Chap, i8. ',fit E'zpofition upon the Book, of Jo a. Verf. 13. 83 In the j5th verfe of the fame Champer, Chrift is called the imageofthe invifibleGod , thefirft-borneof every creature ; that is, thehigheft, the fulleft of glory among all creatures ; for we are here to take heedofthe fence of the Arrians, and others that fol- low them, who take holdof this Scripture, where Chrift is called the &A-borne of, every creature , as if the fence were onely this, that Chrift is the chiefeft creature ( though it be a truth, that ac- cording to his humane nature he is acre. ture and fo the chie- feft creature, but they reftraineit to the whole perfon, as if he were onely the chiefeft of creature) andnot God at all. For he is not onely inhis humane nature the chiefeft creature, but according to his divine nature , the beginning of all the crea- tures ; fo he is called ( Revel. 3. 14.) The beginning of the crea- tion of God, which we may explaine by , thefirft-borne ofevery creature, he is the beginning ofthe Creationof God, not prin- cipium principiatum onely , the beginning begun. Chrift may be called the beginning of all the creation of God, becaufe God looked on him firft : but alto he isprincipiom principians, the be- ginning of the creation, becaufe every creature had its begin- ning from him. Chrift is the alive beginning, or beginner of every creature ;For as theEvangelift ?ohngives it out ( Chap. 1- ver.a,3.) Thefame was in the beginning with god; All things were made by him, ear without him was not any thingmade that was made. Againe, the Lord fpeaking of David to the height in the Letter, and ofChrift in the figure, faith,( (Pfal.89.z7.) Iwill make hint ,nj_ frft-borne, higher then the Kings ofthe Earth ; that is, he fhall be my chiefeft, my higheft, myonely one. Thus as the firft-born among the living, or from the dead, (till denotes the choiceft ofthofe who live, fo the firft-born of death , is the chiefeft , the higheft, the ftrongeft death that any man dyes when he is gathe- red to the dead. Laftly, Some labour much to fix it upon a particular death, and would fbew us what this firft-borne of death, this molt deadly death is ; and upon debate, the vote raft it upon fa- mine which force ;conceive alfo nioft proper to this place, in reference to the words before , His ftrength ¡ball be hunger- bitten, defirodion fhall be ready at hisfide. Thefirft-borne ofdeath; that is ( fay they) Famine , the chiefeft of deaths fhall de- voure his ftrcngth, and make an end of him : For though wee M a may
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