Deduced from the discriminative terms employed to designate the divine being by the inspired writers Old Testament.
A member of the church of England.
London: J. G. And F. Rivington, 1833
The right reverend Thomas Burgess, D. D. Lord bishop of Salisbury, this tract, (by permission,) is dedicated, with profound respect, by his lordship's much obliged, and obedient, humble servant, the author.
THE following book originated in a wish that others might participate in the satisfaction and pleasure I had myself experienced in finding, on an attentive perusal of the sacred volume, that throughout the whole of its inspired pages it earnestly inculcated, and firmly supported, the doctrine of the Divinity of CHRIST and the TRINITY of the SUPREME BEING, as held by the Established Church of England.
In what this TRINITY consists, our LORD and his disciples have fully informed us, viz., in the FATHER, SON, and HOLY GHOST, the TRIUNE ELOHIM of the Hebrews, the GOD over all, blessed for evermore, of the New Testament.
I beg it may be clearly understood that I wish the following extracts to be read with the Bible, for it will give greater interest when these selected passages are connected with the histories from which they are taken.
The inspired authors of the Old Testament make use of different terms in speaking of GOD. In contemplating on these terms, through the medium of that language in which they were originally written, I felt convinced that these names, as well as those given to the patriarchs, etc., are not mere arbitrary appellations, but words fraught with accurate discrimination and well-defined meaning that they are not mere different words expressing the same thing, but that they were intended to convey real and important distinctions, a due attention to which is indispensably necessary to a clear view of that beautiful harmony which subsists between the Old and the New Testament " A view which cannot be obtained by the most profound and critical knowledge of the Greek language that can be acquired, and for this substantive reason, neither the Greek nor any other language possesses words that are equivalent to these distinctive Hebrew epithets.
[Stackhouse, Author of Biblical Researches and Internal Evidences.]
On tracing the primitives from which these names are derived, I was fully confirmed in my belief of the reality and the propriety of the distinction they designated, and was also convinced that it was impossible that all the inspired writers should have preserved so carefully the same view of the same terms, unless they had understood these distinctions in the same way.
I, therefore, in the course of my reading, carefully noted down the literal meaning of the terms used in the original, and the more I examined some paragraphs and particular prophecies, the more I became convinced of the reality of their distinctive nature and import.
I have no intention to enter the field of controversy, nor to excite the spirit of contention in others. In the following pages, therefore, I copy literally the passages selected from our received translation of the Old and New Testament. I make no alteration whatever, except that I substitute the original epithets instead of the defective representations there given, and by doing this I hope to confirm the doctrine of the TRINITY as stated in the Articles of our Established Church, and to enhance the beauties of some paragraphs, by showing that the repetitions of the words LORD and GOD, which occur so frequently, are not mere tautology, but that they are in the original a manifest and beautiful distinction of the persons of the GREAT GOD ALMIGHTY; and by making a few quotations from every book of holy writ, I hope to prove that a plurality of persons is defined by every one of the sacred penmen, and also that each of them occasionally concentrates the plurality of persons in the word Elohim.
Let it not be supposed that I presume to explain, or attempt to clear away, the awful mystery of the TRINITY in UNITY. I meddle not with a subject that so greatly surpasses the grasp of a finite comprehension, but I do earnestly wish to excite a reverent and submissive acquiescence to a difficulty that is clearly taught in the Bible; and I most seriously implore all candidates for everlasting happiness To believe, adore, and humbly rejoice.
I hope the following extracts will convince every reader, that the doctrine of the DIVINITY of CHRIST is clearly interwoven into the contents of the whole Bible, and that the Arian and Socinian will gain nothing by expunging or explaining the comparatively few chapters and verses they object to, for they must strike out the greater part of every book of holy writ, before they can prove their views of religion to be scriptural; and I hope I may be allowed to add, that this conviction will be much strengthened by preserving to each name its appropriate signification.
The late Rev. William Jones of Nayland said, " The Bible was given us for the preservation of the kingdom of CHRIST upon earth. It treats of little else than of creation, redemption, resurrection, and glorification, by the power of JESUS CHRIST and the HOLY SPIRIT; and there is no act nor attribute that is not there proved to be shared by all the persons of the Trinity. In the Bible, therefore, we shall learn that Christianity was planned and promulgated by Omniscience.
Omniscience, then, alone can comprehend it in all its perfection; but if we will duly study these Scriptures, in which his HOLY SPIRIT has vouchsafed to detail the mercies of his providence, we shall learn all that is necessary to excite and confirm a well-founded faith.
But then we must include its whole contents, and give due weight to all the prophecies, commands, and histories; and happy, thrice happy, is that individual whose mind embraces the truth with that devout thankfulness which leads to a holy and religious life, and who sees and avoids the cavils of ignorance and vain disputation, which will conduct to the awful crimes of infidelity and presumption, but never to the pure and heartfelt religion of the Gospel.
A man ignorant of the laws of mechanism cannot explain or comprehend the structure of a watch, but he will be able to derive every possible advantage from the full and constant use of it, so long as he is content to let the springs and wheels act as the maker intended they should; and it is precisely the same with the Bible.
It was intended for the use and benefit of the whole world, for the learned and the unlearned, and it is miraculously adapted to its purpose, if men will only let its contents have a free and unrestrained influence on their mind and on their conduct.
To the unlearned it is full of beautiful and moral instructions, interesting facts, and plain unsophisticated assertions, that GOD created the world and all things therein; that CHRIST came into the world to save sinners; and that the HOLY GHOST helps and sanctifies us, if we will pray with purity and sincerity of heart.
To the learned it contains and unfolds great mysteries; and its histories, prophecies, and languages open a wide field of deep research, with the certainty of a rich harvest to reward the toil of deep investigation.
Let, then, the learned and the unlearned severally enjoy the unmixed pleasure and benefits which the Bible is intended to impart, but let not the unlearned, by their own fault, convert the fountain of living waters into a deadly poison by indulging in disputation and endless, unprofitable cavils, instead of yielding obedience to the inspired oracles of GOD.
I have often lamented over the flippancy of ignorant scoffers, and in the hopes of assisting the >well-intentioned disbeliever, I have tried to arrange the following quotations in a manner which will, I hope, help to confirm the truth of the weighty and important doctrine of the Divinity of CHRIST; and I trust that this brief concentration of the Bible will show clearly that the writers of the New Testament addressed CHRIST as JEHOVAH and GOD, and that their ample quotations from, and references to the Old Testament, strongly confirm this momentous doctrine.
The passages selected are generally those directed in the margin of the Oxford Bible, and they will, I hope, serve as corroborative explanations of the intimate connection of the two portions of holy writ; and I think it will be evident that the preservation of the distinctive names of the Deity will present a solution to many difficulties, and expose to our view these beauties over which the defectiveness of the translating medium has hitherto drawn an impervious veil. I sincerely wish I may help to counteract the opinion of some of the various infidels of these awful times, by proving from the Bible itself that Christianity, as professed in our Church, is the religion of the whole Bible, exemplified by every writer, from Genesis to the Revelations; that the subject deserves our most serious attention, and moreover demands a submissive acquiescence to points that surpass the powers of human intellects For who by searching can find out God?
The Bible was written by men inspired by GOD, and therefore it is not to be supposed that it can be thoroughly fathomed by finite and mortal man; but if its wisdom is inscrutable and its subjects divine, yet as it was written for our instruction, the blessing of Almighty GOD will help the endeavors of the humble Christian, and a pious study of the Bible will assuredly make him wise unto salvation.
Before I attempt any explanation of the original Hebrew names used in speaking of the Deity, I will make a few extracts from the late Bishop Horsley's Biblical Criticisms on the subject.
" What may be the etymology of these words, and what the notion radically involved in them, are questions which have never yet been satisfactorily resolved, and we pretend not to clear them entirely of difficulties.
The explanations hitherto given are in the number of those in which it is much easier to detect error than to discover the truth, and if the truth be discovered at all, it can only be by the slow process of this method of exclusion.
" Whatever may be the etymology of the words, and whatever the true interpretation, it cannot be without some reason, it cannot be, as some pretend, the mere caprice of language, that the plural word is much oftener used in Scripture as a name of GOD than the singular.
" That the plural word is used with the design of intimating a plurality in the GODHEAD in some respect or other, it is strange that any one should doubt, who has observed that it is used in places in which, if there be in truth no plurality in the GODHEAD, the inspired writers must have been determined by the principle of their religion studiously to avoid the use of a plural, especially as they had singulars at their command.
" The plural is used in that very precept which prohibits the worship of any God but one: I Jehovah am thy Gods, that brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage;' and the term Gods is used in the Second, Third, and Fifth Commandments.
Whoever will suppose that this appellation of GOD, thus constantly used in the language of the law, which of all language should be most precise and accurate, and used also in laws asserting and upholding the single Deity of the GOD of the Israelites; whoever, I say, will maintain that this plural appellation has no reference to the plurality of persons in the GODHEAD, should be able to demonstrate some other plurality in the GODHEAD to which the expression may refer.
" We have the authority of the great Jewish grammarian, that a deep mystery is involved in the plural form of the divine name ELOHIM. What that mystery can be, unless it be some plurality in the GODHEAD, it is not easy to divine.
" It is readily granted that the Masoretic points are no part of the sacred text; that they are the invention of critics of very slender talents, in a very late age, and that they are of no authority at all, as affecting the words of any particular text. Nevertheless, when a word so remarkable as one of the names of the Deity is always pointed by the Masorites in a very particular way, whenever they think it is so used, and only when it is so used, it seems but a fair conclusion that they had some, very sound and weighty reason, though it may not be discoverable at this day; and that what is intimated to us, under the cypher of their points, concerning the etymology of the word, is what had come down to them by tradition, from more informed critics, in the earlier ages of their language. Thus we have the authority of the learned Horsley that there is great meaning in the sacred names of the GODHEAD, and great difficulty in ascertaining their etymology; but this in nowise invalidates the propriety of carefully retaining them.
The words AL, JEHOVAH, ADONI, RUACH, and ELOHIM, are the words used in speaking of the Deity in the original. Hebrew scholars agree that each of the above terms is derived from its own appropriate root.
I particularly wish to enforce that this, its appropriate root, should always be kept in view whenever the name is pronounced, and then any difference of opinion as to which is the right derivative, will in no respect invalidate what I wish to prove, viz., That the different offices indicated by the various import of the names, undeniably proves that the inspired writers carefully preserved a distinction or plurality of persons in the GODHEAD. There are two other names used, but they occur so very seldom, that they cannot require to be enlarged upon, SHADDI, Englished ALMIGHTY in the Old Testament, and JAH, which is always used in its original pronunciation.
I shall not even attempt a minute grammatical disquisition on the names, because, to Hebrew scholars, I might appear presumptuous, and to a reader who knows not the language, I should probably perplex rather than define; but I will venture to give the explanations which I deduced from Jones, etc., and which appeared to me satisfactory, while I was engaged in translating the original for my own private edification, and from which those opinions were formed which induce me to publish the following pages.
AL. This word means strength, power, protection, father, preserver.
All these attributes belong to GOD, and therefore I translate that term GOD. It will be found that, in all passages where this name is used, that his omnipresence and perpetual closeness to the individual is notified. Thus we often read that AL is the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, etc.; in other words, the father and protector of Abraham, etc.; but we never find it said that JEHOVAH is the JEHOVAH of any particular person. Does not this peculiarity prove that there is a striking distinction of office or person in the GODHEAD?
JEHOVAH. This word is derived from the verb to be, and means SELF-EXISTENT, ETERNAL.
As we are accustomed to the term JEHOVAH, I will retain that name untranslated, and merely notice that Lord is its usual interpretation in our received version.
ADONI. This word is derived from the verb to judge, and therefore implies LORDSHIP, AUTHORITY, and JUDGE.
I unhesitatingly adopt that derivation, because our translation has frequently so Englished it; and also we very often read that ADONI is the Judge of the whole world; and when the following extracts have been attentively read, it will, I hope, clearly appear that ADONI is frequently identified with JEHOVAH, and CHRIST the MESSIAH, who is also unanimously acknowledged by all Christians as the Judge of the quick and the dead.
RUACH. This means Spirit.
I therefore so translate this word, because, if the original term were retained, it would offend the ear, and not contribute to clear away any difficulty.
ELOHIM. It is very difficult to find words to explain the full import of this word. It does not mean GODS, although it is a plural word, for that in strictness would be thought to countenance the notion of tritheism or plurality of GODS, which is abhorrent from the express doctrine of Scripture, and against which ELOHIM is purposely guarded, by its being connected so very often with verbs and pronouns in the singular.
I imagine the words GODHEAD, TRINITY, and LORD GOD ALMIGHTY to be the synonyms of ELOHIM.
Perhaps the four first sentences in the Litany may help us to comprehend this important point.
In the first sentence we pray to GOD the Father AL.
In the second to GOD the Son JEHOVAH, ADONI, MESSIAH.
In the third to GOD the HOLY GHOST RUACH.
Having prayed to each Person separately, we finally implore the help of The HOLY, BLESSED, and GLORIOUS TRINITY, three Persons and one GOD. I presume that, if the fourth sentence were written in Hebrew, ELOHIM is the Divine Being who would be addressed.
Again, In the Blessing pronounced by the Clergy after the sermon, if the Hebrew names were preserved, I think it would be thus, The Blessing of ELOHIM, viz., of the AL, JEHOVAH, and RUACH, be with you.
That is The Blessing of the HOLY TRINITY, viz., of the FATHER, SON, and HOLY GHOST, be with you.
Thus the Old Testament speaks of the different Persons of the GODHEAD as AL, JEHOVAH, ADONI, and RUACH, and occasionally comprises them all in the significant word ELOHIM.
The New Testament speaks of GOD the SON JESUS CHRIST and the HOLY GHOST; arid when it designs to convey the most exalted idea of the Divinity, it uses the compound word LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
To assist the reader, I will concisely repeat that, according to my view:
ELOHIM means TRINITY.
AL GOD.
JEHOVAH ETERNAL, SELF-EXISTENT.
ADONI JUDGE.
RUACH SPIRIT.
The term ELOHIM is affixed to each of these names occasionally, as if it were intended to prove that they each concentrate in this Divine essence, but not so frequently as to prevent the agency of each Person being kept quite distinct. If the reader will bear this always in mind in perusing the following pages, it will help to remove many apparent difficulties.
The few times that the word Lord is used in the following extracts, it is in acquiescence to our received translation; but, in fact, the term is merely explanatory, and is not in the original.
Perhaps it may be necessary to notice that authors differ in the pronunciation of the words ELOHIM, AL, and ADONI; but that is a matter of perfect indifference, because they all refer to the same Hebrew words, whether they say ELOHIM or ALEHIM ADONI or ADONAI AL or EL.
Verse. 1. IN the beginning, ELOHIM created the Heavens and the Earth.
It must be remarked that ELOHIM, TRINITY or whole GODHEAD, is here represented as the Creator of the universe. Moses has used the term ELOHIM throughout all the early chapters of Genesis, which describe the creation of the earth and all that is therein.
ELOHIM, thus employed, adds greatly to the awful grandeur of the acts recorded in the commencement of this inspired history; for hence we learn that the concentrated power of the whole GODHEAD formed this magnificent and beautiful world, the future abode of human beings, on whom this GREAT ELOHIM purposed to bestow the abundant riches of his loving kindness.
Verse. 2. The Spirit ELOHIM moved upon the face of the waters.
In this verse ELOHIM is again mentioned; but a distinctive person in the Godhead is pointed out; for it is said, " The SPIRIT ELOHIM moved on the face of the waters." Here the HOLY SPIRIT, or Third Person of the Trinity, is distinctly named. This minute attention to the different denominations of the GREAT GODHEAD is not an accidental peculiarity of Moses; for it will be seen that all the inspired writers have been equally observant on this important point.
Verse. 7. JEHOVAH ELOHIM formed man of the dust of the earth, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.
In this scripture, ELOHIM is said to have made man " a living soul," and the distinctive denomination added is " JEHOVAH." And it is highly deserving attention, that JEHOVAH (the Self-Existent) is the Person of the Godhead who is most frequently represented as the Mediator and Guide in the affairs of man, as will be pointed out as we proceed.
Verse. 14. JEHOVAH ELOHIM said unto the Serpent, Thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shall thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
This prophecy was uttered 4004 years before its fulfilment by CHRIST'S appearance on earth; and again 742 years before he was born, Isaiah says, ADONI himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name EMMANUEL; and finally the prophecy is actually fulfilled, when St. Matthew relates, " That a Virgin " hath brought forth a Son, and called' his name " EMMANUEL, which, being interpreted, is, GOD WITH " us.
Verse. 3. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto JEHOVAH, and Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And JEHOVAH had respect unto Abel and to his offering. 5. But unto Cain and his offering he had no respect.
8. And Cain rose up against his brother, and slew him.
In this transaction, JEHOVAH, the SELF-EXISTENT, is the Person of the Godhead to whom the offerings are made, and who pronounces judgment upon Cain.
In Zechariah, chapter. 6. verse 5, it will be seen that JEHOVAH is declared by Zechariah to be the ADONI, or JUDGE, of the whole world. Thus early in Holy Writ are we taught to look to our Mediator JESUS CHRIST, who is by Christians acknowledged the Judge of the quick and the dead.
Verse. 12. ELOHIM looked upon the earth, and behold it filled with violence; and he commanded Noah to build the Ark, and saith, I, even I, will bring a flood of waters on the earth.
Thus, when the whole earth is to be deluged, the whole Godhead is represented as commanding the fountains of the great deep to be broken up.
Verse. 1. ELOHIM made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters were assuaged; and Noah and his family quit the Ark.
Verse. 20. Noah built an altar unto JEHOVAH: and JEHOVAH said, I will not again curse the ground.
In this quotation ELOHIM is represented assuaging the waters, and restoring the earth to its original state of productiveness; as he was, in chap, 6., of bringing the flood upon it. In verse 20, JEHOVAH says, " I will not again curse the earth." This confirms the Unity of the Divine Essence, which is so strict and intimate, that sometimes one Person is said to act in the name of all; although, on other occasions, the identity of each separate Person is most scrupulously marked. Jones of Nayland says, " Remember this important point.
ELOHIM blesses Noah, and says, Verse. 13. I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 16. And the bow shall be in the cloud, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between ELOHIM and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
Moses represents the covenant as being made " with every living creature;" and, consistently with his previous statements, he says that it was ELOHIM who made it.
Verse. 8. When the Tower of Babel was building, JEHOVAH came down to scatter the people and confound their language.
