Annotations upon all the New Testament philologicall and theologicall wherein the emphasis and elegancie of the Greeke is observed, some imperfections in our translation are discovered, divers Jewish rites and customes tending to illustrate the text are mentioned, many antilogies and seeming contradictions reconciled, severall darke and obscure places opened, sundry passages vindicated from the false glosses of papists and hereticks / by Edward Leigh ...

CHAP. III.

Vers. 2. YEe are our Epistle written in our hearts] That is, wherein we doe inward∣ly and heartily rejoyce.* 1.1

Vers. 3. To be the Epistle of Christ] Here is an Epanorthosis,* 1.2 or correction of him∣selfe, as 1 Cor. 15.10. For when he had said before, that the Corinthians was his E∣pistle that he might mitigate the envy of the speech, he saith that they are the Epistle of Christ, because their faith was his worke but written with his Ministery.

Not in tables of Stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart] He alludes either to Ier. 31.31. Or to the law written in Tables of Stone; b 1.3 which Tables shadowed out the great hardnesse of mans heart; to which the fleshly Tables of the heart are opposed, which by the force of the Spirit are made more tender, that the grace of the Gospell may easily be ingraven in them.

Vers. 5. Are not sufficient] 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Have no aptnesse to a good thought, the least part of a good work.

But our sufficiency] Our fitnesse.

Vers. 6. Able Ministers of the New Testament, not of the Letter, but of the Spirit] That is,* 1.4 He hath made us Ministers rather of the Spirit then of the Letter; or more of the Spirit then of the Letter, because of the promise of the plentifull effusion of the Spi∣rit, after the ascension of Christ; so J will have mercy, and not sacrifice. That is, rather

mercy then sacrifice and Ioel 2.13. that is, rather rent your hearts then your gar∣ments.

Vers. 17. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty] Liberty is opposed to three things.* 1.5 1. Necessity; where the Spirit of God dwells in a man, he frees him from all necessity of sinning. 2. Coaction and constraint, such a one doth nothing by force, and from a principle without, but from an inward instinct and impulse; my soule fol∣loweth hard after thee; life is a selfe-moving power. 3. To restraint, when Gods sets a man at liberty, he in largeth his heart, Psal. 119.32.

* 1.6Vers. 18. But we all with open face, beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same Image, from glory to glory] That is, seeing by the appearing of grace, the vaile is removed, that we may see the face of God clearely; now must we by meanes of this knowledge be transformed into his Image; that Image in which wee were created, must be daily renewed, and by degrees further restored in us; that is the Apostles meaning from glory to glory. As Adam was created in the Image of God, so must every beleever be renewed unto that blessed condition.

* 1.7By the Spirit of the Lord] These words may also be rendred, by the Lord of the Spirit, or by the Lord the Spirit; but our version is most plaine.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Jd est, ego E∣vangelium ve∣stris inscripsi animis; & dat totius nomen parti. Nam ipsos dixit, & ostendit se loqui de corum studio & affectu. Grotius.
• * 1.2

  Alludit ad pro∣missionem quae habetur Jer. 31.31. & Ezech. 37.26. Calvinus. Estius.
• b 1.3

  Drus. Prov. Class. 2. l. 3.
• * 1.4

  Origines literam hic grammati∣cum & litera∣lem sensum Scripturae vocat & exponit: Spiritum autem allegoricum sensum quem solum aedificare ait, & à nobli esse sequendum, literalem verò prorsus reijciendum. Vide Bezam & Grotium. Literae nomine significat externam praedicationem, quae cor non attingit: per Spiritum verò doctrinam vivam, quae efficaciter operetur in animis per gratiam Spiritus. Litera ergo perinde valet ac literalis praedicatio, hoc est mortua & inefficax, quae tantum auribus percipitur. Spiritus autem est doctrina spiritualis, h••c est, quae non ore tantum pronuntiatur, sed efficaciter in animas usque vivo sensu penetrat. Calvinus.
• * 1.5

  See Psal. 51.12. Cui unica tan∣tum est necessi∣tas non delin∣quendi. Tertull. Jer. 22.19. Per nomen liber∣tatis, non tantum intellego à pec••ati & carnis servitute manumissionem: sed etiam fiduciam quam concipimus ex adoptionis no∣strae testimontor, convenit cum illo Rom. 8.15. Calvinus. Libertatem dicit oppositam servituti. Hanc enim libertatem Graeca vox 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 significat. Intendit autem apostolus, hac parte explicate mysticam significationem ablati velaminis. Vt enim velum impositum subjectionis ac servitutis cujusdam judicium est in eo cui imponitur: quemadmodum docet apostolus, 1 Cor. 11.10. ita velaminis ablatin significationem habet donatae libertatis, quae donatio fit non per literam sed per Spiritum. Vt sensus sit; Spiritus Domini, cum ipse sit Dominus, ideoque liberrimus; libertatem communicat ijs quos inhabitat, id est, Christianis: libertatem utique spiritualem, quia Spiritus est, à servitute legis & peccati eos liberans. Estius.
• * 1.6

  See Dr. Rey∣nolds of the glory of the Gospell. From one de∣gree of glori∣ous grace to another.
• * 1.7

  Vide Estium & Vorstuum in loc.