And treating of the migration of Abraham,

he fays,

"He that follows God muft of neceffity make use of the attending logoi, "which are commonly called angels *."

Thus it is evident, that Philo made a much more fubftantial perfonification of the divine logos than any of the proper Platonists had done; and it is very poffible, that by the perufal of his writings, the chriftian Fathers, to whom they could not be unknown, might be led to their ftill more enlarged fyftem of perfonification. As Philo had represented the divine logos as being the immediate agent in all the communications of God to the patriarchs, they had nothing to do befide making this logos to be the fame with Christ, and their scheme was very nearly completed. But Philo himfelf was far from imagining that the logos had any more relation to the Meffiah than to any other prophet. According to him, it was the medium of the divine communica

* Ο δε επομενος θεω, κατά ταναγκαίον συνοδοιπόροις χρηται τοις ακολ8θοις αυτό λογοις, ως ονομαζειν εθος αγγελος. De Migratione Abraham, p. 415.

VOL. II.

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tions with the prophets, but was never supposed to refide with any of them, and much less to be infeparably attached to them, or to animate them. The logos was ftill a divine influence, or efflux, apprehended to be fomething belonging to the Divine Being, though occafionally emitted from him, and drawn into him again, when the purpofe for which it had been emitted was anfwered. Where Philo ended the doctrine of perfonification, that of the christian Fathers began. The difference was that, whereas Philo thought the emiffion of the logos to be occafional, and to affume various forms, particularly that of angels, the christian Fathers thought it to be uniform and permanent, and interpreted it of Christ only.

But the first chriftians who adopted this opinion of the emiffion of a divine logos, or efflux, went very little farther than Philo, faying, as Justin Martyr explains their opinion, that this logos, which had been that which appeared to Mofes and the patriarchs, in the form of a luminous cloud, or glory, which had fometimes affumed the form of

a man, and constituted what are called angels, was likewife in Jefus Chrift, and enabled him to work miracles, &c. Since, however, according to their opinion, nothing was emitted from God but what he could at pleasure, draw into himself again, juft as a beam of light was fupposed to go out of the fun, and go back to its fource (without indeed being ever separated from it) they who held it were properly philofophical unitarians; and this is the opinion that is afcribed to Marcellus of Ancyra, and other acknowledged unitarians of early times. Athenagoras held this doctrine with respect to the Holy Spirit, though he followed Juftin Martyr in fuppofing that, after the emiffion of the logos, before the creation of the world, it always remained a perfon, distinct from the Father, and conftituted the Son, or Chrift.

With refpect to the Jews, it is evident that, in general, they did not use the term logos in the Platonic fenfe, but as fynonymous to God, or the mere token, or fymbol, of the divine prefence. The Chaldee paraphrafts often use the term TD, mimra, C 2 which

which may be tranflated logos, or word, as Gen. i. 27. The word of the Lord created man, instead of, the Lord created man. Gen. ix. 12. This is the token of the covenant which I make between my word and you, instead of between me and you. But that, in the ideas of these writers, the word of a perfon was merely fynonymous to himself, is evident from their application of the fame phraseology to man. Thus the fame paraphrafer fays, Numb. xv. 32. A certain man faid in his word, I will go forth and gather sticks on the Sabbath-day, when he could only mean that be faid to himself, or purposed in his own mind. Ecclef. i. 2. Solomon faid in his word, Vanity of vanities, &c. 2 Sam. iii. 15, 16. Phaltiel put a fword between his word and Michal, the daughter of Saul, i. e. between himself and Michal, as is juftly observed by Mr. Lindsey, in the Sequel to his Apology, p. 381.

Phrafeology fimilar to this is used in the book called the Wisdom of Solomon; when the author, defcribing the plagues of Egypt, says, chap. xviii. 15. Thine Almighty word leaped down from heaven, out of thy royal

throne,

throne, as a fierce man of war, into the midft of a land of deftruction, and brought thine unfeigned commandment, as a sharp fword, and ftanding up, filled all things with death; and it touched the heavens, but it stood upon the earth. But that this is only a figurative description of the power of God, reaching from heaven to earth, is evident from the language of the whole chapter, where those plagues are afcribed to God, and to no other being whatever, chap. xix. 9. For they went at large, &c. praifing thee, O Lord, who badft delivered them.

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