Lord is invoked and worshiped. All these things, taken together, are the name of God; wherefore, by taking the name of God in vain, in this sense, is meant to introduce such things in frivolous conversation, or in uttering falsehoods, or in execrations, or in tricks and incantations. That the Word and all things of the church thence derived, and thus all worship, are the name of God, is plain from Scripture. Thus in Malachi:[1] 'Ye profane my name when ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and ye snuff at it when ye bring for sacrifice what is torn and lame and diseased.' 'Jesus said, Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them;'"[2] where, by being gathered together in his name, is meant united in genuine worship. "Thus, by the name of God is meant the Divine which proceeds from God, and by which he is worshiped."[3]
The reason that name has this signification, is because name in the spiritual sense signifies quality or character; for all names, originally, were intended to describe the quality or character of the person named. Hence most of the names mentioned in the Divine Word are significative, as, for instance, Emmanuel, that is, "God with us," Jesus, "Savior." "That by the name of any one," says the New Church Doctrine, "is not meant his name only, is manifest from names in the spiritual world, where no one retains the name which he received at baptism, and from his father or ancestors in the world, but every one there is named according to his quality, and the angels are named
- ↑ i. 12, 13.
- ↑ Matt, xviii. 20.
- ↑ T. C. R., n. 298.
