CONCERNING THE TRINITY. 841
she shouldhumble herself; and, moreover,givesher thehope
of the name of mother,and pledgesand promisesthatfrom
her womb there should be a numerous seed,and that she
should have Ishmael to be born from her ; and with other
things unfoldsthe placeof his habitation,and describeshis
mode of life;yet Scripturesets forth this angel as both
Xiord and God (forHe would not have promised the bless
ing of seed unless the angel had also been God). Let
them ask what the hereticscan make of thispresentpas
sage. Was that the Father that was seen by Hagar or
not ? For He is declaredto be God. But far be it from
us to callGod the Father an angel,lestHe should be
subordinateto anotherwhose angel He would be. But they
will say that it was an angel. How then shall He be
God if He was an angel?— since this name is nowhere
conceded to angels,except that on eitherside the truth
compels us into thisopinion,that we ought to understand
it to have been God the Son, who, because He isof God,
is rightlycalledGod, because He is the Son of God ; be
cause He is subjectedto the Father,and the Announcer of
the Father'swill,He isdeclaredto be the Angel of Great
Counsel. Therefore,although thispassageneitherissuited
to the person of the Father, lestHe should be calledan
angel, nor to the person of an angel,lesthe should be
called God ; yet itissuitedto the personof Christthat He
should be both God because He is the Son of God, and
should be an angel because He is the Announcer of the
Father's mind. And the hereticsought to understandthat
they are settingthemselvesagainstthe Scriptures,in that,
while they say that they believeChrist to have been alsoan
angel,theyareunwillingtodeclareHim tohave been alsoGod,
when they read in the Old Testament thatHe oftencame to
visitthe human race. To this,moreover,Moses added the
instance of God seen of Abraham at the oak of Mamre,
when he was sittingat the opening of his tentat noon-day;
and nevertheless,although he had beheld three men, that
he calledone of them Lord ; and when he had washed their
feet,he offersthem bread baked on the ashes,with butter