For the partial sin of a set of people, JEHOVAH is represented as coming on the earth to punish them.
Verse. 7. JEHOVAH appears to Abram and says, Unto thy seed will I give the land of Canaan. 8. And Abram built an altar to JEHOVAH, and called on the name of JEHOVAH.
In this quotation we see that it is said that JEHOVAH promised to give the land of Canaan to the seed of Abraham. Refer to the journeyings of the Jews 400 years afterwards, and you will find that JEHOVAH is represented as conducting them through the wilderness, and, as it were, personally fulfilling his solemn promise.
Verse. 1. JEHOVAH comes to Abram in a vision, and says, I am thy shield and exceeding great reward. 2. And Abram said, O ADONI ELOHIM! what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless? And ELOHIM saith, Look toward Heaven and tell the stars. So shall thy seed be.
Let us here attentively consider the meaning adjudged to the different names in the introductory chapter; for in this extract we shall perceive their full force. JEHOVAH is first spoken of as the shield of Abram. Then Abram addresses him as the (Judge) ADONI ELOHIM, thus showing his union with the Godhead; and finally, ELOHIM, without any distinctive epithet that is, as the concentrated Trinity is stated as promising the progeny by which the whole world is to be blessed.
Verse. 10. JEHOVAH saith to Hagar, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
In the preceding quotation it was shown that ELOHIM, or the whole Godhead, promised a numerous progeny to Abraham, from whom our SAVIOUR was to come. But here Moses says it was JEHOVAH, that is, one person of the Trinity, who declared to Hagar that she should have a numerous progeny.
ELOHIM established his covenant with Abraham, and says, Verse. 5.
Thy name shall be called Abraham, for a father of many nations have I made thee. And ELOHIM establishes the rite of circumcision.
Here again it is ELOHIM who is represented as promising a numerous family to Abraham, because, as said in the 15th chapter, this promise concerned all the world. Is it not evident that Moses must have had some very decisive reasons for being thus accurate in the use he made of this diversity of names?
Verse. 20. JEHOVAH declares to Abraham his intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham prays for the cities, verse 27. And says, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto ADONI.
When Abraham intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah, he addresses JEHOVAH as Adoni; that is, as the Judge who is going to pronounce sentence upon them.
Verse. 2. And ELOHIM did tempt Abraham, and said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou loves, and offer him for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains, which I shall tell thee.
3. And Abraham arose and went unto the place which ELOHIM had told him. 10. And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11. And the angel of JEHOVAH called to him out of heaven and said, 12. Lay not thy hand upon the lad, for now I know that thou fears ELOHIM.
The ELOHIM who promised the seed to Abraham now commands him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham is going to obey, when JEHOVAH arrests his hand, because (he says) now I know thou fears ELOHIM. Here JEHOVAH is represented as a merciful Mediator between ELOHIM and Abraham.
After the death of Abraham, verse 11 ELOHIM blesses his son Isaac.
Moses keeps to the term ELOHIM, for in this blessing the whole creation is interested.
Verse. 1. And ELOHIM said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and make there an altar unto GOD. And at El Bethel he built an altar, because ELOHIM had appeared to him there. 10. And ELOHIM said, Thy name is Jacob. 11. I am GOD ALMIGHTY. Be fruitful.
This extract confirms the explanation of the word ELOHIM given in the Preface.
JEHOVAH is named as being with Joseph in Egypt, and in prison, etc.; but when Potiphar's wife tempted him, he replies, verse 9. How can 1 do this great wickedness, and sin against ELOHIM?
Is it possible not to perceive here a distinction of persons or offices? Moses says, JEHOVAH made Joseph to prosper; that is, JEHOVAH is represented as the merciful interposer in the affairs of mankind or of an individual. But he makes Joseph say, that the sin he was tempted to commit would be offending against the whole Godhead, viz., ELOHIM.
Verse. 16. Joseph says to Pharaoh, ELOHIM will give Pharaoh an answer of peace; and accordingly ELOHIM is the name used throughout the interpretation of the dream.
Reflect on the events and consequences of this dream, and then we shall fully comprehend why the whole Godhead gives its interpretation, for it led to Joseph's exaltation, the establishment of his family in Goshen, the plagues of Pharaoh, the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb, etc.; events which ultimately influenced the fate of the whole world.
Verse. 15. And Israel blessed Joseph and said, ELOHIM, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the ELOHIM which fed me all my life long unto this day.
How consistent is Moses in the use of the sacred names! In chapter. 15. he says, ELOHIM blessed Abraham, etc.; and his descendant, years afterwards, acknowledges the same ELOHIM as his God. And let us remember, that it is from this very family that our Savior was to proceed, and therefore it is represented as peculiarly blessed and protected by the ELOHIM.
Verse. 2. And the Angel of JEHOVAH appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush. And he looked, and behold the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
4. And JEHOVAH saw that he turned aside to see. ELOHIM called to him out of the bush, and said, 6. I am the GOD of thy father, the GOD of Abraham, the GOD of Isaac, and the GOD of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look on ELOHIM, who saith to him, 12. When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve ELOHIM upon this mountain. 14. And ELOHIM saith unto Moses, My name is I AM THAT I AM; and thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
The unity of the three Persons in the Divine Essence is so strict and intimate, that the appellation ELOHIM is occasionally applied to each of them, to prove that they form a part of the Godhead. Thus, in the above quotation, at first JEHOVAH only appears to Moses, who turned to see the burning bush, which was not consumed. Then JEHOVAH displays the whole Godhead; and Moses hides his face, for he is afraid to look on ELOHIM, who declares his name to be I AM THAT I AM. JEHOVAH also is formed from the verb to be, and the tense is repeated twice.
Thus also is the name I AM THAT I AM. Can this be a mere accidental coincidence? And, moreover, in the sequel, JEHOVAH, or I AM THAT I AM, is the Person represented as conducting the Israelites out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, etc. 1 Cor. 10.4. St. Paul asserts that it was CHRIST who conducted the Israelites over the wilderness, and Moses says it is the ELOHIM himself who announces that he is JEHOVAH.
What corroborative proof is all this of the divinity of JESUS CHRIST our Savior!
Verse. 1. And JEHOVAH saith to Moses, Thou shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand shall he let them go. 2. And ELOHIM saith unto Moses, I am JEHOVAH. 3. And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of GOD ALMIGHTY; but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
6. Wherefore say to the children of Israel, I, JEHOVAH, will bring you out from under your burdens of the Egyptians. 7. And I will be to you ELOHIM, and ye shall know that I am JEHOVAH your GOD.
It is to be remarked, that through the whole contest with Pharaoh, JEHOVAH is the name used. JEHOVAH sends the plagues, appoints the Passover, sanctifies the first-born, overthrows the Egyptians in the midst of the Red Sea, and goes before them in a cloud.
And here I must quote 1 Cor. 10.4; for St. Paul there confirms the divinity of CHRIST by his reference to these events, when he says, " I would not have you ignorant, brethren, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was CHRIST." Or, in other words, he unequivocally declares, that CHRIST is the JEHOVAH who was in the Pillar of the Cloud, which conducted the Israelites across the wilderness.
JEHOVAH rains down manna from heaven, and commands Moses to strike the rock in Horeb. 5. And Moses takes the rod of ELOHIM in his hand, wherewith he had smote the rivers.
The rod with which Moses performed his great miracles is called the " Rod of ELOHIM." This denotes that these were effected by the power of the united Godhead; and yet the distinctness of agency is visible in the peculiar way in which JEHOVAH is shown to preside over the proceedings of the Israelites.
Jethro heard all that ELOHIM had done for Moses, and that JEHOVAH had brought Israel out of Egypt. 12. And Jethro, Moses father-in-law, took a burnt-offering and sacrifices for ELOHIM. And Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses father-in-law before ELOHIM.
It may be remembered that ELOHIM appeared to Moses in the burning bush; and thus the sacrifices are offered to the whole GODHEAD ELOHIM. Nevertheless, Moses fails not to particularize that it is JEHOVAH who brought the Israelites out of Egypt.
And the people came into the wilderness, and pitched before the Mount of Sinai. 3. And Moses went up unto ELOHIM, and JEHOVAH called to Moses and said, 5. If ye will obey my voice, ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people. 11. JEHOVAH commanded Moses to be ready for the third day, when he will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. 17. And Moses brought forth the people to meet with ELOHIM. 19. And ELOHIM answered him by a voice. 20. And JEHOVAH came down upon Mount Sinai; and JEHOVAH called Moses up to the top of the Mount.
It is not possible, I think, to read the above extract, and not perceive a distinction of agency or person.
Moses ascends Sinai, to appear in the presence of ELOHIM; but when there, it is JEHOVAH who comes and pronounces His commands and merciful promises thus, as it were, interposing his mediation between Moses and the whole Godhead, whom, in chap, 3., it was said Moses was afraid to look on.
Verse. 1. And ELOHIM spoke, saying, 2. I am JEHOVAH thy GOD, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt. Thou shalt have no other ELOHIM before me. 19. And the people said unto Moses, Speak thou to us, and we will hear thee; but let not ELOHIM speak with us lest we die.
We never hear the Israelites desire that JEHOVAH may not speak to them lest they die, but we read, that they pray for a mediator between themselves and the awful ELOHIM, or the concentrated majesty of the whole Godhead.
Verse. 13. And Moses went up unto the Mount of ELOHIM. 16. And the glory of JEHOVAH abode on the Mount. And JEHOVAH gave him all the directions for making the tabernacle and ark, etc.
Verse. 45. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their GOD. 46. And they shall know that I am JEHOVAH, their GOD, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am JEHOVAH their GOD.
Here it is plainly said that JEHOVAH dwelt among the children of Israel; and in a great many places it is said, that he dwelt between the Cherubim which were placed on the Ark of the Covenant, although it is not said that he was visible to the human eye; yet it is certain that his presence there was something distinct from the general Omnipresence of the Almighty God; for the High Priest was commanded to go there, to pray to and consult him.
The Gospel history is perfectly consistent with the Jewish, for the inspired writers of the New Testament affirm that the same Divine Being, the JEHOVAH, who led the Jews through the wilderness, dwelt on earth while he was bringing life and immortality to light, and was to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Verse. 18. When JEHOVAH had made an end of communing with Moses upon Mount Sinai, He gave him the Tables of Testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of ELOHIM.
It is said that ELOHIM, or GOD ALMIGHTY, writes the Commandments; but Moses adds, JEHOVAH communed with him, and gave them into his hand.
And while Moses is detained on the Mount, the Israelites make a golden calf, verse 8. And said, " These be thy gods, O Israel. Does not this prove that the Israelites at that time acknowledged a plurality in the Godhead, or else why do they say, " These be thy Gods," when they refer to one molten calf only?
Verse. 7. And Moses pitched the tabernacle without the camp. 9. And when he entered into it, the cloudy Pillar descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle. And the Lord talked with Moses. 11. And JEHOVAH spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.
Is not this a prophetic transaction representing JESUS CHRIST'S future abode on earth?
All the worship that is commanded in the tabernacle is offered to JEHOVAH. JEHOVAH gives all the directions, and commands all the rites and ceremonies.
Let it be remembered that JEHOVAH, in the 12th chapter of Genesis, promised to give the land of Canaan to Abraham's posterity; and then observe how consistently Moses retains the epithet JEHOVAH in relating all their progress: and in this book of Leviticus it is he who establishes their religious rites. But, above all, remember that CHRIST is elsewhere called JEHOVAH, (vide Acts, chap, 7., verse 38; 1 Cor. chapter. 10., verse 9;) and thus it is proved, that although there is a diversity of Persons, yet, in the mind of the inspired writer, they all finally concentrate into the one great God Almighty, ELOHIM.
CHAPTERS. 23. 24.
Balaam went to Balak; and when the altars were built, he went to a high mountain to seek JEHOVAH. 4. ELOHIM met him. 5. And JEHOVAH put a word into Balaam's mouth. 7. And he took up the parable and said, 8. How shall I curse whom GOD hath not cursed, or how shall I defy whom JEHOVAH hath not defied? A second time Balaam seeks the LORD. 16. And JEHOVAH meets Balaam, and puts a word into his mouth. 18. And he took up the parable and said, 19. GOD is not a man, that he should repent, etc. (Ch. 24., verse 1.) And when Balaam saw that it pleased JEHOVAH to bless Israel, he went not out as at other times; 2. But he lifted up his eyes, and saw Israel. 3. And the Spirit ELOHIM came upon him, and he took up the parable, etc.
Surely a distinction of persons is perceptible in this transaction of Balaam! ELOHIM meets him at first; then JEHOVAH and GOD are represented as taking a part; and finally the SPIRIT ELOHIM inspires him with the beautiful and wonderful prophecy which he pronounces.
Moses exhorts the Israelites to obedience to GOD, and says, Verse. 7.
What nation is there so great which hath ELOHIM so nigh unto them as JEHOVAH our GOD is in all things that we call upon him for?
32. Ask now of the days that are past, since the day that ELOHIM created man on the earth. 33. Did ever people hear the voice of ELOHIM speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? 34. Or hath ELOHIM essayed to take him a nation from the midst of another nation by signs and wonders, according to all that JEHOVAH your GOD did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
35. Unto thee it was showed, that thou might know that JEHOVAH he is ELOHIM, there is none else beside him. 39. Know, therefore, this day, and consider it in thine heart, that JEHOVAH he is ELOHIM, in the heaven above and upon the earth beneath; there is none else.
Thou shalt therefore keep his statutes and commandments, that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which JEHOVAH thy GOD giveth thee.
This blessing is promised to the nation of the Israelites, and it was continued as long as they obeyed the condition on which it was to be bestowed; but when they crucified our SAVIOUR, and impiously prayed that his blood might be on them and their children,, their nation was given up to desolation, and they were scattered abroad over the whole earth, and they are now a living and perpetual miracle.
Verse. 9. Know, therefore, that JEHOVAH thy GOD, he is ELOHIM, the faithful GOD, which keeps covenant and mercy with them that love him.
Here again I wish to enforce Jones's remark, " that each separate Person of the Trinity is often represented as acting with the full power of the whole Godhead," as, in the above, JEHOVAH is ELOHIM.
These passages confirm the Unity in Trinity.
Verse. 12. What doth JEHOVAH thy GOD require of thee, O Israel, but to fear him and to walk in his ways! 15. For he had a delight in thy fathers, to love them, and he chose their seed after them.
16. Therefore be no more stiff-necked. 17. For JEHOVAH your GOD is GOD ELOHIM, the ADONI of LORDS, a GREAT GOD, MIGHTY and TERRIBLE. 18. He doth execute judgment, and loveth the stranger.
The 17th verse deserves the greatest attention.
Can there be a grander display of the whole Godhead, and can it be reflected on without the reader perceiving a distinction of Persons, concentrating in the term ELOHIM? for if it is not so, then this sublime description of the Godhead becomes an extraordinary instance of tautology.
Verse. 7. And JEHOVAH said to Joshua, This day I will begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know, that as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. 8. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. 13. As soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the Ark of JEHOVAH, the ADONI of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above, and they shall stand in a heap.
JEHOVAH is the person of the Trinity who, it is shown, is always with Joshua, conducting him through the battles with the Canaanites, etc. In the 13th verse JEHOVAH himself declares that he is the ADONI (Judge) of the whole earth. These two facts confirm St. Paul's assertion in the Corinthians.
Verse. 1. And Joshua gathered all the tribes, and they presented themselves before ELOHIM. And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith JEHOVAH, GOD of Israel. . . And then he recapitulates what JEHOVAH had done. 14. Therefore fear JEHOVAH, and serve him in sincerity and truth. And the people said, 16. GOD forbid that we should forsake JEHOVAH to serve other gods. 17. For JEHOVAH our GOD, he it is that brought us out of the land of Egypt.
26. And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of ELOHIM.
Although the inspired writer is, in the above chapter, eagerly pointing out the mercies of JEHOVAH the Divine Protector, yet he particularly specifies that he shall write them in the Book of the Law of ELOHIM.
Verse. 3. And the angel of JEHOVAH appeared unto the wife of Manoah, and saith; 5. Thou shalt bear a son, and the child shall be a Nazarite unto ELOHIM from the womb. 6. And the woman told her husband, saying, A man of ELOHIM came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of ELOHIM, very terrible. 8. And Manoah entreated JEHOVAH, and said, O ADONI, let the man of ELOHIM teach us what we shall do. 22. And Manoah said to his wife, we shall surely die, because we have seen ELOHIM.
23. But his wife said unto him, if JEHOVAH were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands. 24. And the woman bare a son and called his name Samson.
25. And the Spirit of JEHOVAH began to move him at times in the camp.
Manoah says, We shall die because we have seen ELOHIM, thereby ascribing to the sight of ELOHIM a consequence very different to that occasioned by their frequent intercourse with JEHOVAH, whom the wife represents as having graciously received their offering.
Surely this proves that the Jews themselves acknowledged a plurality in the Godhead.
Verse. 17. And Samson told Dalilah, I have been a Nazarite unto ELOHIM from my mother's womb. 28. And Samson called unto JEHOVAH, and said, O ADONI JEHOVAH, remember me, I pray, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, ELOHIM, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
Here a distinction of persons is very marked. Samson is dedicated to ELOHIM from his birth. When in distress he invokes JEHOVAH, and wishing punishment to be inflicted on the guilty, he again addresses JEHOVAH as ADONI (or Judge); and, finally, he implores ELOHIM, or the whole Godhead, for help.
Naomi addresses JEHOVAH, and prays to him that her daughter may find rest, and the people prayed to JEHOVAH to make the woman Ruth like Rachel and Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and JEHOVAH granted the prayer, and she bare a son, and called his name Obed.
It is true that the writer of the Book of Ruth has not introduced all the distinctive names of the Godhead, but an attentive reader cannot fail to perceive that JEHOVAH is addressed with precisely the same meaning as in the preceding books.
Verse. 2. And it came to pass when Eli was laid down in his place, and ere the lamp of ELOHIM went out in the temple of JEHOVAH, where the ark of ELOHIM was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep: 4. That JEHOVAH called Samuel; this, he did three times, and at length Eli called Samuel, and said, 17. What is the thing the Lord hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me ELOHIM do so to thee and more also, if thou hide anything from me. 21. JEHOVAH appears to Samuel, and reveals himself in Shiloh, and smites the Israelites before the Philistines.
