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taught the most profound fubmiffion and refignation, committing the fuccefs of our prayers entirely to his pleasure, and determining to look on the afflictions which he lays on us as Fatherly corrections, and on the things which he withholds from us, as fuch which it is more our intereft to want than to obtain. Thus we fee, that the reason why we are taught in our prayers to make use of the name of Father, rather than any other, is, because that name is more proper than any other to set before us the mercies we have received, and infpire us with fuch affections, as ought to fanctify our prayers.

The next thing in courfe is to enquire, Why we are taught in our prayers to say our, and not my Father.

We

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We are the children of God only in an improper fenfe, and as the phrafe of generation is applied unto feveral acts of the fame nature with, or is attended with the fame confequences as generation in its per fenfe. But Chrift is truly and properly the Son of God, by a true and proper generation; we are fons in fuch a manner as to have our fonship in common with others, fo that any other part of the creation may join with us in calling upon God as a Father; and therefore we fay our Father. Chrift is a Son in fuch a manner, that no one can call God Father in the fame fenfe which he does; and therefore my Father feems an expreffion which, though not improper in our mouths, is yet moft proper

in his.

In Scripture our Lord feems defignedly industrious to diftinguish between our Son

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fhip and his own, never in his discourses of his relation to God, faying, our, but my Father; never, in his discourses of our relation to God, faying our, but your Father, unless in this prayer; where we are to be supposed as the speakers, exclusive of him; fo that this difference of expreffion seems to be a distinction between the true, proper, and eternal generation of the Son of God, and the improper generation of the creature born in time.

In regard to practice, we are taught to fay our and not my Father, to inculcate the duty of an univerfal love and charity to all mankind, and that it is incumbent on us to extend our prayers to all perfons whatsoever, praying not only for our relations and friends, but alfo for our enemies, perfecutors, and flanderers, that it may please God to forgive them, and to turn their hearts. We

We are all the children of the fame Father, we have all one Creator and Preferver, and ought therefore to exercise an universal charity, in imitation of God's universal Providence, who causeth the fun to rife, and the rain to descend both upon the just and the unjuft. But a more particular love is due to our fellow Chriftians; for these we ought to pray with the greatest zeal, with these we ought to live in the most perfect harmony, and as we are the children of one Father, namely, God, and the members of one Body, namely, Christ, so ought we to have but one heart, and one mind.

On the whole therefore, if when we fay our Father, our hearts are filled with humility and reverence, with love and confidence, with fubmiffion and obedience, with charity and benevolence, we may with good reafon conclude that we are properly qua

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lified to repeat these words, that we are indeed God's Children, and he our Father. But on the contrary, if our hearts are puffed up with pride and haughtiness, funk into indifference, or overcome with distrust, if there lurk in us any feeds of discontent and difobedience to God, of envy, hatred, malice, or uncharitablenefs to man, this name will but aggravate our guilt, and increase our condemnation, in that fo great mercies vouchfafed to us by God, and prefented to our thoughts by the name of Father, have had no greater effect on us, nor been fufficient to root out those paffions, which are directly repugnant to his nature. To come into God's prefence with the name of Father in our mouths, unless we have the affections flowing from it ever warm at our hearts, and influencing our lives, is a piece of hypocrify which cannot lye hid from God's infinite knowledge, nor escape

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