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I cannot conclude this Note, without referring the Reader to a very diftinguished Paffage, which appears to me to be full to the Purpose. See If. vi. 2, 3. where the Seraphim are worshipping JEHOVAH, they repeat the Word Holy three Times. That they adored the Father under this Appellation, an Arian will allow; that they adored alfo the Son and boly Ghoft, the Scriptures affure us. See John xii. 41. where we are told, that the Glory of JEHOVAH, which Ifaiah beheld, was that of the Son And in As xxviii. 25. it appears to be also the Glory of the holy Ghost, who uttered thofe remarkable Words, which are an indelible Attestation to the Truth of the difputed Text," Whom Shall I fend, and who will go for Us?"? I and Us, as they ftand in this Place, are incomprehenfibly beyond the Reach of Expofition, if there are not "three that bear Record in Heaven, the Father, the "Word, and the holy Ghost, and if these three are not "One," in Nature, Effence, and every divine Perfection and Attribute.

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D.

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This is another difputed Text. The Adverfaries contend, that it fhould not be read eos ipavɛpwon, &c. "God was manifefted," but 'Os igavepwon, who "was manifested." Suppofe we grant them what they contend for? then there will be no Antecedent for the relative 'Os to agree with, till we look back to Carlos in the 15th Verfe; so that inftead of reading fimply, "God was manifefted in the

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Flesh," we must fay," the living God was mani"fefted in the Flefb." But it has pleased God to guard his Truth in another Manner, than to let it depend on a fingle Text, or Sentence, or Letter;

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therefore let us attend to this Matter as laid down in John i. which may be reduced to the following Syllogifm.

John i. 1. The Word was GOD.

v. 14. The Word was made Flesh.
Ergo, GoD was made Flesh.

E.

Though the Authenticity of this Text is not difputed, yet its Meaning is, and the Phrafe layμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰωνίον, made to mean every Thing but what it does mean, in order to get rid of fo obftinate an Affertion, as that they, and they only, believed, who were ORDAINED unto everlasting Life: This lays a Difficulty in the Way of Arminian Principles, which the Profeffors of them are well aware of; therefore relayuevas must not be understood as if it fignified an Ordination or Appointment on God's Part, but a previous good Difpofition and Fitnefs on Man's Part. That this Method of Construction is attended with the Disadvantage of giving the Greek Language a Senfe which it difowns, and therefore to be rejected, will, I apprehend, fully appear in the following Obfervations of the learned and judicions Mr. Leigh, in his Crit. Sacra, fub Voc. Tάrlw, which, for the Sake of the unlearned Reader, I fhall render into Englife, referring the learned to the Original.

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"Tarlw-qual, conftituo, which fignifies to con"ftitute, ordain, appoint, defign, Acts xiii. 48. σε τεταγμένοι. Telayμévo. Syrus renders it pofiti, (placed or difpofed) for he knew not that the Heretics of "our Day would dream of understanding TJaypino to defcribe Perfons in themselves fit, fo "as to difpofe themfelves to eternal Life. Lud. de

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4

"Dieu in loc. The Remonftrants, from Socinus, are "for understanding Telayuevos to fignify inwardly

difpofed. Therefore, that the Senfe is, as many "as were well difpofed to eternal Life believed; but "what is received by the Remonftrants, after So"cinus, as the Signification of the Word relayuevos, "fit and difpofed to eternal Life, is affirmed in Con"trariety to the Ufe of that Word in Scripture, "and against the Authority of all the Interpreters. "And it is abfurd, and evidently Pelagian to “maintain, that any one is fit or difpofed to Life "eternal, before he believes in Chrift, when every "Man who believes not, is under Sin and the "Curfe, and liable to Wrath and Condemnation ; "this is the united Voice of the Scriptures. Cen"fura Remonftrantium, c. 18. The Innovators "elude this Place thus: They fay, that the Par❝ticiple relayμévo hath here the Senfe of a Noun,

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and almoft fignifies the fame as io, worthy, "meet, properly difpofed; that from hence they may make out fome previous Difpofitions, on "the Sight, and for Refpect of which, Grace 66 Should be bestowed. But, first, let all Places of Scripture where this Word occurs be looked into, it is no where taken as a Noun.

