in the beginning of ישמעו wouild answer unto מתהלכים lant

the verse. It is 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, that He, by whom all things were made, and by whom all were to be renewed who 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, v pogon avgwin, in a εν μορφη ανθρωπινη, 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 Lord appeared unto him (Abraham) 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 came to meet them from the tent-door, and bowed himself toward the ground; and said, My Lord, if I have now found favour in thy sight," &c. 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 on, 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, 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 his blessing 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 behold three men stood by him. The title is, r, the Lord appeared unto him; and the narrative is, lo, three men stood by him: the Lord therefore was amongst them. And it seems to be a sudden appearance 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 seed who was to be a blessing, and to confine it unto his posterity by Sarah, now

when he was utterly hopeless of this, and began to desire that Ishmael might be heir of the promise. Unto this signal work of mercy, was adjoined the intimation of an eminent effect of vindictive justice, wherein God would set forth an example of this attribute unto all ensuing generations, in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. And both these were the proper works of the Son of God. Unto him was committed the care of the church, as its blessedness depended on the promise of his coming; and to him was given the government of the world, that he may act as its present Ruler and its future Judge. And hence, in the overthrow of those cities, he is said to set forth an ensample of his future dealing with ungodly men," 2 Peter ii. 6.

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§ 7. Aben Ezra reflects with scorn on the Christians, who from this place, because three men are said to appear unto Abraham, and he calls them, my Lord, would prove the tri

הנה קצת אמרו כי השם ג' אנשים .personality of the Deity Because of the appearance of הוא אחד יהוא ג' ולא יתפרדו

three men, God is three, and he is one, and they are not separated or divided.' How then doth he answer what they say?

Behold they forget • והנה שכחו ויבאו שני המלאכים סדומה

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 of his 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, ch. xix. 1. But yet a distinction 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 supplication for the sparing of Sodom, was Jehovah the Judge of all the world, ver. 22. 25. 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 there 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. xxxii. 1, 2. 2 Kings vi. 17. so in the story itself, it is manifest that they were all employed in the same work, one as Lord and Prince, the other two as his ministering servants.

And this is further cleared in that expression of Moses, ch. xix. 24. "The Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord in heaven." Targum, "P, 'from before the Lord,' or the face of the Lord. Aben Ezra

that this is the elegance ,לשון צחות והטעם מאתו,answers

of the tongue, and that the sense of it is, from himself; and this gloss some of our late critics embrace. And there are instances collected by Solomon Jarchi to confirm this sense. Namely, the words of Lamech, Gen. iv. 23. "Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech," not my wives. And of David, 1 Kings i. 33. “Take with you the servants of your lord," not my servants. And of Ahasuerus unto Mordecai, Esther iv. 8. Write you for the Jews in the king's name," not in my name. But the difference of these from the words under consideration, is wide and evident. In all these places, the persons are introduced speaking of themselves, and describe themselves either by their names or offices suitably unto the occasion and subject spoken of. But in this place, it is Moses that speaketh of the Lord, and had no occasion to repeat, were it not to intimate the distinct persons unto whom that name denoting the nature and self-existence of God was proper; one whereof then appeared on the earth, the other manifesting his glorious presence in heaven. Wherefore Rashi, observing somewhat more in this expression, contents not himself with his supposed parallel places, but adds, that the 1 is to be understood; and gives this

Every place • כל מקום שכ" ויי חוא ובית דינו ,as a rule

where it is said,, and the Lord, He and his house of judgment are intended;' as if God had a sanhedrim in heaven, a fancy which they have invented to avoid the expressions which testify unto a plurality of persons in the Deity. There is therefore in this place an appearance of God in a human shape, and that of one distinct Person in the Godhead; who now represented himself unto Abraham, in the form and shape wherein he would dwell amongst men, when of his seed he would be made flesh. This was one signal means whereby Abraham saw his day and rejoiced, which he himself ascribes to his existence before his incarnation, and not to the promise of his coming, John viii. 56. 58. A solemn prelude it was to his taking of flesh, a revelation of his divine nature and person, and a pledge of his Poming in human nature to converse with men.

