175. That the Lord is so often called the Father, was because the Lord before His Advent was Himself the one who is called the Father; and then the Son was the proceeding Divine, or the Word; this was then the Son, and this was then the Divine Human; and they who are mentioned in the Old Testament, before the Lord was born, and before He was called the Son of God as to the Divine Human, knew no other Father, for there was no other. He therefore so frequently speaks of the Father. But afterwards the Lord was made the Father as to the Divine Human also, and from this is the proceeding Divine.