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 on 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 on 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 particu larly to some kinds thereof,) I do now intend to apply the consideration thereof: but first let us consider in what respects, or on what grounds, this title is attributed to God; then let us reflect somewhat on 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.

The title of father is on several accounts commonly given to things; one is causality; for the efficient cause, or author of

6

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 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 preser vation; so Job saith of himself, that he was a father to the poor and fatherless,' 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 intitle to this name; whence St. Paul calleth Timothy and Philemon, the Corinthians and Galatians, whom he had instructed in the Christian faith, his 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 provide 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.

On 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 all: 'He made the world,' as St. Paul telleth the Athenians, and all things therein;' 'He commanded,' saith the psalmist, and they were created;' 'The world and the fulness thereof,' (that is, all wherewith it is replenished, and which it contains,) he hath founded them ;' 'All these things,' saith God in the prophet, ́ hath mine hand made:and ποιητὴν, καὶ πατέρα τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς, “the

Maker and Father of this universe,' even Plato styleth God. God is also the Father of all things, because he preserveth and sustaineth them by his power; He,' saith the Apostle to the Hebrews, 'beareth up all things by the word of his power;' 'He,' saith the psalmist, hath established them for ever and ever; he made a decree which shall not pass,' by virtue of which they subsist: also because he by a continual care doth provide for them; They all,' saith the psalmist, wait on him, that he may give them their meat in due season; what he giveth them, they gather; he openeth his hand, they are filled with good:' he also governeth, and containeth them in good order; for, 'his kingdom ruleth over all;' and,' whatsoever the Lord pleaseth, that doeth he in heaven and earth :' all this he doeth with goodness and affection; for, his tender mercies are over all his works' whence even among Pagans the word Pater absolutely put, did signify the Supreme God, they understanding thereby the Author, Preserver, and Governor of all things; and Pater omnipotens is the periphrasis, whereby the wisest poet doth usually express God.

6

2. More especially God is the Father of intellectual beings; he is styled the Father of spirits:' particularly the angels in way of excellency are called the sons of God: There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord' and, 'When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy;' in which place of Job the LXX. have ǎyyeλoí pov, ' my angels;' (although perhaps there all God's creatures may be understood rejoicing and exulting, as it were, in their being, newly by the goodness of their Maker conferred on them :) again, Who,' saith the psalmist, in heaven can be compared unto the Lord?' who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?' the sons of the mighty; it is in the Hebrew, the sons of God,' and so the LXX. render it; and what precedeth, who in heaven,' doth make it, as it seems, best interpretable of the angels. Of such beings God is more especially the Father, because he did produce them in a more excellent manner; for other things he made as it were by his hand, these he breathed out of his mouth; as it is said of Adam, when God infused his soul into his body, that God breathed into his nostrils the breath

:

6

of life;' because they more nearly resemble God in their nature and properties, (in spirituality, and independence on matter; in life, and self-moving; in immortality, and perpetuity of being; in understanding, and wisdom; in will, and goodness; or in a capacity at least of such perfections;) because also he ruleth them in a nobler way; a way, not of blind and constrained obedience, but of wise and free choice, according to laws of justice, by obligations of ingenuity; because he likewise beareth a more dear affection unto them, and a peculiar care over them in respect to these beings indeed the relation of father is more proper, because they only can be sensible thereof, and capable to render the duties of piety, gratitude, and willing obedience suitable thereto; Rational beings,' saith an Ethnic philosopher, are the sons of God, because they only are naturally fit to converse with God, being conjoined to him by participation of reason:" and thus indeed even the Pagan theologers, commonly from primitive general tradition we may suppose, did conceive the Supreme God to be the Father of the gods, (intending not such gods as were of man's devising, creatures deified by the flattery or fondness of the vulgar, but of higher rank, answering to our angels, whom they supposed as to approach in excellency of nature nearest to God, so to have derived their being from him, and to attend constantly on him, partaking of his glory, and observing his pleasure ;) whence Divúm pater, 'Father of the gods,' is a common periphrasis, or title of God among them; and particularly in the Timæus of Plato there is an oration, which he representeth God making unto those creatures presently on their creation, beginning thus; O ye chief gods, of whom I am the Framer and Father;' concerning which gods that which he can say, he pretendeth to deduce from ancient original tradition. But to come nearer to our more particular concernment.

3. God is the Father, in a more especial manner, of mankind: Have we not,' saith the prophet, one Father? hath not one God created us?' and Adam is called the son of God,' the genealogy of all men terminating in him; and, We are all

* Arr. Epict. i. 9.

6

God's offspring,' saith St. Paul: we are so, for that his hands made and fashioned our bodies;' and for that he formed our spirit within us,' as the prophet speaketh. He made us after his own image, so as signally to represent and resemble himself, in properties of nature, and in eminence of condition; in this great family of visible creatures he hath assigned unto us the principal station, so that other creatures there are but as servants waiting on us; we are as children, depending only on him; he hath showed an especial tenderness of affection and good-will toward us, in providing for us all manner of needful sustenance and comfortable accommodation; continually watching over us for our good, and holding us up,' as the psalmist speaketh, from our mother's womb;' bestowing on us good education, (instructing us by the light of nature, or dictates of natural reason and conscience, by civil conversation, by the precepts of wise men, and examples of virtuous persons, by providential encouragements to good, and determents from evil; together with the secret whispers, advices, and motions of his grace ;) bearing with excessive patience our infirmities, miscarriages, and offences; using seasonable and moderate chastisements to reclaim us from bad courses to those which our duty and our advantage do require: in short, all God's dealings and demeanor toward mankind do argue in him a paternal regard thereto: whence even the blind Heathens discerned and acknowleged this general relation of God to men; and, Gentis humanæ Pater, atque custos, ('O father, and keeper of mankind!') was an invocation suitable to their notion con cerning him from him they deduced our original; to him they ascribed the formation of our bodies, so full of wonderful artifice; from him they affirm our souls to be extracted; from his goodness and care they supposed all the conveniences of life which we enjoy to be derived; they conceived him to bear a kind affection unto man, and to have a constant care over him; as by many express testimonies might be showed, and from their practices evidently may inferred.

be

4. Farther, yet more especially God is the Father of all good

*Hor. Carm. i. 12. Epict. i. 3. 9.