tion of his love, mercy, and good-will toward man upon earth, as might for ever break our enmity, reconcile our hearts, and render himself an object of love, truft, hope, defire, delight, and confidence unto man, whofe heart was altogether alienate from God by fin, as if he were an implacable and inexorable

enemy.

V. The last thing propofed in the profecution of this doctrine, was the Application.

Ufe firft, may be in a few Inferences. Is it fo that the name of God is in Chrift, after such a manner as you have heard? Then,

Inf. 1. See hence the injury that is done both to the Father, and the Son, by the abominable Arian herefy, that hath been broached in our land, and which I fear is too much prevailing both among minifters and members of this established church. Why, that herefy doth injury to the eternal Father, because it flatly contradicts his record concerning our Redeemer in my text. God the Father fays, My name, which is the fupreme, felf-existent, and independent God, this name of mine is in him. This is falfe, fays the Arians, for the name of the fupreme independent, and self-existent God, is the perfonal property of the Father, and therefore not to be afcribed unto the Son. And then it doth injury unto the Son, because it denies him to have " a name above every name." If his name be not the fupreme God, there muft needs be a hame above his name. In short, a dependent or inferior God is no God at all; for there is no middle kind of being between the Creator and the creature.

Inf. 2. Is his Father's name in him? Then fee hence, that God the Father is concerned in all the affronts and indignities done to Christ, and will furely refent them. Why, his Father's name is in him, and the indignities done to him, they reflect upon his royal and eternal Father. Pfal. cx. 1. "The Lord faid unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." He will caft them down, and tread them under his feet. I will tell you of two or three forts of perfons that are in danger of the refentment of God the Father, for indignities done to his eternal Son.

ift, All ye that reject him by unbelief, and do not close with him as he is offered in the gospel, as a prophet for inftruction, as a priest for juftification, and as a king for fanctis fication. Oh how many are there that fall under this heavy charge! "Whos hath believed our report?" Sirs, however light you may make of the fin of unbelief, yet remember there is fomething worse abiding you, than a dying without mercy: VOL. II. Heb.

Heb. x. 28. 29. "If they that defpifed Mofes law, died with out mercy, of how much forer punishment fhall he be thought worthy," &c.

2dly, Ye that are doing injury to any of his fent fervants and ambaffadors that bear his name and commiffion, ye lie exposed to the refentment of the Father of Christ. He that defpifeth you, defpifeth me, and he that despiseth me, defpifeth him that fent me. The wrath of the Lord fell upon the Jews, till there was no remedy, for their mocking, abufing, and maltreating the Lord's meffengers that he fent to them, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16.

3dly, Ye that do any injury to his poor people and members, and who opprefs them either in their temporal or fpiritual privileges, or yet offend or grieve them any manner of way, "it were better for fuch that a militone were put about their necks, and they caft into the midtt of the fea," than that they fhould "offend one of thefe little ones." Many a fad heart the Lord's poor people are getting at this day. The lambs of Chrifl's flock, and their precious liberties, are facrificed by many fhepherds in our Ifrael, to pleafe and gratify the great ones of the land. More regard fhewed to a patron, or a heritor, in the election of a minifter, than to the flock or church of Chrift, that he has purchafed with his own blood. It is the wife, the mighty, the noble, the heritor and laird, that is called to vote in the election of a church-officer; quite cross to Chrift's way, who has faid, "Not many wife men, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; but God hath chofen the poor, the weak things of the world, to confound the wife," &c.

4thly, Ye that are doing injury to his work and caufe, and who are helping on the prefent courfe of defection from a covenanted work of reformation. Who fees not what bold ftrokes are given at the carved work of God's temple in this land; particularly, by a fet of corrupt time-ferving minifters, and others, who join hand with them in breaking down the neceffary fences of the doctrine, worship, difcipline, and government of the church, in enacting laws inconfiftent with the laws of Chrift, to the hurt, not to the edification, of his body; in fupprefling the true friends, and fupporting the open enemies of a covenanted reformation, fcattering instead of gathering the lambs of Chrift, in perverting the keys of difcipline to the kreening of the unworthy, and to the cenfuring of minifters for the faithful difcharge of their duty? No care taken to purge out the erroneous in principle, or fcandalous in practice, but, on the contrary, vacant congregations crammed and filled up with corrupt men, without any regard to the voice

of

of these who know the voice of the fhepherd. I fay, you who are helping on thefe or the like defections from a work of reformation, you are fetting yourselves in oppofition to the intereft of Chrift, who hath his Father's name in him, and you expofe yourselves to the refentment of his Father and of his Anointed, Pfal. ii. God and his Meffiah holds you in derifion, and when he has made ufe of you as tools to ferve his own glorious defigns, he will "break you as with a rod of iron, and dath you in pieces as a potter's veffel."

5thly, All ye who ftand by as Gallio's, unconcerned fpectators of the ruin of the church of Chrift, while others are con-' tending against the mighty for the preservation of the work of the Lord, among us; remember, that the vengeance of God's temple will fall upon you alfo, for there are no neutrals in the caufe of Chrift; they that are not for him, are against him. Curfe ye Meroz, curfe ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof: because they come not up to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord, against the mighty." In short, all ye that are li ving in league with fin, either with public or personal fin, which Chrift came to deftroy, and to make an end of, ye are affronting him that has his Father's name in him, and counteracting the very defign of his manifeftation in the flesh, and therefore have reafon to fear wrath lies at the door: every foul that will not hear him, and obey his voice, fhall be deftroyed from among the people, and that becaufe his Father's name is

in him.

