2. We are to think and fpeak honourably of the Attributes of God; for thefe are in Scripture comprehended under his Name, and are therefore never to be mention'd without Honour. Of these fome are peculiar to the Divine Nature, as Omnipotence, Omnifcience, Omniprefence, and the like: Others are deriv'd down, and in fome inferior degrees communicated to his Creatures, as Holiness, Wisdom, Juftice, and Goodnefs; all which being Rays of the Divinity, and the effential Excellencies of the Supreme Being, are to be honourably esteem'd and mention'd by us.

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3. We are to fpeak and think honourably of the Word of God. This is in Scripture often call'd by his Name; I have declar'd thy Name, that is thy Word, unto the Heathen, John 17. 26. And the Pfalmift tells us, that God hath magnify'd his Word above all his Name. Indeed, we cannot better fhew our Reverence unto God, than by honouring his Word. He that truly honours any Perfon, will mightily regard what he fays; every word of one we value, will be of weight with us: and confequently if we bear that Reverence we ought unto God, we fhall have a wonderful Refpect for his Word; we fhall delight to hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digeft it, relifhing a Sweetness in it beyond that of the Honey and the Honeycomb, Pfal. 19. 10. We shall not only fpeak of it with Refpect, but make it the Guide of our Lives, and the Rule of all our Actions. How well this is obferv'd by fuch as fpeak flightly of the Holy Scriptures, and make them too often the Subject of their Contempt and Drollery, fome Men may do well to confider.

4. We are to speak and think honourably of the Works of God: these too bear his Name, and declare him to us: The Heavens (faith the Pfalmift) declare the Glory of God, and the Firmament fheweth his Handy-work. God Almighty diftinguishes himself from the Heathen Gods, not only by his Word, in which he fhews things to come; but chiefly by his Works, in which his infinite Power, Wisdom, and Goodness manifeftly appear. The invisible things of God (faith the Apostle) from the Creation of the World are clearly Jeen, even his eternal Power and Godbead; for which reafon he is, by way of Eminence, ftyl'd, The living God, that made Heaven and Earth. Now, his Works being Great, Wonderful, and Holy, are to be had in Reverence by us: we are highly to value and esteem them, and never to mention them without Honour: The Works of the Lord

Lord are great (faith the Pfalmift) fought out of all that have Pleafure therein. Accordingly we find him often magnifying and meditating upon his Works, and frequently extolling the Operations of his Hands; and in fo doing, we are faid to render unto him the Honour due to his Name.

But befide thefe diftinguishing Titles and Attributes belonging to the Divine Majefty, there are other things dedicated to him, and thereby denominated by him, which for that reafon require our Refpect and Veneration; fuch are facred Perfons, Times, and Places, with fome other things, which for the Relation they have to God, as bearing his Name, and belonging to him, are to be honour'd by us. As,

1. The Minifters of God are to be had in Honour and Reverence, being call'd by his Name, and constituted by his Authority: Hence the Apoftle wills to mark them that are over us in the Lord, and admonish us, and to esteem them highly in Love both for their Work and their Master's fake 1 Theff. 5. 13. In another place he wills us to account of them as the Minifters of Chrift, and Stewards of the Mysteries of God; and for that reafon, to be worthy of double Honour. The relation they bear to God, as his Ambaffadors, calls for our Refpect and Veneration; for Ambaffadors, by the Laws of all Nations, are to be us'd with a Respect anfwerable to the Quality of him that fends them: and therefore our Saviour told his Apostles, that they that defpis'd them, despis'd him; and they that defpis'd him, defpis'd him that fent him; Luke 10. 16. So that the contemning of Minifters, is the contemning of Chrift and God too, and is a matter worthy the confideration of the Scoffers and Sectaries of our days.

2. The Lord's Day is to be reverenc'd and regarded by us, for the Title and Relation it has to him, for he hath fet it apart for himself, and ftyl'd it his: The Seventh Day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; and therefore he hath requir'd us to fanctify the Sabbath, which is call'd by his Name, and in which he hath willed us to call upon it. But this will fall more properly under the next Commandment, to which therefore I refer it.

3. The Lord's Houfe, or the Place fet apart for his Worfhip and Service, is to be honour'd and regarded for his fake: This is the Place where his Honour dwells, which he hath call'd by his own Name, and where he vouchsafes

his more efpecial Prefence; and therefore must be kept from common Ufes, and be look'd upon and us'd as Holy unto the Lord. This he hath requir'd of us, Ye shall reverence my Sanctuary. Hence we find our Saviour whipping the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple, and faying, My House is call'd the House of Prayer; and elsewhere, Make not my Father's Houfe a House of Merchandise; John 2. 16. fignifying, that the Honour we owe to God requires us to reverence his House, which having his Name, and being devoted to his Service, ought to be efteem'd Holy, and to be fet apart from all common Ufes. This is fit to be confider'd by fuch as make no difference between a Church and a Stable, and many times prefer a Barn or Malt-house before the Houfe of God.

