J. This is one fact. The first great cause, the infinite spirit, whom we call Jehovah, is invisible to every material eye. Let us proceed to the seDid Jehovah appear to our fathers? cond. ་ R. Some being in the form of an angel, or of a man, who called himself Jehovah, often appeared to our ancestors, especially in the earlier ages of the world. J. If the man, or the messenger, who appeared to our fathers called himself Jehovah, certainly he was Jehovah. The great design of our religion is to distinguish the one living and true God from every other being. For this purpose God taught Moses to call him by a particular NAME, and said, THIS is my memorial unto all generations.* A promiscuous use of names always produceth a confusion of ideas in regard to the objects, to which the names are given; and had not Moses maintained a chaste precision of style in his writings, this law would have defeated its own design. Beside, he, who appeared to our fathers, suffered himself to be worshipped, and not only took the names and titles of Jehovah, but also promised and threatened, blessed and chastised in his own right; whence I infer that he, who appeared of old, was Jehovah, rendering himself visible and accessible to creatures by the borrowed form of a man. Was Was you at the synagogue last sabbath day? R. I was. * Exod, iii. 15. J. Do you remember what section of the law Rabbi Samuel read? R. He read that section, which describes the mission of Moses.* J. You did well. I took particular notice of it. most important article in the history of our nation. He undoubtedly related it with the utmost precision. But let us hear the man of God. THE ANGEL OF JEHOVAH appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush....and Jehovah said, draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest, is holy ground....I AM THE GOD OF THY FATHER, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB. Say unto the children of Israel, I AM, JEHOVAH, THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD of ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, THE GOD OF JACOB, hath sent me unto you: this is MY NAME for ever, and this is MY MEMORIAL unto all generations. Go, and I will be with thee; have not I JEHOVAH made the dumb, the deaf, the seeing, and the blind? Is it not plain, that he, who sent Moses, was Jehovah ? R. What say the scribes, master? J. What they say is of very little consequence, for ever since they have left off to take heed to the Lord, and have given themselves up to the enthusiasm of Bath Kol, they have answered the * Exod. iii, 4. D prophet's description: they see indeed, but perceive not.* Some of them pretend, that a created angel held this conversation with Moses, and spoke in the name of God, because he was a messenger of God. But they wrest the scriptures. Moses was a messenger of God to our fathers; but would our fathers have bowed their heads and worshipped, if Moses had said I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob; draw not nigh to ME; put off your shoes; and so on? The language of Moses and the prophets is, THUS SAITH THE LORD. O. We allow then the second fact. He, who appeared to our fathers, was Jehovah. J. If I rest the evidence of this fact on this section, I do it only for the sake of drawing the subject into a narrow compass; for I could argue from the appearance to Hagar;† from that to Abraham, to whom Jehovah appeared in human form, accompanied by two other men, afterwards called angels; to him our father prayed for Sodom after the two other appearances were gone to inform Lot of the destruction of that city; and him he called THE JUDGE OF THE WHOLE EARTH. The history of Jacob alone affords sufficient proof. The angel, who spoke to Jacob in a dream, called himself THE GOD OF BETHEL; and the man with whom Jacob wrestled, and to whom he made supplication, is called JEHOVAH, THE LORD GOD * Isa. vi. 9. Gen. xviii. 22. Gen. xvi. ‡ Gen. xviii. 1, 2. § Gen. xix. 1. OF HOSTS.* There are many more appearances recorded in the same manner. Either he, who appeared, was the true God, or Moses has confounded the creature with the Creator in a manner very dangerous to the honour of the blessed God. God may, and in the nature of things God must assume a form to render himself visible to mortals. If that form be human, the beholders will naturally say a man appeared; but neither men, nor angels, may assume the incommunicable names and titles of God; nor may they suffer themselves to be worshipped; nor may they bless in their own names. Three times Jacob called him, who appeared to him, an angel; once he called him a man ; and above thirty times he gave him the titles, Jehovah, God. The invisible God did appear to our fathers then, in human form. R. Did he not also appear in angelic form, Rabbi? J. There is a class of beings, which we call angels, a little higher than mankind:† but the word angel is not descriptive of the nature, much less of any supposed form of these spirits; they are Jehovah's messengers; we know no more of them; and when they have rendered themselves visible they have assumed a human form. The idea of God manifesting himself to men in the person of a man, is an idea that runs through all the history, and all the prophecies of our scriptures. This man is stiled Jehovah's fellow, and * Gen. xxxii. 24. Hosea xij. 4. 5. † Psal. viii. 5. Zech. xiii. 7. the third fact, which I propose to your consideration, is that, which the prophet Micah mentions. R. The three facts then are these. God is an invisible spirit. God, the invisible spirit, assumed an human form, and in it appeared to our fathers, in the early ages of the world. He, who assumed the form of a man in the early ages of the world in appearing to our fathers, actually became a man, and was born at Bethlehem-Judah. J. These are the three facts; the inference is easy. Jesus, who was born at Bethlehem, existed before his birth, appeared to our fathers, and was worshipped by them as Jehovah, the Lord their God. I have, to the priests, and to the populace, repeatedly preferred him before myself, because he was before me.* I die contented, because in so doing, according to Gabriel's prediction to my father, I have turned many of the children of Israel TO THE LORD THEIR GOD.† O. We are then to conclude from the prophecy of Micah, and from the prophecy of Isaiah, to which Jesus referred us, that he is God-man, the promised Messiah. J. For my part I have such confidence in the God of truth, who can have no interest in deceiving us, and whose perfect wisdom renders it impossible for him to want proper words to express his meaning, that one word of his is sufficient to determine my mind on any subject. From the section in the prophet, and from the conduct of * John i. 15. 27. 30. ↑ Luke i. 16. This passage, Dr. Clarke allows, belongs to Jesus Christ. |