(1.) First, Jehovah is one of the incommunicable names of God, which signifies his eternal essence.
The Jews observe that in God's name Jehovah, the Trinity is implied. Je signifies the present tense, ho the preterperfect tense, vah the future. The Jews also observe that in his name Jehovah all the Hebrew letters are literoi quiescentes, that denote rest, implying that in God and from God is all our rest. Every gracious soul is like Noah's dove, he can find no rest nor satisfaction but in God. God alone is the godly man's ark of rest and safety. Jehovah is the incommunicable name of God, and is never attributed to any but God : Ps. Ixxxiii. 19, ' Thou whose name alone is Jehovah.' Jehovah is a name so full of divine mysteries, that the Jews hold it unlawful to pronounce iti Jehovah signifies three things : —
1.] That Gt)d is an eternal, independent being of himself.
2. 1 That he gives being to all creatures, Acts xvii. 28.
3.] That he doth, and will give, being to his promises. God tells
* Eiod. IV. 3 ; Gen. ii. 4. The Jews called it nomen Dei ineffabile. But this nama Jehovah is not unspeakable in regard of the name, but in regard of the essence of God, aet forth by it, as Zanchy [Zanchius] noteth. This name was alwavs thrice repeated when the priest blessed the people, Num. vi. 24-26.
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Moses, Exod. vi. 3, that he ' appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of El Shaddai, God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them/ The name Jehovah waa known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but not mysterium nominis, the mystery of the name.i This was revealed to Moses from God, and from' Moses to the people. It is meant of the performances of his great pro- mises made to Abraham. God did promise to give the land of Canaan to Abraham's seed for an inheritance, which promise was not performed to him^ but to his seed after him ; so that this is the meaning, God appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, El Shaddai, God Almighty, in protecting, delivering, and rewarding of them, but by his name Jehovah he was not known to them. God did not perform his promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but unto their seed and posterity after them. This name Jehovah is the proper and peculiar name of tlie one, only true God, a name as far significant of his nature and being as possibly we are enabled to understand ; so that this is taken for granted on all hands, that he whose name is Jehovah is the only true God. Whenever that name is used properly, without a trope or figure, it is used of God only.
Now this glorious name Jehovah, that is so full of mysteries, is frequently ascribed to Christ : Isa. vi. 1, he is called Jehovah, for there Isaiah is said to see ' Jehovah sitting upon a throne,' &c. And, John, xii. 41, this is expressly by the holy evangelist applied to Christ, o£ whom he saith, that ' Isaiah saw his glory, and spake of him.' Exod. xvii. 1, the people are said to ' tempt Jehovah ;' and the apostle saith,, 1 Cor. X. 9, ' Let us not tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted,; and were destroyed of serpents.' It is said of Jehovah, ' Of old hast- thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works^ of thy hands ; they shall perish, but thou shalt endure,' &c., Ps. cii. 25, 26 ; and the apostle clearly testifies, Heb. i. 10, that these words are spoken of Christ. So Jehovah rained fire and brimstone from Jehovah out of heaven, Gen. xix. 24 ; that is, Jehovah, the Son of God, that stayed with Abraham, Gen, xviii., rained fire and brimstone from Jehovah the Father; and Christ is called Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness ; and in that Zech. xiii. 7, Christ is called the Father's fellow. The Lord Christ is that Jehovah, to whom every knee must bow, as appears by comparing Isa. xlv. 21-25 with Kom. xiv. 9-12 and Phil. ii. 6, 9--11. I might further insist upon this argu- ment, and shew that the title of Lord, so often given to Christ in the New Testament, doth answer to the title of Jehovah in the Old Tes- tament. And, as some learned men conceive, the apostles did purposely use the title of Lord, that they might not offend the Jews with fre- quent pronouncing of the word Jehovah : ' Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God.' Deut. vi. 13 and x. 20 is rendered by the apostle, ' Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God ;' and so Deut. vi. 5, ' Thou shalt love Jehovah thy God,' is rendered. Mat. xxii. 37, ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.' Thus you see that in several precious scriptures
* Gen. XX. 14, 'Abraham called the name of the place Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will Bee, or provide.' Besides, the fathers of old are said not to have known God by his name Jehovah, in comparison of that which their posterity knew afterwards ; for to them God made himself more clearly and plenarily known.
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Jesus Christ is called Jehovah ; and therefore we may very safely and confidently conclude that Jesus Christ is very God, God blessed for ever. But,
(2.) The second name or title which denotes the essence of God is Ehieh, ' I am that I am,' or, I will be what I will be, Exod. iii. 14.i It hath the same root with Jehovah, and signifies that God is an eter- nal, unchangeable being. Some make this name to be Gods extra- ordinary name. Damascene saith this name containeth all things in it, like a vast and infinite ocean without bounds. This glorious name of God, I AM THAT I AM, impHcs these six things. [1.] God's incom- prehensibleness : as we use to say of anything we would not have others pry into, it is what it is, so God saith here to Moses, I am WHAT I AM. [2.] It implies God's immensity, that his being is with- out any limits. Angels and men have their beings, but then they are bounded and limited within such a compass ; but God is an immense being that cannot be included within any bounds. [3.] It implies that God is of himself, and hath not a being dependent upon any other. ' I am,' that is, by and from and of myself. [4,] It implies God's eternal and uncJiangeahle being in himself. It implies God's everlastingness. ' I am before anything was, and shall for ever be.' There never was nor shall be time wherein God could not say of him- self, ' I am.' [5.] It implies that there is no succession of time with God. And, [6.] It implies that he is a God that gives being to all things.'^ In short, the reason why God nameth himself, ' I am that I AM,' or will be that I will be, is because he is the Being of beings, subsisting by himself ; as if he should say, I am my being, I am my essence ; my existence differeth not from my essence, because I am that I am, and as I am, so will I be to all eternity,' ' the same yester- day, to-day, and for ever.' ' There is no shadow of change, no vari- ableness at all in me.'