ever they met with this great Name of God, JEHOVAH, they always rendered it by Kúgros, which being derived from Kúgw, to be,' was the most proper word in all the Greek language, whereby to express the true meaning of it. But this word, Kugos, being in process of time used to signify a lord or governor; and being so used also in other places, both of the Old and New Testament, therefore our translators also, all along, render Jehovah, by the LORD.' But that the reader may always know when it is the proper Name of God, they took care, that whensoever JEHOVAH was used in the original text, the LORD' is always written in capitals or great letters; so that whensoever you read the LORD so written, you may conclude that it signifies Jehovah (which is more than can be said of any other translation that I ever saw or heard of): as in my text, the LORD,' you see, is written all in great letters, which shews that in the original it is, Jehovah reigneth.' And so all over the Old Testament. But wheresoever the original hath any other word that signifies a lord, there 'Lord' is always written in smaller characters, on purpose to distinguish it from Jehovah.

But for our better understanding the meaning of this great Name JEHOVAH, there are several things much to be observed in the use of it all along in the Holy Writ: as first, that it is never used with any genitive case after it, except Sabaoth, or Hosts. He is never called Jehovah, the LORD of Angels, of Men, of Heaven, of Earth, but always simply or absolutely, JEHOVAH, the LORD.' It is true, in this very Psalm He is called "the Lord of the whole Ps. 97.5. earth." But in the original it is not Jehovah, but 1778, and therefore it is written in smaller characters, as other words are, not as in my text, where the LORD is written all in great letters, to shew, as I observed before, that the Hebrew word is Jehovah, which signifying Being in general, cannot properly have any particular genitive case after it; for that would restrain it to some particular thing, as if He should be called Jehovah, the Being of the earth, that would imply as if He Himself was the very Being of the earth, or at least as if He gave being to that in a more particular manner than to any thing else; whereas He equally gives being to every thing that is, and is Himself not the Being or Essence of any thing,

CIV.

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SERM. but Being in general, the Being of all Beings. And that is the reason why, although He is never called Jehovah, the LORD of any thing else, yet He is frequently called, The LORD of Hosts,' or Sabaoth,' because Sabaoth or Hosts, most properly signifies all things; all things in the world, in their several ranks and orders, being as so many hosts or armies, which He, as Generalissimo, commands and governs. And hence it is that Plato seems to have borrowed that notion of God, when he called Him öv övrwv, 'the Being of Beings,' that being the most proper signification of this Divine expression, "The LORD of Hosts."

[James 1. 17.]

to us,

But here we may farther observe, that although Jehovah hath Sabaoth or Hosts often following, yet is never changed according to the idiom of the Hebrew tongue in the like cases. For when any other word hath a genitive case following it (especially such as end in 7, as this doth) it admits of some variation at the end of it, whereby it is known to have so; whereas this never admits of any, but is always just the same wheresoever it occurs; as God Himself is, whatsoever He doth; which shews, that this Name is properly adapted, and used in a peculiar manner, to represent Him "with Whom is no variableness or shadow of change." Another thing worthy of observation in this Name is, that it is always used by itself, without any adjective joined with God is often called a wise, a merciful, an almighty, an eternal God, but never a wise, a merciful, an almighty, an eternal Jehovah, but absolutely Jehovah the LORD, at least in the original; and if it be otherwise in any translation, it is certainly a great mistake: and the reason is, because every adjective implies something added to the word it is joined with; whereas nothing can be added to Jehovah, all properties and perfections whatsoever being fully contained in the word itself: for that signifying, as I have observed, Being in general, it must needs comprehend under it, wisdom, and power, and greatness, and glory, and goodness, and justice, and mercy, and immensity, and eternity, and all other perfections that are or have any being at all.

it.

And therefore, it would be very improper to add any one or more of them to that Name under which they are all contained; except it be unity itself, which doth not signify any particular property, but the absolute perfection of the

Divine Essence itself, and its identity and equality in the

Three Persons which subsist in it; as where it is said,

Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God is One LORD." Deut. 6. 4. Where the words, which we translate 'God,' being in the plural number, plainly signifies the Three Persons, of which it is here said, that they are "One LORD, One JEHOVAH, One BEING;" that is, although they be distinguished from each other by their personal properties, yet they have all one and the same individual essence. And hence it is that all and every one of them are equally called Jehovah, the LORD; even the Son and the Holy Jer. 23. 6. Ghost as well as the Father. As it is said, that the Saviour of the world shall be called 17, THE LORD

OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS,' which can be understood of none but the Son, "Who of God is made unto us wisdom 1 Cor. 1. 30. and righteousness," and Who is therefore expressly called THE LORD: and so He is in many other places of the Old Testament. And as for the Holy Ghost, the Prophets all along call Him the LORD; saying, "Thus saith the LORD:" for seeing they "spake as they were moved by 2 Pet. 1. 21. the Holy Ghost," it must needs be He Whom they call the LORD, whensoever they use that Divine expression.

