Now, what fay you to thefe enquiries? Will you not reply-No, Lord, this is not my cafe; all I can fay is this"I desire to love God, with all my heart, with all my foul, and with all my frength, and it is my daily forrow that I feel fo little of the influence of this facred principle." If this is the cafe, then fay to thy foul, "Could I grieve for what I feel If I did not love at all? Again, Watch against every emotion of the corrupt passions. Thefe will be ready to rife, on the approach of every temptation. When these are indulged, guilt is incurred; and a consciousness of guilt will invariably cloud your evidences; hence a flavish fear is produced in the mind. The comfort of the Chriftian depends on the Spirit of God refting on him, and refiding in him. He that is joined to the Lord, is one Spirit with him. Labour, therefore, to cultivate the graces of the Spirit; and imbibe the meek, gentle, humble, and forgiving difpofition of Jefus. This will have the moft powerful tendency to lead on the foul to the enjoyment of the full affurance of faith. Watch against the insinuations of Satan. Be not ignorant of Satan's devices. This great adversary will endeavour to rob you of your joys; but refift him ftedfaftly, and he will flee from you, and be not difcouraged by these temptations: they are proofs that the strong man is difarmed and caft The wicked feel not these struggles; their goods are out. in peace. Above all, permit me to befeech you, my dear friend, to be fervent and frequent at the throne of grace. Thence you will derive your greatefl frength-thence you will receive your richeft bleffings,, mercy to pardon, and grace to help in time of need. Wrestle hard, and you shall prevail. "Look unto Jesus, the author, and the finisher of "your faith." Look forward to the bright hills of everlasting day. There you fhall walk in the uninterrupted light of God's countenance; every doubt fhall be removed. Perfect love fhall reign and triumph in your foul without a rival, and confequently all thofe fears which now distress you, fhall be experienced no more for ever! Thus, my dear Sir, I have freely given you my opinion, on this important part of experimental religion, and it fall be my unremitting prayer, that you may be established in the faith, the hope, and the joy of the gofpel of our blessed Lord and Saviour. I remain you affectionate friend, HORATIO. 66 REMARKS ON EXOD. vi. 3. I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Facob, by the name of God Almighty; but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. THE HE difficulty which has been obferved in explaining this text, is briefly this: that the Lord had not only appeared to the early patriarchs by the name Jehovah previous to this declaration, but that this name is much more frequently ufed than that of God Almighty, as a diftinctive appellation of the Supreme Being, as well in the book of Genefis, as throughout the Old Testament. Having thus ftated the difficulty, I fhall now attempt to fhew the confiftency of this paffage with the other writings of Mofes; for I believe that he was the writer of both Genefis and Exodus, that he was a holy man of God, and wrote by divine infpiration. It seems evident that these words, "By my name Jeho"vah, was I not known to them," cannot fignify that the patriarchs had never heard of fuch a name; for, even on the fuppofition that the book of Exodus had been written by an uninfpired hiftorian, no man could have been fo inattentive to the former part of the fame hiftory, as flatly to contradict what is repeatedly and plainly declared in it, while his intention evidently was to establish and confirm it in all its parts. May we not fuppofe that the thing intended was, and indeed of neceffity muft have been, fomething else than the letters or the found of the glorious name Jehovah? It is easy to conceive that perfons who called God Jehovah, might be in a great meafure ignorant of what is fignified by this name, though they muft have known the etymology, and literal meaning of the word. The controverted paffage may be fatisfactorily explained, without entering into any critical explanation of the word. if we only admit that the name Jehovah gives a more complete and appropriate idea of the Divine character and perfections than the other appellation, God Almighty; and this is demonftrated by the text itself, for no person can read it without difcerning that it reprefents the knowledge of the Deity by his name Jehovah, as a greater thing than the knowledge of him as God Almighty. Angels and men were called gods, but the name Jehovah was applied to Him only who is "Moft High over all the earth." This name, which conveys the idea of felf-exiftence, immutability, and eternity, is at once the dread and the confidence of all who know it; and it is fo in a peculiar and diftinguished manner. The people of Ifrael were ftrictly commanded to "fear this glorious and fearful name, JEHOVAH THEIR "GOD, left JEHOVAH fhould make their plagues wonderful;" and that man only is pronounced "bleffed, who trusteth in JEHOVAH, and whofe hope JEHOVAH is." Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, knew the Supreme Being, as the Almighty God, the Creator and Preferver of all things, They had experienced his goodness in providing for all their temporal wants, and beftowing innumerable mercies on them and their families. He had alfo given them the promise of a temporal inheritance, in the land of Canaan, and of fpiritual and eternal bleffednefs through a great deliverer, the feed of Abraham, in whom all the fa milies of the earth were to be bleffed. But neither of these promises were yet fulfilled, nor had any steps been taken, prior to the miffion of Mofes, which feemed to indicate that the time of their accomplishment drew nigh; on the contrary, the children of Ifrael were groaning under a load of cruel bondage and oppreffion in Egypt. The Lord therefore now determined to make himself known to his people by his name Jehovah, in a way far beyond that in which he had manifefted himfelf to their fathers, that his name might not only be understood by them, but alfo, "that it might be declared throughout all the earth." This he propofed to do, not merely by inftructing them verbally in the knowledge of his character and perfec tions; but by mighty works and figns, and by an exact and punctual accomplishment of all the good things which he had fpoken. In this manner they were affuredly to know that he alone is the great, felf-exiftent, and eternal Jeho vah, unchangeable in his purposes of love and mercy, and all-fufficient to execute thofe purposes, and to deliver his people from all their enemies and oppreffors. That this was the knowledge which God had withheld from Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob, and which he now intended to convey to their pofterity, appears very plainly from what follows. For immediately after what he had faid to Mofes, "By my name, Jehovah, was I not known to them," he declares the establishment of his covenant with Ifrael, and then adds (ver. 6. 7, 8.) "Wherefore fay unto the "children of Ifrael, I am Jehovah, and I will bring you out "from under the burdens of the Egyptians, &c. And I "take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; "and ye shall know that I am Jehovah your God, who bring "eth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. "And I will bring you unto the land concerning which I did "fwear to give it to Abraham, to Ifaac, and to Jacob, and "I will give it to you for an heritage: I am Jehovah." This name was illuftrated and difplayed by the wonderful works of God towards his people, who thus celebrated the first complete public deliverance which he vouchfafed them. "I will fing unto Jehovah, for he hath triumphed gloriously: "the horfe and his rider hath he thrown into the fea. Who "is like unto thee, O Jehovah, among the gods? Who is "like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praifes, doing "wonders?" And this is the conclufion of their triumphant fong. "Jehovah fhall reign for ever and ever." There are alfo frequent references to the fame event in the fucceeding fcriptures, as in Ifaiah li. 15. "I am Jehovah thy God, "who divided the fea when the waves roared. Jehovah of "Hofts is his name." The defign of God, in the whole train of his miraculous providences towards Ifrael, in Egypt, in the wilderness, in the land of promife, when they were led captive by their enemies, and when they returned from their captivity in Babylon, was to make himself known to them by his name Jehovah: "Ye fhall know that I am Jehovah ;" and other expreflions of fimilar import, are very frequently to be met with in the writings of the prophets. Such expreffions were always used on fome great occafion, when Jehovah was about to do something peculiarly manifeftative of his glorious perfections. From thefe confiderations it appears, that knowing the Deity by his name Jehovah, has a refpect to the manifeftation of his name by divine works, and especially the work of redeeming Ifrael, that they might be to him a peculiar people, to thew forth his praife. It is almost unneceffary VOL. II. U u to obferve that Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob had no opportu nity of thus knowing and understanding that he is Jehovah. who exercifeth loving kindness, and righteousness, and judgment in the earth," On this ground alone, however, they were faid not to have known him by his name Jehovah. It will not invalidate the above explanation, although it be admitted (as I readily do admit) that the Patriarchs not only called the Supreme Being Jehovah, but also knew in fome degree, the import of that name; for things are often expreffed in abfolute terms, when they are evidently intend ed to be understood in a limited, or in a comparative fenfe. Innumerable inftances of this, might be quoted from the Scriptures, of which a very few only fhall be mentioned. Did ever any perfon conceive that Jefus Chrift meant to deny that there is fuch a thing as goodness among creatures, when he faid, "There is none good but one, that is "God?" or did the God of Ifrael mean entirely to fet afide his own inftitution of facrifices, when he thus spoke, "I "will have mercy, and not facrifice?" Paul affirms that the preaching of the Gofpel to all nations was the revelation of the myftery which had been kept fecret fince the world be gan.' Does he mean that no fuch thing had been declared by the former prophets? No, furely, for their writings are full of it. Their prophecies with refpect to this fubject, however, were not fully underflood, and the preaching of the unfearchable riches of Chrift to the Gentiles remained a myftery, till after his refurrection from the dead, when the prophecies concerning it began to be fulfilled. And the fame Apofle fays, in another Epiftle, that "In other ages, "this my ftery was not made known as it is now revealed to "the Apoftles and Prophets by the Spirit;" intimating that it had been formerly revealed, but not with equal clearnefs, though he alfo affirms in the fame paflage it was "the myf 46 tery which from the beginning of the world had been hid in God." Thus, was it equally proper to fay, that God was not known to the Patriarchs by his name Jehovah, while he had not, by his wonderful works, and by the fulfilment of his promiles, given thofe demonftrations of his power, faithfulnefs, and mercy, which he intended to give to their pofterity, for the exprefs purpofes of making them know that their God was Jehovah, and of proving in the most inconteftible manner, that "this is his name for ever, and this his memorial unto all generations." Edinburgh. W. B. |