TO THE EDITORS OF THE CON- | is agreeable to fcripture, will put NECTICUT EVANGELICAL MAG

AZINE.

GENTLEMEN,

IF you deem the following worthy of infertion, you may publifh it in the magazine.

'HE divinity of our Lord

T Jefus Chrift is, juftfy, to be

viewed as the corner ftone of the Chriftian fyftem. Take this away, and the whole building muft fall to the ground; a fatal blow is ftruck, and the church, which is profeffedly founded upon this rock, is found to be a building which overlays its foundation. The importance of this doctrine can never be too forcibly ineulcated, nor its evidences fet in too clear a light. This is more efpecially neceffary, as it meets with much oppofition at the prefent day. The writer of these hints has no intention to enter into a particular detail of the feriptural evidences of that truth, nor fo much as to point out the various fources from whence they are derived. This has been frequently done by abler hands, much to the fatisfaction of the friends of truth. There is one thing however, which, if it VOL. III. No. 3.

the matter out of all difpate, viz. That Jefus Chrift, called the fon of God, the fecond person in the glorious Trinity; the divine perfon, conftituted to be the Meffiah, and afterwards incarnate, was, emphatically, the Jehovah of the old teftament.

The following brief hints on that fubject, may, perhaps, excite fome perfon of greater abili ties, and more leifure, to a more thorough investigation.

When our Lord fays, John viii. 58. "Before Abraham was I am;" There seems to be a plain allufion to the name affumed by Jehovah, the God of Ifrael, when he called, commiffioned and fent forth Mofes, to deliver his people out of their Egyptian bon dage. Exod. iii. 14. "And God faid unto Mofes, I am that I am. And he faid, thus fhalt thou_say unto the children of Ifrael, I am hath fent me unto you." name undoubtedly implying eternity, felf exiftence and independence, and excluding fucceffion of paft and future. This name Chrift affumes, as the fon of God. He does not fay I was; but I am, L

A

fpake unto Mofes face to face, as a man fpeaketh unto his friend." Chap. xxxiii. 11. Ifaiah alfo,

Thefe vifible appearances, as well as others recorded in the old teflament, were, no doubt, to be understood, as preludes of the future incarnations of the son of God.

It is alfo worthy of remark, that names which were peculiar,

the fame 26 as, Jefus Chrift the fame yefterday, to-day, and forever." In Numb. xxi. 5-10. we have an account of a remark-"faw the Lord fitting on his throne, able murmuring of the children of high and lifted up, and his train Ifrael, againft God and against filled the temple." Ifaiah vi. 1. Mofes. To punish their rebek Mine eyes have seen the king, lions and murmurings, God fent the Lord of Hofts." ver. 5. fiery flying ferpents among them, That this appearance of the Lord, which bit them and many of the or Jehovah of Hofts, was an appeople died. It was undoubtedly pearance of the Lord Jefus Chrift, Jehovah, the God of Ifrael, whom we are exprefsly informed, John the children of Ifrael tempted. xii. 41. "Thefe things faid EfaiCompare this account with 1 Cor.as, when he faw his glory, and x. 9. "Neither let us tempt fpake of him." Chrift, as fome of them alfo tempted, and were deftroyed offerpents." Evidently alluding to the fiery flying ferpents. The glory of God the father, or the glory of the divine effence, is feen only in the fon, but is, in any other way, invifible. "No man hath feen God at any time; the only begot-or ten fon, which is in the bofom of the father, he hath declared him." John i. 18. but Jehovah the God of Ifrael, fometimes made himfelf vifible: Adam and Eve, after their firft tranfgreffion," heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden, in the cool of the day," Gen. iii. 8. The Lord appeared, at different times, to Abraham, particularly when circumcifion was inftituted. Gen. xvii. and when he interceded for Sodom. Chap. xviii. "The Lord appeared unto Mofes in a flame of fire, in the bufh." Exod. iii. 2. Mofes, Aaron, and the elders of Ifrael, faw the God of Ifrael. "And they faw the God of If-of light, by obferving that the rael, and there was under his feet, as it were the paved work of a fapphire ftone. Alfo they faw God and did eat and drink." Ex. xxiv. 10, 11. "And the fight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire, on the top of the cunt." 17. "And the Lord

appropriate to the God of Ifrael, are given, both in the old telament and new, to the Lord Jefus Chrift, particularly the name Jehovah, which the God of Ifrael challenges as his peculiar right, and the Jews ever efteemed the moft facred of any of the divine names or titles. Chrift is exprefsly called by this moft facred name, Jer. xxiii. 6. "And this is the name whereby he shall be called the Lord (or Jehovah) our righteoufnefs." i. e. the righteous branch, which was to be raifed up unto David, was to be called by this name, as appears from the foregoing verfe. This may be placed in a ftill more ftriking point

word Jehovah in the Hebrew, which, when tranflated in the old teftament, is ufually rendered Lord, is conftantly by the feptua gint interpreters, who were undoubtedly acquainted with the idioms of both languages, rendered kurios in the Greek, which is,

priate name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which is a ftrong prefumption that Jefus Christ is the Jehovah.

in the new teftament, invariably, mighty God, are alfo names aptranflated Lord, and is an appro-propriated to Jehovah the God of Ifrael; but thefe are ufed where the Lord redeemer, is undoubtedly the perfonage meant. To this Spurpofe notice the following paffages asa fpecimen, Ifaiah ix. 6. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is given, and the government fhall be upon his fhoulder, and his name fhall be called Wonderful, Counfellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." Chap. xlv. 18, 21, 22. "The Lord that created the heavens, God himself that formed the earth and made it-A juft God and a Saviour-Look unto me and be ye faved, all the ends of the earth for I am God and there is none else."

