86 AN EXPOSITION OF [Mat. VI. 9.
Here I shall show : —
1. How many ways God's name is sanctified.
2. Why God will be so glorified as that he may be sanctified. First, How many ways is God's name sanctified ? I answer, either
upon us, or by us.
[1.] Upon us, by the righteous executions and judgments of his providence : and so God is sanctified when he doth by a high hand of power recover and extort the glory of his holiness from the dead and stupid world ; as by that notable stroke of the Bethshemites, when fifty thousand were slain for peeping into the ark: 1 Sam. vi. 20. This was the result of all : ' Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God ? ' There he discovered himself to be a holy God, to be one that hath a high displeasure against the creature's disobedience. Now when he doth by a high hand extort this from the wicked, or from his children, then he sanctifieth himself upon us.
[2] By us. And so he is sanctified in our thoughts, words, and actions ; in our heart, tongue, or life.
1. In our hearts : I Pet. 3, 15, ' Sanctify the Lord God in your heart.' How is God sanctified in our hearts ?
[1.] When we have awful thoughts of his majesty : Ps. cxi. 9, 'Holy and reverend is his name.' Not only when we speak of the name of God, but when we tliink of it, we should be seriously affected. But,
[2.] More especially God is sanctified when, in straits, difficulties, and dangers, we can bear ourselves upon the power and sufficiency of God, and go on resolutely and cheerfully with our duty, notwithstand- ing discouragements. This is to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts. I shall prove it by two places where the phrase is used ; one is, 1 Pet. iii. 15, ' Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.' Mark, the Christians that did profess the name of God, which spake of God as their hope or object of their religion, were in great danger. Now what direction doth he give them, that they might not be afraid, but bear up ? For he speaks before : ' Be not afraid of their terror, or be troubled ; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.' See the same phrase used for the same purpose; Isa. viii. 13, 'Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.' He opposeth it plainly there to carnal fear : ver. 12, ' Say ye not a confederacy to all them to whom this people shall say a con- federacy ; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid ; but sanctify the Lord of hosts himself, and let him be your fear.' How comes this direction to be used in the present case ? Thus ; to sanctify is to set apart ; and to sanctify God is to set apart, as the alone object of fear and trust, that he alone is to be feared and trusted, so that we can see no match for God among the creatures ; therefore we are to embolden ourselves in the Lord, and go on cheerfully, when we can counterbalance all fears and dangers with his surpassing excellency. To glorify God is to do that which simply and absolutely tendeth to the manifestation of his excellenc}^ without any relation to the creature ; but to sanctify God is to set God above the creature, to do that which tends to exalt his greatness and excellency from and above all terrors, and all the discouragements that we can have from the creature ; it is
Mat. VI. 9.] the lord's prayer. 87
to ascribe that greatness, that power and glory, to God alone, which cannot be ascribed to anything else, and so to go on cheerfully with our duty, whatever difficulties we meet with. Thus Moses was chidden, that was amazed with present difficulty: Num. xx. 12, ' And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel ; therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.' Because they were discouraged, and thought they should never carry on their business, therefore God saith, ' Ye believe not to sanctify me : ' you sanctify not God, or set him aloft, as the alone and supreme object of fear and trust. It is a practical acknowledgment of God's matchless excellency. Thus we sanctify God in our hearts.
2. God is sanctified with our tongues, when we use God's name, titles, ordinances, and word, as holy things ; when we speak of the Lord with reverence, and with great seriousness of heart, not taking his name in vain ; especially when we are deeply affected with his praise. It is no slight thing to praise God. God's people, when they have gone about it, see a need of the greatest help : Ps. li. 15, ' 0 Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.' And Ps. xlv. 1 : ' My heart is inditing a good matter ; ' my heart fries or boils a good matter : when we will not give God dough-baked praise, nor speak of his name slightly, but so as becomes his greatness and surpassing excellency.