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is fo cleared and vindicated, that when he pardons fin, through Chrift, he is as juft in pardoning fin, as he is merciful in doing fo; for he has fo ordained it, to the glory of his great name, "That he might be juft, and the juftifier of them that believe in Jefus."

(6.) His Holiness is a part of his name, for the fake of which he faves. This is declared to be his name, Exod. xv. II. "Who is like unto thee, glorious in holinefs." Ifa. lvii. 15. "The high and lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity, whofe name is holy." For the fake of this he pities and faves, Ezek. xxxvi. 21. "But I had pity, for my holy name's fake, which the house of Ifrael had profaned among the heathen:" Hence read, ver. 22. Ido not this for your fake, but for mine holy name's fake.' God, in faving finners, thro' Chrift's righteoufnefs, hath his holinefs, in the precept of the law, as much magnified by the active obedience of Chrift, as his juftice in the threatening of the law is magnified by his paffive obedience.

I might here mention the Providence of God, as a partof his name, his watchful care over his people; "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro, to fhew himself ftrong in their behalf," 2 Chron. xvi. 9. He rules and over-rules all for their good.-I might mention his Titles, whereby he is defigned; fuch as, "The Lord of hofts; the mighty God; the King of kings."—And I might likewife notice his Word, which he is faid to magnify above all his name. But, in a word, as the name is that by which any thing or perfon is known; fo the name of God is the very thing whereby he makes him felf known; whether it be in his titles, attributes, ordinances, words, or works. He hath made himself known by his works of creation and providence; but a thoufand times more clearly in the work of redemption and falvation; herein appear, not only those attributes that fhine in creation and providence, but also fome perfection of the divine nature, that would not have been displayed, in cafe the first covenant had stood; fuch as the infinite mercy and patience of God toward guilty finners: nor fuch a pitch of condefcenfion as he hath here difcovered; nay, nor any other attribute had fhined forth in fuch luftre and beauty as here it doth: therefore, while Satan thought to have deleted the name of

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SER. LXXIX. God, that he wrote upon the creature at firft, behold how infinite wifdom counteracts him, and makes that the occafion of making his name more known than befre. Thefe attributes of God, therefore, that are dif played in the new covenant of grace, and exerted in the falvation of finners according to that covenant, is that name of God that is principally here to be confidered.

II. The Second thing was, To fhew, what it is for God to fave for his name's fake; or, for the fake of his name. Having cleared what his name is: What is it, I fay, for God to fave for his name's fake?

In general, befide what has been faid, God's faving for his name's fake, imports, I think, his making his name the ALL of our falvation, becaufe the finful creature is nothing, hath nothing, will do nothing, can do nothing in the affair of his own falvation; therefore God himfelf will be all, and do all: Ifa. lix. 16. and Ifa. Ixiii. 5." He looked, and there was none to help: therefore his own arm brought falvation." Thus God defigned to fhew himfelf to be all in all.-More particularly,

1. For God to fave for his name's fake, is to make his name the motive whence he faves. What moved him to fave any guilty finner? It is his name; his own mercy moved him; his own grace moved him; his own bowels of pity and compaffion moved him; his own love moved him; his own name moved him: "God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him, fhould not perifh, but have everlafting life."

2. For God to fave for his name's fake, is to make his name the reason why he faves. Tho' his name be the motive, yet fome may think there is furely fome reafon drawn from the creature: Arminians fay, that it was the forefight of faith and good works, that he forefaw fome would be better than others, and improve the means better; and for this reafon he would fave them : but the word of God fays otherwife, Deut. vii. 7, 8. God loves finners, becaufe he loves them. His fovereign mercy is the caufe of his fhewing mercy; "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy," Rom. ix. 15.

3. To fave for his name's fake, is to make his name the matter of their falvation, in as much as his name itfelf is their falvation. His name is their ftrong tower, Prov. xviii. 10. His name, the eternal God himself, is their refuge, Deut. xxxiii. 27. Infomuch, that whom he faves, they have not only falvation from him, but in him; "Ifrael fhall be faved in the Lord with an everlasting falvation," Ifa. xlv. 17. Chrift, therefore, who calls us to look to him, and be faved, he himself is the falvation of the finner. Now mine eyes have feen thy falvation,' faid old Simeon, Luke ii. 29. "Behold thy falvation cometh," fays God, Ifa. lxii. 11. Chrift is not only the helper, but the help itfelf; "O Ifrael, thou haft deftroyed thyfelf, but in me is thine help," Hof. xiii. 9. See Pfalm xviii. 2. "The Lord is my rock, and my fortrefs, and my deliverer: my God, my ftrength, in whom I will truft; my buckler and the horn of my falvation, and my high tower. He is given for a covenant of the people, a light to the Gentiles," Ifa. xlix. 6, 7. Again,

4. To fave for his name's fake, is to make his name the means of falvation; and fo it muft be, if his name itself be the all of our falvation. By what means doth he fave? It is even by his name: By whom doth Jacob arife but by the God of Jacob? By whom are finners faved, but by the name of God, by the Chrift of God? And, There is none other name given under heaven whereby we must be faved," Acts iv. 12. No man comes to the Father, but by him as the Way, by him as the Leader, and as the name of God.

