The Lord, sometimes simply by itself, sometimes with an addition, as "the Lord from heaven," "the Lord of glory," "Lord of lords." In the Old Testament, while it is used as the translation of the proper names of God, as Elohim, El Shaddai (= the Almighty), Adonai (= my Lord), it stands most universally for the ineffable name Jehovah.* And whereas Christ is spoken of in prophecy under those supreme names, so we may understand that the title "Lord" is used of Him with the same high meaning, and with the ascription to Him of Divine honour. In the 110th Psalm, Christ is termed Adonai, "The Lord [Jehovah] said unto my Lord [Adonai]." In Hosea (i. 7) He is called Jehovah : "I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by [Jehovah] the Lord their God." Likewise in Zechariah : 66 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Sion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord [Jehovah]. . I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee."+ Who can this Jehovah, sent by Jehovah, and sent to dwell among us, be but Christ? St. Peter, after quoting Joel's prophecy, ... * Jehovah is now oftener written as JAHVEH. This Tetragrammaton was so sacred to the Jews, at least the later Jews, that they would not pronounce it, and substituted Adonai for it. And yet in passages where both words occur together the Greek interpreters expressed Adonai by deσπbтηs, Jehovah by Kúpios. As in Gen. xv. 2, Lord God, Heb. Adonai Jehovah, is in the LXX. Aéσπотα Kúpie; so in Deut. iii. 24. Kúpios, though the literal equivalent of Adonai, was transferred to represent the highest Name. † Zech. ii. 10, 11, cf. x. 12. "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord [Jehovah] shall be saved," concludes, "Therefore let all... know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."* St. Paul, quoting the same prophecy, infers from it, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord thou shalt be saved."+ In this, then, the Old and New Testaments agree; and we must own with St. Paul, that as there is "One Spirit," and "One God and Father of all," so there is "One Lord." ‡ Though there be that are yet "to us there is but one God, called gods the Father 66 and one Lord Jesus Christ."§ But to own this in sincerity and truth is of the essence of Christianity, for "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." || Yet in the lordship or dominion which we thus ascribe to Him, we acknowledge a difference according with the two natures which are united in His Person. As He is God, so He has a dominion supreme and illimitable, inherent in His Divinity; as He is man, He received an imparted dominion, bestowed on His humanity; bestowed partly before, partly after, His death and resurrection. Thus He received *Acts ii. 36. + Rom. x. 9. I have omitted, among other instances, the passage in which Jeremiah names the Messiah "The Lord our Righteousness" (ch. xxii. 6), because it is a disputed point whether the phrase ought not rather to be rendered "He by Whom the Lord [Jehovah] works righteousness." In that case, though the gist of the verse remains the same, the ascription of the name is altered. || 1 Cor. xii. 3. Eph. iv. 5. § 1 Cor. viii, 6. the right of judicature (though the exercise of it is future); the Father "gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is Son of man."* "The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father, and then shall He reward every man according to his works."+ Also He received "power on earth to forgive sins":‡ also superiority to the law; for He asserted Himself, in regard of the laws of the temple and sabbath, to be "greater than the temple,” and "Lord of the sabbath." § After His resurrection, He announced to His disciples, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." And St. Paul, dilating on this grand topic, tells us that "the Father of glory " showed His mighty power "in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church, which is His Body." T Further, in this bestowal of authority and power a distinction is made, since part of it aims at a certain end, and therefore, when that end is accomplished, shall be resigned into the hands of the Father. This is foreshown in the prophetic decree, "Sit Thou on My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy * St. John v. 27. St. Matt. ix. 6. § St. Matt. xii. 6, 8. St. Matt. xxviii. 18. . footstool; "that is, dominion is given to Christ for and until the total subjection of all enemies. "Then cometh the end, when He shall deliver up the kingdom, . . when all things shall be subdued unto Him; then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all."+ In this respect His office admits of termination; but, on the other hand, that part which is inseparable from His humanity, viz. his right over and connection with those whom "He purchased with His own Blood," cannot be relinquished; He who has reigned always in us, cannot cease ruling over us. We may ground the belief of this upon the promise made to David, "the sure mercies of David." "I will set up one Shepherd over them, even my servant David. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a Prince among them." This promise, if taken by itself, might seem indeterminate; but it becomes explicit when compared with the annunciation of the angel to the Virgin Mary: "The Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end."§ The same truth was revealed in the vision of Daniel: "One like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion. His dominion is an everlasting do ... * Ps. cx. 1. Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24. 24-28. § St. Luke i. 32. minion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." The word "Our" is still to be considered. He, Lord of all, with a right both universal and eternal, is "Our Lord." In analogous phrase the chosen people had styled Him in Whom they believed "the God of Israel," "the God of our fathers," "our God." We receive and hand on their faith and their confession: "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." It is in Christ that these words are made plain and become true for us. It is He who has right in us; He is our hope, sealed to us by His work of redemption, owned by us in this name, "Our Lord." He is " ours by right of conquest, achieved over “him that had the power of death, that is, the devil," and completed in our deliverance from our great adversary; also, by right of purchase, having paid the price of our deliverance in death, so that henceforth" ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price."§ Add to this, that He provides for us all temporal and eternal blessings; and finally, that in our baptismal vow we have pledged ourselves to His service, have entered into covenant with Him; and thus, not only for His mercies' sake, but through our own voluntary compact, we have become His "peculiar people," "a people for His own possession," || and He by every right of obligation is "Our Lord." * Dan. vii. 13, 14. † Isa. xxv. 9. ‡ Heb. ii. 14. § 1 Cor. vi. 19. | Deut. vii. 6; xiv. 2. Titus ii. 14, λadv Teplovolov. 1 Pet. ii. 9. λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν. |