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tial glory, instead of being darkened, is illuminate by being fet in Chrift, for Chrift is God manifested in the flesh;" plainly implying, that God out of Chrift is an unknown God to finners, but God in Chrift is a God whofe glory is manifefted or difplayed to our view. Never did the glory of God thine fo as in Chrift; hence he is called "the brightness of his Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon." So that, I fay, the name of God in Chrift is a glorious name: Pfal. lxxii. at the clofe, "Now bleffed be his glorious name; and let the whole earth be filled with his glory." His name is the glory of the church militant, for "in him shall all the feed of Ifrael be juftified, and fhall glory;" and the glory of the church triumphant, for "the Lord God, and the Lamb, are the light" of the place.

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2. This name that is in Chrift is a tranfcendent and incomparable name, a name above every name that can be named, whether in this world, or in that which is to come, Eph. i. at the close. His name is more excellent than the names of all the great powers of the earth; for "who among the fons of the mighty can be compared unto him?" This is one of his royal titles," The Prince of the kings of the earth, the King of kings, and Lord of lords." His name tranfcends the name of the angels in heaven; Heb. i. 4. "being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they."

3. The name of God in Chrift is a most powerful name. Such power or authority is in this name, that "every knee must bow, and every tongue muft confefs, that Jefus Chrift is the Lord, to the praife and glory of his eternal Father," Phil. ii. 9-11. Such power or ftrength there is in this name, that devils were caft out, the dead were raised, the eyes of the blind, and the ears of the deaf, were opened, and all manner of diseases were healed by the power or virtue of this name, in the infancy of Chriftianity; as we read in the hiftories of the Acts of the apoftles. Such power is there in the name of a God in Chrift, that when prayers and petitions are put up to heaven with this name upon them, they prevail and obtain any thing: "Whatfoever ye fhall afk the Father in my name, I will give it," John xiv. 13. 14. Mark vii. 26. &c.

4. His name in Chrift is a most helpful and faving name: "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth." If a poor foul can but, by the eye of faith, read the name of God in Chrift, immediately he reads his own falvation in it: If. xlv. 22. "Look unto me, and be ye faved:" Why, how comes this about? "For I am God, and there is none else." It takes every burden off the back

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to fee this name in Chrift; Pfal. xxxiv. 5. "They looked unto him, and were lightened ;" and no wonder, for whenever God's name is taken up as in Chrift, it is feen to be "the God of peace." God in Chrift is a "God reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trefpaffes unto them."

5. His name in Chrift is a wonderful and a fecret name : "His name fhall be called Wonderful ;" and why wonderful, but because the "child born unto us," and the "fon given unto us," is called "The mighty God, The everlafting Father?" It is so wonderful and mysterious, that it is juft a fecret which the world cannot conceive aright of, and cannot frame to pronounce it: God in a crucified Chrift is " to the Jews a ftumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness." And even they that have it manifefted to them in a faving way, it is such a fecret and wonderful name, that they are ready to cry with Agur, "What is his name, and what is his fon's name, if thou canst tell?" Prov. xxx. 4,

6. His name in Chrift is a sweet and a favoury name; it is like "ointment poured forth" to a poor foul that takes it up in a way of believing. And the reafon of this is, becaufe whenever a finner is enabled to read the name of God in Chrift, he fees him to be his own God: as we fee in Thomas, whenever he took him up in a proper light, he immediately cries out, "My Lord, and my God:" according to that of Chrift, "I afcend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God."

7. It is a holy and reverend name: "Holy and reverend is his name:" and they that know it, will fanctify it in their hearts, and make him their fear, and their dread. So holy is this name, that it fanctifies the foul that knows it, and kills indwelling corruption; and no wonder, for "he finishes tranfgreffion, and makes an end of fin."

8. It is a dreadful and terrible name to all the devils, the wicked and unbelieving world. The devils fall a trembling at the name of a God in Chrift; his work is to " bruise the head of the ferpent, to spoil principalities and powers." And this name, however defpifed and rejected by the wicked now, yet the day comes, when, at the fight of him, they will cry to the rocks and mountains to cover them.

9. It is a durable and everlasting name: "His name fhall endure for ever, his name fhall last like the fun." As his name is "from everlasting," fo it will be "to everlasting God." Thus you fee fome of the excellent properties and qualities of the name of God as it is in Christ.

EXOD. xxiii. 21.-My name is in him.

THE SECOND SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

III. Tame HE third thing in the method was, to inquire how is THE the name of God in Chrift, or after what manner is his name in him? There feems to be fomething of a peculiarity in the words. The power, wisdom, majefty, and greatnefs of God, is to be read in every work of his hands; thus, His name is great through all the earth, even among the Heathen world: but never was it faid of any creature in heaven or earth, angel or archangel, patriarch, prophet, apoftle, or faint, as it is here faid of Chrift the Angel of the covenant, My name is in him. So that the name of God must be in Chrift after another manner than in any other being. And therefore, for clearing this, I would have you to advert to the following particulars, which I take to be implied in the expreffion.