$8. Gen. xxxii. 21." And Jacob was left alone; and there

wrestled a man with him until the ascending of the morning: 26. And he said, Let me go, for the day ascendeth; and he said, I will not let thee go except thou bless me. 27. And he said unto him, What is thy name? and he said, Jacob. 28. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with God and men, and hast prevailed. 29. And Jacob asked him and said, Tell me I pray thee thy name; and he said, Wherefore dost thou ask after my name? and he blessed him there. 30. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." This story is twice reflected upon in the Scripture afterwards: once by Jacob himself, Gen. xlviii. 15, 16. "And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads:" And once by the prophet Hosea, ch. xii. 3, 4. By his strength he had power with God; yea, he had power over the angel and prevailed: he wept and made supplication unto him, he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us, 5. Even the Lord God of hosts, the Lord is his memorial." In the first place, he is called a man; there appeared a man, ver. 24. In the second, Jacob calls him an angel; the angel that redeemed me, ver. 16. And in the third, he is expressly said to be God, the Lord of hosts, ver. 3. 5.

$9. Jacob was now passing with his whole family into the land of Canaan to take seisure of it, by virtue of the promise on the behalf of his posterity. At the very entrance of it, he is met by his greatest adversary, with whom he had a severe contest, about the promise and the inheritance itself. This was his brother Esau, who coming against him with a power which he was no way able to withstand, he feared that both his person and his posterity would be utterly destroyed, ver. 11. In the promise about which their contest was, the blessed seed, with the whole church-state and worship of the Old Testament, was included; so that it was the greatest controversy, and had the greatest weight depending on it, of any that ever was amongst the sons of men. Wherefore to settle Jacob's right, to preserve him with his title and interest, He who was principally concerned in the whole matter, doth here appear unto him; some especial particulars of which manifestation of himself may be remarked.

§ 10. First, He appeared in the form of a man, Y W'N PIX", A man wrestled with him. A man he is called from his shape and his actions; he wrestled, past that is saith R. Menachem in Rashi, he dusted; this, saith he, is the sense of p28, for

they stirred up the dust with their ,שהיו מעלים עפר ברגלים

feet, as men do in earnest wrestling; or as he would rather un

derstand it, in allusion to another word, to signify the closing with their arms to cast one another down, as is the manner of wrestlers. A great contention is denoted, and an appearance in the form of a man, further manifested by his touching the hollow of Jacob's thigh.

11. Secondly, He is called an angel by Jacob himself, Gen. xlviii. 16. The angel that delivered me. This was the greatest danger that Jacob ever was in, and this he remembers in his blessing of Joseph's children, praying that they may have the presence of this angel with them, who preserved him all his life, and delivered him from that imminent danger from his brother Esau. And he calls him, n, The angel the Redeemer, which is the name of the promised Messiah, as the Jews grant, Isa. lix. 20. 827; And the Goel, the Redeemer shall come to Zion. And he is expressly called the Angel, Hos. xii. 14.

§12. Thirdly, This man in appearance, this angel in office, was in name and nature God over all blessed for ever. For in the first place, Jacob prays solemnly unto him for his blessing, Gen. xxxii. 26. and refuseth to let him go, or to cease his supplications until he had blessed him. 2. He doth so; he blesseth him, and giveth him a double pledge or token of it in the touching of his thigh, and in the change of his name; giving him a name to denote his prevalence with God, that is with himself. 3. From hence Jacob concludes that he had seen God, and calls the name of the place, the Face of God. In the second place, in Gen. xlviii. 16. he prays to this angel for his presence with, and blessing on the children of Joseph, which cannot regard any but God himself, without gross idolatry. And it is evident that the angel who redeemed him, ver 16. is the same with the God who fed him, that is the God of his fathers.

And this is yet more evident in the prophet. For with regard unto this story of his power over the angel, he says he had power with God; and proves it, because he had power over the angel and prevailed. And he shews whereby he thus prevailed, it was by weeping and making supplications unto him, which he neither did, nor lawfully might do, unto a created angel; and therefore some of the Jews apply those words, he wept and made supplications, unto the angel's desiring Jacob to let him go; foolishly enough; and yet are they therein followed by some late critics, who too often please themselves with their curiosi ties. Again, this angel was he whom he found, or who found him in Bethel, an account whereof we have Gen. xxviii. 20—22. and Ch. xxxv. 1. Now this was no other but he to whom Jacob made his vow, and with whom he entered into solemn covenant that he should be his God. And therefore the prophet adds expressly in the last place, ver. 5. that it was the Lord God of hosts, whom he intended.