Chap. II.             eſſential to the Chriſtian Religion              141

'  by Chriſt Jeſus, throughout all ages—Ye are an holy prieſt-
'  hood, to offer up ſpiritual ſacrifices, acceptacle to God, by
'  Jeſus Chriſt—If any man ſin, we have an advocate with the
' Father, Jeſus Chriſt the righteous.'--Theſe things conſider-
ed it is no wonder that Jeſus Chriſt, when ſpeaking of him-
ſelf in the time of his humiliation, ſhould ſpeak ſuitably to that
condition ; nor that, in the evangelical hiſtory, the Father is
more frequently called God, than he; nor yet that our Me-
diator, on various occaſions, ſhould ſpeak of himſelf, as ſub-
ject to his Father; and of the Father, as the Creator of hea-
ven and earth, and the ſovereign Manager of all events.

Arguments drawn from the ſilence of the Scripture, are,
in ſome caſes excellent; but in others impertinent and entire-
ly falſe. Will our opponents aſſert, for inſtance, that Chriſt
is not the redeemer ; becauſe he taught his diſciples the du-
ties of morality, when on the mount, without expreſsly men-
tioning the work of redemption ? Or, dare they affirm that
He is not an interceſſor with God; becauſe, when teaching
his diſciples to pray, he does not always direct them to aſk the
bleſſings they want, in his name -Crellius, then, gains no ad-
vantage to his cauſe by remarking; ' That Jeſus Chriſt, when
'  ſpeaking of himſelf on various deciſions, ſays nothing grea-
'  ter nor yet his apoſtles, when ſpeaking of him, than that he
'  is the Son of God.' For as, on ſome occaſions, Chriſt ſpake
of himſelf as a man, as, on others, he ſpake of himſelf as a
prophet, without ſaying any thing of his kingly, or prieſtly,
office, and yet we cannot with any appearance of reaſon con-
clude from hence, that he is neither king, nor prieſt, nor me-
diator between God and man : ſo he might ſpeak of himſelf,
and the apoſtles might repreſent him, as a prieſt and a king, as
mediator and the Son of God, on certain occaſions ; without
ſpeaking expreſsly of his Diuinity, and yet not militate, in the
leaſt, againſt it.

To anſwer more directly. If our adverſaries mean to
prove, from this paſſage, that Jeſus Chriſt is not God,
they act inconſiſtently : for they acknowledge that he hears
the name in the holy Scriptures Nay if they would hence make
it appear, that he is not the true God, they contradict themſelves.
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