The Sun.
London, England, 1825-07-21 00:00:00

S.
~
. P,4
4,' • -
:, ~-.,
T. '.
~.....--!
--4-.-T
- . ...... e

to rernerninr that what is called r.-!1,.;;; when applieJ.
to God, does not arise from inadvertency, as' in itm ; f'r

so he has himself cautioned us, Num. Xidir. 19. • " God is
not a man that he should lie, neither, the Sun of man that he
. ~ •
should repent." See also 1 Sufi. , xs. 29. -Again, if "it
grieved the Lord at his heart," Gen. •vi. 6, and if " his soul
were grieved for the misery of Israel," Judges x. 16, let us
!lore that it did grieve him. For the,aire&lans•which ins good
man are good, and. rank with . virtues, in God are. holy. If
after the work of six days it be said of God that'" he reatmd and
was refreihed," Exod. xxxi. 17, if it be said tl;at " feared'
_.-
the.wrath of the enemy," Ont. xXXii. 27, let us believe that it
•, •
is not beneath the dignity a G 4.1 to grieve ia that for-Which he.
• -
is grieved, or to be refreshed in that whiclirefresheth- him; or to
fear in that he feareth. For haweVer we-may aite.mpt to soften
flown such expressions by a latitude of interinttation, when ap.
plied - to the• Deity, it comes in the end to- precisely. the same.
If God be said " to have made man in his own image, after his
likeness, Gen. i. 26., and that too, not only as to his soul, bUt
also-as to his outward tbrim (unless the 'same" words have diffe-
rent significations here and in chap. v. 3. ". Adam begat a son
in his own likeness, after his image") and if God habitually
assigns to himself the members and fown of man, • why 'should
we he afraid ef attributing to him what he attributes to himself,
so long as what is imperfection and weakness when viewed in
reference to ourselves be considered as Most complete and 'excel-
lent whenever it is imputed 'to God ? QuestionleSs the glory
and Majesty of the Deity must have been so ,dear to him, that
he would never say anything of himself which could be hutnlli.•
sting or degrading, and would ascribed to himself no personal
attribute which he would not willingly haye ascribed to him by
his creatures. Let us be convinced that those.have acquired the
truesrapprehension of the nature of God who submit their
understandings to his wont : inasmuch as he has accommodated
hig word to their tinderstaridingS, and has shown what he wishes'
their notion of the Deity should be.
It is impossible •to comprehend accurately -under any font
oftlefinition the ". divine form," for so it is called, 2 Pet. i. 4.
" that ye might he partakers of the divine nature"—though
nature here does not signify • essence, but the divine image, as
in Gat. iv. 8., " which by nature are no gods," and Col. ii. 9.,
Theotes, Rom. i. 20., Theioter, Acts xvii. 29., to Theion, which
words are all translated Godhead. But though the nature of'
God cannot be defined, since he who has no efficient cause is
essentially greatest of. all, Isaiah xxviii. 29. some description •
of it at least may be collected from his,natne and attributes.
The names and attributes of God either show his nature, or
his divine power and excellence. There are three names which
seem principally to intimate the nature of God, Jehovah, Jah,
Ehie. EVen the name of Jehovah was not forbidden to be•pro-
, nounced, provided it was with due reverence, Exod.
" Jehovah, God of your fathers—this is my name for ever, and
this-is my memorial." xx. 7. " TI:ou shalt not take the name
of .Jehovah .thy God in vain." Again, it occurs pronounced, -
I Kings xvii. 12. " as Jehbrah thy God liveth, ' and so in
many other places. This name both in the New Testanient
and in the Greek version of the Old; is always translated, the
Lord—probably for no other reason than because the word Je-
hovah could not be expressed in Greek letters. Its significa-
tion is, " he who is,"or, " Which is, and which was, and which
is to come," Rev. i. 4. Jah, which is a Sort of contraction of
rhe former name, has the same signification. Exod. xvii. 16.
"Jah !lath sworn"-and in other places. Exod. iii. 14. Ehie,
" I am that t arn, or will be;" and if the first person be chang-
ed Into ;he third of the kindred verb, Jave—who-is, or will be
—meaning the same as Jehovah, as some think, and more 'pro-,
party expressed thus than by the other words:. but •thr • name
Jave appears to signify not only the existence of his'nature,
but also of his promises, or rather the completion of his pro-
mises ; whence it is said, Exod.• vi. 3. " hinny:name Jehovah
was' I not known to them."