before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee." (Mark i. 1, 2.)

Again it was the glory of the Angel Jehovah, the resident God of the temple, which Isaiah saw in the vision recorded in the sixth chapter of his prophecy: but the evangelist John declares that, on that occasion, the prophet saw the glory of Christ, and spake of him. Christ, therefore, was the Lord of Hosts, whose glory filled the temple. We quote but one other text: "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: whose voice then shook the earth but now he hath promised," &c. (Heb. xii. 25, 26.) The context proves that He that speaketh from heaven is Christ. It is equally clear that the voice which shook the earth, was the voice of him that gave the law; and this was the Angel of Jehovah. Yet the text declares that it is the same voice: it follows, therefore, that the Angel and Jesus are the same Divine Person.

:

It was

Nor is this a modern view of this doctrine. supported by the most eminent Christian fathers: Justin Martyr, Irenæus, Tertullian, Clemens Alexandrinus, Origen, and many others, might be quoted as corroborating the conclusions to which we have been conducted.*

This truth will be found to have an important bearing on the religion of the patriarchal age. We may not be able to ascertain the amount of actual revelations made during this period. It may be impossible to plan out a system of its theology. Strong moral evidence of the existence of spiritual views, and of the exercise of saving faith, may be brought forward, which may nevertheless be open to question and cavil, because we have not more ample details of the strictly religious knowledge and character of the age. Still we have the fact which has been elicited,-that the Jehovah who appeared to Adam, pronounced his sentence, and gave him a promise of mercy; who walked * See this subject ably discussed in WATSON's "Institutes," part ii. chap. xi.; to which valuable work we have been largely indebted.

with Enoch, talked with Noah, made rich displays of himself to Abraham and Isaac, and consoled and strengthened Job in his affliction; ; was the Lord Jesus Christ, interposing, directing, and governing all things, that the great end of his future mission might be fully and gloriously accomplished. With such a fact before us, can we believe that pious patriarchs, living under the guidance of, and actually conversing with, the Angel of Jehovah, were left in utter ignorance of his mediatorial character? On the contrary, are we not fully prepared for the announcement, "Abraham longed to see my day; he saw it, and was glad?"

The doctrines of the immortality of the soul, and of a future judgment, have been already incidentally discussed. The express teaching of holy scripture assures us that both had been revealed at this period. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews clearly shows that Abraham, in all his journeyings in obedience to the Divine command, had reference to a "heavenly country," and consequently had received and believed the doctrine of the immortality of the soul; while the prophecy of Enoch, iterated by St. Jude, proves that, even in antediluvian times, the judgment was predicted. There are, however, other proofs of these doctrines, to some of which we may briefly allude.

As in many cases the same word is in the Hebrew used indifferently for the soul and animal life, it is difficult, even in passages where it is extremely probable that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul is taught or recognised, to prove that the terms are rightly apprehended, and that they do not refer to the animal life. We may instance a case or two. The Hebrew word

is used in Gen. ii.

7, where, in the authorized translation, it is rendered “the breath of life;" the same word is used in Job xxvi. 4, where it reads, "And whose spirit came from thee:" it is also found in Proverbs xx. 27, in which text it is translated, "The spirit of man ;" and also in Isaiah lvii. 16, where we have," And the souls which I have made."

It is very similar with

the Hebrew word generally

For

man

used in the Old Testament to signify "soul." instance this word, in Gen. ii. 7, is translated, became a living soul;" and in Exod. xxx. 12, " a ransom for his soul;" while, in Joshua xx. 3, it is rendered "that killeth any person ;" and in Job ii. 6, "but save his life." We have, however, notwithstanding this ambiguity of language, the means of showing that the patriarchs of this age had definite views of the doctrine under consideration, and occasionally expressed themselves in language which cannot be mistaken.