The names and titles of Holy One, Holy One of God, and Holy One of Ifrael, are, alfo, promifcuously applied to Jehovah, the God of Ifrael, and to the Lord Jefus Christ. These names and titles, the laft the moft frequent, are ufed nearly fifty times in the old teftament, and more frequently by the prophet Ifaiah than by any other facred writer. They are the appropriate names or titles of Jehovah the God of Ifrael, but they are many times ufed where Jefus Christ is unqueftionably meant. To this purpofe The fame relations to the fee Pfalm xvi. 10. "Thou wilt church, the fpiritual Ifrael, are not fuffer thine Holy one, to fee alfo fuftained by Jehovah the God corruption." Pfalm lxxxix. 19. of Ifrael, and by the Lord Jefus "Thoufpakest in vifion to thine Chrift. I fhall inftance only in holy one." To the fame purpose the relation of a husband, or the fee Ifaiah xli. 14. xliii. 14. xlviii. exiftence of a marriage covenant 17. xlix, 7. lv. 5. lx. 14. The between them. Jehovah the God fame title is alfo given to Chrift in of Ifrael, was the husband of his the new teftament, Mark i. 14. people, Ifaiah liv. 5. "For thy Luke iv. 34. Acts ii. 17. xiii. 35. maker is thine hufband, the Lord That name or title, being in thefe, of hofts is his name." Jer. xxxi. and parallel places, promifcuoufly 32. "Which my covenant they applied to the Jehovah of Ifracl, brake, altho' I was an hufband and to the redeemer, makes it, at unto them faith the Lord." leaft, probable, that by the Jehovah Chap. liv. 1. "More are the of the old teftament, we are to children of the defolate, than the understand, by way of eminence, children of the married wife faith the fecond perfon in the Trinity, the Lord." Ezek. xvi. 8—20, who was afterwards incarnate, and 21. "I entered into a covenant that, as he wrought deliverances with thee, faith the Lord God. for Ifrael, which were peculiar and thou becameft mine." i. e. in to them above all other people, fo a marriage relation. "Thou haft he hath perfected a glorious re-taken thy fons and thy daughters, demption, for his fpiritual Ifrael, and therefore, both in the typical and antitypical deliverance, he makes himself known to his people by the fame names and titles. The name of God, great God, and

whom thou hast born unto me, and thefe haft thou facrificed, Thou haft flain my children." Hofea ii. 19. I will betroth thee unto me forever; yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteoul

nefs, and in judgment, and in loving kindness, and in mercies." Jer. iii. 14. "Turn O backfliding children, faith the Lord; for am married unto you." But it is the Lord Jefus Chrift, who is, by way of eminence, the hufband of the church. The entire book of Solomon's Song is an allegorical reprefentation of the myftical marriage between, Chrift and the church. He is exprefsly called the husband of the church. 2 Cor. xi. 2. “For I have efpoufed you to one husband, that I may prefent you, as a chafte virgin unto Chrift." Rev. xxi. 9. "I will fhew thee the bride, the lamb's wife."

ken of in the beginning of the pfalm, as the Lord who reigneth over all the earth, and who hath righteoufnefs and judgment for the habitation of his throne. But this paffage is, by the infpired penman of the epiftle to the Hebrews, cited and applied unto Chrift, in the character of the only begotten fon of God, only with this variation, that they who are, by the Pfalmift, called Gods, are, by the apostle, called angels. Heb. i. 6. Pfalm xlv. is one which according to the opinion of all judicious interpreters is applicable to the Lord Jefus Chrift, but verse 6, "Thy throne O God is forever and ever, the fceptre of thy kingdom is a right fceptre," is without all difpute applicable to Jehovah the God of Ifrael, who alone hath a kingdom, and everlafting dominion. But this pas fage is cited and applied to Christ as the fon of God. Heb. i. 8. More particularly ftill, we have fome peculiarly ftriking characteriftics of Jehovah the God of Ifrael, Pfalm cii. 25, 26, 27.

In addition to thefe remarks, let it be observed, that many texts in the old teftament, which evi"dently relate to Jehovah the God of Ifrael, are cited by the facred penman of the new teftament, and, applied to the Lord Jefus Chrift. Among inftances of this kind, the following may be felected, as deferving notice. Pfalm lxviii. 18. "Thou hast afcended on high, thou haft led captivity cap-" Thy years are throughout all tive, thou haft received gifts for mon; yea for the rebellious alfo, that the Lord God might dwell among them." That he who is reprefented as afcending up on high is the fame with Jehovah the God of Ifrael, appears both from the scope of the Pfalm, and from the immediate context. But this paffage is cited by the Apoftle Paul, and applied to Chrift. Eph. iv. 8. Pfalm xlvii. 5. "God is gone up with a shout, and the Lord with the found of a trumpet," refers to Jehovah the God of Ifrael, but has an evident allu fion to the afcenfion of Chrift. Pfalm xcvii." Worship him all ye Gods." The him whom all the Gods are to worship, is fpo

generations. Of old haft thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou fhalt endure, yea all of them fhall wax old as a garment, as a vesture fhalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: but

thou art the fame and thy years fhall have no end," cited and applied to Chrift, Heb. i. 10, II, 12. Ifaiah xl. 3. "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, or Jehohovah." That this Lord or Jehovah, was Chrift appears from the citation and application of the paffage in the new teftament, Mat. iii. 3. Ifaiah viii. 13, 14. "Sanctify the Lord, (or Jeho- vah) of Hofts himself, and let

Thoughts on the Angel of the Lord. Hagar in terms proper only for

you judge the following worthy of a place, you will pleafely. The fame form of exprefto infert it in your very useful fion which God used to Abraham, magazine. Ifaac and Jacob. And pronou