A Key to Open Scripture Metaphors, Book 1 · Chapter 10 · Part 1
Metaphors taken from God.
AS sometimes from his Name, sometimes from his Actions. His Hebrew Name foreign Elohim, when taken properly, belongs to none but the only true and Eternal God, and because it is of the plural number it intimates the Mystery of a plurality of persons in one most simple Deity. See Gram. Sacr: p. 87, 376. But metaphorically this Name is attributed to Creatures also, As,
1. To [Angels] who are endued with more eminent power, and more abundant happiness, then any other Creatures, as Psal. 8.5. Thou hast made him a little lower then (*The Gods. Elohim) the Angels, as the Chald. the 70. Interpreters, Pagninus, and our Translation render it; But we have a most certain interpreter, Heb. 2.7. viz. the Apostle who expressely quoting this text says, but thou hast made him *Or a little while inferior to.a little lower, foreign, (ti par Angelous) than the Angels, see ver. 9. Where the same is repeated — In both places it is spoke of Christ, with respect to his state of humiliation, an evident specimen is the Angels comforting him in his Agony in the Garden, Luke 22.43. So Psal. 86.8. and 97.7, 9. where the word, Elohim, is put for Angels, as it expresly appears, Heb. 1.6. The meaning is, that there is no power so sublime but must be subject to the soveraignty of Christs Kingdom.
2. To Men of eminent dignity, and his substitutes on Earth by whom God Governs, Judges, Informs, and Helps men, as if he had metaphorically call'd them Divine men. Gen. 6.2. The Sons of God saw the Daughters of men, &c. The Chald. renders it, Sons of great men, or grandees; Pagninus, the Sons of Princes— Brentius in his Comment. upon the place thus expounds it.*Filii Dei sunt filii Patriarcharum praecip…i, & Heroes, penes quos erat, &c. The Sons of God, are the principal Sons and Heroes of the Patriarchs, in whose hands because of the right of primogeniture and other gifts of God, the chief authority was lodged and who in Doctrine and example, ought to go before others, as the Princes and heads of the People, as Judges and Princes are in other places of Scripture called Gods. But the Daughters of Men were either women of the Families of the Canaanites, or without difference any Maids or Women of the common and vulgar sort, that you may understand that the Princes, who ought to be an honest example for others, look to themselves at their pleasure, any that they met and liked what ever they were, whether Kinswomen, or such as were of Affinity to them, whether Honest or Dishonest. These things were wickedly done, for here was a neglect of Consanguinity, which the Law of Nature commands, contempt of Parents and Superiors, and an indulgence of Polygamy, (or having many wives) and rash and causeless Divorces, &c.
Exod. 4, 16. He shall be to thee a Mouth, and thou shalt be to him a God (we translate instead of a Mouth, and instead of a God) the Chald. renders it for a Prince or Captain, that is, thou shalt be his chief Magistrate, telling him what he shall say to the People. So God speaks to Moses, Exod. 7.1. See I have made thee a God unto Pharaoh, the explication follows, ver. 2. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee, and Aaron thy Brother shall speak unto Pharaoh. Moses is called a God because of the Commission or Embassy he had, to perform in those wonderful works before Pharaoh— So Judges are (in the Hebrew) called Gods, Exod. 21.6. and 22.8, 9, 28. So 1 Sam. 28.13. That spectrum or apparition in the likeness of Samuel, is so called, Psal 82.1. He judgeth among the Gods, that is, among the Judges. See ver. 6. I have said ye are Gods, from which Christ argues, John 10.34, 35, 36. that he was much more the Son of God. See Psal. 138.1, 4. Psal. 119.46. I will speak of thy Testimony before Kings and be not ashamed: which Kings are elsewhere called Gods, &c.
It is also attributed to [Idols] Exod. 23.24. Esa. 36.18. But 'tis by a Metonymie of the Adjunct, by which the opinion of men is put for the thing it self, as chap. 4. before-going. For Idols are really things of no value, as Lev. 19.4. Psal. 97.7. Esa. 10.10. and 19.3. Yea, no Gods, 2 Chron. 13.9. (1 Cor. 8.4. an Idol is nothing in the World) but they are Worshipped by Idolaters as Gods, or at best by them they pretend to Worship God. Hence they are called Gods with the addition of another word, as Exod. 20.3. Strange Gods, Deut. 5.7. Josh. 23.16. Gods besides the Lord, Exod. 22.20. Molten Gods, Lev. 19.14. New Gods, Judg. 5.8.
