The propriety of this appellation is farther evinced by a relation of feveral of his appearances recorded in the books of Mofes; and by a particular account of the manner in which it was originally conferred, from Exodus xxxiii. From many paffages that are here collected, our Author infers that the facred writings attribute to the angel, who acts in the name and authority and moral character of God, the name Jehovah: and there could be no miftake, in this particular, among our forefathers, as if this angel was the Supreme God; because we find by the history, that he never acted in his own name, or by his own authority, but merely as the angel of God.' He then fhews the abfurdity and confufion that must attend the notion (which many Chriftian writers have adopted) of the appearance of the Supreme and Invisible Jehovah himself.

Having fettled thefe preliminaries, our Apologift proceeds to enquire, whether the Jewish and Chriftian revelations were carried on by the vifible Jehovah; i. e. the Logos, or Word of God, as he is filed both by Phils, and the apoftles of Chrift. And he apprehends, that under the character of a divine fubftitute of the Father, he gave the law of reafon to Adam; the Jewish law to that people; and to all the world the Chriftian law, or will of God.' The arguments here alledged in proof of this propofition are deduced from the nature and confiftency of the thing, from the words of fcripture, and from the interpretations of scripture given us both by the Jews and Chriftians.

The two firft of thefe arguments are very ably difcuffed in the fequel of this letter. From the fcripture evidence on this head our Author draws thefe two conclufions: First, that Jefus and his difciples knew him to be the Angel-Jehovah; and revealed it fufficiently to all fuch as would examine, and honestly attend to what they faid upon the fubject; and to those who would not, the things which pertained to their peace were hidden from their eyes. Secondly, it appears, that Almighty God has from the beginning carried on the government of the world, by the miniftration of one and the fame perfon: who hath appeared under different appellations, according to the dif ferent difpenfations in which he was employed, and the different characters he bore. And this is the fame Perfon, who chose Judah for his inheritance; and hath from the days of Abraham been more particularly engaged, by Himfelf or his angels, in the care and protection of our nation; and even in the latter days will continue to be fo, till he hath performed the promife, that in Abraham's feed shall all the families of the earth be bleffed: and the completion of this prophecy conftitutes the Chriftian religion,'

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He then clofes this fecond letter with five rules, which direct us when to apply the word God or Jehovah in the Old Testament to the Jehovah-Angel, or Angel of the Covenant.

In a Poftfcript our Author examines and anfwers the objections brought by the learned Grotius against the opinion, which is here maintained, and which afcribes the delivery of the law, to the Logos, or Word.

In the third letter, our Author applies his extenfive learning to the illuftration and proof of this propofition; viz. that the Logos was the Angel of the Covenant, or vifible Jehovah:" And he has produced many paffages from the most approved commentators, both Jewish and Chriftian; from the Chriftian Fathers, and from modern expofitors and divines, in fupport of the fame opinion. He then proceeds to vindicate the worfhip of Chrift, under this character, from the charge of idolatry, by fhewing, that it is of the fame kind with the worship of the Jehovah-Angel. We,' fays he (perfonating a few) • as well as the Mahometans, have been too hafty in accufing the Christian religion as idolatrous, and charging the Chriftians in general with idolatry, because they worship Chrift: as if the worship paid to the Angel of God, or the Angel of the Covenant, was the worship of another God. I allow, that, if they fuppofed the Angel of the Covenant to be the Supreme God and Governor of the univerfe, and equal to Jehovah, in whose name he acts, and whole minifter he is; and worshipped him ultimately, as God of the univerfe; this would be idolatry, in the strict and proper sense of the word: but this is only the opinion of the Pfeudo-Athanafians and lofes ground daily among men of fense; being neither founded on fcripture nor reafon, nor one fingle authority from the Fathers of the three first centuries. Non duos Deos introduxit CHRISTUS; quia non duos EQUALES, non PARES, æquatione in utroque oftenfa, pofuit. Id enim fi feciffet, merito duorum Deorum controverfiam fufcitaffet; fays Novatian, cap. xxxi. And it appears, that the worship of Christ is of the fame nature, with that which was paid by the Patriarchs to the fame perfon; i. e. the vifible Angel who appeared to them. And Abraham, when he built an altar to Jehovah that appeared to him in the plains of Moreb (Gen. xii. 7.) and Jacob, when he was commanded to build an altar to Jehovah, that appeared to him when he fled from Efau (xxxv. 1.) could have no notion that he was the Supreme God; for they knew him to be the Angel and Minister of the Supreme God, as I have already fhewn: and, therefore, if thefe altars were built for worship, and not merely for memorials; the worship, paid the Angel of the Covenant at these, as well as at other times, was the fame with that of the Chriftians at prefent: that is, it was me

