A supplement to Dr. Hammond's paraphrase and annotations on the New Testament in which his interpretation of many important passages is freely and impartially examin'd, and confirm'd or refuted : and the sacred text further explain'd by new remarks upon every chapter / by Monsieur Le Clerc ; English'd by W. P. ; to which is prefix'd a letter from the author to a friend in England, occasion'd by this translation.

CHAP. IV.

Vers. 1. Note a. OUR Author here says that Saint Peter's phrase in vers. 6. of this Chapter is hard, and I do not deny it; but I say also that he is a hard Interpreter, if ever any one deserved that name. For here, as one said, lapides loquitur, he speaks stones, not words to mollify hard phrases. The whole sense of this verse depends upon a particular Elegancy arising from the ambi∣gnity of the phrase 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to suffer in the flesh, or to the flesh; which being used of Christ, signifies that he suffered and died in his humane na∣ture, or for the sake of our humane nature, i. e. of men. But when we are said to die or suffer to the flesh, we are understood to be no longer devoted to the flesh, or to the vices of the flesh: and accordingly St. Peter's meaning is this; seeing I say that Christ has suffer'd to the flesh, ye also who ought to imitate him as far as ye are able, know that you must suffer to the flesh, in a sense which is agreeable to you, to wit, wholly renounce it: for he that has suffered to the flesh, has ceased from sin. Just such another sort of reasoning we have in Rom. vi.10, 11. in the place parallel to this. For in that he died (instead of which St. Peter here says suffered) he DIED UNTO SIN once; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also your selves to be DEAD indeed UNTO SIN, but alive unto God. Instead of to die unto sin, here is to suffer to the flesh; but both these phrases have the same ambiguity in them. These places should have been compared, not verse 6. with this, which have no affinity with one another.

Vers. 3. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.] Grotius on this place says it is idololatriae quaedam species adesse sodalitiorum 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, de quibus prosecta falsis Diis dantur, & in hac maxime re credibile est Judaeos antequam Christiani essent, accommodasse se Gentium moribus: a sort of Idolatry to be present at such common feasts where part of the meat is offered in sacrifice to false Gods; and in this particular especially, it is probable the Jews, before they were Christians, conformed themselves to the manners of the Heathens.

And I do not deny but this might be done by them, but there having been among the Jews every where a great number of Proselytes, of which many embraced the Christian Religion, I rather think St. Peter has a respect here to these, who had formerly been Idolaters.

Vers. 6. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.] None but Dr. Hammond could have thought that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 was the same as to die to the flesh, who could digest any impropriety, tho never so great, in his own stile. But it is much more natural to interpret it; so that they were condemned indeed in the flesh, according to men; that is, put to death by the judgment of men, as to the body; but live according to God in the Spirit, that is, their Souls were made partakers of eternal life by God. This is the usual signification of the words, which ought not to be changed without reason.

Vers. 14. Note f. This is all forced, the meaning is evidently this: If ye are reproached for the name of Christ (that is, because ye will be cal∣led Christians) happy are ye; because the Spirit of glory and of God resteth with you; that is, those reproaches are so far from being a sign that the Spirit hitherto bestowed upon you by God, and which has brought so much glory to the Gospel, departs from you, that on the contrary it so much the more resteth, or will more constantly abide with you, as long as ye stedfastly profess the Christian Religion. The Spirit of glory and, as it is in the Alexandrian Manuscript, of power, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, is the Spirit of Miracles, which was conferred upon Christians. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 often signifies Miracles, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the same. See my Notes on Exod. xvi.7. and John i.14.

Vers. 15. Note g. As I do not scruple disagreeing with our Author, when the matter seems to require it, so I am ready to commend his in∣ventions when they are such as this interpretation. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is in all probability the same with 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is, who does or takes care of other mens business; by which word the Greeks signify those who usurp other mens offices in a Commonwealth. Plato lib. iv. de Repub. where he at large proves that all Orders of men in a Po∣litical Society have a certain and determinate business, which they ought to take care of, and that therein consists the justice and peace of a Commonwealth, towards the end says, that the contrary is injustice. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, saith he, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: Igitur seditionem quandam horum trium hanc esse oportet, & affectionem quandam qua nimis multa aggreditur, aliena{que} munera invadit, & rebellat pars quaepiam animi ad∣versus totum, ut in illo imperet id quod non par est, quippe quod est ejus naturae

ut deceat id servire ei qui est ex prosapia imperantium.* 1.1 Suidas: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to take spiteful counsels. Then he produces these words out of an antient Writer. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: they observed him not to meddle with other mens business, nor to en∣deavour alterations. Budeus in Comment. Ling. Graec. gives us also other examples. And it is easy to discern that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is all one with 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; because the chief word, of which these names are compounded, is the same. So that what Dr. Ham∣mond observes, is very pertinent in this place.

Vers. 17. Note h. The sense of the Hebrew words is this: Behold the righteous use to be punished on earth, how much more the unrighteous and the sinner? For the verb 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is ambiguous, and signifies either to reward or punish. But the Septuagint thought Solomon had a respect to that signification of the verb 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which is, to be safe, and instead of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 read 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 beots, which signifies in straits, or in hast, and which they render 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, because they that escape out of any danger by a hasty flight, or are brought into great straits, hardly save them∣selves.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Chapter V.