chafte wife holding by her husband, who will neither be a whore nor behave like one, Hof. ix. 1. Because he is our God (I mean), we must neither be idolaters nor fuperftitious, fymbolifing with idolaters.

3. The zeal he hath to his own worship: I-a jealous God, vifiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, &c. Zeal or jealoufy is an affection of a hufband, whereby he can endure no partner in his wife's love, but is highly incenfed againft it, if any fuch thing there be. So the Lord is fpecially dif pleafed with all falfe worship as fpiritual whoredom, and has fuch a peculiar regard to the matter of his worthip, that it is a moft dangerous thing to make a wrong ftep in it, Lev. x. 1. 2. This zeal appears, (1.) In his accounting the breakers of this command haters of him, though idolaters and fuperftitious per fons pretend highly to love and honour him, and threatening to punish them to the third and fourth genera tion, because fo long men may may live and fee them

fhew, that our doctrine and difcipline is any other. But they would impofe upon us other terms of communion than what are contained in this our national covenant, which is the bond to knit together the members of the church of Scotland. And to withdrawing from the communion of this church is a palpable breach of this covenant. And if men will pretend that they are bound up from the duty of this covenant by any fubfequent oaths, acts, or engagements what foever, that is the fin of covenant-breaking with a witnefs, taking one engagement to elude a prior folemn engagement, which cannot

be loofed.

"2. Popery, Prelacy, ceremonies, and profanenefs, as they are forbidden in the word of God, fo they are by this covenant accursed things in this church, to be rejected and detefted, as we would not bring the curfe of the covenant upon us. The Lord has wonderfully owned this covenanted work of reformation, and it has been a burdenfome flone that has crullied many, who have fet themselves to roll it out of the way. The building up of thofe things caft down by it, has been to fome as the rebuilding of Jericho to him that undertook that work, on whom a curfe was entailed. It has been witnessed unto by the wreklings of many, and refifting even unto blood, by the Lord's witneffes in Scotland, who chofe rather to lofe their lives than to quit it. Now, the danger of a root-ftroke is great. Ye fee what is your duty, whatever the danger may be. Let us labour for grace To be faithful unto the death, that we may receive the crown of life."

felves punished in their children. Not that God properly punishes cne for another's fin; but that from the parents fin he often takes occafion to punish children for their own fins, and fuch their parents fins oftimes are by imitation, or fome way approving of them. (2.) In his accounting the obfervers of this command fuch as love him, and promifing mercy unto them to many generations, even thoufands of theirs after them.

Of the third Commandment.

EXODUS XX. 7.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain ; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

S the first command refpects the object of worfhip, and the fecond the means, fo this third hath refpect to the right manner of worship. In the words there are two things.

1. The command, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. It is expreffed negatively, to ftrike into men the greater awful reverence of that glorious and great name. Now, as men by their names are known, and diftinguifhed one from another, fo by the name of God we are to understand generally, whatfoever it is whereby God makes himfelf known, which we learn from his word and works. For no man hath feen God at any time, John i, 18. nor do we know any thing of him, but what he has been fo pleafed to reveal of himfelf. So that God being thus revealed unto us, the scope of this command is to bind upon us a holy reverence of him fo far as he has revealed himself to us,

To take this name in vain, fignifies, (1.) To a lie, or falfely. God is a God of truth; and his name. muft not be any wife interpofed to falfehood, as they

do who father their own lies on him, or call him to witness to a lie in swearing falfely. (2.) In vain; God is great, and we must not use his name in thought, word, or writing, lightly without juft caufe, rafhly without reverence, or unprofitably to no good purpose, God's honour, the good of ourselves or others, and much lefs contumelioufly and wickedly, as in curfing and blafpheming.

The pofitive part is implied, viz, That we muft hallow the name of God, treat it holily and reverentJy, If. viii. 13. interpofing it only to truth, whereof he is the author, and that upon his own call, with reverence, for his honour, and the good of ourselves and others.

