phraseology; and the common interpretation inconsistent with various parts of the Scriptures. (See p. 161-167.)

I Cor. viii. 6. "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of (e) whom are all things, and we in (eg) him: and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by (dia) whom are all things, and we by (dia) him." See p. 37.

No one can suppose that this passage affords any proof of the doctrine, that Jesus was the agent in the natural creation; all that can be admitted is, that the phraseology will suit it.

Eph. iii. 9. In God who created all things" by Jesus Christ."

The connexion, as has been observed, directs us to refer this passage to the new creation: but however this be, it proves nothing as to the point in question; since, in all probability, the words δια του Ιησου Χριστού by Jesus Christ were not written by the Apostle. See Griesbach, who rejects them from his text as certainly spurious.

thus, That which coming into the world enlightens every man, I was in the world, and the world became-by him,' &c.; and the ellipsis would, in meaning, be just as easily supplied by the original readers of St. John's Gospel as this is by the English reader.

Nevertheless as this construction is not exactly borne out by any instance I know, (Acts xxii. 28. is most like it,) and made or formed (anew) accords with the continual import of the word, and (equally well with the former) with the analogy of Scripture, I give a preference to this rendering, and have accordingly employ in p. 64.

But if I could not see any clue to the Apostle's preci I could not believe that he intended to represent th

Jehovah as creating the heavens and the earth in to the declaration of JEHOVAH by his

created them ALONE and BY HT

FATHER Almighty, MAKER

say, solemnly, and with ful' is now, and ever shall h

'dominions, or dignities, or authorities; all things ⚫ have been created through (da) him, and to (εs)

of remarkable or conspicuous: in the third it denotes seen or observed: in the last it is used with a negative, denoting that the resplendent brightness of the clear sky cannot be gazed at, ovx oparov το φως. Ορατος means either seen or invisible. Αορατος means unseen, or invisible. Besides the present passage, it is used only in the following: Rom. i. 20 Col. i. 15. 1 Tim. i, 17, Heb. xi. 27. In all these it is well translated invisible, as it refers to HIM and HIS perfections who, in the strictest sense, is invisible. In the Septuagint it only occurs three times: Gen. i. 2. where it is used in reference to the earth, apparently implying that it was hidden by the waters, or by the darkness which covered it; Is. xlv. 3. aopaTOUS Inoavρovç, hidden treasures: and 2 Macc. ix. 5. where a grievous disorder in the bowels is called aoparog wλŋyn an unseen or hidden plague. On the whole there is no room for doubt that αορατος is applicable to any person or thing which is concealed from sight, which is unseen, whether or not strictly invisible.— Oparos signifying conspicuous or deserving of observation, aopaTOC might signify that which is not worth looking at,-ovк аžia Tou Spartai, as Schleusner (Lex. Vet. Test.) informs us Severus explained the aopara as used by the Septuagint in Gen i. 2: but for this meaning I know no other authority.

With what reference the Apostle employed these terms, is the difficulty. (1) Many say, "No doubt he meant that Christ Jesus was the Creator of all those worlds and beings which to the eye of mortals are invisible." This, however, is impossible, because these JEHOVAH created ALONE and BY HIMSELF. (2) Others have considered it as referring to angels, and, as implying that all the heavenly hosts have been brought into a new state through the instrumentality of Christ. If this doctrine were taught in the Scriptures, this passage might be interpreted by it; but it is no where expressed, and cannot be received on mere inference. (3) Mr. Lindsay (Sequel, p. 481) considers the Apostle as employing the Jewish notions respecting angels, "to set forth the superior power of Christ to all such powers, real or imaginary, and the excellency of the Gospel above the former dispensations:" and he adds, "The same thing is declared, and the allusion is the same, Eph. i. 20." The eases, however, are not parallel; and I think no sense can be admitted which does not represent the unseen or invisible beings as having undergone a great change of state, a new creation. (4) Mr. Belsham, in his very valuable Exposition of the Epistles of Paul, considers visible as denoting" the Jews, who formerly stood in a visible relation to God as theirs by covenant,” and invisible as denoting" the Gentiles, who had no external badge of communion with him." -In that case the clause adds nothing to the preceding. (5) By the following enumeration of authorities, the Apostle appears to have meant earthly rulers and dignitaries, whether ecclesiastical or civil, (of whom many, of various ranks, must have embraced the Christian