5. To fave for his name's fake, is to make his name the measure of our falvation: he will, therefore, fave as far as his name and honour is engaged by promife to Chrift, or to his people in him; 1 Kings viii. 56. Read alfo Jofh. xxi. 45. There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had fpoken unto the house of Ifrael; all came to pafs. Thus God faves his people in particular cafes, as far as his name, and faithfulness, and truth is concerned; "God is faithful, who will not fuffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will, with the temptation, alfo make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it," I Cor. x. 13.

6. To fave for his name's fake, is to make his name the end of our falvation, even the glory of his name; the great end he propofes in faving, is even the praise of the glory of his grace, Eph. i. 6. The praife of the glory of his wifdom, power, holinefs, juftice, goodness, and truth. This is the great end of God in his work of faving finners through Chrift; "This people have I formed for myfelf, they fhall fhew forth my praife," Ifa. xliii. 21. Chrift's grand prayer, when he was accomplishing the work of our falvation and redemption, was, 66 Father, glorify thy name." And here let us ftay a little, and admire the great defign that God had in hand in faving, for his name's fake. God's chief end herein being the glory and honour of his name, What is that? Why,

(1.) In faving for his name's fake, he defigns the manifeftation of his name, the declaration of his name, as it is faid, Rom. iii. 25. "To declare his righteoufnefs for the remiffion of fins that are paft, thro' the forbearance of God;" to make known his name in every falvation of Ifrael, or of his church, his great defign ftill is, that his name may be known, declared, published, and proclaimed.

(2.) In faving for his name's fake, he defigns the vindication of his name. His name is abused and reproached in the world, which is filled with harfh thoughts of God, as if he were either unjuft, or unmerciful; therefore, in faving for his name's fake, he will vindicate his name, "That he may be just when he fpeaks, and clear when he judges," Pfal. li. 4. That he may appear to be not only merciful, in faving; but alfo juft, and the juftifier of them that believe in Jefus and as just in faving believing finners, that flee to his name, as he is juft in damning unbelieving impenitent finners.

(3.) In faving for his name's fake, he designs the exaltation of his name; "I will be exalted among the heathen; I will be exalted in the earth," Pfal. xlvi. 10. He designs that the right-hand of the Lord fhould be exalted in doing valiantly, Pfal. cxviii. 16.; and make mention that his name is exalted, Ifa. xii. 4. "Therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy on you," Ifa. xxx. 18.

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Wherefore hath God exalted Chrift to his right-hand, but that his name may be exalted in him? "Who being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God: that at the name [or, in the name of Jefus, every knee fhould bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth," Phil. ii. 6. 10. On which account, God hath highly exalted him to the glory of God the Father. And wherefore does he fave, and glorify, and exalt any finner thro' Chrift, but that his name may be glorified and exalted.

(4.) In saving sinners for his name's fake, he defigns the pleasure of his name; that his name fhould not only be exalted but delighted in, becaufe it delights in fhewing mercy, thro' Chrift, Micah vii. 18. We read of the good pleasure of his will, Eph. i. 5. the good plea. fure of his goodnefs, 2 Thef. i. 11. God being infinitely well-pleafed in Chrift, he takes pleasure in giving out of his goodnefs through him; and he faves to the good pleasure of his name, and to the contentment of all his attributes; to the good pleasure of his goodness, the good pleasure of his grace, the good pleafure of his holinefs, the good pleasure of his juftice, the good pleafure of his truth and faithfulness: all the perfections of God are well-pleafed; "Mercy and truth are met toge. ther, righteousness and peace have kiffed each other," Pfal. lxxxv. 10.

(5.) In faving finners for his name's fake, he defigns the aggrandizing of his name; I mean, that his name fhould not only be glorified and exalted, but magnified to the highest, according to the fong of the angel upon the coming of the Saviour; "Glory to God in the higheft, on earth peace, and good-will towards men," Luke ii. 14. His name is magnified to the higheft in this way of falvation through Chrift. Damnation is but the lowest way, wherein God is glorified of finners, and it is to their eternal ruin. Let finners confider this, that they may not go on in the road to hell, but may fall in love with that way, wherein God is glorified and magnified to the higheft. For, herein God is glorified by the highest person, his eternal Son, in his doing and dying, and rifing and reigning, and mediating at his right-hand; VOL. V. glorified

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