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SER M. fee, that God requires nothing of us, but IV. what our Saviour himself, when he submit

ted to become Man, did think reasonable to practife. Indeed, we cannot be in all things perfect, as he, who is our pattern and example, was perfect: But to follow a most perfect Pattern, is, even to an imperfect Copier, a fingular Advantage; and our Duty, is not to equal, but to imitate so far, as the infirmities of our nature will permit, with Sincerity and Conftancy. We shall in our proportion, be made as like him in our happiness as we have been in the performance of our duty.

SERMON

SERMON V.

Of the meaning of, The Name of GOD.

[Preached on Epiphany.]

MAL. i. II

For from the rifing of the Sun, even unto the going down of the fame, my Name Shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place, Incense shall be offered unto my Name, and a pure Offering; for my Name fhall be Great among the Heathen, faith the Lord of Hofts.

V.

N difcourfing upon thefe SER M.
words of the Prophet, I shall
ift explain distinctly the prin-
cipal acceptations, or the most
remarkable of those several

different Senfes, in which this Phrase, the
Name

G 4

V.

SER M. Name of God, is used in Scripture; From whence in courfe will appear, what is meant in general by its being Great among Men. And This being explained, I fhall then in the 2d place, confider, What That glorious Event in particular is, which we find predicted in these fublime prophetick Expreffions: From the rifing of the Sun, even unto the going down of the fame, my Name fhall be Great among the Gentiles; and in every place, Incenfe fhall be offered unto my Name, and a pure Offering, faith the Lord of Hofts.

I. IN the 1st place, the Name of God, according to the nature of the Jewish language, fignifies fometimes God himself. Thus, praising or bleffing the Name of God, is praifing God himself; and calling the Name of the Lord, is the very upon fame, as calling upon the Lord. Something answerable to which manner of fpeaking, there is in many other inftances of the Hebrew language, and in the Analogy of expreffion in all languages. Thus Heb. viii. 1. The Throne of the Majesty in the heavens, is, the Throne of God: And Pf. cxlv. 5. I will speak of the glorious Honour

Honour of thy Majefty, and of thy won- SER M.

drous works.

Now when the Name of God, or any other phrafe of the like nature, is thus made ufe of to fignify God himself; 'tis plain that by his Name being Great among Men, is meant Their acknowledging or profeffing him to be the True God, and their Adhering to the Worship of Him only, in oppofition to all Idolatry and Falfe Religions. Mic. iv. 5. All people will walk every one in the Name of His God; and We will walk in the Name of the Lord our God for ever and ever : Will walk in bis Name, that is, we will continue ftedfast in his True Religion and Worship; fanctifying the Lord God in our Hearts, (as St Peter expreffes it,) and not being afraid of Their Terrour, not fearing Their Falfe Gods, who fill the Minds of their Worshippers with endless Dread, and vain imaginary Superftitions. According to the fame Analogy of Speech; That Precept in the Law, Thou shalt not profane the Name of thy God, is as much as to fay, Thou shalt not incourage Idolatrous Practices, by letting thy children

pass

V.

V.

21.

SER M. pass through the Fire to Moloch, Lev. xviii. And in the Pfalmift's expreffion, forgetting the Name of God, means, for the fame reason, falling into Idolatry: P. xliv. 20. If we have forgotten the Name of our God, or stretched out our hands to any Strange God. Nay, even mentioning the Name of other Gods, denotes, in Scripture-phrase, a tendency to Idolatry; In all things that I have faid unto you, be circumfpect, and make no mention of the Names of Other Gods, neither let it be heard out of thy Mouth, Exod. xxiii. 13.

THIS is the first and most usual Signification of this phrafe, The Name of God; 'Tis used to denote God himself. And because his Name, in This fense, is Then Great among Men, when they most univerfally acknowledge him to be the True God, and adhere to the Worship of Him only; hence, in a fenfe ftill more figurative, the Name of God is fometimes used,

2dly, To fignify his True Religion and Worship. Thus Deut. xii. 5. The place which the Lord your God fhall chuse out of all your Tribes, to put his Name there

The

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