The inspired penman says " the ark of ELOHIM, because it contained the law of ELOHIM, and the records of his mercies, and the appointment of the Paschal Lamb, which was the type of the sacrifice of our blessed Savior; but he adds, it was placed in the temple of JEHOVAH, because (Exod. 25.) it is said JEHOVAH gave Moses the directions for building it; thus consistently is the distinction of the divine persons preserved, and yet the unity of the Godhead enforced.
Verse. 4. So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the Ark of the Covenant of JEHOVAH of Hosts. And the two sons of Eli were with the Ark of the Covenant of ELOHIM. 7. And the Philistines were afraid, for they said ELOHIM is come into the camp. 8. Woe unto us, who shall deliver us out of the hands of these mighty gods, these gods who smote the Egyptians with all the plagues.
The Philistines say " these mighty gods:" is not this a strong proof that, in their opinion, there was a plurality of persons comprised in the one comprehensive word ELOHIM? nor can we doubt but that they must have learnt this from the Jews themselves.
Verse. 1. The ark is called the Ark of ELOHIM. 3. The Ark of JEHOVAH. 7. The Ark of the God of Israel by the men of Ashdod, while they are moving it from place to place; and in the 11th verse they say, Send away the Ark of the God of Israel;, and let it go to its own place again, that it slay not us and our people, for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city, and the hand of ELOHIM was very heavy there.
In this chapter, proof is given of the co-equality of the different persons of the Trinity, and also their unity, in the comprehensive term ELOHIM: for after the persons have been named separately, then at the conclusion of the narrative, it is said, the Philistines are terrified, and declare that ELOHIM (the mighty gods, chapter. 4. verse 8.) was punishing them for their presumptuous guilt.
Goliath comes forward and defies the armies of the living ELOHIM.
43. Then David said to the Philistine, I come to thee in the name of JEHOVAH of Hosts, GOD of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46. This very day JEHOVAH will deliver thee into my hands, that all the earth may know that ELOHIM is in Israel.
I refer the reader to the conclusion of the introductory chapter for the definition of the word AL, for, in the above quotation, he will perceive that ELOHIM has a much more comprehensive meaning than the word AL, or the GOD of the armies of Israel.
Verse. 18. Then David went in, and sat before JEHOVAH; and he said, Who am I, O ADONI JEHOVAH, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? 20. And what can David say more unto thee?
for thou, O ADONI JEHOVAH, knows thy servant. 22. Thou art great, O JEHOVAH ELOHIM, for there is none like Thee, neither is there any ELOHIM beside thee. 24. For Thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel, to be a people unto thee for ever, and thou, JEHOVAH, art become their ELOHIM. 25. And now, O JEHOVAH ELOHIM, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, as thou hast said. 26. And let thy name be magnified for ever. 28. And now, O ADONI JEHOVAH, thou art ELOHIM, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant.
David says, " O ADONI JEHOVAH, thou art ELOHIM." This address is often used, and it very emphatically points out a distinction in the persons of the Trinity. Jones of Nayland says, " There are three distinct agents, and yet there is but one and the same divine agency, or, as the Church has more fully and better expressed it, ' That that which we believe of the glory of the Father, the same we are to believe of the Son and of the HOLY GHOST, without any difference or inequality.'
Verse. 15. And JEHOVAH struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. 16. David therefore besought ELOHIM for the child.
JEHOVAH, as judge, punishes David for his crime, and David, conscious of his guilt, knows he has offended the majesty of the whole Godhead, and therefore he implores forgiveness of the ELOHIM.
Verse. 5. In Gibeon, JEHOVAH appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and said, What shall I give thee? (he saith) 7. O JEHOVAH my GOD, 9. Give thy servant an understanding heart. 10. And the speech pleased ADONI. 11. And ELOHIM said unto him, 12. Behold I have done according to thy words.
Here the intimate union of the Godhead is evident, for JEHOVAH ADONI is distinctly identified with the ELOHIM who says, " I have done according to thy will.
At the dedication of the temple, Verse. 22. Solomon stood before the altar of JEHOVAH, in the presence of the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands towards heaven and said, 23. O, JEHOVAH, GOD of Israel, there is no ELOHIM like thee in heaven above, or in the earth beneath: 25. And now, O GOD of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified which thou spoke unto thy servant David, my father. 27. But will ELOHIM, indeed, dwell on earth? Behold the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, how much less this house which I have built. 57. JEHOVAH our GOD be with us, as he was with our fathers; let him not leave us nor forsake us. 59. And may the words wherewith I have made supplication before JEHOVAH be nigh to JEHOVAH our GOD day and night, 60. That all the people of the earth may know that JEHOVAH is ELOHIM, and that there is none else.
In this beautiful address of Solomon he prays most devoutly to JEHOVAH, that he will fulfil his promise of dwelling on earth with him and his people, as he had done with their forefathers. This sublime petition may refer only to JEHOVAH'S appearance in the temple, or the supernatural wisdom with which Solomon was endowed might enable him to foresee also the future abiding of Christ on earth. However this may be, the faithful Christian cannot fail to perceive how beautifully the feeling that dictates the prayer coincides with the Scriptures that undoubtedly refer to Christ.
In an extasy of holy and devout astonishment Solomon exclaims, " But will ELOHIM indeed dwell on earth!! and the sequel of the prayer proves his faith, that JEHOVAH, GOD of Israel, will, indeed, fulfil his promise.
Let us Christians, then, with redoubled zeal read again and again the oracles of God and the histories contained in the Gospels, for there we shall learn that indeed and in truth JEHOVAH the LORD JESUS CHRIST has been on earth, reconciling the world to himself.
Verse. 20. So Ahab gathered the people together unto Mount Carmel. 21. And Elijah came unto the people and said, How long will ye halt between two opinions? If JEHOVAH be ELOHIM, follow him, but if Baal, follow him; and the people answered not a word. 22.
Then Elijah said unto the people, I, even I, only remain a prophet of JEHOVAH, but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty. 24. Call ye on the name of your GODS, and I will call on the name of JEHOVAH, and the ELOHIM that answered by fire, let him be ELOHIM.
And all the people said, It is well spoken. 36. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, JEHOVAH, GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou, ELOHIM, art in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37. Hear me, O JEHOVAH, hear me, that this people may know that thou art JEHOVAH ELOHIM. 38. Then the fire of JEHOVAH fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces, and said, JEHOVAH he is ELOHIM, JEHOVAH he is ELOHIM.
Let me call the reader's attention to the above, and then, I think, he will clearly perceive that the inspired writer meant to mark a distinction of person and office when he says, " If JEHOVAH be ELOHIM." And is it not evident that the term ELOHIM is used to convey a more extensive idea than that of JEHOVAH? And may not the infidels of this day learn an awful and useful lesson from the worshippers of Baal? for if they would read and study the Scriptures with sincerity and assiduity, they might, like them, be convinced of their guilt, and fall on their faces, and worship our GOD and SAVIOUR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
In the Second Book of Kings the name JEHOVAH is almost universally used, as the person against whom they offended, and who directs their succession to the throne, and their punishments; but not so exclusively, but that instances of the plurality of persons may yet be traced. Thus in the prayer of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah went up into the house of JEHOVAH. 15. And Hezekiah prayed before JEHOVAH, and said, O JEHOVAH, GOD of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubim: thou art ELOHIM, even thou alone of all the kingdoms of the earth} thou hast made heaven and earth. 16. JEHOVAH, bow down thine ear and hear: open, O JEHOVAH, thine eyes and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living ELOHIM.
The 15th verse may be thus paraphrased: O Thou self-existent protector of Israel, who art on earth and dwellest between the cherubim, thou art ELOHIM, creator of the universe. In various parts of holy writ it is said, that JEHOVAH dwelleth between the cherubim, but no where is it said that ELOHIM does, unless it is connected with one of the distinctive terms of the Godhead, as in the above quotation, where it means JEHOVAH ELOHIM. This is another convincing proof that the inspired writers made a marked distinction between them.
David numbers the people. 7. And ELOHIM was displeased with this thing, and therefore he smote Israel. 8. And David said unto ELOHIM, I have greatly sinned. And JEHOVAH spoke unto Gad, David's seer, saying, 10., Go, tell David: Thus saith JEHOVAH, I offer thee three things: 12. Famine, pestilence, and sword. 13. And David said, Let me fall now into the hands of JEHOVAH, for very great are his mercies. So JEHOVAH sent a pestilence upon Israel, and there fell of Israel 70,000 men. 15. And ELOHIM sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, JEHOVAH beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and he said to the angel that destroyed it, It is enough, stay now thine hand.
In this extract is exemplified the remark elsewhere quoted from the Rev. William Jones JEHOVAH and ELOHIM are spoken of as identically the same divine beings, because here each one is represented as acting with full power of the whole Godhead.
Verse. 5. And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of JEHOVAH, before the new court. 6. And said, JEHOVAH, GOD of our fathers, art not thou ELOHIM in heaven,
EZRA. 25 and rules thou not over all the kingdoms of the heathen, and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand Thee? 7. Art not thou our GOD? 29. And the fear of ELOHIM was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they heard that JEHOVAH fought against the enemies of Israel.
Here it appears to me that ELOHIM is used to imply the Deity governing the whole world. But GOD is, as it were, the peculiar providence of Abraham, Isaac, etc., and of any nation or individual which wants or prays for his help.
And the spirit of ELOHIM came upon Zechariah, and he said unto them: 20. Thus saith ELOHIM: Why transgress ye the commands of JEHOVAH, that ye cannot prosper? Because ye have forsaken JEHOVAH, he hath forsaken you.
Here the spirit of ELOHIM comes upon Zechariah.
Then in verse 20, ELOHIM speaks to him, and inquires why he has transgressed the commands of JEHOVAH in this extract there is a distinct diversity of Divine agency or persons.
Verse. 2. Thus saith Cyrus King of Persia, JEHOVAH, GOD of heaven, hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and hath charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem. 3. Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him. Let him go up to Jerusalem, and build the house of JEHOVAH, GOD of Israel.
He is ELOHIM which is in Jerusalem.
The inspired Penman of the Old Testament, as it were, takes pains to enforce the doctrine that JEHOVAH is ELOHIM, as may be seen by the frequency with which the fact is asserted, and the writers of the New Testament distinctly and often declare that CHRIST is JEHOVAH, and thus the truth of the Divinity of our blessed Savior 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.
Verse. 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 keeps 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.
Verse. 1. And the people spoke 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.
Then the Levites said, 5. Stand up, and bless JEHOVAH your GOD for ever and ever. 6. Thou, even Thou, art JEHOVAH alone.
Thou made the heavens and all things. 7. Thou art JEHOVAH ELOHIM who didst chose 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.
The name of GOD does not occur once in Esther.
Verse. 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.
Verse. 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.
Verse. 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.
Verse. 6. Thy throne, O ELOHIM, is for ever and ever; the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. 7. Thou loves righteousness, and hates 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.
Verse. 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 offered praise glorified me: and to him who ordered 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.
Verse. 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 ADONJ, our shield. 13. Consume them, and let them know that ELOHIM rules in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. 17. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing, for ELOHIM is my defense, 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 rules unto the ends of the earth.
Verse. 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 went 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 GOD of Israel. 19. Blessed be ADONI, who daily loaded 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. O 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.
Verse. 1. In thee, O JEHOVAH, do I put my trust, let me never be put to confusion. 4. Deliver me, O GOD, out of the hand of the wicked. 5. For thou art my hope, O ADONI JEHOVAH; thou art my trust from my youth. 10. Mine enemies speak against me, 11. Saying, ELOHIM hath forsaken him, persecute him and take him, for there is none to deliver him. 12. O ELOHIM, be not far from me, O my GOD; make haste for my help. 17. O ELOHIM, thou hast taught me from my youth up; 18. And now also, when I am old, ELOHIM, forsake me not. 19. Thy righteousness, O ELOHIM, is very high, who hast done great things. O ELOHIM, who is like unto thee? 22. I will also praise thy truth, O my GOD; unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
The Psalmists so very frequently address each person of the Trinity separately, and then the united Godhead ELOHIM, that the Book of Psalms alone would be sufficient to establish/ the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
Verse. l. O ELOHIM ADONI, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations. 2. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou has formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting Thou art GOD.
I quote these verses that I may again fix on the mind of the reader the everlasting existence of the ADONI. This is so frequently asserted by the inspired writers, that it is wonderful how the learned Socinian can continue in his error. We are often told that ADONI is Judge of all the world; and the writers of the New Testament repeatedly tell us that JESUS was the ADONI JEHOVAH who led the Jews out of Egypt, and was personally present with them in their trials and afflictions; thus proving that both the portions of scripture accord with and confirm the doctrine of our Church, concerning the divinity of our blessed Savior, who, at the time appointed, abode on earth to bring life and immortality to light.
Verse. 1. O JEHOVAH GOD, to whom vengeance belonged! O JEHOVAH, to whom vengeance belonged, show thyself! 2. Lift up thyself, thou Judge of the earth, render a reward to the proud.
Here JEHOVAH is addressed as the Judge of the earth.
Verse. 11. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof, 13. Before JEHOVAH, for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
Verse. 8. Let the floods clap their hands, let the hills be joyful together before JEHOVAH, for he cometh to judge the earth; with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.
The extracts from Psalms 94, 96, 98, confirm the judgeship of JEHOVAH. In the original Scriptures it will clearly be seen that ADONI and JEHOVAH are used to denote the same Divine Being; and to the reader of our English translation, it will be equally evident, when he is told that, with few exceptions, whenever he reads that " the LORD GOD " spoke or acted, it is almost always " JEHOVAH ADONI " in the original Hebrew, and the same epithets and offices are equally applied to both. Thus Zechariah says, (chap, 6.) These are the four spirits of heaven, which go forth from standing before the ADONI of all the earth.
And thus I think my interpretation of the word Adoni, as meaning Judge, is greatly confirmed.
Verse. 5. Then shalt thou understand the fear of JEHOVAH, and find the knowledge of ELOHIM. 6. For JEHOVAH giveth wisdom; out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Verse. 4. So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of ELOHIM and man. 5. Trust in JEHOVAH with all thy heart. 7. Fear JEHOVAH, and depart from evil. 9. Honor JEHOVAH with thy substance.
Verse. 5. Every word of GOD is pure. He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 8. Remove far from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for me. 9. Lest I be full and deny thee, and say, Who is JEHOVAH? Or lest I be poor and steal, and take the name of my GOD in vain.
These extracts from the Proverbs show that its author addressed and spoke of the Deity by the usual distinctive appellations.
Verse. 1. Keep thy foot when thou goes to the house of ELOHIM Be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they consider not that they do evil. 2. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before ELOHIM; for ELOHIM is in heaven and thou upon earth, therefore let thy words be few. 7. For in the multitude of dreams and many words, there are always also divers vanities. But fear thou ELOHIM.
Verse. 9. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thine heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth; but know, that for all these things ELOHIM will bring thee into judgment.
Verse. 7. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to ELOHIM who gave it. 13. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear ELOHIM, and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14. For ELOHIM will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.
These few extracts from Ecclesiastes will be sufficient to prove that its author observed also the disjunctive names pf the Godhead; and observe that in Gen., chapter. 2. verse 7, it is JEHOVAH ELOHIM who is said to have breathed into the nostrils of man the breath of life. Compare this with the 7th verse in the foregoing extract, and you will perceive how accurately the author of Ecclesiastes preserves the appropriate name of that person of the Godhead who made man a living soul.
In the SONG OF SOLOMON the name of GOD does not occur once.
Verse. 1. And in that day thou shalt say, O JEHOVAH, I will praise thee. 3. Behold, GOD is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for JAH JEHOVAH is my strength and my song, he is also become my salvation. 4. Praise JEHOVAH, call upon his name. 5. Sing unto JEHOVAH, for he hath done excellent things. 6. Cry and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
Here JEHOVAH is called the GOD of salvation, which clearly identifies him with CHRIST our Savior.
And remember that these titles are very frequently assigned both to JEHOVAH and to CHRIST; and moreover the inhabitant of Zion is commanded to shout and cry aloud, because this JEHOVAH, this Savior, is in the midst of it. Surely this indicates a more immediate presence than the generally understood ubiquity of God.
Verse. 1. O JEHOVAH, thou art my GOD, I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name. 6. And in this mountain (Zion) shall JEHOVAH of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things. (And JEHOVAH of hosts) 7. will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. 8.
He will swallow up death in victory, and ADONI JEHOVAH will wipe away tears from off all faces, and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth, for JEHOVAH hath spoken it. 9.
And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our GOD, we have waited for him, and he will save us. This is JEHOVAH, we have waited for him; we will be glad, and rejoice in his salvation.
It is surely not possible to read this beautiful quotation without recognising a clear prophecy of the events that took place in Jerusalem. At the crucifixion, the vail of the temple, which screened the Holy of Holies, was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom, typical of the future dispersion of the true religion throughout all the world; and Christ indeed swallowed up death in victory, for he rose triumphant from the grave. Can we then resist identifying ADONI JEHOVAH with JESUS CHRIST, who was thus anxiously waited for and expected?
Verse. 16. Seek ye out of the book of JEHOVAH and read. No one of these shall fell, none shall Want her mate, for my mouth it hath commanded, and his SPIRIT it hath gathered them.
In the above quotation there is one Person speaking of the Spirit of another Person; so that the whole Trinity is here included. Whether GOD the Son, or GOD the Father, is to be understood as the speaker, it is neither easy nor material to determine. The above note is quoted from that excellent divine, the Rev. W. Jones of Nayland.
Hezekiah prayed unto JEHOVAH, saying, 15. O JEHOVAH of Hosts, GOD of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art ELOHIM; thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline thine ear, O JEHOVAH, and hear; open thine eye, O JEHOVAH, and see, and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living ELOHIM.
Isaiah is called the Evangelical Prophet; and he not only prophesies most explicitly the events concerning CHRIST, but it is also to be remarked that JEHOVAH and ADONI JEHOVAH is almost exclusively addressed and stated as acting throughout the whole book, and yet, in unison with other inspired writers, how emphatically does Isaiah introduce the comprehensive term ELOHIM in this beautiful prayer of Hezekiah!
Verse. 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of ELOHIM and afflicted.
In the 5th chapter of the 2d Cor., verse 19, we read, " That GOD was in CHRIST reconciling the world to
JEREMIAH. 37 himself." How beautifully does this account for the term ELOHIM being used in the above extract! Had St. Paul written in Hebrew, ELOHIM is the term he would have adopted, for GOD in the New Testament is synonymous with it.
Verse. 6. There is none like unto thee, O JEHOVAH; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. 10. JEHOVAH is the true ELOHIM, he is the living ELOHIM, and an everlasting King.
