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SECTION V.

If JESUS CHRIST be not the true God, neither the ancient Jewish, nor the Chriftian Religion, is attended with fufficient Criteria to diftinguish it from Imposture,

CHAPTER I.

The propofition proved, in refpect of the Jewish Religion.

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IN order to prove the propofition, it will be

proper to confider, How God was pleafed to manifest himfelf under the Old, and alfo under the New Teftament. -At the commencement of the Mofaic ceconomy, Jehovah manifefted himself to the fon of Amram, upon mount Horeb, in a burning-buh: but it is very obfervable, that he who appeared to Mofes is called, The angel of the Lord. "And the ANGEL OF THE "LORD, fays the facred hiftorian, appeared unto him. "in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a bufh-And "Mofes faid, I will now turn afide and see this great "fight--And when JEHOVAH faw that he turned afide 66 to fee, GoD called unto him out of the midst of the “bush and said, Mofes, Mofes. And he faid, Here am I—And he faid-I am THE GOD of thy father, "" THE GOD of Abraham, THE Gon of Ifaac, and "THE GOD of Jacob." But I forbear to tranfcribe the whole account of this wonderful vifion; the reader may perufe it at his leifure.

It may, however, be remarked, that when Mofes discovered a reluctance to obey the Lord, by going to Pharaoh, because he had an impediment in his fpeech; he was rebuked by him in the following manner: "Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the "dumb, or deaf, or the feeing, or the blind? have "not I THE LORD?" And, Mofes inquiring what he fhould fay to the children of Ifrael, when they fhould afk who it was that fent him; God gave himfelf a new name; for he said, "I AM THAT I AM. Thus fhalt "thou fay unto the children of Ifrael, I AM hath fent "me unto you." At the fame time, to obviate any fufpicion which might arife in their minds, that Mofes fpake of an unknown God, the Divine Speaker adds; "Thus fhalt thou fay unto the children of Ifrael, THE "LORD 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 GENERA

"TIONS." And, afterwards, with great folemnity adds; "I will stretch out my hand, and fmite Egypt with all

my wonders, which I will do in the midit thereof; "and after that he will let you go. And I will give "this people favour in the fight of the Egyptians, and "it fhall come to pafs that when ye go, ye thall not

go empty." And again, "When thou goeft to return "into Egypt, fee that thou do all thofe wonders before "Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I "will harden his heart, that he fhall not let the people "go."-He, therefore, who fpake to Mofes in the bufh, must be the fame divinely glorious Perfon, who fpake to the people of Ifrael from the top of mount Sinai, in the following language: "I am the Lord thy "God, which have brought thee out of the land of "Egypt, out of the house of bondage." Confequently, the very fame who gave the law to Ifrael, with fuch folemnity, majefty, and glory.

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He, then, who manifefts himself to Mofes, is, according to our hypothefis; The Angel of the Lord; the Meffenger of the covenant; the Eternal Wisdom; the Son of God; JEHOVAH; GOD BLESSED FOR EVER; but fo foon as you quit this hypothefis, you run into the moft glaring and impious abfurdities.-That He who reveals himself to Mofes, is the Angel of the Lord, we ought not to queftion, we cannot doubt; because it is exprefsly declared in the facred text. Nor can any figure be here fuppofed. For, admitting that an angel of God might, by a figure, be called God; yet we are certain that God the Father cannot, by any figure, be called the angel of the Lord.

Here, confequently, according to our oppofers, we find a creature invefting himself with the names and the attributes, the works and the glory, of the infinite Creator; fo appropriating them to himfelf, that it is impoffible to distinguish him from the true God. For he who appeared to Mofes, repeatedly calls himself Gon, and JEHOVAH. He, once and again, denominates himself, THE GOD of Abraham, THE GOD of Ifaac, and THE GOD of Jacob: and, in fo doing, affumes the feveral names which the Hebrews commonly gave to their God; whether to distinguish him from all his creatures, or to contraft him with the gods of the Heathen, or to exprefs his infinite perfections.-Befides, this Angel appropriates these adorable names to himself on fuch an occafion, as rendered it of the laft importance to Mofes and the chofen tribes that he should not affume them. For he takes them at a time when he cannot poffibly do it, without impofing on him to whom he fpeaks; fo impofing on him, as to betray him, and the Ifraelites in general, into idolatry; and this alfo when Mofes was careful not to be deceived; when he drew near to see who it was that appeared to him; and at a time when it was of the utmost confequence for him to know, by whofe authority he was to speak to the people of Ifrael, and who it was that fent him.

