Page:The rock of wisdom.djvu/33

 Indians I mean, when returning they killed the kid for them, we have been here all the time and we got no kid of man, we went to the field and searched and found the pearl of great price; that is the way we have lived so long, and by it we do expect to live forever, but the best way is to convince a person that he is a sinner and knows nothing about the enlightening grace of God, by showing him that there is no other way to come to God only by repentance; by coming to Christ he is enlightened to know that Christ is the Saviour, and by faith he draws nigh unto God, through Christ he is reconciled to God, his anger is then turned away, and lo! he comforts him, and then with joy he looks up to God as a merciful God, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, for Christ has received him, through his attoning blood he is giving power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name, to such only is the spirit of adoption given whereby they cry Abba Father, for it is one thing to use the word father and another to approach him as affectionate children come to a tender parent, with a persuasion of being able and willing to supply their wants; to such persons his name is full of comfort for they are emboldened to believe that if earthly parents, though evil, know how to give good gifts to their children, God our heavenly father is much more disposed to do them good, and to bless them with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus; but his name teaches us also the greatness of God; children then ought to treat their earthly parents with such respect; but what reverence is due to the father of spirits whose throne is in the heavens, not that God is confined to heaven, but he is said to dwell there because there he displays the brightest beams of his glorious majesty, and there angels and saints bow before his feet with the four and twenty elders cast their crowns saying holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty! Such thoughts should possess our minds whenever we say our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; this petition is placed first to show us that our first and chief desire should be that God might be glorified in our souls, the name of God signifies himself as he is pleased to make himself known to us by this title, his word and his work in his gospel, more especially all his glorious perfections shine and unite there, he shows