'created, those in heaven and those on earth,* 'the seen and the unseen,† whether thrones, or

6

the Apostle frequently denotes persons. This will be more correctly stated by saying that he uses adjectives and pronouns with the neuter termination in reference to persons; for there is no word in the original corresponding to things, in such expressions as all things (Tа Tаvτα.) This usage of neuter adnouns may have arisen from two circumstances; that in the Hebrew all nouns are either masculine or feminine; and, especially, that the Greek not only uses masculine and feminine terminations where the sense is neuter, but often employs neuter terminations where the sense is common to male and female. In fact, the neuter seems to have been sometimes used as a kind of common gender (to avoid noticing the distinction of sex,) as we ourselves sometimes use our neuter pronoun. If persons can be тɛkva тov Jɛov, there is no reason why persons might not be spoken of μwpa, oxvpa, &c. See 1 Cor. i. 20-28, which greatly illustrates the passage under consideration. (3d Ed.) * I think it cannot reasonably be denied, that the meaning of the phrase, things in heaven and things on earth,' is the same here as in v. 20. The point then is, whether, from the Scriptures, we have sufficient reason to believe, that the gospel dispensation was designed to reconcile the inhabitants of heaven to GOD; if not, which I think very clear, and, if we abide by the authority of the Writer to the Hebrews, indisputable, (see p. 52,) things in heaven' must mean men of some particular civil or religious class, as well as things on earth.' That this is the fact is obvious from Eph. i. 10, compared with ii. 11-18; and these passages also show what is meant by the expression in question, viz. the two great bodies of Jews and Gentiles, who in the Gospel were united into one body: things in heaven' denoting the Jews, once the peculiar people of God, and 'things on earth' of course the rest of the world. See Locke on Eph. i. 10, who refers to Dan. viii. 10. Luke xxi. 26, as cases in which the appellation heaven is given to the Jewish nation. See also Simpson's Essays on the Language of Scripture III. § 9. 15.— On Dan. viii. 10. (where the prophecy refers to the persecution of the Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes,) Prebendary Lowth observes, "The Christian Church is called the Jerusalem which is above, Gal. iv. 26. and the Governors of it are styled Angels, Rev. i. 20. In like manner the Host of Heaven means here the Jewish Church, and particularly the Priests and Levites, who are called the Host of Heaven, (a name proper to Angels,) from their continual attendance on God's service in the Temple, in imitation of the Angelical office." I require no other vindication of our reference of things in heaven to the Jewish church; and I am quite satisfied that such was the reference of the Apostle.

+ Or, the visible and the invisible, ra ópara кαι та αoρaтα. Oparos is no where else employed in the N.T. In the Septuagint it occurs in the following passages 2 Sam. xxiii. 21. 1 Chron. xi. 23. Job xxxiv. 26. xxxvii. 21. In the first two it is used in the sense

dominions, or dignities, or authorities; all things have been created through (da) him, and to (as)

