Subd. 2. The Door of the Sheep.

John x. 7. Jefus faid, verily, verily, I fay unto you, I am the door of the sheep. Ver. 9. I am the door; by me if any enter in, he shall be safe, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

The meaning of this is fimilar to the sense of John xiv. 6, on which fee below; and comp. Eph. ii. 18; Heb. x. 19, 20.

Subd. 3. The way, the truth, and the life.

John xiv. 6. Jefus faith, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no man cometh to the Father but by me, i. e. I fhew the true way to eternal life. Comp. vi. 63. xviii. 37, For this purpose was I born, and for this end I came into the world, that I might bear witness to the truth. v. 24. Verily verily I fay unto you, he that hearkeneth to my words, and believeth in him who fent me, hath everlasting life, and fhall not come into condem nation; but paffeth from death to life. Comp. 2 Tim. i. 1, 10; 1 John v. 13; John xvii. 3, This is life eternal, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou haft fent. See further fec. 2. fubd. 2.

Subd. 4. The Life.

Johni. 2. (For the life was manifested, and we have feen, and bear witnefs, and declare unto you that everlasting life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us ;) comp. v. 11, 12, which explains this. God hath given to us everlasting life, and this life is through his Son. He that hath the Son, hath life; he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. Ver. 13. These things I write unto you, that ye may know that ye have everlasting life, who believe in the name of the Son of God. Comp. John v. 24, 26; 1 Cor. xv. 45. The laft Adam is a life-giving Spirit. See further fec. 2. fubd. 2.

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Subd. 5. The Refurrection.

John xi. 25. Jefus faid unto Martha, I am the refurrection, and the life: he who believeth in me, though he die yet he fhall live; and whofoever liveth and believeth in me fhall not die for ever. See v. 24. V. 21, As the Father, raiseth up the dead and giveth life; fo the Son likewife giveth life to whom he will. Ver. 25. Verily, verily, I fay unto you, the

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hour cometh, and now is, when the dead fhall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear fhall live. See further fec. 2. fubd. 2.

Subd. 6. The Leader to Faith, Life, and Salvation.

ωης

Acts iii. 15. Peter fays, ye killed agxn you ins αρχηγού της wns the conductor to life, whom God hath raised from the dead. Comp. Matt. xxiii. 8, 10. One is your leader, even the Christ. Acts v. 29, 30, 31. Peter and the other Apostles faid, the God of our fathers hath raised up Jefus, whom ye killed, having hanged him on a crofs; him God hath exalted to his right hand to be αρχηγον και σωτηρα a Leader and a Saviour, to give repentance to Ifrael, and forgiveness of fins. Comp. Ifai. Įv. 4. Heb. ii. 10. It became him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many fons to glory, to make τον αρχηγον της σωτηρίας αυτων the captain of their falvation perfect through fuffering. Comp. v. 9, arios. Ver. 11. For both Christ that sanctifieth, and those that are fanctified, are all of one Father: for which caufe Chrift is not afhamed to call them brethren. Ver. 14. Since then the children are partakers of flesh and blood, Chrift himself also in like manner partook of them; that through death he might destroy him who hath the power of death, &c. Ver. 17. It behoved him to be like his brethren in all things &c. Ver. 18. In that he himself hath suffered, having been tempted, he is able to affift thofe that are tempted. Heb. xii. 2. Looking to Jefus Tov της πίστεως αρχηγον και Τελειώζην the leader on to faith, and its perfecter; who for the joy which was

fet before him, endured the cross, and despised its fhame, and is feated at the right hand of the throne

of God. Comp. iv. 15. Agxnyos in the public Αρχηγος

verfion is tranflated captain, Heb. ii. 10; 1 Chron. x. 20; Nehem. ii. 9; prince, Acts iii. 15; v. 31; Judg. v. 15: author, Heb. xii. 2; 1 Macab. ix. 61; chief, 1 Chron. viii. 28; xi. 20; Nehem. vii. 70, 71. See further fubd. 1 to 5.

Subd. 7.

Colofs. i. 18.

The first born from the dead.

Who is the chief, (of the new creation, ver. 15, 17; Rev. iii. 14,) the first born from the dead, that in all things he might be the first. Rev. i. 5. Jefus Chrift, the faithful witness, the first born from the dead, &c.

Christ is called the first born from the dead, (which very title expreffes humanity and mortality) because he first rofe from the dead to die no more, Rom. vi. 9, in order to affure mankind in general of their resurrection after death, 1 Cor. xv. 20 to 23, 5.7. As a reward for his voluntary death he received peculiar honours and privileges from God, fee Philip. ii. 8 to 11; Heb. ii. 9; Colofs. i. 15 to 22; comp. ch. iii. fec. 20.

Subd. 8. The first born of the whole creation.

Colofs. i. 15. Who is the first born of the whole creation πρωτοτοκος πασης κλισεως or of every crea ture. Comp. ver. 18.

If the expreffion first born be understood literally, it implies previously existing parents. Therefore the first born is not the first created being. If the whole of this characteristic appellation of Jesus be taken literally, to fignify the first born of all creatures, even angelic beings, it does not accord with our ideas of their nature and circumstances; for we have no reason to think that they are born at all. This circumftance is an appendage of a corporeal frame, which is not usually confidered as belonging to existences of a rank above the human race. Jefus Chrift fays, that even righteous human beings who obtain the refurrection from the dead neither marry, nor die any more: Luke xx. 35, 36. We have, therefore, no ground to fuppofe that either of those circumstances take place refpecting fuperior beings. Nor would extending the meaning of the phrafe, the whole creation, to fuperior beings correspond with Rom. viii. 29, where the apostle speaks of God's predeftinating human creatures to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born. among many brethren.

Again, if first-born here be explained of the first being that was created, and if the whole creation here be understood of all earthly creatures, it does. not agree with the first chapter of Genefis, which relates that many creatures were formed before any human being was called into existence, and that Adam was the first of the human species that was created. This the Apostle Paul alfo afferts, and calls Chrift

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