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"Secondly, What does this Phrase relayμévoi sis "Zwn alwvior mean, that it fhould have fuch an Interpretation put upon it?

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"Thirdly, In the Greek Language, Participles "of this Kind have not the Senfe of Nouns, un"lefs joined to a Substantive: They denote a

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Quality, but coming from fome Agent. So "that this Meetness and Difpofition, which may be "fignified by this Participle, was from GoD as "from an eternal Agent. Cameron in Myroth.

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Evangel. 1. That Word is never read in holy

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** Scripture, or in any other Greek Author, as denoting an inward Quality. Thofe who are but Beginners in the Greek Tongue, understand a great Difference between Tarlerai, to be crdained, and dialiberba, to difpofe. 2. As well the Arabic "Verfion of Junius, as the Syriac of Tremellius,

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agree in rendering this Word, a divine Ordina"nation and Appointment. 3. The ufual Senfe of "the Word in the New Teftament, denotes an ex

trinfic (outward) Appointment and Election. The "Powers that are, are ORDAINED of GOD, Rom. ** xiii. I. When they had APPOINTED him a Day, "Acts xxviii. 23, &c. I will not fet down all

the Inftances, but that one remarkable Place of * AЯs xxii. 10, 14. may ferve as a Sample of all the reft, which moft clearly unfolds to us the "Meaning of this Word: There GoD proniifes that it fhould be told Paul at Damafcus of all Things which were appointed (Traxlas) for him to do; and Ver. 14. that which was ordained or defigned (wpoεxεipio alo) is told him by Ananias. In "which Paffage we are divinely commanded, as

it were, to understand Térala, which implies *Ordination, in the fame Senfe as expiralo, "which implies a divine Defignation or Election.

t * Chryfoftom himself, who well understood the "Greek Word, explains thefe ordained ones as *: AOWPLOμÉVES TO D, that is, as Erafmus turns it, αφωρισμένες "Præfinitos à Deo, predetermined by GoD. From whom alfo Erafmus himlelf feems to have bor

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"rowed

"Ordino, Colloco ut milites collocamus cum aciem inftruimus, Steph. i. e. To order, to fet in Place, as we fet Soldiers in their Places, when we draw up an Army in Battle Array"

N. B. Soldiers don't order or difpofe the Officers, but the Officers difpofe and order the Soldiers.

rowed that double Paraphrafe of this Place, which he forms thus: They of the Gentiles believed, not all indeed, but as many as the divine "Mercy bad destined to eternal Life, to which none "attain, unless chofen, and called of GOD.'

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I fhould hope what is faid above, will very fufficiently justify our excellent Tranflators in rendering the Words as I have quoted them, as well as myfelf for giving the Reader fo much Trouble, in reading this long Note upon the Place.

F.

If the View in which our Liturgy and Articles exhibit the Doctrine of the ever bleffed Trinity, fhould be ridiculously afcribed to the Darkness and Ignorance of the Age in which they were compiled and authenticated, furely we may call the Reign of that glorious Deliverer of this Country, King William III. a Day of Light, Freedom, and Learning. Let us fee what was the Senfe of the Nation upon this great and fundamental Point at that Time. The Quakers, who were exempted from fsubscribing to any of the thirty-nine Articles, were yet bound to fubfcribe this Doctrine, in the following Words:

“I A. B. profefs Faith in God the Father, and "in Fefus Chrift bis eternal Son, the true God, and "in the holy Spirit, ONE GOD blessed for evermore." 1 W. and M. ch. 18. §. 13.

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9 and 10 W. III. ch. 32. Is intituled, “An A& for the more effectual fuppreffing Blafphemy and "Profaneness.-Part of which is as follows:-" If "any Perfon or Perfons fhall, by writing, printing, teaching, or advised speaking, deny any One of the Perfons in the holy Trinity to be God, or fall affert "or maintain there are more Gods than One, &c. fuch

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"Perfons,

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