5. See hence, that " it is better to truft in the Lord than to put confidence in men: Better to truft in the Lord, than to put confidence in princes." Why, by trufling in the Lord, we are under his protection, who has devils and men under his command, and by trufting in man we throw ourselves out from under the care and providence of God. "Curfed is the man that trufteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord."

6. See whence it is that the church of Chrift has been preferved, in all ages, amidst the greateft ftorms, when hell and earth has been raging, and plotting her ruin. Why, here is the ground of it, God has fo always ordered matters, as to make the wrath of man to praise him, and to advance his intereft; and what of man's wrath did not praise God, that God has reftrained. The church of Chrift is like a fhip at fea, meeting with a great variety of winds; but the skilful pilot, by his wife management, makes an advantage of every wind that blows, to carry him forward to the defired haven, and to a fafe landing at laft. Our skilful pilot, the Lord Jefus, on whofe fhonlders the government is laid, he well knows how to gather the winds, and to manage the fails of the fhip, fo as to bring his people at last to the eternal wifhed-for haven of glory, through the ftormy and contrary winds of man's wrath, and the rage of devils; for the wrath of man shall praife him, &c.

7. This doctrine fhould teach us to bear injuries, efpecially for the coufe of Chrift, with a great deal of meeknefs, patience, and quietnefs of fpirit, and to refer our caufe to the Lord, when fuffering wrongfully at the hand of man. Why, you fee that the wrath of man is in the hand of the Lord, and whenever he fees it for his glory, and our good, he will restrain it, and likewife repay it; "for vengeance is mine, faith the Lord." When we refent our quarrels with our own hand, we take it out of the hand of God; and therefore let us follow the example of Chrift, who, "who when he was reviled, reviled not again, and when he fuffered, he threatened not," leaving his caufe in his Father's hand; and we fee now what is to come of it: the poor Jews, who did imprecate his blood to be upon them and their children, they have been smarting under the weight of God's hand these feventeen hundred years.'

Ufe fecond may be of Exhortation. Is it fo that the wrath of man fall praife the Lord? viz. in a pallive way, doth he levy this tribute of praise out of the wrath and wickedness of man? Then let us all be concerned to praife and glorify him in an active way and manner.

Mot

Mot. 1. This is the end and defign of our very being; it is the chief end of man, that we should be to the glory of him that made us; and God will levy glory to himself upon us one way or another; and therefore let us study the end of our being, by being active to advance his glory in our day.

Mot. 2. This is the end of our effectual calling and new creation in Jefus Chrift. "This people have I formed for myfelf, that they should fhew forth my praife. Ye are a chofen generation, a royal priesthood," &c. 1 Pet. ii.

9.

Mat. 3. This is the end of our redemption by Chrift: "Ye are not your own, but ye are bought with a price : therefore glorify God with your bodies and fpirits, which are his.”

Mot. 4. This is the end of your election from eternity. Why did God fet his love upon any of Adam's race, but that they might praife him? Eph. i. "He hath chofen us to himfelf, he hath predeftinate us unto the adoption of children," that we should be "to the praife of the glory of his grace."

Mot. 5. This is the work wherein all the creatures round about you are employed." All his works praife him ;" and therefore let his "faints blefs him," saying, as David, Pfal. ciii. "Blefs the Lord, O my foul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name."

Queft. How fhall we praise him in an active way, whom the very wrath of man fhall praife?

Anfu. 1. By believing in the name of his Son, and fetting to the feal, that the record of God is true. Thus Abraham believed God, by not ftaggering at the promise through unbelief: for he was ftrong in the faith, and thereby gave glory to God."

2. By being obedient unto his commands, and having a well ordered converfation; for fruitful profeffors are the glory of Christ, and the ornament of his garden: "They fhall be called the trees of righteoufnefs, the planting of the Lord, in whom he will be glorified. Pfal. 1. 23. "Whofo offereth praise glorifieth me; and to him that ordereth his converfation aright, will I fhew the falvation of God.",

3. By a fteady adherence to him, his cause and intereft, the rights of his crown and kingdom, when the wrath of man would rob us of them; hence we are called at fuch a time to "contend earnestly for the faith delivered to the faints," and to "stand faft in the liberties wherewith Chrift hath made us free;" and when we willingly walk after the commandments of men, and quit his caufe, we caft a reflection upon him, as if neither he, nor his truths or caufe, were worthy the contending for.

4. By a cheerful fuffering for him, whenever he shall call

us

us to it, faying, with Paul, "I am ready not to be bound only, but alfo to die at Jerufalem, for the name of Jefus." Sirs, we must lose our lives fometime or other, and we can never lose them more honourably than by dying for the name of Christ. This is the Chriftian's bed of honour, and if any man lofe his life for Chrift, he fall find it; it will come again to him with advantage, both at death and the refurrection of the body.

Ufe third fhall be in a word of Encouragement unto the poor people of God, who are at this day oppreffed and borne down in their spiritual rights and privileges, by an ecclefiaftical tyranny, and who, perhaps, for adhering to their liberties as Christians, and to the rights and immunities of the church of Chrift, are expofed alfo to the wrath of their fuperiors. I only fuggeft these two or three things from the text for your encouragement.

1. It is not the wrath of God, but the wrath of worm man that ye lie expofed to, and his wrath can go but fhort way; and therefore, who art thou, O man, that art afraid of man?

