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ducted, or constituted by Chrift, or appointed by the Supreme Being, with a principal view to, or on account of, him; because this does not accord with many paffages in the Epiftle to the Hebrews, nor with the general tenor of it, or of scripture at large.

૪,

The two first words of the claufe which we are confidering, d, militate against this interpretation. For dia here governing a genitive cafe, denotes not the final but the inftrumental caufe, as it ufually does. John i. 3,7; Rom. iii. 24; v. 11; Acts viii. 18; are inftances of this.

Farther; in the beginning of this epiftle, it is faid, that the fame God who, in feveral parts, and in feveral manners, formerly fpake to our fathers by the prophets, in these last days hath spoken unto us by a Son. This implies, that the prophets were the chief agents of the Moft High in his difpenfations previous to the advent of the Meffiah; and that Christ was not the conductor of thefe; but fucceeded the prophets in managing that difpenfation which was fubfequent to their appearance on earth. Accordingly, Jefus is faid, Heb. ix. 11, to have become a high prieft των μελλόντων αγαθών of future good things. Again; Chrift is declared, in this Epiftle to the Hebrews, to be the mediator, and principal conductor of a new covenant, better than that of Mofes. Now this implies that he is not the mediator or manager of the old and inferior covenant. Heb. viii. 6; ix. 15; xii. 24; iii. 1, 2, 3, 6; vii. 22; Mal. iii. 1; Acts vii. 37.

The Jewish prophets, alfo, predicted the future advent of the Meffiah. Both the Old and the New Testament describe the previous divine difpenfations as preparatory and introductory to the last and best age of the Meffiah. But neither of these intimate that former difpenfations were appointed by, or on account of, Chrift, or with a view to him perfonally. On the contrary; the Jewish and the Christian scriptures both unite in reprefenting the Meffiah as appointed by the Supreme Being, only to introduce and conduct what relates to the future fuperior age, or his own spiritual kingdom. Comp. Coloss. i. 12 to 23; John i. 17.

Agreeably to this, Paul afferts, concerning the law delivered on Mount Sinai, that Mofes was the mediator of that inftitution; Galat. iii. 19. And in this very Epistle to the Hebrews, and elsewhere, he is described as the principal conductor of it. See Heb. iii. 2, 5, 16; x. 28; ix. 19, 20; comp. xi. 26; viii. 5; Deut. v. 5; Acts vii. 35 to 40; xiii. 39; xv. 21; Luke xvi. 29, 31.

Thirdly. In the Hebrew idiom, and agreeably to the prevailing style of this Epistle to the Hebrews, the true fignification of awvas here is the age by way of eminence. Comp. Heb. xi. 40; x. 1, 14; vii. 19. This will appear from the following obfervations.

1. Av in the New Teftament, whether in the fingular or plural, always denotes fome portion of time or eternity, with the fingle exception, I believe, of Ephef. ii. 2. Accordingly, in the follow

ing texts, in which the common English verfion is worlds, the Vulgate, and the Latin tranflations of the Arabic and the Syriac are fecula; Heb. i. 2; xi. 3; 1 Cor. ii. 7; x. 11; 1 Tim. i. 17.

The Vulgate

Arabic and the

and the Latin tranflations of the Ethiopic are fecula, in Heb. ix. 26. The Vulgate renders the adjective alwvios, in 2 Tim. i. 9, and Tit. i. 2, fecularia; the Latin tranflation of the Syriac is fecula, and of the Arabic æternos.

their

2. The plural number is often ufed by the Hebrews for the fingular fuperlative. See inftances of this in Eff. on the Heb. fuperl. fec. 23. Alfo in this epiftle to the Hebrews, viii. 12, ταις αδικιαις αύλων very great unrighteousness. ix. 24, for Chrift has not entered into aya the most holy place, made with hands; also, ver. 25, тa ayıa. xi. 17. vii. 6. τας επαγγελιας the extraordinary promife of a Son, (fee xi. 18, 19,) by whose descendant all the nations of the earth should be bleffed.

