CHAP. XI.

Of the PRIESTLY Office of our MEDIATOR upon Earth continued.

XI.

Proceed to the fecond Thing pro- CHAP.
pofed, to fhew what is the Method
laid down in Scripture, to be de-
pended upon for Salvation, the Re-
miffion of Sins, and eternal Life:

And that is the DEATH of the Mediator,
He was to fuffer Death not as a Martyr to the
Truth of God's reconcilable Difpofition to Sin-
ners; that Difpofition was evident enough in his
appointing fuch a Perfon, and fending him into
the World; but as the Mediator of the new
Covenant, who by fuffering in our Stead the
Punishment due to our Sin, undertook to ac-
complish thereby an actual, full, perfect Recon-
ciliation between God and Man. Thus it is
reprefented. For this Caufe he is the Mediator of
the New Teftament, that by Means of Death for the
Redemption of the Tranfgreffions that were under
the firft Teftament, they which are called might
receive the Promife of eternal Inheritance: For
where a Teftament is, there must also of Neceffity be
the Death of the Teftator. For a Teftament is of
Force, after Men are dead, otherwife it is of no
Strength at all while the Teftator liveth. The

Heb. ix. 15, 16, 17.

fame

CHAP. fame Word which is tranflated Teftament, in XI. other Places fignifies Covenant; which, according to Whitby, "as it was fealed with, and "confirmed by his Blood, procuring for us "fuch Bleffings as he by his Will defign'd for, "and declared fhould be conferred upon Be"lievers through Faith in bis Blood, became alfo a "Teftament." But that the Word should every where be render'd Covenant, not Teftament; and that there is no Neceffity for tranflating it Teftament even in this Place, in cafe Teftator implies Pacifier, See Peirce's Notes.

As he was the Son of God who loved Righteousness and hated Iniquity against his Father, that induced him to undertake our Redemption from all Iniquity, and gain a new Probation, to make us a peculiar People zealous of good Works.

IT became him to make the Captain of our Salvation Perfect through fuffering, or tafting Death for every Man*. It does not fay, there was no other Way poffible for the Salvation of Sinners. But what is more to the Purpose, if that Method best BECAME the Grace, Wifdom, and Power of God, we may be very fure, it was in itself the beft, the wifeft, and the most honourable that could be pitch'd upon. For nothing but what is most Divine and Beneficial in Goodness, most fublime and adorable in Wisdom, most influential and awful in Legislature and Government, could become God to propose, or the Mediator to undertake, or Man to receive the Benefit of, in that Affair.

Heb. ii. 9, 10.

"IT is enough (in the Opinion of the impar"tial Mr. Locke) to juftify the Fitness of any "Thing to be done, by refolving it into the Wif "dom of God, who has done it; whereof our nar

66

row Understandings, and fhort Views, may "utterly incapacitate us to judge. We know "little of this vifible, and nothing at all of the "State of that intellectual World; wherein are "infinite Numbers and Degrees of Spirits out of "the Reach of our Ken or Guefs; and therefore "know not what Tranfactions there were between "God and our Saviour, in Reference to his "Kingdom. We know not what need there was "to fet up a Head and a Cheiftan, in Oppofition

to the Prince of this World, the Prince of the "Power of the Air, &c. And we shall take too "much upon us, if we fhall call God's Wifdom "or Providence to Account, and pertly condemn "for needlefs, all that our weak, and, perhaps, "biafs'd Understandings, cannot account for *" "Yet, in this particular Cafe, the Wisdom and "Goodness of God has fhewn itself fo vifibly to "common Apprehenfions, that it hath furnish'd "us abundantly wherewithal to fatisfy the Curi"ous and Inquifitive; who will not take a Blef"fing, unless they be inftructed, what need they "had of it, and why it was bestowed upon "them t".

THE making the Captain of our Salvation Perfect through fuffering Death, was, that which made him a perfect Mediator in Office, as he was before perfectly qualify'd in his Perfon and Nature to go through with it. And thus as the Law

*Reasonableness of Chriftian. page 255. + Page 256.

of

СНАР.

XI.

CHAP. of God obliging to Obedience was wifely laid in XI. the Nature and Reafon of Things, fo the Divine

Method of pardoning Tranfgreffion and recovering to Obedience, through this Mediator, is likewife founded in the Nature and Fitness of Things; not difcoverable indeed to our Reason, without the Help of Revelation: But when that open'd the Treasures of Wisdom and Mercy in faving Sinners; it, at the fame Time, fhews how perfectly well the Mediator confults the Nature of God, and the prefent Nature of Man, in erecting the best Kingdom and Government that can poffibly fubfift between them.

WHEREUNTO all that fubject themselves by the Invitations of the moft reasonable Faith in the Mediator, find Mercy and Justice, and all the Institutes and Appointments of Heaven, difpens'd' not by arbitrary Will, but directed by the Meafures of the higheft Reafon and Wifdom; the natural Inclinations, which Reafon fuggefts, of the Divine Goodness to pardon penitent Sinners, reconciled to the natural Engagements of Juftice, not to let Sin go unpunifh'd, by a moft furprizing Policy and Godlike Contrivance for the Good of Man, as much beyond the Capacity of his Reason to have found out, as it is beyond his Defert; wherein Mercy and Truth, Righteouf nefs and Peace match'd together, and have killed each other.

WHEREIN all that is in the Power and Nature of Man is fuperintended and directed to his greatest Comfort in this World, and to his endless Happiness in the next. His Reafon exalted to a Coincidence with his Faith, and improved to the best Government over all his Faculties; his Paffions

I

XI.

fions regulated to the embracing the most amiable CHAP. recompencing Good; and to the fhunning the most seriously deform'd, and dreadfully revenging Evil; his Repentance and Devotion animated with the most cordial Invitations, and Acceptableness to God, in the Joy and Communion of the Holy Ghost, to the greatest chearing of the Heart, and to the best Settlement of the Peace of Conscience; and the Obedience of his Actions guided by Laws and Helps purpofely ordain'd for the improving his Nature here in Holiness, that it may be perfected in Happiness hereafter.

As the Foundation of that Faith in the Me-
diator is laid in the reveal'd Union of the Divine
and Human Nature, Son of God, and Son of
Man, perfonally dying for the Sins of the World,
rifing from the dead, and interceding in Heaven
for us.
The Reasons of his Death, and the fa-
ving Efficacy of his Blood bedding, are exprefs'd by
his dying for us, bearing our Sins, or the Punish-
ment of them*. By being an Offering, Propitia-
tion, Sacrifice, for our Sins, and we receiving the
Atonementt. His Blood fhed for putting away,
taking away, cleanfing, washing, purifying, pur-
ging, remitting of Sinst. And with respect to
the Value of his precious Blood, and our Cap-
tivity under Sin and Satan, by purchasing, ransom-
ing, and redeeming us . And the happy Effects,

1 John iii. 16. Rom. iv. 25. 1 Cor. xv. 3.
Heb. ix. 29.
1 Pet. ii. 24.
V. II. 1 John ii. 2. iv. 10. Rom.
26. Eph. v. 2.

*Heb. ii. 9. Ifaiah iii. 4, 5, 6. + Rom. iii. 25. viii. 13. Heb. ix. Heb. ix. 26. ii. 14. Heb. i. 3. || Acts xx. 28. 1 Pet. v. 9. Rev. v.

John iii. 5. i. 17. Rev. i. 5. Tit.

Mat. xxvi. 28.

1 Tim. ii, 6. Mat. xx. 28. 1 Cor. vi. 20.

9.

upon