2. To whom truly and properly the names and titles of things do belong, to him that which is signified by those names and titles doth belong also ; for otherwise this would destroy all certainty of speech. You cannot speak or write, unless words signify what in vulgar use they are applied unto ; there could be no reasoning a signo ad rem signijicatam, from the sign to the thing signified. If I should call a brute a man, or a creature God, how can we understand what is spoken or written ? The argument is the more cogent, because a name is an implicit contracted definition, as a definition is a name explained and dilated. As when I say a man is a reasonable creature, so a God is one that hath power over all, blessed for ever,
3. The greater any person is, the more danger there is of giving him titles that do not belong to him ; for that is to place him in an honour to which he hath greater pretensions than others, but no right ; espe- cially doth this hold good in religion — it is true in civils. To give one next the king, the title of king, would awaken the jealousy of princes, and breed much inconvenience. But especially doth this hold good in religion, where God is so jealous of giving his glory to another, Isa. xlii. 8. Therefore the greater the dignity of Christ was above all other creatures, the more caution was necessary that the name of God might not be ascribed to him, if he were only mere man, and it did not properly agree to him ; for the more dangerous the error, the more cautiously should we abstain from it.
4. Consider the person by whom this title was given ; by a godly man. No godly man would call an idol, or a magistrate, or a teacher, or a king, or an angel, or any created thing above an angel, his Lord and his God. But this was done by Thomas, one bred up in the religion taught by Moses and the prophets ; and the chief point of that religion was, that God is but one : Deut. vi. 4, ' Hear, 0 Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.' This was one of the sentences written on the fringes of their garments, and it is quoted by Christ, whose disciple Thomas also was, Mark xii. 29, and explained by a learned scribe which came to him : Mark xii. 32, ' Well, master, thou hast said the truth, for there is but one G^d, and there is none other but him.' Now, Thomas knowing this, and the first commandment, ' Thou shalt have no other gods before me,' if he were not persuaded of it, would he say to Christ, ' My Lord and my God ' ?
5. The person to whom he spake it : 'He said to him ; ' not to the Father, but to Jesus of Nazareth : ' My Lord and my God.' Surely as the saints would not derogate from God, so Christ would not arrogate what was proper to his Father. Therefore as his disciples would have been tender of giving it to him, so he would have refused this honour, being so holy, if it had not been his due. But Christ reproved not, but rather approved this confession of faith ; therefore it was right and sound. Christ had said to him, ' Be not faithless, but
488 JESUS CHRIST TRUE GOD AND [SeR. VII.
believing,' and then Thomas saith, ' My Lord and my God.' ' And Jesus saith to him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.' There is no rebuke for ascribing too much to him.
6. The conjunction of the divine and human nature is so necessary to all Christ's functions and offices, that less would not have been (sufficient than to say, ' My Lord, my God.' The functions and offices of Christ are three — to be a prophet, priest, and king.
[1.] To be a prophet, Mat. xxiii. 10, ' One is your master, even Christ.' Now to be our master and teacher, it is necessary that he should have the human nature and divine conjoined. The human nature, that he might teach men by word of mouth, familiarly and sweetly conversing with men ; and also by his example, for he per- fectly teacheth that teacheth both ways, by word and deed. And it is a mighty condescension, that God would come down, and submit to the same laws we are to live by. His divine nature was also necessary, that he might be the best of teachers ; for who is such a teacher as God ? and that he might teach us in the best way, and that is, when God, taking the nature of man, doth vouchsafe to men his familiar converse, eating and drinking and walking with them, offering him- self to be seen and heard by them ; as he of old taught Abraham, Gen. xviii., accepting his entertainment; nothing more profitable, or honourable to men can be thought of. In Christ's prophetical office, four things are to be considered : —
(1.) What he taught.