If due attention were paid to the quotations of the Apostles and Evangelists from the Old Testament, they would strongly confirm the doctrine of the divinity of CHRIST. It should here be noticed that the JEHOVAH ELOHIM is declared to be an everlasting King, which title is only assigned to JEHOVAH. The Apostles, etc., often declare that CHRIST was JEHOVAH; and Pilate affixed to his cross, " This is the King of the Jews. Ought not these coincidences to be duly and reverently reflected upon?
Verse. 5. Behold the days come, saith JEHOVAH, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called, JEHOVAH our Righteousness, (or rather our Justification, according to the Hebrew).
How clearly does this again identify our Savior and Redeemer with this JEHOVAH our Justifier!
Verse. 1. How hath ADONI covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel! 2. ADONI hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied. 5. ADONI was as an enemy, he hath swallowed up Israel. 6. He hath violently taken away her tabernacle, he hath destroyed his places of the assembly. JEHOVAH hath caused the solemn feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised, in the indignation of his anger, the king and the priest.
7. ADONI hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, and given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces. They have made a noise in the house of JEHOVAH, as in the day of a solemn feast. 19. Arise, cry out in the night, pour out thine heart like water before the face of ADONI. Lift up thy hands to him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger. 20. Behold, O JEHOVAH, and consider to whom thou hast done this.
Does not this awful prophecy resemble more a history of past events, rather than a denunciation of what was to be literally fulfilled some hundred years after it was uttered? It ought to be remarked that ADONI, as Judge, is represented as not pitying, and as dispersing the king and the priest. How exactly does this coincide with our blessed Savior's lamentation over Jerusalem; and, moreover, how exactly is Jeremiah's prophecy fulfilled in the final destruction of that once wonderful kingdom!
In GOD'S judgment against the prince of Tyrus, Ezekiel says, The word of JEHOVAH came again unto me, saying, 2. Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith ADONI JEHOVAH. Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am GOD; I sit in the seat of ELOHIM, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not GOD, though thou set thine heart as the heart of ELOHIM. 9. Wilt thou yet say, I am ELOHIM? but thou shalt be a man, and no GOD, in the hand of him that slays thee.
How severely is the prince of Tyrus threatened for presuming to lift up his heart and say, " I am GOD; and yet our Savior asserted his perfect equality with GOD; and we do not read that such assumption was condemned by the inspired writers.
Verse. 24. And I, JEHOVAH, will be their ELOHIM, and my servant David a prince among them. I JEHOVAH have spoken it. 30. Thus shall they know that I, JEHOVAH their GOD, am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith ADONI GOD. 31. And ye, my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your GOD, saith ADONI JEHOVAH.
Here JEHOVAH declares he is ELOHIM, and that the people shall know that he is with them. I have often repeated this remark, because, if JEHOVAH were with the Jews at that time, why should he not dwell again with them when he came to establish his own most excellent religion?
Verse. 3. And I set my face unto ADONI ELOHIM, to seek by prayers and by supplications. 4. And I prayed unto JEHOVAH my GOD, and made my confession, and said O ADONI, the great and dreadful GOD, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments. 11. Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice, therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses, the servant of ELOHIM, because we have sinned against him.
Here ADONI is addressed as ELOHIM and JEHOVAH, and the Great and Terrible God. In similar passages in the Old and New Testament references, this ought always to be kept in view, for it will tend greatly to confirm the divinity of Christ.
Verse. 1. Hear the word of JEHOVAH, ye children of Israel, for JEHOVAH hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of ELOHIM in the land.
JEHOVAH is here represented as angry, because there is no knowledge of ELOHIM in the land; and this was awfully verified when the Jews rejected CHRIST; for, had they known the Law and the Prophets, they would not have denied CHRIST. Hosea, it may be perceived, preserves the distinction of persons.
Verse. 4. I am JEHOVAH thy GOD, from the land of Egypt; and thou shalt know no ELOHIM but me, for there is no Savior besides me.
Here is an express declaration of JEHOVAH himself, that our Savior is no other than the ELOHIM himself.
Thus saith JEHOVAH, 12. Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting and with weeping, and with mourning. 13. And rend your heart and not your garments, and turn unto JEHOVAH your GOD, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repented him of the evil.
Here the merciful JEHOVAH identifies himself with JESUS CHRIST, the promised MESSIAH. JEHOVAH declares he is gracious, and slow to anger, and our Blessed Savior says, " Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Verse. 4. Thus saith JEHOVAH unto the house of Israel. Seek ye me and ye shall live. 14. Seek good and not evil, that ye may live, and so JEHOVAH GOD of hosts shall be with you.
JEHOVAH says, Seek Me, and if ye do, JEHOVAH GOD of hosts shall be with you. This future and conditional promise must refer to CHRIST, and yet when he did appear, they rejected him, although his abode on earth was foretold by their own received prophets.
Verse. 9. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith ADONI JEHOVAH, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.
Recall to mind the supernatural eclipse of the sun on the day of the Crucifixion.
Verse. 8. Behold the eyes of ADONI JEHOVAH are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it, from off the face of the earth, saying, I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith JEHOVAH.
Here again is a wonderful prophecy, whose fulfilment is evident to every one: the kingdom of the Jews has been destroyed from off the face of the earth for nearly two thousand years, and yet the house of Jacob, the Jewish people, exist scattered over the face of the whole earth; yea, they are not destroyed, for they remain an existing miracle, a race as distinct as the Chinese, who never quit their own country.
Verse. 17. Unto Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness: and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
21. And Saviors shall come up on Mount Zion, to judge the Mount of Esau, and the kingdoms shall be JEHOVAH'S.
This single quotation from Obadiah is enough to prove that he wrote in the same spirit as the other inspired penmen, for he declares that holiness and deliverance shall be on Mount Zion, and that the kingdom shall be JEHOVAH'S; that is, when the MESSIAH shall appear there to establish his holy religion.
Verse. 1. And the word of JEHOVAH came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh. 4. And Jonah cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. 5. So the people of Nineveh believed ELOHIM, and proclaimed a fast. 8. Let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to ELOHIM.
Yea, let them turn every one from his evil way. 9. Who can tell if ELOHIM will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 10. And ELOHIM saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and ELOHIM repented of the evil that he had said he would do to them, and he did it not.
It has often been remarked, that it is said, " JEHOVAH he is ELOHIM" in this quotation it is indirectly asserted. In verse 1 it is said, the word of JEHOVAH came; and in verse 5 they believed ELOHIM. This does not overthrow the doctrine of a plurality in the Godhead, but it does greatly confirm the unity of the Trinity.
Thus saith JEHOVAH to Micah concerning the prophets that make his people to err, 6. Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine. 7. Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded; yea, they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from ELOHIM.
JEHOVAH declares that it is for the wickedness of the people that there is no answer from ELOHIM; here one person of the Trinity speaks of the others.
Verse. 7. Therefore, I will look unto JEHOVAH, I will wait for the GOD of my salvation, my GOD will hear me.
Here Micah declares his expectation' of the future appearance of the GOD of salvation, and very frequently the Psalmist and other holy men of old do the same; thus, then, it may be said they were Christians, for they expected and hoped for the coming of this GOD, the SAVIOUR, REDEEMER, and EMMANUEL.
Verse. 2. God is jealous, and JEHOVAH revenged. JEHOVAH revenged, and is furious. JEHOVAH will take vengeance on his adversaries. 3. JEHOVAH is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. JEHOVAH hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. 7. JEHOVAH is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knows them that trust in him.
Nahum names JEHOVAH in perfect unison with the other writers, and declares that although he is very angry, yet he is slow to punish; but nevertheless he will not acquit the wicked: therefore, although the other persons of the Trinity are not named by him, yet his silence by no means implies a difference of faith.
Verse. 2. O JEHOVAH, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid. O JEHOVAH, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in wrath remember mercy. 3. GOD came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. 18. I will rejoice in JEHOVAH, I will joy in the Goo of my salvation. 19. JEHOVAH ADONI is my strength.
Habakkuk confirms the distinction of persons: he rejoices in the GOD of his salvation, and declares that ADONI JEHOVAH is his strength. All this perfectly coincides with the faith of former prophets.
Verse. 1. The word of JEHOVAH came to Zephaniah, 7. Hold thy peace at the presence of ADONI JEHOVAH, for the day of JEHOVAH is at hand, for JEHOVAH hath prepared a sacrifice; he hath bid his guests. 14. The great day of JEHOVAH is near, it is near, and hastens greatly. 15. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.
Is it possible to read this prophecy and the gospel account of the day of the Crucifixion, and not perceive that that is the subject here referred to? and yet it is emphatically called the great day of JEHOVAH.
For thus saith JEHOVAH of hosts, 6. Yet once it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land. 7. And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory, saith JEHOVAH of hosts.
9. And the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith JEHOVAH of hosts, and in this place will I give peace, saith JEHOVAH of hosts.
And great indeed was the glory of that place and house, for there our Blessed Savior taught the people.
Verse. 5. These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the ADONI of all the earth.
All Christians acknowledge JESUS CHRIST as the ADONI, or JUDGE, of the whole earth; and in the ninth chapter of Daniel, it was remarked that the ADONI is invoked as ELOHIM and the JEHOVAH, and also the Great and Terrible GOD; thus clearly is MESSIAH the Judge considered as an essential part of the ELOHIM by the sacred penmen: this is so frequently asserted, that the difficulty of comprehending the mystery can in no wise invalidate the truth of a fact enforced throughout the whole Bible.
Verse. 21. Let us go speedily to pray before JEHOVAH, and to seek JEHOVAH of hosts I will go also. 22. Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek JEHOVAH of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before JEHOVAH. 23. Thus saith JEHOVAH of hosts: In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that ELOHIM is with you.
This quotation is strikingly prophetic of the history of the Gospel, when the Magi came to worship the infant JESUS in the manger, when the fame of him was noised abroad, and above all, when, at his circumcision, it was declared that this child was the Being of whom the prophets had spoken under the designation of " EMMANUEL, which, being interpreted, is GOD with
us.
Verse. 10. I have no pleasure in you, saith JEHOVAH of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hands. 14. Cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male, and vowed and sacrificed unto ADONI a corrupt thing, for I am a Great King, saith JEHOVAH of host, and my name is dreadful among the nations.
Verse. 13. Your words have been stout against me, saith JEHOVAH.
14. Ye have said, It is vain to serve ELOHIM, and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinances, that we have walked mournfully before JEHOVAH of hosts? 18. Then shall ye return and discern between him that serves ELOHIM, and him that served him not.
JEHOVAH saith, 5. Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coining of the great and dreadful day of JEHOVAH.
This prophecy is universally applied to St. John, which decisively proves that the Evangelist thought that CHRIST was the JEHOVAH, whose great and terrible day St. John came to announce. Nay, our Savior himself says that St. John " is Elias which was for to come" on this awful occasion.
I hope I have succeeded in my design of proving that the diversity of persons in the Godhead is established, by showing the consistent use which the writers of the Old Testament make of the various appellations appropriated to each, and that the awful Elohim is the Holy, Blessed, and Glorious Trinity, designated in the Litany.
My next peculiar aim has been to show, that our Blessed Savior was promised to mankind from the earliest times, in prophecies which were not pronounced to feed human curiosity, but which were intended to teach faith in the promises of God, and to excite desires suitable to the expected blessing, and therefore they were always adapted to the exigencies of the times in which they were promulgated.
Thus this awful promise this august prophecy of the future appearance of our Blessed Savior on earth was at first declared obscurely, for as his Advent was to be at a very distant period, it was then unnecessary to particularize minutely the signs that were to precede his coming.
But as the time drew nigh for the incarnation of our Blessed Redeemer, God multiplied his promises, the prophecies became more numerous and explicit, till, as will be seen in the New Testament, the full light of the Gospel shone with meridian splendour, when, at the birth of Christ, the angels sang glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will to men.
The Prophecies, Psalms, and other Jewish Scriptures all refer to the books of Moses as to a common centre they all rest upon them as an edifice upon its foundation; and thus the Old Testament forms one beautiful body of evidence, for the several books of which it is composed all support and confirm each other.
We shall find the same design and the same dependence on the same foundation, as we proceed in our examination of the Christian Scriptures.
The Old Testament announces and prophesies the events which the New will be found to verify and accomplish.
In the Bible, therefore, we have, as it were, all the proofs, records, facts, and motives congregated together, to convince our reason that the whole was written by divine inspiration; and surely we are bound not only to believe its contents, but also to obey implicitly whatever commands or precepts it may enforce.
Verse. 23. Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name IMMANUEL, which, being interpreted, is GOD with us.
ISAIAH. 7.14. ADONI himself will give you a sign, Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name IMMANUEL.
Is not this a corroborative fulfilment of the denunciation which JEHOVAH ELOHIM pronounced against the serpent, when he said GENESIS 3.15. I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The wise men came from the east, saying, Verse. 2. Where is he that is born king of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
NUMBERS. 24.17. There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
And Herod was troubled, and demanded where CHRIST should be born. 5. And they said unto him, in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet.
MICAH, 5.2. But thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me, that is to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
This prophecy of Micah ought to have taught the Jews to see the Ruler, or King, of the Jews in the infant JESUS, that was then born in Bethlehem.
Herod was extremely wroth, and he sent forth and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, in all the coasts, and then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet: 18. In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning; Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they were not.
JEREMIAH. 31.15. Thus saith JEHOVAH, A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping: Rachel weeping for her children, refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.
It is remarkable that the prophecies relating to the birth of this infant should have been sufficiently believed to incite Herod to command the murder of the Innocents, and yet that they should have been of no avail, when the conduct of our Blessed SAVIOUR, and the events passing before his eyes, gave such ample testimony to the truth of the divine mission of JESUS CHRIST.
Verse. 23. And Joseph came and dwelt in Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. JUDGES, 13.5. For the child shall be a Nazarite unto ELOHIM from the womb, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
The frequent references that are made to the books of the Old Testament by the Evangelists teach us what use we ought to make of that invaluable book; and our SAVIOUR says elsewhere, that the law and the prophets testify of him.
John, preaching in the wilderness, saith, 2. Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make his paths straight.
ISAIAH. 40.3. The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of JEHOVAH, make straight in the desert a high way for our GOD.
There is no possibility of doubting whether St. Matthew believed our SAVIOUR to be the JEHOVAH, whose path St. John was pre-ordained to prepare; and this circumstance being, in this instance, so well authenticated, let us gladly bear it always in mind, when reading the prophecies of the Old, and the histories of the New Testament.
Verse. 11. I, John, baptize you with water to repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire, whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor.
MALACHI, 3.1. And JEHOVAH whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in. 2. But who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeared? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. 3. He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto Jehovah an offering in righteousness.
St. John's application of Malachi's metaphors to JESUS CHRIST, proves that he and the prophet refer to the same Divine Being, viz., JEHOVAH, who was come to his temple; and thus we have ascertained that St. Matthew and St. John thought that CHRIST was the JEHOVAH.
Verse. 16. And when JESUS was baptized, he went up straightway out of the water, and lo! the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of GOD descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. 17. And lo! a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
ISAIAH. 11.2. The Spirit of JEHOVAH shall rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of JEHOVAH.
ISAIAH. 9.6. The government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty GOD, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
St. Matthew says the Spirit of GOD, and Isaiah says the Spirit of JEHOVAH, shall rest upon the MESSIAH, who is called also the Mighty GOD.
That we cannot fully comprehend this mysterious union of the Godhead does, indeed, prove our powers of understanding to be limited, but it can in no wise invalidate the plain assertions of the inspired Penman.
JESUS, leaving Nazareth, dwelt at Capernaum, on the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim, that the prophecy of Esaias might be fulfilled, saying, Verse. 15. The land of Zabulon and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 16. The people which sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
ISAIAH. 9.1. The dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulon and the land of Napthali, and afterwards did more grievously afflict her, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
This prophecy concerning the journeyings of our SAVIOUR was pronounced seven hundred and forty years before his appearance on earth. Our church has appointed this portion of Isaiah for the Lesson of Christmas Day.
The centurion saith to JESUS, 8. LORD, I am not worthy that thou should come under my roof, but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 10. And JESUS saith, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel. 11. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
MALACHI. 1.11. JEHOVAH of hosts saith, From the rising of the sun, even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith JEHOVAH of hosts.
This prophecy is visibly fulfilling at this day, and has been gradually in progress ever since it was first pronounced. How opposed to the prejudices of the Jews, was this promise of the universal spread of the true religion!
Verse. 16. Then they brought unto JESUS those possessed of devils and he healed the sick. 17. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses.
ISAIAH. 53.4. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of ELOHIM, and afflicted. 6. JEHOVAH hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
St. Paul clearly explains the above quotation, for he says, in 2 Cor. chapter. 6. verse 9, " GOD was in CHRIST, reconciling the world to himself." When we cavil at the abstruseness of the doctrine of the Trinity, we forget that language affords no phraseology whereby we can even attempt to explain the mystery.
Let us then call in the aid of humble-mindedness, and, like St. Thomas, when he was subdued and overcome by ocular testimony, exclaim in holy rapture, My LORD and my GOD! For if, in these latter days, we have not any miracle performed for our conviction, we have the irresistible testimony of the Law and the Prophets, and let us then attend to them.
Verse. 26. When there was a storm at sea, JESUS rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
PSALM. 107.29. JEHOVAH makes the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Who but GOD could calm a raging sea?
Verse. 13. JESUS saith, But go ye and learn what that meant, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
MICAH, 6.7. Will JEHOVAH be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8. He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth JEHOVAH require of thee but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy GOD?
If the two quotations above are read, without any pre-conceived notions having been formed, would it not be evident that both Micah and Matthew refer to the same Divine Person?
JESUS saith to his disciples, 16. Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. 19. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak, for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
EXODUS. 4. JEHOVAH saith to Moses, 12. Go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
CHRIST, in the Gospel, says to his disciples the same thing that JEHOVAH did to Moses upon nearly a similar occasion. Is not this uniformity occasioned by the identity of the Divine Person who addresses the different individuals?
Verse. 5. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them.
ISAIAH. 29.13. ADONI saith, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor
ST. MATTHEW. 55 me, but have removed their heart far from me: 14. Therefore, behold I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people.
18. And in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
19. The meek also shall increase their joy in JEHOVAH, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
In these two quotations it appears to me that JESUS CHRIST and ADONI are one and the same Divine Being, and that St. Matthew has done all he could to confirm the fact.
