318                       The Deity of Jeſus Chriſt               Sect, V

who confers them. That the Father therefore, ſhould exalt
Chriſt to an equality with him implies a contradiction; be-
cauſe in whatever reſpect any one is exalted by him, in that
very reſpect he muſt be inferior to him. Jeſus Chriſt we free
ly allow, is highly exalted by the Father; but that exaltation
regards his perſon, character, and ſtate, as mediator; under
which conſideration, though he is the church's head, yet he
is the Father's righteous ſervant.— Beſides, the glory of the
Great Supreme muſt be incommunicable.

Again: To be one with God ; to be equal with God; to
be God's own Son; and, to be God ; are, in the language of
inſpiration, phraſes of a ſimilar import, and may be ſafely ex-
plained one by another. So, we find the Jews underſtood
them. For when our Lord ſaid, I and the Father are one;'
they took up ſtones to ſtone him And when Jeſus aſked them
the reaſon of their outragious conduct, they anſwered;
' Becauſe that thou, being a man, makeſt thyſelf God.' From
whence it is evident, that, in their opinion, to be one with
the Father, and to be God, are the ſame thing - in the ſame
exalted point of light they conſidered the character, SON OF
GOD, as aſſumed by Jeſus Chriſt. For they looked up a him
as appropriating it to himſelf, in a proper, not in a figurative
ſenſe. No, they would never have made ſuch a ſtir not have
laid ſo heavy a charge againſt him. if the only cauſe of com-
plaint had been; That he called himſelf the Son of God, by a
metaphor, or by adoption. For they conſidered themſelves
as the adopted ſons of God; ſaying, ' We have one Father,
' even God.' They, therefore, muſt mean ſomething very
different from this, when they ſay; ' We have a law, and by
' our law he ought to die, becauſe be made mimſelf the Son
' of God.' And, in another place, they explain themſelves;
they let us know more fully what they underſtood by the au-
guſt character. For when Jeſus, vindicating his conduct in
healing the impotent man on the ſabbath day, ſaid; My Fa-
' ther worketh hitherto, and I work : they ſought the more to
' kill him, becauſe he not only had broken the ſabbath, but
' ſaid alſo, that God was his Father, making himſelf equal
' with God.' From which it is manifeſt, that to be ' God's
' own Son,' and to be ' equal with God,' were the ſame thing
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