II. What it is for God to fave for his name's fake. III. What falvation he works for his name's fake. IV. What is imported in this Nevertheless; or, in God's faving with a notwithstanding; and fo over what impediments, real provocations, and feeming impoffibility, he brings about this falvation for his name's fake.

V. Offer fome reafons why he thus faves for his name's fake.

VI. Deduce fome inferences from the whole, for the application.

I. I am to enquire what is the name of God, for the fake of which he faves. And,

1. By the name of God we may understand his being, or God himfelf; Deut. xxviii. 58. "That thou mayett fear this glorious and dreadful name, The Lord thy God." Our Lord Jefus commands his apoftles, to go and teach [or, difcipline] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Matth. xxviii. 19. Whatever then is intended by the name of God, each of the adorable perfons of the glorious Trinity, are equally concerned therein. It is a name common to them all; and in this fenfe they have not diftin&t or diverse names; for it is not fimply the name Father, and the name Son, and the name Holy Ghoft that is intended, but the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, one God. By the name of God then, is meant God himself; and to fave, for his name's fake, is to fave for his own fake, as he fays, Ifa. xliii. 20. "I, even I am he that blotteth out thy tranfgreffions, for mine own fake." We find the names of things, taken for the things themselves; "A few names in Sardis;" that is, a few perfons.

2. By the name of God, we may understand the authority of God; that is, his abfolute right and power to do what he pleases with his own creatures. He hath right to order, and power to execute, whatsoever he will concerning them: "My counfel fhall ftand, and I will do all my pleafure," Ifa. xlvi. 1o.; fo that when he faves,

for

for his name's fake, he faves for the fake of his fovereign will and pleafure, and for manifefting his own abfolute authority; his right and might to effectuate what he pleases.

3. By the name of God, we may underftand the Chrift of God; for in our Lord Jesus Christ is the whole name and authority of God; Exod. xxiii. 21. "Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your tranfgreffions; for my name is in him." But in cafe any fhould think, Is it not a part of God's name, that he pardons iniquity, tranfgreffion, and fin? Why then is it faid of Chrift," He will not pardon your iniquity, for my name is in him?" I anfwer, The pardon here is not a pardon that refpects condemnation, and freedom from hell; but, caftigation, as a father is faid to`pardon a child, when he will not fpare the rod, nor forbear to chaften: thus he will not pardon your iniquity, without taking vengeance on your inventions; "For my name is in him;" .e. my authority is in him. Christ is the very name of God; and when he pardons for his name's fake, he pardons for his Chrift's fake: thus the Old-Teftament faints, as they ufed to pray to be faved of God, for his name's fake, fo they fometime pray for his word's fake, 2 Sam. vii. 21.; that is, for Christ's fake, the Word that was made flefh; for the fame prayer is rendered, "For thy Servant's fake," 1 Chron. xvii. 19. To this purpofe, Pfalm lxxxiv. 9. David's prayer is, Behold, O God, our Shield; look upon the face of thine Anointed:" And Daniel's prayer is, 'For the Lord's fake,' Dan. ix. 17. And, O but God hath done much, and will do much for Chrift; becaufe his name is in him, and in him he is well-pleafed and reconciled.

་་

I

4. By the name of God we are to underftand, the attributes of God. I fhall mention fome of these.

(1.) His Power is his name, and for the fake of that he faves, as in the text; "He faved them for his name's fake, that he might make his mighty power known." Compare Exod. xix. 16. and Rom. ix. 17. For this cause God raised up Pharaoh, that he might fhew his mighty power in him, that his name might be declared throughout all the earth,even his mighty power in faving of Ifrael out

of

of his hand. This argument Mofes makes ufe of, to divert God's threatened wrath, Numb. xiv. 15, 16. This is the name God manifefls to Abraham, Gen. xvii. 1. "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be thou perfect." And the three children, Dan. iii. 17. have recourfe to this name; "Our God whom we ferve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us." If there be any thing that ftands in the way of the accomplishment of his promifes, he is able to remove it; fo Abraham's faith fixed here, Rom. iv. 21. "Being thus perfuaded, that he that had promised, was able alfo to perform." When God faves for his name's fake, it is for the fake of his power, to fhew, that he is able to do above all that we are able to afk or think; that he is able to do above our wants, above our deferts, above our prayers, and above our thoughts: we cannot want more than he can give: we cannot pray for fo much as he can beftow; we are not able to think what he can do. God's power is a part of his name, that faith may take hold of for falvation, and flee unto, even when there is no explicite view of his will; thus faith the leper," If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." I cannot tell if he will help me, a foul may fay, but I know he is able, and I am called to truft in his powerful name, and to take hold of his ftrength, Ifa. xxvi. 24. chap. xxvii. 5. While you can do no better, it is good to trust in his power, and put his will in his own difcretion, and refer that to himself; that foul is not far behind.

