not de doubted, but that the words Εγω εν τω πατρι μου are different in manner and degree from ύμεις εν epo. Be this, however, as it will, the purport of the paffage is," that when the Spirit of Truth was come, he fhould communicate to them that cer"tainty of knowledge which their reasoning powers alone could not attain unto. For the prefent

66

66 you must give credit to me, or if not to me, at leaft to the works which I do ; but when the Spirit of Truth is come, he fhall lead you into all truth, " and then shall you know the certainty of those "things which I now require you to believe."

“

Before we quit this chapter, it will be neceffary to take notice of a paffage towards the conclusion of it, which has by many been mifunderftood, ver. 28. "Ye have heard how I faid unto you, I go away

and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye "would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Fa"ther, For my Father is greater than I.". Thefe latter words are contrived to be indifputable evidence of the Son's inferiority. As he is inferior to GOD, faith the Socinian, he is no GoD at all. As he is inferior to the Father, faith the Arian, he therefore is not confubftantial, and equal to him; but they both feem to be wrong. The Greek is, ὅτι ὁ πατηρ μου μείζων μου εςι. Το have favoured & their conceits the word fhould have been pov, which it is not: swv expreffeth only a circumstantial greatnefs, which may be among equals. But, it

will

will be faid, what circumftantial greatnefs can there be in the divinity. It is anfwered thus: Our LORD hath told us, that he came out from GOD, and came into the world, and that he came out from the Father Εξηλθον παρα του Θεού, παρα του πατρος, that he came out not to do his own will, but the will of him that fent him in an union with our human nature. In this ftate he was in a voluntary state of humiliation, and as the Scripture fpeaketh, he humbled himself; and, in this state of humiliation he faith, warp μov μείζων μου

sw μov 15. In his divine prayer, John xvii. he prayeth: "And now, O Father, glorify me with "thine ownself, with the glory which I had with "thee before the world was." Now, it is evident, when he thus prayed, that he was not at that time in that glory, and therefore was he in a circumstantial degree of inferiority; and, confequently, when he faid the Father was greater, it was no impeachment of his effential equality with the Father, the inferiority was all circumftantial; it was because he was in a state of humiliation, which the Father was not; it was because he had divefted himself of his divine glory when he took our nature upon him, and became man, which the Father had not. What fenfe or meaning is there in the paffage under confideration, if the Socinian or Arian interpretation is juft? If ye loved me ye would rejoice, because I "faid I go unto the Father:" and the reason why they would rejoice, because he went unto the Father, is affigned, "For my Father is greater than I."

But

But what ground of rejoicing could there be in this, that he was to go unto the Father, and there to be in a state of inferiority? This could not ferve to elevate the hearts of his difciples; whereas, confider him in a state of humiliation, as quiefcent in his own will, and as having divefted himself of his own divine glory, which he had with the Father before the world was, and the whole becomes plain and intelligible. He left them to go unto the Father, to be in his original greater glory with the Father, and who was greater in glory than he at that time was. He left them to reaffume that effential participation of the Father's glory, which he had, for a while, laid afide, that he might become man; and to be in that ftate of divine exaltation, which was greater than any thing they had beheld in him here on earth. Here, then, was ample ground of triumph and exultation for the difciples: their Mafter did not leave them,to be ftill farther degraded and despised; he did not leave them,in order to continue in his present state of humiliation, but to quit it, and to be παρα τῷ πατρι, who being μείζων, he being with him would be greater also: and here it must be owned, that the disciples, notwithstanding all their Mafter had said to them, did not, as yet, feem perfectly to comprehend him. It seems as if they did not rightly understand what he meant by coming out from the Father. At length, however, their minds are opened; and our LORD having told them, John xvi. that the time was coming, wherein he should, with

out

out a parable, fhew them openly of the Father; that the Father loved them, because they had loved him, and had believed that he came out from GOD, wapa TO; he adds, "I came out from the Father, "and am come into the world: again, I leave the "world, and go unto the Father." Thefe words effectually removed all their doubts and difficulties, and, in a transport of faith, they reply to him, "Now we know that thou knoweft all things, and "needeft not that any man fhould afk thee. By "this we believe that thou cameft out from GoD." words moft ftrongly attesting to the divinity of their bleffed Mafter, but which feem to have operated upon them only for the prefent moment, for, foon after, they were all fcattered, forfook him, and left him alone; and yet, fays our LORD, when he forewarned them of the event, "I am not alone, for "the Father is with me;" to whom the Son of GoD was infeparably united in the Divine Nature, as he had repeatedly told them before, when he faid to them, I am in the Father, and the Father in me, which is an unity if language has any meaning that is infeparable. Should the reader, however, think fit to adopt the suggestion which has already been made concerning the filiation, the words we have been confidering will have no manner of difficulty in them. The ftate of a Father is evidently fuperior to that of a Son; and, therefore, when the Son went to the Father he, with truth and propriety, would fay, "My Father is greater than I;" because, as

the

the Aoyos had humbled himself to become a Son by his birth of the Virgin, in union with man's nature, therefore, by neceffity, the Father, in that refpect, must be greater, otherwife the humiliation would not be real. And, moreover, on account of this humiliation therefore, the Son is declared not to know the hour of the day of judgement, the Father having reserved the times and the seasons in his own power; which refervation was not because the Father is more God than the Aoyos, but in evidence of, and because, the Aoyos had humbled himself.

If the Son of GOD is GOD, as hath been affumed from the the terms Son of God, and as by this time appears to be no groundless affumption, then all the privileges, prerogatives, properties, and whatever effentially pertaineth unto GoD, are the Son of GOD's. This, I apprehend, is undeniable. Hear then what he himself faith to his difciples, John xvi. "When he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he shall

guide you into all truth. He shall glorify me, "for he fhall receive of mine, and fhall fhew it “unto you. All things that the Father hath, wavστα όσα ૯૯૫ walng, omnia qualiacunque pater habet, are mine; therefore I faid unto you that he fhall "take of mine, and fhew it unto you." Is it poffible, if language has meaning, that words can be more expreffive than thefe, "All things whatsoever "the Father hath are mine ?" Therefore, he is GOD in unity with the Father, otherwise the words could

not