492 THE GLORY OF CHRIST AS GOD-MAN. household in a human shape, and after the manner of men : and, then Cain went out from the presence of God. But whatsoever shape appeared to them, I think it must be granted, that God appeared in a visible manner, where the expressions are so plain and so strong, where the repetitions are so many, that the Lord, that is, Jehovah, the Lord God appeared, and sat or walked, and did and spake this or that. In so many transactions and dialogues it is very hard to suppose that there was nothing ylso but a created angel came assuming the name of God. Surely such sort of representations would lead all common readers into a gross mistake, if God himself were not here at all in a special, and visible manner. It is very probable there might be some glorious light, some awful brightness, that frequently surrounded and invested this human form in which God appeared and conversed with man, and which might be called his divine form, that he might be thereby in some measure distinguished and well known as God, Doubtless the Lord, Jehovah, when he came down to visit men, carried some ènsign of divine majesty with him, some splendid cloud or luminous rays about him when he designed that men should know God was there. It was such a light appeared often at the door of the tabernacle, and fixed its abodeon the ark be- tween the cherubims, and by the Jews called the shekinah, that is, the habitation of God. And thence God is described in scripture as dwelling in light, and clothed with light as with a garment; Ps. civ. 4. but in the midst of this brightness there seems to have been sometimes a human shape and figure. And probably this heavenly brightness was that divine clothing, that form of God of which Christ divested himself when he came to tabernacle, or dwell in flesh, with a design of humiliation, though he might converse with men heretofore arrayed in this lightsome robe, this covering or habitation of God, which also he put on at his transfiguration in the mount, when his garments were white as the light ; and at his ascension to heaven, when a bright cloud received or invested him, and when he appeared to John ; Rev. i. 13. And as God visibly conversed with Adam and his family, so also with several of the patriarchs. Ile was seen often by them, especially such of them as were most eminent for holiness in a degenerate age, and conversed familiarly with them in a visible manner : And thence probably carne the phrase, ,Enoch walked with God; Gen. v. 22. 24. and Noah walked with God ; Gen. vi. 9. which in process of time became a common phrase to signify a pious man, whoconversed much with God in a spiritual manner, though those visible appearances were not then vouch- safed to him. When God had chosen Abraham to be his pe- culiar favourite, he appeared to him frequently ; Acts vii. 2.
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