputation, on the score of any such things? Who made thee to differ? for what hast thou that thou didst not receive? and if thou hast received, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received?' It shows us that we are, as Plato often speaks, Θεοῦ κτήματα, God's possessions, God's riches they are called, Psal. civ. 24. If he made us, whatever we are, (according to all accounts and capacities; whether men by his common providence, or good men by his especial grace,) he hath the best right and title possible unto us; he may justly make such use of us, as he thinks good: we may well be obliged to 'glorify God in our body, and in our spirit, which are God's.' We have reason also hence to be content with whatsoever condition God disposeth us unto, or imposeth on us; he doth therein justly; and, if we complain, may we not be answered, 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own?' Is it not lawful? yea, is it not probable that God will order things for the best, for the good of his children? Will he willingly hurt them? Can he design their mischief? Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will not I forget thee.' Sooner may the most tender parents become unnaturally regardless, malicious, and cruel towards their children, than God neglect the good of his offspring. We have reason therefore to be satisfied with all that befalls us; to be patient in the sorest afflictions; esteeming them to come from a paternal hand, inflicted with great affection and compassion, designed and tending to our good; 'Thou shalt consider in thy heart, that as a man chasteneth his son, the Lord thy God chasteneth thee,' saith God to the Israelites. We have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.' What sweeter comfort can there be, than to know that the most distasteful and cross accidents befalling us do conduce to our profit, shall prove most beneficial to us? This consideration also serves to cherish our faith, and raise our hope, and quicken our devotion. Whom shall we confide in, if not in our father? From whom can we expect good, if not from him, who hath given us already so much, even all we have? If we in our need, with due reverence and submission, request help from him, can such a father refuse us? No. What man is there of us, that if his son ask him bread, will give him a stone? or if he ask fish, will give him a serpent? If we then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts unto our children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?'

This consideration also may beget in us a due valuation of ourselves; and thereby raise us from base and unworthy practices; excite and encourage us to worthy designs and attempts : even natural light dictates to us the use of this consideration, and heathen philosophers much apply it; "If any one," saith Epictetus, " could duly be affected with this opinion, that we are all originally descended from God, and that God is the Father both of men and gods, he would not, I suppose, conceive any thing ignoble or mean concerning himself: if Cæsar should adopt thee, none could endure thy superciliousness: and if thou knowest that thou art God's son, will it not elevate thee?" So

the philosopher. Shall we that are so nobly born, of so illustrious an extraction, so far debase ourselves as to regard and pursue trivial, abject, dishonorable things? shall we not be ashamed of such a contemptible degeneracy? shall we not be afraid, for such unworthiness to be degraded, rejected, and disinherited by our holy Father? who can nowise brook that such blots and dishonors should stick to his lineage, that such disorders and misbehavior should be committed in his family, that we should so deform his image impressed on us : 'Every branch that beareth not good fruit, he loppeth it from his stock, and casteth it away,' as our Saviour tells us. It is proper for children to resemble their father, in their countenance, in their temper, in their doings, 'If ye were Abraham's children' (so our Saviour argues) 'ye would do the works of Abraham:' and, 'Ye are of your father the devil, because ye perform the lusts of your father;' (because ye resemble him in his murderous and treacherous disposition.) So if we pretend to be the children of God, we must, according to St. Paul's exhortation, imitate him as dear children: we must be holy, and pure, just, beneficent, merciful, perfect as he is; otherwise we fall from this high dignity, we forfeit this excellent privilege of being thus related to God; we become aliens, and exiles, and enemies, instead of sons and friends, unto him.

Considering also this relation will prompt us how we should be affected, and how behave ourselves towards all God's creatures: if God be the Father of all things, they are in some sort all our brethren: shall we then abuse, trample on, or tyrannise over any of them? will God permit it, doth it become us to do so? If we be all branches sprouting from one root, streams issuing from one common source of divine beneficence, members of one family, we are obliged to universal goodwill and charity; to be kind and compassionate; to be helpful and beneficial, so far as our capacity reacheth; to endeavor, as we may, to preserve the order, and promote the welfare of the world, and all things in it. Especially toward those beings who, according to a more proper and excellent sense, are intitled the sons of this our common Father; toward beings intellectual, we hence learn our respective duties of love and respect toward those elder brethren of ours, the angels, (the blessed and

holy ones, I mean, such as have not degenerated from their nature, and apostatised from their duty toward God ;) of charity and goodwill to each other; which if we do not maintain, let us consider we are undutiful and unkind to God first, and then to ourselves; both his relations and our own we hate and harm, his children and our brethren, by hating or harming any man whatever, especially any good man, any Christian brother, who by so many other more especial bands is straitly tied unto us, on so many better grounds doth stand related both to God and us.

But let thus much suffice for this attribute or title of God, understood in this manner, as applicable to God essentially considered; which notion we see how true and useful it is. But that God is also here (and that according to the principal intention of the words) to be understood so as by way of eminency to signify the first Person in the blessed Trinity, and that the title or apposition Father doth respect especially him, who, according to a more proper and excellent manner, is the Son of God, our Lord Christ Jesus, may on divers accounts appear. 1. Because it follows, and in Jesus Christ his Son:' God is to be taken in that notion according to which Christ is his Son: the Father preceding relates to the Son following. 2. Because this Creed appears (according to our former discourses) enlarged on the foundation of the first most simple confessions, used in baptism, and those derived from the form prescribed by our Saviour, of 'baptising in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:' wherefore the Father here is to be interpreted according to that form. 3. The ancient Christians (from whom we received the words, and may best understand the sense) did thus generally take and expound them. Now that God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the universal tenor of the gospel speaketh, and it is the chief doctrine thereof: this God from heaven by a vocal attestation declared, ('This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;') our Saviour professed; the Apostles preached; the miracles (performed by our Saviour) were intended to confirm. In this God manifested his transcendent love and mercy and goodness to mankind, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that no believer in him should perish, but have everlasting life;' ' that he did

not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all :' his own Son, ἴδιος υἱὸς, his peculiar Son, in a more proper and peculiar manner so: his μονογενής, only-begotten Son, (in a respect, according to which no other can pretend to that relation :) his ἀγαπητὸς, his darling, (whem he loves with a superlative dearness.) So that God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; and that it is a fundamental point of our religion and belief, and that it is mainly designed here, doth sufficiently appear. Now the grounds of this paternity are several: his temporal generation by the Spirit and power of God; 'The Holy Ghost shall come on thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: therefore that holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God;' 'When the fulness of time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman.' His restoral from death to life: 'We preach the promise made to your fathers, that God hath fulfilled it to us their children, raising up Jesus; according also to what is written in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee:' whence he is called πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, ' the first-born from the tead.' His designation of him to sovereign power and authority; Thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel,' was Nathanael's confession, 'whom God appointed (or made) heir of all; putting all things under his feet.' ' Father,' our Saviour prays, 'glorify thy Son, as thou hast given him power over all flesh :' 'All power is given me in heaven and on earth.' But the most eminent ground of this paternity (and most proper to this place) is that eternal generation whereby God the Father did in the beginning, before all time imaginable or possible, (in a manner unconceivable and ineffable,) communicate his own divine essence to God the Son: his essence, not specifically the same, (such as men impart, when they beget a son in their own likeness,) but the same individually; begetting him perfectly like himself, without any so much as accidental dissimilitude or disparity; (by an unconceivable irradiation of his glory, and impression of his substance, as the author to the Hebrews speaks.)

Which doctrine, (though full of deep mystery, and transcending the capacity of our understanding to comprehend,) as we are obliged, because it hath been God's good pleasure to