2. As it is the wrath of man, so this wrath fhall praise the Lord; and if God get a tribute of praife out of the wrath of man, it may make us to endure it with the greater patience. Men will plant their ground even in cold and ftormy weather, in expectation of a plentiful harveft. Sirs, if God get a harveft of glory and praise, we may with patience and pleasure allow the ploughers to plow upon our back, for ploughing time will over, and the harvest time will come; and "they that fow in tears, fhall reap in joy."

3. If any wrath of man remain beyond what fhall bring in a revenue of praise unto God, he will reftrain it, and bind it up like the waters of a mill: he will fuffer as much of the current of water to run upon the wheel, as ferves to carry it about and grind his corn, but the remainder of the water he fets it off another way; fo God will let out as much of the current of man's wrath as fhall ferve the ends of his glory and our good, but the remainder of the stream and current he will restrain, and turn another way. If. xxviii. there we are told that God will not be ay "threshing his corn, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horfemen. This cometh forth from the Lord of hofts, which is wonderful in counfel, and excellent in working."

4. Lastly, All this comfort is fure and certain; there is not the least peradventure about it, that the flame of man's wrath fhall praife the Lord, and the fuperfluous fire fhall be quenched, or hemmed in; for here we have God's parole of honour for it, Surely the wrath of man shall praife him: and the remain, der of his wrath he will restrain.

THE

THE NAME OF GOD GLORIFIED IN CHRIST.

TWELVE SERMONS,

THE FIRST OF WHICH WAS PREACHED IN SEPTEMBER 17342

AT THE SACRAMENT AT THE QUEENSFERRY, AND AFTER-
WARDS ENLARGED UPON IN HIS OWN CHURCH AT STIR-
LING.

EXOD. xxiii. 21.—My name is in him.

TH

THE FIRST SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

HESE words are a part of the inftructions that God delivered unto Mofes for the use of the church of Ifrael, from mount Sinai. They were now upon their march through the howling wilderness towards the land of Canaan, which God had promised to Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, and to their feed: and to encourage them againft the fears of wandering, or lofing their way, he affures them of a fafe convoy, and that under an infallible guide.

More particularly, in these two verfes I have read, notice, 1. A gracious promife of Chrift, as a leader and commander unto Ifrael: ver. 20. "Behold, I fend an Angel before thee, to lead thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared." This Angel was none other than Christ, the great and uncreated Angel of the covenant, as is evident by comparing this text with Exod. xxxiv. 34. Acts vii. 38. 39. 1 Cor. x. 9. Exod. xiii. 21. and Exod. xiv. 19. and we find in the context, that the pardon of fin is afcribed to him, which is only God's prerogative. Chrift is called an Angel, because he is the great meffenger of heaven to this lower world, "the fent of God," as the word fignifies. And here he comes as a guide and guardian to Ifrael, in their travels through the wilderness to the promifed land, which was a type and fhadow of what he was to be, and what he would. do unto his church and people under the New Testament, according to that promife, If. Iv. 4. " Behold, I have given him

for

.

for a witnefs to the people, a leader and commander to the people." Obferve, It is glorious encouragement to the travellers to glory to hold on their way, that Chrift goes before them as the breaker up of their way, "Behold, I fend mine Angel before thee," &c. See alfo to this purpofe, Mic. it. laft verfe, "The breaker is come up before them: they have gone forth, they have paffed through the gate, their King fhall pafs before them, and the Lord of holts on the head of them."

2. We have here the charge that is given to Ifrael with reference unto this Angel, Jefus Chrift: "Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not." 2. d. Take care that you follow his counfel, obey his commandments, and behave your felves with all fuitable regard towards him, without grieving his Spirit, by turning afide to the ways of your own hearts; let him have full truft and credit, and beware of difobedience or rebellion against him.

3. We have an awful certification in cafe of difobedience and obftinacy in fin: "He will not pardon your tranfgref fions." Queft. How doth this agree with that title given him, Exod. xxxiv. 6. 7. "The Lord God, pardoning iniquity, tranfgreffion, and fin?" Or with that promif, "I, even I am he that blotteth out thine iniquities for mine own name's fake ?" Anf. Although he pardons the iniquities of the wicked, that forfake their wicked ways and finful thoughts, and turn unto God through him, yet he will not pardon the iniquities of the obftinate and impenitent finner: no, "he will wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy fcalp of all them that go on in their trefpaffes." Or the meaning may be, He will not pardon your tranfgreffions without a ranfom or fatisfaction; and in this fenfe we are told, in the forecited Exod. xxxiv. 7. “that he will by no means clear the guilty;" he will by no means justify the guilty finner, without a perfect righteoufnefs provided and accepted.

4. We have here a weighty reafon given why they were to obey his voice, and to beware of provoking him; why, fays the Lord, My name is in him.

Where two things are confiderable, (1.) The great thing whereby God makes hin.felf known among the chidren of men, and that is his name. (2.) Where this name of God is to be read and feen in its brighteft characters, even in Chrift, the Angel of the covenant, who is the image of the invifible God: My name is in him. The words will be further cleared in profecuting the following obfervation.

Decr. "That an awful regard is due unto Chrift, our glori

ous Immanuel, becaufe the name of God is in him. Beware

of