liveth" i. e. they shall never any more make any profession of the true God, and true religion, but shall be wholly given up to heathenism. And Jer. xii. 16. "And it shall come to pass if they will diligently learn the way of my people, to swear by my name, The Lord liveth, as they taught my people to swear by Baal, then shall they be built in the midst of my people." Here is a promise to the heathen, that if they would forsake their heathenism and turn to the true God, and the true religion, and make an open and good profession of that, they should be received into the visible church of God. Jer. xvi. 14, 15. "Therefore, behold the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of the north" i. e. God's people, in their public profession of their faith, shall not so much insist on the redemption out of Egypt, as on a much greater redemption that shall hereafter be accomplished. We have the same again, Jer. xxiii. 7. 8. Hos. iv. 15. "Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye into Gilgal, neither go ye up to Bethaven, nor swear, The Lord liveth.”

This has respect to that public profession of religion which the ten tribes made at Bethel, (here called Beth-aven) the place of their public worship before the calf that was set up there, by which they pretended to worship Jehovah. Amos viii. 14. "They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth, and the manner of Beersheba liveth." They had also places of public worship at Dan (where was one of their calves,) and at Beersheba. See chap. v. 5.

10."

The words, Jehovah liveth, summarily comprehended that which they professed in their public profession of religion. They signified hereby their belief of a dependence upon that all-sufficiency and faithfulness that is implied in the name Jehovah, which will appear by the consideration of the following places, Josh. iii. 10. "Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you." 1 Sam. xvii. 26. "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" Ver. 36. "Seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God." 2 Kings xix. 4. "It may be the Lord thy God will hear all the words of Rab-shakeh, whom the king of Assyria hath sent to reproach the living God." Also ver. 16, and Isai. xxxvii. 4. Jer. x. 8, 9, 10. The stock is a doctrine of vanities-But the Lord is the true God (Heb. the God of truth.) He is the living God." Dan. vi. 26. "He is the living God, and steadfast for ever." Ps. xviii. 46. "The Lord liveth, and blessed be my Rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted." So

2 Sam. xxii. 47. Other places showing that by Jehovah's living and being the living God, is meant his being all sufficient, and immutable, and faithful. Gen. xvi. 49. Deut. v. 26. Josh. iii. 10, compared with Exod. iii. 14, and vi. 3, with the 1 Sam. xvii. 26. 36. 2 Kings xix. 4. 16. Ps. xlii. Jer. x. 10, with the context. Hos. i. 10. 2 Sam. xxii. 47. Ps. xviii. 46. Matth. xvi. 16. John vi. 69. Acts xiv. 15. Rom. ix. 26. 2 Cor. iii. 3, and vi. 16. 1 Tim. iii. 15, and iv. 10, and vi. 17. Heb. x. 31, and xii. 22.

context.
2, and lxxxiv. 2.
Jer. xxiii. 36.
Job xix. 25.

Isai. xxxvii. 4.

The things professed in a public profession of religion are two, faith and obedience. The faith that was professed, was called believing in God and believing in the name of God, (Beshem, with the prefix Beth.) Gen. xv. 6. "And he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness." Exod. xiv. 31. "And the people believed the Lord," (in the original, believed in the Lord.) 2 Kings xvii. 14. " Did not believe in the Lord their God." 2 Chron. xx. 20. "Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established." Ps. lxxviii.

22. "They believe not in God." Dan. vi. 23. "Because he believed in his God." The other thing is a believing obedience. This is called a walking in the name of God, (still with the same prefix Beth.) Mic. iv. 5. "All people will walk every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name (Beshem) of the Lord our God for ever and ever." And that solemn professing or swearing wherein both these were professed by a like idiom of speech, was called a swearing in the name (Beshem) of the Lord.

Agreeably to this way of speaking, in the New Testament, when persons solemnly profess the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and are devoted to them in their baptism, they are said to be baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Making a public profession of religion or of faith in God, is often called making mention (Zakar) of the Lord, or of the name of the Lord; and this in the original commonly is making mention in the Lord, or in the name of the Lord, with the prefix Beth, as they are said to swear in the name of the Lord. Thus, Amos vi. 10. "Hold thy tongue, for we may not make mention of the name of the Lord," (in the original Beshem, in the name,) i. e. we may not make profession of our God, being under the dominion of the heathen. Ps. xx. 7. "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God;" in the original, we will remember or make mention (for the word is the same as before) in the name of the Lord our God, with the prefix Beth, i. e. we will openly

profess and declare our faith, and trust in the Lord, &c. Isai. xxvi. 13. "O Lord, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us, but by thee (Beka, in thee) only will we make mention of thy name," i. e. we will forsake all other lords, and renounce our profession of idolatry, and profess and worship thee alone. They that professed the worship of false gods, are said to make mention in their name. Hos. ii. 17. "I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered (or mentioned, for still the word is the same) by their name," (Bishmain, in their name,) i. e. their name and worship, shall no more be professed. So Josh. xxiii. 7, neither make mention of the name (in the original, in the name) of their gods, nor swear by them.

