2. Consider who thou art that thus venturest to profane the holy name of God. Art thou not his creature and his subject, bound to honour him? Art thou not a worm, unable to resist him? Can he not tread thee into hell, or ruin thee, and be avenged on thee with a word or less? He need to say no more, but Thus I will have it, to execute his vengeance on the greatest of his enemies: if he will it, it will be done. And art thou then a person fit to despise this God, and abuse his name? Is it not a wonder of condescension in him, that he will give leave to such worms as we to pray to him, and to praise and worship him, and that he will accept it at our hands? and yet canst thou venture thus to slight him and despise him? I have oft heard the same impious tongue reproach the prayers of the godly, as if they were too bold and familiar with God, and pleading against long or often praying, because man must not be so bold with God, and persuading others that God accepts it not, which yet itself was bold familiarly to swear by his name, and use it lightly and in common talk. And indeed God's servants must take heed of rude and unreverent boldness even in prayer. How much more then is the boldness of thy profaning God's holy name to be condemned? Must they take heed how they use it in prayer and praise, and darest thou abuse it by oaths, and curses, and vain speech?
3. Dost thou not sometimes pray by that name which thou profanely swearest by? If not, thou seemest utterly to renounce God, and art a miserable wretch indeed; but if thou do, what a hypocrite dost thou show thyself to be in all thy prayers, that takest on thee to reverence that name of God, which thou canst toss unreverently, and swear and curse by when thou art off thy knees. It is part of Bishop Hall's character of the hypocrite, that he boweth to the name of Jesus, and sweareth by the name of God, and prayeth to God at church, whom he forgets or sweareth by the rest of the week. Doth not thy conscience gripe thee for this hypocrisy, when in thy prayers thou thinkest of this abuse of God?
4. Think, man, what use thou wilt have for that holy name in thy distress, which thou now abusest. When sickness and death come, then thou wilt cry, Lord, Lord! then the name of God will be called on more reverently. And darest thou now make a foot-ball of it? Dost thou not fear lest it should be then thy terror, to remember on thy death-bed, when thou art calling upon God, Oh this is the name that I was wont to swear by, or to take in vain?
5. Remember that millions of glorious angels are magnifying that great and holy name, which thou art profaning and taking in vain. And dost thou not wonder that they do not some of them become the executioners of the vengeance of God against thee? and that the earth doth not open and swallow thee up? Shall a worm on earth be tossing that holy name, or swearing by it profanely, which a world of glorious angels are magnifying?
6. Consider that thou art more impious than they that profane things hallowed and consecrated to God. Was Belshazzar punished with the loss of kingdom and life, for carousing in the vessels of the sanctuary? Wouldst thou think him to be profane that should make a stable of the church, and should feed his swine with the communion cup? And dost thou not know that the name of God himself hath a higher degree of holiness, than any place or utensils of his worship have? and therefore that it is a greater profaneness to abuse his name, than to abuse any of these? Doth not thy tongue then condemn thee of hypocrisy, when thou wouldst exclaim against any that should thus profane the church, or font, or communion cup, or table, and yet thyself dost ordinarily profane the very holy name of God, and use it as a common name?
7. Consider how unworthily thou requitest God, for giving thee thy tongue and speech. He gave thee this noble faculty to honour him by; and is this thy thanks, to use it to dishonour him, by swearing and taking his name in vain?
8. Thy infectious breath corrupteth others. It tendeth to bring God into common contempt among his own creatures, when they hear his name contemptuously spoken of.
9. Thou forgettest how tender and jealous God hath showed himself to be, of the honour of his holy name; and what terrible threatenings he hath denounced against the profaners of it, and what judgments he hath executed on them.[496] Lev. xix. 12, "Ye shall not swear by my name falsely: neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord." So Lev. xviii. 21. And of the priests it is said, Lev. xxi. 6, "They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God." So Lev. xxii. 2, 31, 32, "Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am the Lord: neither shall ye profane my holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the Lord which hallow you." Deut. xxviii. 58, 59, "If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayst fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD, then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed; great plagues and of long continuance; and sore sicknesses and of long continuance." Worshipping God and trusting in him is called, a "walking in his name," and "calling upon his name." See Mic. iv. 5; Psal. xcix. 6. The place of his public worship is called, "The place where he putteth or recordeth his name," Exod. xx. 24; Deut. xii. 5, 11, 21. Isa. xxix. 23, "They shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel." Isa. xlviii. 11, "For how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory to another." God telleth Moses, and Moses telleth Aaron when his sons were slain, "I will be sanctified in them that come nigh unto me, and before all the people I will be glorified," Lev. x. 3. So Lev. xxiv. 10, 14, a man that in striving with another blasphemed and cursed, was stoned to death. And in the third commandment, it is terrible enough that God saith, "The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."
10. Dost thou not use to say the Lord's prayer, and therein, "Hallowed be thy name," Matt. vi. 9. Luke xi. 2: and wilt thou profane that name which thou prayest may be hallowed? Is it hallowing it, to swear by it, and use it unreverently and vainly in thy common talk? Or will God endure such hypocrisy as this, or regard such hypocritical prayers?
11. Thy customary swearing is an uncharitable accusation of the hearers, as if they were so incredulous, that they would not believe a man without an oath, and so profane, that they delight in the profanation of the name of God; which is the grief of every honest hearer.