Commentary on the Pentateuch, Commentary 1 · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. Verſ. 1. And the Lord appeared unto him]
1. UT praeludium incarnationis. 2. Ex Philanthropia: his delight is in the habitable part of Gods earth, Prov. 8.31. [And he ſate in the tent-door] He dwelt in a tent (let us be content though we dwell not to our minds) yet kept a good houſe. A very hearty houſholder he was. [In the heat of the day] The uſuall time of reſt and repaſt, when travellers wax faint and hungry.
Verſ. 2. And he lift up his eyes and looked]. As purſuing hoſpitality (that's the Apoſtles expreſſion, Rom 12.13.) and waiting an opportunity of doing good. Charity is no churle. The liberall man deviſeth liberall things, Aug. in Pſal. 103. foreign Uſibus non neceſsitatibus. Nequis exiſtimet prius non ſuccurrendum proxime quam ad neceſsitatem fit redactus. Act & Mon. ſo. 1369. Ibid. 1388. Cicero.Eſa. 32.8. he conſidereth the poor and needy, Pſal. 41.1. Praeoccupat vocem petituri, as Auguſtin expounds it; he ſtayes not till he is asked a good turn, he miniſtreth to the uſes, not onelyonly to the neceſſities of the Saints, as the Apoſtles word is, Rom. 12.13. And as Biſhop Hoopers, and Dr. Taylours practiſe was. The one had his boord of beggars ſent for, and ſerved every day with whole and wholeſome meats, ere himſelf ſate down to dinner. And the other went once a fortnight at the leaſt to the Almeſhouſe, and other poor men that had many children, and were ſick, to ſee what they lacked, and to ſupply them. [And bowed himſelf toward the ground] Piety is no enemy to courteſie; it doth not remove, but rectifie it, that it be not onelyonly complementall and ridiculous. Potest Augur Augurem videre & non ridere? So it may it be ſaid of our common cringers.
Verſ. 5. For therefore are ye come to your ſervant] He meaneth not, that they therefore came to him to taſte of his chear; but that God by his providence, had ſo ordered that he ſhould ſee them paſſing, and invite them to his houſe. How glad was this good man of an occaſion to ſhew kindneſs, acknowledging Gods good providence! And how improvident are we for our ſelves, that will not offer a ſacrifice, when God ſets up an altar before us? [So do as thou haſt ſaid] The Angels needed not his courteſie, yet kindly accept of it. Good offers or offices, even from inferiours, are not to be rejected, but regarded, yea rewarded.
Verſ. 6. Make ready quickly] Habent aulae ſuum Ci…ò, Ci…ò, ſaith One. So had Abrahams houſe here. He, ſhe, the boy, and all haſted, and had their ſeverall offices. The very expreſſion it ſelf here uſed, is conciſe and quick: Much like that of the Prophet in the caſe of returning to God, If ye will enquire, enquire; return, come. Eſa. 21.12. Silius.Praecipitatempus; mors atra impendet agenti. [Three meaſures of fine meal] Three pecks, for three mens dinners; and the beſt of the beſt too, fine meal, the fat calf, butter and milk, Gods plenty of all, and hearty welcome; the good-man himſelf ſtanding by, and bidding them, Go to: which ſhews his humanity, and his humility alſo.
Dat bene, dat multum, qui dat cum munere vultum.
Verſ. 9. Behold in the tent] David compares a good woman to the vines upon the walls of the houſe, becauſe ſhe cleaveth to her houſe. Others to a ſnail, that carrieth her houſe on her back. St. Paul reckons it for a vertue in a woman to keep at home; Tit. 2 5. Prov. 7.11.and Solomon for a ſign of a lewd huſwife, that her feet abide not in her houſe.
Verſ. 10. According to the time of life] That is, when this time ſhall return again; this time twelve-monethmonth. See verſ. 14. with the Note to it. [Sarah heard it in the tent door] She was liſtning, out of womaniſh curioſity. Yet ſome think, the Angel asked for her on purpoſe, that ſhe hearing her name mentioned might liſten.
Verſ. 11. Now Abraham and Sarah were old] So, when we were altogether without ſtrength, according to the time of life, Chriſt dyed for the ungodly, Rom. 5.6.
