Come and welcome to Jesus Christ. Or, A plain and profitable discourse on John…

Secondly, Christ Jesus the Lord, by this word Father, would familiarize this Giver to us; Naturally the Name of God is dreadful to us, especially when he is discovered to us by these Names that declare his Justice, Holiness, Power, and Glory: But now this word Father, is a familiar Word, it frighteth not the Sinner, but rather inclineth his Heart to Love, & be pleased with the Remembrance of him Hence Christ also when he would have us to pray with godly Boldness, puts this word Father into our Mouths; saying. Our Father which art in Heaven; concluding thereby, that by the Familiarity that by such a Word is intimated, the Children of God may take more Boldness to pray for, & to ask great Things. I my self have often found, that when I can say, but this word Father it doth me more good, than when I call him by any other Scripture Name. 'Tis worth your noting, that to call God by his Relative Title, was rare among the Saints in Old Testament Times; seldom do you find him called by this Name; no sometimes not in three or four Books; but now in New Testament Times, he is ca•led by no Name so often as this, both by the Lord Jesus himself, and by the Apostles afterwards. Indeed the Lord Jesus was the first that made this Name common among the Sun's, and that taught them both in their Discourses, their Prayers, & in their Writings, ⟨p. 12⟩so much to use it; it being more pleasing to, and discovering more plainly our Interest in God, than any other Expression; for by this one Name we are made to understand, th• all our Mercies are the Off-spring of God, and that we also that are called, are his Children by Adoption.

All that the Father (giveth)

This Word (giveth) is out of Christ's Ordinary Dialect; and seemeth to intimate at the first sound, as if the Father's Gift to the Son was not an Act that is past, but one that is present and continuing; when indeed this Gift was bestowed upon Christ, when the Covenant, the eternal Covenant was made between them before all Worlds. Wherefore in those other places, when this Gift is mentioned, it is still spoken of as an Act that is pass: As, All that he hath given me? To as many as thou hast given me: Thou gavest them me, and these which thou hast given me. Therefore of necessity this must be the first and chief sense of the Txt. I mean of this (giveth) otherwise the Doctrine of Election, & of the eternal Covenant which was made between the Father and the Son (in which Covenant this Gift of the Father is most certainly comprised) will be shaken, or at leastwise questionable by erroneous and wicked Men: For they may say, That the Father gave not all those to Christ that shall be saved before the World was made; or that this Act of giving is an Act of Continuation.