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not called to apply to him merely as Lord of Hosts, King of Glory, or Judge of the whole earth; but as our Father in heaven. The best of earthly parents are fickle, and may change. Their affection may abate, and often has abated, sometimes with, at other times without, provocation. Our heavenly Father is of one mind, and changes not. His love is immutable, and his power unabated. His ear is never heavy that he cannot hear the cries of his children, and his arm is not shortened that he cannot save and supply them; and therefore they may always apply with confidence.

6. We only add in the last place, that whatever encouragement children may have in applying to their earthly parents, believers have infinitely greater when they apply to their Father in heaven. This is implied when Christ says, "How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Spirit to them that ask him?" The saint has often seen the day when it would have comforted his heart, if he could have apprehended that there was the very least degree of fatherly love in God towards him. Recollecting the kindness of his earthly parent, and how readily he supplied him in his straits, it would have cheered his heart, and produced a ray of hope in his benighted mind, could he have, on good grounds, entertained the thought that God loved him at all, though much less, instead of much more, than his earthly father: but, impressed with a sense of his great guilt, and dreadful provocation, he is ready to apprehend that God cannot take the least favourable notice of him. In this sad situation, like the prodigal, he would be

glad to be treated as a hired servant instead of a son: but the gracious reception given to the prodigal justified Christ's expression when he said "How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Spirit to them that ask him ?"

Often during the Christian's course, as well as when he is first awakened, he would be ready to reckon it sufficient encouragement could he be persuaded that God had a degree of love to him equal to what he always found in his earthly father, to whom he never applied in vain for any relief which was in his power. He always found that the least hint and the earliest notice were enough to awaken the bowels of affection in his earthly father. He did not need to wait and plead with him; but, reduced to great straits, and having made fervent application to God, and still not delivered, he is ready to say, as in Isai. xlix. 14, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me." Repeating his application, and still in great extremity, he exclaims, in the language of the same prophet, "Where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels, and of thy mercies towards me? are they restrained?" He cries out, could it be thus with me if God had love to me equal to that of my earthly father! David, Psal. ciii. 13. set God's love in that proportion, and rejoiced in it, "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." But this text exhibits more grace when Christ says, How much more. Here is full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over beyond all comparison; and how much beyond comparison none can tell. Whatever

way we turn our thoughts, with Christ we may justly say, How much more!

If earthly parents know to give good gifts unto their children, how much more does an infinitely wise God know what is good for his people? The wisest and most circumspect among earthly parents, however provident, may be, and often are, mistaken. Their wisdom falls short of their intention; and they hurt when they design to help. Like blind Isaac, they may do the opposite of what they intended. Our heavenly Father perfectly knows what is good for us, and what will directly promote our best interest.

As God knows infinitely better than our earthly parents, he is infinitely more able to supply all our wants. The creatures are poor, empty, and insufficient; but in our heavenly Father's house there is bread enough and to spare. He always says to his people," Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” In one word, the love of an earthly parent bears no proportion to the love of God. The love of the creature is weak, languid, and cold, compared with God's. "GOD IS LOVE!"

Indeed the encouragement here is very great, and upon hearing it, persons, if not wholly unconcerned, will be ready to ask who they are that may take the comfort of it?-This leads to

III. Show who may, with confidence and propriety, take the comfort of the encouragement in the text.

1. Surely every believer may do it whatever his condition be. If he is high in faith and hope, and

not hesitating about his interest in Christ, neither will he doubt the love of his heavenly Father. But though he should have declined, and it should not be with him as in months past, still these words are filled with consolation. An earthly parent does not cast off or disinherit his child even for great offences, and surely the Lord will not forsake his people. Though sin should greatly prevail, the Lord foresaw every where offence, and when he first bestowed his grace, sin had abounded, grace did superabundantly abound; and believers, at their worst, may say with the apostle, Rom. v. 10, " For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." The greatest sins did not prevent the first saving effects of his love, and they shall not obstruct the continued fruits of it. Though the Christian should be walking in darkness, and without light, still he should trust in God as his heavenly Father. The saint, at his worst, is in Christ, and possessed of his Spirit, and though his comforting influences may be suspended for a season, yet he remains in and with the believer. His love to God may abate and wax cold, but the Lord's love to him is unchanging. Thus lively or declining, strong or weak in faith, enjoying greater or less measures of divine influences, walking in darkness or in the light of the Lord's countenance, in prosperity or adversity, living or dying, the saint should take the comfort in this text, and believe that divine love infinitely exceeds the love of all or any the creatures: and he should resolve and say with Job, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him," or

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with the Church in a very dejected frame, "Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not; thou, O Lord, art our Father; our Redeemer; thy name is from everlasting."

2. All may take the encouragement in this text who aim at asking. Christ says, your heavenly Father will give the Spirit to them that ask him. If they try prayer, though their language should be broken, and without any fluency; though they should scarcely be able to clothe their desires with language at all, or even to utter their groans, still they may take the comfort in the text. Though their prayers should be attended with much heart wandering, and in their own apprehension the effect of necessity, rather than flowing from faith or love: though with the publican they scarcely can lift up their eyes to heaven, still this text speaks encouragement to them. In brief, let their sins be ever so many and strong, let Satan suggest that they are the chief of sinners, yet if they have any desire for pardoning mercy, or any saving blessing, that desire in God's sight is asking, and he will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask.

3. All who are needy should consider the text as replete with comfort to them. As already noticed, the similitudes which Christ uses are drawn from necessity. Need made the man apply to his friend for loaves, and from the same principle the child asked bread. All mankind are poor and needy. They lost their stock in the first head, and are still squandering away their opportunities and privileges, in a country far from God and happiness, and living upon

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