1. My name is in him, that is, it is wholly in him. Some prints of my hand, fome draughts of my power, wisdom, holinefs, may be found in others; but they are wholly in him; the whole Deity or Godhead of the Father is in him; my whole effence and being, my whole power and wifdom; my whole holiness and juftice, goodnefs and truth, my eternity and omnisciency, they are as much in him as in myself; hence we are told, that "in him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

2. The name of God is folely in him, and in none other as it is in him, My name is in him, exclufively of all others. Hence we are told, that "there is no name given under heaven, or among men, whereby to be faved, but by the name of Jefus." And what is the reafon of this? Because the name of God, viz. his faving helping name, is in him alone. "I am God, and there is none elfe;" and therefore, fays he, Look unto me, and be faved, all ye ends of the earth," If. xlv. 22.

3. My name is in him originally. Some orthodox divines, when fpeaking of the Trinity of perfons in the glorious God head, are pleafed to fay, that the Father is the fountain of the Deity. I do not love that way of fpeaking; for I think the whole Deity, including the three perfons, are their own foun tain and original; and that the eternal generation of the Son, and proceffion of the Holy Ghoft, are effential to the Deity;

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and that the whole Deity is originally in every one of these sacred and divine perfons; and that it is inconfiftent for any thing that is God, to be an inferior or independent being.

4. My name is in him, i. e. in a moft bright, express, and illuftrious manner, Heb. i. 3. The image of God was impreffed upon Adam in innocence, at his creation, and it is impreffed upon all that are the children of God by regeneration and adoption; but Chrift has not the image of God impreffed, but he is the exprefs image of his Father, and the brightness of his glory," infomuch, that it is impoflible for a perfon, by the eye of faith, to behold the glory of the only begotten Son of God, but at the fame time he beholds the glory of the Father alfo, for the light of the knowledge of the glory of God shines in the face or perfon of Jefus Chrift."

5. The name of God is in him, as Mediator, in a way of donation and derivation. He has a delegate authority, a derived fulness as Mediator; for "it pleafed the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and God hath given him to be head over all things to the church;" he hath appointed and anointed him to be King in Zion; and "the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement unto the Son." What he doth as the great Prophet, Prieft, and King, of his church, he doth in his Father's name, or by his warrant.

6. The name of God is in him in a way of manifestation: John xvii. 6. "I have manifefted thy name unto the men which thou gaveft me out of the world." And, Oh Sirs! till Christ teach us the knowledge of the name of God, we shall remain for ever ignorant of it: John i. 18. "No man hath feen. God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bofom of the Father, he hath revealed him."

7. The name of God is in him in a way of communication. And it is fet in him as Mediator, that it may, by him, be given unto, and fet upon his people: Rev. iii. 12. "Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he fhall go no more out; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God; and I will write upon him my new name." And how is it that he writes the name of his God upon them, but by causing them to fee and read the name or glory of God in himself? 2 Cor. iii. laft, "All we with open face, beholding as in a glafs the glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame image, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord." And thus you fee how the name of God is in Chrift. But after all that we have faid, this matter will remain an unknown mystery, unless the Spirit of the Lord come, as a "Spirit of wisdom and revelation," and flew us the myfteries of a God in Christ.

IV. The fourth thing in the method was, to inquire into the reafons of this doctrine; why is it that the name of God is in Chrift?

Anfw. 1. He bears his Father's name, because he and his Father are one; he is one God with his Father, the fame in fubftance, equal in power and glory; and fo it was impoffible it could be otherwife.

2. Because he is his Father's Son, his only Son, his beloved Son, by eternal generation : "The Word was made flesh, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father." Who fo fit to bear his Father's name, as his own firf-born, whom he therefore hath "made higher than the kings of the earth?"

3. He only was able to bear the weight of that infinite. and excellent name. If the name of God had been set in any created being, however excellent, as it would have been a lie to call that creature God; fo the highest and most excellent angel, or archangel, would have funk under the weight of it. The very thought of being equal with God, funk millions of angels from the height of heaven to the bottom of hell: how then could any finite being have been able to bear it? So that if Christ had not been God himself, one God with the Father, he had funk under the weight of that great name; but he was able to bear it, being his Father's equal, and therefore it was committed to him.

4. His name is in him, that it might be near unto us. Oh how near doth God come unto us in the perfon of Chrift! he comes and dwells with man upon earth, "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." God in Christ, he mingles natures with us in a perfonal union, and he mingles names with us in Chrift, for his name is Immanuel, God with us: he mingles interefts with us in Chrift, he connects his own glory with our falvation; hence Chrift is called, "The man of God's right hand, whom he makes ftrong for himself;" i. e. ftrong for the great purposes of his own glory in our falvation. So that, I fay, the name of God is in Christ, that his name might be fib and near to us; and his wondrous works of grace through Chrift, declare his great name to be near. And whenever the gospel is preached, and Christ the righteoufnefs and falvation of God revealed unto finners, he is faid to bring near his righteoufnefs, If. xlvi. at the close.

5. He has put his name in Chrift to break our enmity against him, and to reconcile us to himfelf: "God was in Chrift, reconciling the world unto himself." The great defign of the manifestation of the name and nature of God in Chrift, was to give fuch a convincing proof and demonftra

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