[85] SERMON VI. The EVERLASTING FATHER. CANT. v. 16. He is altogether Lovely. Doctrine, Jefus Chrift is Infinitely and Superlatively Lovely. AN is the excellency of the creature, M the faint is the excellency of the man, grace is the excellency of the faint, glory is the excellency of grace. I now proceed to a fourth title, and that is, The Everlasting Father. For this fee Ifa. ix. 6. Beloved, we have fhewed you from the third title, Mighty God, that Jefus Chrift is true and perfect God. But this fourth title holdeth him forth to be a father; nay, not only a father, but The Everlasting Father. The propofition which I fhall lay down from this title is this, That God in Chrift is a Believer's Everlasting Father, That I may clear up this point, I fhall lay down the following truths. 1. That God in Chrift, the everlafling Father, hath begot himself in us, and us in himfelf; He is both the author and finisher of all our faith, Heb. xii. 2. of all our joy, peace, life and falvation; he is a father ever beget ting L ting and bringing forth himself in us; his light, love and nature is in us; his wifdom, power and strength is in us; Of his fulness we have all received grace for grace, John i. 16. Believers, have in time paft and prefent, received of his fulness; therefore he is called the everlasting Father. He is the fun, we are the beams; he is the fountain, we are the ftreams; he is the root, head and father, we are the branches, members and children; hence it is that believers are alled his off-fpring; We are the off-Spring of Chrift, faith the Apoftle. In creation God hath given us to ourselves, but in redemption he hath given himfelf to us; it is a greater favour to be converted, than to be created; yea, far better to have no being, than not to have a new being; it is only the new creatures, that are heirs of the new Jerufalem. 2. God in Chrift calleth all his children by his name, he putteth his name upon them. Mark firs, I will write upon them, the name of my God, Rev. iii. 12. The faints are cal led godly, from God, chriftians from Christ, fpiritual from fpirit; and heavenly from heaven, because their conversation is there their head is there, and they are heirs of heaven. So the wicked are called devilish, from the devil; curfed from the curfe; worldlings, from the world; and finners from frn. O the difference, the great dif ference up, ference that there is between the names of faints, and the names of the wicked. The ungodly are called dogs, vipers, fwine, thorns, and ravening wolves, who lick and fuck the blood of the innocent; but the faints they are jewels, kings, doves, lillies, and heirs of glory. And hence it is, that fome good man have gloried more in their name chriftian, than their name Emperor; and have thought it a greater honour to be a member of Chrift, than to be a king upon a throne; a greater honour to be one of Chrift's little ones, than one of the world's, great ones. Indeed firs, a good heart is better than a great eftate; inward holinefs is better than outward happiness; a Chrift without honours, is better than honours without a Chrift, piety without profperity, is better than pro fperity without piety. Goodness without greatness, is better than greatness without goodness. 3. God in Chrift is a father, who is full of mercy and compaffion towards his poor chil dren; when he was full of blood, he was full of bowels. Chrift is more tender of his body myftical, than he was of his body natural, he fuffered his body natural to be hungry, thirsty, weary, hang, bleed and fuffer upon the crofs; to be pierced. and bored with nails upon it. O! he went into the furnace, to keep us out of the flames. But mark firs, for for his body myftical: O! how tender is he! He loves, pities and fmiles upon them; they are the beauty of his eye, the joy of his heart; he cannot endure to fee them wronged, injured or abused; every blow they have, goes to the very heart. Saul, Saul, why perfecuteft thou me? you fee how tender Chrift is of his body myftical. This is our Jonas, who threw himfelf into the fea of his father's wrath, to fave us from drowning: he that fhut up the door of hell, to keep us from perdition; and he hath opned the gates of heaven to let us into falvation. 4. God in Chrift is a father that layeth up for his children; he giveth them fomething in poffeffion, but more in reverfion; a little in hand, and a great deal in hope. Firft, He giveth them fomething in hand; he layeth out for us; he giveth us the air to breath in, and the earth to tread upon; he giveth us the fun, moon and ftars; wind, water and fire; he giveth us the fifhes of the fea, the beasts of the earth, and the fowls of the air, Poor man liveth by death, our natural life is preferved by the death of the creature, and our fpiritual life by the death of our Saviour; fo that I may fay, we live by death. It is man's duty to ferve God, fince he hath made all the world to ferve him. In 1 Tim. vi. 17. faith the Apoftle. who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. Secondly, Secondly, God in Chrift is a father that layeth up for his children, as well as layeth out, in Pfal. xiii. 19. Oh how great is thy goodness which thou haft laid up for them that fear thee! David wonders at it: Oh how great is thy goodness which thou hath laid up! Mark the words, fo in 2 Tim. iv. 8. henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness: What only for you Paul? No, not only for me, but for all them that love his appearing; fo again, fee another scripture for this, 1 Cor. ii. 9. As it was written. faith the Apostle, Eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither can it enter into the heart of man to conceive; why firs, what is this which eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither can it enter into the heart of man to conceive? why, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. O! beloved, God gives his children the best and greatest portion of riches, all things are theirs; life and death, things prefent, and things to come are theirs; God and Chrift is theirs; the fpirit and heaven is theirs; what can they have more? 1 Cor. iii. 23. God gives his children in this world to come, a talent of glory they shall weat Chrift's crown above, who wear his cross below. 5. God in Chrift doth protect and defend his children from their enemies, from fatan, fin, and from the world, from the curfe, and N from |