Verſ. 12. Sarah laughed] Gods promiſes ſeem abſurd and ridiculous, many of them, to humane reaſon, which therefore muſt be ſilenced, and ſhut out, as Hagar was; for it will argue carnally, as that unbeleeving Lord, 2 King. 7.2. ſtorms at Gods offers as Naaman at the meſſage, looks upon Gods Jordan with Syrian eyes, as he, and after all, cryes out with Nicodemus, How can theſe things be? meaſuring God by its own modell, and caſting him into its own mould. [After I am waxed old, ſhall I luſt?] Old and cold, foreign.is our Engliſh proverb; and the Greek word for an old body ſignifies one, in whom naturall heat is exſtinct. It is a moſt undecent thing to ſee the pleaſures of youth prevailing in times of age, among old decrepit goats. Were it not monſtrous to behold green apples on a tree in winter? [My Lord being old alſo] This was the onelyonly good word in the whole ſentence: God takes notice of it, and by St. Peter records it to her eternall commendation, 1 Pet. 3.6. yea, he was ſo well pleaſed with her ſubjection to her husband, whom ſhe here in her heart calleth Lord, that he is content to forgive her great ſin of unbeliefe.
Verſ. 1.3. Said to Abraham, wherefore did Sarah laugh?] The wives ſin reflects upon the husband. But Solomon ſhews that ſome wives are ſo intemperate and wilfull, that a man may as well hide the wind in his fiſt, or oyl in his hand, as reſtrain them from illdoing, Prov. 27.15, 16. Liberum arbitrium, Hcidfeld.pro quo tantopere contenditur, viri amiſerunt, …xores arripuerunt, ſaith One wittily.
Verſ. 14. Is any thin… …oo hard for God] He can do all things peſſi…le and honourable. He cannot lye, dye, deny himſelf, for that implyeth impotency. He could not do any mighty work in his own Country becauſe of their unbeleef, Mark 6.5, 6. He could not, becauſe he would not. He can do more then he will, as of ſtones raiſe up Churches, Matth. 3.9. Call for legions, Matth. 26.53. Create more worlds in an inſtant. But whatſoever he willeth, that he doth in heaven and earth, and none can ſa…, What doeſt thou? Our God can deliver us, Dan. 3.17. Lord if thou wilt, thou canſt make me clean, Matth. 8.2. &c. [I will return to thee according to the time of life] He returned not perſonally, that we read of; but virtually he did, by making good his promiſe at the appointed time. That of Doctour Sands, afterwards Biſhop of Worceſter, is wonderfull, and worth relating. He departing the land for fear of Q. Mary, took his leave of his Hoſt and Hoſteſs who was childleſs, and had been married eight years. When the wind ſerved, as he went toward the ſhip, he gave his Hoſteſs a fine hand-kerchief, and an old royall of gold in it, thanking her much, and ſaid, Be of good comfort, Act & Mon. fol. 1874.ere that one whole year be paſt, God ſhall give you a child, a boy. And it came to paſs, that day twelve-monethmonth, lacking one day, God gave her a fair ſon.
Verſ. 15. I laughed not, for ſhe was afraid] And well ſhe might; for as every body hath its ſhadow, ſo hath every ſin its fear. Her ſin ſhe ſaw was detected, and her conſcience ſhe felt was troubled; hence her fear. [Nay, but thou didſt laugh] A lye muſt be roundly reproved, and the truth aſſerted. She laughed but within her ſelf, but as good ſhe might have laughed out aloud; for God ſearcheth the heart. I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my ſaying, when I was in my Country? Jon. 4.2. No, Jonas, it was not thy ſaying, it was onelyonly thy thinking: but that's all one before him, who underſtandeth thy thoughts afar off, Pſal. 139.2.
Verſ. 16. To bring them on the way] A ſpecial piece of courteſie, and much ſpoken of in Scripture, 3 Joh. 6. Acts 20.38. & 21.5. Ram. 15.24. 1 Cor. 16.11. Tit. 3.13.
Verſ. 17. Shall I hide from Abraham.] My boſom-friend. He ſhall be both of Gods Court, and his Councel. His ſecret is with them that fear him. The Kings of Iſrael had ſome one Courtier, called the Kings Friend by a ſpecialty; to whom they imparted arcana Imperii, State-ſecrets. Such an Office had Abraham about God, who calls him Abraham my Friend. See what our Saviour ſaith to all his, John 15.15. This honor have all his Sai…as.
Verſ. 18, 19.] Seeing that Abraham, &c.] Gods firſt motive here is, from his own antecedent love to Abraham, as the ſecond from his conſequent.
Verſ. 19. For I know him.] God hath a quick eye to ſee our good works. He weighs and rewards every circumſtance. Chriſt could tell, that the people had come from far to heat him; that they had faſted three days; John 6.that they went in a Wilderneſs, where they could not cater for themſelves; that if they ſhould be ſent home, ſo, they would faint by the way. What was it that he took not knowledg of? I know thy works, and thy labor, in doing them, Revel. 2.2. [That he will command his children, &c.] A good houſh…der, whatſoever he gets abroad, he brings home to his family, Prov. 10.21.as Bees bring all their hony to the hive. The lips of the righteous feed many, thoſe under his own roof eſpecially. Welfare Popery for that. Old folks will tell us, that when, in thoſe days, they had holy bread given them at Church, they would bear a part thereof to thoſe that did abide at home. The way to get more, it to communicate that we have, according to that, H…benri dabitur. No man hath received ought from God for private uſe: Neither is any one born for himſelf, much leſs new-born. He that kid his talent, was ſoon ſhred of it.
