'94- 'Po"'Wer communicated mito the Office ofChrifl for unto t;he Church. This is the Priviledge of the on!J hg,~tten Son, who is in the bofom of the }<'ather; not only as being his Eternal Delight and Love, but alfo as one acquaint– ed with all his fecret Counfels, as his fellow and participant of all his bofom thoughts. . He faies that all that ever came before him were iheeves and Ro/J/Jers, but the fheep clid not hear them, Joh. 10. 5· This fome of old impioufly applied unto the Prophets of the Old Tefiament; whereas he intended it only of thofe falft ·Pro– phets who pretended of t~1emfelves that they, any of them were the Mejjiahthe great Shepherd ofthe iheep, whom his eleB.: fheep would not attend unto. But it is true that all who · went before him, neith{(r feparately nor joyntly had the Knowledge of God fo as to declare him fully unto the Church. . · It is the mdf\: fond and wicked Imagination of the Socini– ans, invented to countenance their disbelief and hatred of his Divine Perfon, that during the time ofhis flelhhe waJ ta– ken ttp into H eaven and there taught the DoEfrineof the Gofpel, as Mahomet feigrred concerning himfelf and his Alcoran; The Reafon and Foundationof his perfeB.: Knowledge of God was.his being the only begotten Son in the befoii?- of the Father ; and not a ficritious rapture of his Humane Na– ture . Tothis Purpofe have we his own Tefiimony, J~h. r I I. - Andvo man hath afcendedup to Heaven, but he that came down from H ea·ven even the ~on of man which is ·in E-leaven. The ·matter whereof he treats is the Revelation of Heavenly things:-- For finding Nicoclemus flow in the underfl:anding of the DoCtrine and neceiiity of Regeneration, which yet was ~ • plain and evident in cdmparifon offome other heavenly My– fl:eries, he asks of him, ·if I ha·ve tolclyou earthly things and y ebelie·ve rtot ; (things wrought in the Earth and in your own
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