of God. In difcourfing on it, I fhall endeavour, in divine ftrength,

I. To explain what is to be understood by the NAME of the LORD.

II. What is implied in the righteous running into it as a strong tower.

III. Point out the fecurity they attain by doing fo.

And, in the last place, I fhall make some applica tion of the fubject.

I. Then, I am to explain what is to be understood by the NAME of the LORD. And here, I hope, I need fcarce obferve, that it was by no means the intention of the fpirit of God, by this expreffion, to teach us to conceive any particular virtue or charm in the name literally fo called; that is, the found or pronunciation of the word. To imagine any thing of this kind, would be to go into the foolery and idle dreams of fuperftition, to which there is not the leaft countenance given in the holy fcriptures. Human nature feems, however, to have been very prone to this in every age. The use of amulets and charms feems to have prevailed in the greatest part of the heathen nations, as also magical incantations, though it did not exert itself precifely in the fame way, the principle seems to have been the fame, which led the Jews from a pretended veneration for the name Jehovah, never to pronounce it at all; a custom which they retain to this day, alledging, either that they cannot pronounce it, or that it is unlawful to utter it. We may also obferve, that, in our neighbour church,

they seem to have fallen into the fame error in the custom of bowing at the name of Jefus, while they do not bow to the names of Chrift, Lord, or God.

Having mentioned these things for the illuftration of the fubject before us, I cannot help obferving, that if a fuperftitious veneration for the letters or the found of a name is blame-worthy, a rash profanation of the name of God is unfpeakably more criminal. My heart bleeds to think of the commonnefs of this fin among all ranks, and all ages. What have those parents to anfwer for, who have taught, or who have not restrained their children from taking the name of God in vain? This is a fin little thought of among men, but highly criminal in the fight of God, and he hath taken to himself the work of a

venging it: For the Lord will not hold him guiltlefs who taketh his name in vain.

By the NAME of the LORD, in our text, we are to understand the Lord God himself; his nature as it is difcovered to us in all his glorious perfections, particularly his power and goodness, to fave and deliver them that put their trust in him. In this fenfe the name of God, or the name of the Lord, is ufed in many paffages of fcripture, as Pfal. xx. 1, 5, 7, verfes, The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble, the name of the God of Jacob defend thee. We will rejoice in thy falvation, and in the name of our God we will fet up our banners :-Some truft in chariots, and fome in horfes: but we will remem⚫ber the name of the Lord our God.' As alfo in all thofe places where mention is made of calling on the name of the Lord, or praifing the name of the

Lord. Agreeably to this, we find, in our Saviour's directory for prayer, the following petition, Hallowed be thy name. That is, let God himself and his glorious perfections be acknowledged, and a fuitable regard paid to them, by all without exception. The fame way of speaking is obferved with respect to Chrift, Acts iv. 12. For there is none other name, under heaven, given among men,

whereby we must be faved.' That is to fay, there is no other Saviour, besides Chrift, to whom we can flee for deliverance from guilt and mifery. At the fame time, it is eafy to fee the propriety of this expreffion the name of the Lord; it is ufed for God himself, because, amongst mankind, we are diftinguished from one another by our names, fo God is known or distinguished by the difcoveries he hath made of himself, and the daily exercise of his perfections, in behalf of his people.

There are three principal ways by which God hath difcovered himfelf to mankind; namely, the vifible creation, his written word, and the daily administration of his providence. Let us confider them fhortly, as they may be justly said to be his name; for they ferve to explain his nature.

1. Let us confider the vifible creation as the name of God. He hath engraven his name on all the works of his hands; he hath engraven it in an univerfal language, in which every intelligent creature may read it, and the most weak and ignorant may easily comprehend it. Pfal. xix. 1. The hea

vens declare the glory of God, and the firmament fheweth his handy works.' Rom. i. 20. For the

invifible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly feen; being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and • Godhead.'

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Are men ignorant of God? It is because they do not like to retain him in their knowledge; for the whole creation is full of him,.' He is not far from every one of us.' We can no where turn our eyes, to the heavens above, or to the earth below, but we may fee the moft manifeft proofs of his almighty power, his unfearchable wifdom, his unbounded goodness, and his univerfal prefence. How feeling a fenfe of this does the Pfalmift express, Píal. cxxxix. 1-7. 'O Lord, thou haft fearched 6 me, and known me. Thou knoweft my downfitting, and mine up-rifing, thou understandeft my thought afar off. Thou compaffeft my path, and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knoweft it all together. • Thou haft befet me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain ⚫ unto it. Whither fhall I go from thy Spirit? or ← whither fhall I flee from thy prefence?' It will fall more properly under the following head to fhew, how the righteous run into the name of God as a ftrong tower. We now confider only his works, as fhewing forth his glory. See, to this purpose, the fortieth chapter of Ifaiah, from the 12 verfe and downwards, Who hath meafured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven

with the fpan, and comprehended the duft of the earth in a meafure, and weighed the mountains in fcales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the fpirit of the Lord; or being his coun ⚫ fellor hath taught him? With whom took he coun. fel, and who inftructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and fhewed to him the way of understanding?'

2. God hath revealed himfelf in his written word; there he hath clearly and explicitly written his name, and revealed his nature; there all his various perfections, excellent in themselves and fuitable to us, are enumerated and explained: in thefe lively oracles, there is a remedy not for the uncertainty of nature's light, but for the darkness of our bewildered underftandings. Here we must not forget that he hath in his word clearly revealed himself, as infinitely gracious to finners through Jesus Christ. This may well be called his name, because it is the only way by which we are brought to an intereft in his favour. John xiv. 6. I am the way, and the truth, and the • life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.' This unlocks the gates of the ftrong tower, and 04 pens a fanctuary to the finner, who is fleeing front the fword of avenging wrath. No man hath feen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bofom of the Father, he hath declared • him.' His name and memorial to all generations, is faid to be gracious and merciful, flow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. And it is in Chrift Jefus, and his crofs, that his mercy is displayed; it is for Christ's fake that his mercy