diate and fubordinate, and ultimately directed to the glory of the Father.'

He farther obviates the objection of polytheifm and idolatry by many very appofite quotations from the writings of the primitive Chriftians; fuch as Julin Martyr, Origen, Cyprian, Hippolitus, Eufebius, Tertullian, Lactantius, and Bafil. • The apoftolic conftitutions (he obferves) reprefent it as a branch of the Gnoftic herefy, to affirm, that Jefus is the Supreme God over all; making himself, confequently, to be his own Father.

It is very remarkable (he fays) that the title of the only true God, which Chrift has appropriated to the Father (John xvii. 3.) is never given to Chrift, even by the Poft-Nicene Fathers: and the reafon feems to be, that their understanding revolted at fo ftrong and unwarranted an expreffion; which recals to my mind, how our difpute ended with the Popish priests at Marfeilles, by the imprudent behaviour of our friend Khaled. For they no fooner mentioned Mary, the Mother of God; but he rofe up in a great heat, fwearing by Mabomet, that God was neither born nor died, and had neither fon nor daughter: and that all fuch as pretended to make their God were more impudent conjurers than Jannes and Jambres, who oppofed Mofes. I mention this, for the fake of observing, that, as the Fathers feared to call Chrift by the name of the only true God: fo the Proteftants, even thofe who call themselves Athanafians, are afraid to call the Mother of Jefus Chrift, the Mother of God: which planely proves, that all fuch as refuse these titles to St. Mary and to Chrift out of confcience, have two different senses to the word God, whatever they pretend to the contrary. One, when they speak of the invifible Jehovah; and another, when they fpeak of Chrift: otherwife they could not refufe to call Mary the Mother of God, and Chrift the only true God: for by all the logic in the world, if he be the Mother of Christ, and Chrift be God, he is the Mother of God, in the same sense, in which he is called God; and if he be the only true God, then the is the Mother of the only true God.'

Our Author very properly fpecifies, in feveral particulars, the difference between the terms El, Elohim, Adonai and Jehovah: and obferves that the latter is never given to any, but to the Self-exiftent and Supreme God or his Angel; and fhould therefore never be tranflated into any other language, Toward the clofe of this letter he refumes the charge of idolatry, and obviates it by enquiring what worship is paid to Chrift, and what is the precife meaning of idolatry: and he concludes, that the worship of Christ is free from all thofe offenfive circumstances, which render idolatry difpleafing to God, and therefore ought not to be called by that name.' After all, it is candidly acknowledged, that in the whole New Teftament we have no direct

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and pofitive command to pray to Chrift; and that it is moft proper to direct our prayers to the Supreme God himself, through Jefus Chrift, as the mediator between God and man; this Selfexiftent and Eternal Being having an immutable claim to our worship, even beyond the age of the Meffiab, when his kingdom fhall be delivered up to the Father. Our Lord himself, moreover, hath thus directed us to pray.

