b:, faith, sight shoulcl bo vouchsafed to him. "Now shalt thou see," etc. Hnman infirmity is so gre1it, man's faith is so weak, the best are so liable to accesses of d.istruRt and despondency, th£1t, if God were extreme to mark what is in this way done amiss fow indeed would be those who could "abide it." Therefore, in his mercy, he con: descends. Well for man could he breathe continually the higher, rarer, atmosphere of faith. Dut, if he cannot, yet has Godward aspirations, so that he takes his distruat and his despondency to God, as Moses did, God will in no wise cast him out. He will not "break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax." He will accept the imperfect sorvice that is still service, and allow his servant to work in a lower sphere. Henceforth the faith of Moses was not much tried-he had soon sight to walk by. When once the series of plagues began, he could no longer ask, "Why is it that thou hast sent me?" He could see that the end was being advanced-the deliverance being extorted from the king-and that the day of final triumph was fast corning. Vers. 2, 3.-God's names and their importance. With men a name is simply a" mark of difference "-a mode of distinguishing one individual from another; and the particular name that a man bears is, generally speaking, a matter of the very slightest importance. But with God the case is otherwise. The names of God have always been among all men significant names. If their signification is clear, or generally known, then men's views of the Supreme Being are vitally affected by the names under which they know him. Persons whose only name for God is Dyaus or Tien-" the heaven "-are not likely to be strongly apprehensive of the personality and spirituality of the Creator. If God is known as Ammon, the main idea of him will be, that he is a. riddle and a mystery; if as Shaddai, that he is powerful ; if as Mazda, that he is wise or bounteous. When monotheism is firmly established, it is well that God should be known by many names, as El, Elohim, Adonai, Eliun, Shaddai, Jehovah, because then his many and various attributes are better apprehended. If, however, God is to be known by one name only, or by one special name, while there is none more pure or lofty than Jehovah-" the Self-Existent"-there is none more tender and loving than our own English name, God --i.e. " the Good." Vers. 4-8.-God a keeper of covenants. God is declared in Scripture to be one who "keepeth covenant and mercy, yea, to a thousand generations" (Deut. vii. 9). He is ever faithful. He cannot lie. He is not a man that he should repent. The bow which he set in the cloud, when he covenanted with Noah that the waters should no more become a flood to destroy all flesh, is still there, and the promise of which it was the sign has been kept--there has come no repetition of the Flood, no second destruction of mankind by water. God has kept the covenant which he made with Israel at Sinai- first, on the side of promise, in giving them all the good things which he said he would give them; and then, on the side of threatening, in bringing upon them all the calami- ties which he said he would bring. With Christians, too, God enters into covenant at their baptism, promising them protection, spiritual aid, and eternal life in heaven, on their maintaining faith and repentance. This covenant, like his others, he will assuredly keep. Let them be but true to him, and they need have no fear but that he will be true to them. The Promised Land will be theirs-he will give it to them for an heritage-he, Jehovah I
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-9.-.A Divine commentary on a Divine name. The antiquity of the na.me Jehovah, setting aside direct testimonies to its occurrence in earlier scriptures, is sufficiently proved by its etymology (from havah, an old-and, in the days of Moses, obsol(lte--fonn of the verb "to be"), and from its presence (in composition) in pre- Mosaic proper names (e.g. ver. 20). It is absurd to press this passage in proof of the ignorance of the patriarchs of this name of God, when one observes-I. That the context plainly relates to a co=entary which God wa~ about to give on this name in deeds. 2. That the name is not here announced, but is presupposed as known-" My name Jehovah." 3. 'l'hat in eh. iii. 14-16, where it is announced, it is expressly referred to as a name of older date--God styling himself repeatedly, "Jehovah God of 142 THE BOOK OF EXODUS. [OH. VI. 1-3.