Mot. 4. This is the end of your election from eternity. Why did God set his love upon any of Adam's race, but that they might praise him? Eph. i.: "He hath chosen us to himself, he hath predestinated us unto the adoption of children," that we should be "to the praise of the glory of his grace." Mot. 5. This is the work in which all the creatures round about you are employed. "All his works praise him;" and therefore let his "saints bless him," saying, as David, Psal. ciii., "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name."

Ques. How shall we praise him in an active way, whom the very wrath of man shall praise.

Answ. 1. By believing in the name of his Son, and setting to the seal, that the record of God is true. Thus Abraham believed God, by "not staggering at the promise through unbelief: for he was strong in the faith, and thereby gave glory to God."

2. By being obedient to his commands, and having a well ordered conversation; for fruitful professors are the glory of Christ, and the ornament of his garden: "They shall be called the trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, in whom he will be glorified. Psal. 1. 23.: "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me; and to him that ordereth his conversation aright, will I show the salvation of God."

3. By a steady adherence to him, his cause and interest, the rights of his crown and kingdom, when the wrath of man would rob us of them; hence we are called at such a time to" contend earnestly for the faith delivered to the saints," and to "stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made ús free;" and when we willingly walk after the commandments of men, and quit his cause, we cast a reflection upon him, as if neither he, nor his truths or cause, were worthy the contending for.

4. By a cheerful suffering for him, whenever he shall call us to it, saying, with Paul, "I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem, for the name of Jesus." Sirs, we must lose our lives some time or other, and we can never lose them more honourably than by dying for the name of Christ. This is the Christian's bed of honour, and if any man lose his life for Christ, he shall find it; it will come again to him with advantage, both at death and the resurrection of the body.

Use third shall be in a word of Encouragement to the poor people of God, who are at this day oppressed and borne down in their spiritual rights and privileges, by an ecclesiastical tyranny, and who, perhaps, for adhering to their liberties as Christians, and to the rights and immunities of the

church of Christ, are also exposed to the wrath of their superiors. 1 only suggest these two or three things from the text for your encouragement.

1. It is not the wrath of God, but the wrath of worm man that you lie exposed to, and his wrath can go but short way; and therefore, "Who art thou, O man, that art afraid of man?"

2. As it is the wrath of man, so this wrath shall praise the Lord; and if God get a tribute of praise out of the wrath of man, it may make us to endure it with the greater patience. Men will plant their ground even in cold and stormy weather, in expectation of a plentiful harvest. Sirs, if God get a harvest of glory and praise, we may with patience and pleasure allow the ploughers to plough upon our back, for ploughing time will soon be over, and the harvest time will come; and "they that sow in tears, shall reap in joy."

3. If any wrath of man remain beyond what shall bring in a revenue of praise to God, he will restrain it, and bind it up like the waters of a mill: he will suffer as much of the current of water to run upon the wheel, as serves to carry it about and grind his corn, but the remainder of the water he sets it off another way; so God will let out as much of the current of man's wrath as shall serve the ends of his glory and our good, but the remainder of the stream and current he will restrain, and turn another way. Is. xxviii., there we are told that God will not be always threshing his corn, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen. This cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working."

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4. Lastly, All this comfort is sure and certain; there is not the least peradventure about it, that the flame of man's wrath shall praise the Lord, and the superfluous fire shall be quenched, or hemmed in; for here we have God's parole of honour for it, Surely the wrath of man shall praise him: and the remainder of his wrath he will restrain,

SERMON XXVIII.

THE NAME OF GOD GLORIFIED IN CHRIST.

My name is in him.-Exod. xxiii. 21.

THE FIRST SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

THESE words are a part of the instructions that God delivered to Moses for the use of the church of Israel, from⚫ mount Sinai. They were now upon their march through the howling wilderness towards the land of Canaan, which God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their seed: and, to encourage them against the fears of wandering, or losing their way, he assures them of a safe convoy, and that under an infallible guide.

