These manifestations of Jehovah's glory had circumstances characteristic of the Son's person, as appears by the accounts handed down to us in the sacred writings. When "Moses, Aaron, and seventy-two of the elders of Israel went up, and saw the God of Israel," it is said, “there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness ;" and that "upon these nobles he laid not his hand." He appeared, therefore, as a man, since he had feet and hands, which it cannot be shown the Father ever did.

Accordingly the apostle, speaking of the preference which Moses's faith gave to the God of Israel, over the idols and riches of the Egyptians, says, that " Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt," Heb. xi. 26: the Israelites being then as much reproached by the Egyptians for worshipping the God of Israel, as we are by you, sir, for worshipping the Logos. And St. Paul, alluding to these words of Moses, "The children of Israel tempted Jehovah, saying, Is Jehovah among us or not?" Exod. xvii. 7, says to the Corinthians, "Let us not tempt Christ, as some of them,” the children of Israel, "also tempted" him, "and were destroyed of serpents," 1 Cor. x. 9: which shows the apostle believed, that Jehovah, leader of Israel through the wilderness, was the very Logos, who sustained openly the office of Messiah, when he was at length manifested in human flesh.

And as the scriptures show, that these transient manifestations of Jehovah are in general to be understood of Christ in his divine nature, or in his form of God, (see Phil. ii. 6,) your own reason, sir, prejudiced as it is, must see the propriety of this doctrine. For, if there be, in union with the Father's Godhead, a Word, a Son, "whose goings out are from everlasting," who “ was in the beginning with God," (the Father,) " and was God," insomuch that he can say, as "the only begotten Son of the Father," "I and my Father are one," in a sense which can be true only with respect to him who is the proper Son, and the "express image of the Father;" (see Rom viii. 32,

in the original, and Heb. i. 3;) if there be, I say, such a being, whom St. John calls the "Logos," and whom the Father names his "well-beloved Son ;" and if the scriptures testify, that the Father sent this Son to redeem mankind, and to bless all nations; is it not more reasonable to believe, that the Father occasionally sent him first to redeem the Israelites from the Egyptian captivity, and to bless that favoured people, than to believe that the Father, who never personally appeared, no, not for the redemption of all mankind, appeared nevertheless some times as a man, and sometimes as an angel, for the redemption of the children of Israel from their house of bondage?

A Son, even the proper Son of God, may, with the greatest propriety, be sent by his Father, to do works worthy of omnipotence, such as the redemption of a world, or the deliverance of a favourite people: but to suppose the Father personally to appear as a partial Saviour in a cloud, or in a flame, on a mountain, or in a temple; to suppose him to show himself sometimes as an angel, and sometimes as a man, is contrary both to the analogy of faith and to the dictates of reason.

Besides, the scriptures inform us, that "by faith Moses endured, as seeing him who is invisible," because "he dwells in the light, which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen, nor can see." Heb. xi. 27; 1 Tim. vi. 16. And they declare, that if the Father be visible, it is in his Son. John xiv. 9. From these rational and scriptural premises, I conclude, that Jehovah, who appeared to Moses, and to the seventy-two elders, and who said to the people of Israel, “I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the house of bondage," is that express image of the Father," that "Prince of life,” who said, "He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father: I and the Father are one."

66

*

The Reviewers have proved to you, sir, that this was

"To prove," say

• Monthly Review for January, 1784, page 61. these gentlemen, "beyond the possibility of dispute or evasion, that by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Justin meant Christ, we refer the reader to his celebrated Apology to the Emperor Antoninus Pius, pages 93, 94, in which this expression is not only applied to Christ, but even vindicated as his own appropriate and distinct character."

the opinion of Justin, one of the most ancient and respectable fathers, who had the honour of sealing the truth of the gospel with his blood, one hundred and thirty years after our Lord. And Bishop Bull confirms the proofs brought against you, where he writes, That the Son of God was he who "appeared to Moses in the bush, and said, ‘I am the existent Being,' Justin, in his dialogue with Trypho, eagerly contends. The case is this. That description of God, in Moses, 'I AM,' equally agrees to the Father and the Son, as to one God; always saving the distinction of persons; which is excellently explained by Justin, after this manner: God the Father is o wy, 'the Existent,' as always existing of himself; God the Son is o wv, 'the Existent,' as existing with the Father, and eternally begotten of him." Bull by Grabe, vol. i.,

page 347.

