§ 13. From what hath been spoken, it is evident, that he who appeared unto Jacob, with whom he earnestly wrestled by tears and supplications, was God, and because he was sent as the angel of God, it must be some distinct person in the deity, condescending unto that office; even the second person, who appearing in the form of a man, represented his future assumption of our human nature. And by all this did God instruct the church in the mystery of the person of the Messiah, that they might know for whom they were to look in the blessing of the promised seed. §14. Exod. iii. 2-6. " And Moses came to the mountain of God to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said Moses, Moses, and he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 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 herein also have we expressed another glorious appearance of the Son of God. He who is here revealed, is called Jehovah, ver. 4. And he affirms of himself that he is the God of Abraham, ver. 6. He also describes himself by the glorious name of I AM that I AM, ver. 14. In his name and authority Moses was to deal with Pharaoh in the deliverance of the people, and him they were to serve on that mountain upon their coming out of Egypt. And for his 17, or merciful good-will, Moses prays, Deut. xxxiii. 16. And yet he is expressly called an angel, ver. 2. namely the angel of the covenant, the great angel of the presence of God, in whom was the name and nature of God; and he thus appeared that the church might know and consider who it was, that was to work out their spiritual and eternal salvation, whereof that deliverance which then he would affect was a type and pledge. Aben Ezra would have the angel mentioned ver 2. to be another from him who is called the Lord God, ver. 6. But the text will not give countenance unto any such distinction, but speaks of one and the same person throughout, without any iteration; and this was no other than the Son of God. al § 15. Exod. xix. 18-20. " And Mount Sinai was altogether in a smoke; because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and the s moke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the thole Mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the t. rumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice: And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the Mount." The Jews well interpret those words concerning the descent of God, to be by way of the manifestation of his glory, not in the way of change of place. And thence Aben Ezra interprets that expression, Chap. xx. 22. Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven; God was still in heaven, when his glory was on the Mount. Yet those words 'wn 1, do rather refer to his descent before described, than denote the place where he spake. For in giving the law God spake on earth, Heb. xii. 25. That God in this glorious manifestation of his presence on Mount Sinai, made use of the ministry of angels, both the nature of the thing declares, and the Scripture testifies, Ps. Ixviii. 17. The voices, fire, trembling of the mountain, smoke and noise of the trumpet, were all effected by them. And so also was the forming of the words of the law conveyed to the ears of Moses and the people. Hence the law is not only said to be received by them, sis diatayas ayyeλwv, (Acts vii. 53.) by the disposi tion, or orderly ministration of the angels, and to be disposed by them into the hand of Moses, (Gal. iii. 19.) but is also called, ò di ayyshav haλnders λoyos, Heb. ii. 2. the word spoken or pronounced by angels, that is outwardly and audibly. As to him who presided and ruled the whole action, some Christians think that it was a created angel, representing God, and speaking in But if this be so, we have no certainty of any thing that is affirmed in the Scripture, there is nothing which with assurance we can refer directly and immediately unto God; but we may when we please substitute a delegated angel in his room. For in no place, not even in that concerning the creation of the world, is God himself more expressly spoken of. Besides, the Psalmist in the place mentioned, affirms, that when those chariots of God were on Mount Sinai, Jehovah himself was in the midst of them. And this presence of God, the He his name. -whereby they now un ,אקר and שכינה and הכבוד brews call derstand a majestic and sanctifying presence; indeed it in- the wilderness, whose glory appeared and was manifested among them. And moreover, another angel is promised unto them, ver. 23. "For mine angel shall go before thee, and bring thee unto the Amorites, and I will cut them off.” This refers to a ministering angel, to execute the judgments and vengeance of God upon the enemies of his people. And that this angel of ver. 23. is another from that of ver. 20. appears from Ch. xxxiii. 2, 3. compared with ver. 13-16. of the same chapter, ver. 2. "I will send an angel before thee, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite," which is the promise; and the angel of Ch. xxiii. 23. But saith he, ver. 3. "I will not go up in the midst of thee; which he had promised to do in and by the angel of ver. 20, 21. in whom his name was. This the people esteemed evil tidings, and mourned because of it, ver. 4. Now God had not promised to go in the midst of them, any otherwise than by the angel mentioned; with which both Moses and the people were abundantly satisfied. But while he here renews his promise of the ministry and assistance of the angel of ver. 23. yet he denies them his own presence, in the angel of ver. 20. For which Moses reneweth his request, ver. 13. whereunto God replies, My presence shall go with thee, ver. 14. concerning which presence or face of God, or which angel of his presence, we must a little more particularly enquire. §. 17. First, It is said to the people concerning him 7007 15, beware of him, or rather take heed to thyself before him: before his face, in his presence, ver. 21. 1 in Niphal, is sibi cavit; cave tibi. And this is the caution that is usually given the people, requiring that reverence and awe, which is due unto the holiness of the presence of God. 2. hipa you, and obey his voice. This is the great precept which is solemnly given, and so often reiterated in the law with reference unto God himself. 3. 