believers in the salvation of the promised Seed. Exercise the same holy diligence and devotedness, in those families, at whose head God hath placed you; and look to a gracious present reward, in seeing them, or some of them at least, prepared to follow you in the way of life, by taking up their cross, and bearing it cheerfully before God in the universality of holy obedience. SERMON XXIII. THE ANGEL JEHOVAH APPEARS TO ABRAHAM. GENESIS XVIII. 17-19. THD LORD SAID, SHALL I HIDE FROM ABRAHAM THAT THING WHICH I DO: SEEING THAT ABRAHAM SHALL SURELY BECOME A GREAT AND MIGHTY NATION, AND ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED IN HIM? FOR I KNOW HIM. THAT HE WILL COMMAND HIS CHILDREN AND HIS HOUSEHOLD AFTER HIM, AND THEY SHALL KEEP THE WAY OF THE LORD, TO DO JUSTICE AND JUDGMENT; THAT THE LORD MAY BRING UPON ABRAHAM THAT WHICH HE HATH SPOKEN OF HIM. THE great operations of nature upon the surface of the world, are usually preceded by signs and warnings of their approach. Even the copious showers, whereby the fields are refreshed, testify of their coming by the lowering sky, and by some heavy drops, to assure us that the windows of heaven are about to be opened, and that there is a sound of abundance of rain. A similar procedure may be observed, both in the general history of the Redeemer's Church, and in the less obvious records of individual experience. The promise made to Abraham, and embraced by him through faith, both for himself, and for his gracious posterity, was now upon the eve of fulfilment and therefore clearer, and more frequent manifestations of the divine purposes are made to him than heretofore. Those which are at present to be considered, demand and deserve our devout attention. May the Author and Finisher of Abraham's faith, bless the consideration to our hearts! There are two principal subjects, into which this portion of his history may be divided. I. THE MYSTERIOUS VISIT WITH WHICH HE WAS FAVOURED. It came gradually, and almost imperceptibly, like the approach of day to the earth: or as the Sun of Righteousness in Christian experience o. divine mercy, so often rises upon man's heart for life eternal, with healing in his wings. In this case, as in the kingdom of God within the soul, there was "first the blade, then the ear, and after that, the full corn in the ear." 1 (1.) The Manifestation itself. Jehovah appeared unto Abraham in the plains (or under 1 Mark iv. 28. But how was the amaHe sat in the tent door employed, it may be, in the oaks,) of Mamre." zing disclosure made? in the heat of the day; considering the goodness of God, and calling upon his soul to exercise faith on promises lately renewed, in a manner the most gracious, but still in no sensible train of accomplishment; and probably also, calling upon God to strengthen his soul, still to wait the fulness of Jehovah's time, when the blessing should be given and enjoyed. He sat there also, as it would appear, on the watch for any travellers who might be oppressed and fainting beneath the noon-day sun; to bring them into his tent, for rest and refreshment. And the mind of a believer will always find itself expanded with love to man, while it dwells upon the assurances of a Saviour's love to itself, and communes with the throne of grace in prayer. While thus employed. "Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and lo, three men stood beside him: (or rather opposite to him as he sat, and at some little distance from him, and when he saw them he ran to meet them from the tent-door, and bowed himself toward the ground." 1 Gen. xviii. 1. Upon the nature of these 2 Ibid. xviii. 2. three mysterious visitants, various opinions have been held in the Church. Many of its early fathers maintained, that the adorable Trinity thus appeared to Abraham in a visible form: and their conclusion is adopted by learned and holy writers in more modern times.1 Among the rest, Lightfoot, in his summary of this chapter, observes, "The three persons in the Trinity dine with Abraham, and again foretel the birth of Isaac. The Son and the Holy Ghost go down to Sodom; but the first person in the Trinity stays with Abraham, and condescends to his prayer, as long as he asks."2 To my own mind, however, this view of the case is encompassed with difficulties hardly to be surmounted; and especially with those arising from a visible presence of God the Father, and God the Holy Ghost, invested with the form of our human nature, and with the declaration made in the next chapter, by two of the three, "that Jehovah had sent them to destroy Sodom." The general and most simple conclusion seems to be, not that it was a manifestation of the whole Trinity, nor yet, that the three who appeared were created angels, taking See Witsius on the Covenant, quoted by Biddulph. |