This abundantly confirms that swearing by or in a God, signifies what was done in the public profession of his name and worship, which is signified by making mention in his name. This also may evidently appear in Isai. xlviii. 1, 2. “Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name (Beshem, in the name) of the Lord, and make mention of the God (Belohei, in the God) of Israel, but not in truth and in righteousness, for they call themselves of the holy city." By their profession they were visibly of the church of God, were called by the name of Israel, and called themselves of the church.

That profession which in the law of Moses and many other places, is called swearing by the name or in the name of the Lord, with the prefix 2, is evidently the same with swearing to the Lord, with the prefix. Isai. xix 18. "In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the Lord of hosts." (Laihovah.) In 1 Kings xviii. 32, it is said that Elijah built an altar in the name of the Lord, Beshem, that is, to the name of the Lord. Here the prefix Beth is evidently of the same force with Lamed in 1 Kings viii. 44. "The house that I have built for thy name," or to thy name. Here Leshem is plainly of the same signification, in speaking of building a house to God, with Beshem in the other place, that speaks of building an altar to God.

In and to, or the prefixes Beth and Lamed, are manifestly used as of the same signification in the case of swearing to a God, or an object of religious worship, in the same sentence in Zeph. i. 5. "That swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham." The words are thus, that swear to the Lord, (Laihovah,) and that swear in Malcam (Bemalcam.) In Gen. xxiii. 8, "Entreat for me to Ephron, the son of Zoar. To Ephron, in the original, is Be Ephron, with the prefix Beth.

What is meant by swearing to the Lord, (Laihovah,) we learn by 2 Chron. xv. 12, 13, 14, with the context, viz: publicly and solemnly acknowledging God, and devoting themselves to God by covenant. "And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul and they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice." Deut. xxix. 10-15. We also may learn what is meant by swearing to the Lord, by Isai. xlv. "Unto me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, In the Lord have I righteousness and strength;" together with the apostle's citation and explication of this place, which instead of the word swear, uses confess, in Rom. xiv. 11, and Phil. ii. 10, which, in the apostle's language, signifies the same as mak ing open and solemn profession of Christianity. Rom. x. 9, 10. "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe with thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved; for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." In that place in the xlv. of Isaiah, ver. 23, it is said, "Surely, shall one say, In the Lord have I righteousness and strength." This is the profession of their faith in Christ, and is the same with what is called making mention of God's rightcousness. Ps. lxxi. 16. "I will go in the strength of the Lord God, I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only." The phrase make mention, as was observed before, is used for making a public profession; and here in this place in Isaiah glorying in God, and blesssing themselves in him, (or in his righteousness and strength) are joined with swearing to him, as they are in Jer. iv. 2. "And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness, and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory;" and Isai. Ixiii. 11. "The King shall rejoice in God, every one that sweareth by Him shall glory."

The prefix Beth is put for into as well as in. See innumerable instances of this in places referred to in the Concordance, under these words, enter, put, brought, Judg. ix. 26, went over to Shechem, in the Hebrew Beshechem. To choose other gods, is in Judg. x. 14, expressed by choosing in them, with a prefix Beth. Agreeably to the manner of speaking among the Hebrews, confessing Christ before men, Matth. x. 32, is, in the original, confessing in him. "He that shall confess in me, quoord v so, before men, I will confess in him, before my Father, and before his angels."

Judg. xvii. "Ask counsel now of God," Belohim, with the prefix Beth.

[144] Deut. xii. 20. "When the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy borders and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh, thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after." That is, thou mayest so eat it at home, without carrying it to be sacrificed; as appears from the context.

[121] Deut. xxi. 23. "For he that is hanged is accursed by God." The instances we have of those that were hanged, are agreeable to this. Thus the heads of the people that joined themselves to Baalpeor were hung up before the sun, that the fierce anger of God might cease. Numb. xxv. 3, 4. So the seven sons of Saul were hanged, to remove God's wrath from the land. Achitophel, who was cursed by David in God's name, hanged himself. Absalom was hanged in an oak for his rebellion against bis father; "For it is written, Cursed is every one that setteth light by father or by mother." The kings of the cursed cities of Canaan were hanged. Haman was hanged, for he was a type of Antichrist. Judas hanged himself, having been declared accursed by Christ before.

[113] Deut. xxxii. 50. "And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people." God ordered that Aaron and Moses should go up to the tops of mountains to die, to signify that the death of godly men is but an entrance into an heavenly state. It is evident that heaven is sometimes typified by the tops of the mount by Heb. viii. 5, compared with v. 23. So Christ was transfigured in the mount, and appeared in glory with both Old Testament and New Testament saints, and the glory of God in a cloud to be a type of the heavenly state. Vide Note on Exod. xxiv. 18. No. 71.

[173] Josh. vi. 26, and 1 Kings xvi. 34. "And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the Lord that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his first-born, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it." Jericho herein was a remarkable type of the church of the elect. Jericho was a devoted cursed city, it was devoted to perfect and to eternal destruction. To perfect destruction, in that every man, woman, and child, ox, sheep, and ass, were destroyed by God's command, and it was forbidden ever to be built again. So the elect are naturally under the curse of the law, which devotes those that have broke it to perfect and eternal destruction. However, this city was one very capable of being redeemed from that curse; but that was only by the curse being transferred upon him that built it. So the church of the elect