2. Then do minifters of the word record, make mention of, and cause to be remembered, the name of the Lord; and God does it by them, when they preach Christ, and him crucified, as God's alone way of falvation. This was the course the first ministers of the gospel steered; they preached not themselves; as they did not seek themselves, fo neither did they exalt themselves and others; they did not preach up the purity of human nature, the power of man's free-will, the fufficiency of good works to justify before God, and to render acceptable in his fight; but Chrift Jefus the Lord', as the only redeemer and faviour of loft finners. Particularly, this was the refolution and determination of the great apostle of the Gentiles: for fo he says, writing to the Corinthians, I determined to know; that is, to make known, nothing among you, fave Jefus Christ, and him crucified; meaning, in the great affair and business of salvation; and this determination he abode by, notwithstanding all the oppofition made unto him, and contempt that was caft on him for it: We preach, fays he, Chrift crucified, unto the Jews a ftumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness. Thus did he, and other preachers of the gospel, record the name of the Lord to good purpose wherever they came; and fo do all fuch who make mention in their miniftry of the glorious perfon of Christ, as God over all blessed for ever; as the true God, and eternal life; as the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person ; whofe glory is the glory of the only-begotten of the Father; being in the glorious form, and having all the glorious perfections of deity in him. When they defcribe him as the God-man, as white and ruddy, the chiefeft among ten thousands, end altogether lovely in his perfon and offices; when they speak of him, and direct unto him as the only mediator between God and man; in whom the faints are blessed with all spiritual blessings; through whom they have a participation of all grace here, and have both a right unto, and meetness for, eternal glory hereafter; who is now the way of accefs to the father, and of acceptance with him; and by whom all the facrifices of prayer and praise are to be offered to God, and become acceptable to him; as well as he will be the medium of all that glory that fhall be enjoyed hereafter: then alfo do they record the name of the Lord, and he by them, when they declare there is no other name given among men whereby they must be faved, than the name of Chrift; that there is falvation in none but him; that it is in vain to hope for it in the multitude of bills and mountains, or from mens works, be they ever so many; even though they were piled up as mountains aiming at heaven, and seeking to reach it: and when this is the subject of their ministry, the faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jefus Chrift came into the world to fave finners; of whom, says the apostle, I am chief. When alfo they make mention of the righteoufnefs of Chrift, and him only, as the matter of a finner's juftification before God; when they preach, that through Chrift Chrift and his righteousness believers are justified from all things they could not be by the law of Mofes, and obedience to it: and then may they be said to turn many to righteousness'; or to justify many, that is, by guiding and directing them alone to Chrift for righteousness: likewife when they speak well of the precious blood of Chrift, and direct fouls to deal with it, for the remiffion of their fins; and fhew that both justification and fanctification are through it; that peace and reconciliation are made by it; and a way is opened by means of it, into the holy of holies moreover, when they exalt the facrifice of Chrift, and obferve that all others, let them be of what nature they will among men, yet are infufficient to atone for fin; even thousands of rams, or ten thousand rivers of oil; yea, though the first-born fhould be given for tranfgreffion, and the fruit of the body for the fin of the foul; and that Christ's facrifice alone bas taken away fin; made an end of it, and made reconciliation for it; and that Chrift, the Lamb of God, is only to be looked unto as the fin-bearing, and fin-atoning Saviour: To which may be added, that this is the cafe, when the advocacy of Chrift is preached up; or he is reprefented as the advocate with the Father; who appears in the prefence of God, and ever lives to make intercession for his people; introduces their perfons into the prefence of his Father;. presents their petitions, and pleads for the bleffings of grace to be applied to them they want; and the fupplies of grace to be granted them they ftand in need of. To fay no more, then do faithful difpenfers of the word record the name of the Lord, and he by them, when they preach the pure gospel of Chrift free, unmixed, and unadulterated; when they do not corrupt the word, but fincerely preach it, as in the fight of God and Chrift; when their miniftry is not yea and nay, but all of a piece; confiftent with itfelf, and with the word of God; when the trumpet does not give an uncertain found; when only the joyful found is heard; peace, pardon, righteoufness and falvation, are clearly, openly, without referve or disguise, published and proclaimed.. 