In a Poftfcript to this letter our Author intimates, that Dr. Sherlock, Dr. South, and other writers, whom he calls "the Philofophical Chriftians," whilft they have afferted that Chrift is the Supreme God, or a meer man, have been under a neceffity of denying the most effential articles of Christianity; such as his defcent from heaven; his humiliation; his fufferings and death: and concludes with an apology for entering fo far into this argument, which he would not have done, had it not been (fays he) abfolutely neceffary to clear my fubject from the objections à priori, which arife from the Homöoufian doctrine, before I undertook to lay before you the evidence upon which I embrace Chriftianity: for, if Chrift be the Supreme God, as fome divines fuppofe; it is impoffible to ftir a fingle ftep for·ward in proof of his defcent from heaven, his conception, his bumiliation, his fufferings and death: all thefe things are declared of him in the New Teftament; and foretold of him, in the Old: and all of them are abfolutely impoffible to have been undergone by a Being, that is infinite, unchangeable, and impassable. And, therefore, inftead of attempting to explane the Chriftian fyftem by the philofophy of these divines, I fhall entirely neglect them and truft (as the Arian and Scripturarian heretics are accused of having done) to the fcriptures only: following the rule of Hillary entirely-Non creditur PHILOSOPHIS ditur PISCATORIBUS.'

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The defign of the fourth and last letter in this collection is to prove that Jefus was the Meffiah; in which the Author has acquitted himself as a very learned and able apologist for Chriftianity.

After fome previous remarks on the predictions relating to the Meffiah, tending particularly to vindicate the authority of Daniel, and to elucidate the very remarkable prophecies contained in his writings; and on the general expectation which Jewish and Heathen writers feemed to entertain concerning his advent; accompanied with a critical enquiry into the fource of their intelligence ;-he proceeds to examine the correspondence between the hiftory of Chrift in the New Teftament, and the prophecies of the Meffiah in the Old Testament, by four criteria; viz. his lineage; the place of his birth; the time of his advent; and his actions."

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To his vindication of the prophecy of Daniel, our Author has fubjoined several obfervations on Profeffor Michaelis's Letter to Sir John Pringle on the LXX Weeks of Daniel, not Jong fince publifhed; and they are well worthy the attention of that excellent critic. We are forry our limits will not allow us to give more copious extracts from this very valuable performance. Those who are employed in biblical enquiries will perufe thefe letters with pleasure and advantage. Our Readers, however, will indulge us with one extract more, which is part of the Author's addrefs to thofe for whose benefit these letters are more immediately intended.

Give me leave, my dear friend, to expoftulate with you, and lay my whole heart before you on this most interesting of all fubjects: and honestly confefs, that I have been long affected with (the) heavy charge, with which I have been so often preffed by the Chriftians, and greatly alarmed; because it appears upon examination to be fact, and accounts for fuch amazing difficulties as, upon any other principle, are infuperable.

The Meffiah, fay they, has already been manifefted to your nation and became the fon of man, by being born of the family of David: he came unto you, his own peculiar people; and you received him not, but hid your faces from him; and "denied the holy one and the juft, and defired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of Life:" and for this fin your nation has been fo long cut off from all the peculiar bleffings which it fo long enjoyed under the Lord Jeboyab and you are difperfed abroad, and become an aftonishment, a proverb, and a bye-word, among all nations; as your prophets foretold nor will you ever be reinftated in his favour, till you acknowledge him to be your Lord and King; and fubmit yourselves to his government over you.

Elifba Levi, look back upon the days of old; and the mercies vouchfafed to our fathers, by the hand of this JehovahAngel: how often he declared his love and tender compaffion to his peculiar people; yea, and his unchangeable determination, that he would never forget them!" Can a woman, fays he, forget her fucking child; that the fhould not have compaffion on the fon of her womb? Yea, fhe may forget; yet will not I forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." And, even when it was neceffary to punith us; with what love and tenderness does he compaffionate our fufferings! "How fhall I give thee up, Ephraim! how fhall I deliver thee, Ifrael! how fhall I make thee like Admah! how fhall I fet thee as Zeboim! My heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled

See Review for October 1773, p. 263.

together."