(which hardly any Commentators have taken notice of,) they are, in ftrictness of Conftruction, immediately connected with the following word, Him; which muft neceffarily be understood of Christ. Concerning which manner of fpeaking, fce N° 538 & 293. 535. Job.i, 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with GOD, and the Word was God. In the Beginning.] Before all Ages; before the Creation of the World; before the World was, Joh. xvii, 5: And ver. 3d of This Chapter, All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made, that was made: And ver. 10, The World was made by him. Thus was this Phrase conftantly understood in the Primitive Church: And Nothing can be more forced and unnatural, than the Interpretation of the Socinian Writers; who understand, In the Beginning, to fignify only, At the first Preaching of the Gospel. Was the Word.] The Word, the Oracle of God, the Great Revealer of the Will of God to Mankind. to Rev. i, 5, The Faithful Witness: Rev. xix, 11, Faithful and True: 1 Joh. V, 20, He that is True: Rev. ** xix, 13, And his Name is called, the WORD of God. It is with great Violence to the Text, and to the 21 J whole Scope of the Gospel, that the Sabellian and gnia fome Socinian Writers, (whofe Notions, tho' feemzingly most contrary, yet in reality amount in the End to the fame thing,) expound this Paffage, of [the λoy diader] the Internal Reafon or Wifdom of God: In the Beginning was REASON, and ¿bo REASON was with God, &c. As if the Perfon who came to be incarnate for us, and to die for our 511 Sins was nothing but an Attributte of the Father, SA Without any real and proper Reing. And the Word was with GOD.] Was with the Faplay rodes daidw) G 3 ther, ther, 1 Joh. i, 2. Had glory with GOD, before the World was, Joh. xvii, 5. I was by him, as one brought up with him, Prov. viii, 30. And the Word was God.] Of these Words 'tis evident there are only Three poffible Interpretations. The firft is; that the Word was That fame Perfon, whom he was with: And This is both a Contradiction in Terms, and alfo the Antient Herefy of Sabellius. The Second is; that the Word was Another Self-exiftent, Underived, Independent Perfon, co-ordinate to Him with whom he was: And This is the Impiety of Polytheism; fubverting That Firft and Great Foundation of All Religion both Natural and Revealed, the Unity of GOD. The third is; that the Word is a Person, deriving from the Father (with whom he existed before the World was,) both his Being it felf, and incomprehenfible Power and Knowledge, and other divine Attributes and Authority, in a Manner not revealed, and which humane Wisdom ought not to presume to be able to explain: And This is the Interpretation of the Learnedest and most Antient Writers in the Primitive Church. See Origen's Comment on Job. I; And Eufebius de Ecclefiaftica Theologia, lib, 2, cap. 17. 536. Joh. x, 33. Thou, being a Man, makest thy felf God. 537. See N° 580. XX, 28. And Thomas anfwered and faid unto him, My Lord and my God. See N° 535. 538. Acts xx, 28. To feed the Church of God, which He hath purchased with his own Blood. But ma In This place, the word, God, may be understood of Chrift, in like manner as in fch. i, 1. ny Antient Copies read it, and the moft antient Fathers cite it, The Church of the LORD. Or, if the word, God, be understood to mean the Father; then, his own Blood, muft fignify, the Blood of his own Son. Or elfe, (which feems the most natural Interpretation of all;) if God in this place fignifies the Father, the following words, He hath purchased with his own Blood, may be understood of Chrift, in the fame manner of Speaking that St John in his firft Epiftle frequently ufes, and particularly 1 Joh. iii, 5, Te know that HE was manifefted to take away our Sins; and in HIM is no Sin: Where the Words, He, and Him, muft of neceffity be referred to Chrift, though without any antecedent mention of him, the Father only having been before fpoken of, ver. 1, Behold, what manner of Love the FATHER hath bestowed upon us, &c. And the fame feems to be the true conftruction of thofe other words, ver. 16, Hereby perceive we the Love of GOD, [fee N° 293,] because [cnev] HE (viz. Chrift) laid down his Life for us: Which St Paul expreffes more fully, Rom. v, 8, GOD commendeth his Love towards us, in that while we were yet Sinners, CHRIST died for us. See N° 534. 539. Rom. ix, 5. Of whom Christ came, who is over all God bleffed for ever, Amen. G 4 blessed qiblessed for ever, Amen. In favour of the two former rendrings, may be alleged the Ufe of the Word [EvAoyntos, Bleffed, in other places of Scripture; as Pf. lxxxix, 52; Rom. i, 15; 2 Cor. i,3; & xi, 31; Eph. ydi,350 Pet. i, 35 & Mark xiv, 61. But the Latter of the Three, was pitcht upon by our Tranflators, as the most natural and obvious rendring of the Words. And the Senfe is not difficult. For, as the fame Apostle tells us, I Cor. XV, 27, that when he faith, All things are put under Chrift, 'tis manifeft that He is excepted, which did put all things under him: fo here in like manner, when he repeats the very fame thing, that Chrift is God over all; and ch. x, 12, that he is Lord over all; and Ats x, 36, he is Lord of all; 'tis manifeft again, that He muft needs be excepted, by Communication of whofe Divine Power and Supreme Authority, Chrift is God or Lord over all. 540. 1 Tim. iii, 16, God was manifeft in the Flesh, &c. It has been a great Controverfy among Learned men, whether [es] or [s] or [8,] be the true Reading in this place. But it is not, in reality, of great Importance. For the Senfe is evident; that That Perfon was manifeft in the Flesh, whom St John in the Beginning of his Gospel ftiles [es] God. See N° 1535. 541. Tit. i, 13. The glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jefus Chrift. Many understand this whole Sentence to belong to one and the fame Perfon, viz. Chrift: As if the Words fhould have been rendred, The appearing of our great God and Saviour Jefus Chrift. Which Conftruction, the Words will indeed bear; as do alfo thofe in 2 Pet. i, 1. But it is much more reafonable, and aband more agreeable to the whole Tenor of Scripture, to understand the former part of the words, to zs relate to the Father. See No 395. 26 542. Heb.i, 8. But unto the Son he faith; Thy 2 Throne, O God, is for ever and ever. 54411 Job iii, 16. See N° 293, 534, 538. 545: V; 20,21. See No 410. SE CT. The Paffages, wherein it is declared, that the World was made by Him. J 2 546. TOH. i, 3. All things were made* by him [didur,] and without him was not any thing made, that was made. The Note of Eufebius upon this place, is very pertinent, and expreffes the Unanimous Senfe of the Catholick Church. Λέγων ἢ δι' αυτό γεγον When the Evangelift(lays a wavτa, to Cangehe affirms that all things TX Tes[o] waesn were made [2] by or Luray "Evaylε(or through) Him, besser, warran@ auλιςὴς εἰπεῖν, πάντα te therein declares the Miniftration of Chrift to God To UETO, 87, @av(the Father.) For where. To, tn, anλ A QUT: iva as he might have expref- ἡμᾶς ἀναπέμψῃ ἐπὶ τω * fed |