In Gen. xxxv. 18, we have the words, "As her soul was in departing," which seem to show that it must have been intended to express the separate and independent existence of the human soul. As Dr. Adam Clarke observes, "Her body did not go away :" and the words cannot be properly applied to "the breath," or "the life," since these can have no separate existence; and therefore, although they may become extinct, they cannot "go away" or "depart." We have a similar use of the same word in Job x. 1, where the patriarch says of himself, "My soul is weary of my life." Here the original term, translated "soul," is the same as that which is used in the case of Rachel just mentioned. And it must be admitted that the term translated "soul" cannot mean the breath or life of the person the language clearly shows that the speaker believed himself possessed of an existence independent of the body; hence he speaks in the bitterness of his soul, and exclaims, "My soul is weary of my life." A similar phraseology is repeated in chap. xii. 10: "In whose hand is the breath of every living creature, and the spirit of all human flesh." * Does not this discrimination in the use of terms prove the existence of the doctrine of which we are speaking?

There is another form of expression found in the Mosaic writings which leads to the same conclusion. In Gen. xxv. 8, 9, it is said, "Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years;

* DR. MASON GooD's Translation.

and was gathered to his people. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah." What are we to understand by Abraham being gathered to his people? It could not have referred to the resting-place of his body; for this was in a strange land; Sarah, his wife, alone having been buried in that place. It must therefore refer to the passing of his spirit into the company of those of his pious ancestors, who had found rest in heaven. It appears, then, as the venerable Clarkson has observed on this subject, that "a notion existed among the patriarchs, that there was a soul in man distinct from the body, and that the souls of holy or good men, when their bodies perished on the earth, lived in another state, and that they were rewarded there, and that their reward consisted, as the phrase sitting down' implies, in feasting with, or enjoying the company of, the spirits of all the other good and holy men, and servants of God, who had gone before them."

We have now referred to most of the prominent points which it will be necessary for us to discuss. The doctrine

of Divine influence on the hearts of mankind, the existence of Divine laws, and the duty of worship, as they have been shown to exist before the Flood, may be presumed to have been known as the duty and privilege of pious persons in this age also. There is, therefore, but one other particular which remains for consideration. It is the proof we have that, at this time, not only was the existence of angels known, but it was believed that the Divine dealings respecting human interests and affairs were principally carried on through their instrumentality. On the general bearing of this truth, as it has been already noticed, we shall not further remark. The question, however, respecting the Satan of the book of Job deserves attention. It has been generally understood by commentators that the Satan mentioned in the first chapter is the same with the devil, the fallen spirit who tempted our first parents to sin, and has ever since gone about "as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." But it has been always apparent that this notion is strangely opposed to the account which we have of

"the sons of God" meeting together in the presence of the
Almighty. When we reflect that we have here no poetry,
no prophetic vision, but plain historic narration, it seems
extremely difficult to believe that an account so given can be
intended to teach us that the foul, fallen spirit, the great
enemy of God and deceiver of man, is, or was, received into
the counsels of the Most High, and permitted to suggest
successive trials and afflictions towards one of the most emi-
nent of the servants of God living upon the earth. It must,
however, be admitted, at least, that this doctrine is so
strange, that we are not only at liberty, but bound, to con-
sider whether the terms of the text, and the general analogy
of holy writ, will allow any more consistent interpretation.
Mr. Wemys, in his supplementary Illustrations to the Book
of Job, p. 276, professes to have done this. He first shows
that holy scripture often speaks of God after the manner of
men; that therefore we read of his "hand," and "eye,"
and "
ear;" that in the same manner he is said to sustain
the relations of "Husband," "Father," "Shepherd,"
"King;" and that, in accordance with this mode of speech,
He is here presented to us as sitting in his privy council,
where he meets those exalted holy angels, who are specially
charged with the accomplishment of his purposes respecting
mankind. This author observes: "There can be little doubt
that such is the scene presented to us in the first chapter of
this book, verses 6, &c. It is the assembling of the privy
council of the Most High; the veil which severs the visible
from the invisible world is for once drawn up, and we are
admitted into the cabinet of the Almighty. That such a
council exists, we learn from several passages of scripture,
though the subject has not been usually noticed; as, for
instance, in chap. xv. 8 of this book, properly rendered
thus:-

'Hast thou been a listener in the privy council of God,
And drawn away wisdom to thyself?'

Psalm lxxxix. 7 :

'God is greatly to be feared in the privy council of his holy ones, And to be revered by all that are round about him.'