"The Hebrew 7 is derived from 787, which "occurs not as a verb in Hebrew; but in Ethiopic "and Arabic fignifies, to fend, and in the paffive con

jugation in Ethiopic, to ferve, minifter unto: as a ແ noun, with a formative, TD, one sent by "another, a meffenger, a legate, an agent. Ayyeho53 "in the Septuagint, is of the fame import. Both of "them are names, not of nature, but of office." Parkhurft's Hebrew and Greek Lexicons, and Leigh's Critica Sacra.

The word angel, by which our translators have, in a great majority of instances, rendered 78 and ayysλos, is the Greek term adopted into our language. The meaning ufually affixed to it is that of a spiritual being of a fuperior order to mankind. In fcripture, however, it has various other fenfes. It denotes any thing whatever that is employed as the medium of divine agency and communication to mankind. It is often applied to men fent as messengers to other men. By the word messenger, then, we shall translate 78 and ayyeλos in the following pages, when they denote a means of agency, or meffenger of any kind, either from God to man, or from one human being to another. There are other fignifications in which these words are used, that the term angel will convey better perhaps than any other English word.

PART I.

The different Significations of the Words 78, Ayyeλ, ANGEL, in Scripture.

CHAPTER I.

The Term ANGEL expresses the Means by which God acts upon extraordinary Occasions.

THE means to which this word is applied are the following.

SECT. I.

Wind, Fire.

Pfa. civ. 4; Heb. i. 7. Who maketh the winds his messengers, flaming fire his minifters. Comp. Pfa. xviii. 1c, and Deut. xxxiii. 2. The Lord came from Sinai, from his right hand went 7 W8, a fiery law for them; which the Sept. render ayyedoi μél aulx. See Pf. cxlviii. 8.

SECTION II.

An articulate Voice only, without any visible

Appearance.

Speaking as the messenger of the

Subd. t.
Moft High.

1 Kings xiii. 18. I am a prophet alfo; and a mes fenger fpake unto me by the word of the Lord, faying, &c. But he lied unto him.

2 Kings i. 3. The messenger of the Lord faid to Elijah, go up to meet, &c. Ver. 15. The messenger of the Lord faid to Elijah, go down with him.

Subd. 2. Speaking in the name of God.

Gen. xvi. 7 to 13. The messenger of Jehovah found Hagar. Ver. 9, 10. And the messenger of Jehovah faid, &c. I will multiply thy feed exceedingly, &c. Ver. 11. The messenger of Jehovah faid unto her, &c. Ver. 13. She called the name of Jehovah that spake unto her, thou God feeft me.

xxi. 17. God heard the voice of the lad, and the messenger of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and faid, fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the lad. (Speaking from heaven means, fpeaking from God. See Dan. iv. 24, 31; Matt. iii. 17; Acts xi. 9;

Heb. xii. 25; Rev. xiv. 13.) Ver. 18. Arise, lift up the lad, for I will make him a great nation. Ver. 19. And God opened her eyes, &c. Ver. 20. God was with the lad. God therefore was his guardian.

xxii. 11. The messenger of Jehovah called unto Abraham out of heaven, and faid, &c. (Comp. ver. 1, and fee on Gen. xxi. 17.) Ver. 15. The messenger of Jehovah called unto Abraham out of heaven a fecond time, ver. 16, and faid, by myself have I fworn, faith Jehovah, &c. ver. 17, that in bleffing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy feed, ver. 18, because thou haft obeyed my voice.

John xii. 28. A voice came from heaven, &c. (fee on Gen. xxi. 17.) Ver. 29. The multitude who ftood by and heard it, faid that it thundered. Others faid, a meffenger fpake to him. Bifhop Pearce obferves, there might have been thunder as well as a voice, and those at a distance might hear the thunder, while others heard the voice too, and these last said, an angel, or meffenger, fpake to him. Weftein thinks, that the Greeks, who did not understand the Jewish language, faid it thundered; and that the Jews, who knew the meaning of the words, faid, an angel spake. Comp. Acts ix. 3, 4, 7; xxii. 9, 14; Matt. iii. 17; xvii. 5.

Acts viii. 26. A meffenger of the Lord fpake to Philip, faying, go toward the fouth, the way to Gaza. Ver. 29. The Spirit faid to Ph lip, join thyfelf to this chariot. Ver. 39. The Spirit of the Lord caught

away Philip. Bishop Pearce remarks here, that the fame angel ordered him to go away haftily, which had directed him, ver. 26, to go towards the fouth.

SECTION III.

An articulate Voice, accompanied with a visible Appearance.

Subd. 1. With light, thunder, earthquake, wind, fpeaking in the name of God.

Exod. iii. 2. The meffenger of Jehovah appeared to Mofes in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. Ver. 4. And God called unto him out of the bush, ver. 6, and faid, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob. Ver. 7. And Jehovah fad, I have feen the affliction of my people. Ver. 8. I am come to deliver them. Ver. 10. I will fend thee to Pharoah, &c.. Ver. 12. I will be with thee. Ver. 14. Thou fhalt fay, I AM hath fent me. Ver. 15. And Jehovah the God of your fathers, &c. hath fent me. See alfo ver. 16, 17, 18.

xxiii. 20. Behold, I fend a meffenger before thee to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Ver. 21. Beware of