213$ THE AItIAN INVITED TO ORTHODOX FAITH. it is said, my &aine is in him. Bechai; a great master átiong them, affirms, when he treats on Exod. xxiii. that this name Metatron signifies both a lord, a messenger, and a keeper. A lord, because he ruleth all ; a messenger, because he stands always before God, tó do his will ; and a keeper, because he keepeth Israel. Some of the Jews have called him the chan- cellor of heaven, because he blotteth out the sins of Israel. See Dr. Owen on the Hebrews, vol. I. Exercitations, page I23. and Exposition, page 75. And as the Jews suppose this angel to have the name of God in him, and to be one in whom God dwelt, and by whom God transacted his affairs, so it seems to be the same being whom the ancient Jews beforeChrist, call the Shekinah, that is, the habitation of God; and they sometimes denote this She- kinah by the names " memra" and " logos." They attribute the same things to this Shekinah, which they attribute to the wordof God. They call the Shekinah the Adam above, after whose image Adam was created. 'they say, that God having committed to angels the caro of other nations, the Shekinah alone was entrusted with the care and conduct of Israel. They acknowledge the Shekinah to be that very angel whom Jacob calls his Redeemer, and whom the prophets call the angel of the presence, and the angel of the covenant. This was that Sheki- nah who took possession of the tabernacle and the temple in the form of light' and glory, and resided in the holy of holies. See more in Dr. Allix's Judgment of the Jeaash Church, chap. H. I confess, the Jews sometimes represent this Shekinah to signify the holy Spirit : But it is no wonder that the imperfect notices which they had of the sacred doctrine of the Trinity Might be paraphrased, explained, and commented upon, with some confusion both of names and things : Though what they have left upon record gives us sufficient hints of a certain glorious, angelic being, who had also godhead dwelling in him.. The LXX Jewish translators of the bible seem to have had some notion of this glorious arch-angel, and to suppose him to be the Messiah, whom they call the child born, the son given ; Isa. ix. 6. peyaans Caans a7104).., the angel of the great counsel, while they ascribe to God, or Jehovah, who is great in counsel ; J'er. xxxii. 19. the title of svp feeyaa n asans, of the great counsel. It is to this arch-angel that Maimonides refers, when he says, " the angel, the prince of the world of whom the wise masters so often speak. More Arevochim, part II. chap. 6. Nye against dllix, page 76. Ile that would read more of these testimonies, and cita- tions, out of the targums, let him consult the 12th, 13th, and followiug chapters of Dr. Allix's Judgment of the ancient
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