was made to fallen man; and with its glad recognition, the testimony of Old Testament prophecy dies."-Scripture Testimony to Messiah, vol. i. pp. 442-444.

Moses, when called and commissioned to deliver Israel from Egypt, was favoured with the appearance of this glorious personage, speaking to him as the angel Jehovah: "Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM : and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." Exod. iii. 1, 6, 14.

Dr. Hunter, in his eloquent strains, observes, "We find here, as in many other places of the Old Testament, the same person who is styled in the course of the narration, 'The angel of the LORD,' styling himself JEHOVAH and GOD; exercising Divine prerogatives; manifesting Divine perfections, and claiming the homage which is due to deity alone. The person, therefore, thus described, can be none other than the uncreated' Angel of the covenant,' who, 'at sundry times, and in divers manners,' in maturing the work of redemption, assumed a sensible appearance, and at length, in the fulness of time, united his Divine nature to ours, and dwelt among men, and made them to behold his glory, as the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.'"-Sacred Biography, vol. iii. pp. 63, 64.

Adam, even, had been favoured with the appearance of the " angel Jehovah," both before and after his transgression. It is certain that we have no specific or express mention of God being revealed to him in this character or relation, before the fall; but as the Son of God "created all things visible and invisible," Col. i. 16, we believe that "the LORD God, who formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul," Gen. ii. 7, was the angel Jehovah.

Dr. Owen says, "There is frequent mention in the Targumists of the Word of the LORD; and it first occurs in them on the first appearance of a Divine Person after the fall of Adam. The words are, "They heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.' The participle walking may be as well referred unto the voice, as unto the LORD God; and although the original word for voice most commonly signifies an outward voice, or sound thereof, yet when applied unto God, it frequently denotes his almighty power, whereby he effects what he pleaseth. So in Psalm xxix. 3, 9, those things are

ascribed to the voice of the LORD, which elsewhere are assigned to the word of his power. Now all the works of creation and providence, which are assigned to the voice of the LORD, or to the word of his power, are immediately wrought by the essential Word of God, John i. 3; Col. i. 16, which was with God at the creation of all things, as his eternal wisdom and power. This expression, therefore, of the voice of the LORD, may denote the essential Word of God, the person of the Son; for our first parents heard this Word walking, before they heard the sound of any voice or word whatever; for God spake not unto them until after this. And, as after the promise he appeared in a human shape, to instruct the church in the mystery of his future incarnation, and under the name of Angel, to shadow out his office as sent into it and employed in it by the Father, so here, before the promise, he discovered his distinct glorious person, as the eternal voice or word of the Father."-Exposition of Hebrews, vol. i. Exercit. x. p. 215.

"Angel" is first mentioned in the narrative regarding Hagar, the handmaid of Sarah, Gen. xvi. 7, 13. But from the terms of that whole record, it seems evident that he was not an ordinary messenger from the court of heaven. To the sorrowful wanderer, "the Angel of the LORD said, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly." Three times besides, the same Divine Person speaks to her under the same name; and, it is added by the inspired historian, that Hagar" called upon the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me." Moses calls this heavenly visitant "JEHOVAH," and Hagar calls him "GOD." He could not, therefore, be other than the Angel of the covenant, who came "in the fulness of time, made of a woman, made under the law," to be our Divine Redeemer.

Abraham "entertained angels unawares," when once three visitants appeared to him in human form, as travellers and strangers, Gen. xix. 1. Two of them were angels indeed, sent on a mission of mercy and of vengeance; in mercy, to "deliver the godly out of temptation," and in vengeance, to execute righteous judgment on guilty Sodom: but the third of these guests of the patriarch, remained with him for a season, repeatedly assuming and receiving the name of JEHOVAH, with the honour due only to God.

Upon this instructive paragraph regarding Abraham, an ancient Jewish commentary says, "The word of Jehovah appeared to him in the valley of vision;" and others explain the distinction of the third personage accompanying the two angels, thus: "The Shekinah was associated with them, and detained Abraham till the angels departed. He said not who he was, but it was the Angel of the covenant."

Abraham's faith having been so wonderfully tried in the offering up of his beloved Isaac, the Divine approbation was expressed with gracious repetitions of former sacred promises; and the angel Jehovah, the Son of God, utters his voice of mercy and grace, in these remark

able terms: "And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven,-Now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from ME. The angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By MYSELF have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, that in blessing I will bless thee, because thou hast obeyed my voice." Gen. xxii. 11, 18.

Jacob was also highly honoured by the visitation of this same Divine Messenger. Hence it is recorded by Moses: "And the angel of God spake unto me,-I am the God of Bethel. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God. And Jacob called the name of that place Peniel : for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Gen. xxxi. 11, 13; xxxii. 28-30. Hosea refers to this event in the life of Jacob, and says, "He had power with God; yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed; he wept and supplicated unto him; he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us, even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial." Hos. xii. 4, 5.

The Patriarch never forgot this mysterious contest; he refers to it in recalling the many deliverances wrought for him through his toilsome pilgrimage, in devout acknowledgments on his death-bed, when visited by his beloved son, who himself had experienced preserving mercies from the same Divine Redeemer. "And Jacob blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac." Gen. xlviii. 15, 16.

