This I take to be the fenfe of the place. The Father's barely fhewing Chrift greater works than he had hitherto fhown him, or Chrift's working barely in imitation of the Father, neither of thefe could be a foundation for marveling to the Jews: whereas Chrift's receiving direction and ability from his Father, to perform before the Jews greater works than he had hitherto done, would be a proper foundation for their aftonishment. Again,

John x. 33. The Jews anfwered him, for a good work we ftone thee not, but for blafphemy, and for that thou being a man makest thy felf God. The occafion of these words we have in the foregoing verfes, in which our Lord is faid to call God his Father, and that he and his Father were one; the Jews inferring from hence, that he had defamed God, in as much as he, who appeared to them to be but a man, fhould fet up himself to be a. competitor with God, and upon this, the Jews took up stones to stone him: at which fight Chrift puts this question to them, Many good works have Ifhewed you from my Father for which of those good works do you ftone me? To which the Jews answered, as above, that they did not stone him for any good work which he had done; but for blafphemy, in that he made himself God, or equal to God. To which our Lord replyed, Is it not written in your law, I faid ye are gods: upon which Chrift reafons thus, If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the fcriptures cannot be broken) fay ye of him whom the Father bath fanctified and fent into the world, thou blafphemeft, because I faid I am the Son of God. In which reply, our Lord does not deny that the making himfelf God (in the Jews fenfe of that word) would have been blafphemy; but what he denies is, that the making himself the fupreme

God

God, or equal to him, could be justly inferred from what he had faid, because the scriptures have given the name god, to those who were fent in God's name; and therefore it could not be blafphemy for him, who was in the most eminent manner fent of God, to fay, that he was the Son of God. Upon the whole, this is what I would remark from the two inftances before us, viz. that our Lord was fo far from encouraging the people's taking up an opinion of him, that he was the fupreme God, or equal to him, that on the contrary he endeavours to diffuade them from it, by fhewing, that no fuch thing could justly be inferred from what he had faid, which furely Chrift would not have done, if the forementioned opinion had been true; becaufe, then what he said and reasoned upon the subject, tended naturlly to mislead his hearers, and to obftruct one end of his coming into the world, which he elsewhere tells us, was to bear witness to the truth, John xviii. 37.

The force of the prefent argument is as follows, our Lord Jefus Chrift has exprefsly declared, that his Father is greater than he; yea greater than all: and that he has given unto him all power or authority to execute judgment in heaven and in earth. And from hence I argue, that if our Lord Jefus Chrift is worthy of credit, and if his teftimony is of weight, and fit to be relied upon in the prefent cafe, then he is inferiour and fubordinate to the Father. But our Lord Jefus Chrift is himfelf a principal in the prefent queftion, and therefore he must be a proper judge in the cafe; and confequently his teftimony ought to be admitted, as proper evidence. For, tho' mens teftimonies are in fome cafes refufed, when they become evidences for themselves, they being liable.

to be partial in their own favour; yet the case is otherwise, when they become evidences against themselves, then their teftimony is admitted, allowing them to have the exercise of their reafon: and this is the present cafe, in which our Lord Jefus Chrift may be faid to be an evidence against bimfelf; like John the Baptift, when the question was put to him, Whether he was the Chrift or not? he confeffed he was not. So in like manner our Lord Jefus Chrift, even before the question arofe, Whether he was the fupreme God, or not? he freely confeffed he was not; and frankly and generously afcribed fupremacy to his Father to whom only it belonged. And, as our Lord gave teftimony, as above, in a cafe in which he was a proper judge, and in which his evidence, in reafon, ought to be admitted; so if Paul, or Cephas, or an angel from heaven should declare any thing, which feemeth to be inconfiftent with, or contrary to what our Lord has fo exprefsly declared, then their Teftimony ought to yeild to that of Chrift, or else to be rejected. That is, they are to be understood in fuch a sense, as is confiftent with, and perfectly reconcilable to the testimony of Chrift, or elfe to be fet afide as of no weight in the prefent question. I fay, this ought in reafon to be the cafe, fuppofing their teftimonies seemed to clash, as aforefaid. For as Chrift must be allowed to be the best judge; fo furely his veracity is as fit to be relied on as the others, and therefore his teftimony ought to be admitted as proper evidence. And this I urge as a farther proof of the propofition I undertook to maintain.

ARGUMENT

ARGUMENT VII.

Seventhly, The Son did pray to the Father in behalf of himself; confequently the Son is inferiour and fubordinate to the Father, and the Father alone is the fupreme God.

P

RAYERI take to be (when offered up for the petitioner) the act of a dependent being, whereby the mind is carried out in the act of defire, either after fome good not enjoyed, or for the Continuation of that good when enjoyed; or for a deliverance from fome evil either felt or feared, arifing from a sense of his own inability to procure that good, or the continuance of it, or to remove or prevent the evil he fears. And when prayer is a rational act, it is directed to a being who has ability, oris fuppofed to have ability to confer, or continue the good thing prayed for, and to remove, or prevent the evil prayed against. And, that our Lord did pray to the Father, as aforefaid, fee John xvii. 1. Father, the hour is come, glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee. Again, verfe v. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own felf, with the glory I had with thee before the world was. John xii. 27, 28. Now is my foul troubled, and what shall I fay, Father, fave me from this hour, but for this caufe came I unto this hour; Father, glorify thy name, &c. Matt. xxvi. 39. and fo on. And he went away a little farther and fell on bis face and prayed; faying, if it be poffible let this cup. pass from me, nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt.He went away again the fecond time and prayed; faying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done, Matt, xxvi, 53. Thinkeft thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he will fend me more than twelve legions of angels, &c. Luke xxiii. 46. And when

Jesus

Jefus, bad cryed with a loud voice, be faid, Father into thine hands I commend my fpirit; and when he had fo faid, he gave up the ghost. Heb. v. 7. Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and fupplications, with ftrong crying and tears, unto him that was able to fave him from death, and was heard in that he feared, &c.

In thefe texts it is declared, that our Lord Jefus Chrift did frequently make application to God by prayer in behalf of himself; and from hence F argue, that if our Lord Jefus Chrift did really want, and could not procure to himself what he prayed to his Father for (which his prayer implies) then this is a manifeft proof of his being in a state of dependency upon his Father; and confequently, that he is inferiour and fubordinate to him, as I have fhewn above. But furely, our Lord did not trifle in his addreffes to his Father, by praying for what he did not want, or what he could have procured to himself; but on the contrary, he stood in need of help, and accordingly he addreffed himfelf to his Father, and was beard and helped in that he feared. And this I urge, as a farther proof of the propofition I have now under confideration.

Eighthly, and lastly, The Son did humble and debafe bimfelf, from being rich he became poor, he was in a greater and leffer degree of glory; confequently he is inferiour and fubordinate to the Father, and the Father alone is the fupreme God.

T

HAT this was the ftate and condition of our Lord Jefus Christ, fee John. xvii. 5. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own felf, with the glory I had with thee before the world was. What that glory was, which Chrift here prayed to his Father to be restored to,