THE

PART II.

EXOD. xxxiv. 5- 27.

HE fame method fuits this Part which was ufed in the former. I fhall,

FIRST, Confider the PARTIES Covenanting.

1. THE firft party proclaimed himself to be the Lord, the Lord God merciful," &c.He is "the Lord, the Lord;" or JEHOVAH, JEHOVAH ! When the Most High is spoken of in Scripture, frequently the expreffion is, the Lord, Jehovah; but it is otherways here. The Jews have fuch a fuperftitious veneration for this name, that they do not pronounce it at all; but, in this place, God himself pronounceth it once and again: And who can charge him with ufing it in vain? The repetition of this auguft name renders the language rapturous and extatic; as if he had faid, "I am Jehovah, even Jehovah," the Exiftent, the Exiftent! for fo the name is explained by God himfelf, "I AM THAT I AM :" I, even I, have

being

* Exod. xxxiv. 6. + ADONAI JEHOVAH. Exod. iii. 14. Some have obferved, that there are three pames of God taken from his nature, nin', minx,

; יה

being in and of myfelf; I, even I, give being to all my purposes, promises, and threatenings. Says an elegant writer, John well explains this name, by the WHO IS, WHO WAS, AND WHO IS TO COME; or, as the paffage might be rendered, the Prefent, the Paft, and the Future Being; or, once more, the Being THAT Is, the Being THAT WAS, the Being THAT WILL BE That is, the Perpetual, the Eternal, and Unchangeable Being *." I fhall only further obferve, That there was beauty and fitnefs of the revelation of this peculiarly glorious name at this time; when Ifrael had changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of an ox. This was a most explicit teftimony against their moft fhameful idolatry. He proclaimed himself to be GOD; even the Almighty God, as the name importst.

GOD

; and all these are much of the fame import. So far as I have been able to observe is used only in fcripture fongs: And from hence I am ready to conclude, it is the poetic dialect for Jehovah. As to the other, it is to be found only in the text juft now quoted. It appears evidently to be a divine name; and to it our Lord refers, John viii. 58. "Before Abraham was I AM :" It cannot imply lefs than eternal, independent, and immutable existence. The learned reader will find three Differtations on the name JEHOVAH, in Leufden's Philologus Hebræus, Differt. xxvii. et fequentibus: In them is to be found the fubftance of all the obfervations made on that fubject, whether graminatical or theological.

Davies's Ser. Vol. II. p. 229. London, edit. 3.

+ Exod. xxxiv. 6. The original word is . Our

אלהים and אלוה tranflators render it Gop ; as alfo

Some

GOD able to uphold, preferve, and govern his creatures; as he is the maker of them all: The omnipotent God, who reigneth for ever: The living God, in oppofition to dead idols.

He proclaims himself to be "the Lord, the Lord God MERCIFUL *." The word imports, fuch compassion, and infinitely greater, as a woman hath for the fon of her womb; for God deigns to speak after the manner of men concerning his commiferation of finners : He declares, that his heart is turned within

Some reckon all these names of both the fame meaning and derivation: Others apprehend they are different; the former being derived from 7 ROBUR, STRENGTH; and the latter from N COLUIT, TO WORSHIP. But, at any rate, the term used in our text must denote OMNIPOTENCE; for, whatever be the root of s and tonis,

, is confeffedly the root of ; and is fometimes used as a divine name; fometimes it is taken adjectively, denoting STRENGTH: And God is indeed STRONG in mercy, grace, &c.

* Exod. xxxiv. 6. . This term is never applied to creatures; nor is it expreflive of their pity towards each other, so far as I have obferved: A diftinguishing name is used by God himself, to exhibit his diftinguithing mercy. Though it is not applied unto creaturemercy, yet it is a metaphorical expreflion, and the colouring borrowed from creatures: is the root of it; and it is explained by CONRADUS KIRCHER, "Intra vifcera interclufit, fummo et intimo amoris affe&in tactus erga aliquem quem Deus hominum vifceribus indidit. Intimo commiferationis affectu aliquem amplexus cft, quid fciz. vulva feu matrix folet concipere, complecti, fovere alere, tueri, et confervare fatuin." The allufion is unto a mother, glowing with the warmest affection toward the fon of her womb.

him, and his repentings are kindled together: And he has taught his people to cry, "Where is the founding of thy bowels, and of thy mercies, are they reftrained?"

He proclaimed himfelf to be "the Lord God—GRACIOUS" That is, he beftows his favour upon the undeferving. Mercy has the miferable for the object of it; and grace the undeferving for its object. God is gracious not only in beftowing favours without regard unto past merit; but alfo without any regard to future reward. And he hath manifefted this perfection in the work of redemption: "By grace are ye faved, through faith." He announceth himself to be the Lord God-LONG-SUFFERING t." In this particular, the language is evidently metaphorical: God reprefents himself as of LONG, or BROAD NOSTRILS, though he be a pure fpirit. This is the literal tranflation of that which our tranflators render LONG-SUFFERING. The divine wrath is ftyled his NOSTRILS in fcripture: "If God will not withdraw his anger:" Heb. his NOSTRILS

. He

can

* Exod. xxxiv. 6. 17. This term is alfo afcribed uniformly to God, wherever it occurs in the inspired writings: Nor does it ever exprefs the favour of one creature unto another.

+ Exod. xxxiv. 6. ut fupra. The original phrafe is, ENT, LONGUS NARIBUS.

Job ix. 13. compared with Pfal. Ixxiv. 1. "Why doth thine anger finoke :" Heb. NOSTRILS SMOKE. The

allufion

can fuffer much even at the hand of veffels of wrath, as well as at the hand of veffels of mercy. Accordingly, he exercifed much longfuffering toward that generation with which he covenanted. He announced himself to be" the Lord God-ABUNDANT IN GOODNESS." God had promifed to Mofes to make all his GOODNESS to pafs before him: and the whole of this declaration is the anfwer of Mofes's prayer, and the accomplishment of that promife. Hence, each of his perfections is his goodness variegated, according to the object

allufion appears to be this: In anger, perfons breathe out thick fumes, from the fervour of blood and animal fpirits about the heart. Where the paflages are ftrait, the fumes cannot have a speedy vent; and, therefore, excite greater emotion within: Where the noftrils are long and wide, the fumes of rage evaporate, the cooling air refrigerates the boiling heart. The metaphor muft not be ftretched fo far as to infer, that God has any need of external aid to allay the heat of his anger; but the meaning muft be, That he ever poffeffeth fach tranquility of mind, and infinitely more, as men do poflefs who have fuch affiftanee.

Exod. xxxiv. 6. 707-17. This phrafe is remarkably frong; it heaps one fuperlative above another: "7071 fignifies either that which is exceeding good, or exceeding bad; SUMMUM GRADUM REI, as Stockius obferves. And denotes great, abundant, yea greatest: For the Hebrew ufe the pofitive for the comparative, or even for the fuperlative. The vigor of the phrafe, then, feems rather fuperior to our idioms of language; for they refufe to heap one fuperlative above another. The beft tranflation, perhaps, of which our language can admit, is, EXCEEDING ABUNDANT IN BOUNTY.