Puritan divines typically defined “calling upon the name of the Lord” as the whole, evangelical act of the heart turning to God in Christ with humble dependence, faith, love, and worship, expressed especially in prayer and public worship. It was not a bare verbal formula, but the characteristic act of a true Christian, both individually and corporately.[1][2][3]
## Core Puritan definition
– A widely cited Puritan‑Reformed summary (Robert Haldane, echoing earlier divines) states: “He who calls on the name of the Lord profoundly humbles himself before God, recognizes his power, adores his majesty, believes his promises, confides in his goodness, hopes in his mercy, honours him as his God, and loves him as his Saviour. That is what it means to call on the name of the Lord.” This description gathers up the Puritan sense that calling is a complex of humility, trust, adoration, hope, and love directed to the Lord Jesus.[1]
– In Romans 10:13, Puritan readers therefore saw “calling upon the name of the Lord” as turning to Christ in faith seeking salvation, not as a meritorious work but as the believing cry of the sinner to the only Saviour. Later Reformed‑Puritan expositors underline that the calling of Rom 10:13 presupposes faith (Rom 10:14) and so is the expression, not the cause, of justification.[3][4][5]
## Prayer and the elevation of the heart
– Thomas Cobbet’s *Gospel Incense, or a Practical Treatise on Prayer* embodies Puritan teaching: he describes prayer not chiefly as lifting up eyes, hands, or voice, but as “lifting up the soul” to God. The work of prayer, he says, is that “the saints in their prayers have also their hearts broken and bruised… whilst these spiritual priests are through faith exercised, offering up this their holy incense upon the altar Jesus Christ.”[2]
– Cobbet insists that in true prayer believers’ minds are “attent and intent upon what they pray for,” and that “we have not prayed, when our spirits are not elevated.” This interior elevation is what Puritans mean by calling upon the Lord: the soul, by faith, going out to God through Christ with reverent, specific, Spirit‑wrought desire.[2]
## Public worship as “calling on the Name”
– Puritan and closely related Reformed writers often extend the phrase to denote the whole liturgical service: one exposition notes that public worship, with the lifting up of holy hands, can “refer to the entire worship service as a ‘calling upon the Name of the Lord’… the liturgical service of God… the expression of worship at God’s footstool.” In this sense, Lord’s‑day worship is the church’s corporate calling upon the Name.[6]
– Jonathan Edwards, standing in the Puritan line, explains Genesis 4:26 (“then began men to call on the name of the Lord”) as the beginning or intensification of public worship: “then men first began to perform public worship, or to call upon the name of the Lord in public assemblies.” He adds that when the Spirit begins a work, “it immediately sets them to calling on the name of the Lord,” so that invocation becomes a mark of true revival.[7]
## Experiential, sin‑distressed calling
– Puritan‑stream pastoral explanations stress that “calling upon the name of the Lord to save us is a heartfelt response at distress of our sin,” drawing support from psalms where “in my distress I called upon the Lord… and he heard me.” This fits the classic Puritan pattern: conviction of sin, spiritual agony, and then casting oneself upon Christ by calling on his name.[8]
– In later expositions influenced by this tradition, calling upon the Lord is described as “an open professing act, by which we own God in Christ for our God,” closely linked to assembling with the church for worship and praise. Thus, for Puritans, “calling upon the name of the Lord” names both the inward act of saving faith in prayer and the outward, churchly confession and worship that flows from it.[3]
Sources
[1] ‘How beautiful are the feet . . .’ – Banner of Truth USA https://banneroftruth.org/us/
[2] Gospel Incense or a Practical Treatise on Prayer – A Puritan’s Mind https://www.apuritansmind.com/
[3] Is the “Sinner’s Prayer” in Romans 10:9-10 or Romans 10:13? https://faithsaves.net/romans-
[4] What does Romans 10:13 mean? – BibleRef.com https://www.bibleref.com/
[5] Calling on the Lord – Romans 10:11-13 – Berean Bible Church https://www.bereanbiblechurch.
[6] Exposition of I Timothy 2:8-15 (1) – Standard Bearer https://sb.rfpa.org/
[7] Period 1: From the Fall to the Incarnation – by Jonathan Edwards https://www.apuritansmind.com/
[8] What is the difference between “calling” on the name of the Lord and … https://www.facebook.com/
[9] Jus Divinum: The discussion | The Puritan Board https://puritanboard.com/
[10] The Nature of Saving Faith – Romans 10:10-13 – Logos Sermons https://sermons.logos.com/
[11] Cobbet, Thomas – Gospel Incense: A Practical Treatise on Prayer http://www.biblesupport.com/e-
[12] The Meaning and Significance of ἐπικαλέω in Romans 10:13 https://www.
[13] An Offering of Incense? – The Puritan Board https://puritanboard.com/
[14] Psalm 118:11 Study Bible: They surrounded me, yes … – Bible Hub https://biblehub.com/study/
[15] A practical discourse of prayer wherein is handled the … – LLDS Home https://llds.ling-phil.ox.ac.