2. The reason annexed to this command, For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Where obferve,

(1). The evil threatened against the breakers of this command. The Lord will not hold them guiltless. Two things are remarkable here. (1.) In that it is faid, The Lord will not hold them guiltless, it implies, that profaners of God's name many times hold themselves guiltlefs. They abufe God's name, and then wipe their mouths, and fay they have not finned. Men hold them guiltlefs, they efcape punishment from men; but while both themselves and others let the plea fleep, God will awaken it, and take the quarrel in his own hand. (2.) In that it is faid, The Lord will not hold them guiltless, more is meant than is expreffed, viz. that God will feverely punish the profaning of his name. The lefs they think of it, God will think the more of it, and men fhall find peculiar fevere refentments of this fin from a highly-provoked God. They will find, that tho' it lies far from their hearts, yet it touches a holy God near.

(2.) How particular the threatening is, Hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. The fin is rẹpeated in the threatening, to fhew the hainousness of it, how ill God takes it to have his name taken

in vain. And though it be a common fin, yet none fhall be hid or escape amongst the multitude of criminals, but God will bring out this man and that man, even every man that is a profaner of his name, and judge him as particularly, and punish him as feverely, as if there were but one man in the fault. And though fome, by their being fet above others in the world, think they may take a latitude in this fin, yet be the man who he will, him will God punish for it,: were he the greatest on earth, he fhall know that his tongue is not his own, but that Jehovah is Lord over him.

(3.) How peremptory the threatening is. It is not fimply faid, God will punish him that taketh his name. in vain, but God will NOT hold him guiltless. Let him not think to escape, God will not quit his honour fo. His glory engages him to refent the difhonour done to his name, and the abufer of it fhall not go free. If God's name be profaned by him, it fhall be glorified upon him one way or another.

In difcourfing further from this fubject, fhall fhew,
I. What is required in this command.
II. What is forbidden in it.

III. The reafon annexed to it.

IV. Make fome improvement.

I. I am to fhew what is required in the third command. It requires the holy and reverent ufe of "God's names, titles, attributes, ordinances, words, "and works." And here I fhall fhew,

1. What is the name of God by which he makes himfelf known, which is to be hallowed by us.

2. What is our duty with refpect to this glorious name in all the parts thereof,

First, I fhall fhew what is the name of God by which he makes himself known, which is to be hallowed by us. Under this are comprehended,.

1. The particular names that God takes to himself in his word, as Jehovah, Lord, God, I am, &c. Exod. vi. 3. And whereas he is one God in three perfons,

we take in here the names of all the three, the Father, the Son, who is alfo called Jefus Chrift, Immanuel, and the Holy Ghoft.

2. The titles of God. For as great men have titles of honour whereby they are distinguished from others, fo God has taken certain titles to himself, as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Preferver of men, Hearer of prayer, &c. So the three perfons in the Trinity have titles. The Father is called the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, &c.; the Son, King of kings, Lord of lords, Head of the church, &c.; and the Spirit, the Comforter, Sanctifier, &c.

3. The attributes of God, that is, his perfections and properties, whereby he is diftinguished from all the creatures; fuch as his eternity, unchangeableness, infinity, omnifcience, &c.; in a word, all the glorious properties of the divine nature common to all the three perfons. Each of thefe is as it were a letter of his name, Exod. xxxiii. 19. I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee. Chap. xxxiv. 6. 7. The Lordproclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gra cious, long-fuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thoufands, forgiving iniquity, and tranfgreffion, and fin, and that will by no means clear the guilty. And happy they that can believingly read this name.

4.

The ordinances of God. Thefe are his name by which he is known in the world, Micah iv. 5. with Luke i. 6. Such are prayer, praife, the facraments,

c. oaths, for fwearing by the name of God when we are duly called thereto, is a part of religious worfhip, and a very folemn and awful ordinance of God, Deut. x. 20. So are lots an ordinance of God, where in the decision of any thing is committed to divine providence, and thereby Gad makes his will known, Prov, xvi. 33. Acts i. 24. 26.

5. His word, which we have in the holy fcriptures, Pfal, cxxxviii. 2. This is to be read by us, preached and heard, that we may thereby know our God; for