The Greek name of God is foreign, (Theos) which is metaphorically ascribed to the Devil, 2 Cor. 4.4. The God of this World hath blinded the minds of them which beleive not, &c. For as the the true God administers the Kingdom of Grace to such as believe in him, and is by them religiously Worshipped: So Satan infuses his malignity into unbelievers, Eph. 2.2, 3.) who obey his Will, Command, and Seduction. Upon which Erasmus in his Annotations says thus— The Devil is not really a God, but he is so to them, who prefer him before Christ, just as to covetous men their Money or Mammon is a God, and to their Heirs their Luxury is a God, and (homo homini Deus) a man is a God to a man, as the proverb runs. And in his paraphrase— Whatsoever any person hearkens to, (obeys or prefers) before or more then God, makes that his God.
This name is also attributed to the Belly, Phil. 3.19. Whose God is their Belly, that is, such as account their cheif good and felicity to consist in the satisfaction of the desires of the Flesh, and prosperity in this World, without suffering any persecution for the sake of Christ. Whatsoever any person puts the chiefest value upon, is to him a God, if he slights the true God. —In the New Testament also the Name of God is attributed to [Idols,] Act. 7.43. —14.11. by a metonymie, as was said of the Name Elohim, by the opinion of men. as Gal. 4.8. foreign, (me phusei ontes theoi) qui natura non sunt Dii, who by nature are not Gods, (but by the depraved imagination of Idolaters) 1 Cor. 8.5. foreign, (legomenoi Theoi) who are called Gods (by Idolatrous men) but are not really so — And to these that one and true God is opposed, ver. 6. So much for the Name of God. To which metaphor some refer when the Names of God, foreign (Elohim) foreign (Jehovah) foreign (El) are added in the room of an Epithet for Divine, Chief, or most Excellent— vid. Gram. Sacr. p. 58. seqq.Gram. Sacr. p. 58.
As to the [Actions] of God, the word [Creation] foreign (Bara) properly signifies to make any thing of nothing, which God alone can do— But metaphorically it is Translated to the other great works of God, as Exod. 34.10. I will do marvels, which were not created in the whole Earth, &c. That is such wonders, and so many, as never yet were done in the World, Numb. 16.30. If the Lord will create a Creation (so the Hebrew) that is, if he will afford a New, and Unheard of miracle, such as was the swallowing up of the Earth, which then happened to the seditions. See Esa. 45.8.
More especially it is taken for the Restauration and Renovation of men, whether in this Life by the Word and Faith; or in the future, by a clear and beatifical vision of God, Psal. 51.10. Create in me a clean Heart, the explication, and renew a right spirit within me— 'Tis as well the work of God to create a pure heart, that is, to convert and regenerate a man, cleanse him from sin, justifie, and save him, as 'tis to create him. The impurity, therefore, of our hearts can with no humane strength or art be purged away, but we have need of the Creators work, and the Redeemers vertue, and power to make us New Creatures, John 1.12. But to as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on his Name.
Psal. 102.18. And the People that shall be created, shall praise the Lord, that is, the Church that shall be restored and gathered by Christ. For this Psalm treats of that and his Kingdom, of grace, as is alleaged, Heb. 1.10, 11, 12. — Esa. 65.18. Be you glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I create: For behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoyceing and her people a joy. That he speaks of the Glory of Christs Kingdom and Church here, is evident by the following verses; for its restitution and the whole celestial Administration is expressed by the Word Creation, to indicate the Omnipotency and most powerful operation of Christ— ver. 17. There is mention of the Creation of a New Heaven, and a New Earth, in the same sence, which promise shall be most perfectly fulfilled in Eternal Life, as Esa. 66.22. and 2 Pet. 3.13. —Eph. 2.10. For we are his Workmanship, Created in Christ Jesus unto Good works, &c. that is, regenerated and renewed in the Image of God. See Psal. 100.3. Esa. 29.23. &c. This is that New Creature of whom it is said, 2 Cor. 5.17. If any man be in Christ he is a New Creature, that is, he is renewed by the Holy Spirit, to lead a new and Holy Life in the Faith of Christ▪ What is corrupt in man by sin, is restor'd and reform'd by Regeneration and Renovation— and so the Image in which man was at first created, but lost it because of his sin, begins to be restored— very fitly therefore is the Regeneration and Renovation of a man expressed by the term Creation, for God alone is the Author and Cause of both.