3. The Jews discern that "PIN, “walking,” relates in this place immediately to Sip, “the voice,” and not unto DVN AIM, “the Lorp God ;” and therefore endeavour to render a reason for that kind of expression. So Aben Ezra on the place giveth imstances where a voice or sound in its progress is said to walk: as Exod. xix. 19, prim) ypin “Bw dip ;—‘‘ The voice of the trumpet went and waxed strong;” and Jer. xlvi. 22, 7p wna nbip .—« The voice thereof shall go like a serpent.’ But these examples reach not that under consideration ; for although 42) may sometimes express the pro- gression or increase of a voice, yet it doth not so but where it is intimated to be begun before. But here was nothing spoken by God until after that Adam had heard this Word of God walking. And therefore R. Jona, cited by Aben Ezra, would apply PANN, “ walk- ing,” unto Adam,—he heard the voice of God as he was himself walking in the garden; the absurdity of which fiction the words of the text and context sufficiently evince, for not "AND, but prabann, would answer unto >" in the beginning of the verse. It is
220 APPEARANCES OF THE SON OF GOD [EXERC. X.
therefore most probable, that, in the great alteration which was now coming upon the whole creation of God,—mankind being to be cast out of covenant, the serpent and the earth being to be cursed, and a way of recovery for the elect of God to be revealed,—He by whom all things were made, and by whom all were to be renewed that were to be brought again unto God, did in an especial and glorious manner appear unto our first parents, as he in whom this whole dispensation centred, and unto whom it was committed. And as, after the promise given, he appeared év wopo7 avdpwmivy, “in a human shape,” to instruct the church in the mystery of his future incarnation, and under the name of Angel, to shadow out his office as sent unto it and employed in it by the Father; so here, before the promise, he discovered his distinct glorious person, as the eternal Voice or Word of the Father.
4, Gen. xviii. 1-3, “And the Lorp appeared unto him” (Abra- ham) “in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them ~ from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I have now found favour in thy sight,” ete. The Jews, in Bereshith Ketanna, say that this appearance of God unto Abraham was three days after his circumcision; from the sore whereof, being not recovered, he sat in the door of his tent; and that God came to visit him in his sickness. But the reason of his sitting in the door of the tent is given in the text, namely, because it was oi On3,—“ as in” (or “about”) “the heat of the day,” as the day grew hot; in an opposition unto the time of God’s appearance unto Adam, which was D1*°9 nin _« in the cool air of the day.” For as, when God comes to curse, nothing shall refresh the creature, though in its own nature suited thereunto,—it shall wither in the cool of the day; so when he comes to bless, nothing shall hinder the influence of it upon his creatures, however any thing in itself may, like the heat of the day, be troublesome or perplexing.
5. “ He lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him.” The title is, 77 YON NT—“ The Lorp appeared unto him ;” and the narrative is, “ Lo, three men stood by him;” the Lorp, therefore, was amongst them. And it seems to be a sudden appear- ance that was made to him; he saw them on a sudden standing by him; he looked up and saw them: and this satisfied him that it was a heavenly apparition.
6. The business of God with Abraham at this time, was to renew unto him the promise of the blessing Seed, and to confine it unto his posterity by Sarah, now when he was utterly hopeless thereof, and began to desire that Ishmael might be the heir thereof. Unto this signal work of mercy was adjoined the intimation of an emi-
SECT. 4-7.] UNDER THE OLD TESTAMENT. 221
nent effect of vindictive justice, wherein God would set forth an example of it unto all ensuing generations, in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. And both these were the proper works of him on whom the care of the church was in an especial manner in- cumbent,—all whose blessedness depended on that promise,—and to whom the rule of the world, the present and future judgment thereof, is committed ; that is, the person of the Son. And hence, in the over- throw of those cities, he who is to be their judge is said to set forth an ensample of his future dealing with ungodly men, 2 Pet. ii. 6.
7. Aben Ezra reflects with scorn on the Christians who from this place, because three men ave said to appear unto Abraham, and he calls them, “My Lord,” would prove the tri-personality of the Deity: wan’) 5) 3.17) INS NIT DIN 7 DWT YD MON Nyp mn;—“ Be- cause of the appearance of three men, God is three, and he is one, and they are not separated or divided.” How then doth he answer what they say? momp o'axdon wy INI Indw mImM;—“ Be- hold, they forget that there came two angels unto Sodom;” that is, that two of those who appeared were angels, and no more. But if any Christians have taken these three persons to have been the. three persons of the Trinity, it were an easy thing to out- balance their mistake with instances of his own and companions pernicious curiosities and errors. It is true, a trinity of persons in the Deity cannot be proved from this place, seeing one of them is expressly called Jehovah, and the other two, in distinction from him, are said to be angels; so, and no more, Gen. xix. 1. But yet a dis- tinction of persons in the Deity, although not the precise number of them, is hence demonstrable: for it is evident that he of the three that spake unto Abraham, and to whom he made his suppli- cation for the sparing of Sodom, was Jehovah, “ the Judge of all the earth,” chap. xviil. 22-33; and yet all the three were sent upon the work, that one being the Prince and Head of the embassy; as he who is Jehovah is said to be sent by Jehovah, Zech. ii. 8, 9. Neither is there any ground for the late exposition of this and the like places, namely, that a created angel representing the person of God doth both speak and act in his name, and is called Jehovah; an invention to evade the appearances of the Son of God under the old testament, contrary to the sense of all antiquity, nor is any reason or instance produced to make it good. The Jews, indeed, say that they were three angels, because of the threefold work they were employed in; for they say, “ No more than one angel is at any time sent about the same work.” So one of these was to renew the promise unto Abraham; another, to deliver Lot; and the third, to destroy Sodom. But besides that this is a rule of their own making, and evidently false, as may be seen, Gen. xxx. 1, 2; 2 Kings vi. 17; so in the story itself it is manifest that they were all employed in the