Meaning to resume the important subject the first opportunity, I now release you, and subscribe myself,

Your sincere friend,

And obedient servant in the Word made flesh,

JOHN FLETCHER.

LETTER III.

REV. SIR,

SHOULD you deny that Jehovah, who appeared to Abraham in the plains of Mamre, accompanied by two angels, was the Logos, we prove our assertion thus. The scriptures nowhere speak of any transient incarnation of the Father; it is therefore unscriptural to suppose, that the person who "did eat of the butter, milk, and cakes” which Abraham did set before him, and who kindly inquired after Sarah, was the Father. Nevertheless that he was God is evident; for he is called eight times Jehovah in the context. And therefore the analogy of faith requires us to believe that it was Jehovah the Son, who already condescended to quit his "form of God," and to

appear in the "form of a servant," that he might " receive sinners and eat with them." Compare Gen. xviii. 8, with Luke xv. 2, and John xxi. 12.

The same reasons prove that the divine person who stood above the mysterious ladder which Jacob saw in Bethel, was "Jehovah the Son." 66 Behold," saith the historian, "Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: behold, I am with thee in all places whither thou goest, and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And Jacob waking out of his sleep said, Surely Jehovah is in this place; and I knew it not: it is none other but the house of God, and the gate of heaven." Gen. xxviii. 13-17. Now the God who appeared to Abraham, Gen. xxii. 1, to Isaac, Gen. xxvi. 24, to Jacob, Gen. xxviii. 13, and to Moses, Exodus iii. 6, is again and again called "the Angel of Jehovah," or rather, Jehovah the Angel, as appears from Gen. xxii. 11, 12, 15-18, Exodus iii. 2, and Mal. iii. 1. Now that this Jehovah, Angel both of the Jewish and of the Christian covenant, is the Son, appears from these three reasons:-1. The Father never sustained the part of an angel, a messenger, or an envoy. Who should send him? 2. The Son, who can with propriety be sent by the Father, is frequently said to have been delegated on errands worthy of redeeming love. And, 3. The scriptures expressly declare, that Jehovah, Angel of the covenant, is our Lord Jesus Christ: compare Mal. iii. 1, &c., with Mark i. 1, &c.

Nor will it avail to say that the Jews, not having the new testament, could not find out the truth I assert; for, as has been observed in the former part, the old testament clearly indicates, that, in the Deity, there is a mysterious distinction of interlocutors and agents, though without any division. The Jews who, as we have seen, had this key given them at the very beginning of their revelation, could not but take notice that although each of these interlocutors is called "Jehovah," yet one of them is Jehovah the Envoy, the Ambassador, or the Angel. And they might as well deny the veracity of Moses as deny that Jehovah who appeared to Jacob in Bethel is Jehovah

the Envoy. For Jacob said to Rachel and Leal, "The angel of God appeared to me in a dream, saying, I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me; now arise, get thee out from this land." Gen. xxxi. 11, 13. Now the God of Bethel declared to Jacob in Bethel, that he was the God of Abraham, and of Isaac; and therefore every attentive Jew could not but see that Jehovah Envoy, or the Angel of the Jewish covenant, was the God of the patriarchs, namely, the Logos, the Son, who, being "Jehovah, rained from Jehovah fire upon Sodom," after he had told Abraham that he could not spare that wicked city.

Christ is represented in the new testament as the Captain of our salvation, armed with a sword. Heb. ii. 10, and Rev. xix. 15. And the old testament exhibits Jehovah-Envoy as sustaining the same character. "When Joshua was by Jericho, he lift up his eyes, and, behold, there stood a man over against him, with his sword drawn in his hand and Joshua went to him, and said, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as Captain 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 Captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy." The very charge which the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob gave to Moses from the flaming bush in Horeb. And when Joshua had obeyed, the man who appeared as Captain of the Lord's host gave him directions about the taking of Jericho, as the God of Abraham had given directions to Moses about the delivering his people from their Egyptian bondage. These orders are thus expressed : "And Jehovah said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thy hands Jericho. Ye shall compass the city six days," &c. Joshua v. 13, &c. ; vi. 2, &c.

Unless we absurdly suppose that the Captain of the Lord's host appeared merely to bid Joshua loose his shoes from off his feet, it follows from this narration, that the