This  man,  being  reconciled  to  God  by  religion,
has  a  right  to  aspire  to  the  most  noble  and  sub
lime  objects  of  it.  He  has  a  right  to  elevate
his  soul  to  God  in  ardent  prayer,  and,  without
the  hazard  of  being  taxed  with  vanity,  he  may
assure  himself,  that  God,  the  great  God,  en
circled  in  glory,  and  surrounded  with  the
praises  of  the  blessed,  will  behold  him,  hear
his  prayer,  and  grant  his  request.  This  man


has  a  right  to  say  to  himself,  the  attention,  that
the  Lord  of  nature  gives  to  the  government
of  the  universe,  to  the  wants  of  mankind,  to
the  innumerable  company  of  angels,  and  to  his
own  felicity,  does  not  prevent  this  adorable
being  from  attending  to  me;  from  occupying
himself  about  my  person,  my  children,  my  fa
mily,  my  house,  my  health,  my  substance,  my
salvation,  my  most  minute  concern,  even  a  sin
gle  "hair  of  my  head,"  Luke  xxi.  18.  This
man  has  a  right  of  addressing  God  by  names
the  most  tender  and  mild,  yea,  if  I  may  ven
ture  to  speak  so,  by  those  most  familiar  names,
which  equals  give  each  other;  he  may  call  him
his  God,  his  master,  his  father,  his  friend.  Be
lievers  have  addressed  God  by  each  of  those
names,  and  God  has  not  only  permitted  them
to  do  so,  he  has  even  expressed  his  approbation
of  their  taking  these  names  in  their  mouths.
