the sounding of thy bowels, and of thy mercies towards me? are they restrained? 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] Nothing but God, and his Fatherly Relation, will then support you: Attend him therefore, and with reverent, obedient cheerfulness and delight, converse with him as with your dearest Father. For since the beginning of the world, men have not known by sensible evidence, either the ear or the eye, besides God himself, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him, Isa. 64. 4. Though he be wroth with us because we have sinned, yet doth he meet him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, that remembereth him in his ways, vers. 5. Say not, I have played abroad so long that I dare not now go home: I have sinned so greatly, that I dare not speak to him, or look him in the face. Come yet but with a penitent returning heart, and thou mayest be accepted through the Prince of Peace: Prodigals find better entertainment than they did expect, when once they do but resolve for home. If he allow us to begin with [Our Father which art in Heaven] we may boldly proceed to ask forgiveness of our trespasses, and whatever else is truly good for us. But, alas, as our iniquities seduce us away from God, so the guilt of them affrighteth some from returning to him, and the love of them corrupteth the hearts of others, and makes them too indifferent as to their communion with him; so that too many of his children live as if they did not know their Father, or had forgotten him: We may say as Isa. 64. 6, 7, 8, 9. [But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do ⟨p. 279⟩fade as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away: and there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee; for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us because of our iniquities: But now, O Lord, thou art our Father; we are the Clay, and thou our Potter, and we are all the work of thy hand. Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: Behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.] O do not provoke your Father to disown you, or to withdraw his help, or hide his face, or to send the Rod to call you home!
the sounding of thy bowels, and of thy mercies towards me? are they restrained? 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] Nothing but God, and his Fatherly Relation, will then support you: Attend him therefore, and with reverent, obedient chearfulness and delight, converse with him as with your dearest Father. For since the beginning of the world, men have not known by sensible evidence, either the ear or the eye, besides God himself, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him, Isa. 64. 4. Though he be wroth with us because we have sinned, yet doth he meet him that rejoyceth and worketh rightcousness, that remembreth him in his waies, vers. 5. Say not, I have played abroad so long that I dare not now go home: I have sinned so greatly, that I dare not speak to him, or look him in the face. Come yet but with a penitent returning heart, and thou mayest be accepted through the Prince of Peace: Prodigals find better entertainment than they did expect, when once they do but resolve for home. If he allow us to begin with [Our Father which art in Heaven] we may boldly proceed to ask forgiveness of our trespasses, and whatever else is truly good for us. But, alas, as our iniquities seduce us away from God, so the guilt of them affrighteth some from returning to him, and the love of them corrupteth the hearts of others, and makes them too indifferent as to their communion with him; so that too many of his children live as if they did not know their Father, or had forgotten him: We may say as Isa. 64. 6, 7, 8, 9. [But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do ⟨p. 279⟩fade as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away: and there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee; for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us because of our iniquities: But now, O Lord, thou art our Father; we are the Clay, and thou our Potter, and we are all the work of thy hand. Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: Behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.] O do not provoke your Father to disown you, or to withdraw his help, or hide his face, or to send the Rod to call you home!
