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A61804 A discourse of the Pope's supremacy. Part I in answer to a treatise intitled, St. Peter's supremacy faithfully discuss'd ... : and to A sermon of S. Peter, preached ... by Thomas Godden ... Stratford, Nicholas, 1633-1707. 1688 (1688) Wing S5932; ESTC R33810 93,478 130

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before me As if the Baptist had thus spake at large This Pearson on the second Article of the Creed p. 218 219. of the first Edit Man Christ Jesus who came in to the World and entered upon his Prophetical Office six Months after me is notwithstanding of far more Worth and greater Dignity even so much greater that I must acknowledg my self unworthy to stoop down and unloose the Latchet of his Shoes And the Reason of this transcendent Dignity is from the Excellency of that Nature which he had before I was for though he cometh after me yet he was before me Again St. John the Baptist prefers Christ before himself in this that whereas he himself had his Original from the Earth Christ came from Heaven and was above all * John 3. 31. thereby signifying that Divine Nature by which he existed in Heaven before he was conceived in his humane Nature of the blessed Virgin. Can it then be in reason supposed that the Apostles knew not this Mystery which John so freely publish'd to his Hearers especially considering that some of the Apostles were the Disciples of John before they were the Disciples of Christ But 4. If the Baptist knew the Divinity of Christ the Apostles we may conclude knew it much rather since besides what they had heard from John concerning it they had learn'd much more from their Master himself by his private Instructions and his publick Preaching Among other things they could not but have observed that he had frequently discovered Mens secret Thoughts and Reasonings that he had affirmed himself to be Lord of the Sabbath and that he had power on Earth to forgive Sins They had no doubt heard him say that God was his own Father and knew that the Jews accused him of Blasphemy for saying so because thereby they concluded he made himself equal with God. These and many other matters of the like import they had heard from his own Mouth of the Truth of which they were abundantly satisfied by seeing him do such Miracles which no Man before ever did in confirmation of what he said The Argument then lies thus If John the Baptist knew Christ to be the Son of the Living God the Apostles of Christ much more knew him to be so because they had not only all the same Arguments that he had but many more from the Words and Actions of Christ himself to assure them of this great Truth Secondly The same Conclusion is as strongly inferred from what the Discussor grants of the Devil's Knowledg and the ways by which he attained to it How the Devils arrived to this Knowledg Opinions he says are various Three of which he mentions The first seems to be of no weight viz. That when he was a glorious Angel in Heaven God revealed to him that his Son should assume humane Nature and that Man should be exalted to the hypostatic Vnion with the Word † Pag. 93. That God revealed this to him when he was a glorious Angel there is not the least proof and in case he did yet unless he reveal'd also that this Jesus of Nazareth was the Man that was exalted to the Hypostatic Union with the Word it will not reach the Point to be determined And he must be a Man of a wonderful fancy who can imagine that this was revealed to the Devil when he was a glorious Angel in Heaven As for the other ways he mentions the Devil had by them no advantage of the Apostles For the next opinion he cites is that of Theophylact viz. that the Thief stole this Knowledg from the Voice from Heaven And why might not the Apostles also get it the same way For though they heard not this Voice immediately from Heaven yet they had the report of it from John the Baptist and as firmly believ'd it as if they themselves had at first heard it The third opinion is that of St. Austin viz. That it was made known to the Devil by the operation of so many Miracles wrought by the Finger of God which the Devil knew did transcend his and all Angelical Power And in this the Apostles who were Christ's constant Attendants and the Eye-witnesses of his Miracles were not inferiour but if there was any difference it may be presum'd the Advantage lay on the Apostles side For tho they knew not how far the Power of Apostate Spirits might reach and whether some of his Works were such as exceeded their Power to effect yet there were others of them and they the far greater part that could leave no ground for any such Suspition but were such unquestionable Effects of a Divine Power that all Mankind have concluded they could be wrought by none but the Finger of God. If then by these means the Devil came to know the Divinity of Christ might not all the Apostes as well know it having the same means of knowing it Let us now see what was the Judgment of the Ancients in this point Thirdly The same Conclusion is also confirm'd by the Testimonies of many more Fathers than are alledged by the Discussor for the contrary He produces three viz. Hilary Cyril of Jerusalem and Basil of Seleucia Let these be yielded to him what will they signify when they are over-voted by a far greater Number The Discussor himself grants that the Fathers incidently say that the other Apostles knew Christ to be the Son of God before St Peter's promulging him so But then he says they meant thereby his nominal not his natural Filiation Let us therefore see whether he truly represents their meaning He instances only in St. Ambrose whom he finds in one place to affirm that the other Apostles knew Christ to be the Son of God as well as St. Peter and in another to seem to appropriate it wholly to him ‖ Pag. 90. In the one then he roundly affirms that the other Apostles knew it in the other he does but seem to deny it The place he means in which he affirms it is I presume in the sixth Book of his Comments on St. Luke c. 9. Now the Question is whether St. Ambrose in this place meant that the Apostles knew the Divinity of Christ which no Man that impartially reads the Text can so much as question and therefore it was wisely done of the Discussor not to tell his Reader where it was to be found for St. Ambrose there commenting upon St. Peter's Answer as it is recorded by St. Luke Thou art the Christ of God says thus If it was sufficient to the Apostle Paul to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified what more should I desire to know than Christ for in this one Name is the Expression both of his Divinity and Incarnation and the Faith of his Passion And therefore THOVGH THE OTHER APOSTLES KNEW IT yet Peter answers rather than the rest THOV ART CHRIST THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD he therefore comprised all who expressed both his Nature and his