the very same doctrine, as often as the words "the Lord God," occur; and it is. very remarkable that these words occur frequently together, and the word "God," occurs frequently by itself in the compass of this chapter, and even in the bounds of the very first

verse.

"Now the tempter was more subtle than any living creature of the field, which () the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath () God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" In this verse the sacred penman, by inspiration, tells us,

the Lord God had made the (יהוה אלהים) that

beasts of the field. And in chap. i. ver. 25. the same writer, with the very same authority, tells us, that () God made every beast of the field.

,יהוה

Now what can we understand by the difference or variety of the expressions of the inspired penman? Surely nothing else than that the word "Lord," which signifies the Divine Essence and perfections, natural and moral, must also comprehend the divine persons; and that the word, "God," which signifies the divine persons in distinct subsistence, must also comprehend the Divine Essence and perfections. And as the Divine Being may represent itself to us by any names or terms in any manner which seems best to the divine wisdom, we are to con

sider these two names or terms expressive and significant of the Divine Being, as harmonizing in the relation and records of the holy Scriptures; and we can only do so upon the principles of the doctrine of the Trinity. This will appear strikingly evident to the reader, whether of the Hebrew text, or of the English translation. In the fourth chapter of the book of Genesis, the word, Lord, is every where used by the sacred writer, without the word, God.What are we to understand by this sudden transition, and these interchanges of terms, in the four first chapters of the book of Genesis? Some

אלהים times the word

sent the Divine Being.

God," is used to repre

Sometimes the words * 77, “the Lord God," are written together, and both employed to express and represent the Divine Being; and sometimes the word

,"LORD," is written, and employed alone to represent the same Divine Being. What are we to say to this, or how are we to interpret these changes of names or terms, when applied to the very same Being? We can give no other answer, but that such is the will of the Divine Being to represent itself by these different words, in order to instruct us in the doctrine of the Trinity.

11. The word, "Lord," is every where used in the fourth chapter as significant, and representative of a divine person comprehended in the Divine Essence; and which of the persons is

E e

intended, must be ascertained by the scope of the passage, and by other passages, where the same word is used by itself. And unless we understand the sacred Scriptures in this way, it is impossible for us to read them with consistency and satisfaction: it is impossible to reconcile the passages of the Old and New Testaments, where the language of each is expressive of the Divine Being, as signified by the name, "Jehovah," or Kup, "Lord:" but with such a view as the foregoing, all is clear,—all is plain and intelligible.

Let us apply this reasoning a little to chap. iv. "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from () the Lord." Here we may consider the name or term, "Lord," as signifying the Divine Essence and perfections subsisting in the first person, or the person of the Father. In this there is no inconsistency or impropriety; for each of the divine persons has the whole of the Divine Essence and perfections distinctly subsisting in itself, and in all respects co-equal with the other two; and as all the divine persons are understood and implied, notwithstanding only one may be mentioned, no inconvenience can arise from such a mode of expression.-Apply this to the example before us. Eve says, "I have gotten a man from () the Lord;" that is, the Divine Being, both essence and perfec

tions, as subsisting in the first person, or in the person of the Father, not excluding the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Throughout the whole of this fourth chapter, we may consider the word, "LORD," as signifying the first mode of subsistence or person in the Divine Essence, sustaining the dignity and glory of the divine perfections, in the moral government of the universe, and of the church in particular; and such a view of the word will exhibit uniformity throughout the whole chapter. The same word, however, in other passages of the Old Testament, is used by the sacred penmen to signify and express sometimes the second mode of subsistence or person, and sometimes the third, according to the divine will, in the revelation made at the time the word was used, to signify such one of the divine persons. in order, as corresponded with the divine counsel, and the part which that divine person chose to perform in the work, whether of creation, provi, dence, or redemption.

12. In the fifth chapter, the word, God, is used, to express the Divine Being every where, except in the 29th verse, where the word, LORD, is used thus: "And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which () the Lord hath cursed." Now, it is plain from the 17th verse of the third chapter, that 7, "the Lord

God" cursed the ground. So we discover, that

,והיה אלהים GoD, sometimes,אלהים sometimes

"the LORD God," and sometimes, "the LORD," is used to signify and express any one of the divine persons respectively, according as signified by the divine will in the revelation made to the inspired penman.

13. This is strikingly exemplified in the sixth chapter of Genesis. In the 5th verse it is said, "And (8) God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." And it is immediately added in the sixth verse-" And it repented () the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. Ver. 7. And (~) the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air for it repenteth me that I have made them." Now, considering these three verses, is there any impropriety in supposing that the three distinct persons in the Divine Essence are intended and represented respectively, as in counsel and design preparing to overthrow the old world. The first person, sustaining the majesty of the divine attributes, condemning this orb, with all its inhabitants, to that awful catastrophe. The second person, who is every where in Scripture represented as compassionate to the sons of men, con