Vñaer the Old relláñaei3t ` íiß of Chtift slothit under this name of ó r4g -, . the TYird, that ïs ' `t IC's ; the W,itd of God ; theWord that was n,ithGod; and that was God, John r i. For as he alltideth therein to the 'terry of the firff Creation , wherein God is defCribed as making all things by his word, for helaid of every thing, let it be, and it was made , as the Pfálmift expreffeth it, He fpake and it was done, he commanded and it )fondfait, Pfal. 33. V. 9: which he fully declares, v. 6. By the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made, and all the Haft of them by the breath of his Mouth ; in anfwer whereunto, he teacheth that all things were madeby this Word of God, whereof he fpeaks, v. 3. which in the Chaldee is elfivhere alto ailigned unto this Word, where mention is not made ofit in theOriginal ; as Ili 45.v. r a. andChap. 4S. v. 13. whence it is in like manner ex- preffed by Peter, a Ep. 3.ti. 5. So he might have réfpeot unto that afcription of the Work of the Redemption pf the Church to this Word. of the Lord which was admitted in the Churchof the Jews. That place amoarglt others is exprefs to this purpofe, Hof: r. v. 7. where the words of the Prophet, I will fine them by the Lord their God, are rendered by the Targumiti, T1nr4N 1'1, 1110`01 /1.7102,tj, Iwill five, (or redeem) them, by theWord .of theLord their God. The Word, the Redeemer. And it is not unworthy confideration, that as the Wilèfi and molt contemplative of the Philofo- phcrs of old,' had many notions about the.ó atye- a'iJ &, the eternal Word, which was unto them ,N.xµ's drat dio s .ognrtzñ; the formative or creative Power of the Vniverfè, to which purpofe many fayings have beenobferved, and might be reported out of Plato, with his followers, Ameliw, Chalcidins; Prochtr, Flotinus and others, whole exprefsious are imitated by our ownWriters, as jz1J}in Martyr, Clemens, Athe-. nagoras, Tatianus, and manymore, fo among the Mahxmetans themfeives, this is the the name that in their Alcoran they give unto Jefur, 11778211í]y, the WordofGod , So prevalent hath this notion of the Son of God, been in the World. And as thofe words, Ezek. r. v. 24: 'I heard the voice of their wings, i1tV 4157, as the Voice of the Alt:ightie, are rendered by the argumiff, 11tÚ n,p i13 82`177, as the Voice from the fife of the Almighty, which what it is, (hall 1`e afterwards (hewn fo tome Copies of the LXX. read than by pvno rh x'yo, the Voice of the WO RD, that is of God, who was reprcfented'inthat Vifion, as (hall be manifefted. Some would put another fenfe on that Expretlion of the Targumijls, as though it intended nothing but God kitnGlf> and inftancesof the ufe ofit in-that fenfe have been obf,rved. As Ecclef. S. v: 17e Ifa wife man fay ; O 1233 in his n' rd, that is, fay in him- frif; Gen. 6. b: 6. It repented the Lord f ä2's11 in his word; Allo Ruth 3. v. S. is urged togive countenance unto this fufpicion ; As did Paltiel the Son of Laifh, who placed hisfwrrd et2NtU 111 'VD 1111 '1vD 111; between his Word and Michal the daugh- ter ofSaul the Wife of David. But (r: ) The former places ufe not the word CO which is peculiar unto the fenfe contended for ; (á:) TheTargeems on the Fla- giographa .are a late Poffalmudical endeavour, Made in imitation ofthofe of Onkelosand Ben Vzziel, when the Jews had loft both all fenfe oftheir old Traditions, and ufe of the Chaldee Language, any other thanwhat they learned from thofe former Para- phrafes. Nothing therefore can hence be concluded as to the intention Of the Tar- gumiffs in thefe words. And they can have no other fenfe in that of Pfalm v. r'1t1e e' ti)N; The Lord[aid in, or to hit word; for, to eny Lord; as in the Onginàl. The Yews difcern that 1'7.ra walking, relates in this place immediately to 4117, 4, 3, the voice, and not unto n'1724 11111, the LordGod, and therefore endeavour to rem der a Reafonof that kind ofExpreffion. So Aben Ezra on the place' giveth initances where a voice or found in its Progrefs is Paid to walk. As Exod. 19. v. r9. ;ern p'1 i wi. kíip ; the voice of the Trumpet went and waxedftrong; and Jer. 46. v. 22, IT wriA 11517 ; the voice theree fhall go like a Serpent. But thefe Examples reach not that under confideration. For although 7411 may exprefs fismètimes the ProgrefonOr increafe ofa Voice, yet it doth not fo, but where it is intimated to be be- gun before but herewas nothing fpoken by God, untill after that Adam hadherd this Word of God walking. And therefore R. Jona cited by Aben Ezrawould apply p`Zr1r,o walking, unto Adam; He heard the voiceof God , as he etas himfelf walking to theGarden, the abfurdity of which Ficîion the Words of the Text and Context fuffrcieytly evince. For not Dnro but 1:311itfiro would anfwer unto 1l)DW' in the beginningof the Verfe. It is therefore molt probable that in the great-alteration, which was now comingupon the whole Creation ofGod, mankind being to be calf out of Covenant, the Serpent and the Earth being tobe Curled, and a way ofReaoVery for
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