Verse. 10. This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare the way before thee.
MALACHI. 3.1. JEHOVAH, GOD of Israel, saith, Behold I will send my Messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.
Here is a personal distinction between Him who sends his messenger and CHRIST, before whom the messenger is sent. But nevertheless the Evangelist and the Prophet are both equally correct and true; for though CHRIST be a different person, yet he is one and the same GOD with the Father. And hence it is that, with the Evangelist, the persons are not confounded, with the Prophet the GODHEAD is not divided. Rev. W. Jones of Nayland.
Verse. 13. JESUS, speaking of St. John saith, All the prophets and the law prophesied until John, 14. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias which was for to come.
MALACHI. 4.5. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of JEHOVAH.
Here we have the authority of CHRIST himself for saying who St. John metaphorically is; and the consequence that naturally follows is, that the great and terrible day of JEHOVAH was at hand.
Verse. 28. JESUS saith, Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you, learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
ZECHARIAH, 9.9. JEHOVAH saith, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, thy King cometh unto thee. He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass. 16. And JEHOVAH their GOD shall save them in that day as the flock of his people. 17. For how great is his goodness, how great is his beauty!
The Gospel history (chap. 21. of St. Matthew) thoroughly identifies CHRIST with the King above described.
Verse. 6. JESUS saith, I say unto you, that in this place is One greater than the temple.
2 CHRONICLES. 6.18. But will ELOHIM in very deed dwell with men upon earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee: how much less this house which I have built!
It is clear, I think, that Solomon had in view CHRIST'S future abode on earth; for the question is not whether GOD'S omnipresence shall pervade the universe, but whether ELOHIM will dwell upon earth with man.
Verse. 17. JESUS quotes the following prophecy of Esaias as regarding himself: 18. Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. 19. He shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
ISAIAH. 42.1. Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighted. I have put my spirit upon him, he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
In the above it is said, CHRIST will show judgment to the Gentiles. And in other places it has been said that ADONI is Judge of the whole world. To learn the dignity and divinity, therefore, of our blessed SAVIOUR, I refer you to page 39, where you will learn that ADONI is the Great GOD, etc.
Verse. 39. When the scribes and pharisees asked a sign of JESUS, he replied, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of the prophet Jonas. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
JONAH, 1.17. Now JEHOVAH had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Verse. 30. And great numbers came to him (JESUS), the lame, the dumb, and the blind, and he healed them. When they saw the dumb speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see, 31. They glorified the GOD of Israel.
ISAIAH. 35.4. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not, behold your GOD will come with vengeance, even ELOHIM with a recompense, he will come and save you. 5. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing; for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
The plain inference to be drawn from this quotation from Isaiah is, that when GOD, even ELOHIM, shall be come, the above miracles were to be performed by him. When John, (Matt. chapter. xi. verse 2.) therefore, sent his disciples to JESUS CHRIST to inquire whether he were HE that should come, our Savior replies, Go and show John that the blind receive their sight, etc. and blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. Does not this confirm the divinity of CHRIST? for he performed those very deeds which were peculiarly assigned to ELOHIM.
Verse. 27. For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
PSALM. 62.12. Unto thee, O ADONI, belonged mercy, for thou renders to every man according to his work.
The phrases Son of GOD and Son of man are indiscriminately applied to our blessed Savior. In the above he calls himself the Son of man, and appropriates to himself the office of the ADONI of the Psalm, whom Daniel addresses as ELOHIM, and Zechariah (chap, 6.) represents as the Judge of all the earth. At the trial of JESUS CHRIST, the appropriating to himself the term Son of GOD is said to be blasphemy by the Jews, because, they say, that, by assuming that title, he made himself equal with GOD.
Verse. 26. For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
PSALM. 49.7. None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to ELOHIM a ransom for him; for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceases for ever.
Or, as better conveys the meaning of the original Man cannot possibly redeem his own species, nor make an atonement for them to ELOHIM. The redemption of the soul is set at a great price, but he (man) himself is merely transitory.
These texts show the absolute inadequacy of any mere human atonement; for when the best mortal man that ever existed shall have done his utmost to fulfil all the commands of GOD, he will feel conscious he has nevertheless fallen very short indeed of perfect obedience. The atoning and typical sacrifice required of the Jews was a Lamb without blemish; and the writers of the New Testament repeatedly assert that JESUS CHRIST was the Lamb of GOD that taketh away the sins of the world.
These two facts must help to fix our faith steadfastly on the atoning sacrifice of our blessed LORD and SAVIOUR.
JESUS said, 5. Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass.
ZECHARIAH, 9.9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, thy King cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass; a colt, the foal of an ass, JESUS, in this quotation, identifies himself with the salvation and the king mentioned in Zechariah. In this instance we are not left to select the corresponding text from the Old Testament, which, we think, is applicable, for this he appropriates to himself.
Verse. 9. And the multitudes that went before and that followed after cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he that cometh in the name of the LORD. Hosanna in the highest. 11. And the multitude said, this is JESUS, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
These devotional salutations are not suited for a mere mortal man, however great or holy; and yet our blessed Savior not only did not check them, but said, " I tell you, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
Verse. 42. JESUS said, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? This is the LORD'S doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 43. Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of GOD shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
PSALM. 118.22. The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
ISAIAH. 8.14. And JEHOVAH shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel; for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15. And many among them shall stumble and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
JESUS CHRIST again applies these prophecies to himself, and in so doing he identifies himself with JEHOVAH. This inference appears to me undeniable, for we read in the original passage in Isaiah, that it is JEHOVAH who is the sanctuary and the stone of stumbling; and thus is the divinity of CHRIST confirmed by preserving the original name JEHOVAH.
JESUS asked the Pharisees, What they think of CHRIST, and whose son is he? They reply, the son of David. Then he saith unto them, 43. How then doth David in spirit call him LORD, saying, " JEHOVAH saith unto ADONI, Sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool?" If David, then, call him LORD, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man, from that day forth, ask him any more questions.
PSALM. 110.1. JEHOVAH saith to ADONI, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Who is the ADONI with whom CHRIST identifies himself in the 110th Psalm? Daniel, chapter. 9. verse 4, tells us he is the ELOHIM his GOD, the Great and Terrible GOD. Who, then, is CHRIST, to whom the above quotation is applied by the Evangelists, as well as by himself? The answer is obvious, and the doctrine of the Divinity of CHRIST is much confirmed by this reference to the original Hebrew name.
The difficult verse thus quoted could not be explained by the Pharisees, and our LORD did not do it.
It is not possible for us to understand the mystery of the Trinity; but from the above, the incredulous of these days may take example from the haughty Pharisees, for they were ashamed of their caviling, and durst no more ask questions.
Verse. 37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that kills the prophets, and sternest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathered her chickens under her wings, and ye would not.
PSALM. 91.3. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
How pathetically does our Savior lament over the crimes and hardness of heart of the inhabitants of Jerusalem! and he unequivocally declares his individual power and willingness to have gathered them under his protecting wing, if they had merited deliverance. Read over the whole of this beautiful Lamentation, and may its Divine Author influence you with his Holy Spirit, to enable you to trust in him with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind.
And JESUS said, 2. See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.
MICAH, 3.5. Thus said JEHOVAH concerning the prophets that make my people err, 6. Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision. 7. Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded, yea they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer of ELOHIM. 12. Therefore shall Zion, for your sake, be ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house, as the high places of the forest.
Can even the infidel deny that this awful prophecy has been minutely fulfilled? This fulfilment alone ought to intimidate and shake his confidence, for at least it teaches him to fear the God to whom he may see that vengeance belongs.
With such inducements to faith and repentance as holy writ offers, O why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Verse. 5. And many shall come in my name, saying, I am CHRIST, and shall deceive many. 6. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that ye be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet: 7. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places.
JEREMIAH. 14.14. Then JEHOVAH said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke unto them.
2 CHRONICLES. 15.6. And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city, for ELOHIM did vex them with all adversity.
Compare these prophecies with Josephus's account of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem.
Verse. 15. When, therefore, ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads let him understand;) then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains; 21. For there shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be.
DANIEL. 9.25. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks and three score and two weeks. The streets shall be built again, and the walls, even in troublesome times. And after three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself. And the people of the Prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined; and he (the Messiah) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week, and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations, he shall make it desolate.
If anyone will attentively study the Jewish history till Jerusalem was totally destroyed, this prophecy will prove to have been minutely and even miraculously fulfilled, and yet enemies had no intention to verify the prophet's denunciations against this devoted city.
Verse. 23. Then if any man say to you, Lo here is CHRIST, or there, believe it not; 24. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 29. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven shall be shaken.
DEUTERONOMY. 13.1. If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he giveth thee a sign or a wonder; 2. And the sign or the wonder come to pass whereof he spoke unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them, thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: For JEHOVAH your GOD proves you, to know whether ye love JEHOVAH your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul.
JOEL, 2.10. The earth shall quake before them, the heavens shall tremble, the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining; 31. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of JEHOVAH come.
How exactly do Christ's denunciations against Jerusalem resemble those of the prophets, and no wonder; for the latter were pronounced by JEHOVAH ADONI, whom St. Paul and other inspired men declare to be our Blessed Redeemer.
Verse. 31. When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.
32. And before him shall be gathered all nations. And he shall separate them, one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
EZEKIEL. 34.17. And as for you, O my flock, thus saith ADONI JEHOVAH: Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he-goats. 20. Therefore saith ADONI JEHOVAH unto them, Behold I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.
Here we may observe again a perfect coincidence between the account given of our Savior's future separation of the good from the bad, and that of the ADONI JEHOVAH. Can this agreement be merely accidental, or rather must it not be considered a most confirmatory circumstance.
Verse. 3. Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, 4. And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him.
PSALM. 2.2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against JEHOVAH and against his anointed.
All the Evangelists refer to this remarkable fulfilment of David's prophetic Psalm, and by so doing they identify CHRIST with JEHOVAH.
Verse. 28. For this is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many, for the remission of sins.
EXODUS. 12. JEHOVAH spoke unto Moses, and said, 3. Take every man a lamb, a lamb for a house. 5. Your lamb shall be without blemish, and ye shall kill it in the evening, 7. And they shall take of the blood and strike it on the two side-posts, and on the upper door post of the houses wherein they shall eat it. 13. The blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are, and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
JEREMIAH. 31.31. Behold the days come, saith JEHOVAH, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah.
The sacrifice of the Lamb without blemish was instituted to defend the Israelites from temporal death, but the blood of CHRIST was shed for the remission of the sins of the whole world, and to procure for us eternal life.
Verse. 53. JESUS saith, Think thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be?
ISAIAH. 53.4. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of ELOHIM, and afflicted. 6. JEHOVAH hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
LAMENTATIONS. 4.20. The breath of our nostrils, the Anointed of JEHOVAH, was taken in their pits. Of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.
I quote the above parallel passages, because they forcibly point out the sufferings consequent on guilt, and in the hopes they may excite reflections, which will teach us how greatly we stand in need of a merciful Redeemer and Advocate.
Verse. 63. JESUS held his peace. And the High Priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the Living GOD that thou tell us whether thou be the CHRIST, the Son of GOD? 64. And JESUS saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 65. Then the High-Priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy what think ye? They answered, He is guilty of death.
LEVITICUS. 24.16. And he that blasphemed the name of JEHOVAH, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him, as well the stranger as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemes the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.
Again, in the above quotation, CHRIST applies to himself the first verse of the 110th Psalm, thus teaching the high-priest, etc., that he was the ADONI who was to be seen sitting in power, and moreover he unequivocally asserts that he is the Son of GOD, in reply to the solemn appeal of the high-priest, who, as well as the other Jews, decide for us the full purport of this phrase, for they all immediately exclaim, " He has spoken blasphemy, for HE HAS MADE HIMSELF EQUAL WITH GOD.
Verse. 63. Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, " After three days I will rise again. HOSEA, 6.2. After two days JEHOVAH will revive us, in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
Here CHRIST was accused of saying, " I will rise again," thus assuming to himself the power of raising the dead, which power is universally believed to belong to GOD only.
St. Mark unequivocally asserts in the beginning of his Gospel, that this prophecy of Malachi foretells the coming of St. John, viz., Behold I will send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
MALACHI. 3.1. Behold I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and GOD whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the Messenger of the Covenant whom ye delight in. Behold he shall come, saith JEHOVAH of hosts.
Thus St. Mark begins his Gospel by saying that St. John is to prepare the way for the JEHOVAH of the Jews, who is also the JESUS CHRIST of Christians.
Verse. 3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make his paths straight.
ISAIAH. 40.3. The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of JEHOVAH, make straight in the desert a highway for our GOD.
Thus St. Mark incontestably asserts his belief that St. John was appointed by these prophecies to prepare the way for JEHOVAH, the GOD whom Malachi declares will come suddenly to his temple. And it is as clear, as plain, unsophisticated language can make it, that he thought that JESUS CHRIST was this God, the IMMANUEL.
Verse. 8. St. John saith, I indeed have baptized you with water, but he (JESUS) shall baptize you with the HOLY GHOST.
JOEL, 2.27. I am JEHOVAH your GOD; 28. And I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. 29. And upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
St. John unhesitatingly acknowledges the very great superiority of our blessed Savior, whose shoe's latchet he confesses he was not worthy to loosen.
Verse. 9. And JESUS was baptized of John, in Jordan. 10. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the SPIRIT, like a dove, descending upon him. 11. And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
If we recollect the definition given to the phrase " Son of GOD," in the note affixed to verse 63, chapter. 26.
of St. Matthew, we shall be prepared to read the following Gospel with the attention the history so greatly deserves.
Verse. 38. Then said JESUS, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, for therefore came I forth.
ISAIAH. 61.1. The Spirit of ADONI JEHOVAH is upon me, because JEHOVAH hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.
How fully does the Gospel history show that our blessed Savior, while on earth, did minutely fulfil this prophecy of Isaiah concerning the MESSIAH that was to come.
Verse. 5. When" JESUS saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. 7. (Then say the scribes,) Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but GOD only?
ISAIAH. 43.15. I am JEHOVAH your Holy One, the Creator of Israel your King. 25. I, even I, am he that blotted out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Verse. 9. (Our Savior says) Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed and walk? 10. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, he saith to the sick of the palsy, P say unto thee, arise, and take up thy bed and go thy way into thine own house. And immediately he arose.
ISAIAH. 35.4. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not. Behold, your GOD will come with vengeance, even ELOHIM, with a recompense lie will come and save you.
In the above instance CHRIST commands the sick of the palsy to walk, to prove to the scribes that he had the power to forgive sins, which it had been previously declared that GOD only could do. Well might the surrounding crowd glorify GOD, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Verse. 11. Then the disciples ask JESUS, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? He replies, 12. Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.
ISAIAH. 53.3. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, yet we esteem him stricken, smitten of ELOHIM, and afflicted.
Has not the use of ELOHIM, in the 4th verse, a wonderful import? CHRIST, or the MESSIAH, as one person of the Trinity, suffers to reconcile the justice and mercy of the whole Godhead, as is most beautifully described in the 45th Psalm: I will hear what GOD JEHOVAH will say. 10. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven. 12. Yea, JEHOVAH shall give that which is good. 13. Righteousness shall go before him, and show us in the way of his steps.
I cannot here resist giving what I conceive a more accurate translation of these very comprehensive and beautiful verses.
" Surely his salvation is nigh those who fear him, causing glory to dwell in the land. Abundant mercy and truth have met together; justice and reconciliation have touched together. Truth has sprung up from the earth, and justice has looked down from heaven. Yea, JEHOVAH granted what is good, and our land yielded its increase. Righteousness shall go before him, and point out the paths of his steps.
Verse. 24. And JESUS said, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of GOD? 26. And as touching the dead, that they rise, Have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spoke unto them saying, I am the GOD of Abraham, and the GOD of Isaac, and the GOD of Jacob. 27. He is not the GOD of the dead, but the GOD of the living. Ye therefore do greatly err.
EXODUS. 3.6. ELOHIM called to Moses, and said, I am the GOD of thy father, the GOD of Abraham, and the GOD of Isaac, and the GOD of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look on ELOHIM.
JOB, 19.25. For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. 26. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see GOD.
In these three extracts the doctrine of the resurrection is clearly proved, and consequently our responsibility for the deeds done in the body. Can we weigh and reflect on those deeds, without eagerly seeking for our Savior, our Redeemer and Advocate?
Verse. 29. And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, the LORD our GOD is one LORD.
DEUTERONOMY. 6.4. Hear, O Israel, JEHOVAH our GOD is one JEHOVAH.
EXODUS. 20.3. Thou shalt have no other ELOHIM before me.
HOSEA, 6.6. For I desired mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of ELOHIM more than burnt offerings.
Thus CHRIST, Moses, and Hosea, all agree.
Verse. 61. The high priest asked JESUS, and said unto him, Art thou the CHRIST, the Son of the Blessed? 62. And JESUS said, I am. And ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
PSALM. 110.1. JEHOVAH saith to ADONI, sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Among the unfounded assertions of the present times, it is asserted that JESUS CHRIST never affirms that he is GOD. Here, in answer to a very solemn appeal from the high priest, he assumes to himself the office of the ADONI, the Judge of the whole world, whom elsewhere Daniel declares to be ELOHIM JEHOVAH and the Great GOD. Can the divinity be more strongly asserted? And remember this argument is not enforced by quotations from the learned of this or that denomination, but merely by references from the Scriptures themselves, and prophecies and declarations made hundreds of years before the Gospels or New Testament were extant.
Verse. 1. The chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and they bound JESUS and delivered him to Pilate.
PSALM. 2.2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against JEHOVAH, and against his anointed. 4.
He that sits in the heavens shall laugh, JEHOVAH shall have them in derision. 10. Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings, be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve JEHOVAH with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
The Jews had the above admonition in their hands, but how very little did it advantage them; and why?
Because, probably, like other modern cavaliers, they were not well read in the Law and the Prophets, for they it is which so clearly testify of Jesus.
Verse. 3. And the chief priests accused him of many things, but he answered nothing.
ISAIAH. 53.7. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.
Verse. 24. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.
PSALM. 22.18. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
How extraordinary it is that this last trivial prophecy should have been fulfilled by the very people who were acting in opposition, and whose wish was to set at naught all the pretensions of CHRIST and his followers. Thus does GOD make use of the foolish things in this world to confound the wise.
Verse. 27. And with him they crucify two thieves, the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. 28. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
ISAIAH. 53.12. He poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
This prophecy tallies so exactly with the Gospel text, that we should suppose no one could read them and continue in unbelief.
