to the second, this name is not mentioned with refpect to being or effence, of which no nation ever doubted: for all allowed a first cause, and author of all things and beings; atheism being only fit for fools or madmen. The debates, doubts, and various opinions did not relate to the point of a first cause; but what he was in his natural and moral attributes, and in his relation to his creatures. However, as all peoples and nations are fo often called upon to blefs and glorify this name, the reason is, because God in this venerable name, ineffable, not as to tone, found or right pronunciation, (as the Jews pretend) but for the heighth and depth, length and breadth of the love of Jesus Chrift to whom be glory for all the generations of the age of ages, in our elder brother Paul's language. Eph. iii. 18: God, I fay, in this adorable name will bless all nations, and give them good and abundant reason to praise and glorify him for his overflowing mercies, as the apoftle explains the council of God in Rom. xi. 32-36. This name, called the four lettered word, (of which all the Hebrew writers justly speak in such high and reverend terms,) has three express testimonies to ascertain, first, the fupremacy; secondly, the unity; and thirdly, the attributes of mercy flowing from this immenfe ocean of goodness in its first source. The Lord your God is God of Gods, and Lord of Lords, expreffed in the plural number.

Deut.

Deut. x. 17. 2dly, the unity of this name is determined in Deut. vi. 4. Hear, O Ifrael, the Lord our Gods is one Lord. Echad. 3dly, in this word, the Lord proclaimed his name thus: the Lord, the Lord, God merciful and gracious: flow to anger, and abundant in mercy and truth: keeping mercy for thousands; taking away iniquity, trespass and fin: and clearing will not clear, vifiting the fins of the fathers upon the fons, and fons fons unto the third and fourth generation. Exod. xxxiv. 6, 9. Observe the third generation, (whatever concealed time a generation fhall be found to fignify,) limits the period of chastisement, or the rod of iron, appointed for the Edomites, the chil dren of the profane Efau. Deut. xxiii. 8. for the Egyptians too, the great enemies under the figure to Ifrael. In the name here proclaimed for all nations made of one blood of death by fin, we perceive three truths: first, that God in this name will take away fins, expreffed by the three names for all kinds of tranfgreffions under the law. 2dly, that he will not abfolve the obftinately wicked, without any fign or mark of his juft difpleasure; which would render the word of God a falfe record and teftimony: therefore, in the third place, the meafure of his vifitations fhould not, in any offenders, extend beyond the fourth generation. Menaffeh Ben Ifrael remarks thus on Exod. xx. 5. I will fhew mercy unto thousands, that is, two thoufand generations:

generations by which, according to Jarchi, we may fee how much the mercy of God exceeds his justice, which extends only to the fourth generation. The Aleph Dor, or the thousand generations fo famous among the ancient Hebrew people, will scarce be denied to import a thousand jubiles, which fill up exactly 50,000 years. And this computation answers to the measure of time under the typical economy, when taught by the prophets and their fons, the Jews allowed a thoufand years for each year of Mofes concluding in the JUBILE. The fame period was allowed in the myftic, or fecret fense, for the fifty days to the feast of Pentecofte, because the fifty gates of Binah, the third number of deity, were opened on this day, as the wifer Jews understood this figure long before the glorious manifestation of the holy fpirit, or Schechinah returning to man. Lightfoot and many others obferved the taking away the confufion of tongues, by the gift of thofe tongues of holy fire; by which, these firft fruits, Biccurim, were fanctified to speak the magnificent mercies of God in all tongues for the earnest of falvation to all peoples.

*

The fchools of Pythagoras and Plato (which taught the nobleft leffons of peace, humanity, and contemplation, of all the philofophers) affigned to the great year the space of 48,000 years, when they faid all things would be restored to their first order, harmony, and perfection. This opinion might easily be derived

from

As ii. 16, 21. Joel ii. 28, 31. But what can be made of two thousand generations, measured by the jubile? this period will fill up the hundred great years of the ark built by Noah, which will receive and preserve all creatures, clean and unclean; and even Ham, the fervant of fervants, muft go into the true ark, and unto the true Noah who giveth reft to his moft degraded, and wretched state. And here we must find the feven times, that must pass over the real Nebuchadnezzar, (whose

from the knowledge of the feven fabbatical years of the Mofaic inftitute; for this could not be conjecture. And the tradition of fuch great events, as were prefigured in a public national record and faith, and concerned all mankind, could never be loft, though obfcured and corrupted by poets, philofophers, and heathen priests, by fables, mythology, and other inventions. However the tradition will be true, for forty-eight great years defcend into the feventh seven, and will produce at the time pre-ordained the bleffings fuitable to the greatness and happiness of the Meffiah's kingdom, prefigured by the seven fabbaths. No political or facred inftitutions were so open to all natious, as the Hebrew: they might be either citizens by circumcifion; or profelytes by an ablution: and every one might know the whole rites performed in every part of the temple; and the law was read every seventh year to men, women and children. What ftate ever opened fuch a door to civil and religious privileges as that of the Hebrew legislator? And what religion ever fhewed fuch little jealoufy or fear of having the types and ceremonies, which were (as Bacon obferves,) rational and fignificative, enquired into, and the ground of them examined? Let unbelievers bring a parallel from the Chaldeans, Egyptians, Grecians, or Romans, before they infult that eminent fervant of God, Mofes, as they have fo lately done.

name

name bears judgment of forrow, or the dark fire by Hiller,) the once king of a city of gold, of heavenly gold, made Babylon by his felf-exaltation, Ifa. xiv. before it can be rebuilt out of its great ruins, and before it will be restored to him, to reward the fuffering obedience of that fon, the ftone cut out of a great mountain without a vifible hand; and by the precious blood of that lamb, whose goings forth have been from ancient time, from the days of an age; tranflated from old time, and from everlafting, when the Hebrew in Michah. v. 1. Mikkedem, and meme gnolam fignify ab antiquitate, and ad dies fæculi. This expreffion was so common and well understood, that the apostle, like his brethren, using the Hebrew phraseology, says: "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jefus Chrift; to whom be the glory now, and for the day of the age; meaning the great day comprehending in its large circle. many days, as the great year of jubile included all leffer circles, or periods of times and seasons. 2 Pet. iii. 18. 2 Tim. iv. 18. The word Kedem, antiquity, cannot fignify the ANCIENT of DAYS, as fome would do violence to fcripture, rather than confefs the fallibility of creeds formed by weak, interested and ignorant priests. Saadias Gaon (whom the learned Allix pronounces a judicious writer) justly refers Psalm 2. Thou art my fon, this day have I begotten thee: and the Pfalm 110.

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