Q. Where doth the Scripture testify that Christ is one with the Father ?
A. John X. 29-31, " My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of his hand. I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him."
Q. How dost thou answer this testimony?
A. That from hence, that Christ is said to be one with the Father, it cannot be proved that he is one with him in nature, the words of Christ to his Father of the disciples do show: John xvii. 11, " That they may be one, as we are;" and a little after, verse 22, " That they may be one, even as we are one." That Christ is one with the Father, this ought to be understood either of will or power in the business of our salvation. Whence that a divine nature cannot be proved is mani- fest from those places where Christ saith his Father is greater than all, and, con- •sequently, than Christ himself, as he expressly confesseth, and that he gave him his sheep, John xiv. 28.'
Of this place I have spoken before. That it is an unity of essence that is here intended by our Saviour appears, — 1. From the apprehension the Jews had of his meaning in those words, who im-
' " Ubi vero Scriptura testatur Christum cum Patre esse unum? — Johan. x. 29-31, ubi Dominus ait, I'atcr, qiii mild {oves) dedit, major omnibus est; et nemo eas rapcre po- test e manibiis Patris mei. Ego et Pater vnimi sumus.
" Qua rationc respondes ad id testimonium ? — Ex eo, quod dicatur Christus esse cum Patre unum, cfiBci non posse esse unum cum eo natura, verba Christi, quis ad Patrem de discipulis habuit, demonstrant : Johan. xvii. 11, Pater sancte, scrva illos in nomine
308 VINDICI^ EVANGELIC^.
mediately nj3on them took up stones to stone him for blasphemy, ren- dering an account of their so doing, verse 83, " Because he, being a man, did make himself God/' 2. From the exposition he makes himself of his words, verse 36, " I am the Son of God ;" — " That is it I intended ; I am so one with him as a son is with his father," — that is, one in nature and essence. 3. He is so one with him as that the Father is in him, and he in him, by a divine immanence/ of persons.
Those words of our Saviour, John xvii. 11, 22, 1. Do not argue a 'parity in the union of believers among themselves with that of him and his Father, but a similitude (see John xvii. 20), — that they may he one in affection, as his Father and he are in essence. We are to be holy, as God is holy. 2. If oneness of will and consent be the ground of this, that the Son and Father are one, then the angels and God ai-e one, for with their wills they always do his. 3. Oneness of power with God in any work argues oneness of essence. God's power is omnipotent, and none can be one with him in power but he who is omnipotent, — that is, who is God. And if it be unity of power which is here asserted, it is spoken absolutely, and not referred to any particular kind of thing. 4. It is true, God the Father is greater than Christ, as is affirmed John xiv. 28, in respect of his office of mediation, of which there he treats ; but they are one and equal in respect of nature. Neither is God in this place said to be greater than all in respect of Christ, who is said to be one with him, but in reference to all that may be supposed to attempt the taking of his sheep out of his hands. 5. Christ took or received his sheep, not simply as God, the eternal Son of God, but as mediator; and so his Father was greater than he. This testimony, then, abides : He that is one with the Father is God by nature ; Christ is thus one with the Father. " One" is the unity of nature; " are," their distinction of persons. " I and my Father are one."
Grotius adheres to the same exposition with our catechists, only he goes one step farther in corrupting the text. His words are : " 'Eyw x«/ 6 Uarrip h sff.asv. Connectit qviod dixerat cum superioribus. SiPatris potestati eripi uon poterunt, nee mea5 poterunt ; nam mea potestas a Patre emanat, et quidem ita, ut tantundem valeat a me, aut a.Fatre, cnstodiri. Vid. Gen. xli. 25, 27." I suppose he means verse 44, being the words of Pharaoh delegating power and authority immediately under him to Joseph ; — but, as it is known, potestas is l^ovffla, "authority," and may belong to office; but p)otentia is hiivafiig, " force," " virtue," or "■ power," and belongs to essence. It is not
tuo, ut sint tinum, quemadmodum et nos iinum sumus; et paulo inferius, ver. 22, Ego gloruim, quarti dedisti mihi, dcdi illis; ut sivt unum, quemadmodum ?ios umim sumus. Quod vcro Christus sit unum cum Patre, hoc aut de voluntate aut de potcntia in .'salutis nostrae rationc aocipi debet. Unde naturam divinam non probari ex codem loco constat ubi Christus ait, Patrem omnibus esse majorem, ac proinde etiam ipso Domino, quemadmo- dum idem Dominus exprcsse fatctur, et quod eas oves ei dederit, Johan. xiv. 28."