3. The plural number is often used in the epistle to the Hebrews, in order to exprefs the fuperior excellence of many particulars relative to the Christian covenant. Heb. iv. 14, 785 8pav85 the true heaven; comp.ix. 11, 12. vi. 2, Banhoμwv Christian baptifm. Comp. Ephes. iv. 5. Heb. viii. 1, 7015 8gavis: and X. 34, Ev gavois the true heaven, in the future life. viii. 2, a minister Twv ayiwv of the most holy place, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. viii. 6, κρείτοσι επαγγελίαις the belt promife, namely, eternal life: Comp. ix. 15. ix. 8,

12; and x. 19, Tα ayıα and Twv aylar the most holy place, namely, heaven; used figuratively, fee ver. 9. ix. 23, the patterns of things εν ζοις έρανοις in the Gospel difpenfation; comp. x. 1; fee Eff. on the word Heaven, fect. 13, ix. 23, κρείτοσι θυσίαις with the best facrifice; comp. ver. 24 to 28; and vií. 27, and x. 14. xi. 10, that hath Gees the θεμελιες ftrongest foundation, whofe builder and maker is God; comp. ver. 16. xii. 25, aπ' ερανων from God. xii. 23, ev pavors in heaven, that is, among the ci tizens of heaven, as Chriftians are called; comp. ver. 10, 16, and xiii. 14: alfo, fee Ephef. ii. 19, 20; Philip. iii. 20.

Of the above fourteen plural Greek noun fubftantives, the nine which occur in the following texts are rendered in the fingular, in the common English verfion, Heb. viii. 2, 12; ix. 8, 12, 25; X. 19, 34; xii. 23, 25. The fubje& and connection require

this; and the fame reafon applies to the remaining five. Ifaiah uses the plural, when he predicts the extraordinary death of Chrift, liii. 9; deaths in the Hebrew.

4. The plural number is applied, both in the Old and the New Teftament, to exprefs the age of the Meffiab. Erxala nuegar has this meaning, Ifai. Εσχάλαι ημέραι ii. 2; Dan. x. 14; Micah iv. 1; Acts ii. 17; and in the first clause of Heb. i. 2. in the fame fenfe 1 Pet. i. 20.

τα επερχομενα Sept. muft be

Erxalo xgovor is used
Εσχατοι χρονοι

Ifai. xliv. 7: Among the particularly intended the

new covenant of the Gofpel. For a confiderable part of Ifaiah's prophecies relate to the Meffiah; and one

rangאבי עד is

of the titles under which he predicts his appearance TV, μελλοντος αιώνος, Sept. Alexand. Father of the future age. Accordingly the apostle Paul, Ephef. ii. 7, when he is representing the distinguished benefits of the religion of Jefus, fays, iva ενδείξηται εν τοις αιωσι τοις επερχομένοις, that in the age to come he might fhew the exceeding riches of his favour, in his kindness towards us by Chrift Jefus. Thus he defcribes the pre-eminent age of the Meffiah by the very fame terms, and in the fame plural number, which Ifaiah and the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews ufe, for the fame purpose. It is remarkable alfo, that this is the only place in which ETTERXOμa is applied to time in the whole New Testament. See Parkhurft's Lexicon; and comp. Heb. vi. 4, 5, who have been once enlightened, and have tafted the heavenly gift, and have been made partakers of a holy spirit, and have tasted the good word of God, and the mighty works μελλον]ος αιωνος of the future age, &c. Ephef. iii. 11, xαα Todεσ των αιώνων, ην εποιησεν εν Χριστώ Ιησε τω Κυρίω nuwv, according to the purpofe (or defign) of the age which he conftituted by Chrift Jefus our Lord. Here the fame phrafe (namely, the plural of awv, and the verb Tow) is employed concerning the Christian age, as in Heb. i. 2. And in both places it is peculiarly and strongly pointed to denote the most perfect age of the Gofpel, as the contexts fhew. Comp. 2 Tim. i. 9; and Ephef. ii. 7, 10. Heb. ix. 11, των μελλον]ων αγαθων of future good things.

H

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