"Hofts: Jehovah is his memorial:"* Agreeably to what the fame God faid to Mofes-"Thus fhalt "thou fay unto the children of Ifrael ;-Jehovah— "the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, "the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob, hath "fent me unto you. This is my name for ever, "and this is my memorial unto all generations ;"† from which it is evident, that this name Jehovah is his memorial, his appropriate, perpetual, incommu. nicable name; and what follows is " and what follows is "a moft gra"cious declaration of this Jehovah's peculiar con"nections with the fathers of the Ifraelites."

Depending

So fays one of the ableft biblical scholars of the age, the profoundly learned Dr. Horsley, lately Lord Bishop of Rochefter, now of St. Asaph; who, in an advertisement at the end of his admirable translation of Hofea, adds the following Remark to his note on the word "memorial," (F. p. 143.) which most beautifully illuftrates our present subject: namely-That the perfon, of whom it is said, that the name Jebovab is his memorial, is no other, than he whom the patriarch found at Bethel, who there spake with the Ifraelites in the loins of their progenitor. He, whom the patriarch found at Bethel, who there, in that manner, fpake with the Ifraelites, was by the tenor of the context, the antagonist, with whom Jacob was afterwards matched at Peniel. The antagonist, with whom he was matched at Peniel, wreftled with the patriarch, as we read in the book of Genefis, in the human form. The conflict was no fooner ended, than the patriarch acknowledged his antagonist as God. The holy prophet first calls him Angel, and after mention of the colluctation, and of the meeting and conference at Bethel, fays, that he, whom he had called angel, was " Jehovah God of "Hofts." And to make the affertion of this perfon's godhead, if poffible, ftill more unequivocal, he adds—that to him belonged, as his appropriate memorial, that name, which is declarative of the very effence of the Godhead! § Hofea, xii. 5.

|| Hofea, xii. 4.

pending as he well might on this powerful connection with Jehovah, as his God, we find " Jacob, “when he was`a-dying, by faith bleffing both the "fons of Jofeph ;" and in fo doing, addreffing himself to that "God, before whom his fathers "Abraham and Ifaac did walk; the God, which

fed him all his life long, the Angel which redeem"ed him from all evil;" which plainly fhewed that the hope of a Redeemer, under the character of the Shepherd of Ifrael feeding his flock with all good things, was to be handed down in the family of Jofeph; whofe typical history served to confirm that

hope of the promise made of God unto the fa"thers; unto which promife," fays St. Paul," our "twelve tribes, inftantly ferving God day and night, " hope to come."

The

This MAN therefore of the book of Genefis, this ANGEL of Hofea, who wrestled with Jacob, could be no other than the Jebovab-Angel, of whom we so often read in the English bible, under the name of the "angel of the "Lord." A phrase of an unfortunate ftructure, and fo ill conformed to the original, that it is to be feared, it has ledde many into the error of conceiving of the Lord as one perfon, and of the angel as another. The word of the Hebrew, ill rendered "the Lord," is not, like the English word, an appellative expreffing rank or condition; but it is the proper name Jehovah. And this proper name Jehovah is not, in the Hebrew, a genitive after the noun substantive "Angel," as the English reprefents it ;--but the words in the Hebrew tranflated Jehovah and Angel, are two nouns fubftantive in appofition, both speaking of the fame perfon; the onc, by the appropriate name of the effence, the other by a title of office. "Jebovab Angel" would be a better rendering. The Jehovah Angel of the old teftament is no other than He, who in the fulness of time, "was incarnate by the Holy Ghost "of the Virgin Mary."

Heb. xi. 21. + Gen. xlviii. 15, 16.

Acts, xxvi. 6, 7.

The history of these twelve tribes of Ifrael, as recorded in the facred writings, opens to us a wonderful fource of evidence in fupport of the propofition now before us: And by confidering what these people were; how they were fupported by the power, directed by the wifdom, and inftructed in the knowledge of Jehovah the true God, we fhall readily perceive their typical relation to his Chrift, the Saviour of the world, and the proof, which their whole economy clearly exhibits, that the religion of this Saviour was the fame yesterday under the law, as it is to-day under the gospel, and will continue for ever, even unto the end of the world.

The rife and progress of the Jewish nation is one of the most surprising things to be met with in the page of history. Defcended from these distinguished patriarchs, whofe faith and piety we have been now contemplating, they were taught to look upon themselves as the peculiar objects of his providential care, who had fo often declared himfelf to be "the "God of Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob."-Conducted by his merciful providence into the land of Egypt, they were there reduced to the most humiliating flate of bondage; from which they could find no relief, till the four hundred years were expired, which, in the wife and mysterious defigns of heaven, had been fixed as the period of their affliction. Emerging at laft from this grievous depth of fervitude, and delivered from their cruel oppreffors by a most miraculous display of Almighty vengeance, they

became

became a great and powerful people; poffeffed their promised land for many years, with the full exercife of their religion, and in a firm belief, derived from their facred writings, that an extraordinary perfon, of their blood and kindred, was to arise, who fhould deliver them from all their enemies, and fet up a kingdom above all the kingdoms of the earth. Encouraged by this opinion, and totally misapprehending the character of their expected Deliverer, they rejected him, when he came; and quarrelling with the power which had them in fubjection, after the most obftinate defence that ever people made, they were utterly overthrown, their city and temple destroyed, and those that escaped the sword, were scattered among all nations; where their posterity continue to this day, cut off from all the powers and privileges poffeffed by those among whom they refide; diftinguished only by their peculiar obfervances, and a firm conviction, that their religion is from God, and their great Deliverer is ftill to come.

These are wonderful circumstances, and call for extraordinary attention. They afford the strongest arguments in favour of the Christian religion; fince all that has happened to these scattered tribes of Ifrael was diftinctly and repeatedly foretold in those scriptures of the Old and New Testament, on whose combined evidence, the truth of our glorious gospel refts with unfhaken firmnefs. Often do we find it predicted in thefe facred records, that the

Jews

Jews fhould not only defpife and reject, and even put to death the promised Meffiah, and on this account be dispersed into all countries, and exposed to the greatest hardships; but also, that they should not be swallowed up, and loft among their conquerors, as has generally been the cafe with all vanquished nations, but should still fubfift to latest times, and under all their diftreffes and difficulties, be a distinct people. And how amazingly has this prophecy been fulfilled! Yet the pen, which divine inspiration guides, could hardly have pointed to a more fingular or improbable occurrence. Nothing has happened like it in the course of human affairs. All the mighty monarchies, both of the east and weft, are vanifhed like the fhadows of the evening, with the fetting fun; their places know them no more; while this contemptible race of fugitives are ftrangely secure without a friend or protector amidst the wreck of empires. There are fome people now as in our Saviour's time, who "will not believe, except they fee figns and wonders." Let them look at this prodigy, which is daily in their view, and try if they can poffibly account for it in any other way than by allowing it to be "the Lord's "doing, and therefore fo marvellous in our eyes."

Marvellous indeed muft it appear, that a people fo highly favoured of God; felected from all others to be his peculiar charge, and by his mighty hand refcued from bondage; conducted through numberlefs dangers and difficulties, and at length fet

tled