Of the l(nor:rledg of god the Father, ~ he is the Image ofGod himfelf: And fo, becaufe he of all Perfons in the TrinitY Bo o K II. bears the Title or Character of being the Image of God. Hence he cloth in ~ like manner, together with the Image. of God's Being, bear the Platform ofall things elfe that are in God ; as m whofe .Breafi ,God the Father vtews over his own Thoughts and Defigns, and m whom they are prefented to him. . Lafily, Whereas it may be !aid, That the Philofophers havmg ufed that Phr~fe afore ]oh11, in this or the like Senfe: That therefore ]ohn takmg up our ofchotce the fame Title, and giving it to Chrifi, that therefore he !hould ufe it m their Senfe and intention. Anfwer is, 1. That John originally ufed this Word from the Old Tefiament it fel£ For the ]ews expreifed their Mejjiab, or Chrifi to come, under this Notion, the Word, and the Word ofGod, as appears by the Calde~ Paraphrafis (who are at leafi as ancient as Chri!t) often, when God the Son ts menuoned and fpoken of, they tranOate it [the Word]. So HoC I. 7· I will.fave thee by .the Lord their God, they render it, 1 wil/ redeem tbem by the Word of the Lord thetr God. So Pfal. 110. 1, [The L•rdflid to my Lord] the Paraphra(ts expound it,The Lord faid to the Word. And (o, IC1. 45· 17. Ifraeljha/1be faved in the Lord with an evedajli11g Salvation; they read it, by the Word ofthe Lord, namely Chrtfi. And thts Phrafe not the ]ews only, but the Scriptures themfelves do ufe, as2 Sam. 7· 21. For thy Word's Sak,i:, fays David, that is, for thy Chrifi's Sake. For I Chron. I 7. I 9· it isren– dred, For thy Servant's Sak,i:: And is all one .with that Dan. 9· For the Lord's Sal<g. 'Philo ( a ]ew never turned Chrt!ttan, and not long after Chrifi's Time) in his Writings, calls him o My@-', as before did Plato, and thofe Heathens, who !lole their Knowledg from the Jews, and vended it as their own. Yet, 2. That the occafion why John,when he wrote his Gofpel, ufed that Ti– tle of the Word, which no other Evangelifi did, was that which was mentioned ; namely, that the G"ojlicf.! ofthofe Times he wrote in, profeffing Chriftianity, formed up fuch a Chri!l:, according to what the Heathen Philofophers had fet him forth by: He therefore gives him the fame Title (the Old Tefiament ha– ving given it him) but in full and direct oppofition to them, and what they faid ofhim, he at firfi da!h affirms, both that his My&, or Chrifi, was God, and alfo equal with God ; and a Pcrfon difiinct from God, in thofe other Words, He """with God: The contrary to which was their Doctrine of him. Thus much for the firft Opinion, why he is called My@-', the Word_ The fecond Opinion, why Chrift lhould be termed My@-', the Word, is, That it imports what God had afore all Worlds ordained Chrifi to · be, and Chrifl himfelfundertook to be even his Word, whereby to utter or manifefi himfelf 10 us. And indeed, although the Perfon whom John calls My&, did actually then exi!t; yet it cannot be denied but that this Title of My@-', the Word doth withal connotate or import what Chrifi undertook to be, and God defign~d him to be ; name]y, the Revelation ofGod unto us. Which is made forth, r. Be– caufe the inward Thoughts thernfelves are ufually termed the Word but in rela– tion to their being uttered : And therefore, in fuch a R.efpect, may alfo this be fu ppofed given to him, feeing he is the Manifefier of God unto us, Et Interpres Vohmtt~ti< Divin£~ The Interpreter of God's Mind unto us, Heb. 1 • I. And, 2. In that Chnfi IS find to be the Wifdom ofGod, namely Manifeftative and as he is made Wifdom unto us; by whom we know God in the form' of Jefus Cbrirt. Thus, I Cor. I. 24. 'But unto thel?t tvhich are caUed, both Jews and Greeks, Chrijl, the Power ofGod, a11d the Wifiiom of God; compared with verf. jO. 'E11t ofbim are 1e in Chsijl Jefw, who of God i< made unto tt.r Wifdom, and Righteollfttef, and Santlijication, a11d Redemptio11. And in this Senfe it is that Soiomrm calls himWifdom, which is all one with this ofJohn, My@-' the Word, which the Et~glifh or Latine reach not. And it were eafy to Parall~l John here and Solomon there, in 'Prov. 8. which I have elfewherc done. ' So
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