CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…

6. This Relation of a Father will put us upon zeal for his glory and honour, a desire to exalt and set him up every where, an holy impatience to have his Name blasphemed and his commands broken: What child can endure to hear his Father spoken against, to have his name defamed, You see in Christ himself, the zeal of his Fathers house did eat him up, he could not endure to see the corruption and defilement of his Fathers worship, and thus it is with the Children of God, his honour is dear unto them; To see and hear the wickedness and profaneness of others torments his righteous soul; This is against my Father, I have no patience when you thus dishonour my Father; Oh this is an excellent sign, you look upon God as your Father, when you are thus affected for his glory, for his truth and worship; It's a known story of that dumb Son, that never spake before, yet when he saw one going to kill his Father, cried out and forbade it; Thou that feelest no anger, or grief within thee when God is dishonoured, do thou doubt of thy child-like disposition.

6. This Relation of a Father will put us upon zeal for his glory and honour, a desire to exalt and set him up every where, an holy impatiency to have his Name blasphemed and his commands broken: What childe can endure to hear his Father spoken against, to have his name defamed, You see in Christ himself, the zeal of his Fathers house did eat him up, he could not endure to see the corruption and defilement of his Fathers worship, and thus it is with the Children of God, his honour is dear unto them; To see and hear the wickednesse and prophanenesse of others torments his righteous soul; This is against my Father, I have no patience when you thus dishonour my Father; Oh this is an excellent signe, you look upon God as your Father, when you are thus affected for his glory, for his truth and worship; It's a known story of that dumb Sonne, that never spake before, yet when he saw one going to kill his Father, cried out and forbad it; Thou that feelest no anger, or grief within thee when God is dishonoured, doe thou doubt of thy childe-like disposition.

Lastly, The Meditation of God as a Father may wonderfully support under all afflictions. They are the corrections of a Father, not the punishments of a Judge, and the Apostle argueth the great reasonableness of bearing Gods afflictions, seeing we endure the chastisement of our Fathers according to the flesh,