Auguft or most glorious of many Brethren,
the most excellent or the most beleved, and
the most favoured of all the Creatures; the
moft dearly beloved Son of God; Arrius,
and his followers, had never imagined
that Chrift was the first of all the Crea-
tures, and the Church had been free
from all the Disorders into which it fell
upon this account.
If when he is call'd

in the Original, the first begotten of the
Dead, Revel. 1. 5. They had rendred (18.)
that he is the Soverain, or the most Illustri-
ous of the Dead, there would be no need
of fuch long Commentaries upon this
expreffion, as the most Learned Divines
do acknowledge.

Annotations on Chap. IV.

The Talmud makes mention of this, (1.) Ananias Tract. Inchafin, fol. 57.

See Camerarius, Norinus, C. a Lapide, (2.) Beza, Quiftorp. ad Act. 23. 5.

Beda, Gataker, Clopenbrugh, Epift. ad (3.) L. Capell 7. Lightfoot hor. Heb ad Act 23.5.

This is to be feen in the Talmuld Tract. (4) Sanhedrim.

See Ifaiah 4. 5.

and 41. 20. and 45. (5.) Gg 4

7.

(6.)

(7.)

(8.)

(9.)

7. and 48. 7. and 54. 16. and 57. 19. Jer 31. 22.

See Pfal. 102. 19. and 104. 30. Ifa. 65.7.

See Jos 15. 17.8. Ezek. 28. 15.

As the .Rabbies Solomon and Kimki and the Chaldee Paraphrafe, and Flacius, Clav. S. p. 1. Col. 1079.

See Talmud, Maffeck, Sanhed. c. 2. Beth Ifrael, p. 1co. Col. 1. ad 2 Sam. 21 E. R. Solom.

(10.) As Gen. 10. 1. and 25. 12. and 36. 1. Efther 4. 18.

Gen. 24. and 51. and 6.

(12.)

(13.)

( 14.)

9.

Numb. 3.

See Deut. 24. 13. Esther, 9 25. 26. 29.

and 39. I. and 50. 1. Jer.

30. Ifa. 37. 14.
3.8. and 29. 25. 29. and 32. 10. 11. 12,
and 51. 60. 63. Math. 5. 31. and
Mark 10. 4.

19. 7.

See Matth. 11. 13. John 8. 39. John 1. 12. 13. Rom. 8. 14. 16. 17. and 9.7.8. Gal. 3. 26. and 4.5.8. 1 Pet. 1. 14. 23. 1 John 3. 12 Acts. 13.10. Jahn 8. 44, I. John 3. 10. Ephef. 2. 2. and 5.6 Luke 16. 8. 1 Thef. 5. 5. Hof. 10. 9. Deut. 13. 13. 1 King 1. 51. Matth. 12.27.

See Luke 10. 6. Matth. 23. 15. 1 Sam. 20.31. 2 Sam. 12. 5. Pfal. 102. 21. Deut. 25. 2. Ephef. 2. 3. Luke 20. 36. John 17. 12. 2 Thef. 2.3.

See

See Luke 20. 34. Matth. 23. 37. and (15.) 21.5. Luke 11. 15. and 23. 28.

See 2 King 8. 9. and 16. 7. 1 Sam. (16.) 25.8.

3.

As Genebrand. I. de Trin. Fanfenius (17.) Concord. Evang. Grotius, &c.

See Gen. 25. 28. and 48. 17, 18. Exod. (18.) 4. 22. Micah. 6. 7. Zach. 12. 10. Heb.

12. 23.

As Arias Montan s, Cameron, Pifcator, (19.) Deodati, Drufius, Vorftius, Davenant, Grotius, &c. After St. Athanafius, Cyrill, Procopius of Gaza, Fulgentius, &c.

CHAP. V.

Some Rules very neceffary to be obferv'd by Tranflators.

IN

Nterpreters and Commentarors have remark'd two Rules, which Tranflators of the Scriptures fhould be careful to observe. I. The first is this, viz. That (1.) a Perfon is fometimes in Scripture faid to do a thing, when the meaning is, that he only declares that the thing will be done, or that it is done already by those who are capable of doing it. Thus God fays to the

Prophet

If. 6. 10.

Jer. 1. 16. Prophet Jeremiah that he bad set him over the Nations and over the Kingdoms, to root out and to pull down and to destroy. Now it is evident that it was neither the employment or work of a Prophet, to root out, or pull down, or deftroy, but only to declare and foretel that that was to come to pass. So likewife when God faid to Ifaiah, Make the Heart of this People fat, and make their Ears heavy, and but their Eyes: Thole Actions not being in the Prophets Power, 'tis certain that this order only fignified, declare to this People, that their Heart is fat, that their Ears are stopt and their Eyes fhut. Hence, the Priest is commanded to make him clean, whofe whole Flefh the Leprofy covered over, fo that it is all white, our Levit. 13. Tranflators have very well render'd, that the Priest was to pronounce him clean, The fame expreffion is taken thus, in other places of Scripture.

13.

II. The second Rule is, That a thing (2.) is often faid to be done by a perfon, who only permits or at most grants that it should be done, as may be feen in a great many places of Scripture. And both thefe Rules may be comprehended in this one, That when a Scripture feems to express any thing plainly contrary to right reafon, we

are

are to conclude it must admit of another meaning. And indeed without we use this method, we can't know what the meaning of a word or phrafe is when it is taken in different fenfes, whether it fignify this or that, whether 'tis taken figuratively or properly. In fhort, without this Rule, Revelation could ferve for no other use but to puzzle and confound us, nay indeed without it we can't know what is Revelation, whether a Doctrine is from Heaven or not. God when he reveal'd himself to Men, fuppos'd them Reasonable Creatures, and unless they make use of the Reason he has given them to examine the Truths contain❜d in that Revelation, they may as foon take them in a wrong fense as in a right, as foon believe the Fables of the Alcoran as the Truths of the Gofpel.

III. By thofe Rules we may easily rectify the most of the faults that are to be found in all Verfions, especially those which afcribe to God fuch Actions as are unworthy of him, and are incompatible with his Holiness, Juftice, Goodnèfs, and the Ireft of his infinite Attributes.

I. The