make inquiry after abuses committed in time of their absence, and to punish them, 1 Sam. vii. 16. Thus he that is always every where alike present, yet because he doth not speedily punish every sin at the first, therefore when he doth execute judgment in his appointed time, then is he said to visit, and search, and find out that iniquity, which, in his time of forbearance, he seemed to the ungodly either not to see, or not to regard.

Of the fathers. It is true, the prophet, correcting the perverse speech of the people of his time, affirms, That the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, &c. Ezek. xviii. 20; to wit, he repenting and returning, and being no way culpable of the like iniquity, which the people then falsely presumed of themselves. But neither is it here said, that the godly children shall suffer for the sin of their ungodly parents or ancestors; but because this sin of idolatry or false worship in any kind, doth as commonly and readily descend to posterity, as any other; and there is scarce any plea for false religion that takes more than, It was the religion of our forefathers; this kind of threatening may possibly for that cause be here particularly suitable.

But sure that is not all that is here intended, that, if the children do contiuue in the sin of the parents, they shall be punished; but that, for so high a transgression as this, he may be justly, and often doth in judgment give the children over to the sins of their parents. His grace being free, and so not being bound to his creatures to furnish grace, but where he will, they go on in the sin of their fathers, and bring upon themselves further punishment, not only temporal, but spiritual and eternal. It is not necessary for its verifying, that it be always so; for God, we know, hath converted many children of ungodly, yea, particularly of idolatrous parents, and shewed them mercy: but in that he justly may do thus, it is a just threatening; and in that he often doth thus, it is a true threatening, although in mercy he deal otherwise where it pleaseth him.

That hate me. What! this is so harsh a word, that nobody will own it; not the most dissolute and wicked, not the grossest idolaters. Yet generally the love of sin witnesses against men possessed with it, that they are EOσTUYEis, haters of God; and particuJarly the love of idols and false worship alienates the soul from God, and turns it to enmity against him. Men seem possibly to themselves in false worship humble and devout, Col. ii. 18; but it is to hate and dishonour the divine majesty, to bring to him and force upon him, as it were, in his own presence, in his immediate service, that which is most hateful to him. Shewing mercy to thousands. Blessing them and their posterity, being their God, and the God of their seed.'

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That love and keep, &c. "That therefore obey me, because they love me, and testify they love me by obeying me.' This is a general truth in regard of all the commandments, though more particularly to be applied to this, to which it is annexed. It forbids,

1. Making any image or resemblance of God at all. Deut. iv. 15: Ye saw no manner of similitude, &c. To whom will ye liken me? Isa. xl. 25, &c.

2. The giving any kind of religious honour and worship to any creature or created resemblance, Job. xxx. 27; Ps. cxv. 4-8. The reason why men are so prone to both these, is, because they are so much addicted to sense, and their minds are so blinded, that they cannot conceive of the spiritual nature of God. Therefore being driven by conscience to some kind of worship and religion, they incline to have some visible object of it; the soul having lost its sight, leans upon the body, would make it up and supply it by the eye of sense.

3. All superstition and will-worship, all self-pleasing ceremonies and inventions in the service of God, how pompous and plausible and devout soever they seem to be, instead of decoring, they do indeed deface the native beauty of divine worship; and, as Popish pictures on glass windows, they may seem rich and gay,

but they darken the house; they keep out the light of saving truth, and obscure the spiritual part of the service of God.

4. All gross, material conceits and apprehensions of God. Other particulars may be reduced to this command; for this and the rest, name but the main offences and duties. Then it commands,

1. To learn, and carefully and punctually to observe the prescription of God in every part of his own worship, and diligently to be exercised in it, as in hearing, prayer, sacraments, &c.

2. In worshipping him to have the purest spiritual notion of his majesty that we are able to attain to. God deals by both, by representing his justice and his mercy, to persuade his people to obedience, to drive them by fear of the one, and draw them by the sweetness of the other. Thus pastors are to set both before their people; but as he delights most in the pressing of his mercy, and persuading by that; so certainly it is that which prevails most with his own children, and doth most kindly melt and mould their hearts to his obedience.