Every intelligent reader of the Scriptures will at once perceive, that "the angel who redeemed Jacob from all evil," was no ordinary visitant from heaven, but the great Angel of the covenant, to whom he prayed for spiritual blessings to descend on the youths, his grandsons. Jacob evidently regarded him as the Almighty Deliverer, and the Sovereign Disposer of every blessing.

Moses, in closing his inspired writings, refers to the vision of the Angel of Jehovah, who had appeared to him in Horeb, giving him his commission to deliver Israel; and he speaks of "the good-will of Him that dwelt in the bush," Deut. xxxiii. 16, as the source of all blessings. To the same Divine Person is attributed, in the New Testament, the giving of the law to the Israelites by the ministry of that man of God. Hence Stephen, in his defence before the Jewish Sanhedrim, declares, "This [Moses] is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel who spake to him in mount Sinai." Acts vii. 38.

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which

I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not: for he will not pardon your transgressions: for MY NAME is in him." Exod. xxiii. 20, 21. This Name of God, in the idiom of the Old Testament writers, is acknowledged to denote a Divine person, one equal with God; so that the presence of this angel must have been the presence of the Son of God.

Joshua was visited by the same mysterious personage, on his succeeding Moses, as the leader of Israel; and though he appeared in human form, he styled himself "Captain of the host of the LORD," and required the same tokens of adoration and Divine worship, which the Angel of Jehovah prescribed to be observed by Moses at the bush of Horeb. Joshua v. 13, 15.

Manoah, the father of Samson, was favoured with a visit from this Divine Person, foretelling the birth and character of his extraordinary son. For a time "Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD. And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour? And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seing it is secret? Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us- -he would not have showed us all these things." Judg. xiii. 16-23. This was regarded not only as an extraordinary appearance, but as a visible revelation of the Divine Majesty; and it is plain that though called "an angel" by the historian, he was regarded and worshipped as a Divine person.

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Isaiah, in referring to "the loving-kindness of the LORD" shown to Israel by the "Angel of Jehovah," says, "So He was their Saviour. In all their afflictions he was afflicted, and the Angel of his presence saved them in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and be bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit." lxiii. 8-10. "The combination of the term Angel of his presence," says Dr. Henderson, in loco, "is not intended to convey the idea of an angel accustomed to stand in the Divine presence, but the Messenger in and through whose person the Deity was manifested to ancient Israel ;-the Divine personal Representative. Comp. Exod. xxiii. 20-23, xxxiii. 14, 15, in which latter passage face or presence by itself is obviously used in the highest personal sense."

Zechariah, in many passages of his prophetic book [i. 8—13; ii. 8 -11; iii. 1—10; vi. 12-15] describes a glorious Person as intimately acquainted with the counsels of the Most High; as presiding over the affairs of the world; as directing the ministrations of superior intelligences; as protecting, vindicating, and interceding for the oppressed Jewish church, and Joshua its high-priest; as judging and

triumphing over their enemies; as sent by the LORD of hosts; and, therefore, repeatedly called Jehovah. These passages reveal the great "Angel" or "Messenger of Jehovah," and describe, in appropriate characteristics, the Messiah, the Saviour, the Priest upon his throne, the Intercessor; and no less clearly describe him as possessing the attributes, exercising the sovereignty, and wearing the holy and incommunicable name of Jehovah.

Dr. Owen has quoted from the works of Rabbi Moses bar Nachman, who wrote in Spain about the year of our Lord 1220, and died at Jerusalem 1260, the following passage, in which he grants that the angel spoken of was God, and yet, being sent of God as his angel, must be a distinct person in the Deity: an important concession from one of the chief masters of the Jews.

"This Angel, if we may speak exactly, is the Angel the Redeemer, concerning whom it is written, 'My name is in Him.' Exod. xxiii. 21. That Angel who said to Jacob, 'I am the God of Bethel.' Gen. xxxi. 13. He of whom it is said, 'And God called unto Moses out of the bush.' Exod. iii. 4. And He is called an Angel, because He governeth the world. For it is written, Deut. vi. 21, 'The LORD our God brought us out of Egypt;' and Num. xx. 6, He sent his Angel and brought us out of Egypt.' Moreover it is written, Isa. lxiii. 9, And the Angel of his face (presence) saved them;' namely, that Angel who is the face of God; of whom it is said, Exod. xxxiii. 14, My face shall go before thee, and I will cause thee to rest.' Lastly, it is that Angel of whom the prophet speaks, Mal. iii. 1, And the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come unto his temple, the Angel of the covenant, whom ye delight in.' Mark diligently what is the meaning of those words, My face shall go before thee.' For Moses and the Israelites always desired the highest Angel; but who that was, they could not truly understand. For neither could they learn it of any others, nor obtain it by prophecy. But the face of God signifies God himself, as all interpreters acknowledge. But no man can have the least knowledge hereof, unless he is skilled in the mysteries of the law. 'My face shall go before thee, that is, the Angel of the covenant, whom ye desire; in whom my face shall be seen;' of whom it is said, 'In an acceptable time have I heard thee; my name is in Him; I will cause thee to rest;' or cause that he shall be gentle or kind unto thee, nor shall lead thee with rigour, but quietly and mercifully."-Dr. Owen on the Hebrews, vol. i. p. 230.

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"The person described," Dr. J. P. Smith remarks, uncontrolled sovereignty over the affairs of men: He has the attrbute of omniscience and omnipresence :-He performs works which only omnipotence could: He uses the awful formula by which the Deity, on various occasions, condescended to confirm the faith