Testament distinctly and often declare that CHRIST is JEHOVAH, and thus the truth of the Divinity of our blessed Saviour in no wise depends upon the difficulty of some obscure verses or controverted facts on which infidels lay so great stress. If the reader will keep this remark in mind, he will, I hope, like myself, rejoice in the frequent repetition of this plain assertion, That JEHOVAH GOD of Israel, is ELOHIM, and thus it ever is in holy writ; essential doctrines are so plainly and openly declared, that it becomes our duty to bow in submissive acquiescence to its positive and unequivocal declarations. NEHEMIAH. CHAP. I. V. 4. And it came to pass when I heard these words I prayed before the God of heaven, 5. And said, I beseech thee, O JEHOVAH, God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love Him. 11. And now, O ADONI, I beseech Thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant. The last annotation will strictly apply to this quotation from Nehemiah; for here it is said he prays to JEHOVAH, the great and terrible God, the ADONI; and when we are reading the New Testament, let us never fail to call to mind that it contains a recital of the actions and precepts of this JEHOVAH, or the IMMANUEL, viz. GOD with us. CHAP. VIII. V. 1. And the people spake to Ezra the scribe, to bring the book of the law of Moses which JEHOVAH had commanded, to Israel. 5. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of the people, and all the people stood up: 6. And Ezra blessed JEHOVAH, the great ELOHIM, and all the people answered, Amen, Amen. 8. So they read in the book in the law of ELOHIM distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. The scriptures here described as being read are those from which the foregoing extracts have been made. Let us Christians also seriously study them, for they it is which will conduct us to the real truth. CHAP. IX. Then the Levites said, 5. Stand up, and bless JEHOVAH your God for ever and ever. 6. Thou, even Thou, art JEHOVAH alone. Thou madest the heavens and all things. 7. Thou art JEHOVAH ELOHIM who didst chuse Abram, and brought him forth out of Ur. The Levites' devotion gets more and more excited, and therefore, after invoking JEHOVAH several times, they exclaim, 'Thou art JEHOVAH ELOHIM." Can any one read this single extract, and not perceive that ELOHIM thus added, is meant to convey a much more emphatic meaning than when they merely say, Thou art JEHOVAH? Moreover Nehemiah confirms Moses' distinction of names, for he also says that ELOHIM selected Abraham. ESTHER. The name of God does not occur once in Esther. JOB. CHAP. I. V. 20. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshipped. 21. And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: JEHOVAH gave and JEHOVAH hath taken away, blessed be the name of JEHOVAH. 22. In this Job sinned not, nor charged ELOHIM foolishly. PSALMS. XIX. V. 14.-Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O JEHOVAH, my strength and my Redeemer. By all Christians, JESUS CHRIST is the acknowledged Redeemer of the whole world, and David very frequently invokes JEHOVAH as such, and St. Paul and the Evangelists do the same, but none of them ever affix the same epithets to ELOHIM when named singly. XXXI. V. 5. Into thine hand I commend my spirit, for thou hast redeemed me, O JEHOVAH, God of truth. Again JEHOVAH is here said to have redeemed the Psalmist, and he says, this Redeemer is the God of truth: thus proclaiming, as it were, the divinity of the MESSIAH, who was waited for most anxiously by David and other devout Jews. XLV. V. 6.-Thy throne, O ELOHIM, is for ever and ever; the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. 7. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore ELOHIM, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 10. Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house. 11. So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty, for he is thy ADONI, and worship thou him. This Psalm is considered to represent the majesty and grace of CHRIST's kingdom, and the name ELOHIM appears to be given to the single person, "thy GOD:" the solution of this apparent difficulty is thus explained by the late Bishop Horsley: "The unity of the Three persons in the essence is so strict and intimate, that the general appellation of the Godhead may be applied to any one, and that appellation will remind us of the plurality: thus the word ELOHIM is applied to ADONI, the second person, as the representative of the whole trinity." This quotation from Horsley confirms my view of the sacred names. "The second person" he refers to, is the ADONI, which is so very frequently joined to JEHOVAH. " This strictness and intimacy of the three persons in the essence" cannot be too strongly enforced, and therefore I hope I shall be excused for referring very often to this truth. PSALM L. V. 1. The mighty ELOHIM, even JEHOVAH, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun, unto the going down thereof. 2. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, ELOHIM hath shined. 3. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence. 6. And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for ELOHIM is judge himself. 7. Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against thee, I am ELOHIM thy God. 14. Offer unto ELOHIM thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most high. 23. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him who ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of ELOHIM. The preceding note will apply equally to the above extract, and I will add one more quotation from the learned and orthodox Horsley: "In the opening of the 50th Psalm, the omnipresence of ELOHIM is held forth with particular emphasis, and the whole earth is summoned to hear the general promulgation of the new revelation of the Gospel, and to witness the execution of the judgment of the Jews. LIX. V. 1.-Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; defend me from them that rise up against me. 5. Thou, therefore, O JEHOVAH, ELOHIM of Hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen. 10. GOD of his mercy shall prevent me, ELOHIM shall let me see my desire upon my enemies. 11. Scatter them by thy power, and bring them down, O ADONI, our shield. 13. Consume them, and let them know that ELOHIM ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth, 17. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing, for ELOHIM is my defence, and the God of my mercy. In this Psalm David's earnestness is particularly beautiful. He devoutly addresses separately the different persons of the Godhead, as it were invoking the aid of each, and at last he includes them all in the emphatic and comprehensive word ELOHIM, who ruleth unto the ends of the earth. LXVIII. V. 1. Let ELOHIM arise, and let his enemies be scattered; let them also that hate him flee before him. 3. But let the righteous be glad, let them rejoice before ELOHIM; yea, let them rejoice exceedingly. 7. O ELOHIM, when thou wentest forth before the people, 8. The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of ELOHIM: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of ELOHIM, the Gop of Israel. 19. Blessed be ADONI, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. 20. He that is our GOD is the God of salvation, and unto JEHOVAH ADONI belong the issues from death. 32. Sing unto ELOHIM, ye kingdoms of the earth. O sing praises unto ADONI. 34. Ascribe ye strength unto ELOHIM, his excellence is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds. 35. Ο ELOHIM, thou art terrible out of thy holy place. The God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be ELOHIM. In this comprehensive Psalm the distinction of person is most beautifully preserved. The more frequently this is read, the more it must be admired for its grandeur and sublimity. |