THE ANGEL OF HIS PRESENCE.

"Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

"Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.

"But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

"For mine Angel shall go before thee." EXODUS xxiii. 20-23.

THE angel which is promised here is referred to in the sixty-third chapter of Isaiah. This part of the history of the Israelites is there spoken of by the prophet, when pleading with the Lord, and, as it were, putting Him in remembrance of His former mercies, he asks for more mercy,-"I will mention the loving kindness of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according

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to the multitude of his loving kindnesses. For He said, surely they are my people, children that will not lie; so He was their Saviour. In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the ANGEL OF HIS PRESENCE saved them: in His love and pity He redeemed them and He bare them and carried them all the days of old."

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Moses also referred to this angel in after times when speaking of past events he said, "and when we cried unto the Lord He heard our voice, and sent an angel; and hath brought us forth out of Egypt, and behold we are in Kadish." (Num. xx. 16.)

Many think it likely that this angel was none other than the Son of God, the same as is called the "Messenger or angel of the covenant" in the book of Malachi, chap. iii. 1.

There are, doubtless, reasons for thinking So. The authority given him, and the obedience demanded for him seem to make it probable. "Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not, for he will not pardon your transgressions." None, we know, can forgive sins but God. Moreover it is said, "My name is in him." Such an angel it was appeared to Moses in the bush, of whom it is said, "The Lord spake to him out of the bush." Such also appeared to Joshua near Jericho, as the

captain of the Lord's host, before whom Joshua fell on his face and worshipped. Had this been a mere angel, or even the archangel, it would have been said to Joshua as it was to John when he would have worshipped an angel, "See thou do it not worship God." (Rev. xxii. 8.)

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In the next place we must remember that all God's dealings with mankind take place through the mediation of Christ. Even the creation of the world is referred to Christ. "For by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth,-all things were created by Him and for Him and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist." (Col. i. 16, 17.) It was in Christ Jesus that God chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and made a covenant in Christ with them and their seed. It is "according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world," that we are "blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." (Ephes. i. 3, 4.)

The Rock that followed Israel, it is said, "was Christ," and therefore it is not strange that He who now led the way before them was the same "angel of the covenant." To this angel did Jacob on his death-bed refer when blessing the sons of Joseph, he said, "The angel which redeemed me from all evil bless the lads." (Genesis. xlviii. 16.)

This angel was to "go before the Israelites to keep them, and bring them" into the promised land. It was said on another occasion, “mine angel shall go before thee." (Exod. xxxii. 34.) Yet was it also said on that same occasion by the Lord God to Moses, "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." (xxxiii. 14.)

The Israelites were to "obey his voice," and we know the voice they heard all along in their journey was the voice of God Himself, who spake to them from out of the fiery mountain, or from above the mercy-seat in the tabernacle.

Now the promise of this angel's presence, while it was a ground of comfort and encouragement, was also the ground of caution. To such as, like Moses, wanted God to be with them, and could feel as he did when he said, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence," it was a promise full of the greatest comfort. To those also who saw all the dangers that lay before them, the greatness of their enemies, and the littleness of their own strength, it was great comfort to receive the message, "Mine angel shall go before thee and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and I will cut them off." But others needed more the caution that was added, "beware of him, and obey his voice, and provoke him not.” Experience afterwards proved how much this warning

was called for when they "provoked the Holy One of Israel."

Now we Christian pilgrims have all to remember how this all equally applies to us. The presence of the Lord is promised us in the same way in this wilderness world. The promise Christ made to His disciples, when He sent them into the world, "Lo, I am with you always," is equally in other parts made to every believer. It is mentioned sometimes as a reason for putting away all feelings of discontent, covetousness, and disquiet from fear of want and danger; as in Hebrews xiii. 5, 6. "Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have; for He hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."

It was found a great comfort by the apostle Paul when all human friends had forsaken him, and he was forced to say of those who had before kept with him, "All men forsook me," he then was enabled to add, "notwithstanding the Lord stood with me and strengthened me." (2 Tim. iv. 16, 17.)

It had the effect of making David search his own heart, and pray God to take from him all evil ways, when he remembered that God