u6 Appearances ofthe Son of god for theEleel of Gdd to be reveäled, that He, by whom all things were made and by whomall were to be renewedthat were to be brought again unto God, _.did in an el-pedal and glorious manner appear unto our fittf Parents, as he in whom this whole difpenfation centered, and unto whom it wat committed. And as after the Promife given He appeared e's 1.0f4; 'ávlewsciv"j, in an humane fbape, to inftrma the Church in theMyfferie of his future Incarnation, andunder the Name of Angel, to ¡haddow out. his Office as fent unto it, and employed in it by the Father , fo here before the Promife, he difcovered his diítiner glorious Perfon, as the eternal Voice or Wordof the Father. 4 4. Gen, 18. v. t; z, 3. And the Lord appeared unto him (Abraham ) in the Plains of Mamie, and he fate in the Tent door in the heat of the Day ; and he lift up his Eyes and looked, and lo, three men flood by him; and toben he faro them, be came to meet them front the Tent door, and bowed himflf toward the ground, and Paid, my Lord if I have now foundfavour in thy fight, &r. The Jews in Berefhith Ketanna fay, that this Appearance of God unto Abraham, was three dayes after his circumcifion, from the fore whereof being not recovered, he fate in the door 4' his Tent, and that God, came to vifie him M hisficknefs. But theFeafori of his fitting in the door of the Tent is given iii the Text, namely, becaufe it was L71+n C71'I7, as in, or aborte the heat of the Day , as the day grew bot: in an oppofition nioto the time of Gods appearance unto Adam which was =PM 111-6 in the cool aire of the day. For as when God comes to cure, nothing (hall refrefh the creature, though in its own nature füited thereunto, it ¡hall wither in the cool of the day, fo when he comes to blefl, nothing Ihall hinder eh* influence of it upon his creatures, however.anything, in its flfmay like the heat of the day be troublefome or perplexing. $ 5. He lift up his Eyes and looked, and behold three men flood by him ; The Title is , rent F74 t 11 ; The Lord appeared unto bim ; and the Narrative is, lo, three menflood by him; The Lord therefore was among¡ them. And it feems to be a fudden ap- pearance that was made to him ; he faw them on a fùdden handing by him ; helooked up arid faw them ; and this fatisfied him that it was an heavenlyApparition. sf. 6. The bufrnefs of God with Abraham at this time was to 'renew into him the Pro mite of the Blefsing Seed, and toconfine it tinto his Poflerity bySarah, now when _ hewas utterly hopelefs thereof; and began to delire that Ifhmael might be the Heir thereof. Untothis Ggnal work of mercy, was adjoyned the intimation ofaneminent effedtof VindictiveJuflice,wherein God would fet forth an Example of it unto all enfuing Generations, in the deftrucltion ofSodom andGomorrah. Andboth thrfe were theproper works of him, on whom the Care of the Church was in an efpecial man- . ner incumbent, all whofe bleffednefs depended on that Promife : and to whom the . Rule of the World, the prefent and future Judgement thereof is committed ; that is the Perfonof the Son. And hence in the overthrow of thofe Cities, He is faid tó fet - forth an enfample of his future dealing with ungodly men, who is to be their Judge, 2 Pet. z.. 6. 7. Abets Ezra reflcêrs with from on the Chriftians, who from this Place, becaufe three menare faid to appeár unto Abraham , and he calls them My Lord, would prove the Triperfonality of theDeity. 'I t31n' lima tm f=+ID)td'I tzawrc t7 11tcti ï1Sj run rmbn+ Ntrl, Becaufe of the appearance of three men, God is three, and he is one, and they are not feparated or divided. How then doth he anfwer what they fay a 'nano ar7A2mtt 1]ti 1t17w nrit ; Beholdthey forget that there came two Angels unto Sodom. That is, that two of thofe who appeared were Angels and no more. But if anyChriltians have taken there threePerfons to have been the three Perfons of the Trinity, it were an ealìething to out-ballance their miftake, with inflances ofhis own and companions pernicious Curiofitiesand Errors. It is true, a Trinity ofPer- fans in the Deity cannot be proved from this place , teeing one of them is exprefly called Jehovah, and the other two in dittin6tion from him are faid to be Angels; fo, and no more; Cbap. 19. I. But yet a difliniiion of Perfons in the Deity, although not the precut number of themis hence demonffrable. For it is evident that he of the three that fpake unto Abraham, and to whomhe madehis fupplication_for the (paring Of Sodomwas Jehovah.the Judge ofall the world, v. 22, 35. And yet all the three were fent upon the work, that one being the Princeand Headof the Embafsie ; as he who is Jehovah, is faid to be fent by Jehovah, Zech. 2. v. 8, 9. Neither is there any ground for the late Expofition of thisand the like places, namely, that a created Angelrepre- Isnting the PerfonofGod, loth both fpeak and add in his name, and is called Je- hovah,
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