Inf. 3. Hence alfo we may fee noble ground for the courage and fortitude of faith, contending for Chrift, his caufe and intereft, in an evil day, a day of trouble, and treading down, and perplexity, in the valley of vifion. Let none of the hearts of the followers of the Lamb fail them becaufe of the might or multitude of their enemies, either within them or without them; for although ye may have "principalities and powers, fpiritual wickedneffes in high places," as well as "flesh and、 blood," to grapple with, and though his caufe and interest may feem to be run down and ruined, yet do not defert him, or give up his caufe as defperate and hopeless. Why, the Captain of your falvation has his Father's name in him; he is armed with his Father's power and authority, and the armies which are in heaven and in earth follow him; and it is his way of working and doing, to draw out the main body and ftrength of the enemy, and to give way to their wrath, till his caufe feem to be defperate and hopeless, and then to give the ene my a turn, that his own power and wifdom may be the more vifible in their overthrow, and the delivery of his own people. He lets Pharaoh and his Egyptians go on in oppofition to If

rael,

rael, and in infulting Ifrael's God, for a confiderable time, till the cry of Ifrael goes up to heaven, and then at length he trains Pharaoh and his army out to the Red fea in pursuit of Ifrael, triumphing and rejoicing all the way, faying, "I will purfue, overtake, and divide the fpoil;" and Ifrael at the fame time brought to the laft extremity; and then he fteps in, and makes the Red fea a gibbet for the public execution of the enemy. "For this caufe I have raised thee up, to fhew my power in thee, and that my name might be manifefted," &c. Many fuch ftratagems of war are with him; and therefore let no man's heart fail him, becaufe of the power or multitude of Christ's enemies, or the lownefs of his caufe.

Inf. 4. See hence noble encouragement to all to confefs and own Chrift before the world, and to bear and wear his name on our foreheads before all the world; why, because his Father's name is in him; and therefore we need not be afhamed of him, or of his truths, his ways, his people, his prerogatives, his intereft. His Father is not afhamed of him; his name was in him, even when hanging ignominiously upon the cross between two thieves: and therefore let not us be ashamed of him, even when he and his caufe is run down by all about

us.

Sirs, no man was ever a lofer by owning Chrift or his intereft. "He that confeffes me before men, him will I confefs before my Father, and before his angels." Perhaps you may lofe your houses or land; yea, your very lives, in owning and confeffing his name; but what the matter of all that? "He that lofes his life," for this caufe "fhall find it." The very reproach of Chrift is greater riches than all worldly treafures."

Inf. 5. See hence the dignity and excellency of a Redeemer's perfon, and why he is fo precious and valuable in the eyes of all that know him, and look on him by the eye of faith:

To you that believe he is precious." Why, his Father's name is in him; his being, his glory, his will, his authority, and all his perfections are in him. No wonder though the church militant and triumphant cry, "Worthy is the Lamb that was flain," &c. No wonder to hear the church crying, "Thou art fairer than the children of men, more glorious than all the mountains of prey. My Beloved is white and ruddy: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars: his mouth is moft fweet; yea, he is altogether lovely. Whom have we in heaven but thee? and there is none in all the earth that we defire befide him." I fay, no wonder they make such ado about him, feeing they read his Father's name, yea, the "brightnefs of his glory" in him. Let the world fay of Christ what they will, he will be valued by all that know him.

Inf. 6. See hence whence it was that the pleafure of the Lord profpered in the hand of our Redeemer, I mean, the great undertaking of man's redemption: although hell and earth, and the curfe of a broken law, were against him, though the fiery mountains of his Father's wrath were in his way; yet he went on fteadily in the undertaking, did not faint, nor was difcouraged, till he could fay, "It is finifhed." Why, the reafon was, his Father's name was in him, the very power and perfections of God were in him. And therefore he could not but profper. God the Father was not only bound by promife, but bound by honour to fupport his own name that was in him. To this purpose, fee Pial. lxxxix. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.

Inf. 7. See hence the prevalency of Chrift's interceffion for his people in heaven, and whence it is that the prayers of the faints, that are fent up in the name of Chrift, pafs through before the throne of God; why, the name of God is in our "Advocate with the Father," and therefore he cannot but prevail. God the Father fees his own name in him; and when he reads his own name in him, he can deny him nothing, and can deny nothing that is afked in his name. It is a strange way of fpeaking that Chrift has to his difciples, when he is encouraging them to the duty of prayer, John xiv. 13. 14. "Whatsoever ye thall afk in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye fhall afk any thing in my name, I will do it" plainly intimating, that the name of the Father is glorified in the Son, when we pray in his name, and when thefe prayers that are put up in his name, are granted and answered. Set the name of Chrift before you when you go to God in prayer, fet it in the front of all your petitions and addreffes, and they will furely get a hearing, and prevail; for Chrift will own and prefent thefe petitions that in his name to the Father, and the Father will not reject the interceffion of Chrift in our behalf, because his name is in him.

come up

Inf. 8. See hence what honourable and excellent perfons the faints of God are, however little they may be valued by a wicked and blind world; why, as the Father's name is in Chrift, fo Chrift's name is in them, and confequently the name of God is in them: Rev. iii. 12. "I will write upon them the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God: and I will write upon them my new name, that no man knows, but he that receives it." So that I fay, the faints must be very excellent perfons: yea, the "excellent ones of the earth, more excellent than their neighbours," because they have the

name