IX.

Ps. xxxiv.

6, 7, 8.

cxlv. 18,

19.

SERM. produce that effect in many: for I dare appeal to most men (to those especially, who have ever had any fear of God, or sense of goodness in them,) if, sometime or other, in their lives, they have not in their pressing needs and straits (especially upon their addresses to God for help) found help and comfort conveyed unto them by an insensible hand; if they have not sometimes in a manner unaccountable escaped imminent dangers; if they have not in the performance of their duty and devotion toward God experienced a comfort more than ordinary; if they cannot to some events of their life aptly apply those observations of the Psalmist: This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and delivered him out of his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good. O taste and see; he appeals to experience; he supposes the Divine goodness may be seen and felt; that surely will be a most efficacious argument of (1 John v. God's existence and providence. And so it is indeed 10.) to all good men, for whose comfort and confirmation it is chiefly mentioned, though it is not likely to have much influence upon them who have alienated Psal. x. 4. themselves from God, and driven him out of their thoughts; except they should (beyond what can be expected from them) be so civil and candid, as to believe the testimony of others, who assert this great truth unto them from their own inward conscience and experience.

But let thus much serve, at present, for the shewing that God doth, as our Lord tells us, hitherto work; and consequently that, as we thence meant to infer, God doth exist.

1

The Father,

SERMON X.

I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER.

EPH. iv. 6.

One God and Father of all.

X.

I HAVE formerly discoursed concerning the nature SERM. of that belief which we here profess: I did also endeavour by several arguments to evince the truth and credibility of the first article of our Creed, which is indeed the foundation of all the rest, and of all religion, that there is one God. I proceed to the following parts.

The Father. The appellation of God not improperly taken, (as when it is attributed to creatures, upon some resemblance in nature or office which they bear to the supreme God,) but relating to him who only, truly, and properly is styled God, is sometimes put absolutely, sometime hath a relative apposition going along with it. Being absolutely or singly put, it sometimes refers, by way of eminency, particularly to the first Person in the blessed and glorious Trinity; as when Christ is called the Son of God;

SERM. when God is put in distinction from the other PerX. sons, (when, for instance, it is said, That they may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Word was with God. To serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven. And in that form of blessing, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all;) but commonly it is to be understood for God essentially considered, (according to the Divine essence common to all three Persons,) to whom in that respect all the Divine attributes agree, and from whom all Divine operations (absolute et ad extra) do jointly proceed. And to this sense or notion we have hitherto supposed that the name of God might be here applied. For, that there is one God, having such essential attributes, is the first principle and foundation of all religion, which we must therefore suppose, if not directly expressed, yet at least sufficiently implied in the Creed.

And supposing the word in part doth imply this sense, the attribute or title of Father doth upon many accounts truly and properly belong to God, (God absolute and essential,) in relation to all things generally, and to some things particularly; especially, which is the most fruitful consideration, in respect to ourselves.

Let us first consider the accounts upon which, then the terms (or objects) in relation to which, God is so called; then let us apply the consideration to practice.

One God and Father of all.

Every attribute, every title, every relation of God doth ground an obligation, doth afford an inducement to good practice; but none other doth ground higher obligation, or yieldeth stronger inducement to all kinds of obedience, than doth this of Father, which here, and frequently otherwhere in holy scripture, is ascribed to God: unto which purpose, of exciting us to good practice, (to all good practice generally, and particularly to some kinds thereof,) I do now intend to apply the consideration thereof: but first let us consider in what respects, or upon what grounds, this title is attributed to God; then let us reflect somewhat upon the term, in respect to which God is styled Father of all, that is, in a larger sense of all things, in a stricter sense of all persons, in the most restrained sense of all us Christians.

SERM.

28.

X.

The title of father is upon several accounts commonly given to things; one is causality; for the efficient cause, or author of any thing, is called its father; any work is said to be the child, or offspring, of him that maketh or inventeth it; Hath the rain Job xxxviii. a father, (or, Who is father of the rain? as the LXX render it,) or who hath begotten the drops of the dew? saith God in Job: another ground thereof is sustenance, or preservation; so Job saith of himself, that he was a father to the father to the poor and father-Job xxix. less, because he yielded them protection and relief; so, Roma patrem patriæ Ciceronem libera dixit, Rome called Cicero father, because he preserved it from the attempts of wicked conspirators against its liberty and safety education also and instruction entitle to this name; whence St. Paul calleth Ti- 1 Tim. i. 2.

16. xxxi.

1 Cor. iv.

15.

Gal. iv. 19.

SERM. mothy and Philemon, the Corinthians and Galatians, X. whom he had instructed in the Christian faith, his Philem. 10. children: lastly, governance, attended with beneficent affection and care, doth found this appellation; whence princes are usually styled the fathers of their country, being supposed to desire and to proJosh. xix. vide for the public good; so we have the fathers of tribes, that is, the principal persons of them, who did preside over them: I do omit antiquity and age, for which we know that persons are vulgarly called fathers.

51. xxi. I.

15. cxlvi. 6.

Upon all these accounts it is plain that the title of Universal Father may truly be ascribed unto God; especially in respect to ourselves, who may be considered as equivalent to all other objects, as comprehending in us somewhat common to them all: God in some of those respects is the Father of all things, or of us as beings; God is more especially the Father of intelligent beings, and of us as such; God is the Father of all men, of all good men, and peculiarly of Christians; which respects all of them do or should concur in us. Let us survey those particulars somewhat distinctly, then apply them as obligations and inducements to good practice.

1. God is the Father of all things, or of us as creatures; as the efficient cause and creator of them Acts xvii. all He made the world, as St. Paul telleth the 24. xiv. 15. Psal. cxlv. Athenians, and all things therein; He commanded, lxxxix. 11. saith the Psalmist, and they were created; The xxxiii. 6. world and the fulness thereof, (that is, all wherewith it is replenished, and which it contains,) he Isa. Ixvi. 2. hath founded them; All these things, saith God in the Prophet, hath mine hand made: and Пo, kai Τ. Pag. Πατέρα τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς, the Maher and Father of

xl. 26.

Plat. in

1047.