affliction to a wicked man hath evil in it ; it makes liim worse, Rev. xvi. 9., " Men were scorched with j^reat lieat and blasphemed the name of God." But no evil befals a -hild of God ; he is bettered by affliction, lleb. xii. 10., " That ye might be made par- takers of his holiness." What hurt doth the furnace to the gold ? It only makes it ])urer. What hurt doth afflictions to grace ? Only refine and purify it. What a great privilege is this, to be freed, though not from the stroke of affliction, yet from the sting ! No evil shall touch a saint ; when the dragon hath poisoned the water, they say, the unicorn with his horn doth draw out the poison : Christ hath drawn out tlie poison of every affliction, that it cannot pre- judice a child of God. Again, no evil be- fals a child of God, because no condemna- tion, Rom. viii. 1., " No condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." God doth not condemn them, nor conscience doth not condemn them. Both jury and judge ac- quit tliem ; then no evil befals them, for nothing is really an evil but that which damns.
10. If God be our Father, this may make us go with cheerfulness to the throne of grace. Were a man to petition his enemy, there were little hope ; but when a cliild pe- titions his father, he may work with confi- dence to speed. The word father works upon God, it toucheth his very bowels. What can a father deny his child ? " If a son ask bread will he give him a stone ?" Mat. vii. 9. This may embolden us to go to God for pardon of sin, and further de- grees of sanctity. We pray to a Father of mercy sitting upon a throne of grace, Luke xi. 13., " If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give his S[>irit to them that ask him ?" This did quicken the church, and add wings to prayer, Isa. Ixiii. 15., " Look down from heaven ;" v 16., " Doubtless thou art our Father." Who doth God keep his mercies for, but Ids children ? Three things may cause boldness in prayer : we have a Father to pray to, and the Spirit to lu-lp us to pray, and an Advocate to ])rcscnt our j)rayers. God's chiMreu sliould in all their troubles run to their heavenly Father, as tluit sick
child, 2 Kings iv. 19., " He said unto his father, my head, my head." So pour out thy complaint to God in prayer, " Father, my heart, my heart ! my dead heart ' quick- en it ; my hard heart, soften it in Christ's blood ! Father, mv heart ! my heart !" Sure, God, that hears the cry of the ravens, will liear tlie cry of his children.
11. If God be our Father, he will stand between us and danger ; a father will keep off danger from his child. God calls him- self Scutum, a shield ; a shield defends the head, guards the vitals : God shields off dan- ger from his children. Acts xviii. 10., " I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee." God is an hiding-place, Ps. xxvii. 5. God preserved Athanasius strange- ly ; he put it into his mind to depart out of the house he was in, the night before the enemy came to search for him. As God hath a breast to feed, so he hath wings to cover his children, Ps. xci. 4., " He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust." God appoints his holy angels to be a lifeguard about his chil- dren, Heb. i. 14. Never was any prince so well-guarded as a believer. The angels, l.st. are a numerous guard, 2 Kings vi. 17., " The mountain was full of horses and cha- riots of fire round about Elisha." The horses and chariots of fire were the angels of God, to defend the prophet Elisha, 2dlt/. A strong guard ; one angel, in a night, slew an hundred and fourscore, and five thou- sand, 2 Kings xix. 32. If one angel slew so many, what would an army of angels have done ? Sd/t/. The angels are a swift guard ; they are ready in an instant to help God's children : therefore they are described with wings, to shew their swiftness ; they fly to our help, Dan. ix. 21, 23., " At the beginning of thy supplication the command- ment came forth, and I am come to thee ?" Here was a swift motion for the angel to come from heaven to earth between the be- ginning and ending of Daniel's prayer. 4/A///. The angels are a watchful guard; not like Saul's guard, asleep when their lord was in danger, 1 Sam. xxvi. 12. The an- gels are a vigilant guard, they watch over God's children to defend them, Ps. xxxiv. 7., " The angel (»f tlie Lcird encniiijietli round about tlicni that fear him." There is an in-
OF THE PREFACE TO THE LORD'S PRAYER.
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visible guardianship of angels about God's children.