494 THE GLORY OF CHRIST AS GOD -MAN. xvii. 1. When Abraham was ninety years and nine, the Lord or Jehovah appeared to him, and said unto him, I am thealmighty God; walk be,fore me, and be thou petfect. Ver. 3. And Abra- ham fell on his face: And God talked with him, saying, Be- hold my covenant is with thee, l'e. to be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee, 1Cc. and I will be their God. Here is another dialogue ; and " God said unto Abraham, and Abraham said untoGod," verses 9, 15, 18, and in verse 22." he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham," that is, the visible appearance ascended out of Abraham's sight. Gen. xviii. 1: And the Lord, Jehovah, appeared unto him in the plains of Mature, 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 before him ; and when he saw them, he ran tomeet themfrom the tent-door, and bowed himself toward theground; and said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pars not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. His first address was made to one of the three, who seemed to bear superior glory ; afterward he invites them all to eat, and he took butter and milk ; verse 8. and the calf which he had dressed, andset it before them ; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. And he said; Sarah thy wife shall have a son: at which tidings when Sarah laughed within herself, the Lord, or Jehovah, said unto Abraham ; Wherefore did Sarah laugh ? Verse 1:3. Is any thing too hard for the Lord, or Jehovah ; Now I think it is evident that one of these three men was ex- pressly called Jehovah : two of them went onward toward So- dom, but he that is called Jehovah seemed to stay behind ; vers. 16, 17, and 22. " The men, that is, the two men, turned their faces from thence, and went towards Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before Jellpvah." And a long dialogue there ensues between Abraham and the Lord or Jehovah, about the sparing of Sodom, wherein Abraham addresses him as the true God, in verse 33. " The Lord, Jehovah, went his way as soon as he had left coin- muning with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place." And Gen. xix. 1. There came two angels to Sodom at even, which most probably were the two men that left Abraham while Jehovah tarried and talked with him, Now it is evident in the conversation that neither of these two angels assumed the name of Jehovah ; for ver. 13. they say, The cryof the men of So- dom is waxen great before theface of the Lord, that is Jehovah, and Jehovah bath sent us to destroy it. This narrative gives us a plain account of the great God appearing to Abraham, and conversing with him in the formof a man : for it is said, he " appeared to Abraham, or was seen of him, talked with him, and welt up from him."
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