(2.) His Mercy is another part of his name: when he faves for his name's fake, he faves for his mercy's fake; "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and paffeth by the tranfgreffion of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy," Micah vii. 18. He is, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, Exod. xxxiii. 6. He fo far delights in mercy, that mercy rejoices over judgment, James ii. 13. Hence the Pfalmift's prayer is, Pfalm vi. 4. "Return, O Lord, deliver my foul, for thy mercy's fake:" and, Pfalm lxxix. 8. " O remember not against us former iniquities; let thy tender mercy fpeedily prevent us, for we are brought very low:" and, ver. 9.. Help,

Help, O God of our falvation, for the glory of thy name; deliver us, and purge away our fins, for thy name's fake." David had fainted, unlefs he had believed to fee the goodness of the Lord, Pfal. xxvii. 13. Out of a sense of mifery, we ought to go to the fountain of mercy, and fo look to be faved for his name's fake.

(3.) His Wifdom is another part of his name: "The Lord is a God of knowledge, by him actions are weighed," Sam. ii. 3.: Yea, II:s understanding is infinite. The pfalmift takes up the wifdom of God as his name, and for the fake thereof feeks to be led and guided; "For thy name's fake lead me and guide me," Pfalm xxxi. 3. God, in faving finners, through Chrift, has fuch a regard to his name, as a God of infinite wifdom, that in this method of falvation, the manifold wifdom of God is fhown, Eph. iii, 10.

(4.) His Truth and Faithfulness is another part of his name, for the fake of which he faves and fhews mercy; "His mercies are new every morning: great is thy faithfulnefs," Lam. iii. 3. It is declared to be one of the capital letters of his name, Exod. xxxiv. 6. Abundant in goodness and truth: and hence, how often did God remember, toward Ifrael, his promife to Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, notwithflanding their fin? Read Pfalm cv. 8, 9, 10. 2 Kings xiii. 23. And, O what will not God do for his truth's fake, for his promife' fake! for, He is not man that be should lye. He that, for his mercy's fake, makes the promife, will, for his truth's fake accomplish it; "Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou haft fworn unto our fathers from the days of old," Micah vii. 20. In faving finners, thro' Chrift, his truth is exceedingly manifefled: his truth in fulfilling the threatening of the law upon the Surety, in the room of the finer: his truth in ful filling the promifes of the gofpel, that are all Yea and Amen in Chrift; his truth and faithfulness in fulfilling the promise made to Chrift in the eternal compact; which may be part of the meaning of that word, Rom. iii. 25. To declare his righteoufnefs for the remiffion of fin," through that propitiation: when God forgives fin through his blood, he declares his righteoufnefs and

faithfulness in his promife made to Chrift, with reference to his feeing his feed, upon his giving his foul an offering for fin, Ifa. liii. 10.

(5.) His juftice is another part of his name, for the fake of which he faves, and works falvation. The juftice of God may be viewed as either retributive or vindictive: Retributive juftice is that for the fake of which he faves either more generally, or in a more fpecial way In a general way, even fome wicked finners in the vifible church may be unjustly oppreffed by their enemies that are more wicked than they, as Ifrael was by the Egyptians; therefore God righteously took vengeance on them, and delivered Ifrael. In a fpecial way it may be viewed in the faints themselves, who are finners; yet, becaufe objects of promised mercy in Chrift Jefus, therefore he faves and delivers for his righteoufnefs and juftice' fake; "Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name's fake: for thy righteoufnefs fake bring my foul out of trouble," Pfal. cxliii. 11. Thus he is faid to uphold his people with the right-hand of his righteousness, Ifa. xli. 10.—His vindictive juftice is also that for the fake whereof he faves, upon the fuppofition of its having got full fatisfaction; and fo we ordinarily understand, Rom. iii. 25. "Whom God hath fet forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteoufnefs, for the remiffion of the fins that are paft, through the forbearance of God." It is ordinary for people to feek to be saved for his mercy's fake; but believing views of justice fatisfied, and God reconciled in Chrift, would make the foul as freely and boldly feek to be faved for juftice's fake in and through Chrift the atonement, in whom that name of God, Juftice, hath more glorious fatisfaction than ever it will have in the damnation of finners. This is exprefsly God's name, Exod. xxxiv. 7. "Keeping mercy for thoufands, forgiving iniquity, tranf greffion, and fin; and that will by no means clear the guilty" that is, in difpenfing mercy, he will be fo far from difpenfing with juice, that, by no means, will he fhew mercy, in pardoning fin to the finner, without the highest respect to juftice, in punifhing fin in the Surety, in whom his vindictive justice, taking vengeance on fin,