thou hope that this is so, because it is so desirable a case? or dost thou not doubt of it, because thou hast forced thyself by a strong imagination to believe it? But hast thou any ground for this belief of thine? or dost thou believe only because thou thinkest that thou oughtest not to doubt? but ought not a person to doubt when in an affair of so great importance, he hath no ground for his faith, and when so many deceive themselves, and when deceiving ourselves is so dangerous here? Or dost thou say, I have a ground? but what is thy ground? that thou art a member of the church of God, that thou art devout, not so wicked as this or that person, and that thou hast many virtues? But did not the Pharisee procced so far; Luke xviii. 10, 11, and was he a child of God? surely no; for he went down to his house unjustified. Or is it thy ground, that God blesseth and provideth for thee more than for others? But how doth Asaph complain, Psalm lxxiii. 12. "Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world, they increase in riches." The wisest of the sons of men said, Prov. i. 32. "The prosperity of fools shall destroy them." Or dost thou think the Lord visits me with so many evils in this valley of tears, and I must suffer so much here, that I shall not need to suffer hereafter, "For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth," according to Heb. xii. 6, but "the wicked have also many sorrows," as the man after God's own heart saith, Psalm xxxii. 10. And what thinkest thou, would not one, who is a child of God, have striven more to become such an one, than thou perhaps hast done? wouldest thou, if thou wert a child of God, content thyself so with the creatures, and pursue after them more than after the Creator, yea, employ the creatures of God against him, as instruments of unrighteousness? All ye then, who neither are, nor do aught else than thus, "ye are not his children, but a crooked and perverse generation," as Moses said to the carnal Israelites, Deut. xxxii. 5. Is God your Maker and Father by creation, it doth not proît you, because ye do not know, seek, nor love him: yea, if ye remain as ye are, he will not regard the misery that will betide you. Hear what the Lord himself saith, and regard it, that ye may flee from the wrath to come, Isaiah xxvii. 11. It is a people of no understanding; therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will show them no favour." Therefore be more earnestly desirous to have God for your Father; "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little," as the Psalmist cries to you, Psalm i. 12. 2 a I know exceedingly well that many sincere believers, though they have even the truest grounds of confidence, do still doubt, and dare not firmly believe for themselves, that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Almighty Maker, is also their God and Father. But what is the reason, ye weak believers, that ye dare not hold fast the confidence, and the rejoicing of your hope firm unto the end? is this privilege too great for you, that so great and worthy a God, Father, and Maker, is your God and Father? Well, the Lord God doth only great things, and that to the most unworthy, if this be not too great for God to give, let it not be too great for you to receive. Or is it your thought, that if the Lord God were your Father, he would not inflict so many evils on you? that ye should not lack so many things, which ye need for your soul and body? but is not the gate straight, and the way narrow that leadeth unto life? read the book of God from the beginning to the end, and see whether there ever hath been a child of God, to whom the waters of affliction have not been wrung out in full cups. To experience no affliction, is rather an evidence that a person is a bastard than a son. Come hither then, and behold near at hand the true grounds upon which a person may believe that he is a child of God, and examine yourselves by them, and see whether ye have no foundation to believe that this is your great privilege. 1. He who is a child of God, hath chosen the Lord God alone, and above all others for his God and Father, and is satisfied with him alone, as that afflicted person declared of himself, Psalm lxxiii. 25, 26, “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." Can ye deny that ye have done this sincerely and heartily; yea, frequently, and that ye still do it? can your souls find satisfaction, rest and tranquility out of the Lord ? 2. He who is a child of God hath detached himself from all things, yea, from himself, and hath surrendered himself to the Lord, to be his property, and to be wholly at his service. This was foretold concerning these days, Isaiah xliv. 5. "One shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand to the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel." Ye cannot surely deny this, ye are conscious that ye have, with the strangers, "joined yourselves to the Lord," not only to be saved, but also "to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants." "Now to these the Lord would give a name better than that of sons and of daughters." See Isaiah 3. He who is a child of God hath also received the Son of God by faith, John i. 12, "As many as received him, to them he gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." See also Gal. iii. 26. Is any thing indeed more evident to you, than (when ye were concerned about your damnable condition, were bowed down to the dust, and did not find the life of your hand, and said, there is no hope,) that ye were then truly urged to him by an insatiable desire, that ye cast yourselves upon him, received him, and united yourselves to him, that ye might be found in him only and might have his righteousness. Let your souls then be at length established, and cast not away your confidence, which hath a great recompence of reward. Is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who made hea ven and earth, and all that in them is out of nothing, your God and Father? conduct yourselves then worthily of him, and therefore, 1. See what he hath done for you, that ye may perceive to your joy and satisfaction, and with admiration, his transcendent wisdom, power, goodness, love and free grace, in all his doings, and especially in creating and furnishing such a glorious and illustrious world: So the sweet Psalmist acted; "How great are thy works, O Lord! in wisdom hast thou made them all the earth is full of thy riches; my meditation of him shall be sweet; I will be glad in the Lord," Psalm civ. 24. 