of sins are to be preached to all nations in his Name: that is, through him and John i. 12. He gave power to become the sons of God, to as many as believed in his Name: that is, to as many as believed in him. And thus it is used in innumerable places. ii. Sometimes the Name of God is taken for THE WHOLE SYSTEM OF DIVINE AND HEAVENLY DOCTRINE REVEALED TO US IN THE SCRIPTURES. Thus the Psalmist, I will declare thy name unto my brethren: Psal. xxii. 22. Which the Apostle cites as spoken in the person of Christ; Heb. ii. 12. and the meaning is, That Christ should declare and make known to the world, a true spiritual doctrine and way of worship; and teach them a religion, which should both perfect their reason, and save their souls. And, as a testimony of the accomplishment of this prophecy, our Saviour himself tells us, John xvii. 6. I have manifested thy Name unto the men, which thou gavest me. And, v. 26. I have declared unto them thy Name, and will declare it: that is, I have instructed them in the true religion, and right worship of the Great God. And so it is taken, likewise, Micah iv. 5. All people will walk every one in the Name of his God; and we will walk in the Name of the Lord our God, for ever and ever: that is, we will walk in that way of worship and religion, which is appointed and approved by the Lord our God. iii. The Name of God is taken for THAT, WHEREBY GOD IS CALLED AND, BY WHICH, HIS NATURE AND PERFECTIONS ARE MADE KNOWN UNTO THE CHILDREN OF MEN. For names are imposed to this very intent, that they might declare what the thing is, to which the name doth belong. Thus, when God had created Adam and made him the Lord of this visible world, he caused the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air to pass before him, both to do homage to their new sovereign, and likewise to receive names from him; which, according to the perfection of his knowledge, did then aptly serve to express their several natures, and were not only names, but definitions And so, when we read of the Names of God in Scripture, they all signify some expressions of his Infinite Essence, in which he is pleased to spell out himself unto us, sometimes by one perfection, and sometimes by another. Now these Names of God are either his Titles or his Attri butes. Concerning which I have formerly treated at large in expounding to you the First Petition of the Lord's Prayer, Hallowed be thy name; and, therefore, shall here only mention them, and so proceed. 1. His Titles are his Name. And they are some of them absolute: and such are those glorious titles of Jah, Jehovah, God, I am. I am hath sent thee, saith God to Moses. And these are names altogether incomprehensible and stupendous. Others are relative; respecting us. So, his name of Creator denotes his infinite power in giving being to all things. Lord and King, signify his dominion and authority in disposing and governing all that he hath made. Father signifies his care and goodness in providing for us his offspring: Redeemer, his mercy in delivering us from temporal evils and calamities, but especially from eternal death and destruction. These, and other such-like titles, God doth assume unto himself, to express, in some measure, as we are able to bear, what he is in himself. 2. His Attributes also are his Name. Some of which are incommunicable: as his eternity, immensity, immutability, simplicity, &c. which are so proper to the Divine Nature that they belong to no created being. Others are communicable: and so, mercy, and goodness, and holiness, and truth, &c. are the attributes of God. Communicable they are, because some rays of them may be found in the creatures: but, yet, in that infinite degree and excellency, which they have in God; so, they are incommunicable, and proper only to the Deity. And, therefore, though angels or men may be said to be holy, or just, or good; yet none of them are so originally: none are so, infinitely and unchangeably; none are so, simply and in the abstract, but only God himself. These then are the Names of God. And here in the text, Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lowd thy God in vain, we must understand it concerning the Name of God in this last acceptation; that is, for any name of his, whereby he is pleased to reveal himself unto us; whether it appertain to his titles, or to his attributes: neither of these must be taken in vain. II. Let us consider what it is to TAKE THE NAME OF GOD. I answer briefly: To take the Name of God is no other, than to make use of it, either as the object of our thoughts, or the subject of our discourses. And so we find this phrase used, Psal. xvi. 4. I will not take up their names into my lips. And, Psal. 1. 16. What hast thou to do.....that thou shouldst take my covenant in thy mouth? that is, that thou shouldst speak, or make mention of it. So that, to take God's Name, is, to speak or mention it. III. Let us consider what it is to TAKE GOD'S NAME IN VAIN. To this I answer: God's Name is then taken in vain, When it is used, without propounding to ourselves a due end. i. WHEN IT IS Used, without PROPOUNDING TO OURSELVES A DUE END. The end specifies the action: if the end be vain, the action must be so too. Now there are but two ends, that can justify and warrant the use of any of God's Names; either his Titles or his Attributes: and they are, 1. The Glory of God. And, 2. The Edification of ourselves and others. Whatsoever is besides these, is light and frivolous; and can be no good ground to us to make any mention of his great and terrible Name: which is so full of glory and majesty, that it