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dom out of these two disordered members of his first dominion, and to appoint one common heir Lord and ruler of them both. Ephes. i, 10, "He gathered together in one all things in Christ, both which are in the heavens, and which are in earth, even in him.”

§21. (2.) The way whereby Christ the Son came to his inheritance is expressed by (Eye) he hath appointed. Which denotes, in this connexion, "The glorious investiture of the Lord Messiah in the full and actual possession of his kingdom after his resurrection, with the manifestation of it in his ascension, and the illustrious token of its stability in his sitting at the right hand of God." The grant was actually made to him upon his resurrection; Matt. xxviii, 18, and all was sealed and ratified when he took possession of his throne at the right hand of the Father; and in virtue hereof was he declared to be "both Lord and Christ," Acts ii, 36, v. 31. And such weight do the scriptures lay upon this glorious investiture of Christ in his inheritance, that they speak of his whole power as then first granted him; Rom. xiv, 9; Phil. ii, 7, 10. And the reason of it is, because he had then actually performed that stupendous work, on account of which his mediatorial power and authority were originally granted and eternally designed. And it is manifest that he who is the Lord and heir of all things, spiritual, temporal, and ecclesiastical, must needs have power over all Mosaical institutions as a part of his unrivalled jurisdiction. In short, God, in pursuit of the sovereign purpose of his will, hath granted the Son as incarnate, and mediator of the new covenant, according to the eternal counsel between them both, a sovereign power over all things both in heaven and earth, with the possession of an absolute proprietor, to dispose of

them at his pleasure, for the advancement of his proper and peculiar work, as head of his church.*

The

$22. (3.) By whom he made the worlds. apostle in these words corroborates his present argument, from another consideration of the person of the Messiah, wherein he also discovers the foundation of the pre-eminence before ascribed to him. By him the worlds were made; so that they were his own, John i, 11; and it was meet that, in the new condition which he underwent, he should be Lord of them all. Moreover, if all things were made by him, all disobedience to him is most unreasonable, and will be attended with inevitable ruin.

That which some men design in their wresting of this place, is to defeat the illustrious testimony herein given to the eternal deity of the Son of God, and to this purpose they proceed variously.†

*The demirable digression "of the dominion or lordship of Christ," stands, in this edition, as the concluding preliminary Exercitation.

† Some affirm that by (di) by whom, (di" ov) for whom is intended. According to this exposition of the words, we have in them an expression of the love of God towards the Messiah, in that for his sake he made the worlds; but not any thing of the excellency, power, and glory of the Messiah himself. But neither is it proved that in any other place these expressions are equipollent; nor, if that could be supposed, is there any reason offered why the one of them should in this place be put for the other. For the places usually referred to, do no way prove that (d) with a genitive, doth ever denote the final cause, but the efficient only. As to Rom. vi, 4, be it observed, the case is not the same where things, as where persons are spoken of: * here relates to a person, (whom) and yet is dià joined with it, asserted by the objectors, to denote the end of the things spok. en of, which is insolent. Besides doğa wargos, in that place, is indeed the glorious power of the Father's, the efficient of the resurrection of Christ treated of. So that, whereas dia is used, six hundred times with a genitive case in the New Testament, no one instance can be given, where it may be rendered prop ter, for, and therefore cannot be so here. But on supposition that some such instance might be produced, yet being contrary

$23. The Socinians generally lay no exception against the person making, whom they acknowledge to be the Son Messiah, but to the world said to be made. "These are not, say they, the things of the old, but of the new creation; not the fabric of heaven and earth, but the conversion of the souls of men; not the first institution and forming of all things, but the restoration of mankind, and their translation into a new condition of life." To this we reply,

1. The only new creation granted by such persons being nothing but a moral swasion of men's minds, by the outward doctrine of the gospel, I know not what allusion can be fancied in it to the creation of the world out of nothing.

