Third Commandment. Fir(f, Sometimes it _is taken for t he Natur~ and B~ing of the Deity i~ fclf. Nor "is it an unufual Ftgure to put Name for that Thmg or Perfo11 that IS ex~ ...prefled by it ; as Rev. 3· 4· 'thou ~aft a few name; in Sa~dU, that have not drfilcd their gArments; and th~y Jl ,afl walk with me. in white .· t hat IS, thou haft a few Perf~ns itt Sardi.<. So likcwtfe we may obfcrve 1t t o be frequently ufed when the Scnpturc fpeaksofGod, and Chrift, P(a/ . zo, t. T he name of the Godof<Jacob defmd thet; that is let the God of7acob himfe lf, who is t he only t rnc and Almighty Potentate, be tl;y Shield and thy Defence, Pfal. I35· 3· Sing praifcs unto his flame; that is, offer yonr R~turns of T hanks and Prai fes lUlto that God from ~vhom you l1ave received your Mer cies and Sa lvat ion•. So Pfal. I I 5· x. ~ot u~to m, 0 Lord, not '!'"t? us, but to thy name give glory ; that ts, let the _Glory ~litch I S due unto thee be ultlrely af~ cribed unto thy fe lf. And fo concernmg Chnft, Luke 24. 47· Rep_mranc:e and re... miffion of jim are to be preached to all natWns in his name; · that is, through him. And, 1ohn t. n. He gave power to become the fom of God, to M many M,bel~eved in his name; that is., to as many as believed in him. And thus it is ufed in innumerable places. Secondly, Sometin1:es the Name of <?od ·is ta~en for the ·whole Syfl:em ~f Divine 2 • and Heavenly Doc1nne revealed to us. m the Scnpture~: Thus the P!alnnft, I rvillPfal. zl. decl.trc thy name unto my brethren: \\ThiCh the Apoitle Cites as fj)oken 111 the Perfon:l'l• of Chrift, Heb. 2. 12. and the meaning is, That Chrift fhonld dcdarc and make known to the World, a true fpiritual Doctrine, and way of \Vorfuip; and teach them a Religion which fuould both perfeCt their Rcafon, and fave their Souls. And as a Teftimony of the accomplifhment of this Prophefie, our Saviour himfelf tells us, 1ohn 17· 6. I httve mrmifefted thy name_-unto rhe men whom rboug_avcft me. ~nd, ver. 26. ]have declared unto them rby name, and will declare it; that ts, l have mftrnCtccl them in the true Rel igion, and right Worl11ip of the great God. And fo it is taken. likewife, Micah 4· 5· .All people wilt walk ewry one irz the name of his God, and lVC will 1valk irt the nal?jC of the Lord our God for ever and ever: That is, we will walk ht that way ofWorl11ip and Rel igion which is appointed and approved by the Lord our Gocl. 71Jirdly, The Name of God is taken for that whereby God is cJ\led, and by V\'hich ;:;. bis Natnre. and PerfeCtions are made known unto the Children of Men : For Names are impofecl to this very intent, that they might declare what the thing is to which the Name cloth bclonp;. Thns when God had created .Adam, and made him the Lord of this vilible World, he caufed the Beafts of the Field, and the Fowls of the Air to pafs before him, both to do Homage to their nc.W Sovereign, and likewife to receive Names from him, which according to the Perfection of his Knowledge, did then aptly ferve to cxprefs their feveral Natures, and were not only Names, but Definitions too: And fo· when we read of the Names of God in Scrivturc, .they alllignific fome Exprellions of his I nfinite EnCnce, in which he is plcafed to fpell out himfclf unto us, fometimcs by one Perfctfion and fometimes by another. Now thcfc Names of Gocl, arc either his Titles or his Attributes. Concernine; which, 1 have formerly treated at large in expounding to you the firft Petition of the Lord's Prayer, Hafltnved be thy Name; and therefore Jha\l here only mention them, and fo proceed. Firft , H is ~i tles a~c his Name: And they arc fome of them Abfolute; and fuch are thofe glonous T ttlcs of <]ah, 1ehovah, God, . 1 Am ; I am hath fent thee, faith God to Mofos· ~nd thcfe at:c Names alt~gether mcomprehcnfible and ftnpetldious. Others are Relative, rcfpec.tmg us. So his Name of Creator, denotes his infinite Power in giving Being to all things: Lord and King, fignifie his Dominion and Authority in difp~fing an~ .governing ~ll that h~ hath made: Fath.er fignifies his Care and Goodnefs 10 provtdmg for us h1s Off-fprmg: Redeemer, hts Mercy in de.. livering us from Temporal Evils and Calamities, but efpecially from Eternal Death and Dcll:rucrion. Thefe, and other fuch-like Titles God doth a!lilme unto himfelf, to exprefs in fomc. mcafurc, as we are able to bear, what he is in himfelf. Stcondty, r.
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