of remarkable or conspicuous: in the third it denotes seen or observed: in the last it is used with a negative, denoting that the resplendent brightness of the clear sky cannot be gazed at, ovx oparov το φως. Ορατος meaus either seen or invisible. Αορατος means unseen, or invisible. Besides the present passage, it is used only in the following: Rom. i. 20 Col. i. 15. 1 Tim. i, 17, Heb. xi. 27. In all these it is well translated invisible, as it refers to HIM and HIS perfections who, in the strictest sense, is invisible. In the Septuagint it only occurs three times: Gen. i. 2. where it is used in reference to the earth, apparently implying that it was hidden by the waters, or by the darkness which covered it; Is. xlv. 3. aopaTOVS Inoaνpovs, hidden treasures: and 2 Macc. ix. 5. where a grievous disorder in the bowels is called aopaтоs πληyn an unseen or hidden plague. On the whole there is no room for doubt that aoparog is applicable to any person or thing which is concealed from sight, which is unseen, whether or not strictly invisible. Oparos signifying conspicuous or deserving of observation, aopaTOC might signify that which is not worth looking at,-ovк ažia TOU opaodai, as Schleusner (Lex. Vet. Test.) informs us Severus explained the aopara as used by the Septuagint in Gen i. 2: but for this meaning I know no other authority.

With what reference the Apostle employed these terms, is the difficulty. (1) Many say, "No doubt he meant that Christ Jesus was the Creator of all those worlds and beings which to the eye of mortals are invisible." This, however, is impossible, because these JEHOVAH created ALONE and BY HIMSELF. (2) Others have considered it as referring to angels, and, as implying that all the heavenly hosts have been brought into a new state through the instrumentality of Christ. If this doctrine were taught in the Scriptures, this passage might be interpreted by it; but it is no where expressed, and cannot be received on mere inference. (3) Mr. Lindsay (Sequel, p. 481) considers the Apostle as employing the Jewish notions respecting angels, "to set forth the superior power of Christ to all such powers, real or imaginary, and the excellency of the Gospel above the former dispensations:" and he adds, "The same thing is declared, and the allusion is the same, Eph. i. 20." The eases, however, are not parallel; and I think no sense can be admitted which does not represent the unseen or invisible beings as having undergone a great change of state, a new creation. (4) Mr. Belsham, in his very valuable Exposition of the Epistles of Paul, considers visible as denoting" the Jews, who formerly stood in a visible relation to God as theirs by covenant,” and invisible as denoting" the Gentiles, who had no external badge of communion with him."-In that case the clause adds nothing to the preceding. (5) By the following enumeration of authorities, the Apostle appears to have meant earthly rulers and dignitaries, whether ecclesiastical or civil, (of whom many, of various ranks, must have embraced the Christian

' him; " and he is before all, and all things are ' united* in (ɛ) him : 18 and he is the Head of the body, even the church; who is the Beginning, 'the First-born from the dead, that he might in 'all things have the pre-eminence. "For it pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell in him, and through (da) him to reconcile all 'things to Himself, (making peace by the blood ' of his cross, through him,) whether those on earth or those in heaven.'

6

20

Against referring the 16th and 17th verses to the original natural creation, the following objections lie. (1) The connexion refers entirely to Gospel blessings, and to the instrumentality of Jesus in bringing mankind into a state of reconciliation and blessedness. (2) The manner of expression essentially differs from the usual manner of expression respecting the natural creation, (see p. 161). (3) If the Apostle had

faith;) and we may consider opara (seen) as referring to men in ordinary walks of life; and aopara (unseen or concealed) as denoting those who lived in the seclusion of state and religious solemnity. In support of this interpretation it should be observed, that the Rulers of the East lived in peculiar seclusion from their subjects; and farther, that the Priesthood exercised many of their most solemn functions (both among Jews and Gentiles,) completely out of the view of the common worshippers. This interpretation I employ in my paraphrase. (6) I do not think it without probability that by aоpara (unseen or invisible) the Apostle meant those in Hades, the unseen state, the state of the dead, who had already fallen asleep in Jesus, looking for a resurrection to eternal life: in this view ra opara kaι ra αopara means the living and the dead. (3d Ed.)

* Συνέστηκε -whatever meaning we here affix to this verb, it must differ from the Apostle's use of it in every other place. The connexion obviously points to the one here given; which is a fully justifiable one, both as to derivation and actual usage-Comp Eph. i. 10,