2. God being a Father, if he frown, if he dip his pen in gall, and write hitler things; if be correct, it is in love ; a fatlier loves his cliild as well when be doth chastise and discipline bini, as when he settles his land on him. Rev. iii. 19., " As many as I love, I lebuke." Afllictions are sharp arrows (saith Gregory Nazianzen) but they are shot from the hand of a loving Father. Correcliu est virtutis gymnasium. God afflicts with the same love be gives Cbrist ; he doth it to bumble and purify; gentle cor- rection is as necessary as daily bread, nay, as needful as ordinances, as word and sa- craments. Tlierc is love in all ; God smites that he may save.
3. God being a Father, if he desert and hide his face from his child, it is in love. Desertion is sad in itself, a short hell. Job vi. 9. When the light is withdrawn, the dew falls. Yet we may see a rainbow in the cloud, the love of a Father in all this. l.s^, God hereby quickens grace. Perhaps grace lay dormant. Cant. v. 2. It was as fire in the embers ; and God withdraws comfort, to invigorate and exercise grace ; t'aith is a star sometimes shines brightest in the dark nigbt of desertion, Jonali ii. 4. 2fUy, Wben (iod hides bis face from his child, yet still he is a Father, and bis heart is towards his child ; as Joseph, when he spake roughly to his brethren, and made tbeui believe be would take them Un- spies, still bis heart was full of love, and he was fain to go aside and weep: so God's bowels yeain to bis cbildren, wlien be seems to look strange, Isa. liv. 8., " In a little wrath I hid my lace from thee, but with e- verlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee." Though (Jod may have the look of an enemy, yet still he iiatb the heart of a Fatlier.
3^/. Branch, or Inference. Learn hence the sad case of the wicked : tbey cannot say, " Our Father in heaven ;" tliey may say 'Our Judge,' but not 'Our Father:'
they fetch their pedigree from hell, John viii. 44., " Ye are of vour father the devil." i Such as are unclean and profane are the spurious brood of the old serpent, and it were blasphemy for them to call (iod Fa- ther. The case of the wicked is deplorable ; if they are in misery, they have none to make their moan to ; (lod is not their Fa- ther, he disclaims all kindred with them. Mat. vii. 23., " I never knew you : depart from me, ye tliat work iniquity :" the wick- ed, dying in their sins, can expect no mer- cy from God as a Father ; many say, He that made them will save them ; but, Isa. xxvii. 11., " It is a people of no understand- ing, therefore he that made them, will not bave mercy on them." Though God was their Father by creation, yet because they were not his children by adoption, ' there- fore he that made them would not save them.'
Use 2d. Of exhortation. To persuade all who are yet strangers to God, to labour to come into this heavenly kindred ; never leave till you can say, *' Our Father which art in heaven."
Quest. But will God be a Father to me^ tclio have profaned his name, and been a great sinner ?
Ans. If thou wilt now at last seek to God by prayer, and bieak off thy sins, God hath the bowels of a Father for thee, and will in no wise cast thee out. Wben the pro- digal did arise and go to his father, " his fa- ther bad compassion, and ran and fell on bis neck, and kissed him," Luke xv. 20. Tbough thou hast been a prodigal, and al- most spent all upon thy lusts, yet, if thou wilt give a bill of divorce to thy sins, and flee to God by repentance, know tliat he bath the bowels of a fatlier ; he will em- brace thee in tlie arms of bis mercy, and seal thy pardon witli a kiss. Wbat tbough thy sins bave I een heinous .'' tbe wound \i not so broad as tbe j)laster of Christ's blood. Tbe sea covers great rocks ; the sea of (Jod's comj)assion can drown tliy great sins ; there- fore be not disfourage<l, — go to (iod,- -re- solve to cast tbvself upon his fatberlv bow- elsj — (^,<)d may be entreated of thee as he was of him : see Manasseh's case, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 13.
Use '3d. Of comfort, to such as can upon
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good gjounds call God, Father. There's more sweetness in this word Father^ thati if we liad ten thousand worlds. David thought it a great matter to be son-in-law to a king, 1 Sam. xviii. 18., " What is my father's family, that I sliould be son-in-law to the king?" But wliat is it to be born of God, and liave God for our Father ?
Quest. Wherein lies (he hajipiiicss of hav- ing Gixifor our Father ?