Immagini della pagina
PDF
ePub

the Lord is the Word. This shall now be further demonstrated from those passages of the Word where the Lord is called Jehovah, the God of Israel and of Jacob, the Holy One of Israel, Lord, and God; as also King, the Anointed of Jehovah, and David. It may first be expedient to remark, that it has been granted me to read over all the Prophets, and the Psalms of David, examining every single verse, with a perception of the subject treated of; when I found that the contents relate to nothing else, than the church established, and to be established, by the Lord; his coming, his combats, glorification, redemption, and salvation; and of heaven, as existing from him; with, at the same time, their opposites. Now, since all these are the works of the Lord, it was evident to me, that the whole of the Sacred Scripture relates to him, and hence that the Lord is the Word. This, however, cannot be seen, but by those who are inwardly enlightened by the Lord, and who have also a knowledge of the spiritual sense of the Word. All the angels of heaven enjoy this knowledge; and therefore when the Word is read by man, this is the only sense in which they comprehend it for spirits and angels are present with man continually, and they, being spiritual, understand spiritually what man understands naturally. That the whole Sacred Scripture treats of the Lord, may be seen, but only as through a glass, darkly, from these passages cited from the Word in the first section above, as also from those which shall now be produced from the Word, to shew how continually he is there called Lord and God; from which, however, this may appear clearly, that it was he who spake by the Prophets, and whom they mean when they say, Jehovah spake, Jehovah said, and the saying of Jehovah.

THAT THE LORD EXISTED BEFORE HIS COMING INTO THE WORLD, appears from these passages: John the Baptist said of the Lord," He it is who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoes' latchet I am not worthy to unloose.-This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me" (John i. 27, 30). In the Revelation: "And the four-and-twenty elders fell upon their faces, and worshiped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who art, and wast, and art to come” (xi. 16, 17). Also in Micah: "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" (v. 2). The Lord himself likewise declares in the Evangelists, that he was before Abraham; that he was in glory with the Father before the foundation of the world; that he came forth from the Father: and John affirms that the Word was from the beginning with

* N. 1-6.

God, and that the Word was God, and that it was this which was made flesh.

We will now proceed to shew that the Lord is called Jehovah, the God of Israel and of Jacob, the Holy One of Israel, God, and Lord; also King, the Anointed of Jehovah, and David. 38. I. THAT THE LORD IS CALLED JEHOVAH, appears from these passages: "Thus saith JEHOVAH that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel: Fear not; for I have redeemed thee.-I am JEHOVAH thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour" (Isaiah xliii. 1, 3). "I am JEHOVAH your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King" (verse 15). "And all flesh shall know, that I JEHOVAH am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob" (Isaiah xlix 26). "Thou shalt know that I JEHOVAH am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob" (Isaiah lx. 16). "JEHOVAH that formed me from the womb" (Isaiah xlix. 5). "JEHOVAH is my strength and my Redeemer" (Psalm xix. 14). "Thus saith

JEHOVAH, that made thee and formed thee from the womb.— Thus saith JEHOVAH, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, JEHOVAH OF HOSTS" (Isaiah xliv. 2, 6). "As for our Redeemer, JEHOVAH OF HOSTS is his name, the Holy One of Israel" (xlvii. 4) "With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith JEHOVAH thy Redeemer" (Isaiah liv. 8). "Their Redeemer is strong, JEHOVAH OF Hosts is his name" (Jerem. 1. 34). "JEHOVAH is my rock, and my fortress, and the horn of my salvation,-my Saviour" (2 Sam. xxii. 2, 3). "Thus saith JEHOVAH your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah xliii. 14; xlviii. 17). "Thus saith JEHOVAH the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One:-kings shall see and arise" (Isaiah xlix. 7). "I am JEHOVAH, and besides me there is no Saviour" (Isaiah xliii. 11). "Who hath declared this from ancient time? Have not I JEHOVAH? and there is no God else beside me :look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth" (Isaiah xlv. 21, 22). "I am JEHOVAH thy God,-there is no Saviour besides me" (Hosea xiii. 4). "Thou hast redeemed me, O JEHOVAH, God of truth" (Psalm xxxi. 5). "Let Israel hope in JEHOVAH; for with JEHOVAH there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption; he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities" (Psalm cxxx. 7, 8). "JEHOVAH OF HOSTS is his name, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall he be called" (Isaiah liv. 5). In these passages, JEHOVAH is called the Redeemer and Saviour; but as the Lord is the only Redeemer and Saviour, it follows that it is he who is there meant by Jehovah.