Again: He who reveals himself to Mofes, not contented with those names which the God of Abraham had ufually taken, and by which he made himself known to the patriarchs, gives himself a new name. Now, admitting that a creature might, on fome occafions, Jawfully affume one, or more, of the names of God; yet, certainly, no creature can give himself a new name of God, with whatever powers he may be invefted, or to whomfoever he may fpeak. For God fays, " I am JEHOVAH; that is my name-They fhall know that my name is JEHOVAH." Thefe declarations most emphatically fhew, that the great Name is not common to the creature with the Creator. They inform us, if any expreffions can do fo, that it is peculiar to the Supreme Being, and confecrated to his adorable effence; that it fo belongs to the Most High, that it cannot be affumed by any other. How comes it, then, that we hear an angel fay; "I AM THAT I AM-Say to the * children of Ifrael, I AM hath fent me unto you?" How came he to utter these words; "THE LORD GOD "THE GOD of Abraham, THE GOD of Ifaac, THE "GOD of Jacob-this is MY NAME for ever; and this is MY MEMORIAL to all generations ?"

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Further: This angel does not only take the names of God, but he also attributes to himself the works and the glory of God. The works of God. This he does, in a very emphatical manner, in thofe chiding interro. gatories addreffed to the procrastinating Moses. "Who "made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or

deaf, or the feeing, or the blind? Have not I THE "LORD?" Thefe expreffions evidently fhew, that the angel confiders and reveals himself, as the Creator of all things. The glory of God. This he does when he calls himself, "The God of Abraham, of Ifaac, and of Jacob." For Abraham's God was acknowledged, by that illuftrious prieft Melchifedeck, as the "Poffeffor of heaven and earth;" by Ifaac, as the object of his worship, for he is called "his Fear" and by Jacob

he is adored, as "God Almighty." Befides, he fays to Mofes, "Draw not nigh hither; put off thy fhoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou ftandeft is holy ground." In which words he strongly demands that devotional reverence which is due to none but God. And this angel, after he had brought the Ifraelites out of Egypt (for we have fhewn that He who spake to Mofes in the bufh, was the deliverer and lawgiver of the chofen tribes) fpeaks from the fummit of Horeb and fays; "Thou fhalt have no other gods before me."

Now, on the hypothefis of our opponents, it should feem that this was done, to render the Ifraelites guilty of impiety and idolatry. Of impiety for if the true God be more glorious and worthy of adoration than this angel, with what propriety could he fay, "Thou shalt "have no other gods before me?"-Of idolatry: for with whatever characters this angel might be invested, if he was not the Moft High, he could not lawfully require fuch honours as are peculiar to God.-In a word, when the law commands us to worship God, and him only, it either fpeaks of a fupreme or a fubordinate worship. If the latter, then, as before obferved, there is no fuch thing as fupreme worship mentioned in the decalogue. If the former, as our adverfaries themselves acknowledge, then it follows, that this Angel, though inferior to Jehovah, required of the Ifraelites that fupreme worfhip, which is due to none but the true God; and, confequently, betrayed them into idolatry.

This idolatry is of a remarkable kind, and has various peculiarities attending it which are very surprising. For it is not criminal, on the part of the Ifraelites. They cannot be justly blamed for concluding, that he who calls himself "the God of their fathers," is the true God; and that he who affumes the great name, JEHOVAH, and claims the honour of " making the dumb and "the deaf, the feeing and the blind," is the Creator of all things. Nor are they culpable for paying to him