may to only begotten, Chriſt being ſo begotten as no other wa or could. be, Prov. 8. 22. Mic. 5.2. Heb. 1.5, 6. even from Eternity. The word ft may either reſpe& what follows, and notes order in* the things ſpoken of, he who is firft being one gf them. 1 Cor. 15. 47. Or things going before, in which ſenie it de- nies all order or ſeries of things in the ſame kind, as God is firſ; before whom none, Jſ/z. 41. 4+ & 43. 11. Rev. 21. 6. fo Chriſt may be ſaid to be firft-born, becauſe the only begotten Son of his Fz- ther, Fohy 1. 14. ſo the Apoſtle may confider him here, in order to eſtabliſh the conſideration of him as Mediator and Head of hi; Church, werſe. 18. he ſpeaking before verſe 16. of thoſe thing; more generally whoſe Creation are aſſign'd to him in contradiſtir- &ion to thoſe of the Church or new creation, verſe 18. Agree- able to our Tranſlation, firſt-born of every Creature (note here's a difference in the Greek, *twixt firſt-born of, and for, verſe 18. we may conſider, 1. Negatively, *Tis not to be underſtood pri perly for the firſt in order, ſo as to be one of them in reference to whom he is ſaid to be the firſt-b9r7m. But 2. Poſitively, yet figw:- tively in a borrowed Speech, ſo primacy and: primogeniture may be attributed to him in regard of the Creatures {1 ] By a Meto nymie ot the anteceaent for the conſequent, he who hath the Pri- vileges of enjoying aud ditpoting of his Father's Goods and Tnheri- tance, .iS accounte2 th< firſt-born, Gen. 27. 29. Gal. 4. 1, io i Chri® teins Owner, Lord 2nd Prince, of every Creature, 4s ti :5 Gud-Mmar:, © 024477 & to humane Nature he hath the prehemi nenc* 9f4e wavie Cr:tion and is the chief, Pſul. 2. 7, g. Heb. 1, 4.5. The Heir arini:gt the 772brews was reckoned the Prince of 2. -amily (an 5 amongft the Romans the Heir was taken for the :.vrd) fo Goa aid he would make David his firft-born, Pſa. $3. 27. Coi:'pared with Fob 18. 123. Iſa. 14. 30. Fer. 21. 9g. This Scvereign Empire which Chrift hath over all the Creation and the parts of it his Primogeniture, or that he is firſt-born, ith there 15 left nothing that is not under him, Zeb. 2. 8. (as Adam in this lower World in regard of his dominion the ſtate of Innocency might be firſt-born of them created for him) for the Apoſtlz brings in the next Verſe as the fundamental Reaſon of this Affer- tion. (2) By a conſideration of Chrift in God's eternal Decree and purpoſe, as thecommon Womb of him who is God-man, ard all Creatures; being fore-ordain'd before the foundation of the World, 1 Per. 1.,20, He may be look'd upon as the firi-born amongft thoſe who are predeftinated to be conformed to his Image, Rom. S. 29.. With Eph. 1. 4, 5. for upon this account he is the firſt-born'of the ” 6 ry Creatures or Church (but this as hinted before is conſidered more eſpecially, verſe 18.) Zeb. 12. 23s therefore the firſt horn of all others: and this may be one reſpec in which he is before them, verſe 17. with Prov. 8, 27. yea all of them of the old, as well as the new Creation. The $0:1714915 ar? ſo daringly bold as to reſtrain this extenſive Expreſſion of eve! Creature Or all the Creation to the new Creation of Men or the Faithful only, by perverting ſome Texts of Scripture to ſtrain thent that way ; when 'tis plain by what follows the Spirit of God mears all created Beings, either in the firſt or ſecond World, Chrift be- ing the principal caule both of the one and the other ; the Apoſilc by the general term every Creature ſimply , without any additz ment, doth import all created things, viz. the Heavens and th? Earth, with all that is made in them, neither Angels, nor inant mate and irrational Creatures are excluded; as in the Apoſtles Reaſon immediately following this Expreſſion.
16 For b by him c were all things created 4 that are in heaven, and that are in earth e viſible and inv1ll- ble f, whether hey be g thrones, or * dominions, OT +1! principalities, or powers h: all things were created :: by him z, and for him &.
b He proves Chriſt to be before, and Lord over every Cres ture , more excellent than them all with a Prerogative, oflic! Princes want, for none of them is a Creator of his Subject> who were not made by him or for him, as all Creatures withou!' exception were made by and for Chriſt. The Apoſtle here 1s 35 cautious, as may be, left by ſpeaking of Chriſt as the ſirſt-born of every Creature he ſhould ſeem to put him in the order ol Creatures, which he ſhews do depend upon him for their creation and pre!” vation, fith he brought them out of nothing into being , 40 therein doth ſuſtain them. «c /z whom they have their bewy- - live and moye, As 17. 28, Some render the particle 77, oy
Chap, 11"
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