mindful of all their wants, and abundantly supply them in the hour of need.
To enter fully into the scope of his words, we should inquire,
I. When are we authorized to call God our God ?
It is not every claim that presumptuous sinners take upon them to advance, that will be found autho- rized in the Holy Scriptures ; for our Lord himself assured many that Satan was their father, at the very time that they called themselves the children of Godb. But we may justly consider God as standing in this relation to us,
1. When we are born again of his Spirit?
[While we continue in our natural state, we are enemies to God, and God is an enemy to us ; but when we are be- gotten by the word and Spirit of God, we are privileged to consider ourselves as his children, and to cry to him, " Abba, Father6."]
2. When we have devoted ourselves to his service ?
[If we would know " whose we are," we must inquire, "whom we serve;" for " to whomsoever we yield ourselves servants to obey, his servants we are, whom we obeyd." If our consciences testify that we have solemnly dedicated our- selves to God, we may boldly say with David, " O God, thou art my God." We may be sure that our " Beloved is ours, when we (by a voluntary surrender of ourselves to him,) are his."]
When this point is satisfactorily settled in our minds, we may with more comfort inquire,
II. To what extent we may expect communications
from him ?
That God who pours out his benefits upon the evil and unthankful, is far more abundant in kindness towards his own children. He will give us,
1. According to our necessities —
[If we desire temporal things, " we shall want no manner of thing that is good ;" if spiritual blessings be sought after, there is not any thing we can need, which shall not be be- stowed upon us in the time and measure that Infinite Wisdom sees to be best for us. Are we wretched and miserable, and
b Johnviii. 41, 44. c John i. 12. Gal. iv. 6. d Rom. vi. 16.