896 VINDICIiE EVANGELIC^.
nient, whereby he proved that he was not to be worshipped, and not to have brought a contraiy testimony, which is certainly to be inter- preted according to the issue of the reason insisted on. And this was the end of that first argument between them.
The next argument of Franken, whereby he brought his adversary to another absurdity, had its rise from a distinction given by Socinus about a twofold religious worship ; — one kind whereof, without any medium, was directed to God ; the other is yielded him by Christ as a means. The first he says is proper to God, the other belongs to Christ only.^ Now, he is blind that doth not see that, for what he doth here to save himself, he doth but beg the thing in question. Who granted him that there was a twofold religious worship, — one of this sort, and another of that? Is it a sufficient answer, for a man to repeat his own hypothesis to answer an argument lying directly against it? He grants, indeed, upon the matter all that Franken desired, — namely, that Christ was not to be worshipped with that worship wherewith God is worshipped, and consequently not with divine. But Franken asks him whether this twofold worship was of the same kind or no?^ to which he answered, that it was because it abode not in Christ, but through him passed to God.^ Upon which, after the interposition of another entangling question, the man thus replies unto him: "This, then, will follow, that even the image of Christ is to be worshipped, because one and the same worship re- spects the image as the means, Christ as the end, as Thomas Aquinas tells us, from whom you borrowed your figment."* Yet this very fancy Socinus seems afterward to illustrate, by taking a book in his hand, sliding it along upon a table, showing how it passed by some hands where truly it was, but stayed not till it came to the end : for which gross allusion he was sufficiently derided by his adversary I shall not insist on the other arguments wherewith on his own hypo- thesis he was miserably gravelled by this Franken, and after all his pretence of reason forced to cry out, " These are philosophical ai'gu- ments, and contrary to the gospel." The disputation is extant, with the notes of Socinus upon it, for his own vindication; which do not indeed one whit mend the matter. And of this matter thus far.
' " Duplex est adoratio, altei'a quidem quae sine ttllo medio dirigitur in Ueum : altera vero per medium Christum defertur ad Deum ; ilia adoratio est soli Deo propria, lioec Tero convenit Christo tantum." — Disput. de Adorat. Christi, p. 11.
2 " Estne utraque adoratio ista ejusdem speciei?" — P. 11.
' " Est, quia adoratio Christi est ipsius Dei, quippe quse in Christo non conquiescat, sed per eum transeat in Deum." — P. 12.
* " Hoc sequetur, quod ipsius etiam Christi imago sit adoranda, quia una ct eadem adoratio respicit in imaginem, tanquam medium, in Christum tanquam finem, quem- admodum Thomas Aquinas docet, a quo tuum tu commentum es mutuatus." — P. 13.
i
OF Christ's priestly office. S97
CHAPTER XX.
Of the priestly office of Christ — How he was a priest — When he entered on his office — And how he dischargeth it.
MR riddle's eleventh CHAPTER EXAMINED.
His eleventh chapter is concerning the priestly office of Jesus Christ. In the first and second questions he grants him to be a priest, from Heb. iv. 14, and to be appointed to that office by the Father, from chap. v. 5. Tlie remainder of the chapter is spent in sundry attempts to prove that Christ was not a priest whilst he was on the earth, as also to take off from the end of his priesthood, with the benefit redounding to the church thereby.
For the first, a man would suppose Mr Biddle were fair and in- genuous in his concessions concerning the priesthood of Jesus Christ. May we but be allowed to propose a few questions to him, and to have answers suggested according to the analogy of his faith, I sup- pose his acknowledgment of this truth will be found to come exceed- ingly short of what may be expected. Let him, therefore, show whether Christ be a high priest properly so called, or only in a me- taphorical sense, with respect to what he doth in heaven for us, as the high priest of old did deal for the people in their things when he received mercy from God. Again, whether Christ did or doth offer a proper sacrifice to God ; and if so, of what kind ; or only that his offering of himself in heaven is metaphorically so called. If any shall say that Mr B. differs from his masters in these things, I must needs profess myself to be otherwise minded, because of his following attempt to exclude him from the investiture with and execution of his priestly office in this life and at his death ; whence it inevitably follows that he can in no wise be a proper priest, nor have a proper sacrifice to offer, but that both the one and the other are metapho- rical, and so termed in allusion to what the high priest among the Jews did for the people. That which I have to speak to in this en- suing discourse will hinder me from insisting much on the demon- stration of this, that Christ was a priest so called, and offered to God a sacrifice of atonement or propitiation, properly so called, whereof all other priests and sacrifices appointed of God were but types. Briefly, therefore, I shall do it.