Fruit of the Vine, until that Day when he should drink it new with them in his Father's Kingdom.

The Certainty of this grand Event, the Reftitution of this whole vifible World to its original Perfection, is plainly and fully attefted by St. Paul, Rom. viii. 19, 20, 21, 22. The earnest Expectation of the Creature waiteth for the Manifeftation of the Sons of God. For the Creature was made fubject to Vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the fame in Hope; because the Creature itself also shall be delivered from the Bondage of Corruption into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God; for we know that the whole Creation groaneth and traveleth in Pain together until now. The great Point on which the true Interpretation of this Paffage depends, is to find out the true Meaning of the Word, Creature, in what Sense the Apostle ufes it in this Place. Most of our modern Commentators have gone violently out of the way in queft of any Meaning but the true one. The pious and learned Dr. Hammond understands by it the Gentile World, in Oppofition to the Jews, whom he supposes to be meant by the Sons of God; and, by this falfe Key, has entangled and perplexed, instead of opening and explaining, this glorious Prophecy. The late learned Dr. Whitby justly cenfures this Interpretation, and has advanced another equally abfurd and contradictory. He understands by it the whole Race of Mankind; but feems himself to be fenfible he was in the wrong, by fhuffling over feveral Expreffions, which, if duly confidered, would have fhewn him his Miftake, and led him into a more confiftent Scheme of Interpretation. However, after he had fufficiently puzzled himself and his Readers with aiming at fomething like a Meaning, he attempts to

give you from Quotations out of two of the primitive Fathers, what he calls the antient and almoft primitive Expofition of thefe Words. After which, he modeftly fubjoins his own Judgment: I differ only from the Fathers in this Interpretation as to this fingle Circumftance, that I do not extend this Defire of the Redemption of the Body from Corruption to brute Beafts, and infenfate Creatures, but only to Mankind in general fubject by Adam's Fall to Mortality, p. 45. Now I must needs fay, it would have been but modeft and reasonable in the Doctor, after having entered his Proteft, to have given us his Reasons for diffenting from this almost primitive Expofition. And I believe it would be very hard to produce any Reason againft their future Reftoration, which would not conclude as ftrongly. against their first Creation. If infinite Wisdom and Goodness faw fit to produce fuch numberless Ranks and Orders of Creatures, to complete the Harmony of the universal Syftem, and to share with Man in the Bleffings and Glories of Paradise, before Sin and Death entered into the World, is it not highly reafonable to imagine, that they are preferved by the fame infinite Wisdom and Goodness to be Sharers in the Happiness and Glory of the new World, when Sin and Sorrow fhall ceafe, when Corruption and Mortality shall be no more, and Death itself shall he fwallowed up in Victory?

There is one Expreffion in ver. 22. which seems plainly to determine what we are to understand by the Creature, and may be justly confidered as an infallible Key to the Apoftle's whole Meaning; and that is, that the whole Creation groaneth and travaileth in Pain `together till now. Now it is plain at first Sight, that VOL. I.

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the whole Creation, which groaneth and travaileth in Pain, is that very Creature that waiteth for the Manifeftation of the Sons of God; that very Creature that shall be delivered from the Bondage of Corruption into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God. Whatever Part of the Creation, therefore, fuffers under any Shape or Degree of Imperfection, Misery, Corruption, and Mortality, may be justly confidered as groaning and travailing in Pain, and by consequence, as Candidates for Redemption and Immortality. Now, as it is plain that no one Part of the Creation is exempted from the Bondage of Corruption; so it seems equally plain, that no one Part shall be excluded from the univerfal Deliverance; and that the Redemption from the Curfe must be as univerfal as the Curse itself; so that whatever fuffers by the Fall, fhall be restored at last into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God. And this may help us to an easy Explanation of an Expreffion, that cannot otherwise be eafily reconciled to the ordinary Forms of Speech. The Paffage is Mark xvi. 15.. where the Apostles are commanded to preach the Gospel to every Creature; from whence fome of the legendary Writers of the Church of Rome have juftified the Preachments of their Saints to the Birds, Beafts, and Fishes, and thereby given the Precept a ridiculous Turn, and furnished Occafion of Mirth and Derifion to Infidels and Fools: But in this View it appears capable of a plain and natural Meaning, Go ye forth into all the World, and preach a joyful Message of Redemption to the whole Creation. And I must needs fay, it has often puzzled me to think, why the same Expreffion in the Original should be thus differently rendered in English, fo as to be called every Creature

"Nature, and with and through him be Partakers "of the Bleffings and Glories of the Kingdom of "God. At prefent we fee the whole Creation sub"ject to Vanity and Death, from which, like a Wo"man in Travail, it labours to be delivered, but has "not Strength to bring forth, nor can hope for De"liverance till that happy Day when the great Re"deemer fhall reftore whatever has been decayed, "fhall create new Heavens and a new Earth, where "Sin and Death can have no Place, where Evil can"not enter, but God fhall be All in All."

That the Brute-Creation are particularly interested in this great Event, is plainly and fully attested by many remarkable Prophecies of the Old Teftament. Thus, Ef. xi. 6, 7, 8, 9. speaking of the peaceful and glorious Reign of the Meffiah, illuftrates it in a particular Manner, by the Harmony that shall be reftored through the whole animal Creation. The Wolf alfo fhall dwell with the Lamb, and the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid, and the Calf and the young Lion and the Fatling together, and a little Child shall lead them. And the Cow and the Bear fhall feed, their Young-ones fball lie down together, and the Lion fhall eat Straw like the Ox. And the fucking Child fhall play on the Hole of the Afp, and the weaned Child shall put his Hand on the Cockatrice Den: They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy Mountain; for the Earth fhall be full of the Knowledge of the Lord, as the IVaters cover the Sea. So again, Ch. Ixv. 25. The Wolf and the Lamb shall feed together, and the Lion fhall eat Straw like the Bullock, and Duft fball be the Serpent's Meat; they fhall not burt nor defroy in all my holy Mountain, faith the Lord. The Prophet Hofea foretels the fame Thing, Ch. ii, 18. In

that