Part II He threatens to visit the Iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children to the fourth Generation of them that thus invade and defraud him of his Honour; that is, their Pofterity fhall fare the worfe for it, their Childrens Children shall be capable of lefs Favour, and be more ftrictly and feverely dealt with upon this fcore; the Justice whereof we before vindicated.

Laftly, To encourage the Obfervance of this Law, he adds, that he will fhew mercy unto thousands of them that love him and keep his Commandments. Not that he will forbear to punish the offending Children of good Men; no, we find him declaring, That if their Children forfake his Law, and keep not his Commandments, he will visit their Tranfgrefion with the Rod, and their Sin with Scourges; nevertheless (faith he) my Loving-Kindness will I not utterly take from them; Pfal. 89. 30, &c. that is, he will deal more favourably with them for their Parents fake. The Mifdeeds of fome fhall not interrupt his Kindness to the rest of their Pofterity, or blot out the Memory of their Goodness. This we find verify'd in the Pofterity of Abraham and the other Patriarchs, in whom God Almighty overlook'd many and great Provocations for their fake, mixing Mercy with Severity, and fettling them at last in the promis'd Land. Moreover,

We may obferve here the vaft difference and difproportion between the Proceedings of God in the way of Justice and the way of Mercy: He vifiteth the Iniquities of difobedient Parents to the third or fourth Generation; but he fheweth Mercy to a thousand Generations of thofe that obey him. He foon forgets the Wrongs done to him, but keeps our good Works in everlasting Remembrance: which may teach us not only to imitate him herein, but may likewife encourage us to ferve and obey fo good a Mafter.

Furthermore, left any fhould vainly expect thefe Inftances of Divine Goodnefs, without obferving the Conditions annex'd to them, the laft words of the Commandment confine them wholly to thofe that love God and keep his Commandments: where as the Revolters from God were before styl❜d Haters of him, so they that obey his Laws, are here faid to love him. He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them (faith our Saviour) be it is that loveth me John 14. 15, 21. and elsewhere, If any Man loveth me, he will keep my Word.

Finally

Finally then, to conclude this Commandment, we learn hence the Happiness of defcending from good Parents, who bequeath a Bleffing, and derive Mercy upon their Offspring to many Generations: And likewife the fad Misfortune of being born of difobedient Parents, who entail Mifery and a Curfe upon their whole Pofterity; which fhould teach us, not only for our own, but our Childrens fake, to be ever mindful of keeping God's Laws, and very tender of breaking them.

DISCOURSE VIII.

EXOD. 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.

H

AVING finifh'd the Second, I proceed to the third Commandment contain'd in the words read: in which we may eafily obferve,

1. A Precept, Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.

2. A Reafon or Commination to enforce it; For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in vain.

The Precept being negative, I must begin with what is forbidden by it, which is, the taking of God's Name in vain.

For the fuller explaining whereof, 'twill be neceffary to enquire,

First, What we are to understand here by the Name of God: And,

Secondly, What by taking his Name in vain. For the

First, A Name, we know, is that by which any thing is made known; and confequently the Name of God muft fig. nify all that by which he is made known unto us: And that is done, fometimes

By

By his Titles, as Jehovah, the Lord, God, and the like. Sometimes

By his Attributes and Properties, as Eternity, Immenfity, Immutability, and the like. Thefe we find frequently in Scripture call'd the Name of God; and when he proclaim'd his Name himself, he did it by these and other Attributes, ftyling himself, The Lord, the Lord God, Gracious and Merciful, Long-fuffering, abundant in Goodness and Truth; Exod. 34. 5, 6. And elsewhere he is call'd, the Holy one of Ifrael, the Lord of Hofts, the Great and the Fust one, and the like. Moreover, fometimes the Word and Worfhip of God is call'd his Name; I will declare thy Name unto my Brethren, Pfal. 22. 22. that is, I will publish thy Word, and make known thy Worship. I have manifefted thy Name unto the Men that thou gavest me, John 17. 6. that is, I have inftructed them in the true Religion, and taught them the Worship of God, which they that obferve and walk in, are faid to walk in the Name of the Lord, Micah 4, 5.

Laftly, God is fometimes known by his Works, and therefore these may be compriz'd under his Name: The Lord is known by the Fudgments which he executeth; and his Works declare both his Power, Wisdom, and Goodnefs. But tho we are never to fpeak flightly or difhonourably either of the Word or Works of God, yet by his Name here we are chiefly to understand his Attributes and Titles, as best representing the Nature and Being of God; it being a ufual Figure to put the Name for the Thing or Perfon exprefs'd by it.