Verse. 29. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroys the temple and builds it in three days, save thyself and come down from the cross.
PSALM. 22.7. All they that see me laugh me to scorn, they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on JEHOVAH that he would deliver him, let him deliver him if he will have him, seeing he delighted in him. 73 The facts related by St. Mark agree precisely with the Psalm.
Verse. 33. And when the sixth hour was come there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
AMOS, 8.9. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith ADONI JEHOVAH, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.
JOEL, 2.10. The earth shall quake before them, the heavens shall tremble, the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
How awfully these prophecies agree with the events described in the Evangelists, need not be pointed out particularly; but I wish to remark, that it is said they are to take place on the great and terrible day of JEHOVAH, and what day was ever so great and so terrible as the day on which our Blessed LORD was crucified.
Verse. 36. And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone, let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. 37. And JESUS cried with a loud voice, and gave up the Ghost.
PSALM. 69.20. Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness, and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. 21. They gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Well might our blessed Savior refer us to the Psalms, for the above awful prophecy was uttered about a thousand years before its fulfilment; and the actors who verified the prediction were the infidels of those days. Ye unbelievers and irreligious of the present times, reflect on these things, and remember that you are commanded by CHRIST himself to search the Scriptures, because they testify of him.
Verse. 16. And many of the children of Israel shall he (St. John) turn to the LORD their GOD, and he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient, to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the LORD.
MALACHI. 4.5. Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of JEHOVAH.
We find that St. Luke's account perfectly agrees with the parallel circumstance in the preceding Gospel. In both it is said that St. John's office is to go before the LORD GOD in the spirit of Elias, to make ready for the JEHOVAH. Thus St. Luke shows that he believed in the divinity of CHRIST, for he plainly asserts to the Israelites, that JESUS is the LORD their GOD.
Verse. 31. Thou shalt bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32. And he shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the LORD GOD shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
ISAIAH. 9.6. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty GOD, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
DANIEL. 2.45. The GOD of heaven shall set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
In the above extract from St. Luke, the spirituality of CHRIST'S kingdom is distinctly asserted, for it is said, it is to endure for ever. The quotation from Daniel gives the same information of the kingdom of the GOD of heaven. That we may know how to understand these two prophecies, let us learn from Isaiah who is the CHRIST who is referred to by St. Luke, and we shall find that he emphatically and plainly proclaims the divinity of the Child whom he had prophesied should be born under the above-stated circumstances, for he says, He shall be called the Mighty GOD.
Verse. 35. And the angel answered and said unto her, The HOLY GHOST shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee, therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of GOD.
In the note on the 14th chapter of St. Mark, we learnt that the meaning of the phrase, "SON of GOD, is Equality with GOD, and let us recollect how frequently our Savior is so called. In the above extract the angel announces it, When he was baptized, the Holy Spirit from heaven proclaimed it, and when he was on his trial he says, speaking of himself, ye shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power. Thus unequivocally is his Divinity asserted even by himself.
Verse. 36. Behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren: for with GOD nothing shall be impossible.
ZECHARIAH. 8.6. Thus saith JEHOVAH of hosts, If it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvelous in mine eyes, saith JEHOVAH of hosts.
The miraculous birth of St. John is rendered more extraordinary and important, when we reflect that he was preordained to prepare the way of JEHOVAH, and to make straight a highway for our GOD, or, as the Evangelists teach us, he was the forerunner of the GOD of our salvation.
Verse. 59. On the eighth day, when the child John was brought to be circumcised, 67. Zacharias was filled with the HOLY GHOST, and he prophesied, saying, 68. Blessed be the LORD GOD of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David. 76. And thou, child, shall be called the Prophet of the Highest, for thou shalt go before the face of the LORD, to prepare his ways.
MALACHI. 3.1. JEHOVAH, GOD of Israel, saith, Behold I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.
JEREMIAH. 23.5. Behold the days come, saith JEHOVAH, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
It must be remarked that the term LORD, as used by Zacharias in verse 76, is, in the original passages, JEHOVAH and GOD. In this instance, therefore, the original name would unequivocally prove that Zacharias and St. Luke believed in the divinity of CHRIST; for I believe no one ever asserted that JEHOVAH was a created Being.
Verse. 8. And there were shepherds abiding in the field, 9. And lo! the angel of the LORD came upon them, and the glory of the LORD shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. 10.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is CHRIST the LORD.
ISAIAH. 3.7. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that published peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publishes salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy GOD reigned.
ISAIAH. 9.6. Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty GOD, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
The corresponding passages in the Old Testament explain the purport of the following words in St. Luke: " The SAVIOUR, which is CHRIST the LORD. For this child that was to be born he believes to be the same being whose birth Isaiah prophecies of, and whose title he proclaims to be, The Mighty GOD, the Prince of Peace.
Verse. 13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising GOD, and saying, Glory to GOD in the highest, and on earth peace and good will to men.
ISAIAH. 57.19. Peace, peace to him that is afar off, and to him that is near, saith JEHOVAH, and I will heal him.
Verse. 25. And Simeon was a man just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the HOLY GHOST was upon him. 26.
And it was revealed unto him by the HOLY GHOST that he should not see death before he had seen the LORD'S CHRIST. 27. And he came by the Spirit into the temple, when the parents brought in the child Jesus. 28. Then he took him into his arms, and blessed GOD, and said, 29. LORD, now let thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; 30. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation.
ISAIAH. 52.9. Break forth into joy, sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem; for JEHOVAH hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. 10. JEHOVAH hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our GOD.
The holy Simeon's devout joy at beholding the LORD'S CHRIST is truly affecting; and when the holy infant is presented to him, he exclaims, Now let me depart, O GOD, for I have seen thy salvation. His feelings on this solemn occasion are raised to the highest pitch; and well they might; for through the influence of the HOLY SPIRIT he knew that this infant was the true MESSIAH, who was to bring life and immortality to light.
JESUS went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and there was delivered to him the book of the prophet Esaias; and he read.
Verse. 18. The Spirit of the LORD (ADONI JEHOVAH) is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor, and he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind; to set at liberty them that are bruised; to preach the acceptable year of the LORD. 20. And he closed the book, 21. And began to say unto them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.
ISAIAH. 41.1. The spirit of ADONI JEHOVAH is upon me, because JEHOVAH hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of JEHOVAH.
Our Savior's application of this prophecy to himself ought to silence every cavil, for it proves that Isaiah prophesied and described the office of CHRIST; and his minute and beautiful account of the actions and sufferings of the MESSIAH so perfectly represent the life of JESUS, that we cannot resist the conviction that it is He of whom he writes. However difficult it may be to explain the unity of CHRIST with the ADONI JEHOVAH of Isaiah, yet it is evident that our Savior did apply this passage to himself, and it is as evident that the congregation did the same, for the eyes of all were fastened on him.
JESUS saith, 20. But if I, with the finger of GOD, cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of GOD is come upon you.
EXODUS, 8.19. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of ELOHIM; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them as ELOHIM had said.
The Jews, in our SAVIOUR'S time, were like Pharaoh, neither miracles nor sufferings could induce them to hearken to the GOD of Salvation. Miracles were as openly performed by CHRIST as by Moses, for their immediate benefit, and yet their minds were so blinded by prejudices, and their ignorance of the law and the prophets which testified of him, that they exclaim, He hath a devil.
Verse. 32. The men of Nineveh shall rise up in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonas, and behold a greater than Jonas is here.
JONAH, 3.5. So the people of Nineveh believed ELOHIH, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
If the Ninevites listened to Jonas, and repented of their sins, how great must be our guilt if we reject the salvation offered to us by One greater, immeasurably greater, than him. If we search the Scriptures with the earnestness they fully deserve, we cannot fail to perceive that JESUS CHRIST is indeed our LORD and GOD.
Verse. 17. It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one tittle of the law to fail.
ISAIAH. 51.6. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath, for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner. But my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
And yet how little is this law studied, and how carelessly is it obeyed, although this two-fold guilt is at the risk of our everlasting happiness; for righteousness will never be abolished, and not one tittle of the law will ever fail, and to all eternity shall we suffer if we neglect the great salvation offered to us.
Verse. 29. They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them.
30. And he said, Nay, father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.
ISAIAH. 8.20. To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
ISAIAH. 34.16. Seek ye out of the book of JEHOVAH and read, No one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate, for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.
How awfully responsible, then, are those people who neglect to study the Bible; and more reprehensible still are those who prejudge its contents, and read it with minds led astray by the comments of its adversaries.
Some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts; and JESUS said, 6. The days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another which shall not be thrown down. 22. These be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
DANIEL. 12.6. How long shall it be till the end of these wonders? 7. And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and swore by him that lives for ever, that it shall be for a time, times, and an half, and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
DANIEL. 9.26. And after threescore and two weeks shall MESSIAH be cut off, but not for himself. And the people of the prince that shall come, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
The above prophecies foretell the time when the MESSIAH was to be expected; and thus far the faith of the Jews extended; for at this appointed time they were universally looking for a great Deliverer, but, overlooking the spirituality of the prophecies, they expected a worldly sovereign, whereas the Deliverer promised them was one whose kingdom was to endure from everlasting to everlasting.
At the crucifixion there was written over the cross a superscription in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, 38. THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
ISAIAH. 43.1. Thus saith JEHOVAH, that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not, for I have redeemed thee. 3. I am JEHOVAH thy GOD, the Holy One of Israel, thy SAVIOUR. 11. I, even I, am JEHOVAH, and beside me there is no Savior. 13. Yea, before the day was, I am He, and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. 15. I am JEHOVAH your Holy One, the Creator of Israel YOUR KING.
I have merely concentrated the extraordinary and satisfactory contents of this chapter into a small space; but whoever will attentively read the original, will see that I have only selected its most essential points, without altering a word.
JESUS saith to his disciples going to Emmaus, Verse. 25. fools, and slow of heart, to believe all that the prophets have spoken. 26.
Ought not CHRIST to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory 1 27. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 44. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spoke unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me.
DEUTERONOMY. 18.15. JEHOVAH thy GOD will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me. Unto him ye shall hearken,
ISAIAH. 7.14. JEHOVAH himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name IMMANUEL.
DANIEL. 9.24. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city to finish the transgression to make an end of sins to make reconciliation for iniquity to bring in everlasting righteousness to seal up the vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy.
PSALM. 118.21. I will praise thee, for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. 22. The stone which the builders refused is become the head-stone of the corner. 23. This is JEHOVAH'S doing: it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which JEHOVAH hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
This small book may possibly be read by many who have not the patience and perseverance to read through and reflect on the contents of the whole Bible. Let me then seize this opportunity to entreat them to peruse with the greatest attention the last thirty verses of the 24th chapter of St. Luke; and I earnestly implore ALMIGHTY GOD, that (like the disciples) their understandings may be opened, and that they may learn to know JESUS CHRIST as he is taught in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.
Verse. 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with GOD, and the Word was GOD.
ISAIAH. 43.12. JEHOVAH saith, I am GOD. 13. Yea, before the day was, I am He.
In this comprehensive verse the eternity of CHRIST'S existence is established.
Verse. 3. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
GENESIS 1.1. In the beginning ELOHIM created the heaven and the earth.
CHRIST is frequently said by St. Paul and the apostles to have created the world. To ascertain who created it, we must refer to Moses' account of the creation, and there we learn it is ELOHIM. Whatever difference of opinion there may be among Hebrew scholars as to the derivative of this name, no one, I believe, has ever asserted that ELOHIM was a created being; consequently, St. Paul, St. John, etc., testify unequivocally their belief in the divinity of CHRIST.
Verse. 23. St. John saith, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the LORD, as said the prophet Esaias.
ISAIAH. 40.3. The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of JEHOVAH, make straight in the desert a high way for our GOD.
I must here repeat a former remark, as this point and this prophecy cannot be too strongly enforced; for here again we are told that St. John's office was to make straight the way of the LORD, (Heb. JEHOVAH.) Was the original word retained in this instance, it would at once establish the divinity of CHRIST, and therefore it is that I so often recall the attention to it.
Verse. 29. St. John sees JESUS coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of GOD, which taketh away the sin of the world.
EXODUS. 12.3. JEHOVAH spoke to Moses, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers; a lamb for an house. 5. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. 6. They shall kill it in the evening, 7. And shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side-posts of the houses. 13. And when I see the blood I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you.
27. And ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of JEHOVAH'S Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel when he smote the Egyptians.
The declaration of St. John necessarily leads one to think of the Paschal Lamb. They who believed and obeyed the command of JEHOVAH were led by him out from the bondage of Egypt. In like manner, they who believe in our SAVIOUR, and obey his commands, will be freed from the bondage of sin, and raised by him into the regions of everlasting happiness.
Verse. 45. Philip saith to Nathanael, We have found him of whom Moses, in the Law and the Prophets, did write. JESUS of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph.
GENESIS 3.15. JEHOVAH ELOHIM saith to the serpent, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
ISAIAH. 9.6. Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty GOD, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Philip declares that Moses and the prophets wrote of CHRIST JESUS, and the foregoing extracts will, I hope, have proved that they announced the advent of a King whose reign was to be for ever and ever of the EMMANUEL, GOD with us of the Mighty GOD.
Let us then read the Gospels with this fact well engraved on our mind, for this is the guide that will conduct us prosperously into the haven of truth.
Verse. 25. JESUS needed not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man.
1 SAMUEL. 16.7. JEHOVAH said to Samuel, Look not on his countenance: for JEHOVAH sees not as man sees, for man looked on the outward appearance, but JEHOVAH looked on the heart.
1 CHRONICLES. 28.9. JEHOVAH searches all hearts, and understand all the imaginations of the thoughts. If thou seek him, he will be found, but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
St. John says, JESUS knew what was in man; and the inspired writers of the Old Testament declare that JEHOVAH understand all the imaginations of the heart.
Verse. 14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
NUMBERS, 21.8. And JEHOVAH said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten, when he looked upon it shall live.
Our Savior's application of this to himself, teaches us to whom we are to look for life and salvation.
Verse. 16. GOD so loved the world, that he gave (saith St. John) his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 19. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20. For everyone that doeth evil hated the light.
JOB, 24.15. The eye of the adulterer waited for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me, and disguises his face. 16.
In the dark they dig through houses. 17. The morning is to them even as the shadow of death; if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
ISAIAH. 57.21. There is no peace, saith my GOD, to the wicked.
It seems that in all ages of the world the characteristic of crime is to love darkness. The writer of Job declares it the prophet Isaiah repeats it and St. John confirms the statement. In these days the fact is spiritually proved, for the wicked still love the obscure, entangled falsehoods of the scribes and pharisees of all ages and nations, in preference to the clear truths of the Sun of Righteousness.
Verse. 28. Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said I am not the CHRIST, but that I am sent before him.
The clear, open candor of St. John is in perfect unison with his mission, which was to prepare the way for the GOD of truth.
Verse. 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of GOD abides on him.
HAB. 2.2. JEHOVAH answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it. 3. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, it shall not lie. 4. But the just shall live by his faith.
What is the faith which both the Prophet and the Evangelist lay so great stress upon? He, with his usual clearness, tells us, it is the belief in the SON that belief which his Gospel so strenuously inculcates, viz., That CHRIST, the Son of man, is the EMMANUEL, by whose mediation alone we can hope to attain everlasting life.
Verse. 10. JESUS answered, If thou knew the gift of GOD, and who it is that saith, Give me drink, thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
JEREMIAH. 2.13. For my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Let us apply this gracious reply of our Savior to ourselves, that we may heartily implore him to bestow upon us the gift of his grace to enable us to drink of the living waters he so mercifully offers us.
Verse. 21. JESUS saith, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father.
MALACHI. 1.11. For, from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering, for my name shall be great among the Gentiles, saith JEHOVAH.
That this prophecy of our Savior has been awfully fulfilled, we may all bear witness, for we know that the Jews are dispersed all over the earth, and that they have no abiding place in Jerusalem, and that GOD and CHRIST are worshipped among the Gentiles.
Verse. 17. JESUS answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that GOD was his Father, making himself equal with GOD.
LEVITICUS. 24.16. And he that blasphemes the name of JEHOVAH shall surely be put to death.
Surely the Jews understood the purport of their own phraseology, and if so, our SAVIOUR upon this occasion asserted his divinity, for he uses the very words which they declare to mean " Equality with GOD." Thus, likewise, they understood the term Son of GOD, and, as says Jones of Nayland, " The whole context proves that the Jews understood him to mean, not unity of will, but unity of nature." This is evident, for they sought to kill him on the charge of blasphemy, and when he repelled the charge by appealing to their own law, they were the more irritated.
Verse. 25. JESUS saith, Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of GOD, and they that hear shall live. 26. For, as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.
27. And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man.
DANIEL. 7.13. And behold, One like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
The last paragraph of the above quotation teaches us clearly that CHRIST'S kingdom is a spiritual one; and it is generally found that the explanation of a metaphor is given at the close of the paragraph that contains it. CHRIST says, " That to the Son is given to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man, which phrase is declared to mean " Equality with GOD" by the Jews themselves; and thus we find that JESUS CHRIST teaches the solemn truth, that he is the TRUE GOD.
Verse. 29. Then shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.
DANIEL. 12.2. Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
We are so often and distinctly told in the Scriptures on what condition we are to obtain everlasting life, that no one can plead ignorance.
Verse. 39. Search the Scriptures (saith our SAVIOUR), for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me.
All the commands of our merciful SAVIOUR tend not only to our edification, but also to our happiness.
Ask those who have searched the Scriptures with pious and honest minds, whether the delight does not increase with the research, and whether the beautiful and sublime truths that are always unfolding themselves to their view, do not afford exhaustless satisfaction.
Verse. 17. JESUS saith, If any man will do GOD'S will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of GOD, or whether I speak of myself.
This concise decision of our SAVIOUR is adapted to the understanding of all people, and it is daily verified by the learned and the unlearned. Did his holy religion enjoin no self-examination and no self-condemnation, it would have fewer opponents. Good and pious minds find it so perfectly consonant to their wants and desires, that its truths and its injunctions convey to them irresistible conviction.
Verse. 37. In the last day, that great day of the feast, JESUS stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.
ISAIAH. 4.1. JEHOVAH saith, Ho! everyone that thirsted, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat. Yea, come ye, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
The same merciful invitation is given to us by JEHOVAH and CHRIST; no one can read the two parallel passages, and not perceive the identity of the two Divine Persons.
