VER.7. Epifileto the HEBREWS. IOt them to raife a florin on - }onah, when he fled from his Pretence ; and. a flaming firs his MiniJter, when by it he confumed Sodom and Gomorrah ; and this Opinion makes rnr;ri, which it interprets Winds, and Mt] tort, a flamingfire to be the Suhjet1 of the Propofrtion, of whom it is affirmed that God employes them as his Meffengers and Minifers. That this Opinion which is directly contradictory to theAuthority of the Apoflle, is fo alfo to the Defign of the Pfalmift, fenfe of the Words, Confent of the Antient yews, and fo no way to be admitted, (hall afterwards be made to appsar. 2. Some avernthat theWinds and Meteors are principally intended, but yet fo, as that God affirming that hemakes the Winds his Mffengers, doth alfo intimate that it is the Work and Employment of his Angels above to be his Meffengersalfo ; and that becaufe he maketh ufe of their Miniftry to caufe thofe Winds and Fires, whereby he accomplifheth his Will ; And this they illutrateby theFire and Winds caufed by them on Mount Sinai, at the giving ofthe Law. But this Interpretation, whatever is pretended to the contrary, doth not really differ from the former, denying Angels to be intentionally fpoken of, only hooking in a refpedtunto them, not to be feen to contradicttheAponte, andthereforewill be difproved together with that whichwent before. 3. Others grant, that it is theAngels of whom the Apoftle treats, but as to the In- terpretationof the words, they are oftwoOpinions. I. Some make Spirits tobe the fubjedlof what is affirmed , and Angels tobe the Predicate. In this fenfe, God is Paid tomake thole fpiritual Subftances Inhabitantsof Heaven his Meffingers, employing them in his fervice, and them whofe nature is a flaming fire, that is, the Seraphims to be his Ministers, and to accomplifh his pleafure. And this way, after Auftin, go many Expofitors, making the Term, Angels, here meetlyto denote an Employment, and not thePuffins employed. But as this Inter= pretation alto takes off from the Efficacy and Evidence of the Apoffles Argument, fo we (hall fee that there is nothing in the words themfelves, leading to the Embrace- ment of it. It remains therefore, that it is the Angels that' are herefpoken of, as alto that they are intendedand defignedby that name, which denotes their Perfons and not their employment. r. That Angels are primarily intendedby the Pfalmif , contrary to the fir(t Opi- nion of the Modern Jews, and the foundmentioned, leaning thereuntö: appears, r.Fromthe fcope and defign of the Pfalmif. For defigning to let out the Glory ofGod in his works ofCreation and Providence, after he had declared theframing of all things by his Power, which corne under the name of Heaven, v.2,5. before he proceeds to theCreationof the Earth, pattingover, with Mofes, the creation of An= gel, or couching it with him under the produlion of Light , or of the Heavens, as they are called inJob, he declareth his Providence and Soveraignty in employing hisAngels between Heaven and Earth, as his fervants for theaccomplifhment of his . pleafure. Neither doth it atall fuit his method or defign, in his Enumeration of the works ofGod, tomake mention of the Winds and Tempefls, and their ufe in the Earth, before he had mentioned the Creation of the Earth its felf; which follows in the next Verfe unto this; fo that thefe finks are excluded by the Context of the Pfalm. 2.The confent of theAntient Jews lyes againffthe fentiinents of the Modern both the oldTranflations either made, or embraced by them, exprefly refer the words unto Angels. Sodoth that ofthe LXX. as is evident from the words; and fo Both the. Targum thus rendring the place, art':jlalpn maw t tilll Trr x'11;710 rrumt 1.3p1 N1&/ME) tituN, who maketh his Meffengers, or Angels. fwsfe as Spirits, and his Mini- fersJtrong orpowerful, as a flaming fire. The fupply, of the note offimilitude makes it evident that they underflood the Text 'of Angel, and not Winds ; andOfmaking Angels as Spirits, and not ofmakingWinds to be Angels orMeffengers whichis incon- rftentwith their Words. 3. The word r=,7t.70, doth ufually denote the Angels themfelves, and no reafon can be given why it (hould not do fo in this place: 2. Moreover it appears that thatTerm is the Subjeiï of the Propofrtion. For, i. TheApostle, and the LXX. fixing the Articles before dx1°°wand rntzeryat, An- gel and Minters do plainly determinetheSubjedl fpoken of. For although it may bey Come variety may be obfetved in the ufe of Articles in other places, fo that Iii 2 they
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