2. The apostle speaks here of the same creation that John treats of in the beginning of his gospel; but that is the creation of the whole world, and all things contained in it, it must be granted, or we may well despair of ever understanding one line of the sacred oracles, or the common forms of speech.

The expression of "planting the heavens," and "laying the foundation of the earth," Isa. li, 17, are plainly allegorical, as appears from the circumstance of time when this is said to be done, which was at the coming of Israel out of Egypt; when the heavens and

to the constant use of the word, some cogent reason from the text wherein it is used, or the thing treated of, must be urged to give that sense admittance: and nothing of that nature can be here pleaded. Besides, as di & and eç ov, are distinguished, the one expressing the efficient, the other the final cause, Rom. xi,. 36; so also are they in this very epistle, chap. ii, 10, Siöv Tà πάντα, καὶ δὶ ἔ τὰ παντα. For whom are all things and by whom are all things:' and is it likely that the apostle would put one of them for the other, contrary to the proper use which he intended immediately to assign severally unto them? Again, ài, by whom, here is the same with di aura, by him, John i, S;: which incontestably signifies the efficient cause.

the earth, properly so called, could not be made, plantted, founded, or created. And is yet more evident from an adjoined exposition of the allegory; "I have put my words into thy mouth, and said unto Sion thou art my people."

$24. We may again consider the reasons that present themselves from the context, for the removal of the interpretation above suggested.

1. It sinks under its own weakness and absurdity. The apostle intending to set out the excellency of the Son of God, affirms that by him "the worlds were made;" that is, say they, Christ preaching the gospel converted souls to the faith, and many more were converted by the apostle's preaching the same doctrine, whence blessed times of light and salvation ensued. Who, not overpowered with prejudice, could once imagine any such meaning in these words? especially considering that it is as contrary to the design of the apostle, as it is to the import of the words themselves. This is what Peter calls, "men's wresting the scriptures to their own perdition."

2. The apostle writes didactically, expressing plainly the matter whereof he speaks, in words usual and proper. To what end then should he use so strained an allegory in a point of doctrines; yea, a fundamental argument of the religion he taught? Besides, the phrase "by whom he made the worlds," is no more in these men's apprehensions, than, "in him hath he spoken in these latter days." Nor is this mode of speaking any where used, not in the most allegorical prophecies of the Old Testament, to denote that which they would here wrest it to express. But "making of the world," signifies making the world, in the whole scripture throughout, and nothing else.

3. The making of the worlds here intended, was a thing past (Exome) he made them, that is, he did so of old; and the same word is used by the septuagint to express the old creation. But now that which the

come," or the blessed state

Jews called the "world to of the church under the Messiah, the apostle speaks of, as of that which was not yet come; the present worldly state of the Jewish church yet continuing.

4. The Greek words (awv and aves) or the Hebrew words (and y) which are so rendered, taken absolutely as they are here used, do never in any one place, in the Old or New Testament, signify the new creation, or state of the church under the gospel; but the whole world and all things therein contained, they do signify in this very epistle, chap. xi, 3.

5. Wherever the apostle in this epistle speaks of the church state under the Messiah, he never calls it by the single name (ómovμévy or aιwv) world, but still with the limitation of "to come," as chap. ii, 5; chap. vi, 5. But where it is used absolutely as in this place, and chap. xi, 3, it is invariably the whole world that is intended.

6. The context is utterly abhorrent from this gloss. The Son in the preceding words, is said confessedly to be made heir or lord of all things absolutely and universally; and to that assertion he subjoins a reason of the equity of that transcendent grant made unto him, namely, because by him all things were made, whereunto he adds, his upholding, ruling, and disposing of them, "by the word of his power." Thus the apostle having declared the honor of the Son as mediator, in that he was made "heir of all," adds thereunto his excellency in himself from his eternal power and godhead; which he not only asserts, but evinces by an argument from the works of creation. And to avoid 41

VOL. II.

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