82 Cbap, .Expo{tion upon the Book,--of JOB. Verf. Now, to {hew that Godwould raife his Church and lift her up, and give his affliç`ted people deliverance , He affures them that thefirft-borneofthepoore, that is, fuch as were doubly poore' ERtus fanr doubly afflifted, {hould -fee and be comforted. ae all cálled theCone 12th guns pimitivos of the Hebrews, ver. 22, 23. g g appeRavit, non tion ofthe kg-borne; Butyee are come to Mount Sien, andunto the quod "'"es pri- Citie ofthe livingGod, the heavenly Ìerufalem,and to an innumera- mi naturafolve hie company of ilgel.r, and to the n,(Jemblj and Congregation of the rimmatrum u teros fed quia ,frff- borne, &c. majorhenorpri Why the frft-borne, not becaufe all beleevers, all Saints are mogenitis kV eider brethren , or fuch as were the firft-borne of their parents ; tribuebatar, èo. for the firft-borne may be an unbeleever, and the younger may rá praffantiam figntlicavit per be a Saint, a beleever. But he calls them the Congregation o; the bane Apellano- firft-borne, becaufe they{hall all be dealt with as;thefirft-borne,. rem. Theed ì they {hall all be lookt upon as the ftrength ofChrift, and all {hall . in t Colof. have a double portion, they ,hall all have that honour which the firft-borne bath; a fullnes ofexcellency and dignity; hence their title, is, the Congregation ofthe kg-borne. So we are to underhand that of the Apoftle,. ( Coll. 1. 18. ) wherewe finde two expreffions, handing directly oppofite to this in the Text; he calls Chrift thefirft-bornefrom the dead ; He is the head ofthe body the Church, he is the beginning, and the firft- bornefrom thedead; as Bildad here fpeakes of the firft- borne of death, or the firft-borne death ; So Chrift is called. (as itwere ) in wayofoppofition, thefirft-borne from death. Chrift is called the firfi-bornefrom death, not onely becaufe hewas the firft that did arife to an immortal) life, (force there were that didrife before, as when Chrift dyed the graves were opened, and force arofe, -but Chrift was the firft that did arife to an immortal! life) and, fo he was (in a fence) begotten and borne againe ; there was an heavenly nativity in his refurredion, therefore he is called the firft-borne from death, deathgave him. up and was delivered of him for ever. Now (I fay) Chrift was not onely tiled the firft-bornefromdeath, (upon this.áëcount) but becaufe he was, thechiefe,;and': (as it-were) the , exemplar and leader in the refurredion, he was the higheft in the refurredion and his refurredion was molt glorious. Thus he was the kg- bornefromdeath , he arofe with the greateft glory and prehemi *once. Ia
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