4.

v. 6.

Pf. 104. Title of his Son, and his first-begotten, by vertue whereof he is heir of all things: For to which of the Angels faid he at any time, thou art my Son, this day, have I begotten thee? And this I will agree with them to be spoken of Chrift with refpect to his Refurrection, by which, as St. Paul tells Rom. 1. us, he was powerfully declared to be the Son of God. This is the firft Prerogative of Chrift above the An gels: But there is a far greater yet behind; for he proves,

4.

v. 8.

น

Secondly, That he had not only the Title of God given him, but that he was truly and really God, because be made the World. That the Title of God was given him he proves by a citation out of the PfalPf. 45. mift, But unto the Son he faith, Thy Throne, O God, is for ever and ever, &c. And that he was truly and really God because he made the World, he proves by a citation out of another Pfalm, where it is faid of him, VIO,II, Thou, Lord, in the beginning haft laid

6,7.

*2.

the

the foundations of the Earth, and the Heavens are the works of thy hands : They shall perish, &c.

* Ne referre quidem hæc priora verba, de coeli terræq; creatione loquentia, ad Chriftum

potuiffet Autor, nifi pro conceffo fumfiffet Chriftum effe fummum illum Deum, cœli & terræ Greatorem ; præfertim fi ea, ut neceffe

Let us now fee how Schlictingius and Crellius interpret this Text cited out of the Pfalmift by the Apostle as fpoken of Chrift. They fay, that the Author of this Epiftle could not have referr'd to Chrift the former words of this Citation, which Speak of the Creation of Heaven and Earth, unless he had taken it for granted, that Chrift is the moft high God; efpecially if they be understood, as they must neceffarily be by thofe who take this for granted, to be Spoken in the first place and directly to, or concerning Christ. -For Jince all the words of the Pfalm are manifeftly Spoken of the most High

foret, primò & directè fe cenfeas. Nam cum omnia Pfalmi verba ma

ad Chriftum dicta ef

nifeftè de Deo loquuntur. Chriftum autem

Deum illum effe ne unico quidem verbo in toto hoc Pfalmo indi

cetur; neceffe eft ut fi verba illa ad Chri

ftum directa effe velis, pro conceffo fumas, Chriftum effe Deum illum fummum de quo

in Pfalmo fermo eft.

God,

God is

-།

God, but that Chrift is that God is not fignified, no not fo much as by one yone word in that Pfalm, it is necessary, that if you will have thefe words to be directed to Chrift, you must take it for granted that Chrift is that most High God of whom? the Pfalmift there fpeaks.

Now we will join iffue with thefe Interpreters upon this Conceffion, viz. that the Author of this Epifle could not have referr'd these words, which fpeak of the Creation of Heaven and Earth, to Chrift, without taking it for granted, that Chrift is truly that God who made the World. And if the Author of this Epiftle does affirm these words of the Pfalmift to be spoken of Chrift, then they must acknowledge Chrift to be the true God who made Heaven and Earth: But the Author of this Epiftle does as evidently affirm these words to be spoken to or of Christ, as he does the words of any other Text ci ted in this Chapter: And for this F appeal to the common fenfe of every Man that reads them. Malwisdo Thefe

These Interpreters indeed are contented that the latter part of this Citation fhould be fpoken of Chrift, but not the former: But why not the former as well as the latter? when they have fo exprefly told us, that all the words of this Pfalm are manifeftly Spoken of God. What is the Mystery of this? Could they not as easily have interpreted the former part which fpeaks of the Creation of Heaven and Earth, concerning the moral World, and the new Creation or Reformation of Mankind by Jefus Chrift and his Gofpel, as well as fo many other plain Texts to the same purpofe? No doubt they could as well have done it, and have fet as good a face upon it when they had done it. But why then did they not do it? it was for a Reason which they had no mind to tell, but yet it is not hard to be gueffed at; namely, that if they had admitted the former words to have been spoken of Chrift, they knew not what to do with the latter part

of

v.11,12. of this Citation; They shall perish, but thou remaineft; they shall wax old as a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed. What fhall perish, and wax old, and be changed? Why, the Earth and the Heavens which the Son had made; that is, the moral World, the Reformation of Mankind, and the new Creation of things by the Gospel: All these must have undergone the fame fate with the natural World, and must not only have been defaced, but utterly deftroyed and brought to nothing. This they would not fay, but they did fee it, though they would not feem to fee it: And we may plainly fee by this, that they can interpret a Text right when neceffity forceth them to it, and they cannot without great inconvenience to their Cause avoid it: But when Men have once refolv'd to hold faft an Opinion they have taken up, it then becomes not only convenient but neceffary to underftand nothing

that