A Vindication, Part 9
Zech. 13. 7. hath the next place in my paper, and in his anſwer. The words are, Awake, oh ſword, againſt my ſhepherd, againſt the man that is my fellow, ſaith the Lord of hoaſts.
His anſwer is, When you inferred coequality from this place, you hearkned rather to the ſound then to the ſenſe of our Engliſh word fellow, which doth not alwayes note equality, as from Pſal. 45. 7. Heb. …. 19. you may be informed where the Saints are called the fellowes of Chriſt, and yet are not equall.
Repl. To evade the ſtrength of this allegation from Zecharie, he flyes from the ſound, to the ſenſe of the Engliſh word fellow, and ſaith it ſignifies not alwayes equality, and yet he declares not in what other ſenſe it is taken, neither can I imagine what ſenſe he can deviſe or frame, other then equality; for I appeale to all rationall Engliſh men, whether fellow be not equall, in our Engliſh acception of the word: not but that I grant that the perſon that is a fellow, and ſo an equall in ſome reſpect, may be a ſuperior or in inferior in other reſpects, as a ſchool-fellow, a play-fellow, a chamber-fellow, they are fellowes not in a generall latitude in all things; but in a particular reſpect, ſo far as concerns ſuch a buſineſs, there is an equality, they are equally inveſted into the priviledges of the School, and carry on that work of learning with equality together; and ſo in play, there is no reſpect of perſons in it, but a parity and equality therein; be they great or mean, they are all fellows, that is, equalls in that. And ſo it may be ſaid of Chriſt in reference to Saints, though Chriſt have a ſuperiority (even as he is the ſon of man, much more as he is the Son of God) over all them, and over Angels alſo, and all creatures; yet Chriſt is fellow to the Saints, and they fellows to him in ſome reſpects; he calls them brethren, Pſal. 40. I will declare thy name unto my brethren: He makes himſelf herein a fellow to them, and makes them fellows with him. John 20. 17. Go to my brethren and ſay, Paſcend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God. In bearing the croſſe, he became like to them, yea, he ſet himſelf below them: in taking their nature upon himſelf, and infirmities, &c. he became like to them, and was as they, and became their fellow: and in condeſcenſion, in coming to miniſter, rather then to be miniſtred to, he was their fellow at the leaſt, if not below their fellow. Perſons of the ſame nature and eſſence may be fellows, equalls: Kings and peaſants were alike from Adam, do alike partake of fleſh and blood, and were formed alike in the womb. But God and the creature can be equal in nothing; for finite cannot in any thing equal infinite.
2 He betakes himſelfe to the Hebrew word and tels me, If I had conſulted with it, I would have been a ſtranger to ſo ſtrange an inference, and then tels me of divers acceptions of the word, as Citizen, Neighbour, Second, Lieutenent, Vicar, friend; and alledgeth the Septuagint, which he ſaith tranſlate it citizen, and Tremelius, which tranſlates it Proximum, Neighbour, or next; And Tremelius and Junius in their Marginall notes, a near friend, one that ſtands over againſt another, and is at hand to all friendly offices: and makes it the ſame as to be in the boſome of the Father.
Repl. That the word in the Originall ſignifies, either Citizen, Lieutenent, Vicar, repreſentative, is barely aſſerted; and if he have ſo ſtrictly ſurveyed the originall, as that he dare challenge me for not ſurveying it, he might have done well to have directed me, or the Reader, to the places where the word admits of ſuch acceptions; but this he hath not done, therefore I ſhall conclude, that either he hath preſented his owne imagination inſteed of the true ſenſe of the word, or more probably hath relyed upon ſome who have deceived him. I have viewed the originall, and do find, that the word Gnamith, which is rendred Socius, proximus, proceeds from the the radix Gnammath, which ſignifies ſecundùm, juxta, and ſometimes, è regione, ex adverſo, and is as much as Ca-aſher, which is rendred prout, all which do hold forth equality. To begin with this laſt, prout is rightly tranſlated, even as, the ſon Chriſt is even as the Father. I ſuppoſe it cannot be ſpoken of any creature ſo, the words è regione, ex adverſo, are rendred over againſt, right against, which is ſpoken of a thing or perſon that matcheth an other, ſet this againſt that to fellow it, or match it. But what creature is there that may be ſet up è regione Dei patris, oppoſite to God, to match him? And ſo, ſecundum, juxta, which ſignifie according, hard by, beſide or nigh another thing, or perſon; and it is rendred equal, juxta à jugo, ſaith the Etymologiſt. Now fellows are joyned in the yoke, ſuch a nighneſſe, as that the ſon fellows the Father; And if the words do any of them, ſometimes in their uſe, import an afterneſſe, or a ſeconding, and following, it may be granted; and yet to the other ſenſe that they carry of equality, hold notwithſtanding: for in order of ſubſiſting and working (though in nature and eſſence not ſo) the Son is after, and ſecond, and yet is God the Fathers fellow.
I grant that the word is rendred a neighbour, in Levit. 6. 2. and proximus is Engliſhed a neighbour, and therefore I accord with Tremelius, who ſaith, the Hebrew word doth ſound as much as proximus, a neighbour; and we know who is mans neighbour, one of the ſame kind, a man like himſelfe, and in that reſpect his fellow, his equall. But who is this Lord of Hoaſts neighbour? any meere man conſiſting onelyonly of ſoul and body? Then God and man have one and the ſame neighbour: but it is little leſs then blaſphemy to ſay, that any creature is Gods neighbour; no, it is a perſon of the ſame nature and eſſence that is his neighbour, the eternall Son of God is the Fathers neighbour, was nigh him and by him from Eternity. And to be in the boſome of the Father, and at his right hand, is not a place fit for any meere creature, but fit for one equall.
But he makes two collections from the ſignification of the word,
1. Saith he, Christ is the principall object of Gods deareſt love: The man my fellow whom I moſt love, ſaith Grotius.
Repl. This will be readily granted, and the other viz. coequallity not impedited nor gainſaid by it, for the Father loves his coequall better then all others; and becauſe he is of the ſame nature, and therein coequall, therfore he loves him beſt.
2. Saith he, Chriſt is Gods principall ſervant in his high tranſactions, one that is Gods repreſentative.
Repl. That Chriſt according to his humane nature is Gods ſervant, is granted; but that it may be collected from this place of Zachery that he is Gods ſervant, or that the Hebrew word tranſlated fellow, doth import ſo much, or that whole Chriſt is Gods ſervant, is denyed, and is not proved by him; but is his naked aſſertion.
He concludes thus:
I might now collect from the words ſomething to oppoſe the doctrine you aſſert, they being ſpoken of a man, and in reference to the Lord of Hoſts, who cannot poſſibly have an equall, unleſs it were poſſible to have two Gods.
Repl. This man that is ſpoken of in the words which have been now diſcuſſed, is that Lord of Hoaſts ſpoken of in Zech. 2. 8, 9, 10, 11. And if ſo, I hope one Lord of Hoaſts is fellow, equall to an other Lord of Hoaſts and yet it will not follow that there are two Gods, but onelyonly two perſons in the Godhead, which do fellow one another, and are equall.