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denote his humanity, and which certainly could not be present in two places at the fame time.

John vi. 51. I am the living bread, which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he fhall live for ever, and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. By thefe and other expreffions of a fimilar nature, our Lord staggered not only those who followed him for the fake of the loaves with which he had fed them, but even many of his other difciples; and perceiving this, he says unto them, ver. 61. Doth this offend you, what and if ye shall fee the fon of man afcend up where he was before? It is the fpirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I fpeak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. In this our Lord seems to be reproving the ftupidity of his disciples, in not understanding that by himself, and his flesh and blood, he meant his doctrine, which came down from heaven. For if it was his body that was to be of fuch benefit to mankind, what would they say if they should see it taken from them, afcending into heaven, from whence he had spoken of its descending to be the life of the world? They must then be fatisfied that his flesh could profit them nothing, and therefore must conclude that his doctrine must have been the spirit, and the life, of which he fpake. Or we may, perhaps, understand

understand our Saviour, in this place, as referring to his afcenfion, which was an ocular proof of his having had that intimate communication with God, and having been fent of God concerning which he had been speaking. Befides, if this paffage be interpreted literally, it will imply that the body of Chrift came from heaven, which is not pretended.

Col. i. 15. Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature. For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things confift: and he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. For it pleafed the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell.

In this paffage we have a view given us of the great dignity and dominion to which Chrift is exalted by his Father, and of the great and happy change that was made in this world by his gospel; for by creation we are to understand the new creation, or renovation, in which fenfe the fame word is used by the apostle, when he says, We are his workmanhip created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Eph. ii. IO. So great a change is produced in the world, in the tempers and conduct of men by the gospel, that both the terms creation and regeneration are made

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use of to express it.

Verily, verily, I say unto thee,

except a man be born

again he cannot fee the kingdom of God, John iii. 3. fo that by regeneration, or new creation, we are to understand a new-modeling, or new-conftituting. We fhall fee less harshness in this figure, when we confider, that what is called the Mofaic creation was probably fimilar to this; fince, for any thing we know, it was only the re-making or re-conftituting of the world, out of a former chaos.

There are feveral paffages in which the words, which we generally render to create, or creation, fignify only a renewal or restoration. Eph. ii. 10. To make in himself, of twain, one new man, fo making peace. 2 Cor. v. 17. If any man be in Chrift he is a new creature. In 1 Pet. ii. 13. the fame word is rendered ordinance. Be ye fubject to every ordinance af man for the Lord's fake. The places in which the influence of the gospel is termed a new creation are illuftrated by the following prophefy of Ifaiah, in which it is described in the fame language, If. lxv. 17, &c. Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad, and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerufalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.

The word all must neceffarily refpect the subject concerning which the affirmation is made, and be limited by it. Thus when all the world is faid to be taxed, Luke ii. 1. it is plain that nothing but the

Roman

Roman empire could be understood. In like manner, when all things are faid to be created by Chrift, or for him, and alfo when all things are faid to be Jubject to him, or put under his feet, nothing can be meant but such things as can properly come under his government as the Meffiah, and be subfervient to him in the conduct of it, including probably the vifible powers and kingdoms of this world, and the invifible administration of angels; and therefore the apostle, with great propriety, concludes and fums up the whole of Chrift's authority, by faying that he is the head of the body the church.

Before often fignifies before in point of rank, and pre-eminence, and not in point of time; so that when Chrift is faid to be before all things, the meaning is, that he is the chief, or most excellent of all.' And when it is faid that in him all things confift, we are to understand that in him all things are com= pleted, and compacted; fince the chriftian difpenfation is the laft, and most perfect of all, compleating one great and regular scheme of revelation, continually advancing from the more imperfect to the more perfect. I would further obferve that the things here faid to be created by Chrift are not material things, as the heaven and the earth, but things in heaven and earth, as thrones, principali ties, &c. and therefore are naturally interpreted, of that power and dignity to which he is advanced, and

N. 2

which:

which is denoted by God's giving him all power in heaven and on earth, after his refurrection.

We fhall have a clearer understanding of this paffage in the epiftle to the Coloffians, if we compare it with a parallel paffage in the epistle of the fame apoftle to the Ephefians, i. 17, &c. That the God of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom, that ye may know—— the exceeding greatness of his power,--which he wrought in Christ Jefus when he raised him from the dead, and fet him at his own right-hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and bath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. In this paffage we see most clearly that all the power and authority to which Christ is advanced is subsequent to his refurrection.

The origin and extent of the power of Christ are also most diftinctly expreffed, Phil. ii. 8. - - - - 11. He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross; wherefore God alfa hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee fhould bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every

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