DISSERTATION IV. 287 Lord that appeared often as an angel, to Abraham, in the valley of vision and Abraham worshipped, and prayed to the word of the Lord in these appearances. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar, the targums say, " she confessedbefore the Lord Jehovah, whose word had spoken unto her ; and she prayed to the word of the Lord, who had appeared to her." When Jacob returned from Padan-aram, the word of the Lord, which in scripture is Galled a man, appeared to him the shcond time, and blessed him. When the angel of the Lord in scrip- ture is said toappear unto Moses in the burning bush, it is said in the targums, " the word of the Lord spake to Moses there." It was the word of the Lord that appeared against the Egyp- tians at midnight, and his right-hand killed the first-born of Egypt; which Moses ascribes to an angel. And in several other places, where the scripture speaks of an angel, as appearing, and assuming any divine character, these commentatorsintroduce the " memra." Now let it be noted, that it was acurrent opinion among the Jews, that there was one great arch-angel, superior to all the rest of the angels in power and dignity ; and whom God created or generated before all the others in whom be put his owtt name, and whom he employed in most of his important affairs, which related to the patriarchs, and to his own people theJews. This was the angel whom the Jews say, God promised to send before his people.; Exotl. xxiii. 20, 21. To keep them in the way, and to bring then. to the promised land: Beware of him, (said God,) and obey his voice, provoke him not, for he will not pardon your iniquities, formy name is in him. They say, this was the angel who wrestled with Jacob, and is called a man ; Gen. xxxii. 21. Some of the ancient rabbles acknowledge'hirn to be the Messiah, and call him the angel Miçhael. It is the same angel, who going before-the camp of Israel . in the wilder- ness, in-the pillar of cloud ; Exod. xiv. 19. remóved and went behid them in the red sea, who by the rabbles is called Michael the great prince ; he was made a 'wall of fire between the Israelites and the Egyptians. This is Michael the great arch- angel, the prince of Israel ; Dan. x. 13, 21. Rev. xii. 7. See Ainsworth on the Pentateuch. This Michael is that high priest of heaven, who offers up the prayers 'of the righteous, so rabbi Menahem : He is the priest above, that offereth, or presenteth the souls of the righteous, saith another of their tab- hies. See Dr. Owen's "Exercitations on the Hebrews,',' vol. L page 121. There was an angel who was called Metatron, whichDr- Owen supposes to be a corrupt expression of the Latin mediator; who by the rabbies is called the prince of the world, the prince of God's presence, the master or teacher of Moses himself; hé is the angel always appearing in the-presence of God, of whom
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