1. The end of citing these two places is, to prove that Jesus Christ is in the Old Testament called Jehovah ; which is by them denied, the granting of it being destructive to their whole cause.
2. It is granted that Jehovah is the proper and peculiar name of the one only true God of Israel ; — a name as far significant of his nature and being as possibly we are enabled to understand ; yea, so far expressive of God, that as the thing signified by it is incompre- hensible, so many have thought the very word itself to be ineffable, or at least not lawful to be uttered. This name God peculiarly ap- propriates to himself in an eminent manner, Exod. vi. 2, 3 ; so that this is taken for granted on all hands, that he whose name is Jehovah is the only true God, the God of Israel. Whenever that name is used properly, without a trope or figure, it is used of him only. What the adversaries of Christ except against this shall be vindicated in its proper place.
3. Our catechists have very faintly brought forth the testimonies that are usually insisted on in this cause, naming but two of them ; wherefore I shall take liberty to add a few more to them out of the many that are ready at hand : Isa. xl. 3, " The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make straight
■ " Quajnam ea loca Scriptui-ac quae videntur Christo qiisedam tempore certo et defi- nito attribuere ? — Ea sunt duplicia ; quorum alia nomina, alia facta respiciunt, quas Christo a Scriptui-a attribiu opinantur.
" Quoenam sunt quae Christi nomina respiciunt ? — Ea, ubi arbitrantur Jesum a Scrip- tura vocari Jehovam ; Doniimim exercittium ; Deum vcnim ; solum verum ; Deum magnum ; Dominum Deum omnipotcntem, qui fuit, qui est, et qui ventiirus est; Deum qui acquisivit propria sanguine ecclesiam ; Deum qui aniviam posuit pro nobis. — Jer. xxiii. 6; Zech. ii. 8; 1 Joh. V. 20; Jude 4; Tit. ii. 13; Apoc. i. 8, iv. 8; Act. xx. 28; 1 Joh. iii. IG.
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in the desert a highway for our God." That it is Christ who is here called Jehovah is clear from that farther expression in Mai. iii. 1, and from the execution of the thing itself, Matt. iii. 3; Mark i. 2, 3, John i. 23. Isa. xlv. 22-25, " Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth : for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the w.ord is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in Jehovah have I righteous- ness and strength : even to him shall men come ; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In Jehovah shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." The apostle ex- pressly affirms all this to be spoken of Christ, Rom. xiv. 10-12, etc. Hos. xiii. 14 is also apj^lied to Christ, 1 Cor. xv. 54, 55. He that would at once consider all the texts of the Old Testament, chiefly ascribing this name to Christ, let him read Zanchius " De Tribus Elohim," who hath made a large collection of them.
Let us now see what our catechists except against the first testi- mony : —
Q, WJiat dost thou answer to the first testimony f
A. First, that hence it cannot be necessarily evinced that the name of Jehovah is attributed to Christ. For these words, " And this is his name whereby they shall call him, The LoKD our righteousness," may be referred to Israel, of whom he spake a little before, " In his days shall Judah be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely," etc., as from a like place may be seen in the same prophet, chap, xxxiii. 15, 16, where he saith, " In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and right- eousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely : and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Loud our righteousness."' For in the Hebrew it is expressly read, " They shall call her;" which last words are referred of necessity to Jerusalem, and in this place answereth to Israel, which is put in the first place. It seems, therefore, likely that also, in the first place, these words, " They shall call him," are referred to Israel. But although we should grant that the name of Jehovah may be referred unto Christ, yet from the other testimonies it appears that it cannot be asserted that Christ is called Jehovah simply, neither doth it thence follow that Christ is really Jehovah. Whether, therefore, these last words in this testimony of Jeremiah be understood of Christ or of Israel, their sense is, " Thou Jehovah, our one God, wilt justify us;" for at that time when Christ was to appear God would do that in Israel.'
1 " Quid vero tu ad ca ordiue respoudes, ac ante omnia ad prinnira ? — Primum, quod ex eo confici non possit necessario nomen Jehovas Christo attribui. Ea enim verba, Et hoc. est nomen ejus quo vocabimt ei/m, Jehovah just ilia 7iostra, referri possunt ad Israe- lem, de quo paulo superius eodem versu loquitur, In dieh/s ejus sei-vabitur Juda, et Israel hahitahit secure, et hoc est nomen ejus, etc., ut e loco simili conspici i^otcst apud eundem prophctani, cap. xxxiii. 15, 16, ubi ait, In diebus illis, et in illo tempore, ^aciam ul cxistat Davidi Surculus justitix, et faciei judicium et juslitiam in terra. In diebus illis servabitur Juda, et Jeruscdem hahitahit secure: et hoc (supple nomen) quo vocabunl cam, Jehovam juslilix nostra. Etenim in Hebrajo expresse legitur, Vocabunl earn, quam vocem posteriorcm ad Hierusalem referri prorsus est necesse, et lioc quidcm loco Israeli, qui in priori loco positus est, rcspondet. Videtur igitur prorsus verisimile, quod in priori etiam loco, bajc verba, Vocabunt earn, ad Israelem referantur. At licet concedamus nomen Jehovso ad Christum posse referri, ex altero tamen testimonio apparet asseri non