In : expofition of the . CHAP. J. moral Swafton of the mindsof men by the Outward Dol'trine of the Gofpel, I know not what A/lufion can be fancied in it, unto the Creation of the world out of no- thing; 2. It is granted that the Apefile fpeaks here of the fame Creation that John treats of in'the beginningof his GoCpel; but that that is the Creation of the whole world,.and all things contained in it, hath been elfewhere'proved; and mull begranted, or we may well despair of ever underftanding one line in the Scripture, or what we ordi- Warily (peak one to another. -- 3. john doth not mention any particular of the old Creation, affirming only in gene- ral, that by the Word all things were made, whereof he afterwards affirms, that it was the Light of men; not afligning unto him in particular, the Creation of Light as is pretended. 3. He tells us, the *Article prepolid alit; dsi,vas, intimatesthat it it not the old Creation that is intended,but foménew ef¢ecial thingdiffinafrom it andpreferredabove it. Anfw.t.As the fame Article dothufed by the fame Apohle to the fame purpofe in anotherplace, Ails 54. a5. it %rb,are b dçaeór x ryñv it; 4 e,uawav, who made the Heaven, the , Earth and Sea, which ,werecertainly chore created ofold. 2. The fame Article is ufedwith the faire word again in this Epiftle, Chap. t r. 3. aten eoû¡.ev xáfaprt,twe tad a'ateas, by faith we underffand that the worlds were made, wherethis Author aaknow- ledgeth theoldCreation tobe intended.. 4. He adds, that the Authorsof this Epiffle fiemo to allude to the Greek Tranflátion of Ifa. p. 6. wherein 1;-t1N, the Father ofEternity, or eternal Father is rendred the Fa- ther of the world to come. Anfw.a. There is no manner of Relation between asp ',WOE} d,w "v@, the Father of the world to come, and 8P rev ä,âvas fiaolaeei, by whom he made theworlds, unlefs it be that one word is ufed in both places in very diftin6 fenfes; which if it be fufficient to evincea cognation between various places, very strange and uncouth interpretationswould quickly enfue. Nor 2. Doth that, which theApoflle here treatsof, any way refpedthat which the Prophet in that place ia6fts upon s his nameand nature being only declaredby the Prophet, and his ,marks by the Apoflle. And 3. It is prefumption to fuppofe the Apoftle to allude to a corrupt Tranflation as that of theLXX. in that place is, there being no ground for it in the Originals for 1p +ate, is not ararñtiau Vl&dervO-, butan.ñy d,wvs9, the eternal Father : and what the Jews and LXX. intend ty the worldto come,we í6a11afterwards confider. 5. His lall refuge is, inlfa.5s. t6 Where the work ofGod,atheobfarves,in the redullion of the people of the Jews from theCaptivity ofBabylon, is called his planting the Heavens, and laying the foundation of theEarth : And the Vulgar LatinTranflaticn, as he farther obferves, renders theword, ut ccelum plantes, ut terram fundes, afèribing that to thePro- phet whichhe did but declare; and in this fenTee he contends, that Godthe Father ¡e faid to make the worlds by his Son. Anjw. r.The work mentionedis hot that which God would do in the reduikion of thepeople from Babylon, but thatwhich he had donna their delivery from iEgypt, recorded to ftrengthen the faith of Believers in what for tile futurehe would yet do for them. z. The exprefiìons of planting the Heavens , and laying the, foundation ofthe Earth, are in this placeof the Prophet plainly Allegorical, and are. in the very fame place declared fo to be. First, In the circumflance of time when this work is faid to bewrought, namely, at the coming of the Ifrarlites out ofYEgor,when the Heavens and the Earthproperly focalled,couldnot bemade,plant- ed, founded, or created. Secondly, By art adjoyned Expofition of the Allegory, I haveput mywords into thymouth, and faid tints Zion, thou artmy people : This was his planting of the Heavens, and laying the foundation of the Earth, even the ereétion of a Church and Political State amongil the Ifraeliter. 3. It is not to the Prophet, but to the Church that the words are fpoken, and 171027 and 7015, are not utplanter & ut fundes, butad plantandum,to plant,. and ad fundandum, to lay thefoundation : and our Author prejudicateshis caufjt, by making ufe of a Yranflarion to uphold it, which himfelf knows tobe corrupt. 4. There is not then2 any fimilitude between that place of theProphet, whereinwords are ufed Allegorically, (the Allegory in them being inftantly explained ;) and this of theApoffle whole difcourfe isdtdalt icá , and the words used in it, proper,and fuited to the things intendedby him to be expreffed. And this is the fubftance'of what is pleaded to wrest from believers this if/tiff-rims Teftimony given to the eternalDeity of the Son of,God. We may yet further confi- der thereafons that offer themfelves from the Context for the removal of the inter= r, It pretation fuggeffed.
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