1 an provoke him not; or rebel not against him. This is the usual word whereby God expresseth the transgression of his covenant; a rebellion that can be committed against God alone. 4. Of these precepts a twofold reason is given, the first of which is taken from the sovereign authority of this angel; for he will not pardon your transgressions; that is, as Joshua afterwards tells the same people, "he is a holy God, he is a jealous God, he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins," Josh. xxiv. 19; namely, sins of rebellion, that break and disannul his covenant. And who can forgive sins but God? To suppose here a created angel, is to open a door unto idolatry; for he in whose power it is absolutely to pardon and to punish sin, may certainly be worshipped with religious adoration. The second reason is taken from his name, for my name is in him. A more excellent name than any of the angels do enjoy, Heb. i. 4. He is God Jehovah, that is his name, and his nature answereth thereto. Hence ver. 22. it is added, "if indeed thou obey his voice, and do all that I speak." His voice is the voice of God; in his speaking doth God speak; and upon the people's obedience thereto, depends the accomplishment of the promise. Moreover, Ch. xxxiii. 14, 15. God says concerning this angel, my presence, my face shall go with thee; which presence Moses calls his glory, ver 18. his essential glory. This was manifested unto him, Chap. xxxiv. 6. though the manifestation was but obscure when compared with what they enjoyed, who in his human nature, (wherein dwelt the fulness of the Godhead bodily, Col. ii. 9.) beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, John i. 14. For this face of God is he, who could truly say, he that hath seen me, hath seen the Father, John xiv. 9. because he is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, Heb. i. 3. This is he who accompanied the people in the wilderness, 1 Cor. x. 4. and whose merciful good pleasure towards them, Moses prayed for, Deut. xxxiii. 16. He is the "Father of lights, from whom descendeth every good and perfect gift," James i. 17. These things evidently express God and none other; and yet he is said to be an angel sent by God in his name, and unto his work: So that he can be no other but a certain person of the deity, who accepted of this delegation, and was therein revealed unto the church, as he who was to take upon him the seed of Abraham, and to be their eternal Redeemer. § 18. Josh. v. 13-15. "And it came to pass whilst Joshua was by Jericho, that he lift up his eyes and looked, and behold there stood a man over against him, with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? and he said, Nay; but as Prince of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant. And the prince of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy." The appearance here is of a man, ver. 13. a man of war, as God is called, Exod. xv. 3. armed with his sword drawn in his hand, as a token of the business about which he came. At first sight Joshua apprehends him to be a man only, which occasioned his enquiry, art thou for us or for our adversaries? which discovers his courage and undaunted magnanimity, for doubtless the appearance was august and glorious. But he answers unto his whole question, , I am not; that is, a man either of your party, or of the ene mies, but quite another person,, the Prince of the host of the Lord. And this was another illustrious manifestation of the Son of God unto the church of old, accompanied with many instructive circumstances. As, 1st, From the form in which he appeared, namely of a man, as a pledge of his future incarnation. 2d, The title that he assumes to himself, the Captain of the Lord's host, he to whom was committed the guidance and conducting of them unto rest, not only temporal, but eternal rest; whence the apostle, in allusion unto this place and title, calls him the captain of our salvation, Heb. ii. 10. And 3d, The person unto whom he spake when he gave himself this title, was the captain of the people at that time, teaching both him and them that there was another supreme captain of their eternal deliverance. 4th, From the time and place of his appearance, which was upon the first entrance of the people into Canaan, and on the first opposition which occurred to them there; his people were taught to regard him as engaging his presence with his church, in all things which oppose them in their way unto eternal rest. 5th, From the adoration and worship which Joshua gave unto him, and which he accepted of, contrary to the duty and practice of created angels, Rev. xix. 10. xxii. 8, 9. 6th, From the prescription of the cere monies expressive of religious reverence, Put off thy shoes, with the reason annexed, For the place whereon thou standest wp , it is holiness, made so by the presence of God; the like precept whereunto was given to Moses, by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Exod. iii. 5. By all these things was the church instructed in the person, nature, and office of the Son of God; even in the mystery of his eternal distinct subsistence in the Deity, his future incarnation and condescension unto the office of being the Head and Saviour of his church. §19. These manifestations of the Son of God unto the church of old, as the angel or messenger of the Father, subsisting in his own divine Person, are all of them revelations of the promised seed, the great and only Saviour and deliverer of the church; all of them intimate his eternal existence before his incarnation, and are pledges of his afterwards taking upon him the human nature, for the accomplishment of the whole work committed unto him. And many other instances of the like nature may be added out of the former and latter prophets, which, because in most important circumstances they are coincident with these, need not here particularly be insisted on. $20. Some of late would apply all these appearances unto a created delegated angel; which conceit, as it is irreconcileable unto the sacred text, as we have manifested, so is it contrary unto the sense of the ancient writers of the Christian church. A large collection of testimonies from them, is not suited unto our present design and purpose: I shall therefore only mention two of the most ancient of them; one of the Latin, the other of the Greek church. The first is Tertullian, who tells us, |