/.E R. iq.,Ty. Ep/tte to the }fill R E víi s. And theApottle teacheth us by it, that the Lord Chrift tookunto. him, and tco(on hint our HumaneNature of thefeedofAbraham. That the Genuine fenfe óf the place may be.ÿet more fully vindicated, fhall farther confider the exceptions ofa very learnedmanunto our Interpretation Ofthe words, and his Anfwersunto the Keafonswhereby it is confirmed. Firft, he Pays, that iata eußa'reray being in the prefent tenfi, fignifieth a continued anion, fach as Chriffs helping ofus is but his affumption,òfhumane naturewas a mo- mentaneous atlion, which being part long before, the Apofile would not exprefs it as à thing prefent. It is generally anfwered untothis exception; that an enallage is to be allowed, and that intaaµRávera, is put for 'soreaáNero, which is ufual in the Scripture: So Job. I. 3 I. chap. ü. 13. But yet there is no.)* neceffity of fuppofiogit in this place; The Apofile inhis ufual manner difputing with the Hebrews on the principleswhere- in they had been inflruded from the Old Teftament,,minds than that there is no- thingfaid therein of his takingupon him the nature ofAngels, but only of the feed of Abraham.. So that, he taker, is, he dothfo in the Scripture, that affirms him fo to do; and in refped hereunto the expreffion inthe prefent tenfe is proper to his púrpofe: This way ofarguing and manner of expreflion we have manifefiedon chap. r. 5. . Againhe addes , this expreffion, He took not on him Angels, for, the nature ofAngels,' is hard and uncouth as it wouldbe in the affirmative to fay, affumpfit hontines, or'bomi- nem; betookmen, or a man ; which wefay not, althoughwe do that he took humane nature. But the reafon ofthispbrafe ófJpeech is evident. Having before affirmed that he was partaker axrxds 4 a "rµaroe, offlefh and blood, whereby thenature ofman is ex- preffed, repeating here again the fame affertionwith refpe h unto the Promife, and a negation of the fame thing in reference untoAngels, becaufe their nature confifteth not of flefh andblood, he exprelfth it indefinitely, and in the concrete ; he ttooknot them, that is, nor that in andofthem, which anfwers untoflefhand blood in the children, that is, their nature. So that there is noneed to affert, ashe fuppofeth Come may do, that oapxòs , 4,t,r&, ought to be repeated 'es vâ itonû,, andreferred unto thofebodies which the Angels affumed for a feafon in their Apparitions underthe Old Tettament ; there being only an Elipfis eafie to be fuppliedof that in them which anfwers unto fle/band blood in thechildren. Thirdly, The Apofile, he faith,fheweth, vetfe 17. that Chrift `.ought in Al tbingi to he made like unto us, bythis reafon, &uodnon affumpfit Angela', fed femen Abrabe.. But if this be totake on him the nature ofman, be comesto prove thefame thing by thefame. For to be made like untous, and tq offume humanenature, differ only in words, and not really, or in deed. But, take in:Aii , ívarat to helpor relieve, and all things.agree. Forbecaufe he came to helpus andnot Angels, it became him to be made like unto us. But herein lies a double miflake : Ertl, in the feope and argument ofthe Apofile ; for thofe, words in the be ginning ofthe 17 verfeare notan Infetence orConclufionfrom what is affected in this verf, but an Affirmationofthe neceffity of what is there aflerted, from that which follows in the fame verfi, that he might beafaithful High Prieff. Secondly, thofewords like untaur, do not intend his conformity unto us in his participation ofhumane nature, which hehad onother reafons before confirmed, but in the fufringsand temptations which there ,he infifisupon. Fourthly, ThefeedófAbraham, he lays, is a coileilive expreon, anddenotes many, at leaff it muff denote theperfan offame man, which Chriff did not affame. And therefore it is the jliritual feed ofAbraham that is intended, that is, believers. And the Apoffle f calls them, becaufe theHebrews were well pledwith the mention ofthatpriviledge. But this will not abide the examination, Thegreatpromife ofold unto Abraham was; that in bis feed allthe nations ofthe earthfbould be bled. The intendment of that Promifewas that theMcJjah Mould be bitfeed, of his pofterity. That by this'feed one individual Was intended, our Apofile declares, Gal. 3. s'6.. As Chrifi in like manner is faid to be of thefeedofDavid according to the fleih, Rom. r. 3. Of thisPromife theApofile minds theHebrews. So that his taking on himthefeed ofAbraham, is not the affuming of many, nor of the perfon of any one of them, but meetly his being made of the feedofAbrahan; according to thePromife. And tobind thefe Wordsunto any other fenfe, than the accomplifhmentof the Promifemade toAbraham, that Chrift (Mould heofhis feed,.is plainly.topervert them. And this is all of weight that I can meet withall, which isobjeéted unto our interpretation of thisplace, whichbeing removed, it is further eiablifhed. Lattly, in the difßarate removed, by Angels, the good Angels, not fallen Angels, are H h hh x principally 2,i7
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