Verse. 38. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive.
ISAIAH. 44.3. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessings upon thine offspring (saith JEHOVAH.) How beautifully does St. John, as well as Isaiah, explain the real signification of the metaphors which they use!
Verse. 42. Hath not the Scripture said, That CHRIST cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was.
MICAH, 5.2. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me, that is to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
From this reference to Micah, it is evident that the infant who was born in Bethlehem is acknowledged by the Evangelist to have been from everlasting, and consequently GOD. In how many and various phrases is this truth enforced!
Verse. 11. JESUS saith, I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, but he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, 13. He flees, because he is an hireling, and cares not for the sheep.
ISAIAH. 40.10. Behold JEHOVAH GOD will come with a strong hand; 11. He shall feed his sheep like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
The merciful feeling which our Blessed SAVIOUR expresses towards his people is so perfectly in unison with that of ADONI JEHOVAH, that it confirms the truth so often inculcated, nay, I hope proved, that JEHOVAH the Redeemer of Israel is also CHRIST the REDEEMER of the whole world.
Verse. 16. And other sheep I have (saith JESUS), which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.
ISAIAH. 56.8. ADONI JEHOVAH, which gathered the outcasts of Israel, saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.
This prophecy of our SAVIOUR'S is not yet completely fulfilled, but ever since it was uttered it has been in gradual progress, and nation after nation of the Gentiles have been added to his kingdom, and have felt the divine influence of his peculiar protection.
Verse. 21. These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
ISAIAH. 35.4. Say to them that be of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not, behold your GOD will come with vengeance, even ELOHIM, with a recompense he will come, and save you. 5. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, etc.
The prophecy just quoted is peculiarly appropriate to the preceding extract, for it says ELOHIM will come to save you, and then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, etc. Our Blessed SAVIOUR did appear on earth, he did open the eyes of the blind, etc., and thus did he openly manifest himself to be ELOHIM who was for to come.
Verse. 34. We have heard out of the law, that CHRIST abides for ever, and how sayest thou that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?
Our SAVIOUR did not think proper to reply to this question, " Who is the Son of Man? " He had often told them to search the Scriptures, for they testified of him; and as humble piety did not dictate the inquiry, he would not satisfy mere inquisitiveness. This should teach us with what spirit we should study holy writ, if we would hope to receive the aid of the Holy Ghost, for we are told that it is " the meek who are to inherit the kingdom of GOD.
Verse. 33. Then JESUS said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you; walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you.
JEREMIAH. 13.16. JEHOVAH saith, Give glory to JEHOVAH your GOD, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and while ye look for light he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
This admonition of our SAVIOUR exactly coincides with that of JEHOVAH in the extract from Jeremiah.
Let us learn from it the lesson it is meant to inculcate, and work while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work.
Verse. 37. Though JESUS had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him, 38. That the saying of Esaias might be fulfilled which he spoke, LORD, who hath believed our report, and to whom hath the arm of the LORD been revealed?
ISAIAH. 53.1. Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of JEHOVAH revealed?
How minutely are the numerous prophecies concerning CHRIST fulfilled! This is perhaps one of the most remarkable, for all the miracles he performed were for the benefit of those that surrounded him, and yet they believed not.
Verse. 20. JESUS saith to his disciples, Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than the lord; if they have persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
EZEKIEL. 3.7. Thus saith ADONI JEHOVAH, The house of Israel will not hearken unto thee, for they will not hearken unto me, for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard hearted.
How perfectly does the Gospel extract agree with the prophecy! ADONI JEHOVAH and JESUS CHRIST are again identified; they both speak of themselves with the very same tone of authority. Can this frequent similarity be a mere accidental coincidence?
Verse. 3. JESUS saith, This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true GOD, and JESUS CHRIST whom thou hast sent.
JEREMIAH. 9.24. But let him that gloried glory in this, that he understand and knows me, that I am JEHOVAH, which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith JEHOVAH.
Thus is faith in the only true GOD and JESUS CHRIST made the condition of obtaining eternal life.
The belief here enjoined must be that of the Evangelists, and they have frequently told us, by references to the Old Testament, and by their open confession that it is, That CHRIST is JEHOVAH, " The Mighty GOD.
Verse. 15. We have nothing but Caesar.
GENESIS 49.10. The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
By this confession of the Jews themselves, the scepter was departed from them, and yet their blindness Vas too infatuated to enable them to draw the right inference.
Verse. 19. Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross, and the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 21. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not the King of the Jews, but that he said, I am the King of the Jews. 22. Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.
ISAIAH. 43.1, Thus saith JEHOVAH that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not, for I have redeemed thee. 3. I am JEHOVAH thy GOD, the Holy One of Israel, thy SAVIOUR. 4. I, even I, am JEHOVAH, and beside me there is no Savior. 13. Yea, before the day was I am HE. 15. 1 am JEHOVAH, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, YOUR KING.
In the 11th chapter, verse 51, of St. John, it is said that Caiaphas being high-priest prophesied. On this occasion also Pilate, as it were, in right of his office, is enabled to testify publicly the regal dignity of our SAVIOUR, the King of the Jews, whose government was to endure for ever and ever.
Verse. 23. The coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it whose it shall be, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
PSALM. 22.18. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
The exact fulfilment of this prophecy helps to confirm our faith.
Verse. 36. A bone of him shall not be broken; and again another scripture saith, 37. They shall look on him whom they pierced.
EXODUS. 13.43. And JEHOVAH said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the Passover, 46. In one house it shall be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of the house, neither shall ye break a bone thereof.
ZECHARIAH. 12.10. JEHOVAH saith, And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications, and they shall look upon me whom they pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourned for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first born.
In the Prophet Jeremiah, to whom St. John refers, it is JEHOVAH who says, They shall look on Me whom they have pierced. Another proof that St. John believed that JESUS CHRIST was the LORD JEHOVAH.
Verse. 9. For as yet, they (the disciples) knew not the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
It is to be remarked, that the very character of the disciples was changed, when they had conversed with CHRIST after his resurrection, and had received the Holy Ghost. These timid men became heroic; the homely fishermen became enlightened, and they promulgated the sublime truths, for they asserted distinctly and undauntedly that the crucified JESUS CHRIST was GOD, who had reconciled the world to himself. This is the plain unsophisticated faith taught by them, and happy are those who thus believe; yea, thrice happy are those who regulate their life according to the profession of this faith.
Verse. 24. Thou, LORD, which knows the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen.
JEREMIAH. 17.10. I, JEHOVAH, search the heart; I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
The use of the word LORD in the above makes it difficult to assign its distinctive force, but the corresponding passage from Jeremiah helps us. St. Luke and the other writers of the New Testament often address CHRIST as LORD, and the context clearly proves that they did not think him a created being.
Verse. 25. David speaketh concerning JESUS, and saith, I foresaw the LORD always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.
PSALM. 16.9. I have set JEHOVAH always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
In this quotation St. Peter unequivocally asserts that JESUS was the JEHOVAH, whose future advent David foresaw. In this instance, if the original distinctive names were preserved, would it not help to convince the Socinians of the fallacy of their belief? At all events, this teaches us how we are to interpret the word LORD, when we meet with it in similar instances.
Verse. 30. David, therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that GOD had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up CHRIST to sit on his throne. 31. He seeing this before, spoke of the resurrection of CHRIST. That his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
PSALM. 16.10. Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
How earnestly and beautifully does St. Stephen strive to express his belief that JESUS CHRIST is the Messiah whose advent, death, etc., had been the subject of all the prophets' deep meditations; words cannot be stronger, nor intentions more evident.
Verse. 38. Peter saith, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of JESUS CHRIST, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
How plain and earnest is St. Peter's injunction, and let us receive it to our edification.
And then Peter and John went to their own company, and when they had reported all that the priests and elders had said to them, Verse. 24. They lifted up their voice to GOD with one accord, and said, LORD thou art GOD, which has made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is, who, by the mouth of thy servant David, hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the LORD, and against his CHRIST.
PSALM. 2. Verse. 2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against JEHOVAH, and against his ANOINTED.
It cannot, I think, be denied, that St. Peter and St. John, and their company, refer to the Second Psalm, and intend to assert that the prophecy contained therein was fulfilled in the conduct of Herod, Pilate, etc.
Thus again are these corroborative proofs of CHRIST and JEHOVAH being identified in this prophecy, for in the original JEHOVAH is the Being against whom the rulers are assembled.
Verse. 38. Refrain from these men, and let them alone, for if this counsel, or this work be of man, it will come to nought; but if it be of GOD, ye cannot overthrow it.
PROVERBS. 21.30. There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against JEHOVAH.
ISAIAH. 8.10. Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand, for GOD is with us.
Let Christianity be tried by this proof, and it will stand unshaken like a rock.
Verse. 10. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he (Stephen) spoke.
ISAIAH. 54.17. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment, thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of JEHOVAH, and their righteousness is of Me, saith JEHOVAH.
The earnestness, the proofs and the constancy, of St. Stephen were all unanswerable, and therefore, to silence him effectually, they stoned him. The infidels since those times act in a very similar manner. The Scriptures are so adapted to all capacities, the essential points are so clearly and distinctly told, that all may attain through them eternal life. To prevent this blessed result, the infidels of these awful times pervert the plainest doctrine and the plainest precepts, and thus they poison the fountain-head of all religious information.
Verse. 37. This is that Moses which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the LORD your GOD raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me, him shall ye hear. 38. This is he (CHRIST) that was in the church in the wilderness with the Angel, which spoke to him (Moses) in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers.
EXODUS. 19.3. And Moses went up unto ELOHIM, and JEHOVAH called to him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel. 17. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet ELOHIM.
I must refer the reader to the tenth chapter of the First Cor., for there the appropriate reference will confirm the explanatory names I have inserted within parentheses. St. Stephen, St. Luke, St. Paul, all in their writings teach us that they believed CHRIST, the MESSIAH, the IMMANUEL, or by whatever name they designate him, to be the JEHOVAH who was in the cloud, conducting the Israelites through the wilderness, who often spoke to Moses face to face; and, in short, they all do their utmost to convince us that CHRIST is the " True GOD.
Verse. 55. Stephen, being full of the HOLY GHOST, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of GOD, and JESUS standing at the right hand of GOD, 56. And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of GOD.
DANIEL. 7.13. Daniel saw in the night visions, and behold One like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
Through the influence of the HOLY GHOST, St. Stephen was enabled to bear martyrdom, and let us carefully peruse his long address to his persecutors, and learn what was the doctrine he maintained, and for which he was suffering. He certainly did not die, because he merely said that JESUS CHRIST had been on earth. No! it was for maintaining the doctrine of the Divinity of CHRIST, which greatly militated against the prejudices and obstinacy of the Jews. The force of his reasoning and consistency of conduct might make converts, and therefore effectually to silence his persuasive eloquence, they stoned him.
Verse. 32. And the place of the Scriptures which he (Philip) read was this: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth.
ISAIAH. 53.7. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.
Here, as in innumerable other places, we have no choice in the selection of the reference to the Old Testament, for St. Philip unhesitatingly applies this very interesting prophecy to CHRIST.
Verse. 3. As (St. Paul) journeyed, he came near to Damascus; and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven; 4. And he fell on the earth, and he heard a voice saying unto him, " Saul! Saul! why persecutes thou me? " 7. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
DANIEL. 10.9. Yet I heard the voice of his words, and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep.
This miraculous conversion of St. Paul should be seriously reflected on. The vision granted him was to arrest his persecution of the Christians, and to make him a chosen vessel to carry the name of CHRIST among the Gentiles.
Verse. 20. And straightway he (Paul) preached CHRIST in the synagogues, " That he is the Son of GOD. I have so often called the reader's attention to the Jews' interpretation of the true import of the phrases Son of Man and Son of GOD, that I think it must be superfluous to do more, in this instance, than to refer him to the remarks on St. Mark, chapter. 14. verse 61, and St. Luke, chapter. 1. verse 35.
Verse. 22. And Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very CHRIST.
This assertion conveys to us the faith both of Saul and of St. Luke, who report the fact. " The very CHRIST," must be considered as expressing the faith which they and the other apostles and disciples had adopted, and that is, that JESUS CHRIST was, as Thomas elsewhere exclaims, both LORD and GOD.
Verse. 34. Then Peter opened his mouth and said, Of a truth I perceive that GOD is no respecter of persons. 36. The word which GOD sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by JESUS CHRIST. He is Lord of all.
ISAIAH. 57.19. I create the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace to him that is afar off, and to him that is near, saith JEHOVAH, and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my GOD, to the wicked.
St. Peter, in this instance, declares his belief in JESUS to be, that " He is Lord of all." I have so often proved that the term Lord is used by the writers of the New Testament as synonymous with the Jehovah in the Old, that I think it must be superfluous to enlarge upon that fact again.
Verse. 43. Peter saith, To him (CHRIST) give all the prophets witness, that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
MICAH, 7.18. Who is GOD, like unto thee, that pardoned iniquity, and passes by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage. He retained not his anger for ever, because he delighted in mercy.
St. Peter, in the preceding quotation, declared his faith to be, " That he was Lord over all." In this he teaches us where we must seek for the confirmation of the truth of this belief. This, then, is the faith he enforces, and which, he declares, will procure us remission of sins.
Verse. 15. (Peter saith) Then as I began to speak, the HOLY GHOST fell on them, as on us at the beginning. 16. Then remembered I the word of the LORD, how he said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the HOLY GHOST.
ISAIAH. 44.3. I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.
These two Scriptures show that the same HOLY SPIRIT was granted to the apostles as was promised to the prophet by JEHOVAH; and remark, I beg, how beautifully Isaiah explains the metaphor he has used in the former part of the verse.
Verse. 21. And upon a set day, Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a GOD, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the LORD smote him, because he gave not GOD the glory; and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
EZEKIEL. 28.1. The word of JEHOVAH came again unto me, saying, 2. Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith ADONI JEHOVAH. Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am GOD; I sit in the seat of ELOHIM, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not GOD, though thou set thine heart as the heart of ELOHIM. 9. Wilt thou yet say before him that slay thee, I am ELOHIM? but thou shalt be a man, and no GOD. 10. Thou shalt die the death of the uncircumcised, by the hand of strangers; for I have spoken it, saith ADONI GOD.
GOD'S judgment against the prince of Tyrus is very severe for the very act, which resembles that thus related of Herod. But JESUS CHRIST, it has been seen, frequently assumed equality with GOD; and " yet he was not visited by the angel of the LORD in wrath;" whereas Herod, for merely allowing his subjects' impious adulation, is instantly afflicted with a loathsome disease, and expires. This fact is well worthy attention; and I sincerely wish it would induce the Socinian to re-consider his opinions, which are so much at variance with the declaration of the inspired writers of the New Testament.
Verse. 24. But the word of GOD grew and multiplied.
ISAIAH. 4.11. JEHOVAH saith, So shall my word be, that goes forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
The histories of those times relate the extraordinarily rapid progress of Christianity, considering that it proceeded only so far as it reformed the lives of its converts, and that there was then nothing in prospect but martyrdom for those who professed belief in CHRIST.
Paul stood up and said, 22. Ye men of Athens, 23. I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom, therefore, ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. GOD, that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands, neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, breath, and all things.
GENESIS 1.1. In the beginning ELOHIM created the heavens and the earth.
GENESIS 2.7. JEHOVAH ELOHIM formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.
I think the " Unknown GOD," whom St. Paul so beautifully describes, would, if translated into Hebrew, be designated as ELOHIM. St. Paul had been taught his faith in CHRIST by a miracle from heaven; and no wonder, therefore, that it perfectly accords with the belief inculcated by the other inspired writers of the New Testament. In verse 31, he speaks of CHRIST as " The Man," who is appointed to judge the world in righteousness; in his Epistle to the Colossians, as He in whom dwelleth the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And thus St. Paul confirms the doctrine that he was God and man.
Paul saith, 6. Now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of GOD unto our fathers.
2 SAMUEL. 7.12. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shall sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
DEUTERONOMY. 18.15. JEHOVAH thy GOD will raise up unto thee a prophet, from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me, (Moses), unto him shall ye hearken.
How strenuously and clearly does St. Paul express his sentiments in this important address to the Jews.
He had from his youth been well instructed in their records, and therefore we are bound to suppose that he knew how they generally understood the promises and prophecies made to the patriarchs; but when the eyes of his understanding were opened by a ray from heaven, he could then distinctly discern their spiritual import; and then, with heart and soul, did he boldly assert the divinity of CHRIST, as will be more particularly seen in the following pages.
Verse. 15. St. Paul saith, As much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you that are at Rome also.
PSALM. 40.9. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo! I have not refrained my lips, O JEHOVAH, thou knows. 10. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not concealed thy loving-kindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
On first entering upon the Epistles of St. Paul, let us take some pains to ascertain clearly and distinctly what is his faith in the divinity of CHRIST. In the Epistle to the Romans, chapter. 9. verse 4, he calls CHRIST " GOD, blessed for evermore." In Titus, chapter. 2.19, he calls him " GOD our SAVIOUR;" and in Colossians, chapter. 2. verse 9, he says, " For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead." This, then, is the faith he asserts he is willing to preach at Rome.
After these positive proofs, can it be right to dwell upon mere verbal difficulties, such as whether "and ought or ought not to be inserted in some particular paragraphs?
Verse. 1. Being justified by faith, we have peace with GOD, through our LORD JESUS CHRIST.
ISAIAH. 32.17. The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness, and assurance for ever.
A diversity of persons is here evident, for the peace that is offered us with GOD is through the mediatorial influence of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Verse. 23. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of GOD is life eternal, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD.
GENESIS 2.17. JEHOVAH ELOHIM saith, Of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eats thereof thou shalt surely die.
Again we are told that eternal life is bestowed by GOD, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD; this word Lord being so very frequently added to the name of JESUS CHRIST, seems to convey the same import as when ADONI is joined to the name JEHOVAH.
Verse. 4. Who are Israelites, to whom pertained the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of GOD, and the promises. 5. Whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, CHRIST came, who is over all, GOD blessed for evermore.
DEUTERONOMY. 7.6. For thou art an holy people unto JEHOVAH thy GOD. JEHOVAH thy GOD hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
JEREMIAH. 23.6. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called, JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Here St. Paul says, As concerning the flesh, CHRIST descended from the Jews, who were the guardians of the Law and the Covenants made by GOD with them; and to these very Jews, who could freely refer to these documents, he positively declares that CHRIST is GOD, blessed for evermore.
