amen," that so it is, and shall be. And all to certify us that He fully meaneth with effect to ratify in heaven that is done in earth, to the sure and steadfast comfort of them that shall partake it. A SERMON PREACHED AT WHITEHALL, UPON THE TWENTY-THIRD OF NOVEMBER, A. D. MDC. SERM. V. JEREMIAH xxiii. 6. This is the Name whereby they shall call Him, The Lord our Hoc est nomen, quod vocabunt Eum, Jehova justitia nostra. Lat. [This is His Name whereby He shall be called, The Lord our righteous- ness. THE former points, which the Prophet pointeth us to with his Ecce, and willed us to behold, we then were so long in beholding that we had no time to take a view of this last; which I take to be the chiefest part of his Ecce, and the point of all points most worthy our beholding. Hoc est Nomen, &c. 1. The chief, because His Name is given Him from this, and not from any of the rest. For commonly, from his chiefest title doth every man take his denomination. In the verse Jer. 23. 7. next following God saith, He will no more be called their deliverer from Egypt, because He will vouchsafe them a greater deliverance from Babylon; and so from thence, as from the greater, have His Name given. And as God, so men. What title of honour is highest in their style, that of all other doth each person delight to be termed by. Now those in the former part of this verse, of salvation and peace which He will procure them, be great and excellent titles, and they be no less verified of Him than this of Ps. 27. 1. righteousness: "The Lord is my light and my salvation," by Ephes. 2. the Prophet; and, "He is our peace," by the Apostle; yet of neither of these doth He take His Name. But from this of righteousness IIe doth. And that, both IIis former Name, in metaphor and figure, "The branch of righteousness;" and Jer. 23. 5. this His latter, in propriety and truth His royal Name, Jehova justitia nostra. This therefore is chief in his account. 2. Again, the chief because it is His peculiar. And every man reckoneth of that as his chiefest title that is not common to him with others, but proper to him alone, as wherein he hath a prerogative above all. He, and none but he. 15. 9. Now those in the former verse-of "executing judgment and justice”—are such as are also given to other kings. King David is said to have "executed judgment and justice to all his 2 Sam. 8. people;" so is king Solomon likewise, the queen of Sheba 1 Kings 10. giveth him that title. To do justice is the title also of others -and not many neither, but yet of some others; but to be justice, to be righteousness, that is the name of none but Christ only. His, and His only, is that title. Therefore as well in this regard as in the former, this is the very chief part in the Ecce, the Name of " Jehovah our righteousness." 15. Which, because it is nothing but a name, may seem to some a matter of no great importance. The Deputy of Achaia, Gallio, in the Acts, seemeth of that mind: "If it were some Acts 18. 14, weighty matter, I would sit the hearing," saith he, "but if it be a matter of names, I take it not worth the while;" hear it who will, for I will not. And to say the truth, if it were a name of men's giving he said not much amiss. Their names are not greatly to be looked after. The argument taken from them, the heathen philosopher confesseth, is μáprus áλaçìv, an argument that setteth a good face upon it, but no great substance in it. The reason whereof is, because with men there be nominals and there be reals, names and things are many times two. There is, quædam dicuntur de, et non insunt. There is learning, saith the Apostle, Yevdavvμos, "falsely so called." ITim.6.20. And as learning, so many things beside. The churl is named Isa. 32. 5. liberal, and they worshipful that have nothing worthy worship in them. Yea it falleth out that some have a name they live and yet are dead;" and many things besides, quæ dicuntur de, et non insunt in. Whereof we need not seek far; we have an example here in the Prophet of king Zedekiah "that Rev. 3. 1. that reigned at the time of this prophecy, one that had neither Ezek. 17. truth nor righteousness in him, a breaker of his league and 16. 