But befide thefe, there are fome Poffeffions which God Almighty hath more peculiarly call'd his, and that come under his Name, and they are Tithes and Offerings; which are fo far to be regarded and efteem'd Sacred, as not to be withheld or alienated to common Ufes. He who is the great Landlord and Proprietor of the World, hath referv'd this part of our Substance as a high Rent and Acknowledgment to himself, which he hath made payable to his Minifters, who attend his Service and ferve at his Altar; and to detain it from them, either in whole or in part, is the Sin of Sacrilege. Hence we find God Almighty declaring, that we rob him by falfifying in Tithes and Offerings, Mal. 3. 8. And if to rob Men be fo great a Crime as to deserve Death, fure to rob God muft carry a greater Guilt, and draw after it eternal Damnation; and therefore the facrilegious Invaders of thefe Rights are, in the next Verfe, faid to be curfed with a Curfe. What they thus impiously detain, proves a Curfe and a Canker to the reft of their Substance; and where 'tis generally practis'd, brings Calamity and a Curfe upon a whole Country. In fhort then, we are to honour the Name of God, by bearing a reverent regard to all things that appertain to him, or are denominated by him.

And this is to be exprefs'd not only by our Words and Speeches, but chiefly by the whole Courfe of our Lives and Actions: there is a Language of our Works as well as Words; and as the Name of God is blafphem'd by our evil Deeds, fo is it faid to be glorify'd by our good Works. Now this Commandment ties up not only our Tongue from all profane and irreverent Speeches of God, or any

429 thing that belongs to him; but likewife our Hearts from thinking, and our Hands from acting any Evil: It wills us fo to order our Words and Actions, that both may tend to and promote the Honour of God, that his Name may be glorify'd by us, never taking it in vain, by any rafh, idle, or falfe Swearing. And when we ufe it to any good purpose, as in an Oath, by calling in God as a Witness; or in a Vow, by engaging to him as a Party; we take care that the Matter be fuch as may deferve it, and likewife make confcience duly to obferve and perform it. Thus we fee what is meant by the Name of God, what by honouring it, and how this may be beft done.

It remains then, that we endeavour in all these ways to honour and glorify the Name of God; ufing all his Titles and Attributes with due Reverence and Regard; never mentioning the Name of God but upon weighty Matters and folemn Occafions; nor then, without an aweful Fear and Sense of him upon our Mind. More particularly,

Let us learn from this Commandment to fpeak always reverently and becomingly of God's Word, and of all the Mysteries of Religion; not trifling or jefting with Divine and Sacred things, but making them the Subject of our moft ferious Thoughts and Meditations. His Word (faith Mofes) fhall be in thy Heart, and thou shalt always rehearse it with Fear and Reverence; Deut. 6. 5, 6, 7, &c.

Next let us at all Times make honourable mention of the Works of God, both of Creation and Providence, which are in Scripture call'd by and comprehended under his Name. Mofes often commanded the Ifraelites to magnify and extol the Works of the Lord, and to give him the Glory due to his Name. David frequently calls upon us to praise the Lord for bis Goodness, and declare the wonderful things he hath done for the Children of Men: For himfelf he could not think of them without crying out, O Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the World!

Moreover, let us learn from hence to have a due Regard to thofe Perfons, Times, and Places that are confecrated unto God, and call'd by his Name; honouring his Ministers, hallowing his Sabbath, and reverencing his Sanctuary.

Laftly, let us take heed of withholding or alienating that facred part of our Subftance, I mean the Tenth, which God Almighty hath referv'd and appropriated to his Service. This he claims as his due, and hath confecrated to the ufe of the Altar, and cannot be detain'd or alienated without

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the Danger and Guilt of Sacrilege. We read what befel Ananias and Sapphira for withholding part of the Price of their confecrated Subftance; both of them being smitten to Death by a fudden ftroke from Heaven, Acts 5. 1, 2, &c. Neither will he hold them guiltlefs who rob him in Tithes and Offerings; which being made his by the Laws both of God and Man, to withhold them either in whole or in part, is neither to render unto Cæfar the things that are Cæfar's, nor unto God the things that are God's. To conclude,

Among other ways of honouring God, we are commanded to honour him with our Substance; which we cannot better do, than by being true to him in that part of it which he hath referv'd for the Honour of his Name.

Thus having fhew'd both what is forbidden, and what is requir'd in this Commandment; it remains, that in the whole course of our Lives we avoid the one, and observe the other.

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DISCOURSE X.

EXO D. XX. 8, 9, 10, II.

Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it Holy: Six Days fhalt thou Labour, and do all thy Work, but the feventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: In it thou shalt dono manner of Work, thou, nor thy Son, nor thy Daughter, thy Manfervant, nor thy Maid-fervant, nor thy Cattle, nor the Stranger that is within thy Gates; for in fix Days the Lord made Heaven and Earth, the Sea, and all that in them is, and refted the feventh Day: wherefore the Lord blessed the feventh Day, and hallowed it.

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HESE Words contain the Fourth and Laft Commandment of the firft Table, which more immediately concern the Duty we owe to God. The three foregoing Precepts direct to the Object and Manner of Divine Worship, together with the Honour due to the

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