“Though thou hast been a prodigal, and almost spent all upon thy lusts, yet if thou wilt give a bill of divorce to thy sins, and flee to God by repentance, know that He has the bowels of a Father. He will embrace thee in the arms of His mercy, and seal thy pardon with a kiss.
What though thy sins have been heinous? The wound is not so broad as the plaister of Christ’s blood. The sea covers great rocks. The sea of God’s compassion can drown thy great sins. Therefore, be not discouraged, go to God, resolve to cast thyself upon His Fatherly compassion…
Here is comfort for such as can, upon good grounds, call God ‘Father.’ There is more sweetness in this word ‘Father’ than if we had ten thousand worlds. David thought it a great matter to be son-in-law to a king: ‘What is my father’s family, that I should be son-in-law to the king?’ (1 Sam. 18:18).
But what is it to be born of God, and have Him for our Father?”
–Thomas Watson, The Lord’s Prayer (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1692/1999), 15.
