The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 3 · Section 8
SECT. VIII.
THe Son of God and two holy Angels (t)Thus he intertained Angels unawares, Heb. 13.2.accompanying him, appear now unto Abraham in the ſhape of three men in the plain of Mamre, as he ſat in the door of his Tent at Noon tide. He apprehending them to be Strangers travelling that way, (who poſſibly might be weary and faint) and they ſeeming to him to be perſons worthy of reſpect, he addreſſes himſelf to them with great Reverence, and one of them appearing with greater ſigns of excellency and dignity than the reſt, He directs his Speech to him: My Lord (ſays He) if I have found favour in your ſight, ſtay with me and reſt your ſelves under that Tree for a while, and let a little water be brought to waſh your Feet,According to the Cuſtom of thoſe Eaſtern Countries. and accept of a little refreſhment from me to ſtrengthen you in your Journey, ſeeing Providence hath led you this way. They intimate their willingneſs to accept his kind offer. Hereupon he haſtens to Sarah, and orders her forthwith to make ready ſome Cakes to be baked on the Hearth, and he orders one of his Servants preſently to kill a Calf and dreſs it, and that it ſhould be made ready. Theſe things being done, He then ſet theſe Proviſions before them with Butter and Milk, and he himſelf ſtood by to wait upon them and ſerve them. And they did eat, [ſee Ch. 19.3.] having true Bodies for that time, and for the preſent diſpenſation of that Service. For though a Spirit hath not Fleſh and Bones, [Luke 24.39.] yet Spirits may, and by Gods appointment ſometimes do aſſume humane Bodies, which are erewhile to be diſſolved again by the power of God, when the work and ſervice is done for which they were aſſumed.V. 9. They ſaid, i. e. one of them ſaid. When therefore they had eaten, then One of them, viz. the Lord asked him where Sarah his Wife was. By naming her, he ſhewed he was more than a Man. Abraham ſaid ſhe was at hand in the Tent. The Lord ſaid I will certainly return unto thee, not by a New Apparition, but by accompliſhing the thing promiſed, viz. that thou ſhalt have a Son by thy Wife Sarah, and it ſhall be accompliſhed ſo many months hence as is uſual according to the courſe of Nature for a Woman to go from her Conception, to the bringing a Child into the World. Sarah hearing this in her Tent-door, laughed within her ſelf, [not out of Faith and Joy, as Abraham had done before, Ch. 17.17.] but thinking it a thing very unlikely (by reaſon of her great age) if not impoſſible. But though ſhe laughed only within her ſelf, and did not break out into a loud and open laughter, yet the Lord diſcerned it, and took notice of it, and ask'd her, Why ſhe laughed? Did ſhe look more upon her own and her Husbands decayed Natures and age than upon the power of God? Sarah being thus reprov'd, ſhe out of ſhame and weakneſs in that ſudden diſturbance of her mind denies that ſhe laughed. But though ſhe did not openly, yet ſhe did within her ſelf, and ſhe began now to be aſhamed, becauſe ſhe perceived the perſon that ſpake to Her was more than a man, becauſe he could diſcern her inward affections. But ſhe did preſently (as it ſeems) recollect her ſelf when ſhe underſtood who it was that ſpake, and made this Promiſe, and accordingly believed it, and therefore her Faith is commended, Heb. 11.11. Through Faith Sarah her ſelf received ſtrength to conceive Seed. And afterwards ſhe laughed for joy, as we find Ch. 21.6. Theſe things being done, Theſe three Perſons that were in the ſhape of Men, aroſe, and Abraham in civility accompanying them ſome part of the way. The two holy Angels went on directly towards Sodom, but the Lord ſtaid communing with Abraham, and tells him he would not hide (u)Amos 3.7.from him what Judgments he now intended to execute upon Sodom, and thoſe Neighbouring wicked Cities. For he had appointed him to be the ſtock of a great and mighty Nation, (his peculiar people) yea the ſtock out of whom the bleſſed ſeed ſhould ſpring, in whom all the Nations of the Earth ſhould be bleſſed. And he knew that he would inſtruct and command his Children (x)Deut. 6.7. Deut. 32.46.and his Houſhold after him to keep the way of the Lord, and to do juſtice and judgment. Then the Lord ſpeaking to him after the manner of men, as one that had no mind to puniſh without firſt inquiring into the matter of Fact, He tells him He will go down and ſee whether their wicked deeds were anſwerable to the Cry that was come up into his Ears concerning them. Then Abraham drew near unto the Lord, and began to plead for theſe Cities, eſpecially for Sodom, (as being in likelihood touched with a greater concern for his Nephew Lot who dwelt therein) intreating the Lord that the Righteous ſhould not be dealt with as the Wicked, (that is, taken away in wrath and Vengeance)(y)The Righteous are ſometimes taken away by the ſame publick Calamity that the wicked are, but the one is taken away in mercy, the other in judgment. but that the City might be ſpared for the ſake of the Righteous therein. And to urge his plea further, He humbly repreſents to Him that poſſibly there might be to the number of fifty Righteous perſons found therein. God tells him he would certainly ſpare them, if ſuch a number could there be found. Then Abraham ſaid, Behold now I have taken upon me to ſpeak to the Lord, who am but duſt and aſhes, peradventure there may be 45 found there. The Lord anſwered, He would not deſtroy it if 45 were there found. Then Abraham deſcends to 40, to 30, to 20, and at laſt to 10; and if there had been but ſo many to be found there God would have ſpared them;(z)Sometimes God forbids his Prophets to pray for ſuch, Jer. 15.1. Ezek. 14.14. but ſeeing there were not ſo many, He intimates to Abraham that they muſt not expect to be ſpared. Then God departed from Abraham, and he returned to his own Place.
Gen. 18. whole Chapter.