2. Under the gospel-difpenfation God records his name, by appointing ordinances, and by the administration of them, as memorials of his love and grace; and particularly the ordinance of the Lord's-fupper; and where that is truly administered, and carefully attended to, and the design of it answered, there the name of the Lord is caused to be remembered; and the memories of men are sweetly and comfortably refreshed with it. This ordinance is a commemorative ordinance, caufing to remember, or bringing to remembrance. The defign of it is to put in mind of the love of God and Chrift; of the love of God in the gift of his Son, and of the love of Chrift in the gift of himself, and it is hard to say which is the greatest instance of love, for God to give his Son, his only f Dan. xii. 3. only begotten Son, or for Chrift to give himself, his foul and body, and both in union with his divine person; to lay down his life, to fhed his blood, to offer himself a facrifice unto God for us. The ordinance of the fupper brings to our remembrance the love of the Father in providing his Son a lamb for a burntoffering; in fending him into this world to be a Saviour of his people; in not fparing him, but delivering him up into the hands of juftice and death for us all; and all this, when and while we were finners. It refreshes our memories with the love of Chrift, in giving himself an offering and a facrifice unto God, of a sweet-smelling favour. It is not a reiteration of the facrifice, an offering up again the body and blood of Chrift; but a commenioration of it, and of the love of Chrift in it: Hereby we perceive his love to us. It is very plain and evident that he laid down his life for us; it leads us to observe it as such an inftance of love that is not to be found among men. Greater love bath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. But Chrift has fhewn greater love than this, by laying down his life for his enemies. Now, the elements or sym'bols in the Lord's-fupper, the bread and wine, are memorials of what Chrift has done and fuffered for his people; of his body being bruised and broken for them; of his blood being shed, and his foul poured out unto death on their account; and of his being fricken and fmitten for their tranfgreffions, and wounded for their fins; and of his bearing them and the punishment due unto them; and when the bread is eaten and the wine drank; they are both to be done by our Lord's direction, in remembrance of him, and of the above things, and of his love in all and then is his name recorded, when his love is remembered more than wine; when faints call upon their fouls, and all within them, to bless his holy name, and not forget his benefits'; especially the redemption of their lives from deftruction by him. Now, Thirdly, The places which God has a regard to, and where his people should meet and worship him, are where his name is recorded: This appears from what has been said. They are fuch where his free grace is fet forth, magnified and exalted in the falvation of men; where Chrift crucified is preached, and the ordinances are truly and faithfully adminiftered: and when this is the cafe, it matters not what or where they are. Under the former difpenfation there were particular places for worship, namely, wherever the tabernacle and ark were, and especially the city of Jerusalem, where the temple was built. But now we are not obliged to go to Shiloh, or Gilgal, or Jerufalem. The only descriptive character which points out a place to us, and directs us where to go and worhip, is where the Lord records his name; or his minifters record it, by faithfully preaching his gospel, and adminiftering his ordinances: and thefe are not limited limited and restrained to any place. It matters not whether the edifice we worship in, is greater or smaller, built in a lefs or more pompous manner; nor what names it is called by; whether a meeting-houfe, church, or chapel; a conventicle, or a cathedral: the only point is, is the name of the Lord recorded there? For we find under the gospel-difpenfation, the word has been used to be preached indifferently any where. Thus we may observe at one time, that our Lord fat upon a mountain, and delivered those excellent difcourses contained in the fifth, fixth, and seventh chapters of Matthew. At another time he fat in a ship, and taught the multitude as they food on the shore. And elsewhere we read of him preaching in a private house; as well as he fometimes went into the temple, the then public place of worship; and fat and taught there *. And fo his apostles and difciples not only preached in the fynagogues of the Jews as they had opportunity, but in other places not used before for religious worship. The apostle Paul difputed and difcourfed in the school. of Tyrannus, and continued this practice for the space of two years there; so that all Afia had the opportunity of hearing the word of the Lord : And he also was two other whole years in his own hired house at Rome, preaching the kingdom of God, and the things concerning the Lord Jefus Christ'. I fhould now have entered on the second general head, but the confideration of that must be left to the afternoon.. * Matt: v. 1. and xiii. 2. 1. Aus xix. 9. and xxviii. Mark ii. 1, 2. John viii. 2. SERMON Attendance in Places of religious Worship, where the Divine Name is recorded, encouraged. Preached October 9, 1757, at the Opening of a New Place for Worship, in Carter-lane, St Olave's-ftreet, Southwark. EXODUS XX. 24. In all places, where I record my name, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. WO things have been obferved in these words, and proposed to be treated of: TW I. The place, or places, God has a regard unto; and where his people should meet and worship him; and that is, where he records his name. II. The regard he has to fuch place, or places; and the encouragement he gives his people to meet and worship him there; expreffed by his presence with them, and blessing on them, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. The first of these heads has been difcourfed on this morning; under which has been fhewn, what is meant by the Name of the Lord; which takes in his Being, his Nature, his Perfections, and Attributes, and every title and appellation, by which he is made known unto men. And alfo his Son, in whom his name is; and all his characters; and likewise his gofpel; which is a most glorious revelation of himself, and of his mind and will; fo that it includes every thing relating to his effence and glory; to his Son in whom, and to his gofpel, and the doctrines of it, by which, he is declared and manifefted; efpecially in his grace and mercy to the children of men. Moreover, it has been inquired into, what is intended by recording his name, or caufing it to be mentioned, or remembered. And it has been obferved, that this was done by the Lord, |