Hence the apostle describeth the church, or believers, and distin- guisheth it, or them, from all others, by the discharge of this duty, 1 Cor. i. 2, " With all that call on the name of our Lord Jesus
DIVINE HONOUE EENDERED TO CHRIST BY INVOCATION. Ill
Christ, both their Lord and ours." To call on the name of the Lord Jesus expresseth solemn invocation in the way of religious worship. The Jews did call on the name of God. All others in their way called on the names of their gods. This is that whereby the church is distinguished from them all — it calls on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He requires that, as we believe on God, that is, the Father, so we should believe on him also; and therein honour the Son, as we honour the Father, John xiv. 1. The nature of this faith, and the manner how it is exercised on Christ, we shall declare afterward. But the apostle, treating of the nature and efficacy of this invocation, affirms, that we cannot call on him in whom we have not believed, Kom. X. 14. Whence it follows, on the contrary, that he on whom we are bound to believe, on him it is our duty to call. So the whole Scripture is closed with a prayer of the church unto the Lord Christ, expressing their faith in him: " Even so, come, Lord Jesus," Rev. xxii. 20.
There is not any one reason of prayer — not any one motive unto it — not any consideration of its use or efficacy — but renders this peculiar invocation of Christ a necessary duty. Two things in general are required to render the duty of invocation lawful and useful. First, That it have a proper object. Secondly, That it have prevalent motives and encouragements unto it. These in concur- rence are the formal reason and groimd of all religious worship in general, and of prayer in particular. So are they laid down as the foundation of all religion, Exod. xx. 2, 3, " I am the Lord thy God" — that is, the proper object of all religious worship — "which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage ;" which being summarily and typically representative of all divine benefits, temporal, spiritual, and eternal, is the great motive there- unto. The want of both these in all mere creatures, saints and angels, makes the invocation of them, not only useless, but idola- trous. But they both eminently concur in the person of Christ, and his actings towards us. All the perfections of the divine nature are in him; whence he is the proper object of religious invocation. On this account when he acted in and towards the church as the great angel of the covenant, God instructed the people unto all religious observance of him, and obedience unto him, Exod. xxiii. 21, "Be- ware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not ; for he will not pardon your transgressions; for my name is in him." Because the name of God was in him — that is, the divine nature, with sovereign authority to pimish or pardon sin — therefore was all religious obedi- ence due unto him. And no motives are wantinor hereunto. All that the Lord Christ hath done for us, and all the principles of love,,
112 THE PERSON OF CHEIST.
grace, compassion, and power, from whence what he hath so done did proceed, are all of this natm^e ; and they are accompanied with the encouragement of his relation unto us, and charge concerning us. Take away this duty, and the peculiar advantage of the Christian religion is destroyed.
We have lived to see the utmost extremes that the Christian reli- gion can divert into. Some, with all earnestness, do press the foniial invocation of saints and angels as our duty; and some will not grant that it is lawful for us so to call on Christ himself
The Socinians grant generally that it is lawful for us to call on Christ ; but they deny that it is our duty at any time so to do. But as they own that it is not our duty, so on their principles it cannot be lawful. Denpng his divine person, they leave him not the proper object of prayer. For prayer without an ascription of divine excellencies — as omniscience, omnipresence, and almighty power — unto him whom we invocate, is but vain babbling, that hath nothing of the nature of true prayer in it ; and to make such ascriptions unto him who by nature is not God, is idolatrous.
The solemn ordinary worship of the church, and so of private believers in their families and closets, is under an especial directory and guidance. For the person of the Father — as the eternal foun- tain of power, gi-ace, and mercy — is the formal object of our prayers, unto whom our supplications are directed. The divine nature, abso- lutely considered, is the object of natural worship and invocation ; but it is the same divine nature, in the person of the Father, that is the proper object of evangelical worship and invocation. So our Saviour hath taught us to call on God under the name and notion of a father. Matt. vi. 9 ; that is, his God and our God, his Father and our Father, John xx. 1 7. And this invocation is to be by and in the name of the Son, Jesus Christ, through the aid of the Holy Ghost. He is herein considered as the mediator between God and man — as the Holy Ghost is he by whom supplies of grace, enabling us unto the acceptable performance of our duties, are actually communicated unto us. This is the way whereby God will be glorified. This is the mystery of our religion, that we worship God according to the economy of his v^dsdom and grace, wherein he doth dispense of himself unto us, in the persons of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Otherwise he will not be honoured or worshipped by us. And those who in their worship or invocation do attempt an approach imto the divine nature as absolutely considered, without respect unto the dispensation of God in the distinct persons of the holy Trinity, do reject the mystery of the Gospel, and all the benefits of it. So is it with many. And not a few, who pretend a great devotion unto God, do supply other things into the room of Christ,