That the Lord is Jehovah, or that Jehovah is the Lord, also appears from the following passages: "There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots, and the spirit of JEHOVAH shall rest upon him"

(Isaiah xi. 1, 2). "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" (Isaiah xxv. 9). "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of JEHOVAH, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.—And the glory of JEHOVAH shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. Behold, THE LORD JEHOVAH will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him" (Isaiah xl. 3, 5, 10). "I, Jehovah,-will give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles-I am JEHOVAH, that is my name, and my glory will I not give to another” (Isaiah xlii. 6, 8). "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;-and this is his name whereby he shall be called,-JEHOVAH our righteousness" (Jerem. xxiii. 5, 6). "But thou Bethlehem Ephratah,-out of thee shall He come forth unto me, that is to be ruler in Israel. -He shall stand and feed in the strength of JEHOVAH" (Micah v. 2, 4). "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, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father :-upon the throne of David, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth even for ever" (Isaiah ix. 6, 7). "JEHOVAH shall go forth and fight against those nations. -And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem" (Zech. xiv. 3, 4). "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is the King of Glory? JEHOVAH strong and mighty, JEHOVAH mighty in battle" (Psalm xxiv. 7—10). "In that day shall JEHOVAH OF HOSTS be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people" (Isaiah xxviii. 5). "I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of JEHOVAH" (Malachi iv. 5). Not to mention other passages, where mention is made of the day of JEHOVAH, and it is said to be great or near; as Ezek. xxx. 3; Joel ii. 11; Amos v. 18, 20; Zeph. i. 14, 15, 18.

39. II. THAT THE LORD IS CALLED THE GOD OF ISRAEL, AND THE GOD OF JACOB, appears from the following passages: "Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant which Jehovah hath made with you: and they saw THE GOD OF ISRAEL; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven" (Exod. xxiv. 8, 10). "The multitude wondered when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see; and they glorified THE GOD OF ISRAEL" (Matt. xv. 31).

"Blessed be the LORD GOD OF ISRAEL, for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David" (Luke i. 68, 69). "I will give thee the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I Jehovah, who call thee by thy name, am THE GOD OF ISRAEL" (Isaiah xlv. 3). "Hear ye this, O house of Jacob,-which swear by the name of Jehovah, and make mention of THE GOD OF ISRAEL :-for they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon THE GOD OF ISRAEL; Jehovah of Hosts is his name" (Isaiah xlviii. 1, 2). "When he [Jacob] seeth his children-in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear THE GOD OF ISRAEL" (Isaiah xxix. 23). "In the last days-many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of THE GOD OF JACOB; and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths" (Isaiah ii. 2, 3). "And all flesh shall know that I Jehovah am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, THE MIGHTY ONE OF JACOB" (Isaiah xlix. 26). "I Jehovah am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the MIGHTY ONE OF JACOB" (Isaiah lx. 16). "Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of Jehovah, at the presence of THE GOD OF JACOB" (Psalm cxiv. 7). David " sware unto Jehovah, and vowed unto THE MIGHTY ONE OF JACOB; Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, until I find out a place for Jehovah, a habitation for the MIGHTY GOD OF JACOB. Lo, we heard of it in Ephratah [Bethlehem]” (Psalm cxxxii. 2, 3, 5, 6). "Blessed be Jehovah God, THE GOD OF ISRAEL;-the whole earth shall be filled with his glory" (Psalm lxxii. 18, 19). Not to mention those passages where the Lord is called the God of Israel, the Redeemer and Saviour; as Luke i. 47; Isaiah xlv. 15; Psalm lxxviii. 35; besides many other places, where he is only called the God of Israel; as Isaiah xvii. 6; xxi. 10, 17; xxiv. 15; xxix. 23; Jerem. vii. 3; ix. 15; xi. 3; xiii. 12; xvi. 9; xix. 3, 15; xxiii. 2; xxiv. 5; xxv. 15, 27; xxix. 4, 8, 21, 25; xxx. 2; xxxi. 23; xxxii. 14, 15, 36; xxxiii. 4; xxxiv. 2, 13; xxxv. 13, 17, 18, 19; xxxvii. 7; xxxviii. 17; xxxix. 16; xlii. 9, 15, 18; xliv. 2, 7, 11, 25; xlviii. 1; 1. 18; li. 33; Ezek. viii. 4; ix. 3; x. 19, 20; xi. 22; xliii. 2; xliv. 2; Zeph. ii. 9; Psalm xli. 13; lix. 5; lxviii. 8.

