HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. ~.-The "name." Consider on this I. THE CONNECTION WITH THE NAME JEHOVAH. "Proclaimed the name of Jehovah" (ver. 5). Observe-I. 'l'he name Jehovah connote,s mora.1 attributes. The ab~olute being is, at the sa.me time, the most perfect being. His excellence includes a.11 possible perfection. This implies the possession of mora.1 attributes. "That character," says Dea.n Graves, "from which the acutest reasoners have endeavoured demonstra- tively to deduce as from their source a.ll the Divine attributes, is SELF-EXISTENCE. Is it not then highly remarkable tha.t it is under this character the divinity is described, on his first manifestation to the Jewish lawgiver?" 2. Former revelations implied mora.1 attributes. The attributes on which, in former revela- tions, the main stress needed to be laid, were those to be illustrated in the events of the exodus-power, freedom, supremacy, changelessness (cf. on eh. iii.14; vi. 2, 3). But that moral attributes--the attributes of truth, mercy, goodness, ju..«tice, also belonged to Jehovah was shown-(!) From the na.tnre of his purpose. (2) From the character of his actings. (3) From the simple fa.et of his revea.ling himself. 3. The new revelation declare,s mora.1 attributes. Formerly, the revelation was in deeds, now it is in words. Formerly, God told Moses what, as Jehovah, he would do. Now he J.ecla.res what, as Jehovah, he is. The name was first spelt, then pronounced. Cf. with law of ordinary historica.1 progress-(!) action; (2) reflection on what has been done, with generalisation of principles. Or of scientific progress-(!) accumulat10n of facts; (2) generalisation of la.w. For this a.nno11I1cement of the na.me, the renewa.1 of the covenant furnished l\n appropriate historical occasion. . II. TEACHING OF THE NAME. The name exhibits the Divine character. It lays bare to us God's very heart. It reveals his essence. Learn-I. Thern is fustice in God. "Tha.t will by no means clear the guilty," etc. (ver. 7). (1) This attribute is essentia.1. Without it, God would not be God. Sa.ys the poet, " A God a.11 mercy 1s a God unjust." We go further, and affirm that without justice, there woul~ be no mercy left to exercise. See Homily on eh. xx.xii. 10. We ha.ve defined love rn God '.'-8 the perfect union of goodness a.nd holiness. Mercy we would define as a. mixed feeling of pity and resentment. See this point well illustrated in the chapters on "the Law of
• Dante makes Hell in part the creation of the Primal Love, Inferno, Ce.nto iii 11 5, 6 THE BOOK OF EXODUS. [on. XXXIV, 6-9.