171 SECTION I: 509 Jehovah, when he saw the, angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and done wickedly. But it does plainly appear by all the circumstancesof the history, that this was that peculiar angel in whom God dwelt, or that the angel was called Jehovah. TheLord appeared also to Solomon ; 1 Kings iii. 5. and ix. 2. but it was in a dream by night, whence therefore I de- rive no inferences at present. 1 Kings xxii. 19. The prophet Alicaiah said, I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right-hand, and on his left : and the Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab, &c." But this seems to be a vision divinely represented to the imagination of the prophet, from whence therefore I infer nothing concern- ing God's real appearances. Job iv. 13. When Eliphaz repre- sents the apparition of a spirit before his face in thoughts front the visions of the night, he does not give us sufficientground to form any conclusions concerning the real appearance either of God or an angel, in a book of such sublime poetry, where- in this is introduced in a manner of what the poets call a machine. Is. vi. 1. " In the year that king Uzziahdied, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Verse 2. Above it stood the seraphims, each one had six wings, &c. Verse 3. And one cried untoanother, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts, thewhole earth is full of his glory. Verse 5. Then said I, Wo is me, for I ant undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Verse 8. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us ? Then said I, Here am I, send me. Verse 9. And he said, Go and tell this people, hear ye indeed, but understand not ; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. This appearance of the Lord or Jehovah to Isaiah in his glory is expressly attributed to Christ by the apostle; John xii. 39,40, 41. These things said Isaias when he saw his glory and spoke ofhim. Ithas been objected indeed, that the word Lord in the first and eighth verses, is not Jehovah in the Hebrew, but Adonai; but it is evident, that the word in the fifth verse is Jehovah. When the prophet says, Mine eyeshaze seen the King, the Lord of hosts, Jehovah Tzebaoth; the person therefore whom Isaiah sawwas Jehovah, Ezekiel often had the sight of God or of Jehovah. In chapters i. iii. viii. and x. &c. But as h is expressly said in Ezek. i. 1. As Iwas by the river of Cheb'ar, the heavens were opened andI saw 'the visions of God ; so whether all these ap- pearances were not purely visionary, may be questioned : how- ever it may not be amiss to transcribe a few expressions of the ii
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=