80 The Father, Son, and Spirit.

CHRIST's sake, and for the love of the SPIRIT that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me." (Rom. xv. 30.) “In whom (CHRIST) ye also are builded together for an habitation of GOD through the SPIRIT." (Eph. ii. 22.) Who (CHRIST) through the ETERNAL SPIRIT offered himself to GOD." (Heb. ix. 14.) "Elect according to the foreknowledge of GOD the FATHER, through sanctification of the SPIRIT unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of JESUS CHRIST.” (1 Peter i. 2.) The reader will doubtless recall many similar passages. We wonder at the confident assertion of the Tract,

CHAPTER V.

Humiliation of the Word as Mediator necessary.-Reason of his Professed Inferiority to the Father.-One God, and one Lord.-Charge of Blasphemy a Proof of Deity. The Jews accused him of making Himself God. The Messiahship implies Divinity.--Christ worshipped in Heaven.-Whether the Deity suffered.Questions answered.-Stephen worshipped Christ.— Paul and the early Christians worshipped Christ.Feelings of a worshipper of Christ.

The writer proceeds to say that there are several texts which assert in the most direct and absolute manner that the Father alone is God.

1 John xvii. 3. "That they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."

It might be enough that we should oppose to the conclusion drawn from this passage, another of a similar nature. It is said of the Father, "Who is the blessed and only Potentate, King of Kings and Lord of Lords." But

82

Humiliation of the Word

in Revelation it is said of Christ, "He hath upon his vesture and upon his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords."

But again. It is an essential part of our belief concerning Christ that whilst on earth, though united with the Deity, he was in a state of humiliation-that he assumed an inferior rank for the purposes of the Mediatorship. It will be asked, Can humiliation be predicated of the immutable divine nature? We reply, there is humiliation in every act of divine condescension as well as in the incarnation.

The latter is no more inconsistent with the immutability of the Deity than the former. Our belief upon this point is expressed in Phil. ii. 6. "Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, (or according to Grotius and others, "did not make it a matter of triumph, or display; or ostentatiously retain it,") but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant." His Deity was veiled, and whilst on earth engaged in the work of redemption, he assumed the office of servant, and constantly acknowledged his accountability to the Father. Supposing it to be true

As Mediator Necessary.

83

that he was God and man, appearing on earth for the purposes of a Mediator, was not his expression of inferiority and of subjection to the father precisely what we should expect? Suppose that he had always proclaimed himself the Supreme God; how could he have attracted sinners to himself as their Mediator? It was indeed necessary that his divine glory should be veiled; and every manifestation of that glory should be viewed in the light of an exception to the leading purposes of his office as Mediator. Besides, appearing as he did in the form of a man, a recognition of his dependence upon God, of his authority as derived from him was perfectly proper to show that God and he were united in the work which he came to do. All the passages, therefore, which speak of his subjection to the Father, so far from militating with our belief of the Saviour's Deity, are absolutely necessary to the establishment of the purpose for which he became flesh. According to our views of scriptural truth, it is peculiarly the official character of the Father to sustain the legislative and rectoral honors of the Deity, and to be the primary Author of all the acts of authority, power and

84

Reason of His Professed

grace by which the Deity is made known to men.' The passage now under consideration is therefore in strict accordance with this arrangement of the government of God. "The nature of the occasion plainly requires that he should speak of himself in his official and delegated capacity ??*

There is another consideration which seems to us conclusive. One great object of Christ was to convince men that he was divinely commissioned. There were two ways in which he could prove this union in purpose with the unseen God. First, by giving proof on all occasions that the Deity was conjoined in his person. But this for the reason just stated he did not see fit to do. The only remaining method was by appealing like any other man, to the Father, in confirmation of all which he had said and done. This method was employed, as he himself expressly says, for the sake of those who were about him. On one occasion when he had appealed to the Father to glorify His name, there came a voice from heaven; and Jesus said, 'this voice came

* Smith's Script. Test. ii. 323.