But what is it to take this Name of God in vain? Why, this in general forbids all irreverent Ufe, or Abuse rather, of God's holy Name, in any matters, or upon any occafion whatever. More particularly it condemns,

1. All rafh and inconfiderate Ufe of God's Name upon flight and trivial occafions; faying in common Speech (as too many do) O Lord! O God! upon any light matter; and crying out, Good Lord! or Good God! upon every piece of News they hear, without confidering the Truth of the Fact, or the Greatness of the Majefty they invoke. 'Tis ordinary with fome Perfons to exclaim, O Jesu! O Chrift! upon any ftrange Report or feeming Wonderment that happens; this is a great Fault, proceeding from Carelefnefs, or an habitual Irreverence, whereby God is highly dishonour'd, and his Sacred Name unworthily prostituted

and

and profan'd. Holy and Reverend is his Name, faith the Pfalmift; and elsewhere, His Name is Wonderful and Holy: and therefore may not be mention'd or us'd irreverently.

2. The uttering of rafh, hafty, and indecent Expreffions to and of God in Prayer, is the taking his Name in vain. Of this kind are thofe fudden extempore Effufions, which too many venture to pour out in their Addreffes unto God; in which they often cry out, O Lord! and O God! when they are at a loss what to fay or ask of him. Ths was the fault of the Heathens of old, and of the Pharifees in our Saviour's time, who thought to be heard for their long Prayers and much Speaking; to prevent which, he prefcrib'd a Form of Prayer to his Difciples: which, with other decent Forms compos'd by it, hath been obferv'd by the Church ever fince, that we may ferve God acceptably with Reverence and godly Fear, and not rudely take his Name in vain in our Approaches to him.

3. To ufe the Name of God in rafh Swearing, Curfing, and other Imprecations, is to take his Name in vain. This is what our Saviour forbids when he faith, Swear not at all, Mat. 5. 34. and St. James, Above all things, my Brethren, fwear not, James 5. 12. Not that all Swearing is to be thought unlawful; for we are commanded to fear the Lord, and fwear by his Name, Deut, 6. 13. Swearing in Scripture is an Act of Religion, that is to be perform'd unto God as an Acknowledgment of his Attributes and Perfections; we thereby own him to be the Searcher of Hearts, the Judge of Truth, and the Avenger of Falfhood: fo that the Act of Swearing in its own nature is fo far from taking of God's Name in vain, that it implies a high Reverence and Eftimation of him. Befide, an Oath is appointed to be the end of all Strife, and hath been us'd in all Times and Ages to that end, which is enough to evince not only the Lawfulnefs, but the Usefulness and Neceflity of it.

What then is the Swearing forbidden here, and condemn'd by Chrift and his Apoftles? Why,

1. Both our Saviour and St. James condemn all Swearing by any Creature; for fo they both explain themselves: Swear not at all, either by Heaven, for it is God's Throne, nor by Earth, for it is his Footstool; neither by Jerufalem, for it is the City of the great King; neither shalt thou swear by thy Head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black: Mat. 5. 35, 36. Swearing is a part of that Worship and

Ffz

Honour

Honour which is peculiar unto God, who hath requir'd us to fwear only by his Name; and therefore we find the Ifraelites blam'd for fwearing by them that were no Gods, Jer. 5. 7. This is to give that Honour to Creatures which is due to God only: For Men verily fwear by the greater (faith the Apostle) and to fwear by any other thing, is to make them greater than God, which is the greatest Indignity can be offer'd to him. This Practice was too rife among the Gentiles in our Saviour's time; for they fwore by the Sun, Moon and Stars, by Fowl, Serpents, and any other thing that was next at hand. To check which Idolatry, our Saviour_gave this ftrict Precept, of fwearing not at all by Heaven, Earth, or any Creature therein: and likewife to remove the falfe Glofs of the Pharifees, who taught that if they did not forfwear themfelves, they might fwear by the Temple, the Altar, and other things; which our Saviour condemns, as a high Derogation from the Honour of God, and as giving his Glory to another.

2. Both our Saviour and St. James condemn all rafh and idle Swearing in common Difcourfe: for both of them add, Let your Communication be Yea, Yea, Nay, Nay, left you fall into Condemnation; for whatsoever is more than thefe, cometh of evil. By which 'tis evident, that all Swearing is forbidden in our ordinary Talk and Difcourfes with one another; in which we are not to go higher than Affirmation and Negation, without ufing any Imprecation, or calling in God to witness upon trivial and flight occafions; for this destroys all that Reverence and aweful Fear we are to have of God, and prostitutes his Sacred Name to vile and idle purposes. And yet this is but too common a Practice among many that call themfelves Chriftians, tho they are the Blemish and Scandal of that Name, and blafpheme that as they do the Name of God. Alas! what Vollies of Oaths proceed out of the mouths of fome loofe profane Wretches, enough to poifon the Air that gives them breath, and to grate upon the ears of all that hear them? How frequent is it with fuch to back and adorn (as they think) their idle Talk with the venerable Name and Authority of God; and to call in the Divine Majefty to witnefs fuch trifling and abfurd things, as a wife Man would not venture to speak, nor a good Man defire to hear? Yea, how common is it with thefe Men to call upon God to damn and fink them, as if they thought Divine Vengeance were asleep, and their Damnation flumber'd.