8. What of Christ, and of his death do we find in this manifestation of the Covenant? I answer, 1. In delivering the Law, we find something of Christ: there is a question whether the Lord himself immediately in his own person delivered the Law?1 and some conclude affirmatively from the Preface, God spake these words, and said] and from that passage of Moses, these words the Lord spake unto all your Assembly in the Mount out of the midst of the fire, — and wrote them on two Tables of Stone, and delivered them unto me. But others are for the negative, and say, this proves not that they were pronounced or delivered immediately by God; for we find in Scripture, that when the Angels were the immediate persons, yet the Lord himself is reported to have spoken unto men, Gen. 18.2, 13. Exod. 3.2, 6, 7. And Augustine is resolute,2 that Almighty God himself in the time of the Old Testament did not spake to the Jews with his own immediate ⟨p. 76⟩voice, but only by Christ, or by his Angels, or by his Prophets; and for this Ministerial voice of his Angels some produce these Texts:3 who have received the Law by the Ordinance of Angels, and wherefore then serveth the Law? it was added because of transgressions till the seed should come, to whom the promise was made, and it was ordained by Angels in the hand of a mediator. 4And, if the word spoken by Angels was steadfast, &c. For my part, it hath puzzled me at times, whether of these opinions to take; but others say (and I am now as apt to join with them as with either of the former) that Jesus Christ the second person of the Trinity, to be incarnate, who is called the Angel of the Covenant, Mal 3.1. and the Angel of his presence, Isa. 63.9. was he that uttered and delivered the Law unto Moses; 5and to this purpose are produced these Texts, This Moses is he that was in the Congregation with the Angel, which spake to him in the Mount Sinai. Now this Angel was Christ, as it is cleared in the following verse; whom (or which Angel) our Fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt. They would not obey the Angel, but thrust him from them, (i.) they tempted the Angel whom they should have obeyed; and who was that but Jesus Christ? as it is cleared more fully and expressly by the Apostle,6 Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of Serpents.
8. What of Christ, and of his death do we find in this manifestation of the Covenant? I answer, 1. In delivering the Law, we find something of Christ: there is a question whether the Lord himself immediately in his own person delivered the Law?1 and some conclude affirmatively from the Preface, God spake these words, and said] and from that passage of Moses, these words the Lord spake unto all your Assembly in the Mount out of the midst of the fire, — and wrote them on two Tables of Stone, and delivered them unto me. But others are for the negative, and say, this proves not that they were pronounced or delivered immediately by God; for we find in Scripture, that when the Angels were the immediate persons, yet the Lord himself is reported to have spoken unto men, Gen. 18.2, 13. Exod. 3.2, 6, 7. And Augustine is resolute,2 that Almighty God himself in the time of the Old Testament did not spake to the Jews with his own immediate ⟨p. 76⟩voice, but only by Christ, or by his Angels, or by his Prophets; and for this Ministerial voice of his Angels some produce these Texts:3 who have received the Law by the Ordinance of Angels, and wherefore then serveth the Law? it was added because of transgressions till the seed should come, to whom the promise was made, and it was ordained by Angels in the hand of a mediator. 4And, if the word spoken by Angels was stedfast, &c. For my part, it hath puzled me at times, whether of these opinions to take; but others say (and I am now as apt to joyn with them as with either of the former) that Jesus Christ the second person of the Trinity, to be incarnate, who is called the Angel of the Covenant, Mal 3.1. and the Angel of his presence, Isa. 63.9. was he that uttered and deliver'd the Law unto Moses; 5and to this purpose are produced these Texts, This Moses is he that was in the Congregation with the Angel, which spake to him in the Mount Sinai. Now this Angel was Christ, as it is cleared in the following verse; whom (or which Angel) our Fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt. They would not obey the Angel, but thrust him from them, (i.) they tempted the Angel whom they should have obeyed; and who was that but Jesus Christ? as it is cleared more fully and expresly by the Apostle,
- 1Deut. 5.2•;
- 2Aug. de Trin. l. 2. c. 15.
- 3acts 7.5. •al. 3.19•cts 7.5. •al. 3.19
- 4•eb. 2.2
- 5acts 7.38 acts 7.39.•cts 7.38 •cts 7.39.
- 6Cor. 10.9
