`TER. 6. Epfle to the HEBREWS. but rather an Entrance into his leaving of it; neither did he at his death leave the World utterly, for thoughhis Soul was feparated from his Body, yet his Bodywas not feparated from his Perfon ; and therein hecontinuedon the Earth. The comingofChrift toReignhere on earth a t000yearsis,ifnot a groundlefs Opinion, yetfo dubious& unccetain,as not to be admitted a place intheAnal,gy of Faith,to regu- late our interpretation ofScripture,inplaces that may fairly admit ofanotherApplicatiotr. er The figmentof theSocinianr, that the Lord Chrift during the time of hisforty days faji,was taken into Heaven, which they lay as a Suppofition unto their Interpretation ofthis place, I have elfe-where (hewed to be Irrational, Anti--fcriptural, Mahumetical, and derogatory to the Honour of our Lord Jefus, as he is the Eternal Son of God,. From what path been fpoken it is evident, that the Traje'3ion propofed may be allowed, as it is by molt of the Antientand Modern Tranflations. And fo the word sdrty, again, relating untoaíyn, be faith, denotes only the Introduétion of a new proof,anddothnot intimate afecondbringing inof the Lord Chrift. And unto what bath already been fpoken I [hall only adde, that fuch an intention in the words as bath been pleadedfor, would be fo far from promoting the Apoftles defign, that it would greatlyweaken and impair it. For the matter he had in hand wastoprove the Preheminence of the LordChrift above the Angels, not abfolutely, but as he was 'the Revealer of theGofel; and ifthis was not fo, and proved to be fo by this teftimony, whilft he was employed in that work in the world, it is nothing at all tohis purpofe. Having cleared this Difficulty, and fhewed that no Second Coming of Chrift is in- tended in this word, but only a new teftimony to the fame purpofe with them fore- going produced, the intention of the Apoftle iu hit Prefatory Exprefftòn, may be far- ther opened, by confrdering what that world is whereunto the Father brought the Son, with bow, andwhen he did fo, and themanner of it. Thereare two Opinions about the World, whereinto Chriftis laid to be brought by the Father; theone is, that ofthe Socinians, afferted as by others of them, fo by Schliclingius in his Comment on this place and by Groins after them inhis Annota- tions. 'oiwowiiin, faith Gratin:, eft regio illa fuperna qua. ab angelic habitatur, ut -ipfe max fcriptor nofier adha.cflea verbarefpiciens dint, cap. 5. It is, faithhe, that Region above, which is inhabitedby the Angels, that is intended; and our Author declares as much in that re#eü whichbe bath to thefewords, chap. 2. 5. In like manner Schliclingius, Per terram ifiam, nonof inteligendam banc quam mortales incolimus, fèd cceleffem gam quam aliquando immortales affidi incolemtts, e? res ipfa, aD. autor fequenti capite v. 5. aperte declarat. That is, by theEarth, not the Earth but the Heaven is to be underftood. But, r. Thisfuits not at all withthe Purpofeand Defign of theApoftle, which is plainly to prove that the Lord Chrift, then, when he fpake to us, and revealed the will of God, and in that work, was above the Angels, which is not at all proved by [hewing what befell him after his work was accomplished. 2. It receives no countenancefrom that other placeof chap. z. 5. whither we are fent by thefe Interpreters. For that the Apoftle is there treatingofa matterquite ofan- other nature, without any refpeâ unto thefe words, (hall be there declared. Neither doth he abfolutely there mention ileoviivny, the world, but with the addition of taimovar, to come ; which what it is, we frailenquire upon the place. 3.'otaovµ'svn lignifies properly the HabitableEarth, and isnever ufed abfolutely in the Scripture, but for the habitable world, or men dwellingin it; and caufelefy to wreft it unto another fignification , is not to interpret but t * offer violence unto the Text. a.By 'ot;tovµéenthen, the World, or Habitable Earth with them that dwellthereini and nothing elk is intended ; foras the word hath no other fignification, fo the Pfal- mift in the place from whence the enfuing teflimony is taken expounds it, by the. multitudeofthe Ifles, or the Nations lying abroad inthe wide earth. This is the World defigned, eventhat Earth whereinthe rational creatures ofGod converfehere below, Into thiswas the Lord Chrift brought in by theFather. We are therefore nextly to enquire wherein the Fathers bringing of the Son into this worlddid confift. We have feen formerly, that fome have affigned it unto One thing iii particular, fomeAnother; fome to his Incarnation and Nativity, roux to his Refur- rellion, fome to hisMiflion ofthe Spirit, and propagation ofhis Kingdom that en-, fued. TheOpinion about hisComing to reign in the worlda tboufandyears, as alfo that of his coming atthe general Judgment, we havealready excluded. Ofthe others, I amapt tothink, that it is notany one particular exclufve to the other, that the Apo- H h h file
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