40. III. THAT THE LORD IS CALLED THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL, appears from these passages: The angel said unto Mary, "That HOLY THING which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke i. 35). "I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold, a watcher, and a HOLY ONE came down from heaven” (Dan. iv. 13). "God came from Teman, and the HOLY ONE from Mount Paran” (Habak. iii. 3). "I am Jehovah your HOLY ONE, the Creator of Israel, your

king" (Isaiah xliii. 15). "Thus saith Jehovah the Redeemer of Israel, and his HOLY ONE" (Isaiah xlix. 7). "I am Jehovah thy God, THE HOLY ONE of Israel, thy Saviour" (Isaiah xliii. 3). "As for our Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts is his name, the HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL" (Isaiah xlvii. 4). "Thus saith Jehovah your Redeemer, THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL" (Isaiah xliii. 14; xlviii. 17). "Jehovah of Hosts is his name, and thy Redeemer THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL" (Isaiah liv. 5). "They tempted God, and limited the HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL" (Psalm lxxviii. 41). "They have forsaken Jehovah, they have provoked THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL" (Isaiah i. 4). They say, "Cause THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL to cease from before us: wherefore thus saith THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL" (Isaiah xxx. 11, 12). They say, "Let him make speed and hasten his work, that we may see it, and let the counsel of THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL draw nigh and come" (Isaiah v. 19). "In that day the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob,-shall stay upon Jehovah, THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL, in truth" (Isaiah x. 20). "Cry out, and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion, for great is THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL in the midst of thee" (Isaiah xii. 6). "Thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel: At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect unto THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL" (Isaiah xvii. 6, 7). "The meek shall increase their joy in Jehovah, and the poor among men shall rejoice in THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL" (Isaiah xxix. 19; xli. 16). "Nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of Jehovah thy God, and for THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL" (Isaiah lv. 5). "The isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far,unto the name of Jehovah thy God, and to THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL" (Isaiah lx. 9). "Babylon-hath been proud against Jehovah, against THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL" (Jerem. I. 29). Not to mention many other passages. By the Holy One of Israel, is signified the Lord with respect to the Divine Human; as is evident from the declaration of the angel Gabriel to Mary: "That Holy Thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God" (Luke i. 35). That Jehovah and the Holy One of Israel, although they are distinctly named, are but One, is also evident from the places above cited, in which it is said, that Jehovah is himself the Holy One of Israel.

41. IV. THAT THE LORD IS CALLED LORD, AND GOD, appears from so many passages, that, if quoted, they would fill many pages; let these few suffice: In John, when Thomas had been desired by the Lord to behold his hands and feel his side, he said, "My LORD, and my GOD" (xx. 28). In the Psalms: "They remembered that God was their rock, and the HIGH GOD their Redeemer" (lxxviii. 35). In Isaiah: "Jehovah of hosts is his name, and thy Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, the God

« IndietroContinua »