Visit iniquity to thirds and fourths, but shew mercy to thousands that keep my commandments. Although it be not perfect, yet it is such a keeping as flows from love, and therefore love makes up what is wanting in it; and that is not perfect neither in us here, and therefore mercy makes up what is wanting in both. It is not such love and obedience as can plead for reward upon merit, but such as stands in need of mercy, and it is free grace and mercy that rewards it.

Love and keep. These two are inseparable. No keeping the commandments without love; no love without keeping them. Try, then, the one by the other; the sincerity of your obedience by examining the spring of it, if it arise from love; and try the reality of your love, if it be active and fruitful in obedience.

You know how studious love is to please, how observant of their will whom it affects, preferring it to

their own will, and desirous to have no will but the same; makes hard things easy, and cannot endure to have any thing called difficult to it: much love to God would do this, it would turn all duty into delight. Did we once know what this were, we should say, with St. Austin, What needs threatening and punishment to those that love thee not; is it not punishment enough not to love thee? If you would have all your obedience sweet and easy to yourselves, and acceptable to God, seek, above all things, hearts inflamed with his love.

PRECEPT III.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, &c.

THE Psalmist, stirring up himself to the praises of God, Psalm lvii. 8, calls up his glory to it: Awake, my glory. By glory the Hebrew interpreters understand, the soul; the Septuagint and others, the tongue: so the apostle, following the Septuagint, renders it, from Psalm xv. 3, Acts ii. 26.

It suits well with both the soul, being the better part of man, far excelling the body; and amongst the parts of the body, the tongue having this excellency, to be the organ of speech, and so the interpreter of the mind: and this difference from the beasts, as the soul is, may well partake of its honourable name, and be called man's glory.

But that which gives them both best title to that name, is that exercise to which he calls them, the praising and glorifying of their Lord and Maker. Then they are indeed our glory, when they are so taken up and employed, when the one conceives, and the other utters his glory.

And as it becomes them always to be one, as they have one name, the soul and the tongue to agree, so especially should this one name given them be answered by their harmony and agreement in his own work, for which chiefly they have that name, in giving glory

to God; and it is that which this commandment requires forbidding that which is the ignomy of man, both of his soul and of his tongue, and degrades them, turns them out of the name of glory, to be called shame and dishonour, that is, irreverence, and dishonouring the glorious name of GOD: and therefore, on the contrary, commanding the reverent and holy use of his name and service; and that we always endeavour so to speak and think of him, and so to walk before him, as those that seek, beyond all things, that his name may be glorified in us and by us. For though false swearing and vain swearing are main breaches of this commandment, (as we shall shew afterwards,) being primely forbidden by it, yet it extends generally to all our speeches concerning God. Neither is it to be restrained there, and kept within that compass, as if it gave only law to the tongue; although, indeed, the tongue hath a very great share in it, both in the breaking and keeping of it, yet certainly the precept in its full sense goes deeper into the soul, and gives a rule to the speech of the mind, our thoughts concerning God; and larger, stretches itself forth to our actions and life, that hath as loud a voice to those with whom we converse, as our tongues, and is the more considerable of the two, giving a truer character of men, what they are indeed, than their words can do.

The first commandment teaches and enjoins whom we shall worship. The second, what worship we shall give him. This third shews us with what disposition and intention, and answerably with what manner of expression we shall worship him and use his name, that it be not vainly, and after a common, trivial manner, but in holiness and humility, and desire of his glory.

So, then, this commandment concerns particularly that which is the great end of all the works of God, The glory of his name. He made all things for himself, Prov. xvi. 4; his works of creation for this end, Isa. xliii. 7; of redemption and new creation of the elect world, Eph. i. 12, all to his praise and glory: and for