Verse. 30. What, shall we say, then, that the Gentiles who followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith; for they stumbled at that stumbling-stone. As it is written, Behold I lay in Sion a stumbling-stone and rock of offence, and whosoever believeth in him shall not be ashamed.
This extract, I think, may be thus explained. Although the Gentiles had no knowledge of the Law and of the Prophets, to conduct them unto faith in CHRIST, yet, as they did receive the Gospel when it was offered them, they are admitted into the fellowship of CHRIST'S kingdom. Whereas the Jews, possessing the Law and the Prophets, and professing to take them as a rule of conduct, were rejected, because they laid great stress only on the letter, and overlooked the spirit, which could alone guide them to the knowledge of CHRIST and him crucified. The reference to the stone of stumbling proves that St. Paul and Isaiah applied the metaphor to the same divine being, JEHOVAH CHRIST.
Verse. 6. The righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven, or who shall descend into the deep? 8. The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart: that is the word of faith which we preach.
DEUTERONOMY. 30.11. For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
12. It is not in heaven, that thou should say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it and do it?
13. Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou should say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it and do it? 14. But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
We shall practically experience the truth of these quotations, if we will study the Scriptures with humble piety, and a disposition to obey their precepts; for we shall then speedily perceive that the word they preach is indeed the word of peace. and salvation.
Verse. 10. We shall all stand before the judgment-seat of CHRIST.
As I live, saith the LORD, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to GOD. 12. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to GOD.
ISAIAH. 45.22. Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am GOD, and there is none else. 23. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return; that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
This quotation of St. Paul from Isaiah again proves that they treat of the same Divine Person, for CHRIST is identified with GOD, to whom every knee shall bow, and to whom every one is to give account of himself.
Verse. 1. Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2. And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3. And did all eat the same spiritual meat, 4. And did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was CHRIST.
EXODUS. 13.21. And JEHOVAH went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light to go by day and night.
EXODUS. 17.6. Behold I, JEHOVAH, will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.
These passages are, I think, convincing proofs of the divinity of CHRIST; for St. Paul teaches us that it was he who was the JEHOVAH who conducted the Israelites through the wilderness. And if he were on earth with the Jews in their passage from Egypt to the promised land; and if, as says St. Stephen, in chapter. 7. verse 38, it was the same CHRIST (JEHOVAH), who mercifully interposed as mediator between ELOHIM and Moses, when the covenant on Mount Sinai was to be established, shall we withhold our love and faith from him, when he again appeared on earth with healing on his wings, and brought life and immortality to light.
Verse. 9. Neither let us tempt CHRIST, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
PSALM. 78.18. They tempted God in their hearts, by asking meat for their lust. 56. They tempted and provoked the Most High ELOHIM, and kept not his testimonies.
These texts both relate to the same rebellious acts of the Israelites. In the Psalm, the person tempted is called the ELOHIM; in the Epistle he is called CHRIST. Thus St. Paul teaches us to look upon CHRIST as ELOHIM.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received.
3. How that CHRIST died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried and rose again the third day.
DANIEL. 9.26. And after threescore and two weeks shall MESSIAH be cut off, but not for himself.
PSALM. 16.10. Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
HOSEA, 6.2. After two days JEHOVAH will revive us; in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
The energy with which St. Paul writes, and the earnestness with which he directly and indirectly refers to the Law and the Prophets for proofs and confirmation of his doctrines, is highly interesting to his readers. We perceive his own entire conviction of the truths he is so strenuous to instill into the minds of others, and we shall not be surprised at this, if we reflect on the circumstances of his own conversion.
Verse. 18. And all things are of GOD, who hath reconciled us to himself by JESUS CHRIST, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19. To wit, that GOD was in CHRIST, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Here St. Paul says, GOD was in CHRIST, reconciling the world to himself. Plurality and unity are in this fact manifested, and the Divinity of CHRIST distinctly taught us. Whoever will attentively read St.
Paul's Epistles will perceive that he labors to enforce this point, by every means that learning, ingenuity, and sincerity can supply.
Verse. 6. Abraham believed GOD, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 8. And the scripture, foreseeing that GOD would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel to Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
GENESIS 15.6. And Abraham believed in JEHOVAH, and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Thus we have St. Paul's authority for saying that Abraham believed in CHRIST; and because the Gospel was preached to him, therefore he expected and waited for the Redeemer, who was the seed promised to Abraham, in whom all nations were to be blessed.
Verse. 16. Now, to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is CHRIST.
GENESIS 17.3. And Abraham fell on his face, and ELOHIM talked with him, saying, 7. I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant to be ELOHIM unto thee and to thy seed after thee.
St. Paul in all his Epistles asserts his faith in the LORD JESUS CHRIST; and, if we read them attentively, we shall learn that the faith he so strenuously thought it his duty to enforce, was not that a created being called JESUS CHRIST had been on earth to teach morality, but that CHRIST was LORD, JEHOVAH, GOD, our SAVIOUR; that in him dwelleth all the Godhead bodily; and that it was this Divine Being who had been on earth again, personally leading the people through the wilderness of vice and irreligion, to the heavenly Canaan of life and immortality. This is the determined purport of all his writings, and most fully does he prove, with all the energy of perfect conviction, that the Scriptures do indeed testify of CHRIST as the TRUE GOD.
Verse. 8. St. Paul saith, Unto me is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of CHRIST; 9. And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in GOD, who created all things by JESUS CHRIST.
The fellowship of the mystery to which St. Paul refers is, first, the denunciation of ELOHIM JEHOVAH in Genesis, that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. Many centuries afterwards Isaiah says, A virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and call his name IMMANUEL; and again, at the time marked out by the prophets, the Evangelists relate that the Virgin Mary brought forth a son, and called his name JESUS, because he shall save the people from their sins. Thus the historian, the prophet, the Evangelists, and the Apostles all agree in their account of the supernatural appearance on earth of our Redeemer and Savior, JESUS CHRIST. They all treat of the advent, office, and atonement of CHRIST, and agree in relating and believing in the long series of mysteries which were hid in GOD, but which, at his appointed time, were made manifest to an expecting world.
Verse. 8. When CHRIST ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts for men.
PSALM. 68.17. The chariots of ELOHIM are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels. ADONI is among them as in Sinai, in the holy place. 18. Thou hast ascended on high; Thou hast led, captivity captive.
Here the Scriptures expressly affirm the person who ascended, etc., to be ELOHIM; and ADONI, as at Sinai, is said to be also there. Thus St. Paul again identifies these with CHRIST, by his appropriation of the above reference to him. At Mount Sinai it has been shown in page 11, that JEHOVAH was there as Mediator between ELOHIM and Moses. Again, I should say, the Trinity in Unity and the Unity in Trinity is asserted and proved as much as such a mystery can be conveyed to finite minds.
Verse. 11. And every tongue should confess that JESUS CHRIST is LORD, to the glory of GOD the Father.
ISAIAH. 45.23. ELOHIM saith, I have sworn by myself, my word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return.
That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
Here St. Paul speaks as if the unanimous confession that JESUS CHRIST is LORD, would tend to the glory of GOD the Father. Here, then, are two persons spoken of, and if attention be paid to the purport of the different names in Hebrew, as given in the introductory chapter, the meaning of the eleventh verse might be thus given: Every tongue shall confess that JESUS is ADONI; and this confession will give glory to ELOHIM the Creator.
Verse. 8. Beware, lest any man spoil you, through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of man, after the rudiments of the world, and not after CHRIST; 9. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the GODHEAD BODILY.
Is it possible for words to convey a more decisive proof of St. Paul's belief that JESUS CHRIST was one person of the awful ELOHIM; but he tells us that this faith cannot be attained by the vain deceits and traditions of man, for in chapter. i. verse 24 of Corinthians, it is " the power of GOD," and " the wisdom of GOD," and therefore we must seek it from ELOHIM only, through the mediation of JEHOVAH our ADONI and Savior.
Verse. 11. Now GOD himself, and our Father, and the LORD JESUS CHRIST direct our way unto you.
I quote this verse, because it is either a proof of the plurality of persons, or it identifies CHRIST with GOD and the Father.
Verse. 16. Now, our LORD JESUS CHRIST himself, and GOD, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 17. Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
The same remark would apply here as in the preceding note, except that in addition it may be seen that the LORD JESUS CHRIST is named in perfect equality with GOD the Father, as contributing to our consolation and hope.
Verse. 1. Paul, an apostle of JESUS CHRIST, by the commandment of GOD our Savior, and LORD JESUS CHRIST, which is our hope.
Here St. Paul declares that he acts by the command of GOD our Savior; can the Divinity of our LORD JESUS CHRIST be conveyed in plainer or more decisive terms? Such a passage as the above should teach us how to interpret others that may appear difficult or obscure in St. Paul's writings.
Verse. 16. All scripture is given by inspiration of GOD, and it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
Let us, then, study them diligently, that we may thereby be " thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Verse. 9. Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things, 10. That they may adorn the doctrine of GOD our Savior.
I quote the above merely to show that St. Paul addressed our SAVIOUR as GOD when he wrote this Epistle.
Verse. 13. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the Great GOD and our Savior JESUS CHRIST, 14. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
EXODUS. 19. 3. And Moses went up unto ELOHIM, and JEHOVAH called unto him out of the mountain, saying, b. If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine.
Great stress is laid by cavilers on the word " and, in the 13th verse, after the words " Great GOD," but the important doctrine of the Divinity of CHRIST can in no wise depend upon the insertion or non-insertion of a word. In the 10th verse of the same chapter, St. Paul speaks of " GOD our Savior." In his Epistle to the Romans, chapter. 9., he calls " him," " GOD, blessed for evermore." In addressing the Colossians, chapter. 2., he says, " For in him (CHRIST) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." With such decisive declarations before us, is it possible that a reflecting mind can have any doubts concerning St. Paul's real sentiments on this important point?
Verse. 8. GOD saith unto the Son, Thy throne, O GOD, is for ever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.
PSALM. 45.6. Thy throne, O ELOHIM, is for ever and ever, the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. 7. Thou loves righteousness and hates wickedness; therefore, ELOHIM, thy GOD, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Again, St. Paul, in writing to the Hebrews, labors to confirm the doctrine of the Divinity of CHRIST, as the quotation above will prove. If, therefore, those who deny this awful mystery can here and there select an undecisive phrase or obscure passage, can that invalidate the clear and decisive assertions which have been so frequently quoted in the foregoing pages?
Verse. 10. Thou, O LORD, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thy hands.
PSALM. 102. 24. O my GOD, take me not away in the midst of my days, thy years are throughout all generations. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
Here no sooner does St. Paul speak of the Son of GOD, as the person by whom the Father made the world, than he expatiates on his Divinity, and immediately refers to the 102d Psalm, in which the Son is addressed as the Author of the creation. This is one of the instances where " The unity of the three persons in the essence is so strict and intimate, that any general appellation of the Godhead may be applied to any one, reminding us of the plurality by that application. HORSLEY.
Verse. 16. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
In the preceding Epistles, St. Paul very frequently spoke of our SAVIOUR as GOD; but in the above verse he as expressly declares him to be of the seed of Abraham, thus intending to prove the fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham, Gen. chapter. 15. verse 18, that from him should proceed the Savior of the whole world. These different statements confirm the truth of the Second Article of our religion, viz., that CHRIST " is very GOD and very Man.
Verse. 1. James a servant of GOD and of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad.
St. James opens his Epistle, declaring himself the servant of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and thus laconically and clearly proving his faith to be the same as St. Paul's, for in scripture phraseology the word LORD means ADONI, as may be seen in innumerable instances in the Old Testament, viz., in general, when our translation uses the term " LORD GOD," in the Hebrew it is ADONI JEHOVAH.
Verse. 1. Peter, an Apostle of JESUS CHRIST, to the strangers scattered through Pontus, Galatia, etc. 2. Elect according to the foreknowledge of GOD the Father, through sanctification of the SPIRIT, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of JESUS CHRIST.
The three persons of the Trinity are particularized in the above quotation, which assimilates exactly with the many declarations of the Prophets and Apostles. It had often been foretold that the Gentiles should be adopted into the kingdom of the MESSIAH; and here St. Peter announces that they are elected according to the foreknowledge of GOD the Father; and that by the sanctifying power of the HOLY GHOST they have become obedient to JESUS CHRIST. Finally, he exclaims, Blessed be the GOD and Father of our LORD JESUS CHRIST. Or, in unison with what I conjecture, would have been the exclamation of Isaiah on a like occasion, Blessed be ELOHIM, thus including the three into this one comprehensive word.
Verse. 1. Simon Peter, a servant and Apostle of JESUS CHRIST, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us, through the righteousness of GOD and our Savior, JESUS CHRIST.
The marginal reference to the last line of the above verse says, that, according to the Greek, it should be rendered, " The righteousness of our GOD and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST." As a guide to our faith these verbal niceties signify little, for St. Peter and all the inspired writers so frequently and decisively declare the Divinity of CHRIST, that further proofs cannot, I think, be required.
Verse. 10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if ye do these things ye shall never fail; 11. For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior, JESUS CHRIST. [ISAIAH. 43. 11. I, even I, am JEHOVAH, and beside me there is no Savior.]
Peter says CHRIST is our Savior; but unless he were GOD, even the LORD JEHOVAH, he could not be our Savior, because JEHOVAH hath declared there is no Savior besides himself.
Verse. 21. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards GOD. 23. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son, JESUS CHRIST, and love one another as he gave us commandment.
Here are two distinct persons, GOD who commands, and CHRIST whom we are commanded to believe; and what was St. JOHN the Evangelist's creed concerning him, has been shown in the note on the first chapter of his Gospel.
Verse. 20. And we know that the Son of GOD is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son, JESUS CHRIST. This is the true GOD and eternal life.
Here we see that St. John has openly confessed his belief in the Divinity of CHRIST; and, indeed, the whole chapter is so engrossed with the subject, that it is difficult to select what is most to the point where all is so excellent.
Verse. 9. Whosoever transgresses, and abides not in the doctrine of CHRIST, hath not GOD. He that abides in the doctrine of CHRIST, he hath both the Father and the Son.
The doctrine which St. John thought to be orthodox may be learned by reading the fifth chapter of the preceding Epistle; and, indeed, we may trace the same consistent declarations through all the inspired writers, concerning the Divinity of CHRIST.
Verse. 21. Keep yourselves in the love of GOD, looking for the mercy of our LORD JESUS CHRIST unto eternal life.
Here is a reference to CHRIST, as to the merciful judge, to whom we are taught to look, for eternal life; and moreover a second person is distinctly spoken of, for we are commanded to preserve the love of GOD.
Verse. 25. To the only Wise GOD, our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.
With this magnificent declaration of the Divine Majesty of CHRIST does the series of Epistles end.
Verse. 8. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the LORD, which is, and which was, and which is to come, The ALMIGHTY.
ISAIAH. 44.6. Thus saith JEHOVAH, King of Israel, and his Redeemer, JEHOVAH of hosts, I am the first and I am the last, and beside me there is no ELOHIM.
In the above we are distinctly taught that CHRIST is the ALMIGHTY; and in Isaiah, that the Redeemer is ELOHIM, for I believe everyone will allow that the " Son of Man" and " Lord" are terms used for CHRIST JESUS throughout the New Testament.
Verse. 14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, For He is LORD of lords and KING of kings.
DEUTERONOMY. 10.17. For JEHOVAH your GOD is GOD ELOHIM, the LORD of lords, a Great GOD, a Mighty and a Terrible.
How perfectly do these two texts agree and confirm the identity of our Blessed Savior, the Lamb of GOD, with the JEHOVAH of the Old Testament.
Verse. 16. I, JESUS, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 18. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, GOD shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; 19. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, GOD shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city.
WE have already seen that the later writers of the Jewish Scriptures referred to the Books of Moses as to a common center; and we have seen, in the foregoing pages, that the Evangelists refer to these Jewish writers for the confirmation of what they assert was fulfilling in their times, and was to be fulfilled hereafter; and the authors of the Epistles also cement, as it were, together the whole body of inspired writings into one mass, for they refer to, and largely quote both from the Old Testament and the Gospels; thus obeying in the fullest extent the command of their risen Redeemer Search the Scriptures, for they it is which testify of me." The result of this research was an implicit belief in the Divinity of CHRIST.
St. John the Evangelist says, chapter. 1.1., " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with GOD, and the Word was GOD.
St. Matthew, chapter. 3 verse 3., records that St. John the Baptist quotes this prophecy of Isaiah as relating to our Savior, viz.
This is HE that was spoken of by Esaias, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of JEHOVAH, make his paths straight.
St. Stephen, while being stoned, Acts, chapter. 7 verse 38, speaking of CHRIST, says This is HE that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel, which spoke to him in Mount Sinai.
Look at the corresponding paragraph in Exodus, 19.3, and it will be seen that it is JEHOVAH who speaks to Moses.
St. Luke confirms St. Matthew's account, that St. John is appointed to make ready the people prepared for the LORD (JEHOVAH).
St. Peter in his Epistle, chapter. 1 verse 1, says David, speaking concerning JESUS, saith, I foresaw the LORD (JEHOVAH) always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.
St. Paul, writing to the Colossians, says, chapter. 2 For in Him (CHRIST) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
These few clear and very decisive instances will, I hope, show that the Apostles and Evangelists fully believed in the Divinity of our Blessed Redeemer, and that this is the creed they take so much pains to inculcate. This faith they derived from the law and
the prophets, their intercourse with JESUS CHRIST, and the inspiration of the HOLY GHOST.
The stability and sincerity of this faith they proved by enduring torments, and even death itself, in confirmation of it. Surely, then, men must read the law and the prophets, and the writings of these divinely inspired Christians, with strangely-perverted minds,
who deduce from them opinions totally at variance with those which these authors so openly and anxiously declared; and if they contrive to extract deadly poisons from these sources that have supplied holy men since the creation of the world with abundant streams of living water.
It is not the evidences of Revelation that are defective and unsatisfactory, for, as our Savior said in the parable, " If men believe not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe though one rose from the dead." Is not this undeniably proved by the misgivings and murmurings of the Jews, when conducted by JEHOVAH himself through the wilderness.
The accession which the inspired evidences require is, a teachable and humble mind in him who searches into the records of eternal life. Let us, then, with heart and soul implore ALMIGHTY GOD, who has caused these holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, that he will bestow upon us his influential spirit, that we may in such wise read mark learn and inwardly digest them that, by patience and the comfort of his holy word, we may thankfully embrace, and for ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which he has given us in our LORD and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST. Amen and Amen.