including a mystery, not to be made known to the vulgar, and indeed ftudioufly concealed by them from their abhorrence of Chriftianity, has been elsewhere demonftrated". It is therefore unneceffary to enlarge here. I fhall only add, that the modern Jews are fo fully convinced that the doctrine of a plurality is contained in these words, as to wish to alter the reading. Inftead of Let us make man, they incline to read, Let man be made; although the Samaritan text, the Septuagint, the Talmudifts, and all their tranflations, whether ancient or modern, exprefs the language in the fame manner with our verfion. 66 66 C The fame important doctrine is introduced in the hiftory of the Fall. That three-one God, who faid, "Let us make man after our image," in the fame character laments the lofs of this image. JEHOVAH God faid, Behold, the man is become as one of us;" or, as fome read the paffage, "Behold the man, who was as one of us !” Here Philo obferves; "Thefe words, as one of us, "are not put for one, but for more than one 1." The learned Allix has remarked, that the ancient Jewish writers maintain, that God "speaks not "this to the angels, who had no common likeness "to the unity or effence of God, but to Him who "was the celeftial Adam, who is one with Gode." To whom this character applies, we learn from the Targum of Jonathan on the place, who here fpeaks of the only begotten in heaven." 66 b See Vindication of the Doctrine of Scripture, &c, vol. i. 5.-9. d De Confuf, ubi fup. c Gen. iii. 22. This This doctrine is alfo taught in the hiftory of the Confufion of Tongues. "JEHOVAH faid,-Go "to, let us go down, and there confound their "language" Here the Jews repeat their contemptible fubterfuge, that God addreffes his "houfe of judgment," that is, created angels. For it is an established doctrine with them, that "God does nothing without previously confulting, "with his family above." But it has juftly been obferved, that thefe words, if fpoken to angels, would imply that God were one of them, or that he defcended in the fame manner with them, by a real change of place. Befides, in a moment to change one language into many, and to infufé these into the minds of men, who were utter firangers to them before, fo that they fhould entirely forget their former modes of fpeech, is a work that far furpaffes the power of angels, and can be accomplished by no being but that God, with whom to will and to do is the fame h It must be evident to every one, who reads the hiftory of the Old Teftament with any degree of attention, that an Angel is often introduced as fpeaking the language, performing the works, and accepting the worship, which exclufively belong to the Supreme Being. In other words, one, who is undoubtedly a divine perfon, often appears in a delegated character. Now, while it was the will of God, in this manner conftantly to remind his Church of the economy of redemption, he at f Gen. xi. 7. the the fame time taught her a diftinction of perfons in the divine effence. It was this Angel who appeared to Abraham on different occafions, to Hagar, to Jacob, to Mofes, to Jofhua, to the Ifraelites at Bochim, to Gideon, to Manoah and his wife. But I enter not into a particular confideration of these appearances, having endeavoured to illuftrate the character of this divine Meffenger in another place. There it has alfo been proved, that the law was given to the Ifraelites at Mount Sinai, by the second perfon of the adorable Trinity in the character of the Angel of JEHOVAH *. It deferves particular attention, that at the very time that the God of Ifrael gave his people a law, by which they were to be diftinguished from all the idolatrous nations around, one fpecial defign of which was to preferve the doctrine of the divine unity;-at the very time that he pronounced that leading precept, "Thou shalt have no "other gods before me ;" he, according to the Sacred History viewed in its connexion, sustained the character of an Angel, and was pleafed to communicate the knowledge of this fact to his people. How can thefe apparent contradictions be reconciled, but by admitting that it was the will of God to reveal himself to his Church, as at the fame time poffeffing effential unity and perfonal plurality? The more ancient Jewish writers declare, that two perfons were engaged in promulgating the law. i Vindication of the Doctrine of Scripture, vol. i. p. 99.-117. k Ibid. p. 268.-274,280,-283-525. law. They fay; "The two first precepts were "spoken by the Supreme Spirit, but he spoke all "the reft by his Glory, who is called El Shaddai, "known to the fathers; by whom the prophets "foretold future events; who is called Jah; in "whom the Name of God is; the Beloved of "God who dwelt in the temple; and the Mouth "of the LORD; and the Face of the LORD; and "the Rock; and that Goodness which Mofes faw, "when he could not fee God." Elfewhere they call him "the Schechinah, by whom we draw "near to God, and prefent our fupplications to him; who is that Angel in whom the name of "God is, who is himself called God and JEHO"VAH." The change of person, in the promulgation of the law, afferted by thefe writers, is evidently a mere fancy. But their language deferves attention; as it fhews how fully they were convinced of the doctrine of a plurality in unity, when they introduced it in this manner. It has been univerfally admitted by the friends of revelation, that the great end which God hath in view in the work of Redemption, is the difplay of his own adorable perfections. But there is doubtless another, although lefs attended to, nowife incompatible with this, nay, itself an eminent branch of the fupreme end. This is the manifeftation of the myftcry of the Trinity, and of the mode of fubfiftence peculiar to each perfon in the divine effence. This muft undoubtedly be viewed as included in the one great defign of the all-wife Bechai, fol. 88. col. 3. 4. ap. Wits. Oecon. Fœd. lib, iv. e. 4. all-wife God, in our redemption; and it is evident that he hath ftill kept it in eye, in the revelation given to the Church, and efpecially in the hiftory of that work, as it is recorded in the gofpels. We may trace the doctrine of a Trinity in the accounts given of the old creation; but it appears with far fuperior evidence in the history of the new. This correfponds to the fuperior greatnefs of the work, and to the brighter and more extenfive difplay of divine perfection. Such was the flate of the Church, as to admit of a more full manifeftation of this mystery. It was more obfcurely revealed to the patriarchs, and under the Mofaic economy. This was analogous to the general character of the revelation then made; as well as to the ftate of the Church, yet in her infancy, and expofed to conftant temptations to polytheifm, from the fituation of all the furrounding nations. But "when the fullness of "the time was come," that the gofpel fhould be preached to every creature, and the kingdom of Satan fall as lightning from heaven, in the overthrow of heathen darkness; there were no fuch impediments to the more clear revelation of this myfterious doctrine. The reft of the divine conduct indeed rendered this neceffary. God had now" fent forth his Son, made of a woman, made "under the law, to redeem them that were under "the law." The ends of this miffion could not be accomplished, without a full revelation of the character of this illuftrious Meffenger. He could not otherwife receive that homage from the Church, |