18, 19. SERM. covenant, a falsifier of his oath, and yet his name is Zedekiah, V. God's righteous one, or the righteousness of God. names for the most part are false. Men's They ever 2. And when they be true, empty, and no great weight in them. For what are men's titles but men's breath; but a blast of air, but wind. If they be popular titles, the wind of a common pair of bellows. If of those of the better sort, as the heathen man well said, expúσou puσnτnρos, the wind 'of a gilt or wrought pair of bellows,' but both of them wind. But the names of God's imposition are not so. carry truth in them. For seeing God cannot away with Job 32. 21, those that are title-givers, as saith Elihu, He will give none Himself. With Him is not the division that is with us, of nominals and reals; of quædam dicuntur de, quædam insunt in. 1 Joh. 3. 1, If we be named "the sons of God," we "are" so, saith St. John: and therefore from His Name a sound and substantial argument may be drawn, as we see the Apostle doth; proving Heb. 1.4. the excellency of Christ's nature above the Angels, from the excellency of His Name above theirs. 22. 2. 10. Ps. 20. 8. "The Name of And as they are free from falsehood, so are they not empty Prov. 18. sounds, but have ever some virtue in them. God," saith Solomon, "is a strong tower." So that, when some trust in chariots and horses," and other some "in the Name of God;" they that trust in chariots and horses, they "go down;" they that in that Name, "stand upright." And this not only in the dangers of this life, but there is also in the Name of God a saving power for the life to come. A power to 1 Cor.6.11. justify: "Ye are justified in the Name of Christ," saith St. Paul. A power for remission of sins: "Your sins are forgiven 1Joh. 2.12. you, for His Name's sake,” saith St. John. A power to save: Acts 4. 12. "In this Name you have salvation," saith St. Peter. And such is the Name here named, "Jehovah our righte ousness. "Our righteousness," to justify, to forgive us our sins, to give us salvation. Such is this "Name:" and "there is Acts 4. 12. not under heaven any Name given to men, wherein they may be saved, beside it." The Division. In the Ecce, or beholding whereof, two things present themselves to our view: I. The "Name" itself; II. The calling Him by it. The Name in these words: Hoc est Nomen. The calling in these: quo vocabunt Eum. In either of which, two others. In the Name, these two: I. 1. the parts of it, and the reason of them; 2. the sense of it. In the calling Him by it, likewise two: 1. as it is our II. duty so to call Him; 2. as we have an use or benefit by so calling Him. The duty and the usc. The I. "name," To God Himself, as the Psalmist telleth us, all the service we can perform reacheth not. The perfection of His nature is such, as it can from us receive nothing. But two things of Ps. 16. 2. His there are which He hath left to express that duty which we owe and bear to Himself. Which two arc in one versc set down by the prophet David: "Thou hast magnified, Ps. 138.2. 1. Thy Name, and 2. Thy word above all things;" 1. His Name, and 2. His word. His Name for our invocation, His And these two, as they are the word for our instruction. highest things in God's account, so are they to be in ours. Not the word only, which carrieth all away in a manner in these days, but His Name also no less. For in the setting them down, the Holy Ghost giveth the first place to the Name. Our very assembling, and coming together, is in this Mat.18.20. "Name." And then, "before all things, supplications are to 1 Tim. 2.1. be made" in this Name. And the very hearing of the word itself is, that we may call upon His Name. How shall they call 14. upon His Name Whom they have not heard? "How shall Rom. 10. they hear without a preacher ?" So that preaching and hearing of the word are both ordained for the calling on of this Name. Which being so high in God's account, of very civility, if there were nothing else, we are not to be ignorant what His Name is that He is to be called by. No man that maketh any, yea but common, account of a party, but he will learn by what name to call him. And so requisite doth Solomon hold this, as he affirmeth there is little more in that man Prov. 30. 2. than in a beast, yea there is not "the understanding of a man" in him; of God-of Him That stretcheth out the heavens, and "gathereth the winds in His fist, bindeth the waters in a [Prov. 30. garment, establisheth all the ends of the earth"-not to know "what is His Name, or what is His Son's Name," that IIis Name is Jehovah, and His Son's Name Jehova justitia nostra. 4.] |