Ans. 1. If God be our Father, then he will teach us. AVhat father will refuse to counsel his son ? Doth (iod command j)a- rents to instruct their children, Deut. iv. 10., and will not he instruct his? Isa. xlviii. 17., "I am the Lord thy (iod, which tcacheth thee to profit." Ps. Ixxi. 17., " O (iod thou hast taught me from my youth !" If God be our Father, he will give us the teachings of his Spirit: " The natural man receivL'th not the things of God, neither can lie know them," 1 Cor. ii. 14. The natiujil man may have excellent notions in divinity, but God must teach us to know the mys- teries of the gospel after a sjnritual manner. A man may see the figures upon a dial, but he cannot tell how the day goes, unless the sun shine; we may read many trutlis in the Bible, but we cannot know them sa- vingly, till God by his Sjnrit shine upon our soul. God teacheth not only our ear, but our heart; he not only informs our mind, but inclines our will ; we never learn till God teach us. If God be our Father, he will teach us how to order our affairs with discretion, Ps. cxii. 5. How to carry ourselves wisely, 1 Sam. xviii. 5., " David behaved himself wisely." He will teach us what to answer when we are brought before governors ; he will put words into our mouths, Mat. x. 18, 19, 20., " Ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, hut take no thought how or what ye shall speak ; for it is m)t ye that s|)eak, but the Spirit of your Father which speak- ctli in you."
2. If (iod be our Father, then he hath bowels of atfoction towards us. If it be so unnatiMal for a father but to h)ve his child, can we think (i«»(l can be defective in his love / Ail the affections of parents come frouj (Jod, yt't arc hut a spark from his Hame. He is the " Father of mercies,"
2 Cor. i. 3. He begets all the merciqa and bowels in the creature ; his love to his chil- dren, is a love " which passeth knowledge," Eph. iii. 19. It exceeds all dimensions; it is higher than heaven, it is broader than the sea. That you may see (iod's fatherly love to his children : 1. Consider (iod makes a precious valuation of them, Isa. xliii. 4., " Since thou wast precious in my sight." A father prizeth his child above his jewels; their names are precious, for they have (iod's own name written upon them, Rev. iii. 12., " I will write upon him the name of my (lod." Their prayers are a precious perfume ; their tears (iod bottles, Ps. K"i. 8. God esteems his children as a crown «}f glory in his hands, Isa. Ixv. 3. — 2. God loves the places they were born in the bet- ter for their sakcs, Ps. Ixxxvii. 6., " Of Zion it shall be said, This man was born in her ;" this and that believer was born there; God loves the ground his children tread ujMtn ; hence Judea, the seat of God's chil- dren and chosen, (iod cals a " delightsome land," Mai. iii. 12. It was not only plea- sant for situation and fruitfulness, but be- cause (iod's children, who were his Ihphzi- hah, or delight, lived there. — 3. He charg- eth the great ones of the world not to pre- judice his childnn ; their persons are sacred, Ps. cv. 11, 15., " He suffered no man to do lilt in wi-ong; yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, saying, ' Touch not mine a- nointed.' " By anointed, is meant the chil- dren of the liitili God. who have the unction of the Spirit, and are set apart for God. — i. (iod delights in their company ; he loves to see their countenance, and hear their voice. Cant. ii. 13. He cannot rclrain long from their company : let hut two or three of his children meet and pray together, he will be sure to be among them. Mat. xviii. 20., " Where two or three are met together in my name, I am in the midst of them." — 5. God bears his children in his bosom, a* a nursing father doth the sucking child, Numb. xi. 12., Isa. xlvi. 4. To be carried in God's bosom, shows how near his chil- dren lie to his heart.— 6. God is full of so- licitous care for them, 1 Pet. v. 7., " He careth for you." His eye is still ui)on them, they are never out of his thoughts. A fa- ther caimot always take care for his cliild,
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OF THE PREFACE TO THE LORD'S PRAYER.