More particularly, in these two verses I have read, notice,

1. A gracious promise of Christ, as a leader and commander to Israel: ver. 20: "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to lead thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prépared." This angel was none other than Christ, the great and uncreated Angel of the covenant, as is evident by comparing this text with Exod. xxxiv. 34; Acts vii. 38, 39; 1 Cor. x. 9; Exod. xiii. 21, and Exod. xiv. 19: and we find in the context, that the pardon of sin is ascribed to him, which is God's prerogative alone. Christ is called an Angel, because he is the great messenger of heaven to this lower world," the sent of God," as the word signifies. And here he comes as a guide and guardian to Israel, in their travels through the wilderness to the promised land, which was a type and shadow of what he was to be, and what he would do to his church and people under the New Testament, according to that promise, Is. lv. 4: "Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people." Observe, It is glorious encouragement to the tra

* Twelve sermons, the first of which was preached in September, 1734, at the sacrament at the Queensferry, and afterwards enlarged upon in his own church at Stirling.

vellers to glory to hold on their way, that Christ goes before them as the breaker up of their way: "Behold, I send mine Angel before thee," &c. See also to this purpose, Mic. ii., last verse: "The breaker is come up before them: they have gone forth, they have passed through the gate; their King shall pass before them, and the Lord of hosts on the head of them."

2. We have here the charge that is given to Israel with reference to this Angel, Jesus Christ: "Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not." As if he had said, take care that you follow his counsel, obey his commandments, and behave yourselves with all suitable regard towards him, without grieving his Spirit, by turning aside to the ways of your own hearts; let him have full trust and credit, and beware of disobedience or rebellion against him.

3. We have an awful certification in case of disobedience and obstinacy in sin: "He will not pardon your transgressions." Quest. How does this agree with that title given him, Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7: "The Lord God, pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin?" Or with that promise, "I, even I am he that blotteth out thine iniquities for mine own name's sake?" Answ. Although he pardons the iniquities of the wicked, that forsake their wicked ways and sinful thoughts, and turn to God through him, yet he will not pardon the iniquities of the obstinate and impenitent sinner: no," he will wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of all them that go on in their trespasses." Or the meaning may be, He will not pardon your transgressions without a ransom or satisfaction; and in this sense we are told, in the forecited Exod. xxxiv. 7, "He will by no means clear the guilty;" he will by no means justify the guilty sinner, without a perfect righteousness provided and accepted.

4. We have here a weighty reason given why they were to obey his voice, and to beware of provoking him; why, says the Lord, My name is in him.

Where two things are to be considered, (1.) The great means by which God makes himself known among the children of men, and that is his name. (2.) Where this name of God is to be read and seen in its brightest characters, even in Christ, the Angel of the covenant, who is the image of the invisible God: My name is in him. The words will be farther cleared in prosecuting the following observation:

DOCT. "That an awful regard is due to Christ, our glorious Immanuel, because the name of God is in him. Beware of him and obey his voice, provoke him not:" for my name is in him.

Now, in discoursing upon this doctrine, through divine pity, I shall endeavour to observe the following order :

I. I would mention what the name of God is, and prove that it is in Christ.

II. Give you some of the qualities of the name of God as displayed in Christ.

III. How or in what manner is the name of God in him. IV. Why it is in him.

V. Make some practical improvement on the whole.

I. The first thing is, to inquire what is the name of God as revealed in the word, and show that every one of his names is in Christ.

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1. Then, the name of God is just God himself; Psal. xx. 1: "The name of the God of Jacob defend thee;" that is, the God of Jacob himself be thy defence, Psal. cxv. 1: "Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name be the glory;" that is unto thee be the glory. The word name is frequently in scripture put for the thing or being designed by it, as Acts i. 15, it is said, "The number of the names were a hundred and twenty;" that is, the number of the persons. So here, says God, My name, that is, my very being and essence, is in him. And that is so indeed, is evident beyond all contradiction from John xiv. 11: "I am in the Father, and the Father in me." John xiv. 7: If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." To which Philip replies, ver. 8: "Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us." Christ answers, ver. 9, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me, hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou, Show us the Father?" So that you see God himself is in Christ, 2 Cor. v. 19: "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself." And if you would know who Christ is, and what he is, the apostle will tell you, that he is just God himself manifested in the flesh, 1 Tim. iii. last. Oh! sirs, pause here, stand still, and wonder at this strange thing that God has wrought in the earth; the divine and human nature linked together in a personal union in our glorious Immanuel. So, then, the meaning of the words, My name is in him, is all one as if he had said, I am in him, my nature, my being and essence is in him; and therefore, whenever you look on him, behold me in him; for he is "in the form of God, and thinks it no robbery to be equal with God." Sirs, beware of the mistaken and blasphemous notions of Christ that some, particularly the blasphemous Arians and Socinians, would give you, as though he were a different be