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for by this you fee, that confiderate perfons in heathenifm did conceive it was proper to go to God by a mediator. And by this I controul the arrogance of fome that are under the gospel, that think they can go to God without a mediator, of themselves. And then you have an account here of the idolatry of the Jews. They were not fo fottifh to think the calf they made, was the Deity that brought them out of Egypt; but he was a middle thing. And fo their idolatry was not a taking the thing worshipped for Deity, but a Damon, a middle thing whereby they addrefs'd themselves to that Deity. And this. you have also hinted by St. John, and in the Revelations, Rev. ix. 20.

DISCOURSE XLIV.

The Mediation of CHRIST, the Grand Inftitution of Go D.

COL. iii. 17.

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

His is the great inftitution of the gofpel; and if any of us mean to be faved, we are to liften to what God speaks, now that he makes proposals concerning our recovery, our reconciliati

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on to him, and our supply in the ftate of contracted mifery and neceffity wherein we are. The fum is this: we are all of us under an univerfal forfeiture, we have prejudiced the interest we have in God as our creator; we cannot have confidence in the relation to God as the original of our being, because we have given him offence; we have forfeited our happiness, by consenting to iniquity; we have worfted our faculties, and marred our fpirits. In this case of general neceffity, divine goodness hath declared itself, in finding out a way, and recommending it to us; a way, in which if we come to God, we shall not be refused, but find acceptance; that is, by the fon of God, whom God hath appointed the head of mankind. He hath gathered all together in Chrift, as to a head. We who, as related to the first Adam, are children of difobedience; fo in Chrift are received into favour; we come to God, and we pray to be accepted upon his account. This is, in fhort, a comment upon the text, whatsoever ye do, do all in the name, &c. as knowing we are acceptted in God by Christ, who ever lives to make interceffion for all those that come to God by him. This knowledge is the faving doctrine of the church; in this we are to be well informed and directed, and to take heed we do not fall off from Chrift. Miscarriages on this account I fhall presently lay before you and as mariners, by the mifcarriages of fhips that went before them, take warning, fo may we do. The miscarriages that were before on this ac count, and the judgments upon men, are revealed "VOL. II. U

and

and written in scripture, that we may be made a

ware.

I have fhewed you already, that notwithstanding there is a various and different use of the word name in scripture; yet that which I pitched upon was, that what one does in the name of the Lord fefus, he does in his acceptance. He is the great recommender of the creature to the mercy and goodnefs of God, the only mediator between God and man, the foundation upon which we must build, if we would ftand against storms and tempefts. All glory must be to the Lord; whatsoever is in any thing else, is the infolence of a foolish creature, and falls under this condemnation, God refifts the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.

Whatsoever ye do, &c. To make this out, I shewed you, that Chrift hath been declared by God, as the only way of man's acceptance with God, ever fince the fall of man. I have fhewed you in the feveral ages, when God hath been highly pleased with the fervice of an eminent perfon, or willing to gratify the world, he hath then declared fomething more of Jefus Christ. The great faith of the Jewish nation, was the expectation of Chrift. I have also fhew'd you, that all the Jewish ceremonies were types of Chrift, and were fulfilled in him. And God, who formerly in divers pieces and shapes, spake in time past by the prophets; now, in the time of the gospel, hath spoken fully out, manifefting his fon. Whereas before it was a mystery bidden; now 'tis no longer fuch a mystery, but God manifeft in the flesh. 1 Tim, iii, 16. I have fhewed

you,

you, that divinity inhabiting human nature, is that which God intimated by the temple among the Jews, which was a fhadow of divinity, inhabiting the human nature of Chrift.

I have also shewed you, that there is no fear, or fufpicion, or danger of God's jealousy in this making use of Chrift to go to God. For we have plain inflitution for this: he is the great angel of the covenant, to perfume, with the incenfe of his own worthinefs, the prayers of the faints; and thofe that are accepted of God, are accepted in and through Chrift's facrifice. We, notwithstanding the utmost improvement of our faculties, must not terminate our selves in our selves, or think of our felves above what we ought to think; but depend upon God's courtesy, and think our felves well provided for, only by the goodness of God declared in Jefus Chrift.

Laftly, This great falvation, going to God by means of a mediator, hath not been unacceptable to the world in general; but the most sober men in the world out of the Jewish nation, have thought fo great difference between the immortal God, and mortal creature, that they thought it neceffary fomething fhould mediate between them. Hereof

we may make great advantage: fo that fince this truth is revealed, and we have warrant from God to believe, we may think it is not contrary to the nature of man to receive the truth, now that it is revealed by God. The moft refined philofophers have discoursed excellently in this cafe, of the ne ceffity of a mortal creature going to Deity by a mediator,

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mediator. But for want of knowing by whom to go, they did err in the medium, and did fancy either angels, or glorified fpirits to be their mediators. And this was the philofophy that was general, and did prevail in the world in the time of eur Saviour, as I fhew'd you by the doctrine of Dæmons; which was the doctrine of a middle power, that they did mediate in, and interpose between fupreme Deity and us who live in bodies of flesh. I was the more free to give you an account of this, because it is so much in scripture. St. Paul tells them, they were too much given up to this doctrine of Dæmons. Acts xvii. 22. The apostle doth expresly dispute against it; Gol. ii. 18. and brings an argument against it, for he faith, that in Christ dwells the fulness of the Godhead bodily; v. 9. and therefore he needs no collegue. And we are compleat in him. And he doth affert that to us (who are taught of God) there is one God, and one Lord Jefus Chrift, the mediator. 1 Cor. viii. 6. And in the book of the Revelations, there they are punished for the Damon-worship: Rev. ix. 20. for though it be tranflated devil, we are not to understand it, as we do, devil; but it were better that the word were rendred Dæmon. The idolatry charged upon the Jews, and that which the apoftle pleaded fo againft, and that which in the Revelations is condemned, fhews, that it is natural to the reafon of man, to think of a difproportion to Deity. It is according to the reafon of man's mind, to imagine that there fhould be a mediator between God and man. But when we confider, how much we have difabled our

faculties,

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