And besides, He is called One LORD also, in respect of the properties or perfections which are commonly attributed to Him. For although, as I observed before, He is never called a wise, a merciful, an almighty Jehovah, nor hath this Name any other adjective, except One, ever joined with it; yet these and all other perfections are usually predicted upon it; so that it is often said, that Jehovah is wise, and merciful, and almighty, and good, and just, and eternal, and the like. But, howsoever, these perfections are severally attributed to Him; yet, really, as they are in Him, they are Himself, One Lord, One Being. And all the difference or distinction there is betwixt them, is only in our different apprehension of this One Being; which acting severally upon several objects, we apprehend it as acting from several properties, by reason of the finiteness of our understandings, which cannot conceive of an Infinite Being wholly as it is in itself, but as it were by piecemeal, as it represents itself to us: whereas, if we could look upon God as He is in

SERM. Himself, we should see all perfections whatsoever so conCIV. centred in Him, that they are all one and the same perfection; and so He is still, simply and absolutely, without any mixture or composition, One JEHOVAH, One LORD.

I shall observe only one thing more at present concerning this great name, and that is, that although God never promiseth to be Jehovah to us, nor is ever called our LORD, but only our God, yet He often makes use of this name to confirm what He saith or promiseth to His people, saying, "I am the LORD"- as we see all along both in Moses and the Prophets. And this doubtless is the highest asseveration that can be made of any truth: for when God saith, "I am the LORD," it is as much as if He should say, What I now say is as certain as that I am the LORD; and I who say it being the LORD, Being itself, whatsoever say must needs be just as I say it; so that it is absolutely impossible it should be otherwise. And thus He Himself Mal. 3. 6. interprets it, saying, "I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed;" that is, I being the LORD, I cannot change, and therefore what I say cannot but be as I say it shall: and that is the reason why ye sons of Jacob are not consumed, because I have promised ye shall not be consumed, and have confirmed that promise by My great Name, saying, "I am the LORD."

I

This observation, duly considered will give great light to many obscure places, and particularly to that where we Exod. 6.2,3. read, "And God said unto Moses, I am the LORD. 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 unto them." That which makes this place so difficult is, because this Name of God, Jehovah, was certainly known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for God often used it when He spake to them, and they too when they spake to Him. How then could it be here said, By My Name Jehovah was I not known unto them?" To understand this, we may consider, that when God entered into covenant with Abraham, He said unto him, Gen. 17.1,4., "I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect. As for Me, behold, My covenant is

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with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations." Where He plainly useth this expression, 8, ‘I am God Almighty,' to confirm His covenant, that Abraham might more firmly believe that He was able to perform what He promised, seeing He was God Almighty. Before this God had said to Abraham, "I am the LORD that Gen. 15. 7. brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees." And afterwards

He said to Jacob, "I am the LORD God of Abraham ch. 28. 13. thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed." In both which places, though He uses the expression, "I am the Exod. 6. 2. LORD," yet He adds something else to it to make up the proposition; and we never find it used by itself, for the confirmation of what He said, till the place above-mentioned; where God first of all saith, "I am Jehovah," or "I am the LORD." And therefore, the meaning of what follows must needs be this, that God appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so as to confirm His promise to them, by saying, "I am God Almighty," but not by His Name Jehovah, saying, "I am Jehovah," or "I am the LORD," as He doth now to the children of Israel. So that, though they did know this to be His Name, yet they did not know that God would establish His covenant with them by it, as He doth now, saying, "I am the LORD." And I am the more induced to believe this to be the true meaning of the place, because God is pleased both to begin and end what He here promiseth by this expression. And though it was never used before, yet from this time forward, nothing is more frequent, both in Moses and the Prophets, than for God to confirm what He saith to His people, by saying, "I am the LORD."

From what we have hitherto briefly discoursed concerning this great and glorious Name, whereby the Most High God is pleased to reveal Himself to us in His Holy Word, and particularly in my text, calling Himself JEHOVAH, the LORD, we may easily gather what kind of thoughts. He would have us, His creatures, entertain in our minds concerning Him; that when we think of Him, we must raise our thoughts above all things else, and think of Him as the Universal Being of the world, that gives essence and