Verſ. 20. Becauſe their ſin is very grie…o….] Or, very heavy, ſuch as the very ground groans under: The A…le-tr…e of the …arth is ready to break under it. Sin is a burden to God, A…. 12. It was ſo to Chriſt; he fell to the ground when he was in his agony. It was ſo to the Angels, who ſunk into Id…ll under in. It was ſo to Kore, and his company, the earth could not bear them. It was ſo to the Sodomites; foreign. James 1.23.they were ſo clogged with this excrement of naughtineſs (as Saint James calleth it) that God came from Heaven, to give their land a vomit.
Verſ. 21. I will go down now, and ſee, &c.] The Sodomites ſined as freely and ſecurely, as if God knew nothing. Now therefore he is come to know, that is, to give them to know, that he knew all, as well as if he had been in their boſoms.
Verſ. 22. Abraham ſtood yet before the Lord] And without ſuch to ſtand and pray, the world could not ſtand: they bear up the pillars of it. Oh the price with God, and profit to men, of praying perſons! God will yield ſomething to ſuch, when moſt of all enraged, Matth 24.20. or reſolved. Lot was ſaved for Abrahams ſake, when all the reſt periſhed.
Verſ. 23. And Abraham drew neer] A priviledg proper to …uch, as have a true heart, full aſſurance of Faith and a good conſcience, Heb. 10.22. The hypocrite ſhall not come before him, Job 13.16. He muſt ſtand without as a vagrant at the gate, that knows not whether the maſter is providing for him an alms, or a cudgel. But the upright comes into the …arlor; yea dwells in Gods preſence, Pſal. 140.13. In the light of his countenance. [Wilt thou alſo deſtroy the righteous?] Single ſuites ſpeed not: we muſt back them with ſound Arguments, and Reaſon the caſe with God concerning his judgments, Jere. 12.1.
Verſ. 24. Peradventure there be fifty righteous] Charity preſumes the beſt, hopes the beſt. The Diſciples could not imagine that Judas was ſo very a Traytor: each one ſuſpects himſelf ſooner then him: And when our Saviour ſaid, What thou doeſt, do quickly; they thought he had meant of making proviſion, or giving ſomething to the poor.
Verſ. 25. Shall not the Judg, &c.] He fills his mouth with Arguments. Let us alſo: This will encreaſe Faith and Fervency.
Verſ. 26. If I finde fifty righteous] The Saints are the Salt of the earth, that keep the reſt from rotting and putrefying.
Verſ. 27. Which … but duſt and aſhes] G…aphar veephar, … & cinis: None ſo humble as they that have neareſt communion with God. The Angels that ſtand before him, cover the… … with two wings, as with a double ſcarie, Iſaiah, Chap… 6. verſe 2.
Verſ 29. Alſted.And he ſpake unto him yet again] Cùm in colloquium deſcendimus cum Deo, replicemus licet, duplicemus, triplicemus, & quadruplicemus. The bolder we make, the better welcome.
Verſ. 30. I will not do it, &c.] If God ſo yielded to Abraham interceding for wicked Sodom, will he not hear us for his laboring Church? Joa… never pleaſed David better, then when he ſued to him for Abſol…m. What ſhall we think of God in like caſe? How angry is he with thoſe that help forward the anger? Zach. 1.15. How ready to anſwer thoſe that ſpeak to him for his Church, with good words, and comfortable words? Zach. 1.13. Yea, ſhould there be no praying Chriſtians amongſt us (as there are many thouſands,) yet there is hope, if any of another Kingdom make interceſſion for us, as Abraham here did for Sodom, to the which he was a ſtranger.
Verſ. 32. Peradventure ten ſhall be found there] Lo, all that ſlavery and miſery they had ſuſtained, hath not yet made ten good men in thoſe five bad Cities. Till God ſtrike the ſtroke, and work upon the heart, afflictions, Gods hammers do but beat upon cold Iron. The wicked are no whit better by them, but much the worſe, as water becomes more cold after a heat, and naughty boyes more ſtubborn and ſtupid after a whipping.
Verſ. 33. And the Lord went his way] Abraham hucked with the Lord ſo long, till he had brought him down from fifty to ten: And mark, that he left begging are God left bating. Let us finde praying hearts, and he will finde a pittying heart.