34. Therefore he also cried out with a heart filled with the praises of God, "Thou, O Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep," Psalm xcii. 5, 6. We ought certainly not to be worse than the hea thens, "who understood and saw clearly by the creatures, the invisible things of God, even his eternal power and Godhead," Rom. i. 20. Even "the ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib;" how shameful would it be then, that "Israel should not know, and that the people of God should not consider." See Isaiah i. 3. Yea, the inanimate "heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handy work," Psalm xix. 1. are the children of God, be dumb here? the Lord hath formed you, And shall ye, who that ye should show forth his praise; let your souls then awake up, and endeavour to know and to praise the Lord, in all your, yea, also in all his ways. Ye are certainly bound and obliged to him by a thousand bonds. 2. Penetrate also to the eternal counsel of grace, that ye may see the Father's wisdom, holiness, righteousness and love in it. It behooves you to stand still a while here, that ye may behold it in order, and may look into it; by this ye have become children of God, are called to glory, and virtue, and are made a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light," 1 Peter ii. 9. We may see more of the divine glory in this, even in this, than in all things beside; bug since we have urged you to this duty on the former Lord's day, we will not enlarge on it further at present. 3. Rely and doubt not but that he will provide you with all things necessary for soul and body; and that he will make whatever evils he sends upon you, in this valley of tears, turn out to your advan tage. How, he who hath provided you with great things, will he withhold small things from you? Who dares suspect him of unfaithfulness, or indifference? do evils innumerable compass you about, is it without his appointment or ordination? and when he sends these evils. upon you, doth he then forsake you? By no means. Hear what he commands us to proclaim to you from Isaiah liii. 1,2, "Thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, (), Israel, Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine; when thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." Let not the heart of any one of you fail, his God and Father is almighty and willing to deliver him; "His hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear;" this is his own declaration, Isaiah lix. 1. Are your adversities so grievous, and have they continued so long, that ye are weary of them, he who intends to come, will come, and he will show you that your miseries are only the corrections of a loving Father, and his chastisement will yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them who are exercised thereby. 4. Devote yourselves now wholly to his service. This David purposed when he said, Psalm cxvi. 16, “O Lord, truly I am thy servant, I am thy servant." What a noble and exceedingly glorious testimony was that, which was given of those, who were sent by the worthy ecclesiastical council of Jerusalem, that they were "men who had hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," Acts xv. 26. Whatever ye are, O believers, ye are of your God and Father; ye are his creatures, yea, his children; and for what end? is it not that ye may be wholly for him, and for his service ?" Is not he thy Father, who hath bought thee? bath he not made thee, and established thee?" Deut. xxxii. 6. "Ye are his work. manship, created in Chirst Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that ye should walk in them," Eph. ii. 10. Ye stand, as it were, in a direct subordination to him, that ye should be for him only, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service," Rom. xii. 1. 5. Let me stir you up, finally, to conduct yourselves as creatures and children worthy of such a God and Father, Almighty Maker. As his creatures and children, it behooves you to fear him, and to tremble in a holy manner before him: "Fear ye not me, saith the Lord? will ye not tremble at my pres nce, who have placed the sand for a bound of the sea by a perpetual decree?" Jer. v. 22. If ye call on him as a Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear." Thus ye are admonished, 1 Peter i. 17. It behooves P you, as creatures and children, to conduct yourselves patiently under his rod of correction. "We have had fathers of our flesh, who cor rected us, and.we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?" Heb. xii. 9. As creatures and children we must also be obedient to him in all things m which he commands us: "As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance," as ye are exhorted, 1 Peter i. 14. As creatures and children, ye must be like your Lord and God: ye are created and newmade after his image: therefore, "as he who hath called you is holy, so be ye also holy in all manner of conversation: because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy," 1 Peter i. 15, 16. Are ye his creatures and children, live then without care, and only for his hand. It is the temper of children to be without concern, and to seek all things of their father, being assured, that he will not refuse them what is necessary for them. This our Lord Jesus teacheth us, when he directs us to pray, "Our Father, give us this day our daily bread." Creatures and children ought also to glory in their God and Father: children are used to glory in their father's wisdom, power, riches and goodness: but ye, believers, have the greatest reason to glory on their account: "The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things, and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the Lord of hosts is his name," Jer. x. 16. May not believers challenge |