should never be uttered, but where the subject of our discourse is serious and weighty. I will not now speak of those, who vend the holy and reverend Name of God with oaths and blasphemies; a sin, by so much the -more heinous and abominable, by how much less temptation there is to it, either of pleasure or profit. This is an iniquity to be punished by the judge. And, would to God, laws were put in severe execution, to cramp the black tongues of all such profane wretches; whose number so abounds and swarms, that we can no where walk the streets, without being assaulted with whole vollies of oaths and curses. But, for others, who are of more blameless conversation, may it not be observed how their discourses and familar tattle are filled up with the Name of God and Lord? I beseech you, consider: what end do you propound to yourselves, in thus using the great and terrible Name? Are all your discourses so serious, as to bear the burthen of that great Name? Are they all immediately directed to the advancement of his glory? Or do they all promote the benefit and welfare of those who hear them? If so, then indeed the Name of God can never be more seasonably used. But if you make the Highest Lord serve only to express some small wonderment, or the Great God only an expletive to fill up a gap in your speeches; certainly, these are such low and mean ends, that God will not hold thee guiltless. He accounts himself contemned, when you mention his Name to such idle purposes; and will revenge the dishonour, that you do him by it. ii. The Name of God is taken in vain, WHEN IT IS USED, WITHOUT DUE CONSIDERATION AND REVERENCE. Whensoever we make mention of him, we ought seriously to ponder his infinite greatness and glory; and to how our hearts in the deepest prostration before that Name, to which all the powers in heaven and earth bow down with most humble veneration. But is it possible, for those, who speak of God promiscuously and at random; is it possible, that they should utter his Name with reverence, when all the rest of the discourse is nothing but froth and levity? Nay, if they be reproved for it, will they not allege for their excuse that, which is their very sin, That they did not consider it? And, what! will you dare to bolt out the great Name of the great God without considering it? Is that a Name to be sported with, and to be tossed to and fro upon every light and vain tongue? The tongue of man is called his glory : Psal. lvii. 8. Awake up, my glory. And shall the glory of man be the dishonour of God? Shall that, which was created to be a principal instrument of magnifying and exalting God's Name, run it over without affection or reverence? Those things, which we most of all contemn and despise, we use as bye-words; and lay no great stress nor sense upon them. And, truly, when we speak of God, without considering how great, how glorious, and excellent a being he is, how holy, just, and powerful, we do but make him a bye-word; which is the highest contempt and indignity, that can be cast upon him. And, therefore, the best means, that can be used to secure us from that habit and wicked custom, that many of us have inured ourselves unto, of taking God's Name in vain, is seriously to consider whose Name it is, even the Name of the Great God, who is present with thee, and hears thee pronounce it: that God, to whom the greatest and most glorious things compared, arę base and vile nothings: that God, who is jealous of his honour, and will dreadfully revenge himself upon the contemners of it. And, if thou hast but wrought these considerations into thy heart, and habituated them to thy thoughts, thou wilt for ever be afraid to speak of his majesty vainly and irreverently. iii. The Name of God is taken in vain, WHEN IT IS USED, TO AN UNDUE AND UNLAWFUL ACTION; especially, when it is brought to confirm a falsehood, either in perjury or heresy: which is a most horrid impiety. So And, therefore, it is observed, that the same word, which is here rendered Vain,* signifies also False or Deceitful. that this Precept, Thou shalt not take the Name of the Low thy God in vain, may be rendered also, Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in falsehood. Not that this is the only unlawful using of it, but that this is the chief and most notorious abusing of it. And, indeed, what greater sin can there be, than to bring God to be a witness to our lie? To make him, who is Truth itself, attest that, which is falsehood and deceit ? And, therefore, Proverbs xxx. 9. Agur prays against pinching poverty, as well as superfluous riches; Lest, saith he, I be poor, and steal, and take the Name of my God in voin. That is, lest poverty compel me to steal; and fear of shame or punishinent tempt me to swear by the Name of the Great God, that I have not done it. This, indeed, is to take God's Name in vain, in the worst and highest sense. IV. Suffer me now to close up this with some PRACTICAL APPLICATION of it to your consciences. i. Let this cONVINCE YOU OF THE GREATNESS AND HEINOUSNESS OF THIS SIN, AND DEEPLY HUMBLE YOU THAT HAVE BEEN GUILTY OF IT. I well know, that the commonness, whether of God's mercies towards us, or of our sins against him, takes off much from our observation, and abates them both in our estimate. And because this is so common a sin almost in the mouths of all persons, our ears are so beaten to it, that we now little regard it. Possibly, should we hear a devil incarnate belch out some direful oath, we should start and tremble at it: but, when we hear the Name of the Great God, and our only Lord, slip along in some trifling לשוא * |